Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Subject 4
The bus didn’t head straight for the training camp. Instead, its first stop was the hospital.
Inside the largest hospital in Jinshui District, the nineteen students attending the training camp underwent a round of physical exams. The focus was on EEGs and brain CT scans—a remarkably cautious arrangement.
Unfortunately, the cause of Martial Arts Psychosis was unknown to begin with. Moreover, since none of them had actually had an episode, the examinations turned up nothing.
The only exception was Yang Shen. A doctor praised his brainwaves for being healthier and more robust than the others’, which Yang Shen attributed to the spiritual advantage granted by his Cultivation.
But that was all there was to it.
They had departed from the plaza at 7:30, left the hospital at 10:00, and by 10:30, the group arrived at the training camp.
He had to admit, the conditions at the training camp were better than he had imagined.
Much better.
It was on the same road as the villa district where he tutored, but they took a turn midway, heading toward the base of a mountain.
Sparse courtyards and villas could be seen dotting the mountainside, and the dorm for Yang Shen’s group was one of them.
It was even larger than Chen Beiwang’s villa. A pristine white wall enclosed the courtyard, revealing two small buildings inside. The main gate was traditional, but the glimpses of the interior revealed a rather modern design.
A platform on the side extended up the slope, forming a scenic deck that was more than large enough for training.
It could house not just their group of about ten, but thirty or forty people with ease.
A crowd of students, laden with bags of all sizes, filed inside as their leader, Zhou Yao, began to assign rooms.
There were plenty of empty rooms, but for ease of management, they were assigned two to a room, separated by gender. The younger male students naturally paired off, leaving Yang Shen with the bad luck of being roomed with Huang Gang.
In the room, Yang Shen unpacked his luggage. Huang Gang, on the other hand, had brought very little—just a single, limp backpack.
It didn’t look like he had come from home; it was more like he’d come straight from an all-nighter at an internet cafe.
It was hard to imagine how he planned to get through the next ten days... this was basically wilderness survival for him.
’If this guy asks to borrow underwear in a couple of days...’
Yang Shen wouldn’t mind beating him up and feigning an episode of Martial Arts Psychosis.
It was already approaching lunchtime. Yang Shen had assumed there would be no more activities, but he had just finished unpacking when he was told to assemble downstairs.
’Looks like the school isn’t just trying to quarantine a bunch of psychos,’ he thought. ’They actually have a clear plan.’
Three teachers stood at the front. Zhou Yao was the one who spoke:
"Since this is a small group for this training camp, we won’t be using the school’s usual large-class format. We’ll tailor the training to each student’s individual needs, aiming to ensure everyone makes meaningful progress in these ten days."
Zhou Yao’s gaze swept over the second-year underclassmen. "I’m already familiar with all of your situations, and your training plans are set. As for the third-year students, you can start by telling me what you’re looking for."
Yang Shen was taken aback. ’We can actually choose for ourselves?’
’À la carte training, huh...’
’This is awesome!’
Xu Bamboo said, "I’d like to work on strengthening my Subject Four, especially the practical portion of the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist."
This request didn’t mean Xu Bamboo was a poor student; she was aiming for the top. Subject Four was out of 100 points, and she normally scored around 90.
In comparison, Yang Shen had only scored a 56 on the last monthly exam.
Zhou Yao nodded. "No problem."
Yang Shen thought for a moment, then raised his hand. "Is Spear Technique an option? I’d like to give it a try."
The Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record had said he had a talent for Spear Technique, but he wasn’t sure what kind of "spear" it meant.
Zhou Yao shook her head. "Weaponry is outside the standard curriculum. Besides, none of the teachers here specialize in Spear Technique."
"In that case... I’ll do Subject Four as well. I’d like a teacher to score me."
He had missed the Subject Four quiz a few days prior and was curious to see where he stood.
’It’s a ten-day camp, anyway,’ he thought. ’I can always switch in a couple of days.’
Huang Gang took a step forward and announced with a resonant, serious voice, "I! Require comprehensive improvement!"
Zhou Yao nodded. "You certainly do need comprehensive improvement. You scored 345 on the last monthly exam, failing every single subject, including your academic classes. You’re consistently... balanced in your poor performance."
Huang Gang: ...
A few of the surrounding underclassmen shot him looks of disdain.
It was like a slacker had somehow infiltrated a group of honor students.
Upperclassmen usually held a certain intimidating presence over underclassmen, but when one was a complete washout, they were looked down on even more.
After all, if a second-year was weak, you could at least say they still had potential.
But if a third-year was weak, they were probably just... weak.
Huang Gang felt the stares and retorted indignantly, "Yang Shen did even worse than me on the last monthly exam!"
Zhou Yao said coolly, "Then why don’t you two spar for a bit? Yang Shen is already in the initial stage of Bone Training and has grasped Fist Intent. His progress has been incredibly fast."
Huang Gang scoffed and backed down, muttering under his breath, "Just got lucky is all. Maybe I could get Fist Intent too..."
Yang Shen paid the guy no mind. To be honest, there was no real animosity between them.
