Chapter 10: Stark Contrast

Chapter 10 A Stark Contrast

Before long, footsteps echoed at the entrance of the martial arts hall, and Zhou Heyuan walked in.

He had changed into a brand-new set of designer sportswear, his entire demeanor radiant and spirited, his stride steady—a stark contrast to the slightly languid air he had carried on his first day.

His eyes brimmed with the confidence and composure that came from guidance.

“Qin Feng, Xiao Li, you two are really early.”

Zhou Heyuan walked over with a smile, his voice booming.

His gaze swept over them both, finally settling on Qin Feng. Lowering his voice, he said with a hint of boastfulness, “Last night, I went home and used the method Teacher Li taught me to soak in a medicinal bath. This morning when I got up, my vitality index had actually increased by 0.01 compared to yesterday.”

“The plan Master Sun set for me is to train in the 1.3x gravity room this morning. He said my foundation is solid, and as long as I drill this ‘spiral force’ into my bones, reaching a vitality index of 0.9 before the high school entrance exam is no problem—I might even touch the threshold of 1.0!”

1.0—that was the admission cutoff for key martial arts high schools.

It meant officially stepping onto the threshold of a first-rank martial artist.

Hearing this, Liu Xiaoli paused in his movements, a flicker of undisguised envy crossing his eyes.

He silently turned back and resumed his body-tempering practice, though the stiffness in his motions seemed even more pronounced.

Qin Feng glanced at him, a hint of surprise in his heart.

Zhou Heyuan had spent yesterday in the gravity room, then used medicinal baths and spiral force, rested a whole night, and his vitality index had only increased by 0.01?

Qin Feng had improved by 0.03 after his own training yesterday, and another 0.05 this morning—far more than Zhou Heyuan’s gain.

Qin Feng wondered suspiciously: could he be a genius?

In this era, the core of martial arts was breaking through to rebuild. Generally, those whose bodies naturally resonated with spiritual energy and had high utilization rates improved much faster than ordinary people—these were the so-called geniuses.

“I should go test my spiritual energy compatibility sometime,” Qin Feng thought.

The gap among the three had already been silently widened from the moment they made their choices.

At exactly nine in the morning, the students gradually arrived.

A young man of medium build with a stern face walked to the center of the training ground.

He wore the same Extreme Martial Arts Hall instructor uniform as Li Weiguo, but his demeanor was more brisk, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s. When he swept his gaze across the room, it carried a military sense of discipline.

“Good morning, everyone.”

His voice was clear and forceful, devoid of any superfluous emotion. “I am your daytime coach, Lin Weiping. Until Coach Li Weiguo arrives in the evening, I will be responsible for guiding you through the *Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method*.”

He paused, then continued, “My requirements are simple. First, obey instructions. Second, give your all. During training, I do not want to see any form of laziness or slackness. Now, everyone, warm-up exercises—begin!”

Lin Weiping’s teaching style was completely different from Li Weiguo’s.

Because Li Weiguo had been a middle school teacher, he unconsciously slipped into the role of a “homeroom teacher” during lessons, showing extra care for “top students” like Zhou Heyuan and a mix of regret and helplessness toward “underachievers” like Qin Feng and Liu Xiaoli.

His attitude had clear favoritism and distance.

Lin Weiping, on the other hand, was like a precisely operating machine.

He treated all students with absolute fairness and impartiality.

He would walk up to Liu Xiaoli and unceremoniously tap his calf with the tip of his shoe: “Your center of gravity is unstable, your lower stance is weak! Sink three more inches, straighten your back!”

He would also approach a student who seemed well-off, frowning as he corrected their posture: “The ‘Mountain-Splitting’ stance isn’t about raising your hands—it’s about using the power of your waist and hips to drive your fist forward! Your force is scattered, do it again!”

When it was Qin Feng’s turn, Lin Weiping’s gaze lingered on him for a moment.

“Your movements are very standard,” he said first, offering a word of affirmation.

Then, his tone shifted: “But standard doesn’t mean perfect. Your punching speed can be increased by a third. At the moment of exertion, tighten your muscle contraction by another notch. Try to find that feeling of bursting the air with every punch.”

His guidance was precise, concise, and straight to the core—not a single wasted word.

No matter who it was, if their movements were off, he would immediately step in to correct them.

He wouldn’t offer extra praise for talent, nor would he show pity for a weak foundation. In his eyes, everyone was just a “student.”

Qin Feng liked this style.

He didn’t need sympathy or special attention. What he needed was a guide who could pull him back on track when he strayed.

Lin Weiping was exactly that kind of person.

Under Lin Weiping’s direction, the full day of training officially began.

Qin Feng once again entered that state of absorption where he forgot both himself and the world.

He shut out all surrounding noise, immersing his entire mind in the practice of the *Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method*.

“Mountain-Splitting,” “Mountain-Moving,” “Sea-Calming”…

The nine moves, long etched into his memory, unfolded again and again through his hands.

Sweat, like streams, slid from his temples, back, and chest, quickly soaking his training uniform through. It then turned into white steam under the heat of his body, swirling around him.

The soreness in his muscles surged like waves, battering his nerves.

Every exertion felt like tearing at muscle fibers.

Every breath carried a burning pain.

He treated his body like a piece of stubborn iron that needed endless forging, and each extreme repetition was a hammer blow.

When he completed the ninth full cycle of the body-tempering method, his body’s energy was utterly drained.

