Panel 088 Update
Carrying a jar of ointment and two large bags of newly purchased fruit, Chen Jue took a taxi back to the guesthouse.
He handed one bag of fruit to Uncle Yu and his family as a token of gratitude for their care these past few days.
Uncle Yu and the others initially tried to refuse, but seeing that Chen Jue had bought two bags of fruit—far more than he could eat alone—they smiled and accepted, inviting him to stay for dinner.
That evening, they didn’t serve porridge. Although the seafood congee at lunch was gentle and nourishing, it wasn’t filling enough. Given that Chen Jue was injured and needed to replenish his energy and nutrients, he ate white rice and homestyle seafood dishes with them.
The meal included stir-fried cauliflower, fried yellow croaker, poached prawns, and steamed red-crab. To send her son Yu Yue off, Auntie had specially stewed a pot of old duck soup in the pressure cooker, saying he should fortify himself before going out to sea, lest Yu Yue suffer from the cold and damp once aboard.
Chen Jue ate heartily, though his appetite wasn’t as robust as before; he managed only three bowls of rice.
After a few sips of duck soup, warmth spread through his belly, and he felt his injury slowly recovering. He spent some time chatting with Uncle Yu’s family before retiring to his room to rest.
...
Sitting in the villa's living room, he watched TV for a while, then posted several insights about developing hidden strength in the new group chat.
Earlier that day, after Chen Jue demonstrated his skill by leaving a handprint on a dumbbell plate, the martial artists in the group had grown lively. As soon as Chen Jue appeared and spoke, a flurry of memes like “Master is here,” “Bring the master a cigarette,” and “Humbly seeking guidance” swept through the chat.
Chen Jue had originally used the group’s ancient texts to concoct the ointment that greatly aided internal injuries, so he felt obliged to share his gratitude. He revealed a bit about how he developed hidden strength through stance training and aquatic practice.
Of course, he didn’t say he submerged himself completely; he merely hinted at using the changing currents to comprehend hidden power.
Several seasoned practitioners in their thirties and forties, stuck at the peak of overt strength for years without progress, listened intently as the group’s hidden strength master shared his insights.
Whether they could follow Chen Jue’s method and develop hidden strength was uncertain.
He only taught; whether they mastered it depended on their own fate.
...
After idling in the group for a while, Chen Jue opened the group’s file folder and studied the collected classics on boxing.
One article about “Stealing Heaven’s Secrets” caught his attention, and he read it with relish. As he finished, realization dawned: “So, when I practiced on tables and boats, the rapid progress in stance training was due to a touch of ‘stealing heaven’s secrets.’”
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This “Stealing Heaven’s Secrets” described how, in ancient times, hermit Daoists practiced boxing and movement on slippery moss-covered steps or steep cliffs, using the proximity to danger to bolster courage, sharpen vision, and heighten focus.
Training in such environments greatly stimulated advancement in stance and boxing, as if exchanging one’s life for skill from the heavens—hence the term “stealing heaven’s secrets.”
Chen Jue’s practice on tables and boats, needing to guard against falling at any moment, though less perilous than cliffside training, was akin to “stealing heaven’s secrets” in its own way.
As for practicing in reservoirs or even underwater, it was an upgraded version of “stealing heaven’s secrets.” There was no need to fear falling to death, but one had to pay constant attention to the changing currents, sensing the shifts in bodily force.
If he couldn’t hold his breath or was swept away by an underwater current, he could drown or choke. The low visibility underwater, especially at night, made it even more challenging than training on cliff edges.
This explained why Chen Jue’s underwater practice had so quickly elevated the level of his stance and boxing—the principle of “stealing heaven’s secrets” was at play.
...
Previously, Chen Jue had practiced alone, searching for materials online and training blindly. With his attribute panel, he’d brute-forced his way to mastery of hidden strength.
Yet, lacking systematic study, he couldn’t explain many boxing terms or their underlying principles.
Now, with the help of the group’s files, things became much clearer.
He scrolled on his phone for over an hour, took the medicine for contusions, and, feeling his dinner had settled, applied the ointment prepared earlier in the afternoon. He put down his phone and began practicing the newly learned Wudang Golden Needle Finger technique.
Around nine o’clock, a sudden “ding” sounded—Chen Jue knew it was his attribute panel updating. He set aside the river stone used for finger training and quickly checked the panel:
Name: Chen Jue
Age: 27
Health Index: 72% (Mild Internal Injury)
Strength: 2.77 (1.93)
Agility: 2.16 (1.51)
Constitution: 3.01 (2.11)
Intellect: 1.24 (0.74)
Free Attribute Points: 0.62
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Skills: Others omitted… [Wudang Golden Needle Finger Lv0 (88/100)]
Current Status: [Qi Rising with the Sun] [Master Lü’s Enlightenment] [Muscle and Bone Reinforcement] [Shaolin Copper Man] [Peerless Guardian] [Unknown Lock]
As Chen Jue had guessed, the updated panel now displayed both peak values and current maximum output for each attribute, even adding a note to the health index.
[Mild Internal Injury]: Capillaries ruptured in internal organs due to external impact, accompanied by mild soft-tissue contusions and muscle strains. Timely recovery treatment is needed.
“Mild internal injury—that makes sense!”
“The Golden Needle Finger technique just learned is now in the skill bar.”
“But what on earth is this ‘Unknown Lock’?”
“The martial arts I learned before never awakened this status!” Chen Jue frowned, focusing on this new, inexplicable state.
[Unknown Lock]: A lock within the body; lacking effective information, unable to analyze for now.
This left Chen Jue utterly baffled!
The newly updated attribute panel had revealed something even the system couldn’t comprehend!
“A lock within the body?”
“What is this?”
“Is it something I was born with, or did it appear after awakening the panel?” Chen Jue stared at the new status for a long time, thoughts racing, but remained completely clueless about the [Unknown Lock].
Even the attribute panel couldn’t analyze it, and with his current intellect stat of only 0.74, he definitely wouldn’t figure it out.
“Just a minor injury, yet suddenly there’s a lock?”
“Is the panel playing tricks on me?”