Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Breaking Through Oneself

Early the next morning, while it was still barely light, Chen Shouyi was already awake.

The muscle memory of last night’s practice with the lunge and straight sword was still vividly etched in his mind. As soon as he got up, he eagerly picked up the wooden sword to practice, thinking he would easily master the essential points of the lunge and thrust.

But when he actually practiced, he found it was not the case at all.

Memory is nothing more than memory.

He felt his muscles were stiff and awkward, extremely difficult to control.

This was different from practicing the optimized Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques. The optimized version had only small changes compared to the original, and the exertion followed normal human habits.

Chen Shouyi quickly adapted after practicing a few times and even became proficient.

But the lunge and thrust seemed like forcing a low-power, poorly made machine to transform into a high-power machine with tight precision. Not only did each muscle require precise control, but they also needed to coordinate smoothly to unleash full-body power seamlessly.

Fortunately, compared to others, he possessed the memory of the Martial Arts Teacher’s lunge and straight thrust, which was a huge advantage, like someone who already knew how to do it just had a different body to train with.

This meant he didn’t have to take detours.

…

Days passed steadily, and for Chen Shouyi, life was plain yet fulfilling.

His appetite improved, and his body grew stronger day by day. His thin and skinny chest began to become sturdier.

By the third day, his physical and willpower attributes both increased by 0.1. By the fourth day, his strength gained an increase of 0.1, followed by agility…

Do not underestimate an attribute increase of only 0.1. From the base of a typical attribute of 10, it may seem trivial.

But in fact, each major attribute in the Book of Knowledge is calculated as a 1.5 times multiplier between each point.

A strength of 10 equates to about one hundred kilograms, while an 11 would be one hundred fifty kilograms, and a twelve would be two hundred twenty-five kilograms.

Increasing by 0.1 above a base of ten roughly corresponds to five kilograms.

This is just the result of a few days’ effort.

Moreover, his attributes were almost wholly improving, with various attributes complementing each other, significantly enhancing a person’s combat power.

…

Yet another day of Martial Arts Class.

The Martial Arts Teacher patrolled among the group, and upon seeing Chen Shouyi’s practice, his eyes lit up, clapping his hands, loudly saying,

“Chen Shouyi’s lunge and straight thrust is already at the introductory level. Come here and demonstrate for everyone.”

With the teacher’s loud praise, numerous eyes turned towards him at once.

These gazes were like focused sunlight, making Chen Shouyi’s face feel flush and somewhat at a loss, especially with a few curious stares from pretty girls making him feel even more suffocated.

Since childhood, he had been timid and self-conscious, afraid of being exposed in front of others. Even answering questions would make him blush and stutter, let alone now.

“Chen Shouyi, a bit shy, aren’t you?” The teacher said with a kind smile, “How can you practice martial arts without some courage?”

A burst of laughter ensued.

The classmates’ laughter was like sharp swords, piercing his fragile spirit.

Chen Shouyi lowered his head, secretly clenched his fist, his sharp nails digging deep into his palm, roaring internally:

“What are you afraid of? Chen Shouyi, what exactly are you afraid of?”

“These are just classmates, what’s there to fear?”

“Even if you embarrass yourself and don’t do well, what can happen?”

“From childhood to now, none of these people genuinely care about you, and no one looks up to you. Even if you lose face, they’ll forget in no time!”

Under continuous self-hypnosis, a strong will seemed to surge through his heart, and suddenly Chen Shouyi said, “Yes, teacher!”

Once he spoke, he felt as though he had broken free from some internal bondage, and everything seemed different.

The air inside the indoor basketball court became fresher.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves outside, passing through glass windows, casting scattered patches of light.

As Chen Shouyi started walking forward, at first, his head was slightly lowered, shoulders hunched, face flushed, yet as he stepped forward, he slowly lifted his head, his steps became firmer, his posture grew straighter, and the redness on his face slowly faded away.

“I didn’t realize Chen Shouyi was this tall!” a girl softly exclaimed, as if discovering a new world.

“Me neither, I never noticed before!” another girl quietly echoed as if they found common ground.

…

“I bet he’s going to cry later!” muttered Zhao Yifeng, his best friend, in his heart.

He felt somewhat uncomfortable, seeing a seemingly unfamiliar Chen Shouyi.

After all, they were both in the same miserable state, so no one could mock anyone, but when someone tried to leap out of the mire, the intense jealousy and self-doubt instinctively made him want to stop it all.

