I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"Clang clang clang!"

The moment the bell rang outside the courtyard, Zhou An lazily stretched on the bed.

Comfortable.

so comfy.

When Zhou An woke up, he felt as if he had come back to life.

The only downside was that there was nothing to eat.

"Just two more hours and it'll be dinner time. Just hang in there and it'll be over."

Having thought this through, Zhou An had already made up his mind.

At dinner, he insisted on testing whether he could finish meal after meal, even if there was no meat.

"Brother Zhou, you're awake."

Seeing Zhou An get out of bed, Qian San, who was on the floor, greeted him with a smile, his eyes showing obvious affection.

"Yes, it'll be time for martial arts practice at the training ground in about an incense stick's time. We can't be late."

Zhou An nodded, glanced at Tang Shan who was getting ready to get up, and then said to Qian San.

"Brother Qian, how about we go together?"

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Upon receiving the invitation, Qian San's smile deepened, and he nodded without hesitation.

His arm strength is 67 jin (approximately 38.5 catties).

Zhou An, who was standing in front of them, was the strongest person in the entire dormitory. Even if a temporary test meant nothing, it was better than becoming enemies.

"Brother Sun, Brother Liu, Brother Zhang, Brother Tang, how about we come along too?"

Before leaving, Qian San glanced at the other four people who were already up in the dormitory and said with a smile.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Hearing this, the remaining three nodded and walked out of the dormitory with him.

"A petty person gains power."

Watching the five people leave, Tang Shan, who had just sat up in bed, couldn't help but snort coldly in his heart.

"With a mere 67 jin of arm strength, you're worthy of such groveling? This Qian San truly has no dignity whatsoever. Wait until I surpass Zhou An, and then we'll see what kind of face you have."

With this in mind, Tang Shan took a deep breath, quickly dressed, and left the dormitory.

"This Qian San is quite clever. With just a few words, he put on an act of being in charge of me. But he's still better than Tang Shan, who put on airs as soon as he walked in."

Seeing that everyone had followed, Zhou An thought to himself.

He didn't bother with Qian San and Tang Shan's little schemes, as long as they didn't interfere with his martial arts practice.

Soon, everyone arrived at the training ground.

As in the morning, after leading everyone in a few demonstrations of Tongbei Changquan, head coach Guo Tao let everyone practice on their own.

"You're performing your boxing skills so slowly? I'd like to see how you'll do it in a month!"

Tang Shan looked at Zhou An, who was leisurely practicing his boxing not far away, with disdain in his eyes.

Tongbei Changquan emphasizes large, sweeping movements, using the arms to drive the body's strength, making it powerful and dynamic when practiced.

However, Zhou An's boxing technique felt light and airy, with no sense of strength; it was as if he was just slacking off.

Tang Shan even suspected that if it weren't for Coach Guo's occasional inspections, Zhou An would probably have just lay down on the ground to rest.

With this attitude, how can one master boxing techniques or increase strength?

"If I can't gain 30 jin of strength within a month, I'd like to see how I explain myself to Instructor Guo."

Thinking of the Seven Mysteries Sect's evaluation method, Tang Shan sneered inwardly and then stopped looking at the other person, focusing instead on his practice.

【Tongbei Changquan (Mastery 69/300)】

"It's increased by another 8 points. If I keep practicing at this leisurely pace, I'm afraid my progress will break 100 points in less than an hour."

Looking at the progress of his martial arts displayed on his destiny chart, Zhou An glanced up at the still dazzling sun and sighed helplessly in his heart.

eat.

He wanted to eat.

"Brother Zhou, why are you practicing your boxing technique so slowly? Is there any effect to it?"

After several rounds of boxing, Qian San noticed that Zhou An still seemed light and airy, and asked him with great confusion.

If he hadn't watched Zhou An's moves several times and seen that there were no mistakes, he would have thought that the other party was just going through the motions and trying to muddy the waters.

"In the morning, Coach Guo said that if you want to achieve the desired effect, you cannot make the slightest mistake in the way you exert force in your moves."

The reason I practice so slowly is simply to memorize all the moves, power exertion, and breathing techniques.

