The next morning.
Ling Feng got up early to check the panel information.
Name: Ling Feng
Life Chart: Coasting Along
Profession: Senior Year Martial Dao Student
Combat Power: 8.13991
Coasting Along Value: 29
Basic Spear Skill Thirteen Forms: Mastery (100/100)
Tidal Breathing Method: Entry Level (25/100)
Ability: All-weather Breathing and Exhaling Ability, each arm can increase any level of strength by 200 kilograms.
Ling Feng was surprised to see that his combat power had significantly changed, and even the entry level value of the Tidal Breathing Method had gone from (13/100) to (25/100).
This was just the change in one night.
What surprised him most was that the Coasting Along Value suddenly increased by 29 points.
"It must be because I refused Teacher Yang's help to break through the spear technique at a crucial moment, essentially taking coasting along to the extreme, which immediately awarded me so many points,"
Ling Feng muttered to himself.
He increasingly understood that only by coasting along, not striving, not struggling, not competing, not worrying, and happily living each day could he achieve a life turnaround.
So he added all 29 points of the Coasting Along Value into his spear skills at once.
Combat Power: 9.28812
Coasting Along Value: None
Basic Spear Skill Thirteen Forms: Minor Achievement (29/100)
Ling Feng was delighted to see that as his basic spear skills advanced from mastery to minor achievement, his combat power immediately reached 9.28812, which directly improved by more than one point compared to before.
He knew that both skill improvement and physical condition changes could enhance combat power, but he didn't expect that advancing basic spear skills from mastery to minor achievement would result in such a significant leap.
"Ling Feng, get up and eat, it's time for school,"
Came the voice of his second uncle Zhang Lei from the doorway.
"Oh, okay."
After a while, Ling Feng and Zhang Qingqing sat around the table eating yellow millet porridge, accompanied by two plates of fried earthworms.
Earthworms in the previous life were called earthworms.
In this life, due to nuclear radiation's influence, earthworms can grow to be as thick as a thumb and are a primary source of meat for poor families.
The earthworms were fried into strips, crispy and delicious.
At this moment, Zhang Lei came and dropped a potion into Ling Feng and Zhang Qingqing's bowls.
"Second uncle,"
Ling Feng quickly removed his bowl, knowing it was nutrient liquid, but his hand was held down by Zhang Lei.
"You and Qingqing are both like my children; whatever Qingqing has, you have too,"
Zhang Lei said.
"Second uncle, I don't need it."
"Hurry and drink the porridge; the potency will evaporate if you're late."
Zhang Lei didn't care what Ling Feng said.
Ling Feng looked to his second aunt Liu Feng, who was distressed over the half bottle of nutrient liquid. The nutrient liquid was invaluable. Even though Zhang Lei's job was delivering to the Great Radiation Zone's development factories, and his income was relatively high in the West Warehouse District, a bottle of nutrient liquid required the family to go without eating or drinking for a year and would take several years to save up for.
Furthermore, they had already exhausted their savings to sponsor Zhang Tiesheng, hiring private tutors to help him enter the nuclear power plant.
But with the situation as it was, Liu Feng, though unwilling, could only say, "Eat up, finish early, and go to school to cultivate; don't waste your second uncle's good intentions. Your second uncle borrowed high-interest loans last night to buy this bottle of nutrient liquid for you two."
"What are you blabbering on about?"
Zhang Lei glared.
"You're no longer an Elemental Martial Artist; how many more times can you go to the Great Radiation Zone? I wonder how you'll repay the high-interest loans?"
Liu Feng said angrily.
"Can you say a little less?"
Zhang Lei said in frustration.
"Dad, Mom, I'm still half a year away from turning eighteen. As long as I pass the assessment, the school will grant me a scholarship, which I can use to repay the loans."
Zhang Qingqing quickly finished a bowl of yellow millet porridge and said.
"You know how much a bottle of nutrient liquid costs; even your brother couldn't bear to use it. Even if you get the scholarship, how much could it be?"
Liu Feng said disdainfully.
Ling Feng picked up the millet porridge, eating while murmuring, "I'll get it too."
The three simultaneously glanced at Ling Feng.
Zhang Qingqing rolled her eyes, took two pieces of fried earthworm strips, and walked toward the door.
Liu Feng stayed silent, tidying up the living room.
"Keep it up, second uncle believes in you,"
Zhang Lei, fearing Ling Feng would lose his motivation, encouraged him.
Ling Feng quickly finished his breakfast and, at the residential area gate, took the hover nuclear tram with Zhang Qingqing to the Ninth High School.
On the tram, Zhang Qingqing intentionally sat far from Ling Feng.
Upon reaching the school gate, she remembered how valuable a bottle of nutrient liquid was. If Ling Feng was still like before, it would waste something so precious.
Pained by Zhang Lei's hard-earned money, Zhang Qingqing finally couldn't help but ask, "What you said during breakfast, about getting a scholarship, was it true?"
"True,"
Ling Feng nodded.
"How will you get it?"
Zhang Qingqing asked.
"This..."
Ling Feng racked his brain. If he said he'd coast along like before, Zhang Qingqing would surely get upset, so he organized his thoughts and said, "Live in the moment, don't aim too high, proceed steadily, consistently doing one thing well, leading to qualitative change through quantitative change."
Zhang Qingqing furrowed her brows. Ling Feng's words sounded impeccable but didn't sit right with her.
"I hope you don't disappoint my dad,"
Zhang Qingqing, realistically not expecting Ling Feng to become a rank-entry Martial Artist within two months, pass assessments, earn a scholarship, and continue cultivating at school, did not hope for it.
But having lived with Ling Feng for several years, essentially, Ling Feng was family to her, and Zhang Qingqing didn't want Ling Feng to die on the front lines.
"Mm."
The two walked to their respective classes, splitting up near the cultivation rooms.
Not arriving early or leaving late was one of the Coasting Along requirements. Upon reaching his class's cultivation room, Ling Feng didn't rush in.
Today's lessons consisted of three parts. The first part was Teacher Yang Liru leading the students in breathing exercises, attempting to awaken their Qi Sensitivity.
The second part was another teacher leading the group in basic spear technique cultivation, trying to bring the spear technique to the Mortal Realm.
The third part was cultural studies.
As class began, Ling Feng entered the classroom.
Having been irritated by Ling Feng the previous night, Yang Liru completely ignored him today, believing he was beyond hope; otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly backed off when his spear technique was about to break through.
Someone like Ling Feng was deemed worthless, only to be sent to the front lines to experience life and death, hoping for a complete awakening.
So in the breathing technique class, seeing Ling Feng behaving as usual—carefree, often distracted, murmuring to himself—Yang Liru pretended not to notice.
"A bottle of nutrient liquid costs 200,000; second uncle's annual salary is under 80,000. Cousin just started working, clearly unable to help."
"Second aunt is right; second uncle is no longer an Elemental Martial Artist and won't be able to run to the Great Radiation Zone a few more times."
"I need to figure out a way to help second uncle with this money."
"According to school rules, even becoming a rank-entry Martial Artist only grants a 50,000 scholarship, which won't be enough to help second uncle. Now it seems the only way is to participate in the Star Ranking, like Teng Qingshan and Hu Bin, to win various rewards."
Ling Feng was constantly pondering how to help Zhang Lei repay the high-interest loans and change his family's situation. Throughout the day, his mind wasn't on cultivation, and he barely listened to his teacher, earning him a few more Coasting Along points.