Point Effects

Zhao Cheng did not arrive right on time, but rather a while early, so there were few people in the classroom.

For these past days, Zhao Cheng had been like this, having completely broken his old habit of sleeping in.

Back then, he hadn't been nearly as diligent with his sword practice; he mostly trained at night, and sometimes he would even give himself a day off, living a life of leisure.

Unlike now, he worked year-round without breaks, training twice a day, rain or shine.

There are no shortcuts in swordsmanship training; even with astonishing talent, one must still learn day by day, for every bit of effort yields a corresponding reward.

According to Zhao Cheng's estimation, half a year ago, his swordsmanship was likely only at lv2; reaching lv4 in six months was the result of his diligence.

One must know that before this, he had been exposed to swordsmanship since elementary school, laying the foundation.

In swordsmanship, practicing sporadically versus training twice a day—while it might seem like only a threefold difference in time—actually results in a difference of more than tenfold in effectiveness.

If Zhao Cheng hadn't pushed himself for the past six months, even five years from now, his swordsmanship would not have reached lv4.

In the matter of cultivation, the more you push your body toward its limits, the better the results.

Of course, overexertion is also bad; you might see significant progress in the short term, but over time, your body will break down.

It all comes down to one's own judgment, grasping that delicate balance.

As for now, Zhao Cheng had spent a single night traversing a path that would normally take years; in his consciousness, his swordsmanship had already reached lv8, lacking only the physical habituation.

Many a Swordsman, while in the stage of Quietude, only has their basic swordsmanship at this level.

Of course, the basic swordsmanship level of those people is certainly not just lv8, but that is only after they achieve the rank of Swordsman and look back from a higher vantage point that they gain further insights.

Arriving at his seat, Zhao Cheng first stuffed the book he was carrying into his desk, then pulled out a piece of light reading.

It was still that copy of Strange Tales of Swordcraft. Compared to those history books that were hard to chew through, these kinds of miscellaneous books about strange phenomena were much more enjoyable, and while the things one could learn from them couldn't compare to orthodox history, they were not insignificant.

Zhao Cheng read with great interest. He didn't read fast, going through it word by word, and after finishing, he could always retain some impression rather than just skimming through it blindly.

This process of reading also allowed Zhao Cheng's exhausted mind to recover somewhat.

The fatigue after each training session was quite torturous; it wasn't sleepiness, but a hollow exhaustion of the heart. Exercising the body consumes physical strength, while exercising the spirit consumes emotions.

At times like this, reading some light material was a great way to "restore mana."

Of course, according to Zhao Cheng's research, the most effective way to restore one's state of mind was to zone out—to brainstorm in his head, letting his willpower disperse, the more scattered the better.

The more focused he was, the slower the recovery, until he crossed a threshold where it was no longer recovery, but consumption.

During the first month of these past six months, Zhao Cheng had stumbled through trial and error, searching for guides while experimenting on himself, arranging and utilizing his time rationally, which finally formed the set of high-efficiency training methods he used today.

The specific details of that process were not something to be shared with outsiders.

Without a good teacher to guide him hand-in-hand and impart experience, having to grope for everything himself was naturally more difficult.

Zhao Cheng didn't read for long; soon, the students in the class arrived one after another, and then the teacher came. Only then did Zhao Cheng put away his book and begin to zone out, his mind empty and vacant, his thoughts gradually dispersing and stretching thin.

Regarding this, no teacher bothered to discipline Zhao Cheng; after all, he was at least awake and had his eyes open. Some classmates were far more brazen than Zhao Cheng, with some openly sleeping on their desks—one could only wonder what they had been doing all night.

Others were nodding off, constantly bobbing their heads.

In short, in this small classroom, early in the morning, a microcosm of life was on full display.

At this hour, Zhao Cheng's thoughts were at their slowest. According to his own observations, this "brainstorming" also followed the law of conservation; the more filled with emotion the heart was, the faster the storm would spin.

He was currently in a low-battery energy-saving mode and wouldn't enter high-performance mode until after his afternoon nap.

Outside the window, the sun was bright, and golden light spilled in, dyeing some people in a layer of radiance.

Coupled with the sound of the teacher lecturing and the occasional buzzing of students whispering like mosquitoes, it created an atmosphere of peaceful, quiet years—leisurely and comfortable.

Zhao Cheng spent the entire morning zoning out like this, occasionally exchanging a few idle words with Zhou Yu, and the speed at which time passed seemed to suddenly accelerate.

At noon, Zhao Cheng ate, read, and took a nap, simple and regular.

When he finished his nap, during the first class, Zhao Cheng uncharacteristically did not zone out. Instead, he opened the Panel Shop and used three Simulation Points to exchange for one Attribute Point, one Skill Point, and one Evolution Point, respectively.

He intended to experiment and see just how powerful the effects of these three points were.

The results of the experiment would also influence how he used his Simulation Points.

His current situation was that he wanted many things, but had very few points, so he had to be meticulous and strive for the optimal choice.

First was the Attribute Point. Zhao Cheng clicked the plus sign next to Vitality, and a window immediately popped up: "Consume 1 Attribute Point to increase Vitality to 1.51?"

One Attribute Point could only increase it by 0.01, which was a 1% increase.

But thinking about it, it was reasonable. Every point increase in an attribute value was a 1.5-fold increase, and Vitality was a total value—a kind of intermediate power born from the combination of spirit and body that transcended matter but was not purely spiritual.

Its increase was equivalent to an overall improvement.

0.01 points of Vitality was roughly a 1/200th enhancement of the whole.

As for the exchange price of one Attribute Point, this improvement was already quite significant.

Zhao Cheng mentally clicked "No," then clicked the plus sign next to Strength.

"Consume 1 Attribute Point to increase Strength to 6.11?"

"Consume 1 Attribute Point to increase Agility to 6.51?"

"Consume 1 Attribute Point to increase Constitution to 5.52?"

Consume 1 Attribute Point to increase Spirit to 7.505?

The higher the attribute, the smaller the increase provided by an Attribute Point.

Below 6 points, one Attribute Point grants an increase of 0.02; below 7 points, one Attribute Point grants an increase of 0.01; above 7 points, one Attribute Point grants an increase of 0.005.

When compared to the 300 Simulation Point price of Coward's Savior, the cost-effectiveness of Attribute Points is not particularly high.

However, Zhao Cheng thought about it carefully; these points are added instantly upon use, requiring no extra effort from Zhao Cheng.

Coward's Savior, on the other hand, acts as a catalyst, or perhaps a key, meant to stimulate and guide the body's inherent potential. Not only is the process long, but it also requires a massive amount of nutritional supplementation.

Attribute Points, however, are converted directly into strength!

Naturally, the consumption is greater for that reason.

Following Attribute Points are Skill Points. He tapped on his swordsmanship skill, and a window immediately popped up.

Consume 1 Skill Point to increase conversion rate by 1%?

This degree of improvement is neither large nor small. Zhao Cheng's current swordsmanship is: 17th Basic Swordsmanship 6th Revised Edition lv8 (26/70) (31% converting).