On June 23, Bai Xiao got up early.
He went to a nearby pharmacy, bought some sprays and liniments for bruises and swelling, and also stocked up on over a dozen plasters. This was all in preparation for his own martial arts training; he had seen Guo Hao get accidentally injured by another student yesterday, so he felt it was necessary to take precautions in advance and prepare himself.
After that, Bai Xiao purchased some tonic herbs that are commonly known to the public.
Such as ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, Chinese yam, and so on.
He didn't buy anything particularly expensive, the prices of ordinary goods were still quite cheap.
Then, he considered whether to get some supplements, but after checking, he realized it didn't need to be that complicated. To replenish vitamins, just drink some orange juice; to supplement nutritional calcium, drink more milk.
Eating a bit more meat every day was completely sufficient.
After all, it's the modern society, and many things are available for purchase.
The threshold for practicing fighting techniques and martial arts has been greatly reduced.
At 9:55 AM, outside the White Bird Martial Arts Hall.
Bai Xiao, wearing a black tracksuit and carrying a blue canvas bag,
Slowly walked over from the street corner in the distance.
He was chewing gum, his nasal passages filled with the taste of mint.
He glanced across the street; the training institution that had opened yesterday had its doors wide open. Inside, he could see a group of girls, each wearing their respective dance outfits, laughing and chatting. Though the styles of the outfits varied, they all shared a common trait: tight-fitting and back-revealing. Their smooth skin exposed like white icebergs on the sea, their graceful figures were like a flock of swans.
Perhaps it was break time, their voices were so loud that they could be heard from the street. Celebrities, entertainment, novels, films – the topics were mostly of this sort.
That wasn't surprising at all.
Just like how the boys in Bai Xiao's combat training class talked about the same few things: games, novels, esports, and possibly with the addition of combat sports. The original host was the same at the age of eighteen or nineteen.
"When I think about it that way, the original host's little brother, Bai Tang, really seems out of place. He took an interest in mechanics in junior high, and in high school, he began tinkering with electronics. He got into a key university and joined a group of like-minded people in a national college robotics competition. While other people's youth was about first love, his was about circuits and motor oil…"
Bai Xiao thought quietly to himself.
Then, he stepped forward and walked straight into the White Bird Martial Arts Hall.
In the locker room, Bai Xiao changed into a gray training suit.
He walked step by step toward Hall No. 2 and stepped onto the soft mat with his right foot.
Immediately, a few glances from the many students were cast toward him.
The two girls who had been close to Guo Hao previously looked toward Bai Xiao with smiles and laughter. Guo Hao and his lackey, the freckled-faced He Hao, both watched Bai Xiao with their gazes. They weren't glaring intently, but it was almost there. Bai Xiao needed only a moment to understand.
It was nothing more than the competitive spirit of adolescent boys in front of girls.
Probable that the incident yesterday, when Li Xuefei approached him with a charming and coquettish manner,
Had unsettled the psyche of Guo Hao, a boy who had just graduated from high school.
As Bai Xiao was thinking to himself, he joined the ranks without any expression on his face.
Although he understood what Guo Hao was thinking, that didn't mean Bai Xiao had any intention of initiating conversation to dispel the misunderstanding or to alleviate the potential jealousy. He was quite self-absorbed, only caring about things he was interested in; everything else was a bother. Just as he had refused to engage further with Li Xuefei's attempts at conversation the day before, Bai Xiao would ignore Guo Hao unless he stepped forward to block his path.
Moreover, many things are inevitable.
As a person becomes extraordinary, they will involuntarily attract various looks of admiration, jealousy, or resentment.
If Bai Xiao had to deal with each one of them,
Then how could he continue to refine his fighting skills?
At 10:00 AM, the training resumed.
Starting with warming up and reviewing.
Then came the coach's demonstrations, the students' imitations, and free practice.
Those who were fast learners proceeded to target practice or to hit the punching bags.
In the training hall.
After practicing alone for a while, Bai Xiao soon activated the "Pure Heart" talent. He isolated himself from the distractions of the outside world, creating the impression that the entire hall was empty and turned into a blank training room. Punching and retracting, shedding sweat, his blood began to surge and boil.
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Whoosh!
"Pure Heart" effect ended, and Bai Xiao gasped for air.
His gaze shifted forward, eyes flickering.
[Your profession Skill "Sandboxing" gains +10 experience!]
[Your Main profession "Fighter" gains +2 experience!]
The Fighter profession panel displayed.
[Profession: Fighter LV.1 (13/100)]
[Skill: Sandboxing Novice (40/200)]
"It's not enough, the rate at which the Sandboxing profession skill improves is decent, but the experience for the Fighter profession is increasing too slowly. Each time it's just two or three points, to level up to level two, wouldn't that take a month and a half. And nobody knows how many levels there are for the Fighter..." Bai Xiao frowned slightly, thinking to himself.
In this case, if he wanted his profession to sublimate and receive enhancement, it seemed it would take forever. The more Bai Xiao used the talent Pure Heart, the more he felt its importance, it was definitely core.
But, the duration of Pure Heart talent was entirely insufficient.
This greatly reduced the efficiency at which he gained professional experience.
If the Pure Heart talent became stronger, it would undoubtedly benefit all of Bai Xiao's professions, including any future ones he might activate.
So, this next part was crucial.
[Below is the Enhancement Foreboding for the Fighter Main profession]
'Enhancement 1: Talent Evolution (The talent Pure Heart will undergo an evolution with each level-up, gradually and slowly growing stronger in effect)'
"I must increase the rate at which I gain Fighter profession experience..."
Bai Xiao thought hard, dripping with sweat, his eyes serious and focused.
"The best way is to learn more Fighter skills."
"Just Sandboxing as a professional skill isn't enough."
"Boxing, Jujutsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling, and so on and so forth..."
"Maybe that could work."
He quickly formed a plan in his mind and intended to put it into action.
Time ticked by, and it was already half-past three in the afternoon.
As Coach Zhang announced the end of the class, many students headed towards the changing room. Only Bai Xiao remained, not in a hurry to leave the Martial Arts Hall.
He waited until most of the people had gone before asking Zhang Hongtao.
"Coach, for the boxing and Jujutsu classes we had before, does the White Bird Martial Arts Hall have other classes? I feel like I didn't learn well before and want to train again, I don't know if that's possible..." Bai Xiao asked seriously.
Zhang Hongtao, dressed in black coach attire and holding a thermos, paused briefly at the question, then smiled. It had been a long time since he encountered a student so passionate about fighting.
"It's not that complicated, if you really want to practice, I can send you the teaching videos exclusively for the internal coaches of the Martial Arts Hall. You just follow the instructions in the videos step by step at home, along with what I have taught you before. If you just want to reinforce the basics and self-learn, it's perfectly fine..."
"How about this, after the 3:30 pm training class is over, I'll still be here for a while, you can ask me directly if you have any issues with other classes. I'll also check how you're practicing, to make sure it's correct and standardized. Otherwise, you might hurt yourself if the posture or movement is wrong..." Zhang Hongtao took a sip of strong tea and said so.
"Thank you, Coach!"
Bai Xiao thanked him on the spot; for him, self-study was the best approach. At worst, he could cut one or two hours from his delivery job.
Or mix in some boxing during his free practice.
"Alright then, off you go."
"I have your yy, I'll send it to you later."
Zhang Hongtao tightened the bottle cap and started to tidy up some props and equipment.
Bai Xiao didn't leave straight away as told, but instead, offered to help tidy up, and it was only after an extra fifteen minutes that he went to the changing room.
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