Qin Feng froze.
He blinked. The faint blue screen before his eyes was still there, clear as day.
'This isn't an illusion!'
Qin Feng began his test.
He dismissed the proficiency numbers from his mind and threw himself wholeheartedly into practicing the *Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique*.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Qin Feng performed the entire set of nine movements of the *Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique* one full time. His form was standard and meticulous.
THUD.
He finally couldn't hold on any longer. His knees gave out, and he dropped to one knee on the ground.
Sweat dripped from his chin, creating a small splash on the floor.
His vision swam with black spots, his heart hammered like a war drum, and every beat sent a jolt of pain through his entire body.
This was his limit.
In the past, after training to this point, he would have needed two full days to recover.
He forced himself to look up into the empty space before him.
[Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique Proficiency +1]
[Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique (Beginner Level)]
[Proficiency: 5/100]
[Tip: Once proficiency reaches 100, you can advance to the Minor Success Realm.]
The number on the panel stopped at "5."
Three hours of grueling training to his limit had only earned him 1 point of proficiency.
Qin Feng wasn't discouraged. In fact, his eyes grew brighter.
'Real-time feedback!'
'He could see his progress now. Every bit of effort yielded a reward!'
This panel, named "Celestial Dao Rewards Diligence," wasn't just a simple counter.
It was more like a strict examiner. Only when his training accumulated a certain "quantity" while maintaining sufficient "quality" would his proficiency increase.
It didn't grant him power out of thin air, nor did it instill any Divine Techniques and Secret Methods.
It simply recorded every ounce of his effort in the fairest way possible and, upon reaching a threshold, gave him the purest reward.
This Golden Finger wasn't about getting something for nothing. It just ensured his efforts were no longer wasted.
Qin Feng looked at the panel again, and a new line of small text appeared at the bottom.
[Tip: Improving the host's own aptitude will slightly increase the rate of proficiency gain.]
He understood completely now.
'This system isn't static.'
'As my own aptitude improves, my training efficiency will also get higher and higher.'
'Under this panel's influence, effort and talent will form a perfect positive feedback loop.'
He once again recalled his father's words.
"Actually, a vocational school isn't so bad. You can live a peaceful and stable life. You might not be famous, but at least you'll be safe."
Before, Qin Feng had said he would give it a try, but in his heart, he had already prepared for the worst, ready to accept a life of mediocrity.
But now, he lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the window to the sky, fragmented by skyscrapers.
On a distant holographic billboard, the figures of experts renowned throughout the Star River flashed past.
'Obscurity, or world-renowned fame?'
He no longer hesitated.
"World-renowned fame!"
He whispered the words as if making a declaration to himself.
Qin Feng experimented for a while longer and completely figured out the miraculous nature of the panel.
Everything was fair and just, no different from how a normal Martial Artist trained; it merely quantified the rewards.
'Every little bit counts!'
Qin Feng suppressed his excitement and continued to train.
The second move, "Mountain Mover."
The third move, "Sea Suppression."
...
All stray thoughts vanished from Qin Feng's mind.
Like a tireless machine, he repeated the *Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique* over and over in a corner of the training area.
Once, twice, three times...
Sweat quickly soaked his fresh training uniform, running down his cheeks, neck, and back, forming a small puddle on the high-strength composite floor beneath his feet.
The soreness in his muscles returned, but unlike the tearing pain from yesterday, today's ache carried a satisfying, cathartic feeling.
His focus and effort also attracted the attention of some of the people around him.
"Hey, look at that kid. He trains like a Madman."
"Yeah, he's been at it all day. Every time, he trains until he can't move and has no energy left."
"Is it even useful? I heard from Coach Li that he used to be a sickly weakling and was just cured today."
"A weak foundation and a late start... it's gonna be tough."
The surrounding chatter didn't reach Qin Feng's ears.
Li Weiguo also noticed Qin Feng's unusual behavior.
He watched the figure training silently in the corner, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
Qin Feng's movements were perfectly standard, textbook-perfect, even.
