The Scholarly Demeanor of Wisdom, Courage, and Command

June 11, 2137.

Early morning.

Xu Tui woke up from hunger.

The clanging sounds from the kitchen, along with the hissing of steam from the steamer, made Xu Tui instantly think of piping hot, meaty steamed buns.

Made by his mom with her own hands.

Take a bite.

Grease dripping everywhere.

So delicious he wanted to swallow his tongue along with it.

Swallowing several large mouthfuls of saliva, Xu Tui didn't get up immediately.

Xu Tui knew very well that the buns wouldn't be cooked yet at this hour.

He easily entered the Illusory Internal Vision state.

Xu Tui looked at the white light spot that had lit up in the area of his left calf with a sense of satisfaction.

Suddenly, the feeling from last night's activation flashed through his mind.

"My right hand hurts?"

"Holy crap, what if I activated a gene point related to hand speed like that guy in the lobby?"

"And it's my right hand!"

Xu Tui opened his eyes and began to try and compare his hand functions.

At this moment, his right hand did indeed feel a bit stronger than his left.

Without professional testing equipment, Xu Tui could only rely on his senses.

However, for most people, their right hand is naturally stronger than their left.

His ten fingers danced as if playing a piano.

Hand speed.

It didn't seem to have changed much.

His right hand was only slightly faster than his left, both within the normal range.

His strength seemed about the same too.

Xu Tui was stunned.

He got out of bed and checked if there were any changes in his legs.

The result was no change.

Xu Tui was stunned again.

Where did the effect of the gene point he activated in his left calf last night go?

He could accept that activating a gene point in his left calf could affect his right hand's abilities.

Even hand speed, Xu Tui could accept that.

But the gene point was activated, yet his basic abilities hadn't changed much.

He was unhappy.

Even though he was unhappy, Xu Tui had to accept it.

The diversity and complexity of genes were still being studied by scientists at the Gene Research Institute.

He didn't have to go to school, so he could finally sleep in a little.

While still lying in bed, Xu Tui took the time to summarize and reflect on his cultivation from last night.

Summarizing and reflecting was a good thing.

Whether applied to studying or cultivation.

It allowed you to pinpoint your weaknesses and the areas that needed strengthening, or to summarize the points that required attention.

The extreme fatigue he felt before going to sleep last night, a fatigue so intense it even overshadowed the hunger pangs from his stomach cramps, had surprised Xu Tui.

During a few days of his first year of high school winter break, when his parents were away, Xu Tui had played games for two days and two nights straight by himself, and he hadn't felt that tired.

The memory of him passing out the night before yesterday while forcefully activating his fifteenth gene point also seemed strange now.

Xu Tui had previously believed that he fainted the night before last while forcefully activating the fifteenth gene point because of the bleeding from his seven orifices.

Now, Xu Tui suddenly remembered the day he injected the Gene Liberation Potion on June 9th. He had also bled from his seven orifices that day, and the amount of blood was even greater than when he activated his fifteenth gene point that night.

Yet, he hadn't fainted.

Combining this with the extreme fatigue he felt last night after slowly activating a gene point in his leg, Xu Tui suddenly realized something—his fainting last night might not have been caused by the bleeding from his seven orifices after activating the gene point.

It was very likely due to excessive mental energy consumption.

Yes, mental power!

Xu Tui thought of these three words.

This term, which had appeared countless times in anime, also appeared on Xu Tui today.

If that were the case, then the fatigue from his mental power being depleted last night should have overcome his extreme hunger, causing Xu Tui to fall asleep on the spot.

"Meaning, my ability to voluntarily activate Gene Points isn't without a price.

Besides consuming a large amount of bodily energy, it also consumes mental power."

Fortunately, mental power seemed to recover almost completely after a night's sleep.

In any case, Xu Tui felt extremely energized now.

With this extremely energized state, the hunger felt even more terrifying.

His stomach twitched.

It started rumbling non-stop!

Xu Tui got out of bed.

He brushed his teeth and washed his face.

While looking in the mirror, Xu Tui suddenly froze.

Was the cold, handsome guy with cheekbones about to pop out in the mirror still my Xu Tui, the handsome guy?

So handsome.

So cold!

And also so thin!

Xu Tui was over 1.8 meters tall, weighing 149 jin. His weight was quite suitable.

It was a physique that truly looked slim in clothes, muscular when undressed, and could charm a crowd.

But now, Xu Tui looked at his slightly prominent cheekbones, slightly protruding ribs, and the bulging veins on the back of his hands in the mirror.

He was no longer surprised, but terrified.

This wasn't just thin anymore.

It was malnutrition, to the point of looking gaunt!

Xu Tui jumped on the scale as quickly as possible.

The numbers on it flickered.

They settled on 128 jin.

"Holy crap. Look at this weight loss."

Xu Tui clearly remembered weighing 144 jin before going to bed last night. To cultivate, he had eaten ten boiled eggs, then successively eaten two large flatbreads, three packs of instant noodles, and four dragon fruits.

