The true initiation into the world of 007

“I actually leveled up!”

Chen Jue let out a long breath, withdrew from his practice, and quickly turned his eyes to the attribute panel.

Player: Chen Jue

Age: 27

Strength: 0.86

Agility: 0.78

Intelligence: 1.22

Constitution: 1.17

Mastered Skills: [Boat Fist Lv1 (1/200)]

Unassigned Attribute Points: 0.06

The panel had changed significantly compared to before. Apart from the slight increase of 0.01 in strength and agility, brought about by practicing the fist technique, the most eye-catching change was the Boat Fist’s advancement to Lv1.

Previously, when Boat Fist was at Lv0, it was barely worth mentioning; all Chen Jue could do was imitate others and muddle through with random practice.

But after reaching Lv1, his understanding of the technique became fundamentally different.

“Does this mean I’ve truly entered the beginner’s level?”

Seeing that no one was around, Chen Jue once again went through a set of the form.

He discovered that this time, every movement—be it the transitions between moves or the exertion of force—was far more fluid compared to before, no longer carrying the awkwardness he’d felt at Lv0. Now, Chen Jue had thoroughly mastered the Boat Fist, leaving no gaps in his technique.

Even without guidance from others, he could continue practicing and make no significant mistakes.

It didn’t feel like those moments in martial arts novels where enlightenment descends like a flood, force-feeding all the knowledge into his mind. Instead, the process allowed him to practice for himself, forming a seamless muscle memory throughout his body.

“Whew, whew!”

After another couple of rounds, Chen Jue felt increasingly comfortable—the more he practiced, the more invigorated he became, heat surging through his whole body.

And as for the free attribute points, they quietly increased again, little by little!

“The efficiency of my training has improved!”

“Before, I had to complete a dozen cycles to accumulate 0.01 attribute value. Now, just three rounds are enough to earn a small increment!” Excitement surged within Chen Jue as he recalled the moment of his breakthrough.

He noticed that practicing on this embankment, beyond adapting to the environment, the tranquil surroundings also helped his thoughts settle.

The sensation was akin to the legendary monks entering deep meditation, or Taoists practicing calm contemplation.

Free from distracting thoughts, he could devote himself wholly to his practice.

“It seems I should come up here more often to train!” Sensing that this place bestowed a sort of environmental buff, Chen Jue continued practicing for another half hour.

Not until after nine, when the wind grew chilly and cut through his clothes, did he descend the mountain road and head home.

...

After a hot shower, it was already ten at night. If this were Hangzhou, this would just be the start of the city’s nightlife.

Singing at KTVs, dancing at clubs, marathon sessions at internet cafes, or catching a movie—in Chen Village, things were peaceful, but the city’s amusements were lacking, and Chen Jue knew he’d need some time to adjust.

Feeling hungry again, he heated up some crispy duck and dried shrimp as a midnight snack, opened a bottle of beer, and browsed fitness videos online on his tablet while he ate.

That afternoon, he’d ordered a variety of fitness equipment online, planning to use scientific methods to further train his body.

Even though he’d mastered the ancient Boat Fist, Chen Jue felt that modern scientific exercise should also contribute significantly to improving his attributes.

After all, fitness is the mainstream exercise these days. Two decades ago, practicing martial arts might have ridden the wave of those popular TV dramas and movies, but now, it was all but obsolete.

But after watching these fitness influencers’ videos for a while, Chen Jue felt that the so-called muscle-building and fat-loss routines were stepping into a blind spot.

Especially those so-called fitness gurus: though their muscles were well-defined and their physiques sculpted like statues, a visible, unnatural aging haunted their appearance, making Chen Jue wary.

According to scientific research, although human cells continually divide, once they reach their division limit, aging and death are inevitable.

Glancing at the ages of these fitness personalities, most were young, but the unnatural wrinkles and dryness in their faces suggested that excessive muscle stimulation had led to premature aging.

From a martial artist’s perspective, these fitness influencers seemed to have gone astray, as if they’d practiced incorrectly and ended up on a deviant path.

Of course, this was just Chen Jue’s personal interpretation. He was only just beginning his own training, and his understanding of physical conditioning was still quite shallow.

Still, after a while, he couldn’t shake the feeling that these fitness videos were missing something vital, as if they lacked a soul.

Though he envied the perfect physiques of these fitness influencers, the unnatural signs of early aging made him firmly decide to abandon the idea of blindly following their routines.

“Even when the fitness equipment arrives, I should train in moderation.”

“If I only pursue muscle gain, fat loss, or so-called core strength, it might not actually help me live longer.”

He felt that after truly mastering Boat Fist, his understanding of his own body had broadened considerably.

Still, these fitness tutorials weren’t entirely useless—some of the scientific explanations for movements piqued his interest. He planned to try them out once his equipment arrived, starting with getting rid of his beer belly.

With that thought, he set aside his half-finished beer.

“Drinking harms the liver and dulls the mind. I really should cut back and not make nightly drinking a habit,” Chen Jue muttered as he poured out the remaining beer and tidied up the table.

When he went upstairs and lay down, letting his food digest, he turned his attention to the attribute points he’d accumulated over the day.

Unassigned Attribute Points: 0.08

The breakthrough in Boat Fist had noticeably sped up his attribute gains.

Glancing at the statistics, Chen Jue didn’t hesitate—he immediately assigned all the newly gained points to Constitution.

The higher his Constitution, the better his stamina and recovery, which would enhance his physical qualities—the so-called “vital energy and foundation” in martial arts novels.

As for Strength and Agility, although they were both below the standard for adult males, Chen Jue believed they would naturally improve with time and training, so there was no need to prioritize them for now.

“From now on, any attribute points I gain will go to Constitution first!”

With that decision made, he allocated the 0.08 points to Constitution, raising it from 1.17 to 1.25.

A warm current spread through his body; his heartbeat slowed, his breathing deepened, and his pulse became calm and steady.

A Constitution of 1.25 meant his physical resilience was 25% higher than the average adult male. Even if he stopped adding points after this, he’d be robust enough to live to eighty or ninety.

And so, that night, Chen Jue found himself sleeping more soundly, more sweetly, and more comfortably than ever before!