'Realm... Beginner 97.3%?'
After three years of high school, Xu Wuyi, like most of his classmates, was still stuck in the Beginner Realm. He had never known his actual progress.
Even Teacher Wang from Martial Arts Class could only determine that they were close to the Entry Level, but not *how* close.
'This Martial Arts Diligence Record panel can actually quantify my Martial Arts progress?'
Xu Wuyi thought for a moment, then once again assumed the Starting Form of the Basic Body Refining Technique: [Holding the Essence and Guarding the One].
This time, his mindset was completely different. He was no longer repeating the moves mechanically and numbly, but was instead fully focused, striving to perfect his posture.
At the same time, his mind's eye was locked onto the screen of light in his sea of consciousness.
The very instant he settled into the standard posture, the "97.3%" at the end of the line for "Current Realm" on the screen blurred almost imperceptibly.
It changed!
It changed to 97.4%!
At the same time, a new line of small text quietly appeared below:
[Standard Practice Completed Today: 1]
Xu Wuyi's breath hitched, and his form nearly broke.
He hurriedly steadied his Heart and Spirit and transitioned into the next move. But perhaps because his focus had lapsed for a moment, the action was not standard. A line of dark red text appeared on the panel:
[Non-standard action. Practice interrupted.]
'I failed...'
But Xu Wuyi wasn't discouraged. He had grasped the key insight—only practice with standard actions and complete focus would be counted as valid!
He carefully recalled the feeling of the previous movement and compared it to Teacher Wang's usual lectures. His arm seemed to have been slightly too high, causing a subtle tremor in his shoulder muscles.
In the past, when he practiced on his own, he would never have noticed such a subtle difference. As long as the general form was correct, he would just power through the whole set.
Sometimes he'd get lucky and his form would be standard. Other times, he'd be unlucky and practice the movements incorrectly. Not only would this fail to produce any training effect, but it could even be counterproductive.
A realization dawned on Xu Wuyi. 'Perhaps this is why my Martial Arts have stagnated?'
Instead of being alarmed by this realization, Xu Wuyi was delighted. He was never afraid of hard work, only of having no path forward!
And the Martial Arts Diligence Record's brutally strict feedback mechanism was like a perfectly precise, top-tier mentor—exactly what he needed most right now!
He no longer rushed to complete a full cycle of the Cultivation Technique. Instead, he changed his strategy, breaking down the nine forms of the Basic Body Refining Technique to practice each movement individually.
He once again assumed the starting stance, [Holding the Essence and Guarding the One], and then raised his arms with extreme slowness. He focused his entire being on feeling how his muscles exerted force and how the angle of that force changed, all while watching the panel intently.
As the movement approached the point where he had made the mistake earlier, he was especially careful.
He tried once. The panel didn't react.
He minutely adjusted the angle and tried again.
[Non-standard action. Practice interrupted.]
The glaring red text popped up again.
Another failure.
But Xu Wuyi's eyes lit up. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to that "standard" point.
He settled his mind and, as if polishing a precision instrument, repeatedly tried, adjusted, and felt his way through the motion.
Finally, on one attempt, as he raised his arm, he guided his Qi and Blood to sink slightly with his Intention. The instant his waist and abdomen naturally tightened to exert force, a smooth and solid sensation flowed through the entire motion.
Almost simultaneously, the number on the panel jumped again:
97.5%!
[Standard Practice Completed Today: 2].
Success!
Xu Wuyi let out a long sigh, sweat already beading on his temples. This was more than just physical exertion; it was the mental fatigue that came from intense focus of his Heart and Spirit.
Just two acknowledged "Standard Actions" were more exhausting than over half an hour of his previous mindless practice.
But he relished the effort.
In the time that followed, Xu Wuyi became completely immersed in this cycle of "deconstruct, test, correct."
Although the Martial Arts Diligence Record's harsh "interruption" prompts repeatedly broke his practice, they acted like the most precise GPS, step-by-step pulling him away from his ingrained bad habits and guiding him onto the correct path.
