CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: THE SOARING EXPERIENCE POINTS_1

"Try attacking me with your best method."

"No, the power and technique in your kick aren’t bad, but the placement is wrong."

"A fist would be more suitable in this situation."

"Again."

"Idiot! Have you forgotten why you were beaten last time?"

.....

BANG!

Lu Yuan had lost count of how many times Lin Zhiquin had effortlessly tossed him aside. Although Lin Zhiquin wasn’t using much force, and the floor was covered with soft mats, being thrown repeatedly still hurt.

Lu Yuan sucked in a sharp breath, getting up from the soft mats for the nth time. His back and buttocks were starting to feel numb.

Lin Zhiquin stood less than five meters away, perfectly still. He hadn’t moved an inch from his original position.

To Lu Yuan, he seemed like an insurmountable mountain.

I *have* to take you down!

Lu Yuan steeled himself, his entire demeanor and gaze sharpening with focus. This intense seriousness, bordering on obsession, was almost unique to him. At this moment, his whole body seemed to emit a faint glow.

BANG!

His sole pressed a small indentation into the soft mat. With an explosive sound, Lu Yuan shot towards Lin Zhiquin like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. As he moved, he raised his right fist. His body stretched taut, like a fully drawn bow. The point of his fist... was the arrowhead!

Lin Zhiquin remained expressionless, not even glancing at Lu Yuan’s incoming fist. He merely raised his hand with utmost casualness, lightly swatting in the direction of the punch.

But just as fist and palm were about to connect, Lu Yuan’s fist suddenly retracted slightly. Planting his left foot for leverage, his body spun like a top, and he aimed a vicious kick straight at Lin Zhiquin’s... groin?!

A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Zhiquin’s eyes. He lifted his foot lightly and, BANG, blocked Lu Yuan’s kick.

But Lu Yuan suddenly pressed in close. Before Lin Zhiquin knew it, Lu Yuan’s hands were on his shoulders.

"Coach..." Lu Yuan, eyes burning like fire, was less than half a meter from Lin Zhiquin. He slowly looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Gotcha."

With that, his expression turned savage, and he put all his strength into his hands...

BANG!

A figure was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

Lin Zhiquin lightly brushed his shoulder, looking emotionlessly at Lu Yuan, who was sprawled on the ground, apparently too exhausted to get up. "That’s enough for today. Class dismissed," he said calmly. "Go take a shower and change. I’ll wait for you in the dining hall."

With that, he turned and left the training room without a backward glance.

Once outside the training room, Lin Zhiquin paused in the corridor. He glanced at the wrinkles Lu Yuan’s grip had left on his shoulder and meticulously smoothed them out. A complex mix of emotions surfaced in his usually impassive eyes.

Good kid... How long has he even been learning...?

No one heard his muttered sentiment. Lin Zhiquin shook his head and strode away quickly.

「 」

Lu Yuan lay spread-eagled on the ground, not wanting to move anything but his lungs. His hair and martial arts uniform were completely drenched in sweat. Even if Lin Zhiquin hadn’t ended the class, he wouldn’t have had the strength to get up again.

Lu Yuan sighed softly. Such a pity... It was a shame. Even using Absolute Focus, he still couldn’t overcome the mountain that was Lin Zhiquin.

Still... at least it’s a huge improvement from before, when I’d be sent flying without even touching the hem of his clothes. I’ve definitely made a lot of progress.

One day, I... Lu Yuan clenched his fists, wanting to shout a slogan, but then felt it was too cringey. So, he swallowed the rest of the thought.

He lay on the mat for a good three minutes. Lu Yuan finally recovered a bit of energy and managed to struggle to his feet. Every inch of his body ached, as if he would fall apart at any moment.

This is even worse than after that first brutal Martial Arts training session...

Lu Yuan started to worry if he’d even be able to get up for school the next day.

He went into the locker room and stepped into an empty shower stall. Turning the faucet, warm water cascaded over his head, running down his skin and tracing the contours of his muscles. Much of his fatigue washed away with it.

