Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Cat and the Moon
The first night of the Training Camp was surprisingly ordinary.
’At least no one went crazy... Hmm, not yet, anyway.’
After dinner, Yang Shen took a shower first, changed into a dry short-sleeved shirt, and walked out of the bathroom while drying his hair.
Huang Gang was sprawled on the bed as if he’d been dead for three days, lacking even the strength to whimper.
This student, who had just earned the title of last place in their class, usually spent most of his time at school slacking off, and the teachers didn’t pay him much mind. Today’s one-on-one drilling had pushed him far beyond his limits.
What was surprising was that he had actually persevered.
Yang Shen called out a couple of times, but Huang Gang gave no reaction; he had even started snoring. Yang Shen gave up and walked out onto the balcony by himself.
The guesthouse’s small courtyard was gradually quieting down. He could faintly hear the lively sounds of the underclassmen, even though they had been brought here for a special reason...
But how could a bunch of teenage boys and girls resist this special kind of atmosphere?
They didn’t have the urgency of high school seniors. They were probably playing cards, shooting the breeze, and whispering secrets in the dark until dawn.
Discussing little secrets like, "Do you have a crush on so-and-so?"
Yang Shen watched those few windows from afar, a pang of envy in his heart. Having grown up short on money, he had rarely participated in these kinds of activities.
"Well well, Shenzi!"
Yang Shen turned his head and saw Xu Bamboo emerging from the balcony opposite his.
Like him, she had just showered, and her hair was still damp.
She wore a loose, sleeveless pajama top, her pale, slender arms almost dazzling to the eye. A playful gust of evening wind lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing a fleeting glimpse of white skin.
Yang Shen couldn’t help but take a second look. "I was wondering if the room opposite was empty, since the curtains were always drawn."
Xu Bamboo rolled her eyes, a gesture that was somehow still charming. "I was taking a shower, obviously I’d have them closed... I don’t know what the teachers were thinking with these room assignments..."
Yang Shen nodded in deep agreement. "True. Gotta watch out for Huang Gang."
Xu Bamboo leaned back against the balcony railing, tilting her head up to let the evening wind dry her damp hair. "Actually, coming here is pretty nice... It’s a bit more relaxing."
"Relaxing?"
’Relaxing?’ Yang Shen thought. ’What part of this is relaxing? On a normal school day, we at least have a few academic classes. Today we trained from morning till night; even I feel exhausted.’
’To say nothing of guys like Huang Gang.’
Xu Bamboo tilted her head, revealing the cool elegance of her profile... Her gaze traveled beyond the small courtyard’s white fence, stretching far into the distance.
It crossed the mountain forests, moved past the horizon, and finally rested on the bright crescent moon.
"Yes... it is relaxing..."
"Every day after school, I go to the gym for extra training until ten at night. I go home, study my academic subjects for two hours, and then I have to train until three in the morning before waking up at seven..."
Yang Shen replied, "So you stay up that late too? Then why is it, when I message you sometimes, you only ever reply the next day?"
Xu Bamboo smiled. "It’s a habit of mine. I don’t like to look at the time at night, and I put my phone away completely. That way, I don’t feel like time is crawling by, and more importantly, I don’t get anxious about how little sleep I’m going to get..."
Without the convenience of using Cultivation to replace sleep, a regimen like this was obviously incredibly demanding.
The physical toll was just one aspect. The completely packed and relentless schedule would make a person’s mind feel constricted, leaving no room to breathe.
Perhaps her only free time was during their academic classes, those moments spent sitting at her desk with Yang Shen.
Outside of her training, Yang Shen was everything to Xu Bamboo.
Xu Bamboo said abruptly, "Shenzi, next time we have time, let’s go to the zoo?"
Yang Shen replied, "Again?"
"We didn’t get to go last time, did we? The little white tiger hasn’t grown up yet. We still have a chance."
Yang Shen thought for a moment. "Alright... It’ll be my treat, to thank you for helping me find that tutoring job. Though I don’t know what’s so great about white tigers."
Xu Bamboo turned her head toward him. "Hee hee, I guarantee you’ll love them."
For a moment, the two of them fell silent again.
Yang Shen searched for a new topic. "Do you like tigers? Or felines in general?"
"Cats. Tigers are just big cats. What about you? Do you prefer cats or dogs?"
"Dogs, I guess..." Yang Shen said uncertainly. "They seem to connect with people better."
Xu Bamboo replied, "I like cats. And I mean feral cats."
"You make a distinction between feral and not?"
"Of course. Did you know? Feral cats live longer than stray dogs. You often see feral cats lazily sunbathing, playing, and keeping themselves clean, whereas most stray dogs have their tails between their legs, are filthy, and live in constant, anxious fear."
Xu Bamboo’s voice was as clear as moonlight, and just as cool. "Cats are obviously weaker than dogs, yet they dare to ’contend.’ Whether it’s for food or for space, they dare to contend for it..."
The young woman glanced at her wrist. The Di Di Boy there was nothing like the cheap model Yang Shen wore; hers was the latest on the market.
"So... as long as you contend for things... even an unwanted feral cat can live a pleasant life on its own."
Yang Shen didn’t know if she was right or not; he’d never owned a cat or a dog.
He just suddenly wondered if Xu Bamboo could be considered a little cat herself.
’A little cat constantly encouraging him to "contend," trying to teach him her own philosophy on life.’
Xu Bamboo started heading back into her room. "I’ll tell you a little secret."
"What is it?"
Xu Bamboo made a gesture with her delicate hand, holding her thumb and index finger a tiny bit apart. "You’ve grown a little. I’ve been observing you all day. You’re now taller than me by about the length of a fingernail."
