Chapter 7: Medicinal Bath

Chapter 7: The Medicinal Bath

Qin Feng’s movements froze.

He blinked, and the pale blue light screen before his eyes remained, crystal clear.

This was no illusion!

Qin Feng began to test it.

He cast aside all attention to the proficiency numbers in his mind, devoting himself entirely to the practice of the *Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method*.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Qin Feng completed the entire set of nine movements of the *Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method* in one go, each motion precise and flawless.

“Thud.”

He could hold on no longer. His knees gave way, and he dropped to one knee on the ground.

Sweat dripped from his chin, splashing into tiny blossoms on the floor.

Darkness crept into his vision; his heart pounded like a war drum, each beat pulling at the pain that wracked his entire body.

This was his limit.

In the past, after training to this extent, he needed two full days of rest to recover.

He forced himself to lift his head and gaze at the empty space before him.

[Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method Proficiency +1]

[Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method (Beginner)]

[Proficiency: 5/100]

[Hint: When proficiency reaches 100, it can be upgraded to the Minor Achievement level.]

The number on the panel had stopped at “5.”

Three hours of grueling, limit-pushing training had yielded only one point of proficiency.

Qin Feng was not discouraged; instead, his eyes grew brighter.

Real-time feedback!

Now he could see his progress—every ounce of effort would bear fruit!

This panel, named “Heaven Rewards Diligence,” was no mere counter.

It was more like a strict examiner, granting a proficiency increase only when his training accumulated a certain “quantity” while maintaining sufficient “quality” throughout the process.

It did not bestow power upon him out of thin air, nor did it instill any divine techniques or secret methods.

It simply recorded every bit of effort he put in, in the fairest way possible, and when the threshold was crossed, it gave the purest reward.

This golden finger was not about getting something for nothing; it only ensured that his hard work would never be in vain.

Qin Feng looked at the panel again. A new line of small text appeared below.

[Hint: An improvement in the host’s own bone constitution can slightly increase the efficiency of proficiency gain.]

He understood completely.

This system was not static.

As his own talent improved, his training efficiency would grow higher and higher.

Effort and talent, catalyzed by this panel, would form a perfect virtuous cycle.

He thought once more of his father’s words.

“Actually, there’s nothing wrong with a vocational school. Living a stable life through the years—though obscure, it’s safe and sound.”

Before, Qin Feng had said he would give it a try, but in his heart, he had already prepared for the worst, ready to accept an ordinary path.

But now, he lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the window toward the sky fragmented by towering skyscrapers.

In the distance, on the holographic billboards, the figures of renowned experts who shook the stars flashed by.

Obscurity, or renown across the world?

He no longer hesitated.

“Renown across the world!”

He spoke these words softly, as if declaring them to himself.

Qin Feng experimented a little longer, fully grasping the marvels of the panel.

Everything was fair and impartial, no different from a normal martial artist’s cultivation—it merely made the rewards tangible.

Many a little makes a mickle!

Qin Feng suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued training.

The second movement, “Moving Mountains.”

The third movement, “Suppressing the Seas.”

…

No more stray thoughts lingered in Qin Feng’s mind.

He was like a tireless machine, repeating the *Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method* over and over in a corner of the training area.

Once, twice, three times…

Sweat quickly soaked his newly changed training suit, streaming down his face, neck, and back, pooling into a small puddle on the high-strength composite floor beneath him.

The ache in his muscles returned, but unlike yesterday’s tearing pain, today’s soreness carried a sense of exhilarating release.

His focus and effort also drew the attention of those around him.

“Hey, look at that kid—he trains like a madman.”

“Yeah, all day long, every time he pushes himself until he can’t move, completely spent.”

“Does it even help? I heard from Coach Li that he used to be a sickly guy, only just recovered today.”

“Weak foundation, late start—it’s tough.”

The murmurs around him never reached Qin Feng’s ears.

Li Weiguo also noticed Qin Feng’s unusual behavior.

