But a little pain could not stop Lin Fan's determination to become a martial artist.
Enduring the pain, he worked through the movements one by one. The further he went, the harder they became, and Lin Fan could distinctly feel his muscles tearing.
"Let the pain come even harder!" Lin Fan growled, gritting his teeth and holding on. The constantly advancing progress on his Fate Panel was his greatest encouragement.
"Whew..."
Lin Fan let out a heavy breath, then plopped onto the floor. His whole body hurt as though every muscle were cramping, and he was drenched in sweat.
After just one round, he felt as though his body had been overdrawn.
He looked at the Fate Panel, a smile curling his lips. It had all been worth it.
Body Tempering Art (entry level 10/800).
He only needed to practice seventy more times for his Body Tempering Art to reach entry level. Then he would officially become a martial artist and pull both feet out of the mire at the bottom.
Lin Fan wiped the sweat from the corners of his eyes, then pushed himself to his feet and took his stance again. He would not allow himself to waste a single second.
The pain of tearing muscles descended on him again, but it could not suppress Lin Fan's will to pursue martial arts.
Sweat soaked the floor, and heat rose from Lin Fan's entire body as though he were a steaming furnace.
Thump!
Lin Fan plopped onto the floor once again. At the same time, his Body Tempering Art progress reached 20/800.
"Keep going!"
Lin Fan growled as he stood and practiced the Body Tempering Art again. Its progress kept increasing, and the feeling of growing stronger every moment intoxicated him.
But a "Grrr..." interrupted his intoxication.
Intense hunger swept from his stomach through his entire body. Lin Fan's limbs went weak, and his head felt faintly dizzy. He knew he could not keep practicing.
"Damn it, half a bowl of medicinal food isn't nearly enough!" Lin Fan ground his teeth. If he had not needed to hand over half a bowl of medicinal food, he could have kept going.
He could clearly have continued growing stronger, yet some petty villains had thwarted his progress. The feeling made Lin Fan want to kill.
"Those who block my path cannot share the same sky with me! Just you bastards wait!" Lin Fan snarled like a wild beast.
He looked at the Fate Panel. His Body Tempering Art progress had reached entry level 64/800.
"No, at this rate, the medicinal effects will be exhausted after ten rounds of practice tonight at most. That means less than 200 progress a day, and four or five days to reach entry level. That's too long. I can't wait." Lin Fan frowned, dissatisfied with his current pace.
If anyone else learned that he was dissatisfied with reaching entry level in the Body Tempering Art in four days, they would surely be unable to resist hacking him to death with a blade.
Never mind four days-they would burn incense in gratitude if they could reach entry level in four weeks.
Lin Fan squeezed the money pouch at his waist, an idea forming in his mind.
For now, he could not touch the half bowl of medicinal food provided by the dining hall. He was not strong enough to break the outer courtyard's unwritten rules, so he could only buy medicinal food outside.
It was already mealtime at the dining hall. After eating there, Lin Fan left the martial arts school.
The school did not restrict its disciples from going out. A bustling market lay nearby, and the cries of vendors let Lin Fan feel the long-absent bustle of the mortal world.
He had only entered the school a few days ago, yet it felt as though a lifetime had passed.
A few days ago, he had still been a homeless vagrant. Now, he was a human training dummy at the school, had mastered three martial techniques, and would become a martial artist any day. His strength had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
Lin Fan arrived at the market and headed straight for the medicinal food shop. Every time he had passed it before, he had wanted to go inside and taste its medicinal food, but the price of three hundred copper coins a bowl had made him shrink back.
Three hundred copper coins required a month of work at the docks without spending anything on food or drink. How could he bear to spend it on a single bowl of medicinal food?
Lin Fan asked the owner to serve him a bowl of medicinal food. His heart bled as he handed over the silver.
Silver exists to serve my martial path. Trading a few taels of silver for becoming a ninth-grade martial artist is a bargain! Lin Fan silently comforted himself, then downed the medicinal food in one gulp.
Then he hurried back to the dormitory without stopping, buying two steamed buns along the way. Once there, he immediately began practicing the Body Tempering Art. A bowl and a half of medicinal food was enough to sustain over twenty rounds of practice.
Lin Fan collapsed to the floor again and again, then climbed back up each time. Every inch of his muscles screamed in pain, and several cramped at once, but even this could not stop him.
His throat released snarls like those of a wounded beast. His eyes were bloodshot as he practiced the Body Tempering Art over and over.
When hunger stirred in his stomach again, he looked at the Fate Panel, his face brimming with a satisfied smile.
Body Tempering Art (entry level 300/800).
"Just fifty more rounds, and I'll become a martial artist. Soon. By the day after tomorrow at the latest, I'll officially knock open the gates of the martial path. From then on, the sea and sky will stretch boundlessly, and I'll roam free!" Lin Fan murmured, his voice filled with excitement and anticipation.
Early the next morning, Lin Fan left the school and bought another bowl of medicinal food at the shop. The morning was his free time, and he planned to continue practicing the Body Tempering Art.
After returning to the dining hall for breakfast, Lin Fan went back to the dormitory to continue practicing.
Body Tempering Art (entry level 310/800)...350/800...400/800...530/800.
By lunchtime, his Body Tempering Art progress had reached 530. He was only 270 experience points away from entry level. Barring any surprises, he would reach it tonight.
The thought alone made Lin Fan unable to contain his excitement.
"A martial artist. Tonight, I'll become a martial artist!" Lin Fan clenched his fists tightly, as though he had grasped his own future.
That afternoon, in Young Master Tang's training room, two figures darted and twisted, following each other like shadows. But one held the initiative, while the other was forced onto the defensive.
Lin Fan retreated a step, narrowly avoiding Young Master Tang's sweeping kick. But Young Master Tang chased after him with gusts beneath his feet, his fist firing like a cannonball toward Lin Fan's chest.
Lin Fan punched out as well. The instant their fists collided, he could not withstand the recoil and stumbled back. Young Master Tang pressed his advantage, lashing out with his right leg like a long whip. Unable to dodge in time, Lin Fan was swept off his feet.
But Lin Fan sprang upright with a carp's kip-up and continued facing Young Master Tang's tempest of attacks.
As soon as Young Master Tang arrived that afternoon, he had told Lin Fan to try being a live dummy starting that day. His Gang-Breaking Fist and Gale Leg were both stuck at the peak of minor accomplishment. Hitting a "dead dummy" made breaking through difficult, so he could only pin his hopes on a "live dummy."
Lin Fan had no objections and was even secretly delighted, because being a "dead dummy" could not increase the progress of any of his arts, while being a "live dummy" might.
He used the Gang-Breaking Fist and Gale Leg to counter Young Master Tang's moves as they came. Of course, to avoid arousing Young Master Tang's suspicions, he displayed very little strength and remained at an absolute disadvantage throughout.
Watching the progress of his Gang-Breaking Fist and Gale Leg rise rapidly on the Fate Panel, Lin Fan could barely suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.
The pace was simply too fast-even a shade faster than when Young Master Tang instructed him, and almost four times as fast as practicing alone.
Could the progress from sparring be the sum of practicing alone and receiving instruction? Lin Fan silently speculated, though he was already all but certain.