Metamorphosis

Chen Yiming's performance soon caught the other students' attention, and they began discussing it.

A male student stared wide-eyed and exclaimed:

"Am I seeing things? Is he really a newcomer? He's incredible! Is he another Lin Yixuan?"

Lin Yixuan was the Praying Mantis Snake Sword Academy's senior-most disciple. He had been accepted as a Core Disciple the moment he joined.

Another student beside him let out a breath, equally disbelieving:

"That guy is terrifying. If you told me he was a Core Disciple, I'd believe you. That distinctive rhythm is exactly like Senior Brother Wang's."

The first student spoke again. "Zhang Youde's in trouble. He used to be the best at swordsmanship, and now a newcomer like this shows up. Think the two of them will clash?"

"Who knows? Zhang Youde has been at the academy for over a year longer. The newcomer might surpass him someday, but for now, my money's still on Zhang Youde."

In the crowd, a female student named Liang Lele teased the tall young woman beside her. "Aren't you going to make your move? Who was it that made that bold claim earlier?"

The tall student, Zhao Jingru, blushed and replied quietly:

"What's the rush? I only said it in passing. Let's wait and see."

They were all martial artists sharing the same courtyard, with hearing far sharper than most people's. Zhang Youde caught every word the other students said.

His face darkened. "Is he making a fool of me?"

When Zhang Youde had chatted with Chen Yiming that morning, Chen Yiming had told him he wasn't from a Martial Arts Family. He came from an ordinary household and had trained for years just to meet the academy's entry requirements.

The lackey who trained alongside Zhang Youde saw his expression and, afraid Zhang Youde might take his anger out on him, quickly came up with an explanation:

"Don't worry, Brother Zhang. If that newcomer really learned it in one go, why didn't the master make him a Core Disciple? Why send him to the branch academy instead? Maybe he's all show, just like Liu Qingqing from the Flowing Cloud Sword Hall."

Zhang Youde calmed down. It was true; the reasoning made sense.

But one thing still bothered him. His lackey might not understand that distinctive rhythm, but Zhang Youde did. It was a sign that someone had mastered the technique.

The lackey deliberately raised his voice. "What good is swordsmanship if his body can't measure up to ours? He's just putting on a show."

The other students found his argument reasonable too. They shouldn't praise the newcomer blindly; Liu Qingqing was proof of that.

Zhao Jingru, who had been blushing moments ago, regained her cool demeanor and told her friend:

"You're too quick to get excited. What I meant was someone like Lin Yixuan back then—good enough to become a Core Disciple as soon as he joined."

Listening nearby, Wang Bowen didn't know whether to laugh or get angry.

Not one of these students, Zhang Youde included, met the requirements to become a Core Disciple. They had no idea how vast the gap was between learning the basics and true mastery.

Mantis Snake Swordsmanship was divided into beginner, proficient, and mastery stages. Each stage tempered the body to a different degree. Below mastery, the technique couldn't temper every part of the body, so a practitioner needed a secret medicine to complete the Third Body Metamorphosis and reach the first qualitative leap in their cultivation.

For ordinary students, the only chance of affording that medicine was to risk their lives earning money in the Wilderness Zone before their bodies began to decline in their late twenties. Even then, the medicine only improved their chances of breaking through. It guaranteed nothing.

Whether someone had mastered Mantis Snake Swordsmanship therefore largely separated potential Core Disciples from ordinary students.

"What are you staring at? Get back to training!"

Wang Bowen strode among the students and barked the order, disappointed by how readily they gave in to jealousy.

The story about Liu Qingqing had simply been spread maliciously by people with an agenda. There were countless hurdles on the path of cultivation, and no one could guarantee that a promising student would realize all their potential. Every year, someone's talent was misjudged.

Lin Yixuan had been among the promising children Wan Rong had selected through years of searching beyond the academy. That was why he had been made a Core Disciple the moment he joined.

Seeing Senior Brother Wang lose his temper for once, the students scattered back to their places and resumed going through the motions of training. None dared defy him.

The students don't get along all that well either. Show a little talent and they start doubting you.

Chen Yiming practiced the sword technique a few more times, then sat down to rest and sighed inwardly.

Since he could split his awareness in two, the other students' hushed discussions hadn't escaped him. But he had lived two lives and wasn't about to worry too much about what others thought.

Still, it was a warning. He needed to hide his progress and avoid drawing too much attention.

Having spent ten years reading novels in his previous life, he had seen countless protagonists flaunt their special advantages without restraint. Enemies came after them one wave at a time, yet every protagonist somehow broke through at the critical moment and turned the tables.

Reality would not work that way. Even if he had crossed over with a system, getting killed would still mean dying.

For now, he planned to focus on training at the academy and stay out of the other students' affairs as much as possible. Once he had completed the Third Body Metamorphosis and achieved his body's first qualitative leap, he could decide what to do next.

Time flew by.

Chen Yiming settled into a routine that took him between home and the academy.

He rose and went out at first light, attended training in the morning and afternoon, and returned home at dusk, rain or shine.

During that time, a student offered to introduce him to a small gang for a nominal position. He refused without a second thought.

For ordinary students, the academy provided only instruction and a place to train. They had to find their own way to obtain the resources their cultivation required.

Many students took on part-time work, both to save for training resources and to improve their daily lives.

But Chen Yiming was different. What he needed most were skill points. With enough of them, he could raise his swordsmanship talent; everything else was secondary.

And earning skill points meant training steadily, day after day, for years.

His daily training had shifted from basic sword moves to Mantis Snake Swordsmanship. Since Mantis Snake Swordsmanship was far more advanced, his rate of earning skill points had risen from one point per month to three.

A month passed.

Chen Yiming's cultivation had undergone a dramatic change.

On the day after he reported to the academy, he had dragged his exhausted body home, eaten a simple dinner, and gone to bed early.

He had slept so deeply that night he remembered nothing. The next morning, he accidentally snapped his chopsticks while eating breakfast.

He immediately noticed the change in his body. His strength, reactions, stamina, and more had all improved tremendously.

He realized that he had completed the First Body Metamorphosis in his sleep without even knowing it.

He was delighted. His level-one swordsmanship talent had not only sharpened his understanding of sword techniques; it had also greatly improved how effectively practicing them tempered his body.