A Day's Plan Begins in the Morning

After finishing his eye exercises on the roof of the talent apartment building, Chen Jue felt as though he were seeing the world with the clarity of a mountain after a fresh rain!

Not only had his vision become much clearer, but his mind had also relaxed, and his thoughts felt unusually lively.

"No wonder the old saying goes, 'A day's plan begins in the morning.'"

"Ever since I started getting up early, my mind really hasn't felt as sluggish as it used to."

"After exercising my eyes, I feel like the pressure of everyday life has lifted, too. This must be what they mean by 'clear eyes and a calm heart'!" Chen Jue smiled at the rising sun.

Although he was nearly thirty, according to the internet jokesters, he was already advancing toward middle age.

But ever since he'd awakened the Attribute Panel and changed his habits and chaotic sleep schedule, Chen Jue felt as vibrant and full of life as the great sun rising over the city's skyline before him.

Whistling and humming a tune he didn't even know where he'd picked up, Chen Jue headed downstairs and made straight for the park.

Combined with red-light exposure, the [Eye Health Exercises] were extremely effective. Just half an hour could improve his eyesight and raise his [Physique] attribute, but he could only do them for about half an hour each morning.

If he greedily practiced for longer, he would damage the blood vessels and muscles around his eye sockets.

At that point, it was time to switch from his eyes to his body. He was only three hundred points away from leveling up the [Twelve Taiji Forms] again, so Chen Jue planned to make up some ground during his morning workout.

But when he reached the park entrance, he couldn't help feeling puzzled.

There was no sign of Wu Fang or her grandfather in the open space beside the chess tables.

Chen Jue had asked around before. At this time of day, the two of them were usually practicing nearby without fail, swinging the Rope Dart.

It was Saturday, too, so Wu Fang didn't have school. If they weren't there, something must have held them up.

"Could they be doing another TV interview?" Chen Jue wondered.

As he was pondering this, he spotted several young men with slicked-back hair and powdered faces milling around the chess tables, as if they were looking for something.

"I don't see anyone!"

"Didn't the internet say Teacher Wu usually exercises here in the mornings?"

"Did some bastard post a fake address to mislead us?" the young men asked each other loudly. Their voices carried from a long way off.

"Holy crap!"

"They've actually chased their celebrity crush offline?"

"Is Wu Fang really that popular now?" Chen Jue's expression froze when he heard them.

So these young men were all potential rivals of his online, and they'd come to the park hoping to meet Wu Fang in person!

"These guys must have nothing better to do."

"Aren't they worried someone will call the cops and report them for harassing her?"

Chen Jue muttered under his breath and walked deeper into the park as if no one else were there.

With a bunch of thirsty fans lurking nearby, Wu Fang probably wouldn't come back to exercise in this park anytime soon.

Even if she did come, she'd have to wait until the commotion died down!

As for the message Chen Jue had sent her last night, Wu Fang still hadn't replied. He figured she'd turned off her phone for the weekend to block out all the unwanted attention.

"She'll probably reply when she goes to work on Monday, right?" Chen Jue thought. They'd already established the beginnings of a friendship, which was a good start. He didn't mind waiting a day or two.

When he reached the lakeside where he'd practiced the previous evening, Chen Jue began slowly going through the Taiji forms.

He practiced from six-thirty until a little after nine. Nearly two and a half hours later, his stomach was growling and acid was rising in it when the panel finally stirred.

[ Ding~ ]

[Through your tireless efforts, your skill proficiency has reached 100%.]

[Taiji Twelve Forms Lv3 → Taiji Twelve Forms (Mastered)]

[You have completely mastered this simplified health exercise. The twelve movements hold no technical secrets for you anymore. You could perform them backward just as easily.]

[Tip: This health exercise may still hold some unexpected secrets. You might make new discoveries if you can complete it.]

As the skill leveled up, an indescribable warmth spread through Chen Jue's body.

When he tried the [Twelve Taiji Forms] again, he found they felt as natural as if he'd been practicing them since he was in the womb. He could perform them effortlessly.

The movements were still soft and gentle, nowhere near the kind of punches in martial arts novels that could smash someone's skull.

But whenever Chen Jue practiced Taiji, his whole body seemed to be enveloped in an otherworldly aura.

