003 Add Points

While silently recalling the essential instructions, Du Ruo naturally began practicing the Three-Body Posture. Because of its difficulty, this stance is divided into two types. The most basic is the double-weighted three-body posture, where balance is maintained between both legs, letting them share the load.

Du Ruo chose the more challenging method: the single-weighted three-body posture, shifting his center of gravity onto one leg.

This approach to transforming power is the fastest and most effective.

There is no room for half-hearted effort in training; only diligent practice brings results. Besides, the knowledge embedded in his mind about the skill left him no space for negligence.

Du Ruo adjusted his posture, cleared his mind, and ceased overthinking, focusing instead on sensing the changes in his body.

After holding the single-weighted three-body posture for half a minute, a wave of soreness, numbness, and itchiness began at his feet and spread throughout his body. Soon, he found himself trembling uncontrollably.

The sensation was unbearable, like ants crawling all over him. Gradually, Du Ruo realized his stance was about to falter.

“Whew… That was a bit short—not even a full minute.”

As the trembling intensified, Du Ruo couldn’t hold on any longer. He straightened up, stretched his body, and switched to balancing on the other leg to continue.

There is a standard for transforming power in Xingyi’s three-body posture: perseverance for three minutes.

If one can maintain the correct single-weighted three-body posture for three minutes, the transformation is considered complete.

The spontaneous trembling he’d just experienced was the beginning of transforming power; the quaking disperses the body's rigid force (muscular exertion), converting it into integrated power (tendon and bone force). However, one must be mindful: trembling is acceptable, but the posture must not collapse.

The latter part of standing meditation is the most challenging. The first two and a half minutes test the body; the final thirty seconds test willpower and faith. Thus, martial arts training is a process of persistence—a tempering of one’s martial spirit.

The knowledge of Xingyi boxing Du Ruo received from the panel taught him not only how to train, but how to train correctly, ensuring he never took a wrong path. In the three-body posture, duration is less important than correct form and perseverance.

With the right posture, even a minute of practice yields a minute’s worth of skill. With the wrong posture, even ten years will bring nothing.

Du Ruo continued for half an hour. Just as impatience began to creep in, he saw a flicker on his panel.

Skill: Xingyi Boxing LV0 (1/100)
Attribute Point: 0.01

“Half an hour of practice for just a bit of proficiency and one attribute point?”

Du Ruo stopped, sat on a chair to rest, and gazed at the panel before him, his heart surging with excitement and satisfaction.

Du Ruo found a long-lost happiness—a simple and pure joy he’d only felt before when, as a student, he played his first online game and watched his character level up.

“Now then: it’s time to allocate points!”

He looked at the familiar panel. A plus sign appeared beside his Essence, Vitality, and Spirit values, indicating he could add points.

Without hesitation, Du Ruo placed his only 0.01 attribute point into Essence—the lowest value.

A wave of warmth surged from his lower abdomen and swept through his body, instantly soothing the muscle soreness from his previous exercise.

“Keep it up. Next, I should practice the routine of Xingyi’s Five Elements Fist.”

After distributing his points, Du Ruo carefully savored the feeling—aside from a bit of physical comfort, there wasn’t much improvement. Clearly, the numbers were still too low.

Determined to strike while the iron was hot, he began practicing the Five Elements Fist routine, curious to see whether each repetition would grant a bit of experience, or if, like the three-body posture, progress depended on accumulated training time.

Moreover, standing meditation requires a relaxed mind; when restless or irritable, it’s not advisable to practice stillness.

The Five Elements Fist forms the foundation of Xingyi Boxing—Splitting, Drilling, Crushing, Pounding, and Crossing Fists—each corresponding to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Training the Five Elements Fist is a refined art, requiring an understanding of the interactions among the elements.

With the skill’s knowledge in his mind and the movements well within his physical ability, Du Ruo executed the routine flawlessly, every action textbook-perfect.

A single run-through didn’t budge the skill.

Undeterred, Du Ruo continued. Emptying his thoughts, he immersed himself, experiencing the changes the practice brought to his body.

After another half hour, the skill proficiency ticked up again, and he gained another attribute point.

Without hesitation, he added it once more to Essence. The fatigue in his body dissipated, and his energy revived. The immediate sense of reward was intoxicating—Du Ruo found himself utterly engrossed.

Each time the experience bar moved, satisfaction welled up within him. This visible progress became a powerful motivator.

Du Ruo realized that from this moment, his life would become smooth and unhindered: every effort yielding reward, no more detours or dead ends—and no bottlenecks, at least where martial arts were concerned.

Lost in his training, he barely noticed the sounds from downstairs hinting that his family had returned.

But in his current state of excitement, stopping was the last thing on his mind.

After three hours of focused practice, Du Ruo again allocated his attribute point to Essence, prompting a change on the panel—and forcing him to halt.

Name: Du Ruo
Age: 31
Essence: 8.02 (8.08)
Vitality: 7.99 (8.10)
Spirit: 7.99 (8.42)
(The average for an ordinary adult is 8; for a long-trained special forces soldier, it is 10.)
Attribute Points: 0.00
Skill: Xingyi Boxing LV0 (6/100)
Note: The host’s body cannot withstand the full skill. Please strive to improve yourself.

The six points in skill proficiency were the result of three hours’ wholehearted effort.

But the biggest change was that his Essence, Vitality, and especially Spirit and Vitality, had decreased. Now, as Du Ruo relaxed, a sharp headache set in, and the noodles he’d eaten for lunch felt long since digested; his stomach was empty, and hunger gnawed at him.

Frowning, Du Ruo sighed, knowing he could not continue.

The purpose of martial arts is to strengthen oneself, and unrestrained training is never wise. As a beginner, blindly pushing on would only harm his foundation—he would gain nothing and might even suffer for it.

This made Du Ruo realize one thing absolutely: this was reality, not a game; endless practice was impossible.

“In a way, this is a good thing. At least it proves that I’m playing the game—the game isn’t playing me.”

Thinking this, Du Ruo couldn’t help but smile. This tangible reality was reassuring; if he could practice without limits, perhaps he truly would become a machine.