5: Chapter 5 Accumulating Knowledge and Experience for Future Success

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the Martial Arts Room a warm gold, but it could not dispel the silence brought by the emptiness.

The door of Class 21's Martial Arts Classroom opened and closed several times, and the sounds of people gradually faded.

In a short while, only Li Wen's figure remained in the spacious training ground.

The sounds of colliding equipment and heavy panting from before were gone; only the occasional bird calls from outside the window and his own light footsteps echoed in the vast space.

This was exactly the moment Li Wen had deliberately waited for.

He walked to his usual corner, tightly gripping the standard fine steel saber that had been his companion for a long time. The cold touch of the metal made his spirit concentrate further.

He scanned his surroundings, confirmed no one was watching, took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and silently activated the core skill of the [Scholar].

"Activate! — — [Absolute Focus]"

Buzz~!

An invisible wave, perceptible only to Li Wen, quietly spread from around him.

In an instant, the world seemed to have its mute button pressed. The distant, blurry bird calls, the subtle vibration of the window frame, even the faint sound of blood flowing inside his body, were all isolated.

His gaze suddenly became like the deep, still water of a cold pool—pure and concentrated. All distracting thoughts, fatigue, and emotions were washed away by this powerful focus.

At this moment, in his world, there was only—the Saber!

Under the state of Absolute Focus, every detail of the Tiger Guard Saber Technique he had previously Cultivated, every successful minor adjustment, every trace of imperfect stagnation, replayed clearly in his mind like a high-definition video.

An unprecedented sense of clarity enveloped his understanding of the Blade Technique.

"So, for this Move 'Golden Roc Spreads Its Wings,' the slight rotation of the scapula is the key to smooth power transmission..."

"After the blade slashes out, the power recoils at the wrist, not the elbow, to create the optimal starting posture for the next Move, 'Spirit Snake Wags Its Tail'..."

"If the stepping distance of the foot is precise by just a fraction more, the impact force can be perfectly converted into cutting power..."

Countless sparks of inspiration burst in his mind. The Bottlenecks that had troubled him for many days seemed to melt away like ice and snow.

He no longer needed to laboriously recall the diagrams; his body naturally sought the best line of force under the guidance of his focus.

His wrist turned lightly, his feet shifted, and the sound of the blade cutting through the air became smoother, carrying an indescribable rhythm and power.

He was immersed in it, forgetting the passage of time, forgetting the physical exhaustion, dedicating his entire being to the enactment of the Blade Technique.

Chop, slash, lift, stab, guard, block... The twenty-six basic Moves were disassembled and reassembled by him. Every swing contained his newly born understanding, far more efficient than the practice in his autonomous state that afternoon.

Saber light flashed and danced around him, as if weaving a net made of power and skill, becoming denser and sharper.

In the buzzing sound, the world of focus continued. Li Wen's movements grew faster and more precise.

Whoosh—!

However, just as another sharp saber light tore through the air, attempting to complete a difficult spinning slash, the mysterious state supporting him suddenly interrupted without any warning!

The buzzing sound stopped abruptly.

As if instantly thrown from warm water into an ice-cold, bone-chilling pool, the intense contrast made Li Wen's vision suddenly go black. An irresistible, immense fatigue and emptiness instantly swept over his entire body like a tsunami.

The surging power was completely drained away. His arms felt as heavy as if filled with lead, and even the strength to hold the saber vanished instantly.

Clang!

The standard saber slipped from his grasp, smashing heavily onto the floor, emitting a harsh metallic impact sound that traveled far in the silent Martial Arts Room.

Li Wen leaned on his knees, barely managing to keep himself from collapsing.

Bead-sized sweat drops rolled down from his forehead and temples like broken strings, splashing onto the floor and forming dark, wet patches.

His body felt utterly hollowed out and wrung dry; every cell was crying out in pain.

This feeling of instantaneous depletion was several times more intense than the fatigue from practicing the saber by himself that afternoon!

High-intensity skill usage combined with fully executing the Major Achievement Blade Technique consumed an extremely terrifying amount of energy.

Time seemed to freeze.

After a full four or five minutes, his rapid gasps gradually calmed down somewhat, and the overwhelming dizziness gradually receded.

He tried to Move his fingers; they still felt indescribably sluggish and weak.