His hip angle being off by a few degrees during a turn, his breathing being half a beat out of sync with his movements, his Intention guiding his Qi and Blood a fraction too early or too late...
These seemingly insignificant deviations, accumulated over the years, had undoubtedly and tremendously hampered his training efficiency.
But now, the panel laid all of his mistakes bare, forcing him to correct them.
This process was incredibly draining, a test of both Xu Wuyi's physical stamina and his mental fortitude.
An unknown amount of time passed. When the count for [Standard Practice Completed Today] reached [7] and his Current Realm became [Beginner (97.6%)], a powerful wave of dizziness and emptiness suddenly struck him. His vision went black, his posture crumbled, and he staggered for a moment before catching his balance.
He had exhausted too much of his Heart and Spirit.
He gasped for breath, feeling the sharp, needle-like pangs of fatigue in his mind, and didn't force himself to continue.
Going too far was as bad as not going far enough. His Heart and Spirit could no longer maintain the Standard Actions. Forcing it would not only be useless but also counterproductive—just like his training had been before.
He slowly concluded his practice and walked over to his desk to glance at the alarm clock. Less than an hour had passed. The result: a 0.3% increase in his progress, with 7 valid reps.
0.3%... It seemed insignificant, but Xu Wuyi clearly remembered that he had been stuck at 97.3% for nearly two months!
At his previous rate, reaching this level of progress would have taken at least another half a month of grueling practice.
And now, it had only taken an hour.
The immense difference in efficiency made his heart race.
He washed his face and forced himself to stop thinking about his training and relax completely. His school had long taught that deep sleep was the best way to restore one's Heart and Spirit.
That night, Xu Wuyi slept particularly soundly.
...
「The next morning. Honghe First Middle School, Martial Arts Training Dojo.」
The sounds of heavy breathing and Teacher Wang's resonant rebukes filled the spacious dojo.
"Breathe! Deep and even! Where's the rhythm in your movements? Don't rush it! Let your Intention guide your Qi and Blood! I'm not asking you to just flail around wildly!"
Martial Arts Class instructor Wang Wenhai, a Quasi-Master Level expert, scanned the lines of students with an electric gaze, calling out corrections from time to time.
Aside from a few top martial arts prodigies, most of the students merely wore serious expressions, their movements carrying the mechanical numbness of routine.
Three years and tens of thousands of repetitions had long since worn away any initial novelty, leaving behind only the feeling of a task to be completed for an exam.
After all, they were destined to never get into a Martial Arts School. Practicing martial arts was simply a requirement from the country and the school that they had to follow.
Next to Xu Wuyi, Zhou Heng was listlessly performing a [Bow Step Punch] while muttering under his breath, "Sigh, Black Face Wang is even stricter than Master Li. We practice every day, but it's not like my Qi and Blood is increasing. All this training is for nothing."
Xu Wuyi didn't respond.
His gaze was calm, his movements meticulous—even more precise and fluid than usual.
Most of his attention was immersed in the Bronze Scroll deep within his sea of consciousness.
'Last night, I more or less mastered the Starting Form, [Holding the Essence and Guarding the One]. But when I try to perform the entire Basic Body Refining Technique, I might not succeed even once in ten attempts. Clearly, I'm not proficient enough with the other eight forms.'
'Today, I'll focus on practicing the second form: Bow Step Punch!'
With his Heart and Spirit completely focused on the exercise, Xu Wuyi constantly adjusted his angles as the "Non-standard action" prompt popped up on the panel again and again.
Time flew by as he focused. The moment Xu Wuyi found the precise angle and exerted his force, a slight warmth bloomed in the small of his back. A faint stream of energy flowed upward, and the usual feeling of stagnation he felt during practice vanished!
The movement was fluid, the Power flowing unimpeded.
Xu Wuyi followed this flow of power and performed the entire Basic Body Refining Technique from start to finish. Unsurprisingly, a prompt appeared on the panel:
[Standard Practice Completed Today: 1]