Panel Awakening, Data World

The night color was like ink, and the slum district was plunged into dim darkness.

Only a few scattered worn-out street lamps cast dim yellow halos, barely outlining the crooked silhouettes of the shacks. The brilliant lights of the inner city in the distance were like the light of another world, unable to penetrate this forgotten corner.

Lin Fan sat on a stone stool at the entrance of the shack.

His body was still sore, but after an afternoon of breathing exercises and the supplement of half a coarse grain biscuit, he could at least move normally. Lin Xiaoyu had fallen asleep again after eating a little thin porridge. Her breathing had stabilized a bit, but her pale face was still glaring under the dim oil lamp.

Time left: two and a half days.

Lin Fan closed his eyes. He didn't start practicing punches immediately, but focused all his attention in his mind.

"System."

He called out silently.

"Panel."

"Martial Arts Interface."

"Attribute Bar."

He tried several different names, but the scene in front of him remained dark, with only the wailing of the night wind in the slum district and the faint sound of dog barks from afar.

But Lin Fan was not impatient.

When debugging programs in his previous life, he had encountered too many seemingly unsolvable bugs. Some required specific conditions to trigger, some were just data delays, and some—required repeated, almost obsessive attempts.

He recalled the flashing text that appeared twice during the day.

One was at the limit moment of the thousandth charge punch, and the other was during focused breathing exercises.

"So, there might be two trigger conditions," Lin Fan opened his eyes in the darkness, his pupils reflecting the faint light from the distance. "Either a certain skill reaches a certain 'threshold,' or one enters a state of 'internal vision' through high mental concentration."

He chose to try the latter first.

He sat cross-legged, pressing his knees lightly. This was the starting pose for the basic breathing technique, which could help calm the mind faster.

Inhale, long and slow.

Imagine the airflow entering through the nasal cavity, descending along the trachea, and converging three inches below the navel—according to the saying in this world, that was the "Sea of Qi," the place where primal energy was stored.

Exhale, also slow.

Expel the turbid qi, fatigue, and distracting thoughts from the body along with the breath.

One breath in, one breath out, repeating endlessly.

Lin Fan's attention was completely focused on the inside of his body. He could feel the slight itch of airflow moving through his meridians, the numbness of his muscle fibers slowly repairing, his heartbeat gradually stabilizing, and the warmth of his blood flowing.

Gradually, the external sounds faded.

The sound of the wind, the chirping of insects, the distant human voices, all seemed to be separated by a thick water curtain, becoming blurry and indistinct.

Only the sounds from within the body were amplified: the heartbeat, the stomach and intestine movement, the faint sound of airflow rubbing against the trachea during breathing.

Lin Fan's consciousness seemed to detach from his body, suspended in mid-air, "overlooking" himself from a peculiar perspective.

He saw his bones, meridians, muscles, and a wisp of white qi flow in his Sea of Qi, so faint it was almost invisible, slowly rotating.

Just then--

[Detected Stable Mental Fluctuation]

[Establishing Connection...]

[Connection Successful]

[Martial Arts Panel System Loading...10%...50%...100%]

[Welcome to the Martial Arts Panel, Bound User: Lin Fan]

A series of ice-cold, mechanical, emotionless prompt tones sounded in his mind.

He didn't hear them; they directly "sounded" in the depth of his consciousness.

Lin Fan's body trembled, almost pulling him out of the internal vision state. He forcibly stabilized his mind and continued to maintain the rhythm of his breathing exercises.

Before him, the darkness was dispelled.

No, not before him—in his consciousness vision, a semi-transparent, light blue interface appeared.

The interface design was extremely simple, without any ornate decoration. The base color was a deep starry sky black, and the text and border were a calm tech blue. In the upper left corner were four square characters: [Martial Arts Panel]. In the lower right corner was a line of small text: [Version 1.0 · Basic Edition].

The center of the interface was divided into left and right columns.

