A night of sound sleep.
June 29, 9:30.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a large patch of mottled golden shadows on the white bed. The Sunshine District was rich in greenery, with birds chirping on the branches.
"Ding ding..."
The alarm on the phone had just started when a well-defined hand reached out and clicked it off. With a swoosh, the covers were thrown back, and Bai Xiao got out of bed energized and strode into the bathroom. After washing up, he walked out while drying his wet face with a towel.
"I don't know if it's my imagination, but I seem to have gotten a bit more handsome..."
Bai Xiao muttered to himself, his hands never pausing in their task.
Making the bed, opening his backpack, he stuffed in the boxing reflex ball and metal nunchaku that were on the bedside table. Zipping up, he slung it over his shoulder.
Beneath that patch of golden sunlight coming through the window.
He moved his limbs a bit, then retracted his arms and swiftly jabbed the air in front of him with a series of lightning-fast punches. Whish, whish, whish, whish, whish...
Shadowboxing, primarily for warming up, maintaining rhythm, and feeling.
Bai Xiao had been practicing boxing for a while, and his punches had become increasingly proficient.
Half a minute later, the security door banged shut.
Quick footsteps hurriedly descended the stairs in the corridor.
9:55, Pujiang District, White Bird Martial Arts Hall.
On the sidewalk close to the shop, a young man in black sports shoes and activewear was jogging along. As he ran, he tucked in his chest, curled his body inward, and raised his arms parallel to shield his head. His upper body continuously dodged and ducked, shoulders heaving.
It was a boxing evasion technique, quite effective at avoiding hits.
Tap, his foot touched down at the entrance of the White Bird Martial Arts Hall, and Bai Xiao finally stopped his playful warm-up routine. It was fortunate that the street had been empty when he arrived; otherwise, he might have been mistaken for a lunatic.
He briskly walked into the hall and changed into his training gear in the dressing room.
Like always, Bai Xiao headed straight into Training Hall No. 2.
Inside the hall, Coach Zhang Hongtao had arrived earlier than usual today.
Holding a black thermal cup in his hand, he nodded slightly at Bai Xiao as he entered. Bai Xiao nodded back and quickly moved into formation.
Ever since he had taken the initiative to ask Coach Zhang Hongtao to teach him other fighting techniques, their relationship had grown much closer.
"It's about time."
"Same as always, start with a warm-up by yourself."
Coach Zhang glanced at everyone and slowly made his way to the window.
In Training Hall No. 2, everything returned to normal.
The students monotonously swung their fists and feet, repeatedly going through motions they had practiced hundreds, if not thousands of times. Fighting was like this: tedium was the main theme. Only those who could endure solitude, withstand hardship, had a chance to succeed.
By the window, Coach Zhang took a sip of strong tea, then started to walk around observing. He stood by Guo Hao for a while, quickly moving to Bai Xiao's side. Bai Xiao was deeply immersed in practicing Sandboxing and boxing.
"This kid's Sandboxing is flawless, completely at a certifiable level. His re-learned boxing also has a decent shape, each move precise and accurate. Could he actually be a genius?"
Coach Zhang touched the stubble on his chin with his right hand, surprised by the contrast. Just a week ago, Bai Xiao was but an inconspicuous nobody.
In just a few days, it felt like he was completely overshadowing Guo Hao.
For the next several hours in the training hall.
Bai Xiao was furiously practicing Sandboxing and boxing techniques in his corner, some of which the coach hadn't taught him. These were from instructional videos he had watched, performed by the senior brother of White Bird Martial Arts Hall, learned by himself. With a heart of pure intent and gifted talent, Bai Xiao was cold and logical, continually extracting the essence of the fight.
Sweat streamed, and the back of his gray training outfit gradually dampened.
Hum...
Bai Xiao snapped back to reality, his posture shifting to standing.
The swath of sunlight pouring in from the nearby floor-to-ceiling window filled the warm air with a slightly unpleasant rubber and sweat smell, making it stifling.
He exhaled deeply, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
[Skill 1: Basic Sandboxing (101/200)]+
[Skill 2: Boxing 101 (52/100)]+
In order to meet his goals in both Sandboxing and boxing, Bai Xiao had not even practiced Jujutsu today, and his Pure Heart talent had been completely exhausted.
Finally, two dark red pluses entered his vision.
Bai Xiao was extremely excited in his heart.
It was time to welcome change and improvement once again.
After pondering for a moment, he calmly suppressed the impulse to add points to both skills at once and decided to enhance boxing first. This was the conclusion drawn from previous practice—breaking through in fighting techniques would strengthen attributes but consume a lot of the body's energy. Last time Bai Xiao broke through Sandboxing, he was ravenous.
"I need to upgrade boxing first."
Bai Xiao chose to break through at the martial arts hall to increase his recovery time, even if it was just by half an hour. Since he planned to break through twice today, overlapping periods of hunger and weakness would definitely result in an extremely bad experience. Sandboxing could be broken through later at night, so the earlier boxing was broken through, the better.
After all, after the last Sandboxing breakthrough, the side effects had lasted a long time. If they continued until late at night, Bai Tang would have no choice but to grit his teeth and break through Sandboxing, which would definitely be painful.
"Dark red!"
A flash before his eyes, and the Potential Points beneath the modifier decreased by one.
[Skill 2: Boxing 101 (52/100)] was covered by a hazy water mist-like blur effect, while the black numbers jumped wildly.
A couple of breaths later, the Boxing 101 skill reappeared in front of him.
[Your profession 'Fighter,' experience +6]
[Your professional skill 'Boxing 101' experience +50]
[Professional skill 'Boxing 101' upgraded to 'Boxing Proficient']
[Skill 2: Boxing Proficient (2/200)]
Bai Xiao swiftly scanned and, without relaxing his joy, he focused and held his breath. In the next second, his mind shook, and a torrent of information rushed in.
Key points of punching, footwork transitions, and timing—all were included!
He felt as though he had been boxing for months, with the muscle memory of his body remembering various movements and techniques, bringing a sense of comprehensive integration.
Swish! Swish!
Two swiftly sensitive fists, like bee stings, moved through the air quickly.
Bai Xiao slowly withdrew his arms: "Done!"
Almost in the next second, he felt a wave of weakness and hunger, coming from every cell in his body, where the energy had been drained.
Fortunately, compared to the last time, the various negative feelings he experienced during this breakthrough had significantly lessened. It was probably like going from not eating for half a month to not eating for a week; the hunger and weakness felt less severe.
It was probably because Bai Xiao's physique had become stronger and could endure more.
"Class dismissed."
At the front of the hall, Zhang Hongtao announced that the day's session was over.
Immediately, Bai Xiao quickly moved forward, found Coach Zhang, and explained that he had an urgent matter to attend to shortly. He would not stay after class for extra training.
Zhang Hongtao nodded, showing understanding.
Only then did Bai Xiao resume his stride and head towards the locker room.
His steps were quick, surpassing many of the trainees in the class.
On the corridor to the locker room.
Thump.
Bai Xiao's shoulder gently bumped into a student blocking the middle of the path.
The person seemed temperamental and suddenly turned his head, revealing a face with freckles. It was Guo Hao's high school classmate and follower, He Hao: "Can't you watch where you're..."
His words of cursing stopped abruptly.
Bai Xiao quickly walked past, the greenish hue in his eyes somewhat penetrating, his teeth still clenched, and the angularity of his cheekbones very striking.
His aloof and solitary demeanor gave off the impression that he was not in a good mood, like a volcano about to erupt, emanating a sense of danger.
"It's best not to provoke him at this time!"
He Hao felt such a phrase inexplicably rise within him.