Top-Class Comprehension: Start with Basic Fist Techniques Chapter 2: Basic Fist Technique at Pinnacle!
Previously on Top-Class Comprehension: Start with Basic Fist Techniques...
Day two, day three, day four, day five...
Every day, the apprentices rose early, trained rigorously, and toiled without rest, adhering strictly to their daily regimen.
The schedule left no room for idleness.
Yet none of the apprentices uttered a word about exhaustion. Instead, they clenched their jaws, fully committed to cultivating the Grand River Vitality Technique.
Still, over multiple days in a row, no one had broken through to master the Grand River Vitality Technique.
Lu Changsheng also asked around regarding progress in the Grand River Vitality Technique.
There was truly a way to boost their cultivation speed: medicinal cuisine.
By eating special medicinal cuisine each day, advancement in the Grand River Vitality Technique would skyrocket.
However, such cuisine was reserved solely for the guard unit. How could regular apprentices obtain it?
And purchasing it on their own? That was utterly impossible.
Regular apprentices earned nothing, owning not even a single copper coin. From where could they buy medicinal cuisine?
In the flash of an eye, eleven days slipped away.
That day, upon reaching the square with the other apprentices, Lu Changsheng heard one apprentice eagerly declare, "Master Liu, I... I think I've felt the vital energy flowing."
"Hmm? Step forward; let me check."
Master Liu's eyes gleamed with interest.
Soon after, a lanky, slender apprentice stepped up to Master Liu and offered his hand.
Master Liu grasped the apprentice's wrist and shut his eyes.
"Excellent, you've truly advanced."
"Accomplishing this after just eleven days shows impressive talent."
"Good, from now on, you're exempt from apprentice chores. Head straight to the guard unit and cultivate daily with medicinal cuisine. The results will be far superior."
"Ah... Many thanks, Master Liu."
The apprentice brimmed with thrill.
Now bound for the guard unit, he would become a mighty martial practitioner. Even without peak martial prowess, securing a guard position in the renowned Miao Shou Garden far surpassed the drudgery of apprentice tasks.
"Alright, head to the guard unit now."
Master Liu gestured dismissively and turned to the remaining apprentices, grinning as he said, "See that, everyone? Mastering the Grand River Vitality Technique in a month propels you straight to the heavens!"
A stir rippled through the apprentices.
Envy blazed in their gazes toward the newly successful apprentice.
"Wasn't that Zhao Er Gou earlier?"
"Zhao Er Gou, always so cowardly and picked on by other apprentices, has suddenly soared high."
"Zhao Er Gou's path ahead shines brightly; he's diverged completely from ours starting today..."
"So jealous. When will it be my turn to grasp the Grand River Vitality Technique?"
Even amidst the group, Lu Changsheng couldn't help feeling jealous.
He refused to stay stuck as a lowly apprentice; he yearned to train daily as well.
Regrettably, his own Grand River Vitality Technique showed zero headway.
Host: Lu Changsheng
Comprehension: 98 (average)
Basic Fist Technique: Proficient
Pounce Technique: Skilled
Grand River Vitality Technique: Not Started
Lu Changsheng's status panel now included new lines for "Basic Fist Technique" and "Pounce Technique."
These represented the combat techniques imparted by Master Liu.
As Master Liu explained, true martial arts demanded proficiency in close-quarters fighting skills, regardless of one's robust body or vital energy.
Lu Changsheng observed that although the Grand River Vitality Technique remained stuck, his Pounce Technique and Basic Fist Technique advanced swiftly.
The Basic Fist Technique proved especially simple, with only a handful of forms. He'd hit proficient already and neared the pinnacle of mastery.
He was confident that mastery would come in just a few more days.
Limited to one hour daily for the Grand River Vitality Technique, Lu Changsheng maximized every spare instant honing the Pounce Technique and Basic Fist Technique.
Time marched on, and after the initial apprentice conquered the Grand River Vitality Technique, more quickly followed.
Soon, seven additional apprentices broke through into the Grand River Vitality Technique, whisked away by Master Liu to join the guard unit.
Twenty days were now gone.
The one-month limit loomed near, filling the leftover apprentices with urgency.
They desperately tried all sorts of approaches.
A few even dared to sneak medicinal cuisine.
Caught red-handed, they faced swift discipline.
