Chapter 8 - Single-mindedness

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The ear-piercing sound of a gong came from the center of the dormitory area.

"Li Wei... Li Wei... Li Wei...!"

Cassius was awakened by someone repeatedly calling his name right into his ear. He opened his eyes, a little confused.

A chubby face slowly came into view. "It’s time to assemble. The afternoon training is about to start."

"Who are you?" Li Wei got up, puzzled. He had only slept in the dorm for one night and couldn’t remember his roommate's name.

"Jovani Joestar, but you can call me Jojo.[1]" The chubby face beamed innocently.

Li Wei paused in the middle of putting on his shoes and looked up. It was a good name, strangely giving off an aura of strength.

"I'll remember that. Jojo..."

***

Sunlight slanted down on the training field. Several trees swayed with the wind, casting dark shadows. Light hovered over the dome-shaped buildings, creating a golden layer.

"Do not ever underestimate the straight punch just because it looks simple. Mastering the straight punch is mastering half of the basics of Combat Techniques! It's the simplest and most direct form of attack. A well-mastered straight punch is extremely fast and dangerous, making your opponents think that a needle is about to pierce them!" Lisa suddenly swung her arm.

Her fist stopped, her knuckles a mere centimeter away from Li Wei’s eyes.

"It does feel like I’ve been pricked by a needle." Li Wei squinted.

"In fact, the straight punch can be further classified into multiple types," Lisa slowly enunciated her words as she withdrew her fist. "The classic straight punch is a basic throwing action from a basic stance. Like this!"

She suddenly thrust her arm out, her front foot rapidly advancing. As she pulled her forearm back, she brought her other foot forward, resuming her stance.

"This is the basics. Besides this, there are other types of straight punches like the light straight punch, heavy straight punch, long-range straight punch, counter straight punch, and many more. You’ll naturally get the hang of these variations once you familiarize yourselves with the basic straight punch."

Lisa returned to her original position and continued explaining the punching techniques’ key points. Combat Techniques weren’t just about the upper body. They often required coordination with the practitioner’s feet, so doing the motions correctly was much harder than any of them imagined.

"Alright, today’s practice will be on the wooden training dummies." Lisa clapped her hands and asked the teaching assistant to take a group of students to fetch the props. A few minutes later, twenty wooden training dummies were neatly placed on one side.

The dummies were about 1.6 meters high and half the width of an adult. They were covered with a pale yellow layer of who knew what kind of leather, with straw and sponge stuffed underneath.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Practice with some basic punches first." With that, Lisa left the trainees and joined a middle-aged man, who was also wearing a Wind Elephant Sect training attire, under the tree. They chatted and occasionally pointed at the surroundings here and there.

Wham! Wham! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The trainees in gray and white attire each selected a dummy and started punching, showcasing their best form. Although enthusiastic, their movements were somewhat clumsy and stiff, nowhere close to the standard. Seeing this, the teaching assistant would then demonstrate the correct form beside them and sometimes step in to personally punch the dummies.

At the outer-edge of the group, Cassius was hitting the pale yellow dummy repeatedly, like the others around him. If there was one thing he did differently from the other trainees, it was that his eyes would subconsciously flick upward every few punches. He kept doing this until, finally, he heaved a long sigh of relief.

[Combat Technique (Beginner): 0.1%]

It was finally out. Seeing the progress bar was somehow really reassuring.

Li Wei has an average constitution, whereas Li Chu's is slightly below average. The siblings are somewhat talented in martial arts. Once their bodies develop and their foundation improves, there should be a period of rapid improvement. The progress bar should increase rather quickly then...

Cassius thought as he threw a straight punch, making the dummy shake a little.

For now, my goal is to eat more, train more.

"Raise your hands higher! Are you hitting the enemy's chest or their kidneys?" Lisa wound her way slowly through the crowd.

"Weak! And you call yourself a man?"

"Footwork! Footwork! I'm not asking for perfection, but you could, at the very least, have the right attitude. Coordinate your fists and footwork!"

Dressed in her beige training attire, Instructor Lisa walked through the group of trainees, each step bringing her closer and closer to Li Wei.

Li Wei did not say a word; he just punched faster and harder. From the moment they began, he had a feeling Lisa was coming over for the sole purpose of giving him trouble.

As it turned out, Li Wei's premonition was correct.

Instructor Lisa stayed by his side for ten whole minutes. Whenever Li Wei’s moves were slightly off, he would immediately receive a series of harsh scoldings, followed by a correction. The trainees around him couldn’t help gloating at his misfortune as they watched. Some even felt embarrassed for Li Wei.

However, Cassius felt differently.

Cassius understood that Lisa’s scolding, though unpleasant, allowed a beginner like him to learn quickly and effectively. The deeper the impression, the less likely he would make the same mistakes next time. She was

helping

him.

As the recipient of Lisa's "enthusiasm," it didn’t feel like she was an instructor teaching twenty people at once; it felt like she was his personal master. She seemed to treat him like her own disciple, after all.

So he listened very carefully. Whenever Lisa pointed out an improper action that was not meeting the standard, Cassius would try his best to correct it.

Bang!

A straight punch slammed into the leather surface of the training dummy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the text change.

[Combat Technique (Beginner): 0.2%]

In less than ten minutes, it had increased by 0.1%. In contrast, the first 0.1% that he had achieved by himself without any help had taken him nearly an hour. Who knew having the proper form and guidance from an experienced master could improve training efficiency so much?

Cassius became more motivated after seeing his visible progress. Each punch made the top of the training dummy tremble slightly.

Lisa nodded imperceptibly. She valued Li Wei’s determined and steadfast mentality, but with the youth training camp barely just beginning, she still had a long way to go before she could truly understand his character.

The sun inched closer to the horizon. The evening sky was full of clouds that spread out like a sea of golden waves, a vibrant orange line of fire extending beneath them. The distant horizon was glaringly red, causing the mountains under the sunset to appear blurry. The rays of sunlight bounced off the mountains and slowly descended upon the youth training camp.

"Dismissed. You can all go eat," Lisa said as she snapped her pocket watch shut.

The trainees around her immediately dispersed, all of them rushing toward the canteen. Only a thin figure remained behind on the training field, striking at the training dummy without pause. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t achieve the perfect form.

"Train well and monitor yourself." Lisa glanced at the panting Li Wei but didn't stay like she had at noon.

"Yes," Li Wei replied after taking a deep breath.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Once lively, the only sound that filled the training field was now the echoes of constant punching. Accompanying Cassius were the cool evening breeze, the swaying green trees, and the progress bar in the corner of his eye.

The orange sky soon darkened, and the clouds embraced a bright white moon. Stars dotted the night sky, joining the moon to cast its brilliant jade moonlight. Everything was gentle, serene, and quiet.

Cassius threw his last punch, his heart and mind as clear as day. He was starting to understand the meaning of single-mindedness.

[Combat Technique (Beginner): 1.0%]

"Wrap it up!"

1. loool... JOJO? ☜