New Skill: Climbing

When Chen Jue walked out of the International Darts Club, he knew he probably wouldn't be coming back.

He'd consider that 6,888-yuan membership fee repayment for the favor he owed.

Now that he'd turned down Zhu Hongbin's request, coming back to practice darts on his turf would just be asking for trouble.

As for why he'd so firmly turned down such a windfall, Chen Jue had his reasons.

If he'd just graduated from college and was as inexperienced as his young apprentice, Jiang Lin, Zhu Hongbin might have won him over with a few words.

Sign the contract? Sure!

Work was work, wherever you did it.

And how much faster could he make money as an influencer?

Do a few livestreams, sell some products, make some appearances at commercial events, and he could be a millionaire in less than a year or two.

Ordinary people could work hard their whole lives and still never make that much!

But Chen Jue was almost thirty now. He'd long since seen through the ways of the world.

After awakening the Attribute Panel, what mattered most to him was no longer money or work. It was having a healthy body and the freedom to think for himself!

Take the high-paying job at Hengtong Group. All Chen Jue had to do was call or message HR to say he was quitting, and he could walk away whenever he wanted.

But those talent agencies were different.

Once you signed an agreement, even the biggest influencers had to obey and let themselves be manipulated.

If you didn't cooperate, no problem. First they'd shelve you and cut off your income, then blacklist you across the internet, and finally sue you for an astronomical penalty.

Chen Jue had never made a living as an influencer, but he'd seen enough news and short videos to know the tricks they used.

He was socially awkward and introverted, and had some flaws in his personality, but deep down, he was a very straightforward person.

How did that saying go?

Better to seek what you want honestly than to get it through deceit.

That probably summed up Chen Jue's temperament.

After leaving the darts club, Chen Jue didn't go far. He wandered around the sports complex and messaged Wu Fang to tell her the interview had failed.

He also typed up all the inside details of the interview, along with the risks and loopholes in the agreements, and sent them to her.

It was a friendly warning. No one would turn one down.

Wu Fang quickly replied with a few cute stickers: (shocked) (got it) (thank you).

Seeing that this beautiful, kind-hearted teacher had such an adorable side, Chen Jue felt his lecherous heart wavering.

"Get to know her better!"

"If we're meant to be, I'll pursue her. If not, I'll make it happen!" Chen Jue chuckled.

He put his phone away and looked up.

To his surprise, he'd wandered all the way to the climbing area while chatting on WeChat.

Before him stood several outdoor climbing walls lined up side by side, from beginner walls just over five meters high to professional ones more than twelve meters tall, nearly as high as a four-story building.

The scattered, colorful holds on the walls, along with the agile figure rapidly climbing the twelve-meter wall, immediately drew Chen Jue's eye.

The climber was a young man in his twenties with medium-length silver-gray hair. He was shirtless, with a safety rope around his waist, and wore professional dark green climbing pants. One foot dangled in the air while the other rested on a rock hold.

He reached up and hooked a hand over a hold above him, then pulled himself sharply upward.

With just one arm, he hauled his entire body up nearly half a meter, then switched feet and stepped onto another hold.

"He can do that with just one arm?"

"This guy's amazing!"

Chen Jue stood there, completely engrossed.

As a beginner at stone skipping and a dedicated darts enthusiast, he took the strength of his arms, wrists, and fingers very seriously.

The stronger those muscles became, the faster he could release a dart or a skipping stone, improving the distance of his throws and the force behind them.

On top of that, he hadn't gone to the gym to lift weights these past two days, and he was feeling restless.

After all, exercise really could be addictive.

When he saw the climbing wall, he wanted to test his hand strength and see if he could climb as easily as the silver-haired young man.

"Sir, I've noticed you've been watching for a while."

"Would you like to come in and give it a try?"

"Our outdoor climbing equipment is free to use! There's no charge!" A young woman who'd been standing beside a display stand nearby yawned as she approached him.

She was wearing a uniform with the climbing club's logo. It was obvious she was a university student who worked there part-time or had a job.

"It's free to try?"

"Then I'll give it a go!"

Chen Jue made up his mind and walked over to the beginner wall, which was just over five meters high.

Looking at the irregularly shaped holds sticking out in front of him, Chen Jue curiously reached out to feel them, then tested them with his feet.

The silver-haired young man had just reached the top. Spotting a new customer, he let out a loud whoop from above, catching the young woman's attention, then rappelled down on his safety rope.

He was practically Tarzan himself!

"Hey, man!"