His movements were light and graceful, flowing and beautiful!

If he entered a martial arts forms competition, he'd surely take home a trophy, if not a gold medal!

"Another mastered skill!"

"But what does that tip mean? Is it telling me to keep studying Taiji?" Chen Jue's face brightened, then he rubbed his chin and began to ponder.

Taiji was a treasure of Chinese martial arts and health exercises, with countless branches and schools that had developed from it.

At first, Chen Jue had simply copied the old men and women in Changhe Residential District. Only after looking it up online had he learned that it was the simplified Twelve Forms, introduced by the General Administration of Sport of China.

Besides this basic set of twelve, the General Administration of Sport of China had also introduced the upgraded 24 Forms, 36 Forms, and 48 Forms.

And beyond the official versions, there were countless others: Chen style, Yang style, Wudang, Chan, large frame, small frame, and old frame.

Chen Jue had no idea which one was the true origin of [Taiji]. He could only try them when he had the chance and use the panel to see whether he could activate a skill.

After all, this health exercise had an inherent advantage when it came to improving attributes.

After two and a half hours of practice, Chen Jue's [Physique] attribute had increased by another 0.01.

But what made him happiest was that he'd finally saved up 0.10 free attribute points!

He opened the panel and dragged the [Stone Skipping] and [Darts] skill blocks together. The [Combine Skills] option appeared again.

This time, Chen Jue didn't hesitate. He pressed confirm immediately.

[ Ding~ ]

[Skill combination successful. The experience progress of the two skills has been merged.]

[Reconstructed Skill: Hidden Weapon Throwing Lv5 (1/20000)]

[Description: An expert throwing technique incorporating many kinds of variation. It is usually used for assassination, competition, and self-defense.]

[Under the influence of the new skill, your mastery of throwing all kinds of hidden weapons has increased. The flexibility, resilience, and strength of both your hands have improved significantly. Any kind of hidden weapon will become a toy in your hands.]

As the new skill appeared and the 0.10 free attribute points were consumed, unfamiliar muscle memory spread through both of Chen Jue's arms.

His fingers, wrists, arms, and shoulder joints all began to feel faintly hot, accompanied by a tingling sensation.

His pores opened wide and his veins bulged. The blood vessels hidden beneath his skin began to swell as blood rushed through them at high speed, carrying heat away.

When the strange sensation finally passed, Chen Jue found that his hands had become unusually pale and supple.

He bent them gently, and his ten fingers could actually bend backward by 180 degrees!

"W-what happened to my hands?"

Chen Jue himself was stunned!

With this kind of flexibility and dexterity, couldn't he reach master rank in piano or gaming in no time?

He tried picking up a small stone from the ground and flicking it at a yellowing leaf on a tree twenty meters away with [Hidden Weapon Throwing].

With a whoosh, the stone spun rapidly through the air, tracing an unusual arc before hitting its target.

The leaf split in two, with only half still hanging from the branch!

At that moment, the proficiency for [Hidden Weapon Technique] on the panel also popped up with a +1, along with a qualifying rating.

"!!!"

"I can hit something that far away with ease?"

"I really can hit whatever I aim at!"

Chen Jue excitedly tried a few more times, alternating between his left and right hands.

There was no hesitation or unfamiliarity at all!

He hit the mark nearly every time, knocking several leaves on the tree trunk into jagged, half-cut shapes.

But after trying for a while, Chen Jue realized that with his current hand strength and eyesight, he could only hit small targets about twenty meters away.

Beyond that, his hands didn't have enough strength, and his eyes struggled to see clearly.

Still, Chen Jue thought his accuracy at that distance was already absurd.

A casual toss could cover almost the length of two buses!

He could've passed for a master of hidden weapons in the martial world of ancient times, couldn't he?

Second update~

Please vote for the novel and leave monthly tickets!

I've taken my medicine. Time to keep grinding!

Pianfeng's writing isn't good enough yet, and I'm still polishing my style.

I hope you'll be patient and understanding. During the new-book period, I need your votes and support through follows and read-throughs.

Things are moving a little slowly at the start, so I'll post more and push the plot and pacing along. I'll try to update more for everyone while the book is still free and before it goes on sale!