He watched the figure silently training in the corner, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Qin Feng’s movements were flawless—textbook perfect, even.

But what truly surprised him was Qin Feng’s endurance. A person who had just recovered from a long-standing illness should still be in a weak recovery phase.

Yet the physical stamina Qin Feng displayed was already no less than that of any healthy student in the hall.

“Recovering pretty fast,” he muttered.

Li Weiguo made a judgment in his mind but did not step forward to offer guidance.

In his view, this kind of reckless, all-out training method, while commendable in spirit, could easily lead to excessive physical strain and instead affect the next day's training.

The way of martial arts cultivation demands a balance between tension and relaxation, not mere brute force.

Even Zhou Heyuan understood this principle.

After training for half an hour in the gravity room, he would come out to rest and replenish nutrients, unlike Qin Feng, who seemed determined to drain himself dry.

Time passed.

As evening approached.

Qin Feng's body once again reached its limit.

His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and his vision grew blurry.

[Training Method: Empire Basic Body Forging Technique (Beginner Level)]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency: 6/100]

[Training Method: Empire Basic Body Forging Technique (Beginner Level)]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency: 7/100]

"Thud."

After completing the last movement, he could no longer hold on. His body went limp, and he collapsed directly to the floor.

He gasped for air, his chest heaving violently, sweat completely soaking the floor beneath him.

But there was no trace of frustration in him; instead, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

Over the course of the day, ten hours of grueling training had increased his proficiency by 3 points.

He immediately raised his wrist and tapped on his personal terminal.

[Vitality Index: 0.58]

Another increase of 0.03!

He stood up, walked to the rest area by the training ground, picked up his water bottle, and drained the clear water in one gulp.

Every cell in his body greedily absorbed the moisture, repairing the strain.

Just then, Li Weiguo walked over.

"Once training is over, go to the nutrition restaurant next door to replenish your energy."

His tone remained flat.

"Yes, Teacher Li."

Qin Feng nodded.

"Also."

Li Weiguo looked at him. "Your training today was too much. Martial arts cultivation isn't something achieved overnight; it must be gradual. Training like this might show rapid progress today, but tomorrow you won't be able to train due to excessive muscle strain—it's not worth the loss."

"I understand."

Qin Feng replied.

In truth, the can of nutrient fluid Sun Chantang had given him was of a high grade, which was why Qin Feng could train nonstop today.

Once the effects of that nutrient fluid wore off, Qin Feng's training would slow down.

Then, buying nutrient fluid himself would become another huge expense.

"Forget it, do as you please."

Li Weiguo looked at his calm eyes, shook his head, said no more, and turned to walk toward Zhou Heyuan.

"Come, I'll take you to the medicinal bath room on the third floor. Soak in a C-grade medicinal bath to speed up your body's recovery and consolidate today's training results."

"Thank you, Teacher Li!"

Watching their retreating figures, Qin Feng felt not a trace of envy.

He glanced at his panel.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence].

As long as he worked hard, there would be returns.

Qin Feng walked out of the training hall and entered the nutrition restaurant attached to the martial arts hall.

He didn't have the money to order those expensive exotic beast meat sets; he only spent ten empire coins to buy the most basic energy meal.

After eating, instead of going home, he returned to the training ground.

After resting for an hour, his stamina had mostly recovered.

He threw himself once again into the monotonous and fervent training.

[Training Method: Empire Basic Body Forging Technique (Beginner Level)]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency: 8/100]

It wasn't until the martial arts hall was about to close that Qin Feng, hearing the news of another proficiency increase, dragged his utterly exhausted body out of the Limitless Martial Arts Hall.

When he got home, his father Qin Dahai had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing his son's training uniform, soaked through repeatedly with sweat and nearly able to be wrung out, and that tired yet radiant face, Qin Dahai asked nothing.

He simply, silently, added half a bowl more rice and a large piece of synthetic meat to Qin Feng's bowl.

(End of this chapter)