But what truly surprised him was Qin Feng's endurance.
Someone who had just been cured of a chronic illness should still be in a weak recovery phase.
Yet the physical stamina Qin Feng displayed was no less than that of any healthy student in the hall.
'He's recovering pretty quickly,' Li Weiguo thought to himself but didn't go over to offer guidance.
In his opinion, while this all-or-nothing training style showed commendable spirit, it could easily lead to excessive physical strain and would, in turn, affect the next day's training.
Cultivating the Martial Dao requires a balance of tension and relaxation, not just mindless brute force.
Even Zhou Heyuan understood this principle.
After training in the Gravity Room for half an hour, he would come out to rest and replenish his nutrients, not push himself to the brink of collapse like Qin Feng.
Time passed.
As evening approached, Qin Feng's body once again reached its limit.
His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and his vision started to blur.
[Technique: Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique (Beginner Level)]
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency: 6/100]
[Technique: Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique (Beginner Level)]
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency: 7/100]
THUD.
After completing the final movement, he could no longer hold himself up. His body went limp, and he collapsed directly onto the floor.
He gasped for air, his chest heaving violently, and the sweat had completely soaked the floor beneath him.
But he wasn't the least bit dejected. Instead, his eyes shone with excitement.
After a full day—ten hours of arduous training—his proficiency had increased by 3 points.
He immediately raised his wrist and opened his personal terminal.
[Vitality Index: 0.58]
'It went up another 0.03!'
He stood up, walked to the rest area at the edge of the training floor, picked up his water bottle, and drank all the water inside.
Every cell in his body greedily absorbed the water, repairing the strain.
Just then, Li Weiguo walked over.
"Now that you're done training, go to the nutrition restaurant next door and replenish your energy."
His tone was as flat as ever.
"Yes, Teacher Li."
Qin Feng nodded.
"Also,"
Li Weiguo looked at him. "Your training today was too excessive. Cultivating the Martial Dao isn't something that happens overnight; you have to progress step by step. If you train like this, you might seem to improve rapidly today, but tomorrow you won't be able to train at all due to excessive muscle strain. The loss outweighs the gain."
"I understand,"
Qin Feng replied.
'Actually, the jar of Nutrient Liquid that Sun Chan Hall gave me is very high-grade. That's why I've been able to train non-stop all day.'
'Once the effects of that Nutrient Liquid wear off, my training will slow down.'
'Buying my own Nutrient Liquid then will be another huge expense.'
"Fine, do as you please."
Seeing his calm expression, Li Weiguo shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to walk toward Zhou Heyuan.
"Come on, I'll take you to the medicinal bath on the third floor. A soak in a C-grade bath will speed up your body's recovery and solidify the results of today's training."
"Thank you, Teacher Li!"
Watching them leave, Qin Feng didn't feel the slightest bit of envy.
He glanced at his panel.
[Celestial Dao Rewards Diligence].
'As long as I work hard, I will be rewarded.'
Qin Feng walked out of the training hall and went to the Martial Arts Hall's attached nutrition restaurant.
He didn't have the money to order the expensive Exotic Beast Meat platters, so he just spent ten Imperial Coins on the most basic Energy Meal.
After eating, he didn't go home but returned to the training grounds instead.
After an hour's rest, most of his stamina had recovered.
He threw himself once more into the monotonous but fervent training.
[Technique: Imperial Basic Body Refining Technique (Beginner Level)]
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency: 8/100]
Only when the Martial Arts Hall was about to close, after hearing the notification that his proficiency had increased once more, did Qin Feng drag his utterly exhausted body out of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
When he got home, his father, Qin Dahai, had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing his son's training uniform, which had been repeatedly soaked with sweat to the point that you could practically wring water from it, and his exhausted yet vibrant face, Qin Dahai didn't ask a single question.
He just silently added an extra half-bowl of rice and a large piece of synthetic meat to Qin Feng's bowl.