e-booksonline Chapter 21 Senior Year 3 - Training Mission! War and Death - The Underlying Theme of the Era
Chapter 21 Senior Year 3 - Training Mission! War and Death - The Underlying Theme of the Era
"Does it feel good?" Zhang Yan stood beside her, arms crossed, chin slightly raised.
Su Chen shook his wrist and pondered for a moment.
"How should I put it..."
He carefully considered his words: "When I first arrived at the training ground, I was full of energy and felt very strong, but I couldn't use it. I could only use about 70 or 80% of it at most."
"My whole body aches now, but... I used all my strength!"
"That's it!" Zhang Yan clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up. "That's right!"
"Actually, this is your true level."
"Those three punches you threw this morning, although the numbers look good, were all delivered by brute force. The power started from the ground, but it broke off at your waist, stuck in your shoulder and elbow joint. Less than 70% of it actually reached your fist."
She paused, then her tone became more serious: "What do you think is the purpose of practicing martial arts? Is it so you can learn the Shadowless Step and race against these magical beasts?"
This girl clearly had some ulterior motives involved.
Doesn't this mean I can only run?
But Su Chen still answered earnestly, "Of course, it's to slay all invading enemies! To protect my family, my home, and my country!"
"Yes! Combat! Martial artists are born to fight! Do you know what those martial artists in the wilderness value most, after fighting in the wild for so long?"
Su Chen thought for a moment: "Kill efficiency? Kill the most enemies with the least amount of energy consumed. Conserve as much stamina as possible."
"It's somewhat related," Zhang Yan said, holding up one finger. "I think the most important thing is... stability!"
"You can't always fight at your peak condition. You might be on a long march for hours, go through a three-day, three-night battle, or face a formidable enemy after being injured."
"The monsters in the wilderness won't give you a chance to breathe!"
She glanced at Su Chen, her eyes filled with a certainty beyond her years: "Your current state is the true level that a martial artist surviving in the wilderness can demonstrate."
"Even worse...their condition is worse; they have injuries, fatigue, and mental stress."
Su Chen remained silent for two seconds.
It wasn't that I was stunned by those words.
But... this little girl actually managed to say such profound truths?
He couldn't help but glance at Zhang Yan a couple more times.
Zhang Yan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and turned her face away, saying, "What are you looking at!"
"It's nothing." Su Chen looked away and stretched his shoulders.
"But you just watched the whole training session from the sidelines, without doing anything substantial."
"Hehe~" Zhang Yan gave a forced smile, "This is just the beginning of the first course of treatment. If you feel there's no improvement, then forget about the rest. Consider last night's deposit as payment for this session."
Su Chen smiled.
He could tell that Zhang Yan was a bit arrogant, but she actually really wanted to teach him.
On the one hand, she did want to earn training fees.
One Qi-boosting pill costs three thousand in the market.
It takes 15 points to redeem with points, and she only got 22 points in last night's speed test, which is only one and a half points.
on the other hand...
Su Chen felt that Zhang Yan might have a bit of a "know-it-all" mentality.
They want others to recognize their training methods and to see their abilities and value.
This kind of mentality is normal.
Su Chen took out a Qi-Nourishing Pill from his waist pouch and tossed it to her.
Zhang Yan quickly caught it, looked down, and her eyes lit up instantly.
"The Qi-Nourishing Pill?"
"Okay! The cost of this course," Su Chen said.
Zhang Yan held the pill, her expression shifting from surprise to hesitation, and then to embarrassment.
"This...you don't need to give so many." She handed the pills back, her voice half an octave lower than before.
"I think your training is quite effective!" Su Chen didn't respond. "A single point higher on the college entrance exam is like defeating a thousand enemies."
"And don't underestimate your own value. Someone like you who can get into a top university can earn several thousand yuan an hour as a private tutor."
Zhang Yan hesitated for two seconds before pulling her hand back.
"Alright! Then I'll accept it."
"Haha~"
Su Chen smiled and shook his head, but in his mind he was silently reviewing the results of his cultivation over the past hour and a half.
【Mountain-Splitting Fist Lv1 (23/1000)】
【Overlord Body Technique lv1 (81/1000)】
【Ming Jin Jue lv1 (633/1000)】
In one hour, the Mountain-Opening Fist skill increased by 12 points, while the Overlord Body Technique increased by 15 points!
Mingjin Jue only rose by 10 points.
Compared to the speed of the Shadowless Step, which yields hundreds of points per day, this is indeed much slower.
However, these three martial arts techniques are not the basic version like the Shadowless Step.
Mountain-Splitting Fist is a high-difficulty, explosive martial art, while Overlord Body Technique is a passive skill.
Although the Ming Jin Jue (明劲诀) is easy to learn, it requires a lot of practice to improve one's proficiency.
It's normal to be slow.
However, Su Chen noticed a detail...
Unlike the Shadowless Step, the growth of experience points is not constant.
When he does push-ups, his experience points increase very slowly; he might only gain one or two points per set.