Then, he cultivated all night.

His weight dropped from 144 jin to 128 jin.

Xu Tui felt that if his method could be widely spread, he would definitely become the richest man in the world.

He would charge a hundred yuan for just one jin of weight loss.

As long as one ten-thousandth of the world's obese people came to Xu Tui, he would be set.

Unfortunately, there was no possibility of promotion.

Not only that, but Xu Tui had already started to worry about his own life.

If he continued to lose weight at this rate, it wouldn't take much, just activating two or three more Gene Points, and Xu Tui would be so thin he'd turn into ashes on the spot.

With a nervous heart, he went to the kitchen. Before his hand even touched the steamed buns, his mother, Zhang Xiuli, let out an exaggerated scream.

The shape of the words 'Who are you' had already formed, but ultimately, they didn't burst out of his mother Zhang Xiuli's mouth.

They turned into a scream and concern.

This was definitely his biological mother.

"Jinbu, how did you become like this?"

"How did you get so skinny overnight?"

"What kind of suffering did you endure."

"Jianguo!"

"Xu Jianguo, where the hell are you? Your son is about to starve to death, and you're still not coming out."

Xu Tui felt awkward hearing this.

"Starve to death. Sigh. Mom, can I eat a few buns first? I'm hungry!"

"Here, eat quickly, it's hot."

"Mom will break it open and blow on it for you, you just eat!"

Xu Tui's drastic weight loss caused chaos at home.

After devouring three baskets of steamed buns, Xu Tui felt his stomach stop cramping and felt much better. He began to slow down his eating speed and his attention started to wander.

He casually opened his personal mobile communication device, projecting a small screen. He opened WeChat, intending to check the news and his social feed.

As soon as he opened it, a popular local news push popped up.

"High school student from Jincheng City displays incredible power at a milk tea shop, assisting Special Intelligence Agency Special Agents in apprehending a member of the Dawn Redemption Traitor Organization, fully showcasing the wisdom, courage, and handsomeness of Jincheng City's students!"

Below the article, the comments were overwhelmingly full of praise and pride!

There was an accompanying picture.

Xu Tui was standing there with one hand on his hip, roaring, while two Special Agents were lunging forward in a low crouch. The traitor, Uncle 'Long Underwear', was curled up like a overripe shrimp.

"Hmm, the picture is majestic and righteous. Even if only my back is showing, it's still handsome."

Xu Tui touched his cheekbones, which felt like they were touching bone, and was quite satisfied.

"If they changed 'wisdom, courage, and handsomeness' to 'handsomeness, wisdom, and courage,' it would be perfect!"

After admiring the news for several minutes, Xu Tui gently swiped past it.

Another popular article appeared.

"Responding to a tip from a concerned citizen, yesterday at noon a teenager entered our city's 'Can't Eat Enough' all-you-can-eat steakhouse. In just one hour, the owner returned all his money and politely escorted him out, stating that he would not be serving this teenager again in the future."

"Coincidentally, yesterday afternoon, our city's 'Spicy Rush' all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant closed early and politely saw a teenager out."

"According to concerned citizens, this teenager ate the first wave of dishes by himself in fifteen minutes. Normally, this first wave of dishes is enough to last one to two hours."

"Lawyer explains online: This behavior is, in essence, not in line with..."

This news.

Then, Xu Tui saw an accompanying picture.

In the picture, there was a tall teenager, with half his face showing.

"Holy crap, isn't that Cheng Mo?"

Xu Tui was stunned.

That guy Cheng Mo, going to eat at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, was quite the strategist.

But the owners of these all-you-can-eat restaurants weren't decisive enough.

Couldn't they have let Cheng Mo eat his fill and enjoy himself thoroughly?

Before he finished eating, Xu Tui's personal communication device vibrated. It was Tang Ting sending him a message.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Tui smiled. He had just finished eating, so he casually initiated a three-person video call.

In the video call, Cheng Mo's face looked even rounder.

"Tang Ting, which university did you apply to?" Xu Tui asked.

"Huaxia Gene Military University," Tang Ting replied.

"Whoa, the second-ranked Gene Evolution University in the country, you're amazing. Don't their Gene Points admission score start at ten? How did you get in? You must have pulled some strings!" Cheng Mo exclaimed dramatically.

"Get lost!"

Tang Ting smiled. "Want to grab a meal together sometime? We can chat about it then."

"According to regulations, we'll be starting to report to our schools one after another starting tomorrow. The next three months will be a closed training period. Let's the three of us get together for lunch today," Xu Tui said.

"No problem, how about we go eat at an all-you-can-eat place?" Cheng Mo suggested first.

"Absolutely not!"

Xu Tui and Tang Ting refused in unison, clearly both having seen the news.

"Okay, you guys pick the place."

Cheng Mo seemed a little helpless. It looked like he wouldn't be eating enough for lunch today.