Although it may be a bit slow at first, it should be faster once you get used to it.

Of course, these are just some of my personal insights on cultivation; after all, everyone's cultivation method is different.

In front of everyone, Zhou An naturally couldn't say that he was using this method to conserve energy and prevent himself from getting hungry too quickly because he thought the training was too effective.

"I see."

Qian San nodded thoughtfully.

"Brother Qian, if you're not in a hurry, why not give it a try? That way, we can compare our findings and reduce each other's mistakes."

Out of consideration for being in the same dormitory, Zhou An also gave a subtle hint.

"Alright."

Upon hearing this, Qian San nodded and slowed down his punching speed.

He also understood the principle that haste makes waste.

As time went by, Sun Shi, Liu Tiezhu, and Zhang Yida, who shared a dormitory with the two, saw that the two were performing boxing quite smoothly, so they all followed suit and slowed down their own speed.

Although they were full of doubts at first, after several rounds of practice, the three were surprised to find that Zhou An's movements seemed to be extremely standard.

Subtly, some of my mistakes were corrected.

"This kid has a good memory."

Not far away, head coach Guo Tao, who had come to inspect the area, nodded in satisfaction after looking at it several times and confirming that there were no errors.

Those who practice martial arts should avoid being impatient and impetuous.

With everyone else scrambling to practice, this kid managed to figure out how to slow down his punches and still execute them flawlessly, which speaks volumes about his excellent memory.

"Idiot, I've taught you so many times, how could you still make a mistake?"

Seeing a young man in front of him who was practicing his boxing and almost stumbled and fell, Guo Tao frowned and immediately pointed to Zhou An's location.

"Hey you, what's your name?"

"Hmph, I knew this slow training method was unreliable. Now look what happened, you've been singled out by the head coach."

Seeing Zhou An being singled out by Guo Tao, Tang Shan practiced martial arts diligently, but a hint of schadenfreude couldn't help but surface in his heart.

"Oh no, I've been caught slacking off... but my boxing technique is correct."

Seeing Guo Tao looking over with a deep frown, Zhou An inwardly cried out in alarm and quickly forced himself to speak.

"Reporting to the head instructor, my name is Zhou An."

"Now, at your own pace, lead them on stage to practice Tongbei Changquan ten times."

If you do it ten times without making any mistakes, you'll be rewarded with a medicinal meal for dinner tonight.

Guo Tao said loudly.

Repeat it ten times.

A medicinal meal will be awarded as a reward.

Wow, you're so casual... I love it.

"Disciple obeys."

Despite being filled with doubts, Zhou An immediately ran towards the podium.

Medicinal cuisine.

That's a medicinal meal that's equivalent to 10 servings of meat.

After eating the medicinal food, you shouldn't have to worry about being hungry anymore.

"Damn it, is my talent really that dazzling? Even slacking off gets me used as a role model... This doesn't align with the way of shirking responsibility, it doesn't align at all!"

Standing on the podium, Zhou An's gaze swept over the group of bewildered teenagers. After letting out a helpless sigh, he called out loudly.

"Instructor Guo, I'm ready."

"You all better watch and learn properly. If I find out tomorrow that you're still making mistakes, don't even think about eating meat."

After loudly reprimanding the group of teenagers, Guo Tao immediately waved to Zhou An on the stage.

"Let's begin."

"Yes, Coach Guo."

"We can only be more cautious in the future," Zhou An replied loudly. Ignoring the envy and jealousy from the audience, he immediately turned around, assumed the stance of Tongbei Changquan, and began to practice.

"Damn it, damn it, how could this happen... His luck is just too good."

Tang Shan's eyes reddened with envy as he watched Zhou An begin practicing his boxing on the platform. He had memorized all the boxing techniques, so why wasn't he the one who received the reward?

Ten times.

I don't believe you can do it ten times without making a single mistake.

Tang Shan stared intently at the person on the stage.

"What are you all standing there for? Don't you want to eat?"

Just then, Guo Tao's stern words came, startling Tang Shan, who immediately started practicing as well.

……