Everything was starting to move in a better direction.
For instance, now that he had money, Tang Jian decided to give himself another major boost.
After all, he had already laid his cards on the table with his mentor, Sun Yiying, today and let her know one of his little secrets. As long as his rapid growth was not too outrageous, it would fall within the realm of what could be understood.
And if outsiders questioned him, Tang Jian could either ignore them or pin it on his mentor, Sun Yiying, saying that Teacher Sun had taught him well.
Surely Sun Yiying would be happy to accept such praise.
"At worst, I'll take a small risk. From now on, I can show Teacher Sun some of the lower-level card combat techniques or card-making abilities I learned in my previous life.
"That would indirectly prove that someone is backing me, while also proving that I have some potential worth cultivating?"
Tang Jian's thoughts churned.
After pondering for a while,
his gaze fell upon the fifteen One-Star Blank Energy Cards laid out on the bed before him.
All fifteen cards emitted faint energy fluctuations. They were all brand-new cards.
"Fifteen cards. I'll use them all this time. Yesterday, I only used 400 points of energy to activate the dream. Today, I'll strengthen my physique first, then try entering the Dream World again and see what I can gain."
Tang Jian reached out to touch the fifteen cards before him, tapping them one by one as he focused his mind and furiously pressed the "+" symbol.
Very soon, streams of energy shot deep into his brain, as though they had been swallowed by thin air.
The energy field on the Attribute Template changed as well.
Energy available: 1500+
Tang Jian clenched his fists and fixed his eyes on the physique field.
Physique available: 6.6+
Physique referred to one's physical fitness. In official Federation terms, it broadly referred to a person's vitality data.
Before Cardology developed, when humanity was still in the era of national technological civilization, education departments in various countries did not demand physical training from students to the same extent they did now.
Back then, greater emphasis was placed on academic subjects. Cardology had not even begun yet, and physical exercise was not a core subject, much less a discipline of its own.
Therefore, most high school students at the time probably could not even run two thousand meters in one go. It was even less likely that students like Tang Jian, who were only somewhat outstanding, could run eight thousand meters in twenty minutes as they could now.
Back then, that would have practically been a myth.
Tang Jian currently possessed a physique of 6.6. By official Federation standards, that meant a vitality level of 6.6.
In the national era before the development of Cardology, students his age probably had an average vitality of only around 1.8. Some slightly more outstanding ones, such as sports specialty students, might reach 2.4 or even 2.8, while national first-class athletes generally had vitality levels between 7.0 and 8.9.
In other words, Tang Jian's current vitality could only compare with that of some excellent second-class athletes from the old national era. He was still somewhat inferior to first-class athletes.
Among first-class athletes, some of the best could run ten thousand meters in thirty-one minutes. Running eight thousand meters in twenty-six minutes was no problem for them.
Although Tang Jian had run eight thousand meters in twenty minutes, he had cheated, after all.
Therefore, his current physical fitness was actually still inferior to that of first-class athletes from the old national era. Among high school students in the current Federation era, he could only be considered slightly above average.
Considering how he had been tortured in that terrifying Wind Valley after entering the dream yesterday, Tang Jian felt it was necessary to use energy to try improving his physique and see what kind of strengthening experience it would be when energy was converted into physique.
"Looking at it now, physique is clearly vitality. The official Federation term is vitality, yet this Red Card Cheater keeps calling it physique. That's too low-class. Maybe its version hasn't been updated. Can't it change the name?"
Tang Jian thought this to himself.
The Attribute Template immediately trembled and actually changed.
His eyes widened.
Vitality available: 6.6+
"It really can change. This cheat is way too obedient. Good little grandson!"
Tang Jian was slightly delighted, but the next moment, he saw that his energy had dropped straight from 1500 to 1400. The smile froze on his face, and his eyes went blank.
"Damn it! I only said it casually! You're not my grandson—I'll call you Dad!" Tang Jian howled.
Was this a joke? Changing a name actually consumed energy. More than a hundred dollars had vanished in an instant.
Tang Jian's heart was bleeding.
His parents could not even earn more than a hundred dollars in an entire day of work, and he had just wasted it like that.
Filled with resentment, Tang Jian's gaze became mournful. He did not dare let his thoughts wander anymore and hurriedly focused his mind to "press" the "+" symbol after vitality.
The "+" symbol trembled slightly.
A vein throbbed on Tang Jian's forehead as he suddenly felt a massive surge of energy shoot out from his mind. It felt like blood had abruptly rushed to his head, instantly plunging his vision into darkness as his mind buzzed.
At the same time, Tang Jian felt the muscles all over his body begin to wriggle on their own, as though countless little mice were crawling beneath his skin. A piercing pain traveled from his muscles to his nerves and even began to penetrate into his bone marrow.
"Urgh—ah—"
Tang Jian could not help letting out a muffled groan. He collapsed onto the bed and writhed like a suffering fish. Large beads of sweat seeped from every pore, and pain twisted his expression into something almost savage.
This pain far exceeded Tang Jian's imagination.
He had no idea how long it lasted.
Tang Jian gradually noticed the pain throughout his body beginning to fade, soon disappearing entirely. By then, he was covered in a layer of foul-smelling sweat, his hair stuck to his forehead, blood flowed from his nostrils, and he felt utterly miserable, even suffering occasional spasms and aches.
"Whew—whew—" Tang Jian lay sprawled on the bed like a dead fish, gulping in mouthfuls of air as he savored the comfort and relaxation after the excruciating pain. It felt as though he had died once.
Bang bang bang!
Knock knock—
Someone pounded urgently on the door. Tang Yueyue's dissatisfied voice came from outside.
"Bro, Tang Jian, what are you making such a fuss about in the middle of the night?"
Tang Jian jolted and hurriedly climbed to his feet. Covered in foul sweat, he opened the door and saw Tang Yueyue standing outside with a troubled, suspicious look on her little face as she craned her neck to peer into the room.
Clearly, Tang Yueyue had heard his muffled groans and all the commotion from inside.
"Bro, once you get into college after the entrance exams, you should hurry up and get yourself a girlfriend. You're way too noisy at night like this."
Tang Yueyue glanced at Tang Jian's messy bed, then looked at Tang Jian's sweaty head and flushed face. Blood was even shamefully flowing from his nostrils, and she immediately curled her lips in disdain.
"..." Tang Jian was speechless. Then he glared and reached out to pinch Tang Yueyue's cheek. "What nonsense is going on in that little head of yours? What did I do? I was cultivating just now."
Tang Yueyue swiftly dodged Tang Jian's claw, stuck out her tongue, and blinked with a smile. "I didn't say anything. But you made way too much noise while cultivating. And bro, you've got a nosebleed."
Bang—
After saying that, Tang Yueyue fled and slammed the door shut.
Tang Jian wiped his nose and looked down. There really was blood, leaving him with a blank expression.
What was wrong with kids these days?
Was he just too reserved and innocent?
Why did a mature man reborn like him have to bear an innocence that did not belong to his age!?
Before you continue