"Cheers!" Accompanied by a resounding shout, Chen Chu grasped the knife with both hands and executed a series of swift, deliberate movements. His blade slashed, thrust, and swept with ferocity, each action exuding courage and dominance, akin to a tiger descending a mountain.
While Chen Chu immersed himself in practicing basic sword skills, other students gradually arrived on the third floor, each seeking an unoccupied space for their own practice.
Among them were students from Class Three, including Yi Rui, who had been the first to establish their foundation, and several ordinary students who had only recently accomplished this feat. In total, there were around a dozen of them.
Following the school's guidelines, one martial arts teacher was responsible for instructing five first-year high school classes, providing only brief guidance during this initial period.
It wasn't until the second semester, when cultural and cultivation subjects were separated, that foundation-building students from all five classes would be combined into one class, officially under Pang Long's tutelage. This group would typically consist of less than one hundred students.
As time passed, this number would further decrease as some individuals, lacking the resolve to endure the monotonous and taxing aspects of cultivation, chose to give up.
Indeed, not everyone could persevere through the tediousness of months or even a year of foundational training.
Soon, more than a dozen training areas on the third floor were bustling with activity. Students practiced various forms of combat, including sword skills, stick techniques, and hand-to-hand combat, much like Chen Chu.
Additionally, some students practiced martial arts techniques, whether through fists or feet, and their strong foundational attributes allowed their movements to generate the sound of the wind, emanating impressive momentum.
Pang Long would occasionally emerge to inspect the students' practice and offer guidance if he noticed any issues. Those with questions or uncertainties about their cultivation would readily seek his advice.
However, Lin Xue and Xia Youhui were virtually invisible on this floor. They had secured a temporary activity room for practice while awaiting approval for their official practice room.
In addition, affluent students from other classes had taken to renting private practice rooms for solitary training, diligently advancing their skills.
After nearly half an hour of intense practice, Chen Chu ceased, his body drenched in sweat, gasping for breath. He awaited the settling of his racing pulse.
His next step would be the formal practice.
Amid the cacophony of students around him shouting and the swishing of fists and feet, Chen Chu clutched the knife handle with his right hand, his body leaning slightly backward.
He relaxed, closed his eyes, and concentrated solely on the blade behind him.
Through the knife's sharpness, he heightened his five senses to an almost infinite degree.
Bright sword with the mind's eye, King Ming residing outside, and the inner eye. This cultivation method aimed to develop the mind's eye state, akin to a sixth sense in the darkness, enabling the practitioner to sense impending danger.
Primarily, it served to guard against the stealthy attacks of cunning mutant beasts lurking in the forest.
Mutant beasts were the official term for mutated creatures, not limited to the large creatures like ligers and tigers.
Over the past few decades, certain venomous insects had mutated into entirely different species, acquiring bizarre abilities. The sudden assaults from these creatures had caught many practitioners off guard.
This was precisely why Chen Chu had chosen this sword technique. The pursuit of great power was contingent upon survival.
However, this sword technique was rarely chosen by students. Its prerequisite was an extraordinary level of spiritual perception beyond that of ordinary individuals.
Chen Chu dared to cultivate it due to his belief in his commendable spiritual aptitude, primarily supported by the fixed proficiency attribute on his character page.
Once he successfully entered the mind's eye state, he could access it at any time.
But...
At noon, after maintaining a silent stance for over two hours, Chen Chu finally opened his eyes with a wry smile, having failed to achieve the desired state.
Nevertheless, this outcome was within his expectations. He never anticipated immediate success, recognizing that it might require multiple attempts before achieving the goal. There was no need to rush.
...
"You all, don't spend your entire day practicing; remember, you are still high school students. Next week is the end-of-month exam, so focus your attention accordingly."
"Even if some of you possess remarkable talents and plan to pursue the path of cultivation in the future, remember, that's a consideration for the future. For now, you are all liberal arts students this semester."
Friday, inside the classroom of Class 3, Chen Qi, standing at the podium, wore a discontented expression as he addressed the students.
Today, all the students were present, including Chen Chu, Lin Xue, and others, as they had received a notice from their class teacher the previous day and dared not to be absent.
Despite their involvement in real martial arts training, they didn't dare to disregard the authority of Chen Qi, their class teacher.
The reason is quite straightforward. Their head teacher is exceptionally formidable. As for how strong Chen Chu himself is, he remains unsure. He had merely overheard what Xia Youhui had to say.
"It's almost been a month. Feels like time's flying by, doesn't it, Ah Chu?" Xia Youhui mused, leaning back in his chair during the class break.
Chen Chu gave a slight nod, saying, "Indeed."
In the blink of an eye, he had been practicing Zhenwu for more than a week. Each day was a busy and fulfilling cycle of Dragon Elephant Kung Fu and Saber Technique practice, even late into the night. Amid this intense regimen, the passage of time went almost unnoticed.
During this period, several students in their class had successfully built their foundations. However, the unfortunate truth was that their talents left much to be desired. Only one among them had reached the threshold of the first level during foundation building; the rest were diligently working towards it.
Additionally, there were still twenty-five students in the class who had yet to establish their foundations. Some had given up, while a few remained determined to make a breakthrough in the final week, their brows knitted with impatience and urgency.
Conversely, those students who had succeeded in their foundation building appeared composed, free from their initial pressure.
At this moment, Xia Youhui inquired, "Ah Chu, tomorrow is Saturday. Do you have any plans?"
"What plans?" Chen Chu asked, wearing a perplexed expression.
"I knew you'd say that," Xia Youhui sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Ah Chu, we're high school students, and we've completed our foundation building. There's no need to live like ascetic monks."
"Do you not want to celebrate your youth? Spend your rest day going shopping with two or three beautiful female classmates, watch movies, and enjoy some milk tea together?"
Xia Youhui finished with a wink, glancing towards Luo Fei, who stood nearby conversing with Li Wenwen, her head slightly lowered.
Evidently, Xia Youhui was suggesting that Chen Chu should invite Luo Fei to hang out tomorrow. In his eyes, Chen Chu was handsome, Luo Fei was beautiful, and the two of them shared a good rapport in class, making them a seemingly perfect match.
As a close friend and good brother, it was only natural for Xia Youhui to want to play matchmaker.
Chen Chu shook his head, somewhat exasperated. "Not interested."
At the tender age of sixteen, what did he know about love? Did he not understand that everything in this world was fleeting, with only his own strength being truly substantial?
Of course, Chen Chu was not a monk, and he too appreciated the company of beautiful women. However, he believed that such thoughts could wait until he became a formidable individual.
Right now, he hadn't even fully matured, and it was far too early to ponder such matters.
"Uninterested, huh? Ah Chu, you're not interested in Luo Fei? Could it be that you..." Xia Youhui stared at Chen Chu in disbelief, his eyes suddenly widening as he whispered in astonishment, "Don't tell me you're into the ice-cold class monitor!"
Chen Chu frowned slightly, responding, "...Mind your words. It's not appropriate to spread such rumors."
"Alright, alright, I was just joking, Chu." Seeing Chen Chu take the matter seriously, Xia Youhui quickly waved it off. This brother of his seemed to be all about cultivation all day long. He had even thought about finding a way to pair them up, but that was clearly overthinking it.