A thousand gold can't buy a sound

The path of martial arts still needed both tension and release.

Ever since that last lesson, Lin Yuan had slowed his pace of Martial Arts Practice a little.

Over the next few days, he discovered that gaining 3 Attribute Points a day through deep exercise was already his limit. Any more would damage his body.

And even then, he had to pair it with medicinal baths and medicinal liquor to maintain that level of intensity every day.

Everyone's body had a threshold, just like a machine. After running for a certain amount of time each day, it had to stop for maintenance. Only that way could its Lifespan be extended.

With his current physique, that threshold was 3 Attribute Points.

This threshold would not rise just because Lin Yuan's basic physical qualities improved, because as his physical condition improved, the corresponding intensity needed to reach deep exercise would also increase.

In the courtyard, after Lin Yuan finished a full set of Tai Chi, he looked at his Attribute Points: 12.5.

"It's time to level up my martial arts again."

He still remembered all too clearly what had happened when he had raised Yang Style Tai Chi from beginner to proficient before.

Lin Yuan changed into a fresh set of clothes and put on the Weighted Equipment he had bought, though he did not max out the weight.

The Weighted Vest was 15 kg, the Hand Wraps were 2.5 kg, and the Leg Wraps were 5 kg.

Worn like this, hidden under his tracksuit, it did not look bulky.

After putting everything on, he set out from home and headed straight for the city.

Songping Township was about twenty kilometers from the city center, just about a half marathon. With his current physical condition, even carrying forty-five jin of weight, he could get there in an hour at most. There was no need to ride his little electric scooter.

Blending exercise into daily life was the right way to go.

Sitting, standing, walking, lying down—all of it was training. Fist skill was in the body, not the mouth; less idle talk, more legwork.

On the broad asphalt road, Lin Yuan ran at an unhurried pace.

Every now and then, he drew sideways glances from drivers passing by. After he had run about five kilometers—

A whistle sounded from behind him.

Two black motorcycles rode up from behind, a man and a woman, wearing black and dark-brown leather jackets respectively, with flashy helmets on.

Lin Yuan glanced at them once and lost interest.

Young people like this, riding motorcycles on the main road, revving their engines in pursuit of "speed and passion," were something he had seen plenty of in S City.

Going wild felt great for a moment; flipping over sent you straight to the crematorium.

"Hey, handsome, where are you going? Want a ride?" The one speaking was the female rider.

"No thanks. I'm running."

"Why run? Come on, get on. Sister will take you for a spin."

Lin Yuan ignored her and kept running on his own.

"Talk about getting the cold shoulder," the male rider beside her teased.

The female rider snorted coldly, immediately twisted the throttle, and, accompanied by a roar, sped off.

Downtown, Bao'an Commercial Plaza.

Lin Yuan ran all the way there before stopping. He wiped the sweat from his face and steadied his slightly rapid breathing.

Then he looked at his smartwatch: 56 minutes.

He had come to the city for one purpose only: eating.

Considering what had happened last time, he still felt that finding a buffet restaurant downtown offered the best value for money.

As a broke bastard, he had to count every penny!

Buffet restaurants were the best place for him to get his money's worth.

Last time, he had heard from a classmate that a new seafood buffet had opened in Bao'an Plaza and was pretty good.

"What was it called again?"

He opened his phone and searched "buffet." The highest-rated result was a restaurant called "Zhou Ji Seafood Buffet."

Seeing the name, Lin Yuan immediately remembered. That was the one.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the restaurant. A pretty hostess in uniform was handing out flyers.

"Handsome, how many people? Our restaurant is running a promotion these days. Top up five hundred to become a member, and you can enjoy a twenty-percent discount."

"It's twenty percent off forever?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Twenty percent off for your first three visits, then ten percent off after that."

"Fine. Sign me up."

Lin Yuan went to the front desk, scanned over five hundred with Feixin, and received a black membership card.

Then, led by a server in the hall, he arrived at a table by the window.

A hundred and fifty per person was not exactly cheap in their small city, but he definitely would not lose out.

The restaurant's decor was pretty decent too. He had just checked the ingredients, and they seemed fairly fresh.

And he had to admit, the place was quite popular. There were families with kids, young people gathering for meals, and some couples...

After turning on the heat, Lin Yuan got moving.

At the buffet area, he swept up everything he could—oysters, salmon, steak, cheese shrimp, abalone, squid...

His actions quickly drew the attention of the other people in the restaurant.

"Look, another bumpkin. I want to see if he can finish all that later!"

"What's wrong with this guy? It's like he's never eaten at a buffet before."

"Pengpeng, see that person? We can't learn from him and waste food like that."

"Just wait and watch him embarrass himself. You have to pay extra for wasting food."

Aside from the surrounding customers' chatter, the lobby manager also walked over, staring at Lin Yuan with a dark expression.

"Sir, you should know our restaurant's rules. If you waste food, it's two hundred yuan per jin."

"Do I look like someone who'd waste food?" Lin Yuan glanced at him and said.

The manager sneered inwardly. You fucking look exactly like it!

Looking at the trays piled high with ingredients in his hands, the manager's electronic scale was already itching to be used.

After loading up the ingredients, Lin Yuan held one tray in each hand. The food was piled ridiculously high, yet in his hands it stayed perfectly steady, with no sign of falling at all.

Lin Yuan returned to his seat and first put the ingredients that needed cooking into the already boiling pot.

