First Physical Test

These days, there are too many people on the internet showing off their wealth and superior lifestyles; Chen Jue can't fathom why there are so many rich folks online.

Perhaps it's because he's been a wage slave for so long that the social circles he's exposed to are just too low-level.

Aside from a few bosses and his landlord, he hasn't really met anyone particularly wealthy.

Most office workers earning eight or ten thousand a month are just scraping by to make ends meet.

Once they have a family, they'd stretch a single dollar into two if they could.

In this demographic, no one treats money like it's nothing, let alone buying stones to toss into the water.

At one dollar per stone, the cost of skipping them is almost equal to the price of the two cigarettes Chen Jue smokes every day.

"Maybe I should smoke two fewer packs and buy some to try out?"

Chen Jue first glanced at the [Sub-health] status on his Attribute Panel, then recalled the satisfaction and joy he felt while stone skipping that evening, so he simply spent 200 on a package.

He isn't married and doesn't have a family to support like others, so his earned wages just sit in his bank account.

He doesn't have any other expensive hobbies, either; he just smokes a bit of Blue Liqun, which costs 18 a pack.

When it comes to daily food and clothing, Chen Jue is actually quite generous with himself.

Since he earns over ten thousand a month, being stingy would just ruin his character.

Besides, going out to play games or surf the web with friends costs more than that.

Moreover, stone skipping can grind stats, exercise the body, and delight the mind—it's three birds with one stone.

However, Chen Jue didn't buy the skipping stones from that world-record holder's shop.

They sell custom petal-shaped stones, which the description claims are processed from clay; the texture is very different, allowing for special curved skips.

Plus, since the seller is the current world-record holder—having practiced since childhood and broken records in his teens to gain fame at home and abroad—the brand premium is quite high.

He switched to a generic shop and placed an order for 400 circular-cut skipping stones for 200.

After chatting with the seller, the other party was so pleased they threw in an extra 20 stones for Chen Jue.

Calculated out, each stone costs less than 50 cents, which is cheaper than buying tokens at an arcade, so it's quite acceptable.

"400 should last for a while, right?"

Chen Jue recalled his consumption from tonight; it seemed he only used about a hundred or so scavenged stones to grind his [Stone Skipping] skill to Lv1.

Furthermore, scavenged stones are uneven, and not every one of them can grant proficiency.

Once these professional skipping stones arrive, Chen Jue will be able to level up [Stone Skipping] much faster.

After watching stone skipping videos for a long time, Chen Jue realized he seemed to have truly become addicted to this sport.

He had originally intended to go on Douyin to watch pretty girls, listen to some tunes, and admire their dance moves.

But once he saw it was 12 o'clock, an irresistible wave of exhaustion washed over him.

He shut down his phone and went to sleep.

Chen Jue slept exceptionally soundly that night, like a dead pig.

His snoring, sounding like a saw cutting through wood, echoed throughout his rental apartment.

When he automatically woke up at 8:30 the next morning, Chen Jue realized something was wrong.

He discovered that his entire right arm was numb, and even the slightest movement caused intense pain.

"Damn it! Are the aftereffects this strong?"

"Hiss~ it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

Chen Jue endured the soreness as he rolled out of bed, washed up, and went out for breakfast.

Since his office clock-in time is 9:00, he has developed a biological clock over the years that wakes him up at 8:30.

No matter how late he sleeps the night before, he can wake up on time the next day.

It's just that waking up too early on weekends is useless; there's nothing to do at the company, and no one invites him out early in the morning, so Chen Jue usually stays in his rental to catch up on sleep.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go back to sleep today because his right arm was truly aching terribly.

He took a walk in the garden in the middle of the residential complex and, seeing people jogging for their morning exercise, Chen Jue followed along for two laps.

He realized his body was indeed a bit pathetic; he couldn't even handle the day after just one session of stone skipping.

No wonder the panel judged him to be in a state of severe sub-health.

"Looks like I need to increase my exercise."

"Anyway, I can't make big money at work, and there's basically no hope of getting rich by being a wage slave. Working out and building a healthy body doesn't seem like a bad idea," Chen Jue reflected as he walked.

Working these past few years has truly been a bit of a daze; for the sake of that meager salary, he hadn't paid much attention to his physical health.

On top of that, having developed the habit of smoking and drinking, and often going out to binge on food and alcohol on weekends, Chen Jue's physique had long since gone out of shape.

He still remembers that when he graduated, he was quite thin.

He'll be 30 next year; not only has a beer belly emerged, turning him into a fatty, but frequent late nights have also left him nearly bald.

"Exercise... I remember the company issued some kind of gym trial card!"

Chen Chao patted his belly, as if remembering something, then stopped his stroll and turned back toward his room.

After rummaging through his cabinets, he finally found the plastic card inside his wallet.

This was a Mid-Autumn Festival gift from Taisheng Company from last year.

Aside from a box of unappetizing mooncakes, the company had given everyone a gym trial card with a face value of 100.

To keep employees healthy and maintain a good spirit for work, many companies offered these kinds of small perks.

