After leaving the secret chamber, Lin Qing walked through the specialized corridor made of glass and metal and took the elevator to depart. When he returned to the second team’s office on the first floor, both Team Leader Han and Qin Qin were there.
"Finished learning the Combat Technique?" Team Leader Han glanced at him.
"Yes, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to master the basics yet," Lin Qing said.
He didn't have much confidence. After all, the success rate for mastering the basics of the Free Body Series Combat Technique was only 4.1%. Even though the hoarse voice had told him he had a thirty or forty percent chance, that was still just thirty or forty percent.
"You still have a chance as long as the visualization image in your mind hasn't faded," Team Leader Han said. "These few days are when your visualization is at its clearest, which is when the possibility of mastering the basics is highest. If you can't master it within these days, there will be even less hope once the memory blurs."
Lin Qing nodded slightly.
"The key is mastering the basics," Team Leader Han continued. "Once you've mastered the basics, it gets much simpler. As long as you slowly accumulate practice and become familiar with the variations of the Combat Technique, you’ll be able to exert forty or fifty percent of its true power. As for anything higher?" He shook his head slightly, "That will depend on fate."
Lin Qing understood what he meant. The first step was "mastering the basics." The second step was "grasping," where frequent practice eventually leads to familiarity with the variations; once grasped, one could exert nearly half of the technique’s theoretical power. The third step, "instinct," was required to unleash the full theoretical power, which meant integrating the technique into one's instincts until it became a part of the body. This was the hardest hurdle; many people practiced for ten or twenty years without ever succeeding.
"However, if I fail to master the basics, can I learn the same Combat Technique again?" Lin Qing suddenly asked.
"Learn it again?" Team Leader Han looked at him and said, "Theoretically, yes. But if you fail the first time, it shows your talent for this particular technique is average. Even if you do master it later, it will take a long time to become familiar with it." Seemingly afraid Lin Qing might lose heart, he patiently added, "Someone who masters the basics on their first try might grasp it in six months to a year, but it might take you several years or longer. Furthermore, once you’ve learned it, switching to another series will be affected. If you fail the first time, you’d be better off trying a new technique."
Lin Qing nodded slightly and said, "I understand."
Of course, he still intended to stick with learning the "Agility" Combat Technique. Because he was different. Others thought that way because they weren't sure if they could train a technique to the "instinct" level. But as long as he could master the basics, he could directly advance his "Agility" technique to the "instinct" level. By doing so, learning other techniques in the Free Body Series would gain a bonus, making it much easier to master the basics next time. As long as he had enough merit, even if the memory in his mind blurred, he could learn it again to refresh it. With enough time, he would eventually master it.
That was his plan. So, failing once didn't matter; he could just continue next time.
"Lin Qing, which Combat Technique are you learning?" Qin Qin asked curiously.
"Xiao Qin, that’s a secret." Team Leader Han shot her a look.
"Oh, I forgot." Qin Qin immediately covered her mouth, "Pretend I didn't ask."
Lin Qing understood. Even if he were to reveal it, he could only tell the team leader, as the leader had to plan operations based on the strengths of the team members.
***
Days passed. In addition to practicing the 46th Edition Chaoyang Practice Method three times a day, studying for the exam, and patrolling at night, Lin Qing constantly tried to master the new Combat Technique. With his current photographic memory and the "Memory Master" ability, stabilizing the visualization was easy.
The difficulty lay in what followed. Theoretically, the mental state brought about by visualization could allow the Mysterious Energy within his body to simulate human bioelectricity, only much stronger. Only by succeeding in this step could one be considered to have mastered the basics. After that, one could use this simulated bioelectricity to stimulate the body and nerve conduction, enhancing electrical signals and allowing the body to gradually adapt. Whether one could master the basics depended on the individual; talent, luck, compatibility, and state of mind all played a role.
"Although it doesn't matter if I fail, it would be best if I could succeed on the first try."
"A thirty or forty percent chance isn't too low..."
As the days went by and he kept trying, Lin Qing felt the Mysterious Energy in his body becoming increasingly restless, even causing a faint tingling sensation. It seemed... he was just a hair's breadth away from successfully simulating it into bioelectricity. But that tiny margin was enough to keep him from succeeding, and the fact that he still hadn't mastered the basics left Lin Qing feeling helpless.
Still, there was no point in worrying about it if he couldn't master it.
"I hope I can succeed before the visualization image blurs. Otherwise, I'll have to wait for the next time..."
Lin Qing’s mindset was quite relaxed. With a 4.1% success rate, he was naturally prepared for failure. If it really didn't work, he could simply advance the 77th Edition Practice Method, which would still provide decent self-defense. After all, with the "Anti-Entropist" talent, as long as he seized the opportunities, his achievements wouldn't be too bad.
***
In the blink of an eye, it was the night of December 24th, and he would be taking the professional exam tomorrow. At eight o'clock in the evening, his cousin, Chen Yanan, suddenly sent a WeChat message asking him to come to the hospital; she wanted to give him some pointers for the exam in person.
Xiaoshan District People's Hospital.
"Cousin, the exam is tomorrow, and you're only telling me the key points today?" Lin Qing sat beside the hospital bed, feeling a bit helpless, holding a fruit knife as he peeled an apple for Chen Yanan.