Then he opened the system panel.

[Name: Lin Yuan]

[Lifespan: 25/60]

[Strength: 10]

[Speed: 11]

[Agility: 13]

[Endurance: 14]

[Flexibility: 12]

[Martial Arts: Yang Style Tai Chi (blue; proficient), Wu Style Tai Chi (blue; beginner), Chen Style Tai Chi (blue; beginner), Wu Family Tai Chi (blue; beginner), Sun Style Tai Chi (blue; beginner), Hun Yuan Zhuang (purple; beginner)]

[Attribute Points: 13.5]

Running into the city with weights had also earned him 1 Attribute Point, bringing the total to 13.5.

His plan was to upgrade all his martial arts to proficient first.

In his mind, Lin Yuan silently said, "Add points."

Watching one beginner martial art after another turn into proficient, Lin Yuan had only one word for it: "Awesome!"

The system's domineering enhancement also made it feel as if a vortex had formed inside his stomach.

But compared with last time, it was not as sudden.

It was probably because he already had one martial art upgraded to proficient ahead of time, so his body had adapted to a certain extent.

But very soon, hunger surged over him like a tide.

Lin Yuan immediately started eating. Using both hands at once, he stuffed plate after plate of food into his mouth at an extremely exaggerated speed.

He barely even chewed anymore, half-chewing and half-swallowing.

He stuffed an entire steak straight into his mouth. For a plate of cheese shrimp, he grabbed a handful and shoved it in.

The way he ate left the people around him completely dumbfounded.

Very soon, all the food on the table had been swept clean by him.

Lin Yuan did not pause. He got up and rushed back to the buffet area in a single stride.

This time, he barely bothered choosing. As long as he saw something edible, he took it, and very soon the two trays in his hands were full again.

After going back and forth like this seven or eight times, he finally started slowing down.

The people in the restaurant could no longer even focus on eating. Their gazes stayed fixed on him the entire time.

"He can eat way too much!"

"Is he a demon?"

"Mom, that uncle eats even more than Brother Luffy in One Piece!"

The onlookers were watching with great relish, but the lobby manager's face had twisted up like a bitter melon.

Nearly a third of the food in the buffet area had been cleared out by him!

If everyone were like him—no, if just a few more people were like him—their restaurant would have to close down for good.

As Lin Yuan ate, he looked at the remaining 4.5 Attribute Points and summoned the system panel again.

He muttered inwardly, System, can I upgrade Yang Style Tai Chi?

"Upgrading Blue Grade martial art Yang Style Tai Chi to minor achievement will consume 4 Attribute Points. Upgrade?"

"Yes!"

[Name: Lin Yuan]

[Lifespan: 25/60]

[Strength: 13.5]

[Speed: 13.5]

[Agility: 18]

[Endurance: 20]

[Flexibility: 17]

[Martial Arts: Yang Style Tai Chi(Blue; Minor Achievement), Wu Style Tai Chi(Blue; Proficient), Chen Style Tai Chi(Blue; Proficient), Wu Family Tai Chi(Blue; Proficient), Sun Style Tai Chi(Blue; Proficient), Hun Yuan Zhuang(Purple; Proficient)]

[Attribute Points: 0.5]

The instant the upgrade took effect, Lin Yuan felt his control over his body reach a wondrous realm.

If, in the past, there had still been a slight sense of obstruction when he exerted force, then now his entire body felt unimpeded.

Sensing this change, Lin Yuan could not help but rise slightly, taking a horse stance under the table. He clenched his right fist and punched fiercely forward.

Immediately after, a crisp sonic boom rang out.

As the saying went, "A thousand gold can't buy a sound"!

A sharp gleam flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes. That punch just now had actually mobilized the strength of his entire body.

What did that mean?

It meant he could bring out one hundred percent of his strength!

For ordinary people, their control over their bodies was actually very low. Their strength was scattered, and being able to bring out forty or fifty percent was already quite good.

As for martial artists, why could some people whose overall physical qualities were not high defeat others stronger than them?

One important reason was that they had greater control over their own strength and could bring out their power more effectively.

Lin Yuan was immersed in that state, wishing he could perform a whole set of boxing techniques on the spot.

But very soon, that thought was replaced by an intense wave of hunger.

His stomach, which had originally felt somewhat full, began protesting again.

The lobby manager standing beside the front desk saw him stand up again, and his heart trembled once more.

"Bro, I'm begging you. Please don't eat anymore."

After another round of sweeping through the food, Lin Yuan gave a satisfied burp.

"Time to go."

He came to the front desk, handed over the membership card, and said, "One-fifty, right? Just deduct it from here. Oh, right, I get a twenty-percent discount."

The lobby manager's face twitched.

"Young man, we won't charge you this time, but we hope you won't come again. I'll refund the money on your card."

"I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've seen someone refuse to let customers come."

"Bro—no, sir, can I call you sir? Eating the way you do, if you came a few more times, we'd have to close down. We're a small business. We really can't handle you eating like this. How about this: not only will I comp your meal, I'll give you a five-hundred-yuan membership card for the buffet next door."

The lobby manager hurriedly pulled a card from his person and offered it to Lin Yuan.

"Fine, fine. How stingy." Lin Yuan grumbled as he put away the membership card.

The lobby manager watched him leave and finally let out a sigh of relief.

What kind of monster was he? He could really eat!