Struggling to stand up, his steps were so unsteady as if he were walking on cotton. He staggered to the rest area next to the Martial Arts Room and collapsed onto the cold bench.

After a long while, he painstakingly fumbled out a high-energy compressed energy bar and a small bottle of electrolyte water from the old schoolbag thrown at his feet.

His fingers trembled slightly as he tore open the packaging. Li Wen almost wolfed down the energy bar.

That hard solid, bearing a specific sweetness and high-calorie fat, became his only salvation at that moment.

He chewed eagerly, his throat bobbing as he swallowed it mixed with water.

The intense hunger was temporarily suppressed slightly, and a faint stream of warmth began to spread in his cold stomach, slowly flowing throughout his body.

Only after finishing half the energy bar and downing most of the electrolyte water did the feeling of emptiness, as if he might faint at any moment, recede somewhat.

Although his body was still sore and heavy, he at least had the strength to support his movements.

Leaning against the cold wall, Li Wen's thoughts stirred, and the familiar light blue panel quietly appeared:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Profession: Scholar Lv1 (36 / 100)]

[Realm: Unranked (6.1 Grade)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method - Basic (Initiate 87 / 100)]

[Skill: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 0 → 50 / 100)]

"Hiss..."

Although he had long anticipated an improvement, when Li Wen saw the clear numerical jump in the [Skill] column, he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. Then, his mouth involuntarily curved into a tired yet excited smile.

50 points! Directly leaping from the starting point of Major Achievement to 50/100!

This was the result of one session of extremely dedicated Absolute Focus Cultivation!

This was the fruit of his nearly two years of almost paranoid hard practice accumulating and finally erupting!

Of course, the ten percent Comprehension Ability boost provided by Lv1 Absolute Focus also played a decisive catalytic role.

Without it, this accumulation might have taken several times longer to be fully ignited.

The cold feeling from the rest area transmitted through his back, bringing a slight relief to his aching muscles.

Feeling that his stamina was finally sufficient to support him leaving, Li Wen put away the remaining energy bar and water bottle, picked up the standard saber that had fallen to the floor, and returned it to the weapon rack.

The time was late; the sky outside only held a streak of dark red at the western horizon.

He locked the door of the Martial Arts Room and walked toward the campus cafeteria.

The huge cafeteria now appeared deserted, brightly lit but sparsely populated.

Only one serving window remained lit. Several aunties in white uniforms were busy cleaning up and washing dishes, moving away heavy stainless steel trays.

Li Wen walked up to the only open window, his voice slightly hoarse with fatigue: "Auntie, is there any food left?"

Behind the window, a kind-faced middle-aged woman looked up. Seeing Li Wen's unusually pale forehead hair, soaked with sweat due to extreme exhaustion, and his thin, slight figure, a trace of imperceptible sympathy flashed in her eyes.

She glanced at the meager amount of food remaining and replied, "There's a little left, just enough for one serving."

Saying that, she picked up a tray, and the serving spoon she used was noticeably fuller than usual. She deliberately scooped a few extra pieces of braised pork and some green leafy vegetables to place on top of the rice.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Li Wen quickly thanked her and took the exceptionally generous tray.

Most of the seats in the large cafeteria were empty. He casually found a table by the window and sat down, looking at the rare abundance of food on his tray, feeling a slight warmth in his heart.

He didn't have much time to savor it. The urgency in his stomach and the weakness of his body made him devour the food at a 'sweeping' speed.

He needed to recover his energy as quickly as possible because tonight, there was still important 'homework' waiting.

That's right. After finishing dinner, he would return to the Martial Arts Classroom he had just left.

Yesterday evening, he had gone home early after the physical test because that day was his crucial eighteenth birthday, with his parents' cake and dinner awaiting him.

Normally, especially now that the college entrance examination sprint period was only a few months away, he would choose to quickly finish dinner at the cafeteria and immediately return to the Martial Arts Classroom to continue evening self-study.

The school's system was very clear:

Morning mandatory cultural courses;

Afternoon is Martial Arts training courses;

As evening arrived, students would choose their evening study venue based on their college entrance examination aspirations.

Students aspiring to enroll in top Liberal Arts institutions would head to the Cultural Classroom for evening self-study.