"I'm Yu Jie, an instructor here. You look like a beginner. Want me to give you a quick introduction to climbing?"

"It's free! No charge!" The silver-haired young man came over, brimming with enthusiasm.

But when he got closer, Chen Jue was taken aback.

They'd been far apart, and the young man had climbed so quickly that Chen Jue's view had been misleading. He'd assumed the kid was very skinny.

But up close, the young man's shirtless torso was as perfect as a Renaissance sculpture!

His muscles were sharply defined, with eight-pack abs and a V-line. Both arms, from the shoulders down to the forearms, were incredibly firm and muscular. His fingers were long and slender, and the backs of his hands were covered in dark blue veins. He didn't have an ounce of excess fat.

Compared to Coach Li Chaoqun at the gym, whose muscles looked inflated, this silver-haired young man had the kind of physique Chen Jue dreamed of.

"Coach Yu?"

"Could you give me a quick introduction?"

Chen Jue studied him curiously, then struck up a conversation.

As it turned out, Yu Jie, like the young woman, was a third-year university student working part-time. His school was nearby.

Yu Jie was also the president of his university's climbing club.

He was handsome, had a great physique, and sported a fashionable silver-gray hairstyle. He liked to act cool, so he had a whole crowd of admirers at school.

Apart from making small talk, Yu Jie also took the time to explain the basics of climbing to Chen Jue.

The holds on the wall might differ in color and shape, but each type had its own name and use.

The hemispherical hold, for example, was called a sloper. It was large and smooth, with no grooves, so it was easy for your hand to slip off.

Then there were jugs, which had grooves and were easy to grab, like a handle. They were beginners' favorites and were often used by climbers to train their strength.

There were also crimps, with grooves too small to fit a finger joint. You could usually only hold them with your fingertips.

Other types included long, narrow pinches that you could only grip between your fingers, as well as pocket holds with holes that you could only brush with your fingertips.

There were all kinds of holds. Chen Jue listened as he tried them out, following Yu Jie's instructions, and climbed more than three meters in one go.

But what Chen Jue hadn't expected was that the Attribute Panel would react right then!

------ [ Ding~ ]

[Completed an action that met the requirements]

[Skill activated: Climbing] ------

"Climbing?"

"Not rock climbing?" Chen Jue froze, thinking he must have read it wrong.

He glanced at the panel again. Sure enough, it showed [Climbing Lv0 (1/100)], not rock climbing.

Then he remembered that English darts had also been included under [Darts] when he'd practiced before, and he had a rough idea of the relationship between rock climbing and climbing.

"Is this skill trying to get me to climb trees, scale cliffs, or even climb mountains and waterfalls?" Chen Jue's eyes widened. He seemed to have grasped the panel's real intent.

Seeing Chen Jue's eyes go wide, Yu Jie thought he'd given bad instructions and immediately asked cautiously, "Brother Jue! What's wrong? Did you pull something?"

"It's your first time, so we can make it a little easier. You don't have to climb all the way to the top in one go."

At Yu Jie's question, Chen Jue immediately closed the panel and jumped down from the beginner wall.

"I'm fine! I was just thinking about how to lose weight quickly and build a physique as good as yours!" Chen Jue waved a hand, telling him not to worry.

Seeing that Chen Jue was fine, Yu Jie breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't easy for a university student like him to find a suitable part-time job.

The climbing club had hired him because his studies were relevant and he had a good appearance.

If he accidentally injured a customer, got a complaint, and damaged the club's reputation, he could lose his job.

"Then you'll have to keep at it, Brother Jue!"

"I joined the climbing club in my first year of college and built my physique by spending a lot of time at the gym with the upperclassmen."

"You look like you weigh over eighty-five kilos. If you really want to train for climbing, you should lower your body fat and work on your hand strength." Yu Jie chuckled and shared some of his fitness experience along with his climbing knowledge.

But when he heard that Chen Jue had to work and didn't have much time to go to the gym, Yu Jie's eyes shifted. He opened Taobao and searched for a product.

"Brother Jue!"

"This Grip Strengthener would suit you! It only costs a few dozen yuan. Slip it in your pocket and squeeze it while you're at work. It'll train your grip and strengthen your fingers, wrists, and forearms!"

"I used to practice secretly during class. I guarantee it works!"

Second update~

The baby was fussy tonight, so I took them to the hospital for a checkup, which delayed the update.

Please keep those votes coming~

I really need the support during this new-author period. Thank you, everyone!

I'm bowing to you all (thump, thump)