Qin Feng’s consciousness was pulled by a gentle force, instantly sinking into a pure white Virtual Space.
Before him stood a virtual instructor dressed in a standard-issue Empire instructor’s uniform, its form coalescing from countless streams of data.
Its face was indistinct, but its posture was ramrod straight, every joint seemingly crafted with the most precise calculations.
"The Intermediate Imperial Body Refining Method consists of one hundred and eight forms. Its core principle is to ’break then rebuild’—that is, to push to the limit, recover, and improve."
A cold, synthesized electronic voice rang out as the virtual instructor began its demonstration.
Unlike the beginner’s Imperial Body Refining Technique, which focused on stretching muscles and sinews and building a physical foundation, every movement of the Intermediate Body Refining Technique was designed to push the body to its absolute extreme.
The first form: Dragon Coil.
The instructor’s body suddenly sank. Its spine cracked vertebra by vertebra like a great dragon, and its muscles twisted and tensed in a way that defied all ergonomic principles, as if trying to wring every single muscle fiber into a tight rope.
Just by watching, Qin Feng could feel the tearing pain.
The second form: Tiger Crouch.
The pose changed again. All four limbs touched the ground, and the core muscles of the waist and abdomen exploded with terrifying strength, holding the entire body suspended three inches off the floor. The body’s full weight pressed down on a few key points, and the muscle groups began to vibrate at a high frequency.
...
Form after form, the virtual instructor’s movements were fluid and seamless, filled with a sense of power and beauty.
But Qin Feng understood that behind this beauty was a relentless assault on the body’s limits.
This Body Refining Technique used a series of high-intensity movements to deliberately guide the body into a state of "overload," causing minute, controlled damage to the muscles, fascia, and even the bones.
Then, by absorbing high-grade nutrients and Spiritual Energy, these "injuries" would be repaired.
With each repair, the body would become tougher, denser, and more explosive than before in order to adapt to the next "injury."
This was the principle of "break then rebuild."
Qin Feng’s eyes were locked on every detail of the virtual instructor’s movements. His formidable Mental Power granted him a photographic memory.
This ability had become much more pronounced after he advanced to a Second-level Martial Artist and his Mental Power had significantly increased.
In middle school, he had to recite texts over and over to memorize them.
But now, he had watched this incredibly complex Body Refining Technique—with its one hundred and eight forms and thousands of key points—only once, and it was already seared into the depths of his mind.
Qin Feng figured this was a result of his persistent Meditation practice and the resulting increase in his Mental Power.
’Memory is just the first step.’
Qin Feng closed the 3D instructional video, and his consciousness returned to reality.
He knew very well that muscle memory was far harder to build than cognitive memory.
Next, he would need countless hours of practice to make every muscle and sinew in his body capable of flawlessly replicating every movement. Only then would he have truly mastered the basics.
Just as he was about to plan his training schedule for the next day, his wrist terminal vibrated lightly.
He pulled up his private interface and noticed a red dot blinking in the friend request section in the top-right corner.
[Friend Request]
[Applicant]: Lin Yue (Qiming First High School · Sophomore Class 7 · Homeroom Teacher)
[Additional Message]: I’m your new homeroom teacher, Lin Yue. Please accept.
Without hesitation, Qin Feng tapped "Accept."
The other party sent a message almost the instant he did.
It was clearly a pre-written, automated reply.
[From: Lin Yue]
[Student Qin Feng, hello. I am your homeroom teacher, Lin Yue. Welcome to your sophomore year.
The sophomore year is based on a completely independent study system. There are no fixed classrooms; you must arrange all your studies and training tasks yourself.
If your student contract has not yet reached C-level, please report to me, and I will apply for temporary resources on your behalf. If it has reached C-level, please continue your training independently.
If any solo combat assignments suitable for you become available, I will contact you 24 hours in advance. Please keep your communication lines open.
On the 1st of each month, your point rankings and grade points will be automatically calculated by the private system based on your performance in the exclusive arena. High-intensity combat is the best training for all of you, so be prepared.
If you have any questions about training or the rules, feel free to message me privately at any time.