Meanwhile, those choosing the Martial Path route, aiming for Martial Arts Universities, would almost universally gather in the Martial Arts Classroom, which was equipped with more professional facilities and greater space for self-study.

Thus, the Martial Arts Classroom at this moment was far from empty.

When Li Wen returned to the Martial Arts Classroom, the scene inside was indeed different from the solitary quiet of the afternoon.

Although the number of people was far less than during the unified classes in the afternoon, there were still twenty to thirty figures scattered around, mostly engaging in the breathing and circulation practice of the foundational Cultivation Technique.

He walked back to his corner again, not taking out his blade immediately.

The exhaustion from the afternoon had been too great, and coupled with the massive improvement gained under Absolute Focus, he needed time to digest the results and allow his body to fully recover.

He quietly observed his classmates who had chosen the Martial Path.

Many stood in different stake postures, their nasal breathing long and steady, with their Qi and blood surging subtly beneath the surface.

Judging by their slightly flushed skin and stable aura, they could clearly maintain this state for a long time.

This formed a stark contrast to Li Wen’s own state, where he could barely sustain practice for more than ten minutes before struggling.

They did not lack qi and blood potion supplements, which were sufficient to support their efficient operation of the foundational technique throughout the entire evening, tempering their Physical Bodies.

This was the power of resources and capital.

Li Wen’s gaze swept inadvertently toward a figure at the other end of the classroom—Xue Jun.

The undisputed number one in the class! His Physical Body Rank had long surpassed 8.0, and it was rumored that his Saber Technique had also broken through the Bottleneck of Advanced Perfection, entering the Minor Achievement stage of a Top Tier technique!

This meant Xue Jun had already touched the threshold of the 'Unity Realm,' a Realm that commanded awe in the future.

The admission threshold for ordinary Martial Arts Universities required a Technique to reach the Entry level of Top Tier; first-class Martial Arts Universities required Minor Achievement in a Top Tier Technique as a starting point.

As for the four top Martial Arts Universities standing at the Peak in Huaguo, the lowest threshold was the Unity Realm!

Creating a secret technique unique to oneself—that was a Realm Li Wen once considered too extravagant even to gaze upon.

Yet now, gazing at the figure enveloped by faint Qi and blood, Li Wen felt no trace of the despair and helplessness of the past; instead, he felt an unprecedented calm.

His Golden Finger did not directly increase strength, but it gave him the most essential weapon—the key to breaking through all Bottlenecks.

The standard for top universities, once seemingly unattainable, was no longer a cold, iron law, but... a goal he could strive to reach!

After more than half an hour of rest and digestion, feeling that his stamina had indeed recovered significantly, Li Wen stood up and grasped his blade again.

This time, he did not activate Absolute Focus.

The skill’s consumption and the burden on his body were too great; he could not use it frequently within a single day yet.

But even so, following the Epiphany in the afternoon and the extreme tempering in the evening, his control over the Tiger Guard Saber Technique had ascended to a new level.

The blade light flashed again.

His movements lacked the manic 'deduction' feeling from the extreme focus in the evening, but they possessed a steadiness and fluidity derived from a solid foundation in the Realm.

With a proficiency base of Major Achievement 50/100, every one of his movements was more logical, and the application of force was more precise and economical.

The trajectory of the blade slicing through the air was no longer a rigid standard arc, but rather guided by the situation, carrying a kind of agile foresight.

Chopping was like startling thunder, blocking like a mountain, and spinning like a flowing wind.

The twenty-six Moves of the Blade Technique seemed to be disassembled and scattered, yet they connected naturally during every breath transition, making the conversion between Moves smoother and more seamless.

He felt that the outline of the Perfection Realm for the Advanced Blade Technique—'continuous Moves, flawless and rounded'—seemed truly visible now.

Immersed in this steady improvement, time flew by quickly.

An hour later, Li Wen sheathed his blade and stood still, a light sweat on his forehead, but his breathing was far more stable than when he finished in the evening; his body only felt normally fatigued.

[You Cultivated the Tiger Guard Saber Technique for one hour, Blade Technique Experience +5]

[Technique: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 50 → 55 / 100)]

The effect was significant! The efficiency of practice in this independent state far surpassed any previous session.