The left column displayed character attributes:

[Character: Lin Fan]
[Age: 16 years]
[Realm: 1st Grade Martial Disciple (First Tier)]
[Lifespan: 100 years]
[Status: Mild Fatigue, Mild Malnutrition]

[Strength: 10] (+0)

[Defense: 8] (+0)

[Speed: 9] (+0)

[Spirit: 12] (+0)

[Comprehension: 15] (Max Value 20)

[Bone Structure: 18] (Max Value 20)

[Vitality: 100/100]

[Skill Points: 0]

Each attribute has a brief explanation. When Lin Fan focuses his attention on a term, a more detailed explanation will appear on the side.

For example, [Strength: 10] -- expands to: [Average value for an average adult male is 5. Current strength allows lifting approximately 100 kilograms, with a punching power of about 120 kilograms.]

[Vitality: 100/100] -- [Current Sea of Qi capacity is 100 units. Each complete Cycle of Basic Breathing Technique restores 1-3 Vitality points (depending on proficiency). Combat and using martial skills consume Vitality.]

The right column displays the Skill List, currently containing two items:

[Skill Bar]

1. Basic Fist Technique (Beginner 1/100)

- Effect: Fist Attack Power +5%

- Proficiency Acquisition: +1 point per Complete Practice

2. Basic Breathing Technique (Beginner 1/100)

- Effect: Vitality recovery speed +5%, fatigue recovery speed +5%

- Proficiency Acquisition: +1 point per Cycle

Below the Skill Bar, there is a grayed-out [Cultivation Technique Bar] displaying [None]. A grayed-out [Martial Skill Bar] also shows [None].

At the bottom of the interface are three lines of prominent system explanatory text:

[System Core Rules: Proficiency]

1. Any skill, cultivation technique, or martial art can accumulate proficiency through practice, with no upper limit.

2. Proficiency Levels: Beginner (0-100) → Proficient (101-500) → Mastered (501-1000) → Minor Accomplishment (1001-5000) → Major Accomplishment (5001-10000) → Perfection (10001-50000) → Extraordinary (50001-100000) → Saintly (100001-500000) → Mythical (50001-1000000) → Eternal (1000000+)

3. Each increase in proficiency level grants a percentage bonus to the skill's effect (Beginner +5%, Proficient +10%, Mastered +20%... see Bonus Table for details).

Lin Fan's consciousness "gazed" at this interface, his heart pounding in his chest.

Not an illusion.

It was truly a system.

A cheat that could quantify all his efforts and clearly tell him his progress... a cheat.

In his previous life, he had played countless games and knew how tempting a "progress bar" was to players. When you know that every punch thrown, every step taken, is accumulating data and moving towards a clear goal, the motivation is endless.

And now, this "Game System" had descended into the real world.

It had descended upon him, a destitute young man on the brink of despair.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His programmer's instincts kicked in—analyze data, find patterns, devise the optimal strategy.

First, the Attribute Bar.

Strength 10, Defense 8, Speed 9. According to the description, the average for an Average Adult Male is 5, so even though his body was thin, the foundation built from years of labor was still there, with attributes nearly double that of an ordinary person.

Spirit 12, on the higher side. This might be related to the fusion of his two lifetimes' souls.

Comprehension 15, Bone Structure 18. Both these values were close to the maximum of 20, indicating good Talent. No wonder the Original Owner could achieve an Average Grade in school's basic courses—even without resources for advanced study, his foundation was not bad.

Vitality 100/100, this was the Sea of Qi capacity. It was empty now because he couldn't actively mobilize Vitality yet, only accumulating a little through natural recovery and breathing.

Skill Points 0, their purpose unclear for now.

Next, the Skill Bar.

Basic Fist Technique, Beginner 1/100. This meant that out of the thousand Charge Punches he threw this morning, only the last one was recognized by the system as a "Complete Practice," accumulating 1 point of proficiency.

"The requirements are really Harsh," Lin Fan thought. But then he considered it, and it made sense—if just waving his hand could increase proficiency, the system would be too Cheap.

Basic Breathing Technique, also Beginner 1/100. This should be from the Deep Breathing he did this afternoon.

Both skills had "Skill Effect" descriptions, with the Beginner level providing a 5% bonus. Although it was negligible now, as proficiency increased, this percentage would grow higher and higher.

Finally, System Core Rules: Proficiency.

No Upper Limit.

These three words made Lin Fan's breathing quicken slightly.

