Chapter 3: Geniuses, Prodigies, and the Diligent

The next day, early in the morning.

Zhou Yan slowly ceased his specialized rhythmic breathing and opened his left eye, emerging from his meditative state. He checked his attributes, and the results were gratifying: overnight, his Physique had climbed from 18 to 19.

As for the cost, the Crane-Cry level breathing technique demanded twice the nutritional energy of the Hundred-Song level, and eight times that of the Sparrow-Chirp level. From nine last night to five this morning—a total of eight hours—he had consumed one small unit of Life Essence and one micro unit. On top of that, maintaining the spiritual combustion had cost him over five hundred units of Spirituality. This was a luxurious training method accessible only to an Order Walker like himself.

With a thought, he retracted the Life-Suit mask covering his face and stepped out of the bathroom. Possessing extremely high mental fortitude, and bolstered by the "Steadfast Circuit" that accelerated his mental recovery, his need for sleep was now virtually non-existent. To maintain his breathing exercises all night without being heard by Luo Xuan in the next room, he had moved his practice to the relatively soundproof bathroom. By experimenting, he had successfully configured his Life-Suit into a sound-dampening mask, muffling the sharp, clear cry of the crane that accompanied his breathing.

This experiment confirmed the astonishing plasticity of his Life-Suit now that it possessed mimicry functions. While he could only achieve peak defensive performance in its default "Basic Form," the suit could satisfy nearly any other requirement as long as he wasn't prioritizing defense. It could transform into mundane, sweat-wicking boxers, a full-body bodysuit, or even a noise-canceling mask. If he wished, it could even become a "black-tech" ultra-thin, skin-tight protective layer that perfectly mimicked the feel of his own skin.

It truly was a divine artifact bestowed upon him by a great power of the Order.

Zhou Yan shook his head vigorously, dismissing his wandering thoughts. He quickly washed up, left his apartment as the sky began to brighten, and took the elevator down to the public training hall provided by the Lihuo Pavilion. His room was too small; he needed space to practice sword techniques and hone his Agility. After all, excluding various bonuses, Agility was currently the lowest of his three base attributes.

As far as Zhou Yan knew, there were no shortcuts to improving Agility, unlike the "breathing techniques" for Physique, nor could it be grown continuously while traversing the Calamity Realm like his Spirituality. The only way was to practice—to drill high-difficulty sword techniques or use equipment designed to train reaction time and precision, repeating the motions endlessly. There was no other way.

However, one advantage was that Agility was heavily influenced by Physique; the higher his Physique, the faster his Agility would improve. It was like a child swinging a heavy hammer—he would soon end up battered and bruised—whereas a strong man could wield the same hammer with ease and mastery.

***

When Zhou Yan arrived at the training hall, the only people present, aside from the drowsy night guard at the entrance, were two others. One was Li Guangi, who had left quite an impression on him, and the other was a tall, bronzed young man with short hair.

Zhou Yan saw them both engaged in high-intensity training with various tools. Having no interest in spying, he merely glanced their way before activating a "Flow Logic Cube." He then initiated his spiritual combustion, fully immersing himself in the world of training.

Time passed slowly. An hour later, alerted by his alarm, Zhou Yan withdrew his sword and extinguished his spiritual combustion.

On the Flow Logic Cube, which he had set to "Infinite Mode," his results were displayed: {3644 seconds, 3644 strikes, 100% accuracy}. Zhou Yan nodded silently. A speed of one strike per second was far below his true capability; these results were the product of him intentionally limiting the Life-Suit's power output to practice based on his current attribute level. Agility was primarily about "reaction" and "body control," and this self-imposed limitation was an excellent way to train his control. Just as a strong man threading a needle can improve his focus and dexterity, this practice served its purpose.

He checked his attributes again, and sure enough, his Agility had risen from 14 to 15.

*Clap, clap, clap.*

Applause suddenly sounded from nearby. Zhou Yan turned to see Li Guangi standing a few meters away, smiling and clapping. Zhou Yan nodded slightly, but to his surprise, the young man walked over, gave him a thumbs-up, and displayed a look of genuine admiration.

"What, you should be able to manage this level of practice yourself, right?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

Li Guangi shook his head gently, then skillfully pulled out his phone, typed a quick message, and showed the screen to Zhou Yan: {I can guarantee the accuracy, but I cannot maintain one strike per second for an entire hour. Your hand is very steady; I am not your equal.}

Looking at the text on the screen and the man's smile, Zhou Yan tentatively asked, "You... can't speak?"

