Top-Class Comprehension: Start with Basic Fist Techniques Chapter 1: Comprehension!

[Host: Lu Changsheng]

[Comprehension: 98 (average)]

A weird look appeared on Lu Changsheng's face as he stared at the attribute panel right in front of him.

Having a comprehension score of 98 but tagged as "average" implied that the benchmark must be 100.

Lu Changsheng had a basic grasp of what comprehension represented.

Yet, what was the purpose of this attribute panel?

Thinking back carefully, it had been more than a month since he arrived in this world.

In the start, Lu Changsheng survived as a beggar teetering on the edge of death. Slightly over a month prior, Miaoshou Garden hired lots of apprentices, and with his quick wits, Lu Changsheng got accepted as one.

Miaoshou Garden stood as a famed medical clan, operating numerous pharmacies all over Nanyang City.

Even across various surrounding cities near Nanyang, Miaoshou Garden pharmacies existed.

Serving as an apprentice in Miaoshou Garden proved exhausting, filling his days with nonstop toil, yet it secured three meals each day.

Still, apprentices earned no pay.

Wages came only after advancing to master status or shifting to other roles inside Miaoshou Garden.

Having endured hunger upon his arrival, Lu Changsheng felt content with his present situation.

The one mystery unsolved remained this attribute panel.

It appeared he hadn't discovered the proper method to utilize it, since the panel showed no alterations.

"Bang, bang, bang."

"Wake up, wake up."

The steward's calls echoed through Miaoshou Garden.

Lu Changsheng snapped his eyes open, leaped from bed, dressed swiftly, and rushed to Miaoshou Garden's courtyard.

Dawn had just broken, roughly five in the morning.

Yet within Miaoshou Garden, apprentices rose at first light to launch into a grueling workday from sunrise to sunset.

After fifteen minutes, every apprentice assembled in the courtyard.

One by one, the steward rolled the call.

"Chen Zhao, Chen Zhao."

Several times the steward shouted "Chen Zhao," yet no one answered.

Moments later, a youth rushed in late, cheeks red, stammering, "Steward, I... I'm here."

With a cold glance, the steward demanded, "Name."

"Chen Zhao."

"Late without excuse means ten lashes and no food today."

Chen Zhao paled instantly, then two sturdy men hauled him aside, whipping him harshly before the group.

"Ah..."

Chen Zhao's cries chilled every apprentice to the bone.

Miaoshou Garden offered many advantages, but enforced ironclad rules.

Those tardy, lazy, or defiant faced brutal penalties.

Persistent offenders could even get flogged to death.

Barely alive, Chen Zhao got dragged to the rear yard, silencing the courtyard in shock.

Sweeping his gaze over them, the steward announced, "Over a month in Miaoshou Garden now, your strength has mostly returned. Today starts official martial arts lessons."

"Our Miaoshou Garden, as a medical lineage, pairs medicine with martial arts. True healers demand robust, vigorous bodies."

"Next month, Master Liu will oversee the security team's martial arts instruction for you."

"Study hard. This might alter your destinies!"

Though the steward looked severe, his heart held warmth, even detailing the "value" of martial arts training for the apprentices.

Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up.

"Martial arts?"

"I've heard Miaoshou Garden employs martial artists, particularly the security team full of them."

"Never thought apprentices like us could learn martial arts too?"

"We can't let this opportunity slip..."

Like Lu Changsheng, the other Miaoshou Garden apprentices weren't fools. They grasped martial arts' significance at once, fixing their attention on Master Liu.

Master Liu, past sixty yet spry and energetic, looked far younger.

"Hehe, as Steward Zhang explained, medicine intertwines with martial arts. Mastering martial arts boosts your odds in security or as future physicians."

"Fine, enough chatter. Let me begin instructing you in the Grand River Vitality Technique..."

Master Liu started showing the martial arts forms, and numerous apprentices immediately mimicked his actions.

Lu Changsheng carefully copied every motion, finding them clumsy and demanding full focus. Yet strangely, the longer he kept at it, the more uneasy he became inside.