This meant that as long as he was willing to practice, he could keep getting stronger. There were no bottlenecks, no ceilings. Theoretically, even a most basic skill could be trained to a world-destroying level.

"The ultimate cheat for a grinder..." Lin Fan muttered.

He remembered players in games from his previous life who didn't pursue flashy operations or complex mechanics. They just repeatedly cleared the same dungeon, fought the same monsters, and relied on pure time accumulation to max out a certain skill. Then... with the most basic attacks, they dealt the most outrageous damage.

Now, he had the capital to become such a "grinder."

No, not just capital.

It was a necessity.

For his sister's medicine, to survive, he had to grind, to squeeze every minute for its value.

Lin Fan's consciousness roamed the panel, trying to find more functions.

He "clicked" on the words [Martial Arts Panel] in the upper left corner.

The interface trembled slightly, and a small window popped up:

[System Log]

- New Calendar Year 300 July 15th, 09:47, detected abnormal soul fluctuations, initiating binding...

- New Calendar Year 300 July 15th, 12:21, binder Lin Fan completed the first effective practice of [Basic Fist Technique], Proficiency +1, System Activation 1%

- New Calendar Year 300 July 15th, 16:08, binder Lin Fan completed the first effective Cycle of [Basic Breathing Technique], Proficiency +1, System Activation 2%

- New Calendar Year 300 July 15th, 21:35, binder Lin Fan's mental fluctuations met the standard, system fully activated.

So that's how it was.

The system had bound long ago, but it needed him to "trigger" it to activate gradually. The two practices today provided 1% activation each, and the recent deep internal vision completed the final step.

"So this system is quite 'energy-saving,' not bothering the host casually," Lin Fan thought. "Or rather, it needs the host to prove their 'qualifications' themselves."

He tried "clicking" on other areas.

The Realm section could be expanded, displaying the complete Realm Tree from 1st Grade Martial Trainee to 11th Grade Martial God. Each realm had a simple description—similar to what he learned in school, but more detailed.

There was a small question mark behind the Lifespan bar. Expanding it revealed a passage: [Lifespan is Theoretical Natural Lifespan. Actual lifespan is affected by factors such as damage, illness, and realm breakthroughs. Breaking through a Major Realm can extend lifespan, see Realm Tree for details.]

The [Mild Fatigue, Mild Malnutrition] in the Status bar were in red font, indicating negative status. Focusing attention on it brought up a suggestion: [Suggest sufficient rest and intake of high-energy food. Continuous negative status will reduce Cultivation Efficiency.]

The Skill Points bar was grayed out and un-interactive, possibly not yet unlocked.

Lin Fan studied for about fifteen minutes, clicking on everything he could, and got a general understanding of the panel's basic functions.

Simple, direct, nothing extra.

It was a purely data-driven tool, quantifying all his growth into numbers and progress bars.

And this was exactly what he needed most right now.

"Make a plan." Lin Fan opened his eyes. The panel still floated in his consciousness vision, semi-transparent, not obstructing his real-world sight.

He picked up a dry branch and drew on the dirt.

First, the goal: within three days, earn 5,000 Credit Points to buy a Lung Cleansing Pill.

Way to earn money: hunt 1st Tier Demonic Beasts for demon cores and materials. A 1st Tier demon core sells for about 100 Credit Points on the market. That would require killing 50 of them—impossible.

"So I must improve my strength, kill more valuable demonic beasts, or increase hunting efficiency." Lin Fan wrote the word "Strength" and circled it.

Ways to improve strength: increase attributes, increase skill levels.

How to increase attributes? The panel didn't directly show how to obtain attribute points, but based on game experience, it was likely obtained through realm breakthroughs, consuming rare heavenly treasures, or certain special rewards.

Not considering that for now.

So the focus is: skill levels.

Basic Fist Technique, Beginner 1/100. Requires 99 "Complete Practice" sessions to reach Proficient Level.

Basic Breathing Technique, Beginner 1/100, also requires 99 Cycles.

"What is the definition of 'Complete Practice'?" Lin Fan pondered. "I practiced a thousand times this morning, and it only counted as one Complete Practice. This indicates the system has requirements for 'quality,' demanding a focused practice session that meets a certain standard."

He looked at the small text in the Skill Bar: [Each Complete Practice +1 Proficiency].