Li Guangi nodded with a smile.

"Oh, I see." Zhou Yan felt a strange sense of pressure. Normally, when encountering someone with a disability, one feels a subconscious awkwardness, as if they had somehow wronged the other person. Then, he corrected himself: *What am I feeling guilty for? He's mute, sure, but he’s perfectly healthy otherwise! I’m the one who’s more disabled than him!*

With his internal conflict resolved, Zhou Yan regained his composure. He voluntarily held up his mechanical hand toward Li Guangi: "Hey, look, we're two of a kind."

{You have it worse than me, I am not your equal,} the screen displayed.

"Ha!" Zhou Yan shrugged. "Are we really going to compare that?"

Li Guangi offered a gentle smile: {You didn't use your full strength during that practice. I look forward to competing against you in the finals.}

Seeing the challenge, Zhou Yan’s lips curled upward. He looked at the other man seriously and chuckled, "Don't trip up before then. The other three in your group are quite capable."

Upon hearing this, Li Guangi, who had appeared gentle and non-aggressive, saw his gaze sharpen. A faint, natural air of pride emanated from him. This time, he didn't type; he simply smiled at Zhou Yan, conveying a mutual understanding through his eyes alone: the other contestants in this tournament were merely stepping stones. The strongest would be decided only between the two of them.

After their brief exchange, Li Guangi left, looking satisfied. Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile and began his second round of practice.

Not far away, the tall, dark-skinned youth’s ears twitched. He took a deep breath and continued his frog jumps, carrying heavy weights in both hands. His expression was cold, his muscles knotted like old tree roots. Large beads of sweat splattered the floor with every jump, yet he only muttered to himself:

"Two thousand four hundred thirty-seven, two thousand four hundred thirty-eight, two thousand four hundred thirty-nine..."

"Three thousand weighted frog jumps completed. If I can't finish, I'll do ten thousand weighted push-ups."

Outside the door, Li Guangi watched Zhou Yan’s steady, precise sword work and the youth doing frog jumps in the corner, his smile growing brighter. Just then, his phone vibrated.

Master: {Well? Did you see them?}

Li Guangi: {I saw them. I saw both of them.}

Master: {How do they feel?}

Li Guangi: {Very impressive. I feel they are both stronger than me.}

Master: {Really? I won't speak for that kid from the military, but Zhou Yan? I've met him; he shouldn't be at that level.}

Li Guangi: {Then I can only say, Master, your judgment was off. Haha.}

Master: {You brat, don't embarrass me.}

Li Guangi: {Losing to these two wouldn't be an embarrassment... Master, please don't pressure me.}

Master: {No, are they really that good?}

Li Guangi did not reply. He smiled, shook his head, and turned to leave. His once peaceful eyes were now filled with a burning desire for battle.

***

After finishing another round, Zhou Yan saw the hall beginning to fill up and decided to wrap up his training. Before leaving, he looked thoughtfully at the youth in the corner, who was still doing push-ups with heavy iron plates on his back. That guy had already been training at high intensity when he arrived, and he was still going now.

*An incredible individual,* he thought, memorizing the youth's face before returning to his apartment.

He found Luo Xuan and Luo Ke waiting for him at the door. The moment she saw him, the older sister asked, "Zhou Yan, have you advanced your breathing technique to the Crane-Cry level?"

"Yes, I achieved it last night," Zhou Yan replied with a nod.

Luo Xuan stared at him, bewildered. "Your physique... it already shocked me that you could master the Hundred-Song level breathing technique. I never expected you to break through to the Crane-Cry level. How is your body handling it?"

Zhou Yan couldn't tell her the truth, so he adopted a confused expression. "Is that so? Xiao Xuan, could something be wrong with my body?"

"Hmm." Luo Xuan frowned, thought for a moment, and shook her head. "I've heard that the Vermilion Bird Pavilion once had a very small number of individuals with an extremely high affinity for breathing techniques. I'll ask Pavilion Master Cong what he thinks."

She looked at him earnestly. "Being able to reach the Crane-Cry sound on your own, regardless of your affinity, means your physique has reached at least the 'Fierce' grade. To improve so much in such a short time... I’m worried about your foundation and nutritional health. After the tournament, let's have the Pavilion Master arrange a check-up. If you have any deficiencies, we need to address them as soon as possible."

"Understood," Zhou Yan said with a slight smile.

*Worst case scenario, I'll just deactivate the Life-Suit during the exam.*