After returning home, Lin Li took a shower, went to sleep, and woke up to find that it was already noon.
After a meal at the community cafeteria, which served a Chinese-style buffet, he went back home to continue translating the Eight-Section Body Training.
Time passed quickly. With the progress he had made earlier, the translation speed was much faster, and within two days, he was almost at the end of the translation.
Lin Li was feeling pretty good about it—the sense of accomplishment from working hard on the translation and getting the correct answers—until—
"Why is there an answer key at the end?!"
But Lin Li quickly realized something wasn't right. He had already skimmed through the material at the start. It was a long passage in modern language, and there was no way he would have missed it.
"Translation is a necessary process? The answers only show up once you 'comprehend' it yourself, so you don't make mistakes with the details?"
That made the martial arts technique seem smarter than the system itself.
It was a good thing, so Lin Li didn't think too much about it anymore.
The odd-numbered chapters (1, 3, 5, 7) didn't require the aid of spiritual energy, but the even-numbered chapters did.
The odd-numbered ones formed a body training technique, while the even-numbered ones formed a different set.
You could skip Chapter 2 without it affecting your progress with Chapter 3.
As for the great promise the technique made about reaching the limit of human physical ability—Lin Li figured that even without relying on spiritual energy, his body's capabilities could quickly increase and reach near-human limits.
Of course, this didn't include people like Fan Ma Yong Zhi or Lie Hai Wang (the latter having only a head and a baby's body and still surviving—Lin Li would never forget that image).
The spiritual energy chapters focused on transforming the body into a form that spiritual energy liked, making it like a fluffy ball of energy.
This would improve the efficiency of spiritual energy usage, making it easier to use or absorb spiritual energy later on—basically making one block of energy feel like two.
For Lin Li, this was more important than having hyper-sensitive energy-reactive skin.
After all, he was "poor."
Though, in his case, even splitting zero still left zero.
With the big promise ahead, Lin Li was more motivated than ever.
On Sunday morning, he practiced even more enthusiastically and, after completing his tasks, went for another round of training.
However, the result wasn't as satisfying as before. His body felt more tired, and his mind wasn't as refreshed.
Lin Li thought for a moment. The system's training schedule seemed to be the most suitable for him, so there was no need to overdo it.
But then Lin Li noticed something.
Old man Zhou was clearly trying to learn his technique secretly.
No respect for the elderly.
For the past two days, Lin Li had been practicing Tai Chi without actually practicing, or pretending to do so while keeping his peripheral vision on Zhou. Every time he took a short break, he noticed this.
At least Zhou was old, or else this might have been real secret admiration.
Perhaps because he was a martial artist, he could see the extraordinary nature of the Eight-Section Body Training at a glance.
Lin Li reminded himself not to underestimate people.
But Zhou's behavior was a bit too bold. Every time their eyes met, Zhou never showed any signs of fear, and he stared back with an aura of righteousness.
How could he steal the technique so confidently?
But Lin Li didn't plan to change his practice location. After all, Zhou had helped him complete a task, so Lin Li thought of it as giving him a bit of opportunity. Besides, it wasn't easy to secretly learn from someone, and if Zhou succeeded, Lin Li would admit he was impressed.
───
Sunday evening
Although it was still technically the weekend, for the students of Nansang High School, it felt like everything was already over.
When Lin Li entered the classroom, the students looked like their souls had left their bodies, the life completely drained from them.
Most of them were already sitting in their seats, staring at their weekend homework without moving a muscle.
The kids in the back, the abstract ones, were a bit different.
Not because they had finished their homework but because they were cherishing the last few minutes of freedom.
"Heaven above, if I listen to The Clock Reversed just once, can I go back to the weekend?" Bai Bufan was at the back of the classroom, loudly praying while standing on the storage cabinet.
"One listen probably won't cut it, but if you listen for five days, you can go back to the weekend," Lin Li replied, setting down his bag.
"..."
"Don't say it, you really are a genius at controlling time, Lin Li." Bai Bufan hesitated, then gave a thumbs up.
"Thanks... wait, what's up with you, Bao Wei? Did your yang energy get drained or something?" Lin Li walked over to see the dark circles under Zhou Bao Wei's eyes and clicked his tongue.
"He definitely spent the weekend as a terracotta warrior." Bai Bufan shrugged.
"Being a terracotta warrior is fine, guarding Ying Zheng is great, everyone understands that, but don't overindulge." Lin Li understood immediately, but still offered some advice.
"No way around it, Bao Wei's self-control is what it is. If he doesn't play Terracotta Warrior for a day, he accumulates good virtue; if he skips two days, he's accumulating sunny virtue." Bai Bufan sighed dramatically.
"Well, that's pretty hopeless." Lin Li nodded in agreement.
Beside them, Zhou Bao Wei had a dark look on his face: "Can you two stop spreading nonsense without asking the person involved? I just stayed up playing games all weekend!"
───
The conversation turns into a series of amusing exchanges between Lin Li and his friends, involving misunderstandings, teasing, and some playful jabs at each other's weekend activities. Then, the talk shifts to some gossip about a nearby massage parlor being shut down for providing illicit services, which Lin Li knew all too well.
"You guys are clueless," Lin Li thought smugly. He was the one who had gone through the whole experience, and yet his friends never suspected that the protagonist was right under their noses.
After a few more jokes, things get more chaotic. When classmates come in looking for a certain someone, Lin Li makes a quick move to lock the door, and his friends are left stunned.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Bai Bufan's voice wavers as he realizes what's happening.
"Because my worldview was shaped by Family Guy," Lin Li chuckled, satisfied with his little bit of mischief.