"The patient's body has recovered fairly well. However, his internal organs are damaged, so he needs to rest for at least three months. During that period, his diet should be light, and he must avoid strenuous exercise."
In the hospital room, the attending physician had finished examining Chen Yuan and was giving instructions to Qin Zhan beside him. "My recommendation is that he remain hospitalized for observation. Of course, being discharged now is also possible, but if any problems arise outside the hospital afterward, the hospital will not be held responsible."
"Understood. We'll choose to keep him hospitalized. I'll go pay the hospitalization fees later," Qin Zhan promptly replied after hearing the doctor.
The doctor nodded at Qin Zhan, then left.
After the doctor left, Qin Zhan checked the time and said to Chen Yuan, "Yuan, just focus on recovering. I'll go pay the fees first, then bring you lunch from the hospital cafeteria."
Chen Yuan lay on the hospital bed and nodded. "Sorry to trouble you, Uncle Qin."
Qin Zhan smiled, then left the room as well, closing the door behind him.
The hospital room soon fell silent, leaving Chen Yuan as its only patient.
Chen Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief. "I can continue studying that System Panel now."
He had been studying the light screen that had appeared before his eyes when the hospital room door had suddenly been pushed open. Qin Zhan had brought the doctor in to examine him.
The light screen before his eyes had been rather bright at the time, and the sound of the door opening had startled Chen Yuan. He had been afraid someone would see it.
Fortunately, the panel was exactly as Chen Yuan had expected. Only he could see it; Qin Zhan and the doctor had both ignored the light screen before him.
Chen Yuan had temporarily closed the light screen and cooperated with the doctor's examination. Only after the two of them left did he open the panel again.
Name: Chen Yuan Age: 19 Strength: 2010 (kg) Realm: Apprentice Second Rank Secret Art: Five Hearts Toward Heaven (Rating D), Spirit Wind Sword Art (including swordsmanship, movement technique, Guiding Technique; overall rating C) Force Exertion Level: 0.9 Current Optimizable Item: Secret Art Energy: 3
That was everything displayed on Chen Yuan's panel. It was extremely simple.
After studying it for a short while, Chen Yuan had also roughly understood the panel's purpose.
The panel could display Chen Yuan's physical condition in real time. That was all.
It did not possess the "once certified, forever certified" function Chen Yuan had imagined. It merely recorded data.
Just now, Chen Yuan had seen his Force Exertion Level fluctuate repeatedly between 0.8 and 0.9 on the panel.
Chen Yuan understood why. His injuries had caused fluctuations in his control over his strength. That was perfectly normal.
However, since the panel's Force Exertion Level could drop from 0.9 back to 0.8, that proved the panel did not have the ability to lock in his physical attributes.
It was not just the Force Exertion Level. Chen Yuan guessed that if he remained bedridden for long enough, his Strength would also fall from 2010 kilograms.
To be honest, Chen Yuan was quite disappointed that the panel lacked the ability to make something permanent once certified, but he was not especially dejected, because there was more content below.
"Current Optimizable Item: Secret Art?" Chen Yuan lowered his gaze, a faint guess surfacing in his mind. "Does that mean it can optimize the cultivation techniques I practice and improve their effects?"
"The Energy shown below is the energy needed to optimize secret arts? Where did these 3 points come from?"
Chen Yuan stared at the number after Energy on the panel, puzzled. Then a stream of information appeared in his mind, answering his question.
"Energy is obtained through killing? These 3 points of Energy came from that Iron-Haired Wild Boar!" Chen Yuan suddenly understood. "Killing creatures of the same level grants Energy. The amount produced varies depending on the creature's size."
"If it's obtained through killing, why not call it Kill Points?"
As soon as that thought appeared in Chen Yuan's mind, he saw the word Energy on the panel suddenly blur before changing into the words Kill Points.
Kill Points: 3
"So that's how it is. The panel's contents can be customized according to my thoughts." Chen Yuan's eyes lit up. He then stared at the panel and imagined it anew. Soon, the contents on the panel took on a completely different appearance.
Name: Chen Yuan Age: 19 Strength: 2010.72 (kg) Realm: Intermediate Warrior Secret Arts: Five Hearts Toward Heaven: Cultivation-type secret art, Rating D, current progress: Proficient (63.79%) Spirit Wind Sword Art: Combat-type secret art, Rating C, current progress: Overall Beginner 37.32% (Swordsmanship 39.72%, Movement Technique 33.58%, Guiding Technique 38.65%) Force Exertion Level: 0.89 Current Optimizable Item: Secret Art Kill Points: 3
Looking at the panel, Chen Yuan thought, As expected, the panel's function is to display my physical condition in real time. I can alter the displayed information to make it more detailed, but I can't alter my body's actual state!
