Chapter 2  

Day two, day three, day four, day five…

The apprentices got up, practiced, and worked diligently every day, following the routine.

Time was tightly scheduled.

However, not a single apprentice complained of fatigue. They all gritted their teeth, determined to practice the Grand River Vitality Technique.

Yet, for several consecutive days, there was no news of anyone successfully mastering the Grand River Vitality Technique.

Lu Changsheng also inquired about the Grand River Vitality Technique’s progress.

To accelerate their progress, there was indeed a method: medicinal cuisine.

If they consumed specialized medicinal cuisine daily, their progress in the Grand River Vitality Technique would be much faster.

But medicinal cuisine was only provided to the guard unit. Where would ordinary apprentices get it?

As for buying it themselves, that was even more out of the question.

Ordinary apprentices had no income, not a single coin to their name. Where could they purchase medicinal cuisine?

In the blink of an eye, eleven days had passed.

On this day, as Lu Changsheng and the other apprentices arrived at the square, they heard one apprentice speak up voluntarily, “Master Liu, I… I seem to have sensed the flow of vital energy.”

“Hmm? Come here; let me take a look.”

Master Liu’s eyes lit up.

Subsequently, a tall and thin apprentice approached Master Liu, extending his hand.

Master Liu held the apprentice’s hand and closed his eyes.

“Very good, you’ve indeed made progress.”

“To achieve this in eleven days, your aptitude is quite commendable.”

“All right, starting today, you no longer need to do menial apprentice work. You’ll go directly to the guard unit and practice with medicinal cuisine every day. The effects will be even better.”

“Ah… Thank you, Master Liu.”

The apprentice was extremely excited.

He was going to the guard unit, becoming a powerful martial artist. Even if his martial skills didn’t reach a high level, he could at least become a guard in the prestigious Miao Shou Garden, a world away from ordinary apprentice work.

“Well then, off to the guard unit.”

Master Liu waved his hand and looked at the other apprentices, saying with a smile, “Did you all see that? If you can master the Grand River Vitality Technique within a month, it’s like reaching the sky in one step!”

The apprentices grew restless.

They looked at the apprentice who had just succeeded with envy burning in their hearts.

“That apprentice just now, wasn’t he Zhao Er Gou?”action

“Zhao Er Gou is timid and often bullied among the apprentices, but now he’s made it big.”

“Zhao Er Gou has a bright future ahead; from now on, he’s on a completely different path from us…”

“Truly envious. When will I be able to master the Grand River Vitality Technique?”

Among the crowd, even Lu Changsheng felt envious.

He didn’t want to continue as a menial apprentice; he wanted to practice every day too.

Unfortunately, his Grand River Vitality Technique had yet to make any progress.

Host: Lu Changsheng

Comprehension: 98 (average)

Basic Fist Technique: Proficient

Pounce Technique: Skilled

Grand River Vitality Technique: Not Started

In Lu Changsheng’s attribute panel, there were additional entries for “Basic Fist Technique” and “Pounce Technique.”

These were martial arts skills taught by Master Liu.

As Master Liu had mentioned, in martial arts, one needed some degree of skill in hand-to-hand combat techniques, even if one had a strong physique and vital energy.

Lu Changsheng noticed that while his progress in the Grand River Vitality Technique had stalled, his skills in the Pounce Technique and Basic Fist Technique were improving rapidly.

Especially the Basic Fist Technique, which was genuinely straightforward, involving just a few moves. He had already reached proficiency and was not far from mastery.

He believed that in a few more days, reaching the highest level wouldn’t be an issue.

Since the Grand River Vitality Technique could only be practiced for an hour each day, Lu Changsheng seized every moment to practice the Pounce Technique and Basic Fist Technique.

As time passed, with the first apprentice mastering the Grand River Vitality Technique, others followed suit.

Next, seven more apprentices successfully entered the Grand River Vitality Technique and were taken by Master Liu to the guard unit.

Twenty days had passed.

The deadline of one month was approaching, and the remaining apprentices began to grow anxious.

They started exploring various methods.

Some even attempted to “steal” medicinal cuisine.

The result was discovery and immediate punishment.

On the twenty-eighth day, Zhou Sheng surprisingly sensed the flow of vital energy, entering the Grand River Vitality Technique.

This left Lu Changsheng feeling somewhat dejected.

Zhou Sheng was known for his laziness and cunning ways, always looking for shortcuts.