"This means if I just swing my fists randomly, maybe a hundred or a thousand times won't increase proficiency by even a single point. But if I push each one to its limit, then each one might increase it by a point."

"The key is the 'standard'."

Lin Fan stood up and assumed his boxing stance again.

This time, he didn't pursue quantity but focused his Attention entirely on every detail of the movement.

Pushing off the ground, rotating the hips, sending the shoulder, punching.

Extremely slow.

Like a slow-motion scene in a movie, each frame clearly visible.

He could feel the friction between his soles and the ground, the contraction and expansion of his abdominal muscles, the slight resistance of the air as his fist broke through it.

When his fist reached its furthest point, Lin Fan's entire body's strength flowed perfectly into the fist's edge, no more, no less.

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

The prompt before his eyes flashed and disappeared.

Lin Fan didn't stop. He retracted his fist, adjusted his breathing, and punched again.

Still extremely slow, still fully focused.

Three seconds, one punch.

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

After five punches, Lin Fan stopped and checked his status panel.

[Basic Fist Technique (Beginner 6/100)]

Just as expected.

As long as he reached the "Standard," each punch would count as a "Complete Practice."

But training like this was too draining. A state of complete focus couldn't be maintained for long, and the slow speed meant limited proficiency gained per unit time.

"Perhaps I can do this," Lin Fan thought of a compromise. "First, I'll use 'Standard Mode' to grind proficiency and raise the skill level. Once the level is higher, the skill effect bonus will increase, and training efficiency will improve. Then, I'll use 'Quantity Mode' for rapid accumulation."

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

He looked at the effect of Basic Fist Technique: [Fist Attack Power +5%].

Currently at Beginner level, the bonus was 5%. If it rose to Proficient level (101-500 points), the bonus would become 10%. Mastery level 20%, Minor Accomplishment level 50%...

"As long as I reach Proficient level, my punching power will increase from 120 kilograms to 132 kilograms. If I reach Mastery level, it will be 144 kilograms," Lin Fan quickly calculated. "And this is just the panel bonus. During actual practice, my power application techniques themselves are also improving, so the real increase might be even greater."

His goal was clear.

Within three days, he would at least train Basic Fist Technique to Proficient level, and ideally touch the threshold of Mastery level.

At the same time, Basic Breathing Technique couldn't be neglected. The bonus to Yuan Qi recovery speed and fatigue recovery speed directly affected how long he could "grind."

"Let's begin."

Lin Fan wasted no time and assumed his boxing stance again.

This time, he adjusted his rhythm: no longer pursuing extreme slowness, but finding a balance point that ensured quality while maintaining a certain speed.

About one punch every two seconds.

His attention was highly focused, but without over-consuming his mental energy.

One punch, two punches, three punches...

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

The prompts kept flashing.

When Lin Fan reached his thirtieth punch, the soreness in his arms surged again. But he didn't stop. Instead, he deliberately maintained the stability of his movements—he wanted to see if the system's standard for "Complete Practice" would be lowered in a Fatigued State.

Thirty-first punch, the movement was slightly distorted.

No prompt.

Thirty-second punch, he forcibly adjusted it back.

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

"The standard hasn't changed." Lin Fan had a clear understanding, "The system only recognizes 'up to standard' movements, it's not lenient."

He stopped, sat cross-legged, and began running the Basic Breathing Technique.

Since fatigue affects the quality of movements, he had to ensure recovery.

Breathing was long and continuous, his mind guiding the process.

One Cycle, two Cycles, three Cycles...

[Basic Breathing Technique Proficiency +1]

[Basic Breathing Technique Proficiency +1]

Vital energy slowly accumulated in his Sea of Qi, and the sense of fatigue gradually receded.

Ten minutes later, Lin Fan opened his eyes and stood up to practice his punches again.

And so, punch—breathe—punch—breathe...

He repeated the cycle.

As the night deepened, the Slum District fell completely silent. Only outside Lin Fan's Hut, the young man threw punches and sat in meditation over and over again, like a tireless machine.

Time flowed by in sweat and breaths.

Two in the morning.

Lin Fan checked his status panel.

[Basic Fist Technique (Beginner 87/100)]

[Basic Breathing Technique (Beginner 42/100)]

The efficiency is lower than expected.

