The Harder Everyone Else Works, the Stronger I Get

“Lin Fan! You’re up!”

A deafening shout boomed across the training grounds like a clap of thunder, jolting awake the young man dozing against a stone pillar in the corner.

Lin Fan rubbed his bleary eyes. Sunlight slanted through the blue-stone railings around the training grounds, casting dappled shadows across his face. He yawned, slowly straightened up, and glanced across the grounds.

By now, the Qingyang Martial Academy’s training grounds were packed. Nearly a thousand young men and women in matching gray uniforms stood in orderly rows, their faces full of nerves and anticipation. Only the corner where he stood seemed out of place.

Today was the Qingyang Martial Academy’s annual inner-court examination. For these fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds, it was a crucial trial that would determine their future. Those who passed could enter the inner court, with its abundant resources, and take another step toward becoming the legendary masters of the martial arts. Those who failed would have to remain in the outer court, or might even be expelled from the academy and sink back into the teeming masses.

“What are you dawdling for?! Lin Fan, get over here!” The examiner was Zhang Meng, an outer-court instructor. He stared at Lin Fan with a frown, his eyes full of impatience.

Everyone in the outer court knew Lin Fan. He’d been at the academy for three years, yet his cultivation had advanced at a snail’s pace. While everyone else was training desperately in the Qingyang Basic Fist to reach the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, he was still stuck at the first. Worse, the boy didn’t even put in any effort. He spent his days slacking off, either sleeping in the shade of a tree or crouching by a wall to watch ants carry food. He was the very picture of a good-for-nothing.

Lin Fan stretched...