Never did Lu Changsheng expect that even someone like him could master the Grand River Vitality Technique, breaking free from the identity of a menial apprentice.

A month had finally passed.

The numerous apprentices gathered in the square, their heads hanging low, their spirits crushed.

Master Liu said coldly, “In a month’s time, a total of nine apprentices sensed the flow of vital energy, indicating some talent in martial arts.”

“However, don’t be discouraged. You can continue practicing the Grand River Vitality Technique. Over time, you might still make a breakthrough. Even if you don’t reach high levels of martial skill, at least it will enhance your physical fitness.”

“While you may lack talent in martial arts, remember that Miao Shou Garden is renowned for healing. The ‘healing’ aspect comes before ‘martial.’ You might not follow the martial path, but you can become pharmacists, doctors, or even a renowned physician!”

After saying this, Master Liu left.

The month’s training was specifically aimed at selecting martial talent to reinforce the guard unit.

As for the remaining apprentices, they continued to work diligently, gradually progressing from menial apprentices to pharmacists or even doctors.

If they became doctors at Miao Shou Garden, they could run their own clinics, which wouldn’t be much different from becoming guards in terms of prestige.

After a busy day, Lu Changsheng lay on his bed.

Nine apprentices were no longer present in the dormitory, making it noticeably more spacious.

However, many apprentices were feeling disheartened.

Without entering the guard unit, they had no access to the medicinal cuisine provided by Miao Shou Garden.

Even if they continued to practice martial arts, what difference would it make?

Without medicinal cuisine, they would fall behind step by step.

Ultimately, their achievements in martial arts would likely never catch up to the guards of Miao Shou Garden.

Many apprentices had resigned themselves to their fate, accepting that it would take them several decades of hard work to become doctors and run their own clinics.

However, a small group of apprentices hadn’t given up hope.

Lu Changsheng was among them.

Host: Lu Changsheng

Comprehension: 99 (average)

Basic Fist Technique: Mastery

Pounce Technique: Proficiency

Grand River Vitality Technique: Not Started

Lu Changsheng looked at his attribute panel, where the Grand River Vitality Technique remained untouched, showing no progress.

On the contrary, he had reached mastery in the Basic Fist Technique and achieved proficiency in the Pounce Technique.

However, in recent days, his progress in the Pounce Technique seemed to have stagnated.

The Pounce Technique was based on emulating the ferocity of a tiger. According to Master Liu’s guidance, understanding the essence of the tiger was necessary to reach a higher level of proficiency.

At that point, the Pounce Technique would exhibit its true power.

But Lu Changsheng had no inkling of the essence of the tiger.

Only the Basic Fist Technique, which was genuinely simple, had improved significantly. He felt that his understanding of it was deepening, and mastery was not far off.

The Basic Fist Technique didn’t possess much power. At most, mastering it allowed one to become more familiar with martial arts techniques.

Many apprentices were focused on mastering the Grand River Vitality Technique or learning the Pounce Technique.

While the Pounce Technique could be considered a useful combat skill, few apprentices paid much attention to the Basic Fist Technique.

However, Lu Changsheng was different. As long as he felt he could make further progress in the Basic Fist Technique, he wanted to continue practicing.

One day, after a period of busy work, Lu Changsheng quietly slipped out of his room.

He went to a secluded corner.

Every evening, Lu Changsheng would set aside some time to practice the Basic Fist Technique and the Pounce Technique.

One repetition, two repetitions, three repetitions, four repetitions, five repetitions…

When Lu Changsheng had practiced the Basic Fist Technique more than ten times,

Suddenly, a line of small text appeared before his eyes.

“Basic Fist Technique Mastery, Comprehension +1.”

Lu Changsheng immediately checked his attribute panel.

Host: Lu Changsheng

Comprehension: 99 (average)

Basic Fist Technique: Mastery

Pounce Technique: Proficiency

Grand River Vitality Technique: Not Started

Lu Changsheng saw that his Basic Fist Technique had reached the mastery level, and his comprehension had increased from 98 to 99, gaining 1 point.

In that moment, Lu Changsheng had an epiphany and finally understood the purpose of the attribute panel.

Whenever Lu Changsheng could reach the pinnacle in a particular martial art or skill, it would enhance his comprehension.

However, he wondered, what difference would a single point increase in his comprehension, from 99 to 100, make?