All of this was thanks to the improvement in his Comprehension Ability after Fusing the Souls of two lifetimes.

The Blade Technique practice concluded. Li Wen did not continue to delve into it; his gaze turned to the classmates inside who were still circulating their foundational technique.

He precisely inserted the Quick Blade back into the weapon rack and returned to his mat.

He held his breath, concentrated, slightly bent and lowered his legs, and his hands formed the initial hand seal for the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method.

He did not activate Absolute Focus; that skill was too luxurious now, consuming too much Qi and blood, and he did not have enough qi and blood potion to replenish it.

The familiar breathing rhythm drove the Qi and blood to circulate laboriously within his body.

Every deep inhalation guided the sparse Qi and blood toward his limbs and bones; every heavy exhalation attempted to expel the power inevitably dissipated and wasted during circulation.

That familiar sharp, tearing sensation began to permeate his internal body, stimulating his muscles and bones, bringing a slight, uplifting warmth, but it was also accompanied by an intense... feeling of depletion!

If those classmates with ample resources circulating the foundational technique were 'cruising on a smooth highway with the air conditioning on,' then Li Wen’s feeling was like 'struggling uphill on a rugged, steep mountain road while pushing a leaky, old junk car.'

More than half of the Qi and blood energy was irreversibly overflowed and wasted during circulation because his understanding of the Cultivation Technique was not yet profound enough, and his control over his body was incomplete.

The low efficiency was frustrating.

His body began to heat up, and sweat seeped out.

The pulling sensation in his joints and ligaments grew stronger, accompanied by an inexpressible, sore pain.

His breathing gradually became rapid and shallow, and his heart pounded as if trying to burst through his chest.

The Qi and blood inside his body became like a nearly dried-up stream; the speed of circulation slowed down, and the resistance grew greater.

"No... must... hold on a little longer..." Li Wen gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead slightly bulging from exertion.

The limit was right before him; every muscle in his body was crying out in pain, but the stubborn tenacity in his heart surged up, forcibly maintaining the posture that was about to collapse.

A subtle, weak sound, like a tiny bone joint shifting, came from a ligament somewhere—this was the body's final warning!

Puff... Hoooo!!!

A large mouthful of scorching, white turbid air was violently expelled from the depths of his chest, and his body suddenly went limp as if all its bones had been removed.

The hand seal he maintained instantly distorted, his legs felt weak and powerless, and he almost lost his balance; he staggered a couple of steps before bracing himself with his hands to steady his figure, panting heavily, every breath feeling like a knife scraping his burning throat.

He only managed to persist for about fifteen minutes before being completely drained of his last drop of strength.

The energy and mental strain consumed in these dozen minutes felt comparable to the overloaded practice of Blade Technique under Absolute Focus that evening.

His practice clothes were already soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to him, cold and clammy.

Wiping the sweat from his face wearily, relying almost entirely on willpower to keep from collapsing onto the ground, Li Wen painfully brought up the status panel:

[You painstakingly Cultivated the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method, Cultivation Technique Experience +3]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method - Basic (Entry 87 → 90 / 100)]

Seeing the Entry proficiency jump from 87 to 90 points, so close to the Minor Achievement threshold of 100 points, a complex expression, mixed with a wry smile and satisfaction, finally appeared on Li Wen's exhausted face.

The improvement was indeed substantial.

After the Soul Fusion, the clarity of thought certainly helped efficiency in the entry stage of understanding a Cultivation Technique, but...

"Hoo..." He let out a long breath filled with deep exhaustion, glancing around at the classmates who were still practicing, their auras stable and long, with a faint red glow of Qi and blood circulating around them.

His eyes were profound.

"Today's rate of improvement... is ultimately due to the 'slow accumulation leading to a sudden burst.' Once the dividends of that accumulation are spent, given my current resource situation, the speed will likely quickly revert to that... pitifully low baseline."

Immense potential and real-world constraints intertwined like ice and fire deep within his weary body and mind.

He clenched his fist, feeling the unwillingness beneath the weakness, then slowly relaxed it.

The Golden Finger was activated, the path was under his feet; all that remained was to walk it... even more desperately, even more smartly...

Outside the window, the night was as black as ink, concealing the solitary figure of the youth standing there and the heavy, yet incomparably ardent ambition within his heart.