Lu Yuan took the opportunity to pull up his profession panel.

His Four-dimensional Attributes were, naturally, unchanged.

His main focus was on [Fighter].

[Profession: Fighter LV4 (348/800)]

[Basic Professional Skills: Initial Body Forging LV4 (120/800)

Basic Fist Skill LV4 (321/800)

Basic Leg Skill LV5 (MAX)

Basic Step Skill LV4 (120/800)

Basic Capture LV3 (335/400)

Basic Palm Skill LV1 (56/100)

Basic Finger Skill LV1 (23/100)

Junior Professional Skills: Advanced Leg Skill LV1 (56/100)

Intermediate Professional Skills: Crane-shaped Pile LV1 (5/100)]

[Attribute Points: 1]

[Skill Points: 1]

Almost every skill on the panel had improved, and two new skills had been added: Basic Palm Skill and Basic Finger Skill.

My Fighter Experience Points increased by over a hundred... Basic Fist Skill by over two hundred... Basic Step Skill by a hundred... Advanced Leg Skill by over fifty... Basic Capture also increased by over two hundred!

Watching the Experience Points skyrocket in his skill list, Lu Yuan’s eyelids twitched, unable to hide his elation. It was like watching the balance on his bank card shoot up.

Even his Initial Body Forging Experience Points had increased by over ten. Probably from taking so many hits, he figured.

The gains are incredible!

Only now did he truly appreciate what it was like to be guided by a master teacher. His progress was rocket-fast!

Who said Lin Zhiquin couldn’t teach? Damn it, he just hadn’t *wanted* to teach before!

Maxing out Initial Body Forging will probably increase my physique a bit. Maxing out the other five basic skills will also give one attribute point each. That’s a solid six attribute points in total!

And that’s not even counting the rewards for leveling up my profession.

It won’t be long before my strength takes a qualitative leap!

Lu Yuan vigorously wiped the water from his face, his eyes shining with excitement and anticipation.

Huh? Suddenly, he noticed a new change on his profession panel.

On the largely dark panel, a new, high-up spot of light had appeared. It was Crane-shaped Pile!

Crane-shaped Pile is actually an Intermediate Professional Skill! Impressive...

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but gasp softly in amazement, immediately marking it as a top priority. Including Crane-shaped Pile, Lu Yuan had learned a total of three new skills today.

Now I’ve really got something to grind.

「 」

After a quick shower and changing clothes, Lu Yuan hurried to the martial arts school’s restaurant. The clock hanging on the restaurant’s wall showed it was 9:08 PM. Lin Zhiquin’s special training had lasted about three hours.

At this hour, the restaurant wasn’t crowded; it was mostly students who had finished their training and were about to head home to rest.

"Over here." Lin Zhiquin, sitting in a corner, called out to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan quickly walked over, surprised to find Lin Zhiquin had already gotten food for him. It was a large, full basin of food, with both meat and vegetables. The dishes were a notch or two better than what Lu Yuan usually ate at the martial arts school. Moreover, it was clear this meal had been put together with some thought to nutritional balance.

"You need to keep up with your diet too," Lin Zhiquin said. "You can research it yourself when you get home. I won’t be getting your food next time."

Lin Zhiquin wasn’t eating; he only had a bottle of water in front of him.

"Mm," Lu Yuan nodded, sat down, and began to eat.

He was indeed famished. He was still growing, and on top of that, he’d expended a huge amount of energy. His personal ’battery’ was depleted, flashing red.

As he was eating, Lin Zhiquin suddenly handed him a black card.

Lu Yuan looked at the card, puzzled, then heard Lin Zhiquin say, "After you finish eating, go to the second floor and have them arrange a therapeutic massage for you. Your training load will be immense from now on. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to accumulate hidden injuries. Besides, practicing Crane-shaped Pile also requires supplementary secret elixirs to achieve the best effect..."