[Sandboxing: Entry-level (21%)]
The panel prompt appeared automatically, Chen Feng stopped his motions, gasping heavily, feeling the muscles all over his body sore and swollen, his lungs as if burning in scorching heat.
"My talent... seems really not that great."
Sweat fell into his mouth with a salty taste, the soaked clothes sticking to his body.
Chen Feng shook his head quietly, smacking his lips.
Two hours of practice, the progress only increased by a total of 1%.
It could be predicted that continuing to practice normally , to achieve the next level of proficiency, Sandboxing Mastery, might take several months.
Regarding this, Chen Feng wasn't too disappointed.
If the talent isn't there, it isn't there; anyway, he wasn't planning on relying solely on talent.
Then, he walked over to pick up the grey sports water bottle and quickly unscrewed the cap, taking big gulps.
The room temperature water felt exceptionally cool at this moment. After resting and recovering for a while, and when the class was over, he quickly headed to the changing room.
During the change of clothes, his stomach rumbled, Chen Feng felt hungry.
The afternoon's practice had taken a significant toll, the cells inside his body like greedy hungry wolves.
"How's your job hunt going?"
Lin Hao also came to the changing room, but he clearly took a shower first, his short hair damp.
"Still looking." Chen Feng paused in his movements, but did not hide his current situation.
Moreover, he remembered, Lin Hao this guy, seemed to be a recent college graduate as well, also jobless.
Nodding lightly, Lin Hao changed his clothes and didn't ask further.
Then, as if he thought of something, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice: "By the way, have you heard something?"
"I heard that the Martial Arts Hall is planning to expand recruitment of Core Students, and they will assess us after this training session ends."
"If you pass... you know."
Shoulders tapped by Lin Hao, Chen Feng raised his eyebrows.
Core Student of the Martial Arts Hall?
This was different from their current status as ordinary students.
They were paying fees, only with which could they use the equipment and facilities of the Martial Arts Hall and receive coaching at fixed times.
But for Core Students, not only can they enjoy everything they currently have for free, but in future Martial Arts competitions, they would also receive help and free recommendations from the Martial Arts Hall team.
And, most importantly,
Core Students would also have the chance to be exposed to the true Martial Arts Sect.
Different from ordinary combat sports such as Sandboxing and Jujitsu, those were unique martial arts skills that belonged to Yanwu Gym.
Although the original body had never seen it, it had seen the duels of other Martial Arts Sects on the broadcasts of boxing matches on television.
Fists could smash bricks, will could shake steel.
With a gleam in his eyes, Chen Feng nodded.
But he soon felt something was amiss.
"How did you know about it?" he asked Lin Hao.
Shrugging his shoulders, Lin Hao had an indifferent expression.
Also at this moment, Chen Feng suddenly realized, he never really knew much about the other person.
Although both were unemployed college graduates, he knew nothing about the other's family background, among other things.
Waving his hand, Lin Hao left nonchalantly.
Watching his retreating figure, Chen Feng didn't probe further.
Shaking his head, he too left the Martial Arts Hall after a while and took the bus home.
"Beef's almost gone, so are the eggs, looks like I need to go to the supermarket to restock tomorrow."
Sitting at the wooden dining table inside the house, Chen Feng finished his dinner contentedly.
Feeling full gave him a sense of security, but glancing at the mere thousand yuan left in his phone's bank account, a sense of urgency about surviving crept in.
"I won't look at job ads anymore; I'll try my luck tomorrow."
"First, I'll check out the supermarket cashier, if that doesn't work, then the bar, or maybe do delivery..."
As the thought passed, Chen Feng intended to balance boxing practice with his work.
There's still a week left of classes at the Martial Arts Hall, and with what Lin Hao mentioned today about becoming a Core Student, he was intrigued and wouldn't dream of missing a training session.
Thus, to keep the afternoon free, his job options were quite limited.
With his plan set, Chen Feng's mind was clear.
Soon, flipping through his phone, he quickly contacted the recruiters and successfully arranged a meeting for the next day.
Gradually, as the sky outside darkened, the noise from downstairs lessened.
Fatigue washed over him, and Chen Feng put down his phone and rolled over.
His consciousness began to sink as he fell asleep.
Before long, when he opened his eyes again, he saw a world that had quietly changed.
"Back here again, huh."
Looking at the abstract human oil paintings on the wall and the white-yellow plush carpet on the floor.
Chen Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
He was initially worried that the changes in last night's Dream Realm might cause unfavorable circumstances, preventing him from entering here again.
It seems he was overthinking it.
Without further delay, knowing that time in the Dream Realm was precious and limited, he quickly got up, stepped on the carpet, and walked to the red lacquered wooden door.
He slightly bent down and peered through the peephole.
The environment was empty and eerily silent.
Immediately, twisting the doorknob, Chen Feng smoothly opened the door.
Outside was a clean corridor with two rooms across, both closed with red wooden doors.
The floor was made of dark brown solid wood; looking along the corridor, he saw different ends.
To the right was a sealed gray wall, also adorned with an oil painting.
To the left, an expansive living room.
A larger and more exquisite crystal chandelier gave off a warm light.
Below was a brown leather sofa and a solid wood coffee table.
Chen Feng moved towards the living room slowly and quickly spotted a projector hanging from the ceiling and a screen on the white wall opposite.
The equipment hadn't been turned on; besides the lighting, there were no other sources of light or noise in the room.
Chen Feng touched the sofa with his hand, then saw the dust on his fingers.
This was the same as the rest of the room, including the coffee table, and table, et cetera, covered with a thin layer of dust.
This confirmed Chen Feng's guess.
"It looks like, indeed, no one's here."
His expression slightly relaxed; Chen Feng turned to look at the large red wooden door and the carved windows on either side.
Outside, the sky was also pitch black, as if thick black fog covered all light.
The house felt like it was the only remaining place in the world, causing Chen Feng to feel somewhat oppressed.
Thinking for a moment.
He soon slowed down and opened the two rooms he saw earlier.
The first was a bedroom, similar to his previous room but more spacious.
Again, no one was there, and no discoveries were made.
The red wooden door opened.
Rows of bookshelves were placed against the walls, and a wilted plant stood in the corner.
Beneath the window was a dusty wooden desk and chair, plus two light groups that caught Chen Feng's eye.
Both were the size of fists, each hovering over the wooden desk and chair.
The one on the desk was light red, identical to yesterday's Breakthrough Light Group.
The one on the chair, however, was pure white, like a bundle of warm jade emitting a soft light.
Seeing this, Chen Feng was somewhat surprised.
He quickly looked around, reigning in his excitement.
After ensuring there were no dangers, he then stepped forward and touched the two light groups, one after the other.