Teacher Xu and a woman in black walked past the classroom. They were careful to keep their presence hidden, and since they didn’t linger for long, Li Yuan didn’t notice them at all. He was completely absorbed in his own training.
While studying cultural subjects, Li Yuan was serious, but he mainly had a “just get it done” mindset, so his efficiency wasn’t the best. However, when he practiced his fist techniques and spear techniques, feeling his physical abilities and martial arts skills gradually improve, he felt genuine joy from the bottom of his heart. He was completely focused.
Time passed second by second.
Suddenly, he received three notifications in his vision:
“Your fist technique level has increased from 88% to 89%.”
“Your fist strength has increased from 426 kg to 427 kg.”
“Your speed has increased from 14.4 m/s to 14.5 m/s.”
These messages appeared one after another, and his Divine Palace Panel data changed. But so immersed in his training, he didn’t even notice the slight improvements in his physical abilities.
It wasn’t until his smart wristband vibrated that he realized it was already 5:30. “Wow, time flies,” he said, waking up from his focus. He was covered in sweat.
“Huh? Did my physical abilities improve again?” Li Yuan finally noticed the reminders on his Divine Palace Panel and felt even more satisfied. “A little progress every day, keep it up,” he thought to himself.
Since awakening his Divine Palace a year ago and learning the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra, Li Yuan had been visualizing for two hours every day. After enduring the mental torture, his physical fatigue would vanish completely, even better than sleeping or deep therapy. Since then, he had developed a habit of coming to school to train around three in the morning. Even during breaks, he would find a place to train alone in his neighborhood.
He pushed himself to the limit. Only by doing so had he achieved remarkable progress in martial arts over the past year.
Li Yuan wiped the sweat off his body and put the towel away. Suddenly, he noticed something and turned around. “Tianyou? You’re here so early?” he smiled at the lean figure with a backpack.
“You got here earlier than me,” Li Tianyou said, surprised to see Li Yuan.
“I just got here a little while ago, just dropped off my bag,” Li Yuan replied while taking out his spear. “I left a bit earlier than you yesterday, so I figured I should work hard for morning practice.”
“Really?” Li Tianyou looked at him doubtfully. He couldn’t remember how many times this had happened. Every time after evening study, he was always the last to leave the classroom, earning him the nickname “King of the First Volume” from the others.
But only Li Tianyou knew that whether he arrived at 6:30, or even 6:15, there was always one figure already in the classroom—Li Yuan. Today, he had intentionally arrived at 5:40. Yet, Li Yuan was still there.
“Pfft!” Not far away, Li Yuan took out his spear and silently began practicing his spear techniques.
“Could it be that Li Yuan arrives at school every day by 5:30? Or even earlier?” Li Tianyou couldn’t help but think as he watched him. He quickly shook his head. No way!
“My home is just a street away, so it’s really close,” he reasoned. “I sometimes arrive around 5, but I still feel a bit tired during the day.” He thought, “To stay energetic all day, I need to wake up by 6:15.”
Li Tianyou was also very disciplined. “Li Yuan’s family isn’t much better off than mine; he can’t afford high-end therapy and lives so far… If he needs to be at school by 5:30, he must wake up at 5. His body can’t handle that.”
“He should be like me, only occasionally arriving at school to train at that time.” “Maybe we just happened to run into each other a few times,” Li Tianyou guessed.
He didn’t think too much about it and began practicing the Basic Cultivation Method on his own.
By 6:30, the sky was bright, and a few classmates started to arrive at the martial arts classroom.
“You two kings of study are here again?” some classmates joked, and then they each began their training.
It wasn’t that the students of Class 3-2 weren’t hardworking; most focused on cultural subjects, and even if they arrived early, many would go to the cultural classroom to review.
“Clang!” Li Yuan put his spear back in the weapon cabinet and left the classroom to head to the cafeteria. It was time for breakfast.
Eating three meals a day at the right times, adding or reducing meals according to physical needs, was a basic requirement for a martial arts student.
After finishing breakfast, Li Yuan headed straight to the cultural classroom for a morning of study.
Day after day, Li Yuan followed his routine of training. The third year of high school was very tedious and frustrating, whether for students focusing on cultural subjects or martial arts.
But Li Yuan understood that there was no such thing as a true genius. Genius is always 99% hard work plus 1% talent. Sometimes, when breaking through a bottleneck, that 1% of talent is indeed more important. But without that 99% of hard work, even the most talented person would ultimately achieve nothing.
This world is never short of geniuses; it lacks hardworking geniuses.
As days passed, it was now mid-September. During this time, Li Yuan took the opportunity to visit the Starry Sky Martial Hall in Guanshan District and bought a whole box of Basic Vitality-Enhancing Elixirs from Uncle Zhong, spending 19,000 Blue Star Coins.
Uncle Zhong was a friend of Li Yuan’s uncle, Li Changzhou, a Ranked Martial Artist and a member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall. He helped Li Yuan get a discount on the elixirs. Even so, this expense made Li Yuan feel a pinch in his heart. But he had no choice; without the elixirs, his progress would slow down by at least half. His body might not even withstand his intense training and could suffer setbacks.
Martial arts require not only talent and effort but also money. All three are essential.
Now, more than ten days had passed since Teacher Xu promised the “third-tier scholarship.” Li Yuan was eager for it, but during this time, whether in martial arts class or when he met Teacher Xu, he never brought it up. It was as if they had never discussed it.
“I can only wait for this scholarship; I can’t ask for it,” Li Yuan sighed inwardly. Because he felt he didn’t have the right to.
Since Teacher Xu hadn’t mentioned it, he must have encountered some difficulties. Bringing it up would only make the other person unhappy.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. The moonlight was hazy, casting a cold glow on the cypress road outside the third-year teaching building.
In the spacious martial arts classroom of Class 3-2, about ten students were practicing. On one side, Li Yuan was immersed in practicing his spear techniques. He stood there like an unmovable giant rock, exuding an invisible pressure, holding the spear in both hands.
He repeatedly practiced various techniques with the spear.
“Puff!” The spear tip drew invisible arcs in the air, creating illusions that suddenly struck like a fierce wind.
“Boom!” Suddenly, it became as solid as a rock, the spear shadows flowing and swirling.
With every turn of his body, every thrust, every guard, and every lift of the spear, Li Yuan accurately hit the targets he had set in his mind. His spine straightened, his waist twisted, and every muscle in his body moved with the spear, reaching a high state of unity between body, mind, and weapon.
Suddenly, just as he was in a defensive stance, Li Yuan thrust forward with his spear, like a giant dragon hiding in the depths of many canyons, ready to burst forth.
Before this thrust, it was hidden to the extreme. But when it erupted, its power was terrifying.
“Boom!” The spear shadow blurred in an instant, and the air seemed to explode.
This scene surprised the surrounding classmates, who couldn’t help but turn to look at Li Yuan’s move.
“Finally, I’ve perfected this killing move.”
“Hidden Dragon in the Canyon!” Li Yuan retracted his spear, a glimmer of light in his eyes. “With this move combined with my previously created move ‘Rock Foundation Pillar,’ one offense and one defense complement each other.”
“I have a real chance to score over 500 points in the Gold Rank on the Star Combat Network.”
The Star Combat Network had a rule: if someone reached 500 points in the Gold Rank before turning eighteen, they would be rewarded with 50,000 Blue Star Coins.
“Huh?” Li Yuan suddenly noticed a reminder on his Divine Palace Panel.
“Your spear technique level has increased from 40% to 46%.”
(End of Chapter)