On the twenty-eighth day, Zhou Sheng astonishingly detected the vital energy's movement, stepping into the Grand River Vitality Technique.
Lu Changsheng felt a wave of dejection wash over him.
Zhou Sheng had a reputation for his laziness and sly nature, forever chasing quick paths to success.
Lu Changsheng never imagined that a guy like him could actually grasp the Grand River Vitality Technique and shed the label of a lowly apprentice.
A full month had at last gone by.
Countless apprentices assembled in the square, heads bowed in defeat, morale utterly shattered.
Master Liu declared coldly, "Over this past month, nine apprentices have detected the surge of vital energy, revealing hints of martial talent."
"Yet, do not lose heart. Keep training in the Grand River Vitality Technique. With persistence, a breakthrough may still come. Even without peaking in martial prowess, it will surely bolster your bodily strength."
"Lacking martial aptitude is no tragedy—Miao Shou Garden shines for its healing arts. 'Healing' precedes 'martial.' The warrior's road may elude you, but paths to pharmacist, healer, or famed physician await!"
With those words, Master Liu departed.
This month's regimen targeted the discovery of martial prodigies to bolster the guard forces.
The leftover apprentices pressed on with their labors, slowly advancing from drudges to pharmacists or physicians.
Attaining doctor status in Miao Shou Garden meant opening private clinics—a status rivaling that of guards in honor.
Following an exhausting day, Lu Changsheng collapsed onto his bunk.
The dormitory felt emptier now, absent those nine apprentices.
Still, despair gripped many of the remaining lads.
Barring entry to the guard ranks, Miao Shou Garden's nourishing meals stayed out of reach.
What good was ongoing martial practice under such conditions?
Lacking those vital dishes, they'd lag further with each passing day.
In the end, their martial feats would never rival the elite guards of Miao Shou Garden.
Numerous apprentices surrendered to destiny, bracing for decades of toil before doctoring and clinic mastery.
Yet a handful of apprentices clung to flickering hope.
Lu Changsheng counted himself in that band.
Host: Lu Changsheng
Comprehension: 99 (average)
Basic Fist Technique: Mastery
Pounce Technique: Proficiency
Grand River Vitality Technique: Not Started
His status panel showed the Grand River Vitality Technique stagnant, utterly unchanged.
In stark contrast, Basic Fist Technique hit mastery, while Pounce Technique advanced to proficiency.
That said, Pounce Technique growth had lately ground to a halt.
Drawing from a tiger's savage might, the Pounce Technique demanded grasping the tiger's core essence for loftier mastery, per Master Liu's teachings.
Only then would its authentic might unleash.
Lu Changsheng grasped nothing of that tiger essence.
Just the straightforward Basic Fist Technique surged ahead; his insight into it grew ever sharper, mastery nearly in hand.
Basic Fist Technique held scant raw force. Perfection merely honed familiarity with martial forms.
Most apprentices chased Grand River Vitality Technique dominance or Pounce Technique gains.
Pounce Technique offered solid battle utility, yet Basic Fist Technique drew scant notice from the crowd.
Lu Changsheng stood apart. If Basic Fist Technique promised more gains, he'd drill relentlessly.
One evening, post-grueling labors, Lu Changsheng stealthily left his quarters.
He sought a hidden nook.
Nightly, Lu Changsheng carved out moments for Basic Fist Technique and Pounce Technique drills.
One cycle, two cycles, three cycles, four cycles, five cycles...
After over ten rounds of Basic Fist Technique,
A string of tiny characters flickered into view before him.
"Basic Fist Technique Mastery, Comprehension +1."
Lu Changsheng swiftly scanned his status panel.
Host: Lu Changsheng
Comprehension: 99 (average)
Basic Fist Technique: Mastery
Pounce Technique: Proficiency
Grand River Vitality Technique: Not Started
Indeed, Basic Fist Technique now shone at mastery, comprehension jumping from 98 to 99—a single point gained.
At that instant, Lu Changsheng experienced a sudden enlightenment, finally grasping the true function of the attribute panel.
Every time Lu Changsheng achieved mastery at the peak of any martial art or skill, his comprehension would receive a boost.
Yet, he pondered to himself, what real impact would raising his comprehension by just one point—from 99 to 100—actually bring?