Chapter 011: Physical Depletion

Perhaps because his physical foundation was too weak, all his basic attributes were below the standard value of “1,” so when he practiced the entry-level Eight Immortals Stance, each attribute surged upward as if ignited by gunpowder.

After an hour of stance training on the small boat, his strength and agility each increased by 0.03!

This was far more efficient than simply relying on attribute points, and in that single hour, he managed to accumulate 0.04 more free attribute points.

The pace of progress was at least ten times faster than when he first awakened to this attribute panel.

It was only now that Chen Jue began to understand the profound meaning behind the saying: “Practicing boxing without stance work is all for naught, even in old age.”

Without stance training, all boxing routines were nothing but showy empty gestures.

Only with skilled stance practice could he enhance his physical qualities, making the body faster and stronger, so that the power behind each punch would also gradually rise.

It was a method of cultivation that combined and advanced both aspects together, though it was notoriously difficult to get started. Chen Jue had only managed to master the basics of the Eight Immortals Stance by using the attribute panel to compress the training time.

Yet after just an hour of stance practice, even though his attributes had soared, Chen Jue felt weak and unsteady the moment he stepped off the boat. His body felt limp and powerless, a chill swept over him in the breeze, and a wave of dizziness struck his mind.

“These are symptoms of anemia!”

Chen Jue was taken aback. Back when he was working in Hangzhou, he would occasionally experience similar symptoms after sitting in front of the computer for long periods and then suddenly standing up.

A hospital consultation later revealed that it was indeed anemia.

But now, after mastering the stance and seeing his physical attributes soar, how could he be showing symptoms of anemia?

“Could it be that I overtrained, depleted my body, and didn’t replenish my nutrition in time?” This thought flashed through Chen Jue’s mind.

After all, he hadn’t mastered the Eight Extremes Stance through gradual progress, but had forcefully advanced with the help of the attribute panel, compressing what should have taken months into mere seconds.

The exhaustion and cost incurred in this process could hardly be offset by a few free attribute points.

Realizing this, Chen Jue felt a little panicked and, suppressing his discomfort, made his way down the mountain and back home.

...

There were still plenty of ingredients left in the fridge. After a hot shower to recover some strength, Chen Jue cooked up a hearty dinner under the cover of night.

Seafood, chicken, pork, vegetables, and a big bowl of noodles.

Normally a good eater, Chen Jue this time managed to eat nearly double his usual portion at supper.

But this kind of deficiency and anemia couldn’t be solved with just a good meal.

Checking online, he saw that the nutritional supplements he’d ordered hadn’t arrived yet. He registered a new account on the forum and posted a help thread describing his situation.

Soon, an experienced user replied: “Caught a newbie! Bro, you’ve overtrained—get some tonic. Search online for the ‘All-Inclusive Tonic Soup.’ Best to buy from Tongrentang, it’s a bit pricey but better quality. If you’ve got the cash, you can also buy the ingredients yourself and follow the prescription.”

“Wen people are poor, martial people are rich. In ancient times, every martial artist combined external training with internal nourishment. Training blindly with only online information and no master’s guidance is asking for trouble (old man on the subway looking at his phone).”

“You should also find a teacher—recommend a few masters from Wudang, or go to Chenjiagou for Chen-style Taiji. If you can’t travel that far, look for a local martial arts coach. Anyone with real skills knows how to balance internal and external training. The future martial arts master is you, I’m sure of it (winking).”

The forum veterans were lively and, being online, the thread was quickly flooded with replies.

Some told Chen Jue to buy ginseng; others recommended ready-made tonics like the All-Inclusive Tonic Soup, Black-Bone Chicken Pills, or donkey hide gelatin supplements.

“Black-Bone Chicken Pills? Donkey hide gelatin? Aren’t those for women?”

“Are you sure about this?”

Reading through the replies, Chen Jue couldn’t help but laugh. After a quick search, he found that these tonics were indeed suitable for all ages and not just for women, as he had previously thought.

The prices weren’t too steep; all the formulas used common Chinese herbs, so he placed several orders for each type online, choosing express delivery, spending over a thousand in total.

In addition, another user shared a collection of treasured recipes for nourishing the body.

Pigeon soup for energy, ginseng chicken soup, old duck soup with angelica—there was a dizzying variety, even blood-enriching snake soup and golden turtle soup.

These forum veterans, though fond of jokes, were genuinely warm-hearted and helpful. Chen Jue replied to each one with thanks, his newbie status plain for all to see.

After browsing the forum for a while, fatigue and weakness washed over him. He allocated all the attribute points he’d gained that night to constitution, which made him feel a bit better.

Player: Chen Jue Age: 27 Strength: 0.92 Agility: 0.84 Intelligence: 1.22 Constitution: 1.30 Skills Mastered: [Boat Boxing Lv1 (69/200)] [Twelve Forms of Muscle-Tendon Classic Lv0 (4/100)] [Eight Immortals Stance Lv1 (12/200)] Free Attribute Points: 0

He glanced at the attribute panel and saw that both strength and agility were nearly at the standard value of “1,” confirming he was on the right track with his training.

Still, this lingering weakness couldn’t be remedied by simply boosting constitution, so Chen Jue decided to visit the market the next day and try out some recipes for restorative dishes he’d seen online.

...

The next morning, he got up before six as usual, but since his body hadn’t yet recovered, last night’s meal did little to help. As he washed up, he noticed in the mirror how pale his face looked.

It reminded him of those days in college, after three sleepless nights at an internet cafe—his complexion was just as poor.

Checking the attribute panel, he saw no change in his stats, so he headed out toward the neighboring Lin Family Village.

By the time he reached the breakfast stall, it was already past 6:20. He ordered a bowl of sticky rice and seaweed egg soup but found his appetite had diminished after a few bites.

After paying, he flagged down a small seven-seater van on the road, spending five yuan to get to Panlong Town.

Originally, he’d planned to practice leg techniques, but his body was simply too weak, so he had to rely on these external means to get by for now.

Wandering through the market, he bought an old duck and some angelica root, intending to make a nourishing soup at home.

But as he passed the town’s pharmacy, a sudden urge struck him to ask about ginseng and other blood-enriching herbs.

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman, took one look at Chen Jue’s sickly pallor, clicked her tongue, and asked if he’d been up all night. She fetched a box of donkey hide gelatin granules and some sliced ginseng, advising him to brew them in water to replenish his energy and blood.

The two items cost less than a hundred yuan. As for the liver detox pills she recommended, Chen Jue declined.

His anemia wasn’t caused by staying up all night, but by overtraining, so detox meds wouldn’t help.

Besides, all medicine has side effects; you shouldn’t take drugs without just cause.

When he’d worked in Hangzhou, there was a period when, after staying up late, his hair fell out in clumps, scaring him into thinking he was going bald.

He frantically searched the web and bought a pile of hair-loss remedies and shampoos. Not only did they not work, but the more he used them, the worse his condition became. Eventually, he stopped everything and just regulated his sleep, and his hair started to recover on its own.

That ridiculous experience taught him firsthand the dangers of taking medicine recklessly.