The sound of a bronze bell reverberating across the mountain announces daybreak over the Hua Peak Sect. Zhang Feng is already awake and putting on his training gear when Enzo awakens.
"Wei Lin! You're awake early today,"
Zhang Feng exclaims in amazement.
"Usually I have to shake you three times just to get you moving."
Something about Enzo's body strikes him as unusual right away as he sits up. He has a little more energy than yesterday, perhaps because he feels lighter. The brief planting session last night seems to have had a long-lasting impact.
"I slept well,"
Enzo answers, extending his legs out of bed. The movement is surprisingly more fluid and well-coordinated than Wei Lin's typical clumsiness.
Wang Hu is no longer present; his bed is tidy, and there are no signs of him in the room.
"Where did Wang Hu go?" Enzo asks.
"He always wakes up before dawn for extra training,"
Zhang Feng explains while tying his hair back.
"Says he needs to work twice as hard as everyone else to keep up. Honestly, I don't know where he gets the energy."
In the novel, Wang Hu was just a background character. But there's something about his behavior that doesn't match what I remember.
As they head to breakfast in the dining hall, Enzo notices that other disciples are giving him strange looks. Some whisper to each other as he passes.
"Is it just me, or are people staring?" Enzo asks Zhang Feng quietly.
"Well, you did faint pretty dramatically yesterday,"
Zhang Feng replies.
"Plus, you seem different today. More... alert, I guess?"
The dining hall is a large wooden building with long tables where disciples eat together. The morning meal consists of rice porridge, pickled vegetables, and weak tea - simple but nutritious food designed to support cultivation training.
As they sit down with their bowls, Enzo overhears conversations from nearby tables.
"Did you see Wei Lin yesterday? He completely collapsed after just 35 laps."
"I heard Elder Zhao spent an hour examining him in the infirmary."
"My older brother says Wei Lin's father was expelled from the sect for betraying secrets to enemies."
So that's the story they tell about Wei Lin's father. In the novel, it was more complicated than that.
Enzo tries to ignore the whispers and focus on his food, but he can't shake the feeling that today is going to be eventful.
Morning training begins with basic physical exercises - stretching, running, and calisthenics designed to strengthen the body before moving on to martial arts forms.
"Alright, everyone! Same routine as always,"
Master Chen announces.
"But today we're adding something new. After physical training, we'll have sparring practice to evaluate everyone's progress."
Sparring practice? This wasn't in the original timeline. The story is already changing.
Enzo lines up with the other junior disciples for the morning run - a circuit around the sect grounds that usually takes about thirty minutes. In the original story, Wei Lin always finished last, struggling and wheezing the entire way.
But as they begin running, Enzo discovers something remarkable. His breathing is steady, his legs feel strong, and he's easily keeping pace with the middle group of disciples.
"Wei Lin!"
Zhang Feng pants from beside him, clearly struggling more than usual.
"How are you running so fast? Yesterday you could barely walk!"
The breathing technique really worked. Even that brief session last night has improved my physical condition significantly.
By the halfway point, Enzo realizes he's not even winded. He's actually holding back to avoid drawing too much attention to his sudden improvement.
I need to be careful. If I show too much progress too quickly, people will get suspicious.
He deliberately slows his pace, allowing some disciples to pass him, but he still finishes in the middle of the group - a massive improvement from his usual last-place finish.
Master Chen notices immediately.
"Wei Lin,"
The instructor calls out as they gather for the next exercise.
"Your running has improved. Have you been practicing extra training on your own?"
"No, Master Chen,"
Enzo replies honestly.
"I just felt better today."
Master Chen studies him with those sharp, calculating eyes that miss nothing.
"Hmm. We'll see how you perform in sparring practice."
After basic exercises, Master Chen pairs up the disciples for sparring. These aren't serious fights - just controlled practice matches using basic techniques to test reflexes, form, and improvement.
"Zhang Feng, you'll spar with Li Ming,"
Master Chen announces, reading from a list.
"Wang Hu, you're with Chen Bo. And Wei Lin..."
Enzo holds his breath, hoping for an easy opponent.
"You'll face Liu Wei."
Shit. Liu Wei is one of the strongest junior disciples and has always enjoyed beating up the original Wei Lin.
Liu Wei grins widely, cracking his knuckles. He's a tall, muscular young man with mean eyes and a reputation for being unnecessarily rough during sparring.
"This will be fun, Wei Lin,"
Liu Wei says loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Try not to cry this time."
Several disciples chuckle, remembering previous matches where Wei Lin was easily defeated and humiliated.
"Sparring rules,"
Master Chen announces.