"Really!?" Yang Shen exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.
——————
The next day, an excited Yang Shen found a measuring tape. Sure enough, he had grown taller!
He wasn’t 173 anymore, he was 174 now!
A huge breakthrough!
’My spine, a pillar to the heavens, my feet striding across the sun and moon! Only today do I know my true self!’
Yang Shen was giddy all morning, just about as happy as he had been when he broke through to Bone Training.
It seemed the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique was truly incredible. This strange set of Martial Arts Techniques was also classified by the Vajra Sect as a type of Horizontal Martial Arts Training, which was highly beneficial for one’s height and build.
For the next three days, the Training Camp proceeded according to schedule.
No one went crazy, suddenly started hammering on people, or anything like that.
Just because he was away from home, Yang Shen didn’t abandon his "Rising Sun Plan." Every day, he’d chat with Xu Bamboo, wait for Huang Gang to pass out like a dead log, and then sit cross-legged in his room to practice Cultivation. Toward daybreak, he would go to the scenic lookout platform to practice his boxing and digest his Qi and Blood Value.
He made huge progress in those three days. In addition to the truly efficient one-on-one teaching from the instructors, his intake of Source Supplement also saw an unprecedented increase.
Every day, five hours of Cultivation earned him 5 points of Qi and Blood Value, the Initial Realm Passage from Xu Bamboo provided 1 point, the school’s "Perseverance God" provided another 1 point (which Xu Bamboo administered to him with a pinprick), and he could scrape together another point from the Vajra Sect’s gift pack.
His total daily income was roughly 8 points, so in three days his Qi and Blood Value had soared to 147, putting him on par with Zhao Mengmeng.
Furthermore, with the help of the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique, his physical constitution was approaching the absolute limit for his current level.
It came back to the same point: you could accumulate Source Supplement just by throwing money at it. All you had to do was close your eyes and swallow.
The foul taste only lasted a moment.
But the truly abnormal thing about Yang Shen was his speed of Strengthening Qi and Blood Value.
His Rising Sun Fist Intent and the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique—two profound abilities that no high schooler should have grasped—made his body like a furnace. He could Refine any amount of source that came his way, far surpassing his peers.
Even Xu Bamboo’s speed of Strengthening Qi and Blood Value each day couldn’t compare to Yang Shen’s.
Someone with ordinary talent like Zhao Mengmeng couldn’t necessarily even digest 1 point per day.
At the Training Camp, his progress was visible to the naked eye, day by day!
On the fourth day, Yang Shen asked an instructor to switch his specialized program to Subject One, which was focused on enhancing speed, explosive power, and reaction time.
The small class format allowed him to polish any of his weak points!
By the way, since he couldn’t leave for the past few days, Yang Shen had used his [Life Chart Inspection] opportunities on everyone in the Training Camp.
It was partly for entertainment, and partly as a defensive measure.
Among them, Teacher Zhou Yao’s Life Chart was [Heavy Responsibility of Benevolence], which meant she was a person with a strong sense of duty.
The other two teachers’ Life Charts were [Ordinary] and [Sacrifice for Righteousness]...
’The former seemed to imply they were once a decent genius, but later fell off?’
’As for the latter, it was hard to say. All I know is that it’s a positive Life Chart, representing the resolve to sacrifice oneself for a mission.’
The fact that no one like Liu Yuankui, a "heretical cultist," had appeared, let Yang Shen breathe a sigh of relief.
But Director Liang’s case was a prime example; Life Charts couldn’t be trusted completely. A good Life Chart could still have a negative interpretation.
This was by no means an infallible ability.
As for the other, younger students, the vast majority had "[Life Chart Undetermined]". After all, at this age, if one’s family wasn’t struggling like Yang Shen’s or wealthy like Xu Bamboo’s... they could indeed be said to have an undetermined life chart.
That included Huang Gang...
And by the fifth day, his "Family Reputation" in the system had grown to (9/10).
He was just one step away from completing the main quest!
If possible, he very much hoped the ten days would all pass this smoothly. Then, he could return to school with his satisfactory gains, take the monthly exam, and truly soar!
However, things didn’t go as smoothly as he had imagined.
In the news from the outside world, which he checked from time to time, there had been another three incidents of "Martial Arts Psychosis" in Jinshui District in just four short days...
That’s right—even more than before!
It seemed that Nanliang High School isolating the people who had participated in the trial had no effect whatsoever.
On the other hand, it actually made everyone at the Training Camp breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, this seemed to prove that they were safe, not just "psychosis candidates in waiting."
There was no absolute connection between "Martial Arts Psychosis" and having attended the "Vajra Sect Product Trial."
During lunch, Huang Gang grabbed a steamed bun and chewed it in huge bites. "See? I told you. Martial Arts Psychosis has nothing to do with the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique..."
An underclassman to the side chimed in, "I was worried for days over nothing. My mom calls me every day asking if I’ve gone insane yet..."
Yang Shen frowned slightly, looking at the news on his phone. It said these three cases of Martial Arts Psychosis weren’t high school students but middle schoolers, which was why the impact was so minimal...
After all, even if middle schoolers worked themselves to death, they’d only be at the Skin Refining realm...
He just felt that these three incidents were too much of a coincidence, as if they had occurred specifically to prove that his group wasn’t afflicted.
’This frequency is far higher than before. Counting the first cases, that’s a total of five incidents in almost a week... and all of them are in Jinshui District.’
’Did someone blow up Jinshui District’s ancestral graves or something?’
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