It was just that sometimes... friction isn’t born from conflict, but from change.
Zhou Yao continued, "As for the Supplements the school promised, they’ll be distributed daily. We’ll give them to you when it’s time to use them. Now, break into your groups and start training."
The intensity of the training camp was no joke. The moment she finished speaking, the drills began, with students scattering to different parts of the courtyard.
Yang Shen and Xu Bamboo found a corner. Subject Four mainly involved practicing the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist, which didn’t require much space.
Zhou Yao pulled out a few forms. "We’ll handle the theoretical, written-test portion this afternoon. I see both of you do very well in that area, so you just need to review the questions you’ve gotten wrong in the past."
"For the practical demonstration, the official assessment is usually conducted with various sensors. I can’t guarantee my grading will be perfectly accurate, but it won’t be far off. I’ll also consult with the other two teachers."
The practical test assessed one’s mastery of the Sixth Set on a rating scale from one to ten, the lowest to highest level respectively. It would normally detect various internal indicators while one performed the Cultivation Technique.
They obviously didn’t have that kind of equipment here, so the accuracy of the assessment would depend on the teachers’ experience.
Aside from Liu Yuankui, none of the other PE teachers at Nanliang High School were considered masters, but the combined judgment of three of them would still be a reliable reference.
"Xu Bamboo, you’re up first. Let me see where you’re at."
Xu Bamboo nodded. She had already changed into a tracksuit and stepped forward to perform the Body Forging fist.
Yang Shen watched intently. In past PE classes, Xu Bamboo had always been in a league of her own, so he’d never really paid close attention to her form.
Just from the wind stirred up by her fists and feet, it was easy to see the vast difference in physical prowess between someone at the Marrow Refining stage and himself.
With those long legs, kicking a person in the head would be no more difficult than crushing a stone lion’s head.
Those legs were the kind a man could admire for a year, but they could also be the end of him.
Moreover, Xu Bamboo’s Subject Four routine was clearly fine-tuned. You could see many "small scoring opportunities" she had worked in.
It was a style specifically designed to rack up high scores.
Zhou Yao had Xu Bamboo perform the routine three times to account for any performance variations, then consulted a scoring sheet.
The scoresheet was incredibly detailed, spanning three full pages. Forcing a PE teacher to do this much math was clearly a challenge, and it was quite a while before she spoke:
"My personal assessment is that your practical skill is at the upper end of Level 7. In the short term, the main area for improvement is the balance in your right foot. You revealed two deduction points just now."
That being said, if Zhou Yao were to perform it herself, she wouldn’t necessarily do better than Xu Bamboo.
Back in her own college entrance exams, her practical skill level was only a Level 6.
Xu Bamboo wasn’t surprised by the Level 7 rating. "I want to try and reach Level 9 before the college entrance exams. Level 9 gets you five bonus points."
Zhou Yao stroked her chin thoughtfully. "In my experience, getting a Level 9 or 10 on the Body Forging practical in the college entrance exams is extremely rare. Level 10, in particular, is as difficult as getting a perfect score in actual combat..."
"In terms of return on investment, those five points aren’t easy to get. I’ve heard that for the exam grading committee, a Level 9 score requires a unanimous consensus from the entire group of teachers. A Level 10 has to be reported to the head of the physical education scoring committee."
A Level 7 was already incredible, and Levels 9 and 10 were still a long way off. It might be more cost-effective to focus her energy elsewhere.
Xu Bamboo returned to Yang Shen’s side, her breathing slightly ragged. "Right now, my Source Supplement speed is being held back by my Qi and Blood absorption rate. That’s why I want to master the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist—it can increase my overall rate of progress."
The higher the rating, the more efficient one becomes at Strengthening their Qi and Blood Value.
Zhou Yao didn’t press the issue. Top students had their own plans and paths. She was only managing them for ten days, so it was best to follow Xu Bamboo’s lead.
"Yang Shen, you’re next."
Yang Shen nodded. "Teacher, something special happened after I grasped Fist Intent. Generally, practicing in the early morning yields the best results; it’s a little less effective at other times."
Zhou Yao waved it off with a smile. "That’s fine. I’m actually quite curious. In all my years of teaching, I’ve never had a student with Fist Intent."
Yang Shen asked curiously, "Were there any when you were in college, Teacher?"
Zhou Yao scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "There were rumors about some at the university, but people like that didn’t really hang out with the likes of us."
It was different from a freak like Yang Shen, who had grasped Fist Intent while still in the Skin Refining stage.
People who grasped Fist Intent in college were highly sought-after. They had already proven their level of talent in the entrance exams, so gaining Fist Intent was the icing on the cake, promising a boundless future.
But Yang Shen... it made one doubt if he even had what it takes to get into college. If he was stuck in the lower realms for his entire life, Fist Intent wouldn’t be worth much.
It was like when a top student likes to street dance in their free time; people call it an excellent form of self-regulation.
But when a slacker likes to street dance, people just think, ’Well, your life is fucking over.’
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