Darkness swam before his eyes, his legs gave way, and with a thud, he dropped to one knee, gasping for air, his chest heaving like a worn-out bellows.

At the very moment his body reached its limit, at the edge of his vision, the familiar pale blue light screen silently refreshed.

[Practice Method: Imperial Basic Body-Tempering Method (Beginner Level)]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency: 9/100]

Qin Feng didn’t stop immediately.

He pushed himself up with his knee, swaying as he stood, and walked to the rest area at the edge of the training ground. He picked up his water bottle and drained the clear water in one gulp.

After a brief five-minute rest, when the suffocating feeling of near-collapse had slightly receded, he dragged his limp legs back to the training area. Once again, he assumed the starting stance.

This almost self-destructive training method drew the attention of the other students in the hall.

“That guy… is he trying to kill himself?”

“He’s already collapsed from exhaustion twice today, and he’s going again?”

“I heard he used to be sick and just recovered. Training like this—isn’t he afraid of breaking down?”

“Crazy, absolutely crazy.”

Lin Weiping also noticed Qin Feng’s frenzy.

He stood not far away, observing Qin Feng expressionlessly for a full ten minutes.

Qin Feng’s movements, due to physical exhaustion, had begun to show the slightest deformation.

Yet his mind remained intensely focused, every thrown punch and every turning pivot still striving desperately for textbook perfection.

Lin Weiping’s brow furrowed by an imperceptible margin, but in the end, he did not step forward to intervene.

At the Limitless Martial Arts Academy, he had seen far too many youths like this.

Particularly during the annual high school entrance exam streaming season, there would always be a cohort of students who usually drifted through life in a daze, written off by their schools as having no future, only to wake up suddenly after being brutally battered by reality, attempting to use the final month to make up for the squandered three years.

They would erupt with an astonishing willpower, much like Qin Feng, throwing themselves into bitter cultivation in a manner that bordered on self-immolation.

This sort of spirit was worthy of recognition.

Yet the path of martial arts had never been a smooth journey that could be traversed purely by hot blood and willpower.

Talent, resources, time, proper guidance—not a single one could be missing.

Lin Weiping’s responsibility was to guide their movements and ensure they would not injure themselves from incorrect posture.

As for the intensity of training the students chose to endure, that was their own affair.

The academy was no school, and the coach was no nanny.

On the road to becoming a powerhouse, everyone had to bear the responsibility for their own choices.

Time slipped away, second by second, minute by minute.

During the lunch break, when the other students moved in groups of twos and threes toward the nutritional cafeteria, Qin Feng merely gnawed in silence on the two energy bars he had brought along, drank half a flask of water, and then plunged back into his training once more.

Refining Method: Imperial Basic Physique Forging Method (Beginner Level)

Proficiency +1

Proficiency: 10/100

...

Refining Method: Imperial Basic Physique Forging Method (Beginner Level)

Proficiency +1

Proficiency: 11/100

...

By the time the evening sunset dyed the training hall a brilliant gold, Qin Feng's body had reached its limit for the third time.

He completed the day's final round of the physique forging method drills, his body incapable of squeezing out another drop of strength. He slumped onto the ground, sweat pooling beneath him into a small puddle.

The status panel in his field of vision finally froze.

Refining Method: Imperial Basic Physique Forging Method (Beginner Level)

Proficiency +1

Proficiency: 12/100

In the span of a single day, his proficiency had increased by a total of four points.

Combined with yesterday’s accumulation, his total proficiency had reached twelve points.

Qin Feng leaned against the wall.

Twenty-two days.

At this rate, it would only take twenty-two days for him to cultivate the Imperial Basic Physique Forging Method to the level of minor mastery.

And the high school entrance exam was still twenty-eight days away.

—

Lin Weiping walked to the center of the grounds and clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Alright, today's daytime training concludes here. Remember, once you return home, you must replenish enough nutrients and ensure adequate rest. Only by balancing work and rest can you maximize the effects of your training. Dismissed!"

As if granted a grand amnesty, the students scrambled to pack their things, preparing to leave.

Having finished the wrap-up work, Lin Weiping was about to head to the office to organize the day's training data when a colleague, who also worked as a daytime coach, walked over and handed him a bottle of water.

"Hard work, Brother Lin."

"It's alright."

Lin Weiping took the water, twisted it open, and took a sip.

His colleague's gaze drifted casually toward Qin Feng, who was currently supporting himself against the wall and struggling to stand up, and remarked offhandedly, "That kid named Qin Feng is really training like his life depends on it. I just glanced at his training log; today alone, he pushed himself to the limit three times. That kind of willpower is quite rare among these half-grown kids."

Lin Weiping followed his gaze, his face still wearing that same unruffled expression.

"Just half-grown kids."

He spoke calmly.

"Every year around this time, there are always a few. They think that by desperately fighting for a month, they can change their destiny. Unfortunately, they realized it too late. If they had trained like this three years ago, they wouldn't have been streamed down to a martial arts academy."

Lin Weiping withdrew his gaze, his tone as tranquil as if he were stating the most ordinary fact.

What Lin Weiping did not know, however, was that three years ago, Qin Feng had trained exactly like this.

Yet because of a root illness from his childhood, he was unable to absorb and utilize spiritual energy, leaving his recovery and improvement efficiency abysmally low.

(End of Chapter)