Translator: CinderTL
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Two hours later.
[Progress +1]
[Sanda: Beginner (21%)]
The system panel popped up. Chen Feng stopped his movements, breathing heavily. His muscles felt extremely sore, and his lungs felt like they were burning intensely.
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
"My talent... seems to be really poor."
Sweat dripped into his mouth, tasting salty, and his soaked clothes felt like they were glued to his skin.
Chen Feng shook his head inwardly, smacking his lips.
After two hours of practice, his progress had only increased by 1%.
It was easy to predict that if he continued practicing at this pace, reaching the next proficiency level in Sanda, let alone mastering it, would take several months.
Despite this, Chen Feng was not overly disappointed.
If his talent was lacking, so be it. He wasn't planning to rely solely on talent anyway.
Tap-tap!
He walked over to grab a gray sports water bottle, quickly twisting the cap off and drinking in big gulps.
Gulp! Gulp!
The room-temperature water felt refreshing at that moment. After a short rest to recover, the class ended, and he quickly went to the locker room.
Grumble!
While changing, his stomach rumbled. Chen Feng felt hungry.
The afternoon's workout had taken a toll, and he was starving.
"How's the job hunt going?"
Lin Hao had also arrived at the locker room, but he had clearly just showered, his long hair wet.
"I'm still on the lookout." Chen Feng paused for a moment but didn't hide his current situation.
He also remembered that Lin Hao was a recent graduate, just like him, and was also unemployed.
"Oh."
Lin Hao nodded lightly, quickly changing into his clothes and not asking any more questions.
Then, as if thinking of something, he leaned closer and lowered his voice, "By the way, have you heard about this?"
"What?"
"I heard the martial arts academy is expanding its core students. After this training course ends, they'll assess us."
"If we pass... you know what that means."
Lin Hao patted Chen Feng on the shoulder.
Chen Feng raised his brow.
Core students at the martial arts academy?
That was a different world compared to their current status as regular students.
They had to pay tuition fee to use the academy's equipment and facilities, attending training sessions at fixed times under the guidance of instructors.
But core students not only had access to all of that for free, but they could also get help and recommendations from the academy's team for future martial arts competitions.
More importantly...
Core students seemed to have a chance to learn actual martial arts styles.
Unlike Sanda or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, these were the exclusive martial arts techniques of the Flame Tiger Martial Arts School.
Though the original owner had never seen them firsthand, he had seen broadcasts of martial arts tournaments on TV.
Fists that could break bricks, moves that could shake steel.
Interesting...
Chen Feng's eyes flashed, and he nodded.
But soon, he felt something was off.
"How do you know about this?" he asked Lin Hao.
"Heh, guess."
Lin Hao shrugged nonchalantly.
At that moment, Chen Feng suddenly realized that the original owner never really understood Lin Hao.
Although they were both unemployed college grads, Chen Feng didn't know anything about Lin Hao's background.
"See ya."
Lin Hao waved casually and left.
Chen Feng watched his figure for a moment but didn't delve deeper.
Shaking his head, he left the academy soon after, taking the bus back home.
...
"The beef's almost gone, and the eggs too. Looks like I'll have to go to the supermarket tomorrow."
Sitting at the wooden dining table inside his room, Chen Feng finished his dinner with satisfaction.
The feeling of a full stomach gave him some peace of mind, but when he looked at the thousand yuan left in his bank account, the sense of urgency crept back into his thoughts.
"I won't bother looking at job listings tonight. I'll try tomorrow."
"Let's check out cashier positions at the supermarket first. If that doesn't work, I can try a bar or delivery..."
The thought flashed by. Chen Feng wanted to balance work with his training.
The martial arts academy's course still had a week left, and with what Lin Hao said about the core student opportunity, he was now interested and couldn't afford to miss any more training sessions.
So, to free up time in the afternoons, his options for work were limited.
With the plan set, Chen Feng's mind was clear.
Soon, he flipped through his phone and contacted the recruiters, setting up appointments for the next day.
Gradually, the sky darkened, and the noise outside the building lessened.
Fatigue overtook him. Chen Feng put down his phone and rolled over.
His consciousness began to sink, and he fell asleep.
Not long after, when he opened his eyes again, the world had quietly changed.
...
"I am back."
Looking at the abstract portrait hanging on the wall and the white-yellow furry carpet on the floor, Chen Feng sighed in relief.
He had been worried that the dream might have changed for the worse, making it impossible for him to enter again.
But it seemed he was overthinking it.
Without wasting time, knowing that the dream time was limited, he quickly got up, stepped on the carpet, and walked towards the red wooden door.
He slightly bent down and peered through the peephole.
The environment was still empty and eerily quiet.
Click!
Turning the doorknob, Chen Feng successfully opened the door.
Outside was a clean corridor, with two rooms on the opposite side, both with closed redwood doors.
The floor was made of dark brown solid wood, and as Chen Feng looked down the corridor, he saw that the ends were different.
The right wall ended in a sealed gray area, with another painting hanging there.
At the end of the left wall was a spacious living room.
A large, exquisite crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the warm light illuminated the room.
Below were brown leather sofas and a wooden coffee table.
Chen Feng slowly walked into the living room, soon seeing a projector hanging from the ceiling and a screen on the opposite white wall.
The machine was off, and apart from the light, the room was silent.
Swish!
Chen Feng reached out and touched the sofa, lifting his hand to see the dust on his fingers.
It was the same as earlier in the house. Even the coffee table and other furniture in the living room were covered with a thin layer of dust.
This made Chen Feng more confident in his guess.
"It looks like no one is living here."
His expression relaxed slightly. Chen Feng turned to look at the redwood door and the carved windows on either side.
Outside, the sky was also pitch-black, as if thick black mist had covered every light source.
The house felt like the only place left in the world, making Chen Feng feel a bit oppressed and suffocated.
After thinking for a moment, he slowed his steps and first went to open the two rooms he had noticed earlier.
The first room was a bedroom, similar to the one he was in previously but larger.
It was also empty, offering no new discoveries.
As for the second...
Click!
The redwood door opened.
A row of bookshelves lined the wall, and a withered potted plant stood in the corner.
There was a dusty wooden table and chair beneath the window, and next to them were two glowing orbs that caught Chen Feng's attention.
Both were about the size of a fist, floating above the wooden table and chair.
The orb on the table was a pale red, identical to the previous day's breakthrough light orb.
The orb on the chair was pure white, like a piece of warm jade emitting a soft glow.
Seeing this, Chen Feng felt a surge of excitement.
He quickly scanned his surroundings, calming his emotions.
After confirming there was no danger, he stepped forward and reached out to touch the two orbs.
(End of the Chapter)
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