Sun Xin didn’t speak, just quietly pressed his lips. As deskmates, he could clearly feel the change in Chen Shouyi.

These days, Chen Shouyi has been studying hard every day, more diligently than anyone else. Sometimes he even wonders if the other party has been stimulated by something.

…

Chen Shouyi stood still in front of the model demonstrated by the teacher.

“You can begin!” the Martial Arts Teacher said.

“Alright, teacher!” Chen Shouyi responded respectfully.

Holding his sword, under the gaze of fifty-three people in the class, he felt incredibly calm, with sharp and confident eyes.

Six days ago, he finally reached the entry-level in swordsmanship.

For him, the hardest part of swordsmanship was getting started. Once taking the first step, with the school’s Martial Arts Teacher’s body memory as a reference, he completely made tremendous progress. In just a few days, the forward lunge stab became increasingly familiar, approaching the point where he could perform a standard stab without thinking.

In the next moment, he moved instantly, his body flowing like clouds and water, like a phantom or mist, and the long sword seemed to pierce through the storm as a sea swallow.

“Bang!” A loud noise!

The tip of the sword heavily hit the brow of the model, knocked it to a thirty-degree angle with the ground, and the base shifted nearly half a meter.

Silence fell around, followed by collective gasps.

Out of the fifty-four people, including himself, fewer than five had reached entry-level swordsmanship, yet none could do it so perfectly while also moving the model nearly half a meter.

…

Returning after his demonstration, he found things had changed. From a quiet, almost invisible figure, he suddenly seemed to become the center of attention.

Many were secretly analyzing him, among them quite a few were girls.

As he followed these gazes, they immediately evaded.

“Hmph, women, just like that.”

With strange thoughts flooding his mind, any slight nervousness gradually calmed down.

“I didn’t expect your martial arts to be so impressive!” A classmate punched him lightly in the chest, laughing.

He remembered the other person’s name was Huang Kai, a student ranked in the top ten in class, belonging to a different circle, never having spoken to him before, but now treating him warmly, as if they were friends.

Chen Shouyi was momentarily taken aback and quickly replied, “Just been practicing more lately.”

He thought he would be flattered, but in the end, he said an unusually calm sentence.

It seemed he really was different now!

On the way after Martial Arts Class ended, Chen Shouyi habitually wanted to meet with the trio.

Instead, he was surrounded by a group.

“Chen Shouyi, how do you practice? Is there any secret?”

Many might never pass the Martial Arts Apprentice assessment, but how many young people don’t love martial arts?

Secrets, of course, exist, but you wouldn’t be able to use them. Chen Shouyi thought inwardly, while externally sharing martial arts tips seen online: “You first dissect and refine the actions, practice step by step. Once you master all steps, combine them for sequential practice.”

“I practice like that too, but it doesn’t yield much effect,” a classmate questioned.

“This method varies from person to person. What suits you best is the best method, but first you must have patience. Without patience, nothing can be learned successfully,” Chen Shouyi said with a steady tone.

“Patience is indeed essential; I just can’t settle down,” the questioning classmate agreed.

…

Chen Shouyi realized that he was quick-witted and articulate today; even casual words had people’s attention and agreement.

His heart was filled with excitement, enjoying being the focus, being valued, rather than being an insignificant, easily overlooked transparent person.

Returning to the classroom, Chen Shouyi walked to his seat.

Sun Xin embraced him tightly, exclaiming with envy.

“Did you take a stimulant today or something, so fierce!”

“I’ve always said I will definitely get into the Martial Arts Academy!” Chen Shouyi boasted softly.

Chen Shouyi had initially expected the usual sarcasm and discouragement.

He was still far from becoming a Martial Artist Apprentice, like separated by a deep chasm, and even Chen Shouyi himself wasn’t confident, thinking it unlikely to pass the assessment within a year.

But it did not happen.

“Once you’re successful, don’t forget about me,” Sun Xin said shamelessly.

At the beginning of the semester, when Sun Xin heard similar words, it felt like friends joking around, where taking it seriously means losing. But in today’s Martial Arts Class, the eye-catching performance instinctively made Sun Xin believe that he truly had potential.

“You actually believed it; I myself don’t even have the confidence,” Chen Shouyi said, surprised.

PS: Next Chapter, around three o’clock. Seeking recommendation votes.

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