Daily Practice

The new day began quietly. Lin Chen woke at dawn, when it was still gray outside the window. A thin layer of mist hung over the sea, as if the moisture from the night had yet to fully disperse. He rolled over and sat up, remaining at the bedside for a moment as his vision adjusted to the outlines and layers in the dim light. Then he put on his jacket and went downstairs.

Master Roshi was already seated in the bamboo chair on the porch, holding that enamel mug. It was his fixed spot every day, as though he never deviated from it at that hour. When the sea breeze stirred his graying hair, he pressed it down with his free hand before returning his gaze to the water.

"Go to the beach after the fog clears today," Master Roshi said without turning around. "Wait until it's completely gone before getting in the water. If you can't see clearly, it's easy to swim off course."

Lin Chen nodded and went into the kitchen to heat up a bowl of porridge. It was left over from last night and had gone cold beside the stove, with the spoon resting on the rim and a layer of dried porridge stains around the bowl. He added a small handful of firewood to the stove, and the flames quickly caught, crackling softly in the hearth. Firelight flickered over the wall tiles. The porridge slowly warmed in the pot, and he waited by the stove until tiny bubbles began rising to the surface. Only then did he remove the fire and carry the bowl to the porch, where he squatted down to eat.

The fog did indeed disperse after the sun rose. The sea gradually emerged from its gray-white haze, shifting from light blue near the shore to dark blue in the distance before blending into the horizon. Krillin came out of the house already dressed in shorts and running shoes. "Let's go."

Today's running route was the same as yesterday's: south along the coastline to the ridge, then back. Lin Chen followed behind Krillin and slowed when they reached the stone steps. Each time he landed, he tried to step on the inner side near the wall. It had been trodden many times already; the surface was smooth but offered enough traction, making it the best landing point he had discovered after several training sessions. As he ran today, he noticed that his footing was steadier than yesterday. Every step landed precisely in the same spot, with no need to adjust his balance midway.

After crossing the ridge, Krillin stopped beside a short pine tree and bent over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. When he straightened, he glanced at Lin Chen. "You landed more accurately on the stone steps just now than you did yesterday. No unnecessary movements."

Lin Chen stopped beside him as well, adjusting his breathing. "I ran it one more time than yesterday. I got used to it."

"Getting used to it means you've trained properly," Krillin said. "When we get back, swim to White Reef. The current is flowing south today, so angle a little north after you enter the water. Adjust your direction halfway through. It'll take less effort than swimming straight at the target."

After saying that, he turned and started running back. Lin Chen followed behind, maintaining roughly the same speed on the flat stretch of the return route as he had on the way there.

By the time they returned to Kame House after swimming, the sun had fully risen, and the light over the sea was much brighter than it had been in the morning. Lin Chen stood in the yard, drying himself off as the muscles in his shoulders and arms continued to radiate heat. He draped the towel over the clothesline, then crouched beside the tool shed to check the indicator light on the shielding device mounted on the wall. It was still green. There were no obvious scratches or stains on its casing, and the sealing strip remained snug against the wall.

At lunch, Krillin mentioned the afternoon's plans. "Use the Gravity Room if you want. If not, you can come with me to the woods north of here. Master said there are a few dead trees that need to be felled. We should deal with them while the weather's good."

Lin Chen considered it. "I'll do a set in the Gravity Room first, then go to the woods."

A little after two in the afternoon, he entered the Gravity Room and set the dial slightly higher than it had been the previous two days. When the chamber door closed, the seal made a faint compressing sound, and that familiar heaviness pressed down on him. He stayed inside for around twenty-five minutes. After completing a full set of movements, he turned the dial back down. As he walked out, he could feel the muscles in his shoulders and back recovering rapidly.

When he entered the northern woods, he heard the distant sound of an axe striking wood. Following the noise, he found Goku standing beside a dead tree, swinging an old axe again and again at the base of its trunk. Wood chips flew everywhere. Krillin stood nearby, organizing the fallen logs into a neat stack with their edges aligned and roughly equal gaps between each piece.

"That big one is nearly done too. Once it's down, move it over to the yard," Krillin said, glancing at several trees that had already been felled. The bark on one of them was drying and curling, as though it had been exposed to the air for some time. "Splitting these will be enough for this afternoon."

Lin Chen walked over as well, picked up a spare axe leaning against the wall, and bent down before another dead tree. His first swing landed slightly off, failing to sink in very deeply. He adjusted the second strike, and the blade bit into the grain of the trunk. A crisp sound rang out as the wood fibers split apart. After several consecutive swings, he felt his movements gradually adapting to the tool's balance and the way force needed to be applied. His strikes became more and more precise. With every chop, wood chips sprayed to both sides. The broken surface gradually shifted from grayish white to a pale yellow tinged with moisture, like a freshly exposed cut.

[Ding! Picked up Strength Light Orbs ×3. Strength +9.]

[Ding! Picked up Woodcutting Skill Fragment ×1. Current Woodcutting Proficiency: 4%.]

His arms continued to heat up, but it was not fatigue. It felt more like warmth spreading evenly through his muscles, making every swing smoother. Another dead tree fell, hitting the ground with a dull crash and kicking up a small cloud of dry leaves and dust.

By evening, three dead trunks cut into sections had been transported to the yard of Kame House and stacked against the wall in a row similar to the existing firewood. Goku sat on the steps, rubbing his shoulders, while Krillin stood beneath the eaves, rinsing wood chips and resin from the axes. Lin Chen paced around the yard, loosening his slightly sore arms. When he reached the coconut tree behind the house, he paused and looked up at the receiver fixed in the fork of its branches. Its indicator light was still glowing steadily.

There was a brief stretch of free time before dinner. The yard was so quiet that only the wind and the distant cries of seabirds remained. Lin Chen returned the axe to the tool shed. As he hung it back up, he casually adjusted the positions of the other tools on the rack as well, keeping the spacing between them uniform. Master Roshi stuck his head out of the kitchen window and called, "Dinner's ready." Then he pulled his head back inside.

As Lin Chen stepped out of the tool shed, a gust of sea wind swept in from the side of the yard, carrying the oily fragrance of dinner and the faint chill of evening. It brushed past the edges of the firewood piled by the wall and drifted deep into the porch.