Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

He found a piece of wood nearby.

Zhang Beixing tied his weighted vest to the wooden stake to increase its stability, then immediately sank it into the water.

When the stake hit the water, it created ripples.

Zhang Beixing stretched out his hand to test the water temperature, confirming it was suitable and not too harsh.

He put his phone, wallet, and other valuables in his bag, took off his shirt, and then walked into the lake.

Initially stepping into the lake, Zhang Beixing felt a bit uncomfortable. A chill ran up from his calves all the way to the top of his head.

But soon, the Qi and Blood flowing inside him began to exert its power.

With a shiver, Zhang Beixing expelled the chill from his body. A warm sensation filled him, allowing him to quickly adapt to the temperature of the lake water.

Once adapted, Zhang Beixing pushed the wooden stake forward as he walked.

Different from practicing punches on a raft before, this time, Zhang Beixing did not go to a particularly deep part of the water. Instead, near the shore, he found a spot where the water just barely covered his shoulders and chose this as the place to set the stake.

After fixing the wooden stake and feeling the waves splashing against his neck, Zhang Beixing swallowed. Then, submerged, he assumed the starting stance of Yue Family's Continuous Fist.

Then, aiming at the wooden stake in front of him, he threw a punch!

"GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE—"

His fist moved through the water, creating layers of ripples.

Affected by the water resistance, Zhang Beixing's punch was incredibly slow. Seventy percent of his strength was dissipated by the water as he threw the punch, with only thirty percent hitting the wooden stake.

"THUD—"

With a muffled sound from the water, the solid wooden stake tilted backward slightly but was quickly righted by the returning current.

Looking at the shaky, completely unharmed wooden stake, Zhang Beixing fell into deep contemplation for a moment.

Indeed, he knew that hitting a wooden stake in water was difficult, let alone shattering it—that was demanding the impossible.

But damn, does it have to be this difficult!

I gave it my all with a serious punch, and all it did was shake a little? Just a little shake?!

Zhang Beixing's mouth twitched; he found it hard to accept.

Then, disbelieving, he threw another punch.

"THUD—"

Another muffled sound. This time was somewhat different because the wooden stake didn't even shake. The force of Zhang Beixing's punch had perfectly balanced the force of the returning water, and the wooden stake stood perfectly still!

"..."

Hey! I refuse to believe I can't handle you, this blasted wooden stake!

Repeated failures frustrated Zhang Beixing, even making him flush slightly.

After all, Yue Family's Continuous Fist was the most profound and impressive skill Zhang Beixing currently possessed. And now, this skill, in which he had placed great hopes—his most profound and impressive ability—couldn't even handle a blasted wooden stake. The impact on Zhang Beixing was akin to 'Wu Zetian losing her husband, Emperor Li Zhi'—a devastating blow!

"WHOOSH—"

Water at the edge of the shore was stirred up, and waves surged, crazily slapping against the bank. Splashed water droplets drew a small rainbow in the air, but it quickly vanished.

Zhang Beixing stood amidst the currents, his hair plastered to his scalp. Regardless of how the waves in front and behind hit him, he remained unmoved.

It had to be said that his stance was truly stable, especially in this still lake; there was no possibility of him falling.

His gaze was fixed on the wooden stake in front of him.

Drawing Bows to Punch, Swaying Boat in the Waves, Double Dragons Emerging from Caves, Moving Mountains and Filling Seas, Double Hammer Bell...

The moves of Yue Family's Continuous Fist were executed one after another.

Zhang Beixing fought more and more fiercely. The water around him grew more tumultuous.

"BANG BANG BANG—"

The wooden stake suffered the attacks, emitting a series of dull thuds. It swayed precariously in the water but was never actually damaged, as the water dissipated most of the force.

On the other hand, although Zhang Beixing's punches were fierce and each strike lethal, in reality, his strength was superficial, and he was already exhausted within. So much so that before he had completed even half the Yue Family's Continuous Fist sequence, seventy percent of his stamina was depleted.

Then, a heavy wave pushed back. Like a lake god's punishment for the disrespectful, it struck Zhang Beixing's body heavily. This made him sigh; giving up, he simply leaned back and lay on the lake, drifting with the current.

The world quieted down.

Zhang Beixing just floated on the artificial lake, staring blankly at the sky.

The sky at eight in the morning was beautiful. Because it hadn't reached noon, a hint of red glow could still be seen in the distance, adding a gradient of beauty to the blue sky.

Birds flew by overhead, emitting crisp, ethereal sounds.

Leaves and petals were swept up by the wind, twirling as they fell onto the lake's surface, creating ripples.