"First to land three clean hits wins. No techniques above basic level. No intentional injury. Begin when I give the signal."
Enzo takes his fighting stance, trying to remember everything he knows about martial arts from novels and movies. But more importantly, he tries to access whatever instincts might come with Wei Lin's body.
"Ready... begin!"
Liu Wei immediately charges forward with a straightforward punch aimed at Enzo's face - the same aggressive opening he always used against the weak Wei Lin.
But this time, something extraordinary happens.
Time seems to slow down. Enzo can see the punch coming as if it's moving through water. His body reacts without conscious thought, stepping aside and letting Liu Wei's fist pass harmlessly by his ear.
What the hell? How did I do that?
Liu Wei stumbles past him, off-balance from the missed attack. Acting on pure instinct, Enzo pivots and delivers a palm strike to Liu Wei's shoulder.
The impact is surprisingly solid. Liu Wei staggers sideways, his eyes wide with shock.
"What... how did you..." Liu Wei stammers.
The entire training ground has gone silent. Every disciple and instructor is staring at Enzo in disbelief.
Did I just counter-attack Liu Wei successfully? On my first try?
"Lucky shot,"
Liu Wei snarls, his face reddening with embarrassment.
"Let's see you do that again!"
This time Liu Wei approaches more cautiously, using a combination of punches and kicks that should overwhelm a weak opponent.
But again, Enzo finds himself moving with fluid grace, dodging and weaving between attacks as if he's done this for years. When he sees an opening, he strikes with precise palm strikes and elbow jabs that land exactly where they should.
Within minutes, Enzo has landed his three required hits while Liu Wei has managed to connect with nothing but air.
"Winner: Wei Lin,"
Master Chen announces, his voice carefully neutral.
The silence stretches on. Some disciples look amazed, others confused, and a few seem almost frightened.
Liu Wei stands there with his mouth hanging open, unable to believe what just happened.
"That's impossible,"
he whispers.
"You're weak. You've always been weak. How did you..."
"I don't know," Enzo replies honestly, because he truly doesn't understand what just happened. "It just felt... natural."
After training ends, Enzo finds himself surrounded by curious disciples asking questions he can't answer.
"Wei Lin, where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Have you been secretly training with a master?"
"Did Elder Zhao give you some kind of special medicine?"
Before Enzo can respond to any of them, Master Chen's voice cuts through the chatter.
"Wei Lin. Come with me. Now."
The crowd of disciples parts as Master Chen strides toward the administrative building. Enzo follows, his heart pounding with nervousness.
This is not good. Master Chen suspects something is wrong.
They enter a small office where Master Chen closes the door and gestures for Enzo to sit in a wooden chair facing his desk.
"Wei Lin,"
Master Chen begins, his voice deadly serious.
"I've been teaching at this sect for twenty years. In all that time, I have never seen a disciple improve so dramatically overnight."
Enzo tries to look confused and innocent.
"Master Chen, I don't understand what you mean."
"Yesterday you could barely complete basic exercises. Today you defeated Liu Wei - a disciple who has been training consistently for three years - without breaking a sweat."
Master Chen leans forward, his eyes boring into Enzo's.
"So I'll ask you directly: what happened to you? Who taught you those techniques? What are you hiding?"
Think, Enzo. How do I explain this without revealing the truth about my transmigration?
"Master Chen," Enzo says carefully,
"yesterday when I fainted, I had strange dreams. I saw someone practicing martial arts, and when I woke up, it felt like I remembered how to move differently."
It's not entirely a lie - he did gain knowledge from outside sources, just not from dreams.
Master Chen studies him for a long moment.
"Dreams,"
he repeats flatly.
"You expect me to believe that you learned advanced combat techniques from dreams?"
"I don't know how else to explain it,"
Enzo replies.
"I feel different since yesterday, but I don't understand why."
Before Master Chen can respond, there's a sharp knock on the door.
"Enter," Master Chen calls.
Elder Zhao steps into the office, her expression is serious.
"Master Chen, I need to speak with you about Wei Lin's condition,"
She says.
"I've discovered something troubling about his meridian channels."
Enzo's blood runs cold. What did she find?
"What kind of discovery?" Master Chen asks.
Elder Zhao looks at Enzo, then back at Master Chen.
"It's best if we talk about this in private." Wei Lin, stay outside, please.
As Enzo reluctantly leaves the office, he catches a fragment of Elder Zhao's whispered words through the door:
"…an energy signature unlike anything I've ever seen before… possibly related to the ancient texts… if not properly regulated, it may be hazardous…"
They know something is different about me. This could be very bad.
Standing in the hallway, Enzo realizes that his journey in this world is about to become much more complicated than he ever imagined.