019 An Across-the-Board Increase in Attributes

After waiting for the bus for quite some time, it was nearly eleven o’clock by the time Chen Jue returned home. He hurried to start cooking lunch and deftly set a pot of softshell turtle soup to simmer on his phone’s timer.

Recently, he’d been drinking soup remedies of a warming nature. Though they’d proven effective for improving his constitution, the internet warned that dietary supplementation must balance yin and yang; taking only warming soups could lead to excessive heat, resulting in breakouts, restlessness, dark urine, and constipation, among other negative effects.

Thus, it was necessary to drink the cooling golden turtle soup — that is, softshell turtle soup — as a way to harmonize the heat within his body.

Though the theory was borrowed from traditional medicine online, Chen Jue trusted it wholeheartedly.

However, since he started the soup too late, lunch would have to be postponed until after one o’clock; otherwise, the broth wouldn’t be flavorful or tender enough.

So, after turning the clay pot from boiling to a low simmer, Chen Jue went to the living room to practice the Twelve Movements of the Tendon Transformation Classic.

Now that he’d truly mastered the Twelve Movements, the practice was even more intoxicating than before. After just half an hour, his mastery increased by one point, though his constitution remained unchanged.

The fatigue from his morning workout and brisk walking was quickly dispelled by the strengthening effects of this meditative practice.

His whole body felt invigorated: energy and blood flowed smoothly, tendons and bones stretched and extended, and his mind grew ever more tranquil.

He practiced for nearly two hours, gaining four points in mastery, and when he concluded, his constitution had increased by another 0.01 — enough to make Chen Jue laugh with delight.

“Hard work pays off!”

“My earlier decisions were right!”

Seeing that simply practicing the Twelve Movements could steadily yield improvements to his constitution, Chen Jue felt relieved that he had stopped himself from spending all his accumulated free attribute points.

Yet this meditative skill didn’t contribute much to his free attribute points; after two hours, he’d only gained 0.01. Compared to boxing or stance training, the efficiency was far lower.

Still, Chen Jue sensed that free attribute points wouldn’t be easy to come by as his stats increased. In the future, accumulating more would likely grow harder.

But since he hadn’t hit that wall yet, he decided not to dwell on it, wiped off his sweat, and ladled out the soup and rice for a satisfying meal.

The softshell turtle soup was indeed cooling, as the internet claimed. Not long after drinking it, the restless energy stirred by his practice began to settle.

Especially in his legs and lower abdomen, Chen Jue felt a coolness coursing through him.

He wondered whether his heightened senses from training were responsible; he remembered having softshell turtle soup once as a child, but he hadn’t experienced this cooling sensation then.

Perplexed, he nonetheless enjoyed the comfort and the steady 98% health index, which assured him the soup’s cooling effect must be beneficial.

If it weren’t, his health index would have dropped, not remained constant.

Such direct data from his attribute panel was invaluable; Chen Jue could monitor his stats anytime, far superior to standard medical checkups.

…

By the time he finished lunch, it was nearly half past one. Chen Jue decided to skip a nap and went upstairs for a brief rest.

At two o’clock sharp, he went out to collect a delivery, bringing home the Yunnan Baiyao, athletic equipment, and an electronic wristband he’d ordered earlier, then began his afternoon fitness routine.

Perhaps due to his improved constitution, three hours of afternoon training led to a sharp increase of 0.04 in both strength and agility.

The negative effects were minimal, which delighted Chen Jue.

Player: Chen Jue
Age: 27
Health Index: 97%
Strength: 0.99
Agility: 0.96
Intelligence: 1.23
Constitution: 1.57
Skills: [Boat Fist Lv1 (100/200)] [Twelve Movements of the Tendon Transformation Classic Lv1 (10/200)] [Eight Immortal Stance Lv1 (80/200)]
Free Attribute Points: 0.16

An afternoon of weight training only lowered his constitution and health index slightly, but the gains in strength and agility were substantial.

“I imagine by tomorrow, all my stats will break through one!”

Chen Jue was excited; if all his attributes surpassed one point, it would mean his physical condition matched that of an average adult male.

Moreover, in intelligence and constitution, he’d even exceed the norm, demonstrating the impressive effects of his recent training.

He went to the bathroom to rinse off, glanced in the mirror, and noted he’d slimmed down considerably since returning home, though he regretted forgetting to buy a scale.

He wondered how much his constitution had improved over these few days.

Yet the feeling of energy throughout his body, the comfort after training, and the lively face reflected in the mirror all spoke of a transformation as profound as rebirth.

“Keep pushing forward!”

“I’ve only just broken one; if I don’t train until my stats are several times the standard, I’ll be wasting this attribute panel,” Chen Jue resolved as he looked at the slightly brighter version of himself in the mirror.

…

He cooked, ate, sat to digest, and by around seven-thirty in the evening, feeling most of his strength restored, Chen Jue once again strapped on a sandbag and headed toward the reservoir behind the mountain.

He felt truly captivated by his training now, to the point that he hardly looked at his phone anymore, even though he used to stay up all night scrolling through it.

Wearing his electronic watch for timekeeping, he left his phone charging at home.

Just as he walked up the main road to the halfway point, several SUVs with LED headlights slowed beside him. A window rolled down, and a prosperous-looking middle-aged man called out, “Hey there, young man, could you tell me if there’s a reservoir up ahead where we can fish?”

Chen Jue glanced at the man, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, dressed in camouflage. In the passenger seat sat a young woman about Chen Jue’s age. He immediately knew they were city folk come to fish in the countryside. The man wore a chunky gold watch and drove a Mercedes SUV — clearly a wealthy angler.

“Yes! If you drive a bit further, you’ll see the reservoir. You can park by the temple and walk in to fish,” Chen Jue answered helpfully.

He welcomed such anglers; perhaps their visits would boost the local economy and provide more income for the elderly villagers left behind.

“Thank you, young man!” The middle-aged man smiled. “Come join us later — we’re planning a barbecue and camping by the reservoir tonight. If you’re free, stop by for a bite.” With that, he sped up the mountain.

The following SUVs were BMWs and Porsches, evidently a group of affluent city dwellers on a rural holiday.