Listening to the "GURGLE, GURGLE" sound of the water by his ears, Zhang Beixing lay on the water, looking up at the sky, reflecting on his own problems.

I was too hasty! Zhang Beixing muttered to himself.

If it were only a bowl or a bucket of water, he could have contended with it. But now, he was facing an entire lake. Even if he influenced less than one percent of this lake water, it was still far beyond what Zhang Beixing could currently control. And even if he did manage to control that, what about the remaining ninety-nine percent? What then?

You can't row a boat upstream. You have to go with the flow. Zhang Beixing thought.

Just as he delved deeper into how to best go with the flow, a shout came from the distant shore, interrupting Zhang Beixing's thoughts.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

"Swimming is not allowed in the school's artificial lake—get out!"

He adjusted his body to look. He saw a middle-aged man in a security uniform, drawn by the commotion, now standing on the opposite bank, shouting angrily at Zhang Beixing.

Seeing this, Zhang Beixing, without bothering to put on his shirt or grab his bag, swam directly to the other side where he usually practiced his martial arts, climbed onto the shore, and, before the security guard could reach him, took off running.

Soon, he had disappeared from sight. Seeing his speed, the security guard, who had initially thought of giving chase, wisely abandoned the idea. He merely took his walkie-talkie to inform other guards that someone had been swimming in the artificial lake and to place a warning sign, then walked away, hands behind his back.

「Half an hour later,」

Zhang Beixing emerged from nearby. He looked around, making sure no guards were watching, then quickly returned to where he had been training, grabbed his bag and clothes, and left.

After returning to the dorm and taking a shower, Zhang Beixing tossed his soaked pants into the washing machine. He hand-washed his underwear.

After half an hour of busyness, Zhang Beixing had finally sorted everything out and then headed to the cafeteria.

「On the way,」

Zhang Beixing passed by the sports field. He noticed quite a crowd gathered there.

A man in a collared jacket was speaking on stage. His mouth spewed empty phrases like "glory," "proud of you," and "Shishi's prestige."

Zhang Beixing listened for a moment, found it uninteresting, and left.

By the time he had eaten and drunk his fill and returned, he found that someone was still speaking on the field. The only difference was that the speaker had shifted from Shishi's top leader to a burly, dark-skinned man in Meihua brand sportswear with a crew cut.

Unlike the earlier leaders' convoluted statements, this man spoke succinctly:

"Good morning, classmates. I am Kang Gu, a professor from the Shishi Sports Institute's Department of Physical Education and a former national-level athlete. You can call me Coach Gu."

"Starting today, for the next fourteen days, I will serve as your chief instructor, crafting a specialized training schedule for each of you, aimed at achieving significant breakthroughs in the shortest time possible."

"But this process will be extremely challenging and full of hardships, and I hope you can persevere."

"Strive to obtain excellent results at the Northern River provincial competition on May twenty-ninth!"

"Do not waste your youth or your passion; leave no regrets in your life."

"That is all I have to say. Thank you for listening patiently. Please welcome the leader to speak again!"

After finishing, amidst a round of applause, Kang Gu bowed slightly to the audience and handed the microphone back to the senior leader. He stood aside, waiting for the leader to conclude.

From the stands, hearing the leaders launch into another long-winded, pointless speech, Zhang Beixing raised an eyebrow. He then pulled a bag of chips from Lin Siqi's cart, opened it, and started eating with a "CRUNCH, CRUNCH."

While eating, Zhang Beixing asked, "Sister Qi, how long have they been rambling on like this?"

"Almost an hour now, why?" Lin Siqi took a few chips from the bag Zhang Beixing had opened and ate them as she spoke.

"Ah, nothing, just curious. Do you think these big leaders' mouths work differently from ours?"

"It's just a training ceremony."

"A normal person would say a few words, offer some encouragement, and be done with it."

"But when it's their turn, my goodness, they open their mouths and drone on and on, each for at least ten minutes, and not a single word of it hits the mark. What do you think they're aiming for?"

Hearing this, Lin Siqi shrugged, indicating that as a mere vendor at the sports field, what could she possibly know about such matters.

The pair listened to the senior leader's speech for a good ten minutes.

Finally, the senior leader, seemingly reluctant, concluded his speech and declared the training officially started.

After he finished speaking, the students standing below, who had been listening, visibly brightened; one could imagine how excruciating the past hour of speeches had been for them.

And Zhang Beixing, having heard the leader's speech, knew the time was right. He shoved the remaining chips into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

Then, mimicking a leader's demeanor, he patted Lin Siqi's shoulder and said, "Xiao Lin, get up! The big leader's finished. It's our turn to get to work!"