At last, upon finishing the full sequence of the Grand River Vitality Technique, Lu Changsheng abruptly noticed his attribute panel appearing before his eyes.

[Host: Lu Changsheng]

[Comprehension: 98 (average)]

[Grand River Vitality Technique: Unacquainted]

Going through the Grand River Vitality Technique appeared to yield certain results.

Despite the clumsiness, a cozy warmth spread across Lu Changsheng's entire frame, making him feel stronger overall.

Furthermore, the attribute panel listed the Grand River Vitality Technique now, marked as "Unacquainted."

"Your frames are still frail, limiting you to just one hour of Grand River Vitality Technique practice daily. Going beyond that harms your well-being."

"Mastering the Grand River Vitality Technique requires detecting your own qi and blood. Those who sense their qi and blood can manipulate it freely, skipping these bulky postures."

"These postures merely aid novices in detecting qi and blood more effectively. Come see me within a month if you manage to sense your qi and blood."

"Keep practicing now."

With those words, Master Liu settled into a chair, watching over the apprentices as they trained.

Before long, the hour elapsed.

Lu Changsheng hadn't grasped the Grand River Vitality Technique yet, and after that hour, his body ached slightly. This technique couldn't be overdone.

Once the practice hour ended, the apprentices dove into their routine tasks.

Miaoshou Garden's duties weren't overly taxing, yet they proved intricate.

Daily, the apprentices had to sort different herbs, grow them, dehydrate them, and refine them into usable medicines.

Essentially, they toiled from dawn till dusk, barely catching a break.

Come nightfall, Lu Changsheng sprawled on the shared bunk.

Next to him slept fellow apprentice Zhou Sheng.

Zhou Sheng possessed a crafty nature, loved collecting all sorts of news, and relished boasting about it.

Darkness filled the room, with most apprentices preparing for slumber. But then Zhou Sheng piped up, "Hey, do you all know why Master Liu wants us mastering martial arts in just one month?"

Suddenly, every apprentice was fully alert.

Topics involving "martial arts" always sparked their curiosity.

Particularly because it looked to impact their prospects ahead.

"Zhou Sheng, got any insider info?"

"Zhou Sheng, spill it—what's the deal?"

"I held back some fatty meat for you from lunch."

"Yeah, I kept a bone for you too."

"I got some candy stashed from days back—that's yours now."

The apprentices offered up their hidden goodies, mostly edible treats.

Since apprentices earned no pay, they snuck away bits of food in secret.

Delighted, Zhou Sheng grinned and declared, "Okay, hand over your goodies, and I'll share all the details."

"Master Liu isn't just anyone; he's the security team's trainer. Word is, tons of martial artists there got shaped by Master Liu himself."

"That one-month deadline from Master Liu? It's for picking out martial arts-talented apprentices. Whoever nails the Grand River Vitality Technique in a month gets whisked to the security team by Master Liu for guard training."

"What an upgrade! Security team apprentices even get monthly wages, plus daily medicinal meals. They boast sturdy, powerful builds. The grub's top-notch, loaded with meat. Mmm, just imagining the flavor..."

As "meat" came up, the apprentices gulped down their saliva involuntarily.

Though Miaoshou Garden supplied food, meat remained rare.

Evidently, security team spots came with far superior perks than regular apprentice life.

"Ah, so that's the story."

"Gotta grind hard on the Grand River Vitality Technique."

"Joining the security team beats everything else. Without it, we'd slog as odd-jobbers, advance to pharmacist helpers, then full pharmacists—taking over a decade maybe, and no guarantee. We'd stick to menial tasks forever..."

Even though the apprentices had just joined Miaoshou Garden not long ago, fierce competition had already ignited among them.

Hearing this, Lu Changsheng yearned to train even more in the Grand River Vitality Technique. Yet, when he pushed himself further, an intense soreness spread through his whole body.

He knew full well that haste makes waste.

Master Liu instructed practicing only one hour daily, and Lu Changsheng resolved to follow that exactly. Exceeding it would only injure his body.

"There must be a way to advance faster in the Grand River Vitality Technique..."

Lu Changsheng pondered inwardly.