On one hand, the state of complete focus cannot last. After practicing twenty to thirty punches, he needs to rest. On the other hand, breathing recovery takes time, and his Qi limit is only 100, so the recovery speed is also slow.

"At this speed, I can practice the fist technique to Proficient Level before dawn, but breathing is still far from it." Lin Fan wiped the sweat from his brow. The night wind blew on his soaked clothes, bringing a chill.

He looked towards the shack, where his sister was sleeping soundly.

He then looked back at the panel. The line [Status: Mild Fatigue, Mild Malnutrition] was still glaring red.

"Not fast enough," Lin Fan frowned. "Still not fast enough."

He needed a more efficient cultivation method.

He needed... the "hidden functions" that the system might possess.

Lin Fan closed his eyes again, sinking his consciousness into the panel. This time, instead of browsing the existing information, he meticulously "examined" every pixel and every detail of the interface, like a programmer scanning code.

The logo in the upper left corner, the version number in the lower right corner, the texture of the border, the font of the text...

Suddenly, his attention locked onto the small text line [Version 1.0 · Basic Edition].

"Basic Edition?" Lin Fan's heart stirred. "Does that mean there's an advanced version? How do I upgrade?"

He focused his attention.

There was no reaction.

He looked at the four large characters [Martial Arts Panel] again. This time, he tried to "touch" the edge of the logo with his consciousness.

Buzz--

The interface trembled slightly.

Directly below the logo, an extremely hidden gray small icon, almost blending into the base color, flickered for a tenth of a second.

Lin Fan immediately caught it.

He controlled his consciousness and precisely "clicked" on that spot.

A brand new, extremely concise sub-interface popped out:

[System Status]

- Bound User: Lin Fan - System Integrity: 2.3%

- Unlocked Features: Attribute Panel, Skill Proficiency

- Features Pending Unlock: Task System, Skill Point System, Storage Space, Cultivation Acceleration, Achievement System...

- Completion Requirement: Binder's realm improves, or specific milestones are completed.

[Current Milestones]

1. Promote Any Skill to Proficient Level (Incomplete)

2. Realm improves to 2nd Stage 1st Grade Martial Trainee (Incomplete)

3. Accumulate 1000 Proficiency Points (Current: 128/1000)

4. ??? (Condition not met, cannot display)

Lin Fan's heart pounded.

As expected.

The system had more functions that were not unlocked. The Attribute Panel and Proficiency System were just the most basic "newbie gift packs."

And the unlock conditions were either to improve his realm or complete milestones.

In the milestone list, the first one was "Promote Any Skill to Proficient Level."

"Soon," Lin Fan looked at the progress of Basic Fist Technique, 87/100, only 13 points left.

He got up without hesitation and assumed his boxing stance again.

This time, the fatigue seemed to be washed away by a new surge of power.

His fists moved like the wind.

Not an exaggeration, they genuinely produced a faint whistling sound.

Because Lin Fan was no longer holding back, he poured all his strength into every punch, pursuing the ultimate standard with each one.

Eighty-eight.

Eighty-nine.

Ninety...

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

The prompt tone echoed in his mind, like the most beautiful music.

3:17 AM.

The hundredth "Complete Practice".

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +1]

[Skill: Basic Fist Technique has been promoted from 'Beginner' to 'Proficient']

[Current Proficiency: 101/500]

[Skill Effect Update: Fist Attack Power +10%]

[System Integrity increased to 3.1%]

[Milestone 'Promote Any Skill to Proficient Level' has been completed]

[Reward: Skill Point ×1]

A series of prompt tones sounded one after another.

Lin Fan stood in place, feeling the changes in his body.

It wasn't a sudden change in attribute values, but a... more profound experience.

His understanding of "throwing a punch" had deepened by one layer. It was as if his muscle memory had been refreshed, his force trajectory optimized, and details that previously required deliberate control now became instinct.

He casually threw a punch.

The air-breaking sound was thirty percent clearer than before.

His fist stopped mid-air, the muscles in his arm tensed, full of power.

"10% power bonus..." Lin Fan clenched his fist, "My punching power should be close to 130 kilograms now."

