"Then, let's strengthen it first," Chen Fan promptly decided and clicked on "Add" to upgrade.
The familiar surge of heat emanated from his heart, coursing through his entire body. After a few breaths, it gradually subsided.
"Hoo..."
Chen Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Perhaps it was due to the meal he had just eaten, but this time, the intensified heat didn't feel quite right. It felt as though a fire was blazing within him, energizing him immensely.
Attributes:
- Physique: 29.26
- Strength: 20.36
- Agility: 12.59
- Spirit: 8.05
- Potential Points: 20 (3 points/1 day)
- Experience Points: 36
"That's right, now I should be able to handle a 100-pound bow comfortably," Chen Fan mused, a smile gracing his face as he contemplated the remaining 20 potential points.
He could use these points for one more round of body strengthening. He hesitated briefly, wondering whether to utilize them during his archery practice later in the afternoon or save them for hunting the following day when he'd be fatigued. After all, it was not just a 10% increase in his physical attributes but also akin to a physical recovery.
"Let's save them for tomorrow," he decided. He initiated another upgrade, and his strength reached 22 points. To draw a 200-pound bow, he'd need at least 40 points of strength, which still seemed far off. Prioritizing his safety seemed like the better choice.
When Chen Fan arrived at the storage area, most of the people had already gathered.
"You're here?" Zhang Ren turned around and glanced at him.
"Yes," Chen Fan nodded. "Uncle Zhang, I'll be relying on you for the next part."
Zhang Ren waved his hand dismissively, signaling that formalities weren't necessary. "Though you've begun practicing Tai Chi, you're only at the beginner level. It'll get quite demanding in the future, so prepare yourself mentally."
"Understood," Chen Fan replied, feeling a touch of nervousness creep in.
However, as he emulated Zhang Ren's movements, he found that his legs weren't as fatigued as he'd anticipated. In fact, they felt surprisingly comfortable, even though his motions were somewhat stiff and far from matching Zhang Ren's fluid grace.
After completing a set of Tai Chi, Chen Fan couldn't wait to check his skill bar.
[Zhang Style Taijiquan: Novice (0.01%)]
"Ah?" His mouth hung agape, thinking he might be seeing things, but the numbers remained unchanged even upon further inspection.
One ten-thousandth of the progress? Did that mean he had to practice it 10,000 times over? At a rate of 5 minutes each, that amounted to 50,000 minutes or 833 hours, equivalent to 34.7 days!
In other words, he'd need to forgo food and water for a month just to reach the Novice level in Tai Chi? It seemed like an eternity compared to the 7 days he'd spent to acquire archery skills.
"How do you feel?" Zhang Ren inquired as he turned around.
His Taijiquan required substantial leg strength, involving constant shifts in the center of gravity. It differed significantly from the leisurely movements of the elderly folks practicing in parks before the world changed. Even a young man would find it challenging and might get out of breath, let alone an elderly individual who might end up expending half their life's energy.
Chen Fan, however, had only broken into a light sweat, which surprised both him and Zhang Ren.
"I feel alright, Uncle Zhang, but the movements are still quite unfamiliar," Chen Fan admitted.
"It's normal to struggle initially, but you'll get the hang of it. Let's go, practice another set, and show me," Zhang Ren encouraged.
"Alright." So they took turns, one practicing, the other observing and offering occasional pointers. After completing a set, Chen Fan suddenly felt considerably fatigued, his entire body drenched in sweat.
Zhang Ren nodded in approval. "This kid can comfortably draw an 80-pound bow, and his physique is truly exceptional."
"Take a break for a while, then we'll continue," Zhang Ren suggested.
"Sure," Chen Fan agreed and glanced at his skill bar with a hint of surprise.
[Zhang Style Taijiquan: Novice (0.025%)]
The progress had increased by 0.015%, a slight improvement over the previous time, which oddly excited him. This indicated that the more accurate the movement, the faster his proficiency would grow.
It seemed somewhat paradoxical.
His smile faded, though, as he realized that as his movements became more precise, his proficiency would inexorably approach a fixed value. For instance, it might reach 2 out of 10,000 or 3 out of 10,000. Even at three ten-thousandths, learning Tai Chi would necessitate ten days without food or water.
"The improvement in martial arts skills is still too slow," he sighed softly.
Much like basic archery, proficiency in Tai Chi appeared to increase gradually with changes such as transitioning to a stronger bow or increasing the frequency of rapid fire. Actual combat scenarios might expedite improvement, but the question remained: how could one practice Tai Chi effectively? By competing with others or attempting to employ Tai Chi moves to combat beasts? These approaches seemed unreliable at best.
In the end, it all boiled down to accumulating points.
After a while, Zhang Ren resumed instructing Chen Fan in Tai Chi. The results confirmed Chen Fan's earlier suspicion. Despite several practice sessions and the completion of a set of Taijiquan, the proficiency increase remained at a meager 2 out of 10,000. To even achieve novice status, one would need to practice without sleep or rest for half a month.
"Well, it seems satisfactory," Zhang Ren nodded. "With daily practice, you should reach novice level in three years."
"Poof!" Wang Ping and others nearby nearly choked upon hearing this statement.
Three years to reach novice level? Was that level of duration even necessary? In comparison, one week for Wuji style and one month for Tai Chi style seemed remarkably friendly.
Zhang Ren glanced over, sneered, and remarked, "A three-year novice entry is already considered good talent. Some may take up to five years or more. If you find this too daunting, you can opt for something else. You can achieve novice status in other forms within a year."
"What else is there?" the group inquired.
Zhang Ren found himself at a loss for words. In his view, learning any martial art followed similar principles – the ultimate goal was to gain strength and, in some cases, harness inner energy. While starting slowly might make later practice easier, starting quickly might lead to more challenges down the road. However, he couldn't explain these intricate principles to the young individuals present, knowing they wouldn't grasp the concepts, and even if they did, they wouldn't comprehend them. He had been in their shoes when he was young.
"Xingyiquan," Zhang Ren finally replied. "If you're seeking rapid progress, you should consider Xingyiquan, but before that, you'll need to practice the Three-Body Piles for about three months."
"Xingyiquan!" Several people exclaimed.
Choosing Xingyiquan seemed like a no-brainer – it offered a quicker path to mastery compared to the estimated three years for Tai Chi.
"Alright, when will you begin the Taiji Zhuang practice? I'll teach you the Three-Body Zhuang," Zhang Ren offered.
"Well, Uncle Zhang, I too..."
"Um?" Zhang Ren squinted at Chen Fan, a hint of skepticism in his gaze.
"No, Uncle Zhang, you misunderstood," Chen Fan clarified, breaking into a nervous sweat. "I mean, once I've started Taijiquan, I'd like to learn Xingyiquan from you."
From his perspective, different foundational practices had similarities, and the improvements could overlap. Learning multiple martial arts might lead to overall greater strength.
"Oh?" Zhang Ren raised an eyebrow, then a faint smile curved his lips. "So, you're eager to learn the second martial art after you've mastered Taijiquan? You're quite ambitious. Once you've truly mastered Taijiquan, let's discuss learning the second martial art. Until then, hehe."
With that, he turned and walked away.
"Hehe?" Chen Fan felt like he was the butt of a joke.
Mastering Tai Chi? Was it that challenging?