Put simply, he could change the units displayed by the data, such as changing kilograms into jin or tons, but his physical condition would not change in the slightest.
"So the panel really is just a panel. It can't make something permanent once certified, nor can it alter data to affect reality." After discovering the panel's purpose, Chen Yuan stopped paying attention to it and lowered his gaze. "In that case, let's take a look at this optimization ability."
As soon as he focused his consciousness on the optimization section, a message appeared in his mind.
"Please select an optimization target."
With a try-it-and-see attitude, Chen Yuan thought, "Select Five Hearts Toward Heaven for optimization."
"Please select an optimization direction."
Chen Yuan thought for a moment. "Increase the efficiency of absorbing cosmic energy and raise the upper limit of cellular absorption."
"Establish optimization task. Current optimization target: Five Hearts Toward Heaven. Optimization direction: improve efficiency, raise upper limit. Estimated Kill Points required: 200. Establish optimization task?"
200 Kill Points?
Chen Yuan felt bitter inside. He only had 3 Kill Points. Still, with a mindset of giving it a try, he chose yes.
"Insufficient Kill Points. Task establishment failed. Please replenish Kill Points or modify the optimization direction."
Sure enough, it did not work. Chen Yuan then tried optimizing the other secret art, Spirit Wind Sword Art. It required 400 Kill Points, so that did not work either.
"Do I have to wait until I'm discharged before going back into the wilderness to accumulate Kill Points? Does that mean I can only stare helplessly for these three months?" Chen Yuan felt somewhat helpless. His gaze swept back and forth across the panel before he suddenly froze.
He stared at one line of text and fell into deep thought.
"Replenish Kill Points or modify the optimization direction... modify the optimization direction..." Chen Yuan had a sudden flash of inspiration. "What would happen if I changed it like this?"
"Whatever. I'll try it first!"
"System, optimize Five Hearts Toward Heaven. Optimization direction: improve the efficiency and upper limit of absorbing cosmic energy, while abandoning universality and optimizing it only for me personally."
Chen Yuan stared intently at the panel, watching the new information displayed on it.
"Establish optimization task. Current optimization target: Five Hearts Toward Heaven. Optimization direction: improve efficiency, raise upper limit, abandon universality, optimize based on the host's circumstances. Estimated Kill Points required: 2. Establish optimization task?"
"Just as I thought!" Chen Yuan's eyes lit up, and his heart surged with excitement. "I was right. Universality is also one aspect of a cultivation technique. After all, techniques are designed so that more people can cultivate them. If I abandon that aspect and optimize it only for myself, the energy required for optimization will naturally decrease!"
It was like a powerful secret manual that everyone wanted. But if it were exclusively tailored and no one else could practice it, its value would drop drastically.
The system's optimization worked on the same principle.
"I just didn't expect that abandoning a cultivation technique's universality would require only one percent of the energy!" Chen Yuan could barely contain his excitement as his consciousness repeatedly selected confirm on the panel.
"Optimization task established. Optimization time: 3 hours."
As Chen Yuan waited excitedly, three hours passed in a flash. During that time, Qin Zhan brought him lunch. After Chen Yuan finished eating, Qin Zhan took the lunchbox away and told him that he had something to do that afternoon and would return in the evening.
After Qin Zhan left, Chen Yuan lay on the bed, watching the countdown on the panel to pass the time.
Finally, the optimization countdown ended, and the task was complete.
He looked over and saw the following displayed:
"Optimization task complete. The secret art Five Hearts Toward Heaven has been optimized into Hibernation Method: Crystal Meditation. (Click Hibernation Method to expand details.)"
Chen Yuan opened the Hibernation Method description with his consciousness. It read: Hibernation Method: Crystal Meditation, a cultivation-type secret art. Through Crystal Meditation, one enters Deep Sleep. Deep Sleep has the following effects:
First, it greatly increases the body's recovery ability.
Second, it can slowly increase physical strength.
Third, it improves the efficiency of absorbing cosmic energy and raises the upper limit of cellular absorption.
Chen Yuan's pupils contracted when he saw the introduction to the Hibernation Method.
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