More importantly, after the skill was promoted to Proficient, he clearly felt that the "threshold" for practice had been lowered.

Actions that previously required his full attention could now be achieved with only seven or eight parts of his attention. This meant that in unit time, he could complete more "Complete Practice" sessions, and his proficiency accumulation speed would increase.

A virtuous cycle had begun.

Lin Fan suppressed the urge to immediately test the new efficiency and turned his attention back to the panel.

In the skill bar, a small icon appeared behind Basic Fist Technique, like a miniature star. Focusing his attention on it displayed: [Expend Skill Point to Increase Proficiency].

A new entry appeared below: [Skill Point: 1].

Lin Fan tried to "click" the star icon with his consciousness.

A prompt popped up: [Consume 1 Skill Point to add 100 Proficiency to 'Basic Fist Technique'?]

100 points!

It was equivalent to the result of his hard training for two hours.

Lin Fan did not hesitate: "Yes."

[Skill Points -1]

[Basic Fist Technique Proficiency +100]

[Current Proficiency: 201/500]

The skill did not upgrade, but the progress bar shot forward a lot.

"Skill points are very valuable," Lin Fan noted. "1 point equals 100 proficiency. I need to obtain more in the future."

He looked at the System Status Bar.

The completeness increased from 2.3% to 3.1%, only a rise of 0.8%. It seemed that a milestone provided limited completeness, and multiple milestones were needed to advance significantly.

In the Pending Unlock Function List, "Task System" was ranked first. It was grayed out, but slightly brighter than the others.

"It's likely the next one to be unlocked," Lin Fan guessed.

He exited the sub-interface and looked at the main panel again.

The early morning wind was colder.

But Lin Fan felt feverish all over.

It wasn't the heat of fatigue, but a heat that surged from the bottom of his heart, named "hope."

Three days to earn 5000 credit points.

It was still difficult.

But at least, he saw a path.

A path paved bit by bit with sweat, perseverance, and this cold yet warm system.

"Continue."

Lin Fan sat cross-legged and began to breathe.

Basic Breathing Technique was still 58 points short of Proficient Level. He had to advance this progress by at least half before dawn.

Breathing, long and continuous.

Vital energy swirled in his Sea of Qi, and fatigue was detached bit by bit.

And in the depth of his consciousness, that light blue panel quietly floated, recording every piece of data, announcing every bit of growth.

When the night was at its deepest, Lin Xiaoyu in the shack turned over and mumbled drowsily:

"Brother..."

Lin Fan didn't hear her.

He was immersed in the rhythm of breathing, in the solid feeling of proficiency increasing bit by bit.

Until the eastern sky turned fish-belly white.

Until the first rooster crowed in the Slum District.

Lin Fan opened his eyes and looked at the panel.

[Basic Breathing Technique (Beginner 79/100)]

One night, another 37 points advanced.

The efficiency was a little higher than before, because as the number of practice sessions increased, his mastery of breathing also deepened.

He got up and stretched his stiff body.

The soreness was still there, but his mind was exceptionally clear. The system's existence was like a stabilizing force, steadying his mindset, which might have otherwise collapsed.

He walked into the shack. Lin Xiaoyu was still asleep, her face still pale, but her breathing was steady.

Lin Fan gently tucked the worn thin quilt around her, then took out the last bit of coarse grain from the wooden box—that was the breakfast left for his sister.

He himself ate nothing.

It wasn't that he wasn't hungry, it was... he didn't dare to eat.

That little bit of food was too little, it had to be left for someone who needed it more.

"When I earn money today, I'll buy something delicious," Lin Fan said softly, as if promising his sister, and also as if talking to himself.

He walked out of the shack, the morning light faint.

A new day had begun.

From the "three-day deadline" the Pharmacy clerk mentioned, two days remained.

And on Lin Fan's panel, two lines of data lay quietly:

[Basic Fist Technique (Proficient 201/500)]

[Basic Breathing Technique (Beginner 79/100)]

And, the just-completed Milestone, and the "Task System" waiting to be unlocked.

The young man clenched his fist and looked outside the Slum District, towards the towering city wall that separated two worlds.

Beyond the city wall lay the wilderness, demonic beasts, and danger.

And also... opportunity.