Moreover, these gym cards were bought in bulk by companies; with a face value of 100, the actual cost was likely less than half that, making it even cheaper than handing out boxes of mooncakes.

"Yilian Fitness, Wangdao Park branch."

"That's actually quite close!"

Chen Chao put the card away and dug out a sports set he had worn during a team-building event from his closet.

Since he worked at a financial firm, he usually dressed in the required suits, and even on weekends he wore casual clothes, so he rarely wore this kind of sportswear.

After putting on the clothes and changing into sneakers, he walked slowly to Wangdao Park.

This place was a comprehensive startup park, featuring small takeout shops, car clubs, high-end wedding photography boutiques, and the like, with a steady stream of people on weekdays.

Yilian Fitness was on the second floor, a large space decorated in a minimalist, stylish fashion.

From the entrance, one could see a row of treadmills and fitness equipment through the glass.

Since it was a weekend morning, there weren't many people working out.

After entering, Chen Chao was stopped at the turnstile.

The young lady at the front desk asked, "Sir, are you a member? We are a membership-based gym and require facial recognition to enter."

"I have a trial card and would like to try it out." Chen Chao fished the card out of his pocket.

"Are you here for a trial class?"

"This one has a face value of 100, and it's good for a week of trials."

"If you try it out and feel our gym is good, you can come find me to sign up for an annual membership." The receptionist was extremely enthusiastic.

Because non-members like Chen Chao were their primary targets for sales, she could earn a commission on any membership she helped process.

"I'll try it out first; I haven't exercised in a long time."

Chen Chao squeezed out a smile and cooperated with the young lady to set up temporary access for the one-week trial.

Facial recognition, enter the gym.

Looking at the rows of unfamiliar fitness equipment, Chen Chao didn't know where to start.

"Buddy, you're here for a trial class, right?"

"I'm a coach here. Since it's your first time, let me take you through a session." At this moment, a burly, bald coach walked over.

He was wearing a tight white tank top, his physique explosive, with muscles bulging as if they had been inflated; just looking at him was quite impactful.

"Hello, Coach! I live nearby and just came to work out a bit." Chen Chao declined politely.

He had seen the tactics used by these gyms online.

Coaches would start with a trial session, then push you to sign up for a membership or buy private training lessons.

Usually, young people with thin skin couldn't resist this kind of pressure and would end up paying half-willingly.

Perhaps sensing Chen Chao's hesitation, the big coach chuckled, "Don't worry, brother, we're very legitimate; we've been open for five years."

"Besides, the trial class is free. If you feel like the workout isn't for you, it's perfectly fine if you don't come back!"

Seeing the coach be so direct, Chen Chao dropped his "stranger-danger" attitude and nodded in agreement.

After chatting a bit, he learned the man's name was Li Chaoqun, so Chen Chao addressed him as Coach Li.

Perhaps noticing the pain-relief patches covering Chen Chao's right arm, Coach Li specifically asked if he had been injured.

Chen Chao briefly revealed what had happened with the stone skipping yesterday.

"You can pull a muscle from stone skipping?"

Li Chaoqun was stunned for a moment, then grabbed Chen Chao's right arm to examine it.

Seeing Chen Chao wince in pain, Li Chaoqun reassured him, "It's nothing major! The arm is made up of small muscle groups, which recover quite quickly. You'll be fine after resting for a few days."

"Small muscle groups?" Chen Chao's eyes lit up upon hearing the unfamiliar technical term.

Because when the Attribute Panel notification triggered last night, he had seen the term [muscle group] flash by.

He had just been too focused on the stone skipping tutorial videos after returning home to remember it.

Hearing it from a fitness coach now, he immediately became interested.

"The muscle groups in the human body can be divided into two categories: large muscle groups and small muscle groups."

"Areas like the chest, back, and thighs are large muscle groups, while the arms, abdomen, and calves are small muscle groups."

"It's normal not to understand these things when you're just starting out with fitness; you can look them up online later," Li Chaoqun said, explaining as he led Chen Jue toward a small cubicle at the back of the gym.

Inside the cubicle sat a device resembling an electronic scale for measuring height and weight, though it was far more complex, featuring several electrodes and an LCD screen.

A computer printer was connected to the side.

"This is a body composition analyzer, specifically used for physical testing."

"Since it's your first time here, I'll take a look at your physical condition first, then design a targeted program for you," Li Chaoqun said, projecting a professional demeanor.

Chen Jue was also encountering such advanced equipment for the first time, so he followed the other man's instructions and stepped onto it.

He took off his glasses, gripped the electrodes with both hands, and placed his feet on the corresponding electrodes.

Once Li Chaoqun pressed the start button on the screen, Chen Jue watched a progress bar begin to fill.

Shortly after, a physical test report emerged from the printer nearby.

"Height 178cm, weight 86.5kg, basal metabolic rate 1640kcal."

"Body fat percentage 33.2%, muscle mass 52.6kg, fat mass 28.7kg; currently leaning toward obese."

"Your BMI is 27, which is a bit high. Look at the report! Your body age has reached 32, which is about three years older than your actual age."