Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

night.

Shen You crawled out from a pile of white thighs.

"Damn it, can't you wear an extra pair of pants when you sleep?!"

Shen You cursed and kicked the thigh of a hemp-cloth-clad apprentice.

This is the large dormitory where the apprentices in hemp clothing live. At night, almost everyone wears short trousers, exposing their thick legs. The various unsightly sights often make Shen You frown.

"She's not my sister, why is she dressed so scantily?"

Blindfolded, Shen You cautiously made her way to the entrance of the main room. Just as she was about to step out, a groggy voice came from behind her:

"Shen You, what are you doing out so late?"

Shen You turned around and saw that it was his older brother, who was sharing a bed with him, leaning forward and asking him a sleepy question.

Shen You cursed inwardly for meddling, but replied nonchalantly, "I need to pee!"

"Need to pee?" The burly man looked at Shen You suspiciously, then suddenly asked, "You're not thinking of sneaking out to practice your martial arts, are you?"

"How could that be!" Shen You pretended to be amused by him. "You know my aptitude. What good would secretly practicing for a few hours do? Don't worry, I'm just going out to relieve myself. I'll be right back."

"Oh, then hurry back!"

"Okay, go to sleep! Lie down, don't catch a cold!"

After finally managing to coax the older brother to sleep, Shen You wiped away her sweat and quietly went to the courtyard.

It was late at night, the moon was dark, and the wind was high.

This is the perfect time to practice!

Just now during dinner, Shen You's physical constitution level rose to 100, and all sorts of incredible changes occurred in his body.

He felt that his physical condition had improved, his senses had become more acute, and his control over his body had become more precise.

"My aptitude has crossed a hurdle and improved dramatically! If I had to name my aptitude level, my previous aptitude would probably be 'average,' but now it's 'just average'!"

The improvement in his qualifications gave Shen You an unprecedented sense of hope.

He immediately wanted to come back and practice his skills.

However, in this outer courtyard, if there were no instructors like Guard Xue supervising, anyone who tried to practice martial arts on their own would be attacked by the entire group.

After all, nobody else is practicing, and you're the only one practicing. Are you trying to secretly surpass everyone else?

Will you be allowed to surpass that?

So once someone is discovered practicing secretly or adding extra training sessions, what awaits him is a barrage of attacks and harassment.

Bringing a few people to cause trouble, like Wang Hu did, is child's play.

Some people, when it comes to their future, can be so ruthless that they'll throw excrement at you.

If you take a proper shower, the whole day will be gone, so there's no need to worry about you having time to practice secretly.

Therefore, you must never let anyone discover that you are secretly practicing martial arts, and you must never let anyone discover that you have better opportunities for advancement.

The small inner courtyard was a place of intrigue and backstabbing, comparable to the power struggles in the imperial court.

Therefore, Shen You only dared to secretly come out to practice his skills when it was late at night and everyone was quiet.

"No matter what, they would never guess that my talent has transcended levels; my path to advancement has been opened!"

"Tonight I will break through!"

"Who can stop me!"

Shen You assumed a horse stance, adopting the "White Ape Stance," his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.

The "White Ape Stance" emphasizes "flexible spine, strong tendons and bones, and external relaxation with internal tension." Although Shen You had memorized this formula by heart, he actually found it difficult to understand its subtleties.

But now, as soon as he settled into the "White Ape Stance," he immediately felt a completely new change happening within him. He could clearly perceive the tremors in his muscles, the movement of his bones, and the stretching of his fascia. Every tiny change in every part of his body seemed to be within his senses.

This was a sight never before seen. To Shen You, it felt as if he had suddenly entered a completely new world, where everything before him was brand new.

"So this is what the prodigies see!"

"...No, with a talent stat of 100, would that qualify me as a prodigy?"

"Forget it, whatever! This is what true cultivation is all about!"

When Xue, the guard, used to teach Shen You, he often instructed him to "bend his knees slightly, without collapsing or stiffening them; keep his spine like a bow, with his chest slightly concave and his ribs tightly bound; let his arms hang loosely, with his elbows suspended and his palms clasped."

Shen You couldn't help but question how many centimeters the knees should bend, how the spine could be bent like a bow, and how the arms could be relaxed but not tight enough. Did you have a unified standard?

The result was often a slap from Guard Xue: "You brat, you talk too much!"

Shen You initially thought that Guard Xue knew the facts but not the reasons behind them; he possessed great skills but had no ability to teach others.

But it was only then that I realized that with standing meditation, you either understand it or you don't.

Just like now, Shen You stood in place and naturally felt that his knees should bend a little more. His spine was already bent into a strong bow without him having to pay special attention. His arms were slightly lowered and his palms were clasped. With just a little concentration, he naturally exuded the agile charm of a monkey.

"So that's how it is! This is the 'White Ape Stance'!"

"This is the real 'White Ape Stance'!"

What did you practice before?

They've wasted their time training the dog!

Shen You was overjoyed, and at the same time finally understood just how bad she had been before.

It's like learning to sing; some people are born with the ability to tell the difference in pitch between each note.

Some people can pick their ears until they're raw and still not be able to tell the difference.

If you understand, you understand; if you don't, you don't.

That's what qualifications are!

At this moment, Shen You found the correct way to practice the stance, and his progress in the "White Ape Stance" increased rapidly.

【White Ape Stance (Beginner 59/100)】

【White Ape Stance (Beginner 62/100)】

【…】

【White Ape Stance (Beginner 71/100)】

In just over an hour, Shen You's progress in the "White Ape Stance" increased by more than ten points.

"What incredible talent!"

Shen You was almost in tears.

When you first start practicing the "White Ape Stance," it's very fast, but after you get the hang of it, every step forward requires talent and aptitude.

Without the necessary qualifications, it requires a long period of hard work.

Based on Shen You's previous progress, it might take several hours to make any progress.

The current speed is already dozens of times faster than before.

This is what it means to break through that barrier. Once the limitation is broken, the speed of training can be described as drastically different.

Shen You continued practicing until she could no longer continue, at which point she finally stopped.

He let out a long breath, his body relaxed, and he collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat.

Standing meditation is also a form of physical exertion. Each session of standing meditation is extremely physically demanding and requires a lot of nourishment.

However, Shen You had never been this tired before. If he didn't have the talent, he wouldn't even be able to experience this feeling of being completely drained of energy.

"So satisfying! And I'm so hungry! I feel like I could eat a whole cow right now!"

Shen You was panting heavily, and at the same time, she felt an unprecedented emptiness in her stomach. She had eaten a full dinner, but now she was hungry again.

"I need to eat in order to continue practicing!"

Shen You frowned, experiencing for the first time the troubles that belonged to a "prodigy".

"But where can we get food?"

Just then, Shen You had a sudden thought and remembered the "confidante" she had just met.

"Auntie, help me!"

Shen You got up and groped her way out of the yard.