That thread of energy was incredibly faint. Compared to the energy brought by the Vermillion Fruit, it was like the water in a river compared to the water in a vat.
The moment that tiny amount of energy appeared, it fluctuated and began to disperse. He Ao hurriedly held his breath and focused, using his mind to guide the energy out of his chest cavity and circulate it through his body along the route depicted on the first page of the little book.
Even so, by the time he guided it, more than half of the energy had already dissipated.
What was remarkable was that after leaving his chest cavity, that thread of energy actually slowed its rate of dissipation and gradually merged into He Ao's body.
As He Ao guided that faint power through his body like a swimming fish, he felt a trace of strength gradually welling up from within him, responding to the flowing energy.
It seemed that the Vermillion Fruit's power from yesterday had not completely dissipated. Part of it had fused with his body, seeping into his flesh and bones.
However, that portion was probably only a small part. Most of the power had been used to clear the "pathways" within his body.
Before he used the Vermillion Fruit, those pathways had been completely blocked, preventing energy from flowing. The Vermillion Fruit had opened those clogged pathways, allowing He Ao to guide energy along the route drawn in the little book.
The route drawn on the first page of the little book was very short. It started from the chest cavity, passed through the atrium, then traveled down from the left shoulder through the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It then returned from the middle finger, passed through the arm, crossed the collarbone to the right shoulder, circled around the right hand, and returned to the chest cavity.
After making that circuit, the faint energy had been completely exhausted.
After circulating it once, He Ao felt that his Physical Fitness seemed to have improved slightly, though the improvement was extremely minor.
The improvements were mainly concentrated in his hands and heart.
It seemed that the faint energy had fused into his body.
At that moment, He Ao somewhat understood the meaning of the term "Qi Induction." It seemed to mean drawing the outside world's "qi," or "energy," into one's body to strengthen one's physique.
However, it seemed that this energy could only be drawn in with the first breath when dawn arrived. No matter how hard he huffed and puffed afterward, there was not even a trace of energy left in his chest cavity.
After this circulation ended, He Ao fell into brief contemplation again. He had often breathed when dawn arrived in the past, so why had he never sensed it before?
He began comparing his current self with his former self. First, he had never been aware that "energy" existed before. Second, compared to now, he felt that his body had once been more "chaotic," with more congested and tangled "pathways" inside it.
Compared to the current "smooth, clean mirror," the inside of He Ao's body before he ate the Vermillion Fruit had been like a chaotic beach piled full of grit.
Those energies were like tiny grains of gold. Finding a tiny grain of gold on a beach was difficult, while spotting one on a smooth, clean mirror was much easier. That was why He Ao could now detect those subtle energies more easily.
He Ao felt that most people in this world were probably like he had been before eating the Vermillion Fruit: their bodies were a tangled mess, and they lacked the awareness to actively sense abnormalities within themselves. That was why they could not discover the energy they breathed into their chests at dawn.
Of course, many people were not even awake at dawn.
And that energy seemed to exist in the chest cavity for only a very brief moment. It might disappear in the blink of an eye.
He just did not know whether the energy that dissipated in the chest cavity was naturally absorbed by the body.
If it really was absorbed, did that mean humanity's Physical Fitness across the entire world was slowly growing stronger?
Or perhaps it was not limited to humans?
But judging from the current situation, most of the energy in the chest cavity still escaped. Even if some was absorbed, it was only a tiny amount.
Still, there was no point thinking about that now.
After trying for half an hour and confirming that he could not draw in any more energy, He Ao gave up.
He still had things to do today.
Perhaps because his Physical Fitness had improved, despite staying up all night, he did not feel tired at all. Instead, he was full of energy.
Aside from preparing ingredients for tonight's stall, he also needed to repair the tiles that Youth had smashed yesterday and the security door that Youth had damaged.
He Ao tidied up, boiled four plain eggs, took a carton of discounted milk, stuffed them into his pocket, slung a large backpack over his shoulders, and went downstairs.
He needed to visit the building materials market first. It was quite far from the residential complex where he lived, and there was an early bus that went directly there. If he missed it, he would have to wait more than an hour for the next one.
By the time he returned home, it was already noon.
Eight tiles had been shattered in yesterday's fight. The floor tiles in He Ao's home were the small 400-by-400 tiles commonly used in old buildings. He searched the building materials market for a long time but could not find identical ones, so he could only buy several tiles with colors similar to those in his home.
They cost eight yuan each, sixty yuan for eight.
Then he went to look at security doors. He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to replace the one at home, but discovered that even the cheapest security door cost over a thousand yuan.
So he spent ninety-eight yuan on a sledgehammer over ninety centimeters long, planning to hammer the deformed section of the security door back into shape. It could still be used if he made do with it.
After returning home, He Ao ate a simple lunch and got to work. There was still cement left over from when he had built the wall last time. He just needed to clear away the shattered tiles, replace them with new ones, and hammer the door flat.
Of course, it sounded simple enough, but by the time He Ao finished, it was already past six.
He put everything away and had just sat down at the table to rest when the scene in his vision began to change.
Time Remaining Until Next Game Begins: 00:00:01 Time Remaining Until Next Game Begins: 00:00:00 Begin the game now? Yes / No
He Ao stood up, took the camera from the study, placed it in the living room, plugged it in, checked that the memory card was properly inserted, then disconnected it from the internet and turned the camera toward where he was sitting.
Then he chose yes.
Loading game. Welcome to the Life Simulation Game. Randomly matching you with a life role. Match successful. Your role is: Trainee Investigator Ander. Have a pleasant game.
"Miss Serena?"
The nurse's soft call woke the blonde woman from her daze.
She turned around and gave the nurse a gentle smile. "Hello. Is something wrong?"
"Miss Serena, your communication bracelet is lit up," the nurse said, carefully pointing at Selina's right hand before looking toward the window. "So you like sunflowers."
"Mm."
Selina nodded lightly. She pressed a button beside her, and the enormous Floor-to-ceiling Window displaying a sea of sunflowers flickered. The image changed to a slightly balding middle-aged man with glasses sitting in an office. He wore a sharp suit and appeared to be reading a newspaper.
The nurse tactfully withdrew.
Before you continue