I wish you good fortune in your martial pursuits.
After reading it, Qin Feng replied with two words.]
[Qin Feng]: Got it.
He glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was already 8:45 p.m.
His schedule was always regular. It had been that way his freshman year, and he planned to keep it that way for his sophomore year.
Bed at 9 p.m., wake up at 5 a.m.
Body refining in the morning, combat practice in the afternoon, and body refining plus Meditation in the evening.
He picked up his terminal and dialed his home’s communication line.
After a few BEEPS, the call connected, and a holographic projection materialized in front of his bed.
Amidst the flickering light, his father Qin Dahai’s face appeared.
But to Qin Feng’s surprise, the background behind his father wasn’t their empty living room but a space crowded with people.
His uncle Wang Ming, his aunt, and his three younger cousins were all there.
"Feng!"
Qin Dahai’s face broke into a wide smile the moment he saw his son.
"Dad, Uncle, Aunt."
Qin Feng greeted them each in turn, then asked, "Why is everyone at my place?"
"Haha, it’s a long story."
His uncle, Wang Ming, laughed heartily. "Well, your two cousins, Wang Hao and Wang Jie, are starting middle school this year, and that’s when they need resources to build their foundation. I was a bit tight on cash, so I sold our old house to get some money to buy Potions for them. My work is assigning us a new apartment next month, so for this month, we’re just crashing at your place."
Qin Dahai added, "There’s plenty of room! Your aunt and I tidied up your room for your uncle and the two boys. Your aunt and your little cousin are staying in my room. As for me, I cleaned up the storage room. It makes for a perfectly comfortable single bed!"
Seeing the genuine, unforced smiles on the faces of his father and his uncle’s family, the knot in Qin Feng’s chest loosened a little.
His family’s home was a standard two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, with an additional small storage room.
It was indeed a tight squeeze.
"Feng, your dad told me you’re already a Second-level Martial Artist and you even skipped a grade to sophomore year?" his aunt asked curiously.
"Yeah, I just advanced," Qin Feng nodded.
"Great! That’s fantastic!"
Wang Ming slapped his thigh. "At this rate, you’ll definitely be a Third-level Martial Artist in another year! Whether you join the army or a major corporation, your future will be limitless!"
The family chattered back and forth, the atmosphere lively and warm.
"Oh, right, Feng,"
Qin Dahai suddenly remembered something. "Next month’s... what was it... the Qimingxing Inter-School League! We’ll definitely be watching the live broadcast to cheer you on!"
"Okay!"
After a bit more small talk, where they urged Qin Feng to take care of himself and not train too hard, the family reluctantly ended the call.
The holographic projection vanished, and silence returned to the dorm room.
Qin Feng thought for a moment, then sent a private message to his father.
[Qin Feng]: Dad, are you sure nothing’s wrong with Uncle’s family? Selling a house is a big deal.
Qin Dahai’s reply came quickly.
[Dad]: Don’t worry, everything’s great! Your uncle just got his power armor designer certification, and his salary jumped to one hundred thousand. He just started the new position, so he hasn’t gotten paid yet. Plus, with the two boys, Wang Yu and Wang Tan, starting middle school in the same year, that’s double the expenses. They only sold the house because they were short on cash for a bit. The subsidized housing from his work will be ready next month, and it’s much better than their old, rundown place. By the way, I already paid back the ten thousand Imperial Coins I borrowed from your uncle.
Reading this, Qin Feng finally breathed a complete sigh of relief.
[Dad]: You don’t need to worry about things at home. Everything is looking up. My body’s pretty much fully recovered, too. You just focus on your training.
[Qin Feng]: I will.
After ending the call with his family, Qin Feng cleared his mind of stray thoughts, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the Emperor Meditation Method.
Wisps of energy gathered in his Spiritual World, and the Nail of Favor within his sea of consciousness emitted a faint, gentle glow.
An unknown amount of time passed. When he emerged from his deep Meditation, a system notification sounded as expected.
[Emperor Meditation Method proficiency +1]
He glanced at the time. It was exactly 9:00 p.m.
He lay down, his breathing steady, and fell into a deep sleep.