Chapter 20: Progress 80%

"Next, follow my lead."
"Footwork—yes, just like that, your movements have real spirit."
"Now, the straight punch."
"Hook."
"Swing."
"Now combine them with the footwork; practice everything in unison."
"Back step, retreat step, whip kick…"
"…"
Inside the training room.
Li Ding watched Shen He, whose movements were becoming more and more structured, and clapped his hands vigorously. "Good, you have real talent. In just an hour, you’ve mastered most of the routines. In the two and a half years I’ve been teaching, you’re the most gifted student I’ve ever had."
Shen He slowly stopped, gazing at the panel that appeared before his eyes.
[Daily Quest Two: Abandon Your Turtle Fist]
[Progress: 30%]
[…]
The progress was still a bit slow.
He had already fully mastered the basic routines Li Ding had taught, yet only 30% progress had been made.
Looking at Li Ding, Shen He said, "Coach, can you teach me all the sanda routines?"
Li Ding frowned at his request. "If I teach you everything at once, you’ll end up knowing a lot but mastering nothing. The basics won’t be solid."
"It’s fine," Shen He replied. "I like new things. I can work on the basics later."
Hearing this, Li Ding sighed inwardly, then said, "Alright, I’ll perform them all once. Watch closely."
Truth be told, his earlier praise wasn’t just for the sake of the several thousand yuan in lesson fees.
Shen He’s performance had truly surprised him.
In his two and a half years of teaching, he’d never seen talent like this before—only a pity Shen He was a bit older.
Had he started young, he might have become a national champion.
Li Ding, having collected his fee, didn’t cut any corners.
Right in front of Shen He, he demonstrated all the sanda routines and combination sets he knew.
When he finished, he was slightly out of breath.
He turned to Shen He. "Those are all the sanda routines, but the moves themselves are fixed—people, however, are flexible. A gifted person can break down these routines and recombine them as needed; that’s what true sanda is.
"How much of those did you memorize just now?"
Shen He’s eyes showed a thoughtful glint.
He nodded. "I memorized everything."
Li Ding was momentarily stunned. "What did you say?"
Shen He glanced at him, then imitated Li Ding’s movements and began performing the routines.
Though still a bit rough, it was clear he had memorized them all.
All that remained was for Li Ding to correct him bit by bit.

Watching Shen He go through the routines, Li Ding stared wide-eyed, running a hand over his cropped hair.
When Shen He finally stopped, Li Ding walked over. "I was wrong earlier. You’re not just the most talented student I’ve seen in my two and a half years of teaching—you’re the most talented person I’ve ever seen since I started practicing sanda."
"You really never trained before?"
Shen He shook his head.
Li Ding grimaced, then said, "Alright, keep going. I’ll keep correcting you."
With a brief acknowledgment, Shen He started again.
…
Two and a half hours passed.
It was half past noon.
Li Ding, standing to the side drenched in sweat, gulped down an entire bottle of water before stopping.
He then looked at Shen He, who had barely broken a sweat.
Utterly baffled, he muttered, "How does he have so much stamina? I’m the coach correcting his movements, and I’m exhausted. Yet he can keep running through the routines again and again and not tire?"
Standing in the middle of the room, Shen He focused on his player panel and decisively allocated the last available point to stamina.

[Player: Shen He]
[Strength: 3.1]
[Stamina: 5.0]
[Agility: 2.0]
[Mental: 3.2]
[Remaining Points: 0]
(Evaluation: You are a healthy adult male. With years of training, your physical fitness far exceeds that of the average person, but you still have a long way to go before reaching Tier One.)
…
He gazed at his player panel, exhaling a long breath.
To handle the high-intensity training, he had put two of the three points he’d earned into stamina, and the last one into mental.
Otherwise, as a newcomer to sanda, there’s no way he could have memorized all those routines so quickly.
Perhaps it was the effect of practicing boxing, but after adding three free attribute points, he felt nothing unusual—just an overwhelming hunger.
How odd!
Shen He glanced at Li Ding. "Coach, I think that’s enough for this morning. I’ll go eat lunch and come back. I figure another two hours of practice should finish things up."
Li Ding immediately agreed. "Good, go eat. After so much training, you must be starving. There are plenty of good places here—get yourself a solid meal."
Shen He nodded and headed out.

Only after Shen He left did Li Ding lean against the wall to relax a bit.
At that moment, Li Jiaojiao popped out from behind the door, grinning. "Brother, why act so worn out just to earn money? That guy’s a total novice—teach him a few routines and he’ll have days’ worth of practice."

Li Ding glanced at her, then stretched and loosened up.
He spoke, "If only it were that simple. Shen He’s got real talent—more than either of us. After a little more practice this afternoon, he'll be familiar with all the routines."
Li Jiaojiao gaped. "That fast? Then why’d he pay thirty thousand?"
Li Ding’s eyes widened too. "How much? He paid thirty thousand up front?"
Li Jiaojiao nodded meekly. "He said he was buying your private lessons. After mastering sanda, he wants you to teach him Bajiquan too."
Li Ding tapped her forehead hard. "You’re trying to work your brother to death!"

Third-floor dining area.
As Shen He walked on, he studied the player panel only he could see.

[Daily Quest Two: Abandon Your Turtle Fist]
[Progress: 80%]
[…]

He had to admit, the progress was pretty decent.
But time was running short.
The quest deadline was four in the afternoon. If he didn’t complete it by then, he’d fail outright.
Still, it shouldn’t be hard to finish.
He and Li Ding had agreed to continue at two. As long as all his movements were fully corrected by then, he’d be done.

What surprised him most about training sanda was the brother-sister pair, Li Ding and Li Jiaojiao.
The instant he’d met them, warning bells had sounded in his mind, which was why he’d decided to stay.

[Li Ding]
[Tier Five Martial Artist]
[…]
[Li Jiaojiao]
[Tier Four Martial Artist]
[…]

They weren’t mutants, but they were far from ordinary. At least one was Tier Five, the other Tier Four.
Anyone who could survive for years at those ranks was a true powerhouse.

After a while, Shen He stopped in front of a buffet specializing in meat.
He glanced at the sign: a variety of meats, refined carbs, all kinds of dessert fruits.
288 per person.
In this third-tier city, it was considered high-end.
Feeling his hunger, Shen He reckoned he could eat a whole pig in three bites.
He decided to give this little restaurant owner a real lesson today.