But when Zhang Yan asked him to change exercises, such as switching from push-ups to crunches, or from crunches to planks, his experience points would jump.
It's as if it's telling him: This move is on the right track!
More importantly…
Su Chen had never trained to this extent before when he practiced strength.
Exhausted, with aching muscles, I barely had the strength to clench my fist.
According to his usual practice, if he felt very tired halfway through, he would stop, rest for a while, and then continue practicing.
But today...
Because he had a control panel to monitor him, he discovered a pattern: the more exhausted he was, the faster his experience points would increase if he continued to train.
Especially those last three punches, although they only delivered a little over 340 kilograms.
The numbers were low, but the feeling of clarity was more real than any punch I'd landed this morning!
"Strength training really tests willpower," Su Chen thought to himself.
The training I used to do was too comfortable.
If you're comfortable, you won't make progress!
If he continues to practice using Zhang Yan's method, once he improves his proficiency in the Mountain-Splitting Fist and the Overlord Body Technique, his strength will return to normal...
Four hundred kilograms? Four hundred and fifty kilograms?
Even...aiming for a perfect score?
"Haha~ This girl is really something." Su Chen silently gave Zhang Yan a thumbs up in his heart.
He wouldn't have noticed any of this if the numbers on the panel hadn't been jumping around.
Su Chen took another deep breath and temporarily suppressed these thoughts.
That's thinking too far ahead.
But then again...
This time, I improved my ranking by 127 places and earned 125 points in the speed assessment.
If the strength could be increased by another ten or eight points...
I wonder how my parents will react!
Su Chenguang could barely contain himself just thinking about it.
Wouldn't Mom and Dad be stunned?
Dad will definitely yell and scream!
"What are you grinning about all by yourself?" Zhang Yan's voice came from the side.
Su Chen snapped out of her reverie and straightened her expression: "It's nothing. What are you planning to do next?"
"Me..." Zhang Yan thought for a moment, "I'll rest for a while, then go to the training room to regulate my breathing. Aren't you training today?"
"Let's practice!" Su Chen said. "I'll take Xiao Zi for a run first, and then we'll run 3,000 meters together with Wang Yichuan."
"Hey~ are you two up to something? You seem a bit clingy to Wang Yichuan."
Su Chen rolled her eyes at her: "Heh~ Can you outrun me? What good would it do me to look for you! I'd definitely go find someone like Wang Yichuan who's faster than me."
"Hmph! You!"
Zhang Yan looked angry.
After glaring at Su Chen for a while, he finally spoke up: "After Wang Yichuan finished the speed test last night, he formed a ten-person team with people from other classes, took on a training mission, and went to the outskirts of the city."
"Huh? Training?"
Su Chen was stunned for a moment.
Training mission!
He was quite familiar with this word.
In the senior year of high school, the school would release a batch of training tasks every month, most of which were carried out in a buffer zone built specifically outside the city.
Those places are home to many low-level exotic beasts, and they are regularly cleared out and their areas are demarcated for high school seniors to train in.
The reason why students can earn so many points in their senior year of high school compared to the previous three to five years is not simply because of exams.
To accumulate a large number of points, you must accept training missions!
But...where outside the city is there absolute safety?
Although students receive special care during their training, people still die every year.
17 people died last year, 43 died the year before, and 22 died the year before that.
The most outrageous case was the class five years ago, where eighty-nine people died!
That year, at the end of November, a swarm of demonic insects broke out, directly destroying two training areas.
For the next two months, the principal of the school did not dare to assign any training tasks to the students.
Without comparison, many people have no concept of mortality rate; death seems to them as just a string of numbers.
In my past life, one of the most dangerous professions in China was that of a narcotics officer.
What is the mortality rate?
4.90 ‰
The numbers are right here, but some people may still not understand them, thinking that out of 100 people, 4.9 died.
This is a per mille sign!
That is, 10000 people were injured or killed, with 49 casualties.
Jiangling No.1 Middle School had 17 deaths last year, which, based on the total number of senior high school students, means a mortality rate of 14 per thousand.
Nearly three times the danger of the most dangerous profession in my past life!!
War and death are the most distinctive features of this era.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Zhang Yan's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Su Chen snapped out of her daze: "It's nothing. I just didn't expect Wang Yichuan to dare accept a training mission in only the fifth week of school. It's quite surprising. But... how did you know?"
"They arranged to meet in the group chat," Zhang Yan said casually, then realized she had let something slip and quickly covered her mouth.
Seeing her expression, Su Chen laughed: "Hey, it's just a small group chat created by top students, it's normal. With my grades, I can only watch helplessly as they chat about this! I might even get a little irritated, so it's better not to look."
Zhang Yan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only hummed in response.
"Since Wang Yichuan isn't here, I'll practice by myself!" Su Chen said.
Are you training tomorrow?
"Of course! We might practice again tonight. Are you free?"
"Sure! Why not take advantage of this opportunity?"
"Haha, okay."
Just as Su Chen was about to leave, a voice came from behind him.
"Su Chen!"