Add Points!

Before long, after eating and drinking his fill.

The living room was still lively.

Father and Second Uncle were sprawled on the sofa, talking a mile a minute about the ups and downs of business.

Mother, meanwhile, held a handful of melon seeds, her eyes glued to the palace intrigue drama on TV, watching with great relish, occasionally sighing along with the plot.

Xu Feng made an excuse about needing to do homework, hurried back to his room, and locked the door behind him.

He steadied himself, focused his mind, and the Attribute Panel appeared in his thoughts:

code
[Name: Xu Feng]
[Breakthrough Points: 15]
[Iron Wire Fist: Not Started (+)]

"Breakthrough Points... breakthrough... could it be for breaking through martial arts realms?" Xu Feng's voice carried a tremor of excitement. "Does that mean I can eventually be like those heroes in TV dramas, able to hurt people with plucked flowers and thrown leaves, walking on snow without leaving a trace, leaping over roofs and scaling walls?"

Every time he witnessed a monster being slain, Breakthrough Points would inexplicably increase.

But he had fumbled around for so long, never able to guess their purpose.

Now that the mystery was solved, Xu Feng felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

But this excitement didn't last long before it was doused by a bucket of cold water.

He sighed in defeat. "Even if I really could learn the skills of a martial arts hero, I'd probably only be able to handle E-rank or D-rank demonic beasts, right?"

"Still..."

He shifted his tone, a faint light rekindling in his eyes. "Even so, it's still better than being as helpless as I am now. At least I'll have the confidence to protect myself and my family!"

Thinking of this seemingly peaceful life that could be torn apart at any moment by dungeon demonic beasts, Xu Feng's gaze sharpened, and he had already made up his mind.

"Iron Wire Fist, add points!"

The moment the words fell, the Breakthrough Points on the panel suddenly decreased by one.

The text in the [Iron Wire Fist] row began to flicker faintly.

In an instant, it refreshed.

[Iron Wire Fist: Beginner]

A surge of warm energy burst from his heart, flowing slowly through his limbs and bones. Xu Feng felt his entire body warm and comfortable, almost wanting to sigh in contentment.

At the same time, a figure identical to him appeared in his mind, practicing Iron Wire Fist move by move, fists whistling through the air with powerful force.

That figure practiced a full hundred times, and Xu Feng felt as if he had personally experienced those hundred rounds of training. Every technique for exerting force in each move, every shift in stance, was etched into his bones, as familiar as if he had trained for months!

He instinctively clenched his fist, applying a little force in his arm, and felt an unprecedented sense of power filling his limbs.

He casually grabbed the wooden stool beneath him and lifted it lightly—it was much easier than before.

"My strength really increased!"

A brilliant light burst from Xu Feng's eyes. He looked down at himself; his originally thin frame seemed a bit more solid, no longer looking so sickly.

Just from Beginner, his strength had surged by at least ten percent!

Although it was still far from that of his constantly busy Second Uncle and father, or even from an average adult, this sudden change was enough to make him ecstatic.

"The future looks bright!"

"Add points! Keep adding points!" Xu Feng couldn't suppress the wild joy in his heart, screaming inwardly.

[Breakthrough Points -2]

[Iron Wire Fist: Minor Success]

[Breakthrough Points -4]

[Iron Wire Fist: Major Success]

Breakthrough Points plummeted rapidly, and the realm of Iron Wire Fist soared.

As the realm broke through, Xu Feng's muscles began to swell faintly. His originally loose school uniform shirt was stretched tight, the lines beneath the fabric brimming with explosive power.

But just then, a tidal wave of hunger suddenly hit him, spreading wildly from his stomach through his entire body, instantly overwhelming all his senses.

"Hungry... so hungry..."

Xu Feng clutched his stomach, fine bloodshot veins uncontrollably creeping into his eyes, a guttural growl escaping his throat.

He stumbled to his desk, reaching for the cabinet underneath to dig out his hidden snacks.

But the moment his fingertips touched the cabinet handle, a force far beyond what he intended burst forth.

With a crisp crack, the solid wood handle was ripped clean off by his bare hand.

Xu Feng had no time to feel sorry for it. He frantically pulled open the cabinet door and yanked out the pickled chicken feet and braised drumsticks inside.

The sound of packaging tearing open came one after another. He didn't even bother spitting out the bones, shoving meat and bone alike into his mouth, swallowing them whole.

Finally, he crushed a few bags of instant noodles, tilted the bag into his mouth, and when it was too dry to swallow, he chugged some cold water from the side, forcing down every last bit of his stash until it was all gone.

Only when a faint warmth finally spread through his stomach did the gnawing hunger begin to recede.

"Xiao Feng? What are you messing around with in your room?"

His mother's voice suddenly came from outside the door, clearly having heard the noise from the cabinet just now.

"Nothing, nothing!" Xu Feng hastily stuffed the packaging bag into a drawer and shouted back, "I was looking for my exam papers from last time and accidentally knocked over some books!"

"You, child, never tidy up properly..." His mother's voice carried a hint of helpless nagging.

Before she could finish, Xu Feng had already pulled out a looser long-sleeved shirt, slipped it on, grabbed his backpack, and yanked open the door.

"Mom, my pen ran out of ink. I'm going to the convenience store downstairs to buy a few!"

Without waiting for her reply, he had already dashed downstairs like a gust of wind.

His mother watched his hurried back, shook her head helplessly, and muttered under her breath, "This kid, always in such a rush..."