Chen Jue was surprised by the changes in his attribute panel. He had only practiced a few moves with the old man, yet a Boat Boxing skill had already appeared on it.
He had even accumulated 0.01 free attribute points without realizing it.
This was far more efficient than his earlier workouts and housework!
What if I tried adding points?
Chen Jue put his newly acquired attribute points into the Boat Boxing skill.
Soon, [Boat Boxing Level 0 (3/100)] became [Boat Boxing Level 0 (13/100)].
So 0.01 attribute points can be converted into 10 points of skill proficiency?
Chen Jue considered this for a moment, then practiced another Boat Boxing routine. His movements were still stiff, improper, and somewhat halting, but they flowed much better than before.
Even the old man teaching him watched with a gleam in his eyes. "You young people really are in good shape. You learn fast!"
"It's because you're such a good teacher, sir!"
After finishing the routine, Chen Jue chatted with the old man a little more. Learning that he was in his seventies and lived in Huang Family Village beside the reservoir, Chen Jue began calling him Grandpa Huang.
As for Boat Boxing, the old man had learned it from the village elders in his youth.
In those days, the Divine Land had been plagued by turmoil. Many people learned a little martial arts before venturing away from home. Even if they could not fight off bandits, they could at least build up their strength and health.
Though these were mostly rustic fighting moves, they still formed a boxing style with a long history.
However, Old Mr. Huang was getting on in years and had never mastered the art, so he could only teach Chen Jue these few Boat Boxing moves and an accompanying set of evasive footwork. They were considerably easier to learn than radio calisthenics.
Moreover, Chen Jue's intelligence attribute was 22 percent higher than that of an average adult man. With his above-average intelligence, he picked up the moves very quickly.
As for the stance training used to build strength in Boat Boxing, along with its various weapon techniques, those had gradually been lost over the years. Very few people likely still knew them.
"Young man! Now that you've learned it, go home and practice properly! I can tell you're some big boss who sits in an office. You're frail, nothing like us when we were young and working the fields. Practice more, and you'll get stronger and healthier."
"I will, Grandpa Huang! Thank you for teaching me!"
Old Mr. Huang offered a few pointers from the sidelines, assuming Chen Jue had come from the city to fish. Seeing that it was getting late, he said goodbye and slowly strolled toward Huang Family Village with his hands behind his back.
As for Chen Jue, while he still had some energy left, he practiced several more rounds of his newly learned routine on the dam. As the air grew colder, he headed down the mountain and returned home.
On the second floor of his old family home in Chen Village, Chen Jue took a hot shower to wash off the sweat, then put on shorts and a tank top and lay down on the bed.
Checking his phone, he found several messages from former coworkers and a few friends in Hangzhou. He tapped out a few replies, then closed his eyes, focused his awareness inward, and continued studying the attribute panel in his mind.
Name: Chen Jue Age: 27 Strength: 0.84 Agility: 0.75 Intelligence: 1.22 Constitution: 1.04 Skills mastered: Boat Boxing Level 0 (21/100) Free attribute points available: 0.03
His attributes had increased quite a bit since before his walk up the mountain!
Besides gaining the Boat Boxing skill, his strength and agility had both automatically increased by 0.01.
These gains had not come from spending free attribute points. They were the results of practicing his Boat Boxing routine.
After all, both of Chen Jue's attributes were currently a little below those of a typical adult man, so it made sense that a workout would improve them relatively quickly.
As for the additional 0.03 attribute points, he had accumulated them entirely through that evening's boxing practice.
This was far more efficient than his earlier, unplanned workouts and housework!
However, after practicing Boat Boxing all evening, Chen Jue felt a little empty in the stomach. His dinner had digested much faster than usual.
It must be because my constitution improved, and practicing boxing burned through my energy, Chen Jue thought. He got out of bed, went downstairs, and boiled himself some plain noodles.
Unfortunately, there were no other ingredients at home. Otherwise, he could have made himself something better.
As for his newly learned Boat Boxing, although he could just about perform a complete routine, Chen Jue kept feeling that something was missing.
After his late-night snack, he went upstairs, opened his laptop, and began searching online for information about Boat Boxing.
Thank goodness for the information explosion of the internet age!
Chen Jue actually found a video online of someone demonstrating a Boat Boxing routine. The practitioner was a man in his thirties or forties, dressed in training clothes, with well-developed limbs and powerful movements. His entire routine was vigorous and forceful, far beyond anything Old Mr. Huang had shown him.
The man's Boat Boxing routine was also clearly much more complex, with considerably more variations. He must have received the complete teachings, unlike Old Mr. Huang, who had only learned a handful of moves.
At the end of the video, the middle-aged man even explained and demonstrated a set of Boat Boxing stance exercises. He leaped onto a square eight-seat table and began rising and sinking in his stance, accompanied by loud, rhythmic breaths. Chen Jue watched, utterly absorbed.
This is the complete Boat Boxing style?
With its accompanying stance training, too!
And they just posted it online?
Chen Jue rubbed his eyes, confirming that he had not misread anything.
In this peaceful era, many ancient boxing styles had fallen into decline. Even Boat Boxing, once used to fight Japanese pirates along the Jiangsu and Zhejiang coast, was on the verge of being lost.
If its practitioners continued guarding their traditions so rigidly, they might not even find anyone in the next generation to carry them on. That was why these once-secret stance exercises had been posted online.
Moreover, the videos formed an extensive series. Beyond explanations of stance training, there were also lessons on weapon techniques, breathing, and fighting methods.
Every move was broken down step by step in crisp 1080p video, accompanied by the middle-aged man's explanations. It was almost like receiving instruction in person.
I'll try practicing along!
Intrigued, Chen Jue downloaded the videos. By now, his late-night snack had mostly digested as well.
He carried his laptop downstairs. The first-floor living room had a tiled floor, was open and spacious, and had little clutter, making it a suitable place to practice boxing.
He followed the middle-aged man in the video through several routines, then practiced the unusual Eight Immortals Stance for a while. However, without the required square eight-seat table, Chen Jue could only practice the stance on the floor.
Even so, the Boat Boxing proficiency on his attribute panel began shooting upward!
It was several times more efficient than practicing under Old Mr. Huang's guidance!
In less than an hour, it had risen to [Boat Boxing Level 0 (56/100)]. Meanwhile, Chen Jue was drenched as though he had been caught in the rain, his freshly changed clothes completely soaked with sweat.
With no other choice, he took another hot shower, then settled comfortably back into bed.
He opened the attribute panel again:
Name: Chen Jue Strength: 0.85 Agility: 0.75 Intelligence: 1.22 Constitution: 1.05 Skills mastered: [Boat Boxing Level 0 (56/100)] Free attribute points available: 0.07
They actually increased this much in one go!
Strength, agility, and constitution all went up by 0.01!
And I've gained 0.07 free attribute points. At this rate... could this panel have been designed specifically for martial artists? Chen Jue grew excited.
Earlier, he had thought the attribute panel was of little use. He had never expected such gratifying progress and changes less than a day after returning to his hometown.
However, after a day of travel and exertion, compounded by the fatigue and drowsiness from boxing practice, Chen Jue soon drifted into a deep sleep.
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