Two o'clock in the morning.
It was June, and Jiangnan had already entered a somewhat dry and hot season. Cool breezes blew in the middle of the night, dispelling much of the heat.
Outside the window, the chirping of insects rose and fell, creating a sense of tranquility.
Zhao Mu closed his eyes, his Mental Energy guiding a wisp of energy from the Subspace, entering through his Spirit Sea and circulating through the spirit power meridians throughout his body.
As the last Meditation was completed, the progress bar [99] on the sign held by the demon clown instantly turned into 100!
"Haha! Spiritual Energy Introduction proficiency maxed out, entering the second stage, Spiritual Energy Rotation, with 100 proficiency."
In an instant, it was as if some shackles in Zhao Mu's mind had been broken!
The breaking of these shackles wasn't instantaneous, but rather a natural progression as his grasp of Spiritual Energy Introduction continuously strengthened.
When the proficiency reached 100, many new insights emerged in his mind.
Building upon the foundation of Spiritual Energy Introduction, it naturally extended, giving birth to a more Advanced Meditation Technique, Spiritual Energy Rotation.
This was actually a Meditation Technique different from the Entry-Level chapter of the Emperors Record, merely an evolution based on the Entry-Level chapter of the Emperors Record, carried out according to Zhao Mu's method.
Its characteristic was that it was a new Meditation Technique evolved entirely according to Zhao Mu's personal physical characteristics.
Therefore, all the skills Zhao Mu evolved by infinitely increasing his proficiency were his Exclusive Skills.
This way, there was no need to worry about causing trouble in the future or being questioned about how he obtained higher-Rank Combat Techniques.
Spiritual Energy Rotation: Proficiency 100, the progress bar is completely black.
Zhao Mu took a deep breath. Although he was already somewhat physically and mentally exhausted, he still forced himself to Meditate using the new Meditation Technique.
Closing his eyes and Meditating again, this time, his Meditation speed actually increased significantly!
Not only did the speed of drawing power from the Subspace increase, but his body was also undergoing subtle changes.
Repeated flushing of the spirit power meridians caused the river-like spirit power meridians to widen.
This meant that Zhao Mu would circulate Spirit Power even faster!
This was very important.
Once a Combat Technique that consumed a large amount of Spirit Power was used in battle, an uncomfortable period would occur if the body's supply of Spirit Power was not timely.
And the faster the Spirit Power circulated, the shorter this uncomfortable period would be.
"The second stage Meditation Technique is actually this powerful... Could it be that this is no longer an Entry-Level Elementary Meditation Technique, but an Intermediate one?"
Zhao Mu thought to himself, his heart surging with excitement.
Completing another Meditation now only took a mere three and a half minutes!
Theoretically speaking, if he only Meditated for one day, he could Meditate 60 times in an extreme state!
Of course, under normal circumstances, there was no need to go to such an extent, as it would consume too much Mental Energy and make the brain become a state of Chaos.
For example, right now, Zhao Mu felt his head spinning and very tired.
Zhao Mu stood up and walked towards the bedroom.
Now, he only needed three hours of Deep Sleep each day to fully recover.
Tomorrow morning, he would continue to run ten kilometers.
There were still two days until the Qingfeng Camp Entrance Trial... The next morning, Zhao Mu woke up refreshed, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then changed into his sportswear and went out.
The demon clown's prompt sign changed the skill from Sleeping to Walking.
Currently, the proficiency of the life skill Sleeping had reached 48 points, while Walking - Light and Agile Steps had reached 142 points.
Before doing anything, Zhao Mu always made sure to activate the demon clown to increase his proficiency.
He had finished three laps before the sun even rose. Now, his morning run was no longer one lap, but three laps, roughly 30 kilometers!
For a young man his age, this amount of exercise would typically leave him bedridden for a week!
But after Zhao Mu finished running, his Breathing was only slightly heavy, and he didn't feel particularly tired.
Back home, he began to practice the Seven Kills Battle Method again.
There were several empty wine jars in the courtyard. Zhao Mu took two twenty-jin wine jars, filled them with water, and then stood in the courtyard in a horse stance.
Then, he grasped the mouths of the wine jars with his index fingers, slowly lifted them, and held his arms out straight.
Eagle Claw Technique is the foundation of grappling techniques and also a part of the Seven Kills Battle Method.
Strictly speaking, the Seven Kills Battle Method is a method for building a foundation.
This method of training with Eagle Claw Technique is to train finger strength.
This way, when fighting others in the future, his fingers would be like eagle claws, making it difficult for the opponent to break free once caught.
In the past, Zhao Mu could grasp ten-jin wine jars with each hand and hold them for about ten minutes.
Now, with the proficiency of the Seven Kills Battle Method reaching 152 points, his basic Strength and finger strength have also greatly improved.
He tightly clasped the mouths of two twenty-jin wine jars and stood like that for nearly twenty minutes in one breath before he felt his fingers ache and become unstable.
"Hoo—"
Zhao Mu put down the wine jars, placed them in the corner, clapped his hands, and laughed, "Now my finger strength can directly penetrate the bark of a small tree. In the future, when sparring with others, as long as I have the opportunity to grasp their body, I can easily pierce into their muscles. Even—tear off their neck!"
Unbeknownst to him, Bu Yanhuan had also woken up. She naturally noticed the commotion of Zhao Mu practicing.
But after getting up, she had been silently watching.
When Zhao Mu turned his head, he happened to glimpse her holding a wine pot, leaning against a pillar in lazy pajamas.
"Good morning, Aunt Bu. Are you hungry? I'll go prepare breakfast."
Zhao Mu was about to go to the kitchen but was stopped by Bu Yanhuan.
She shuffled into the courtyard in her slippers and said to Zhao Mu, "You're going to Qingfeng Camp the day after tomorrow, right? How's your training going now?"
Zhao Mu smiled faintly, his face full of confidence.
"Don't worry, I will definitely get into Qingfeng Camp! And I'm going to take first place in the Entrance Trial!"
Bu Yanhuan gave a thumbs-up: "Good, you have ambition! You truly are a soldier I trained!"
But soon she straightened her face: "But remember, don't think you're very powerful now and underestimate any opponent."
"Anything can happen on the battlefield. Although Qingfeng Camp is known for youth training, it is also subordinate to the military. There are death quotas every year. This trial will definitely have casualties!"
"You're about to go to the battlefield, I'll teach you another move."
Zhao Mu's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "That would be for the best!"
After becoming a Spirit Energy User, Bu Yanhuan had not taught him any Combat Techniques or the use of Spirit Power.
Because according to the regulations of the Xuanfeng Empire, the Combat Techniques Bu Yanhuan learned in the military were not allowed to be privately taught.
So, what Bu Yanhuan could teach Zhao Mu could only be something she had comprehended herself.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)