"The key points I'm talking about aren't things from a book." Chen Yanan leaned against the headboard and rolled her eyes at him. "It would have been useless to tell you earlier."
"Fine." Lin Qing cut the peeled apple and handed half to Chen Yanan. "So, what are they?"
Chen Yanan took the apple, took a bite, and said with a smile, "It's very simple: a lower score on the written exam will be to your benefit."
"A lower score on the written exam?" Lin Qing asked, puzzled. "Why?"
Chen Yanan glanced at the hospital room door before whispering, "After you join the Patrol Department, it won't be long before they form a team for you, and the City Bureau will assign team members to you, right?" She took another bite of the apple and asked, "Do you know how the City Bureau usually arranges things when they encounter a new team leader like you?"
"The branch bureau must be short-handed, so they'll probably transfer new patrol officers over from the City Bureau, right?" Lin Qing said.
"Correct." Chen Yanan nodded. "But the key is that leaders at the City Bureau often arrange for well-connected juniors to 'gild' their resumes at the Patrol Bureau, so they can later use this experience to transfer laterally into other security systems or the military and land a better position."
Lin Qing nodded. He had heard about this recently while chatting with his colleagues in the second team. Because the patrol system was essentially about looking for trouble, it was relatively easy to earn merit. As long as one had enough merit, one could learn Combat Techniques, which was a huge temptation. Thus, it was not uncommon for the children of the elite to "gild" their resumes in the patrol system and then use their connections to transfer to other departments. It looked like a lateral move, but it was actually a promotion. After all, one couldn't have a patrol officer who had learned Combat Techniques just go on to be an ordinary military officer or a regular policeman, could they?
"These privileged juniors who come to gild their resumes love team leaders who aren't academically strong," Chen Yanan said. "They haven't learned any Combat Techniques, so they have no advantage over you in combat. Moreover, they have to take your orders, so they prefer you, the team leader, to be academically weak and have little knowledge; that way, they have a better chance of grabbing a larger share of the merit."
Lin Qing was puzzled. "Doesn't that just mean they're here to steal merit? Shouldn't I be aiming for a high score then?"
"They are here for merit, but this is also your opportunity," Chen Yanan explained. "These juniors almost all have strong backgrounds and certainly know more information than you do. Since they are here to gild their resumes, they naturally come prepared."
Lin Qing understood. In the half-month he had been in the Patrol Bureau, he’d only had one stroke of luck on the first day, earning a Third-Class Merit; he hadn't encountered such a good opportunity since. But those who were there to gild their resumes might know exactly where the opportunities to earn merit were. Even if he were just tagging along to share the credit, he could accumulate merit much faster.
"This is a good thing," Chen Yanan said. "So, keep your written exam score as low as possible, but perform as well as you can in other assessments, like marksmanship, combat, and physical fitness. When those gilded juniors see your scores, they’ll feel safe following you and will prioritize choosing your team."
"Okay, I understand." Lin Qing nodded. No wonder his cousin wanted to tell him this in person; such matters were truly not convenient to discuss over a phone. For the authorities, so-called personal privacy was just the Emperor's New Clothes. "Cousin, your score on the patrol professional exam was so low—was that also because..." Lin Qing suddenly realized.
"Oh, that's not it." Chen Yanan lifted her chin slightly. "Do you think a poor student like me, who didn't even score three hundred on the college entrance exam, needs to deliberately keep her score that low?"
"...You’re quite proud of that," Lin Qing was speechless.
"By the way, didn't you get a Third-Class Merit through sheer luck?" Chen Yanan suddenly asked. "Adding the two Third-Class Merits I gave you, that should be enough to learn a Combat Technique, right? Have you learned one?"
"I have." Lin Qing nodded and sighed helplessly, "But I haven't mastered the basics yet."
"Which one?" Chen Yanan asked with interest.
"The 'Agility' technique from the Free Body Series," Lin Qing answered honestly. Although he couldn't tell others, it didn't matter with his cousin; he had only been able to learn the technique because of her.
"Oh? You learned that one too." Chen Yanan smiled. "As expected of my little brother, you chose the same Combat Technique as me."
"Cousin, you also..." Lin Qing was surprised.
Chen Yanan laughed, "Yes. I practiced Tai Chi, so I learned the 'Softness,' 'Agility,' and 'Micro' techniques, which are more suitable for utilizing Tai Chi. However, I’ve only just mastered the basics of 'Micro,' and I’ve only grasped 'Softness' and 'Agility'."
Lin Qing had a sudden realization. Tai Chi focused on overcoming force with softness and also emphasized keen observation; the "Softness" and "Agility" techniques were indeed a perfect fit.
"How long have you been learning 'Agility'?" Chen Yanan asked.
"This is the fifth day," Lin Qing said.
"Five days..." Chen Yanan pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled brightly. "Anyway, I can't move around right now, so I might as well go to the trouble of helping you out."
"Help me?" Lin Qing couldn't help but ask, "How?"
"The key to mastering the 'Agility' Combat Technique is simulating bioelectricity," Chen Yanan explained. "I can channel the bioelectricity I've simulated into you, allowing you to feel it closely. Although you won't be able to make it your own, you can experience it firsthand, which should increase your chances of mastering the basics."
"You can do that?" Lin Qing’s eyes lit up.
"Give me your hand." Chen Yanan grabbed Lin Qing's palm and muttered to herself, "Your little hand is actually softer than mine..."