If this were five weeks ago, Lin Feng would absolutely never have imagined that he would feel so gratified about the matter of "growing calluses."
Previously, when completing the [Comprehensive Practice] task, the system rewarded him with a passive skill named [Iron Wall Callus (Bronze)]. Originally, Lin Feng thought this was just a skill that simply increased defense, but he didn't expect its actual effect to be—making his fingertips grow a layer of "system-level calluses" that were almost invisible in appearance, but tough to the touch and extremely low in pain sensation.
This is the confidence of a Liver Emperor.
With this layer of skin that came with its own shock absorption and wear-resistance attributes, Lin Feng had simply been practicing guitar in a way that overdrew his life these past few weeks, completely without worrying about his fingers blistering or becoming red and swollen.
At this moment, the dormitory was quiet, with only the ticking sound of the clock.
Lin Feng stared at the progress bar for [Fretting Practice] in his vision that had finally filled up, and let out a long breath.
"Submit."
[Congratulations on completing task: Fretting Practice.] [Obtained Reward: Fretting Mastery (Bronze).] [Loading muscle memory...]
There was no dizziness of enlightenment pouring into the top of the head as imagined; Lin Feng only felt his hands suddenly becoming slightly warm, as if a warm current drilled into his fingertips along the nerve endings.
He subconsciously picked up the guitar, his left hand casually draping over the guitar neck.
C Major Chord. The fingers seemed to have their own consciousness; before the brain had even issued a specific command, they had already buckled onto the fingerboard precisely, powerfully, and vertically. Without the slightest hesitation, without a bit of dragging mud and water.
F Major Great Barre. Previously, this "persuade-to-quit" chord that made countless novices suffer to the point of not wanting to live, instantly became incomparably docile under his index finger. One finger buckled horizontally across six strings, stable as Mount Tai.
Cmaj7, Em9, Asus4...
Lin Feng tested a circle of commonly used chords, and couldn't help but feel wild joy in his heart. This feeling was too wonderful, just like installing an automatic navigation system for his fingers.
However, the system obviously still paid attention to the Basic Law.
When Lin Feng attempted to press an extremely obscure F#m7b5, that silky automatic adsorption feeling of the fingers disappeared.
"It seems Bronze only includes the basic package." Lin Feng curled his lips.
But it was enough. For those remaining flashy and obscure chords, with the support of the basic hand shape, one could deduce them by just using the brain a little. The system only gave him a shortcut; it didn't lobotomize his frontal lobe, so this little difficulty could still be overcome.
"[Absolute Score Eye] protects me from going out of tune, [Fretting Mastery] protects me from breaking notes."
Lin Feng looked at his own hands and nodded with satisfaction. The current him, although still 108,000 li away from being a master, was at least already a qualified, emotionless guitar-playing machine.
...
The next day, rehearsal room.
A song ended, the lingering sound winding around the beams.
This time, even Lu Mingxuan, who had always been slow to react to external stimuli, lifted his eyelids and looked at Lin Feng a few more times.
"Brother," Ren Yichen put down the microphone, looking at Lin Feng like he was looking at a monster, "is your evolution speed a bit too ridiculous? Yesterday you were still a bit raw, how come today you are as steady as an old dough stick who has played for ten years?"
Lin Feng calmly tuned the strings: "I had an epiphany."
"Epiphany your ghost!"
The one speaking this time was not Ren Yichen, but Shen Linyin sitting behind the drum kit.
Lin Feng subconsciously shrank his neck, looking at this sister-in-law who had already reached 30 favorability points (Good Friend).
The original image of the high-cold, difficult-to-approach goddess had completely collapsed after breaking through the 30-point mark. Replacing it was a straightforward, even slightly careless tomboy.
Shen Linyin jumped down from the drum stool, walked a few steps in front of Lin Feng, raised her hand, and gave his arm a punch.
The force of this punch was moderate, carrying that intimacy and roughness that only exists between iron buddies.
"I just said you were acting with us before, right?" Shen Linyin twirled the drumstick in her hand very fast, her face wearing that defenseless, hearty smile. "Clearly so amazing, yet you insisted on pretending to be a rookie. Is this persona of 'pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger' popular with boys nowadays? It's very greasy, eh."
Lin Feng rubbed his arm and looked at her expressionlessly: "I really didn't act."
"Fine, fine, fine, you didn't act, you are a genius, alright?" Shen Linyin rolled her eyes, but her tone was full of recognition. "But honestly, the guitar today sounded really comfortable. Cooperating together... how to say it, I didn't have to waste effort chasing your rhythm, it was very cool."
Ren Yichen watched the two interact from the side, chuckled, and suddenly clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.
"Since our lead guitarist has already accomplished his Divine Kung Fu, I will also announce some serious business."
Ren Yichen cleared his throat, a flush of excitement appearing on his face.
"This weekend, we have work. School Culture Plaza, the club mixer on Friday night."
Ren Yichen held up a finger, his eyes flashing with a light named "restlessness."
"Although it's not the stadium, the pedestrian flow in that location is huge. Especially the freshmen who have just entered school, growing strongly just like leeks, urgently needing us to harvest... ah no, to influence with art."
Hearing this, on Lin Feng's face—which usually seemed to have necrotic facial nerves—a micro-expression named "excitement" appeared extremely rarely, and even those dead fish eyes opened slightly wider.
Is it finally coming? The legendary session of "manifesting holiness in front of people."
This is also the initial and most primitive motivation for every boy who practices guitar bitterly in the dormitory—for that moment of handsomeness under the stage lights, and the gaze of the opposite sex seeking a mate that follows.
Of course, as a man possessing the [Top-tier Music Superstar System], Lin Feng immediately carried out profound self-criticism regarding this vulgar thought of his in that instant.
"Superficial." He huffed coldly in his heart. "Women will only affect my strumming speed. My goal is the stars and the sea, the end of the Guitar Dao, to become the 'Guitar Buddha' who has no woman in his heart and moves his fingers like a god."
Only by cutting off dust karma can one practice peerless divine skills. Those screams and glow sticks off-stage are nothing but inner demons on the path of cultivation.
However, just as he was preparing to become a Buddha on the spot, his line of sight inadvertently swept past Shen Linyin, who was playing with her drumsticks nearby.
The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on her side profile; although this "good brother" currently had a sitting posture as heroic as a Liangshan Bandit, this facial attractiveness was indeed strictly school-flower level, impeccable.
Lin Feng's heart toward the Dao trembled slightly.
"However..." He silently added an exemption clause to his oath in the bottom of his heart. "If the freshmen girls off-stage can have half of Shen Linyin's standard, then I could reluctantly consider sacrificing a little bit of hand speed."
After all, Buddha occasionally needs to deliver sentient beings.
"What are you dazing off for?" Ren Yichen reached out and waved in front of his eyes. "If there are no problems, we have to add extra practice these few days. This is our debut show; whether we can explode red in the whole school in one shot, whether we can possess priority mating rights, it all depends on this one round!"
Lin Feng withdrew his thoughts, restored that calm and unruffled appearance of a master, and nodded gently.
"No problem. I will make a move."