Cheng Che stared at the system panel, a towel draped around his neck, his hair still dripping wet.
[Congratulations, host, you have acquired the passive talent " Martial Arts Prodigy ".]
[Congratulations, host, on obtaining the title " Chosen One of Long-Distance Running "!]
Cheng Che was taken aback.
He read it again.
" Martial Arts Prodigy ".
He blinked, thinking he was seeing things.
He's part of the Incubus System; the trials of Charisma Trial, Intelligence Trial, and Stamina Trial —he's followed the Incubus's path all the way.
How did a " Martial Arts Prodigy " suddenly appear?
He looked on carefully.
[ Martial Arts Prodigy: The host's comprehension of body movements and speed of muscle memory formation are greatly enhanced. Martial arts moves, fighting techniques, and skills related to body coordination can be quickly mastered upon exposure, and complex movements can be reproduced with over 70% accuracy after a single observation. Combined with other talents, the learning cycle can be further shortened. The effect is influenced by both constitution and intelligence values.]
After reading Cheng Che, Cheng Che gasped.
"Holy crap."
He stood in the steamy bathroom, water dripping from his hair down his neck, but he didn't care.
"Am I now Zhang Wuji?"
This talent is outrageous.
Martial arts moves, fighting techniques, and physical coordination skills can be quickly mastered upon first contact; complex movements can be reproduced with 70% accuracy after just one viewing.
With his Form Moves as the Mind Wills and Total Concentration, he learns everything quickly.
He was excited for two seconds.
Then he calmed down.
Learn martial arts, go box?
The image of a boxer suffering a concussion immediately flashed into his mind.
The boxing champion's fate was not good: Parkinson's disease, brain damage, and retinal detachment.
They might even end up owing 200 million.
never mind.
He's not going to fight.
But then I thought, it wouldn't hurt to learn some fighting skills, not to fight, but for self-defense.
He's a public figure now; it's better for him to be completely clueless than to encounter any unexpected situation.
Moreover, since the system granted me this talent, it will surely come in handy someday.
He nodded and looked at the title.
[ Chosen One of Long-Distance Running: After equipping, the host experiences a significant increase in oxygen uptake efficiency and energy metabolism rate during sustained physical activity, faster heart rate recovery, slower muscle lactic acid buildup, and more stable breathing with less of a feeling of limit during long-distance running. Effects are influenced by body mass index.]
Cheng Che let out a satisfied sigh.
With this title and the [ Enduring Progress Without Fail ] attribute, he is virtually invincible in terms of stamina.
With improved oxygen uptake efficiency, reduced lactic acid buildup, and faster heart rate recovery, he doesn't get tired when running marathons, unlike others.
Others might bump into a wall, but he won't.
He equipped the title and then saw the next quest.
[ Stamina Trial - Stage 5: All Other Mountains Look Small. Ultimate Goal: Champion one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Current Progress: 0/1.]
Cheng Che looked at the line of text, his expression turning serious.
Grand Slam.
The highest level of tennis.
Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open.
Based on the current schedule, the nearest one is the Australian Open in January next year.
The French Open is in May, Wimbledon in July, US Open in September.
In other words, if they don't win the Australian Open, they'll have to wait until the second half of the year.
The Australian Open is on hard courts.
He's been playing only hard courts lately.
The Tokyo Open and the Magic City Masters are both played on hard courts.
This venue suits him.
He calculated the time.
Filming a variety show in November, a TV series in December, and the Australian Open in January.
Perfect.
Cheng Che turned off the system panel, roughly dried his hair with a towel, and walked out of the bathroom.
He changed into clean clothes, leaned against the headboard, and picked up his phone.
There's a lot of news.
He went back to his parents first.
Jiang Xue sent him several messages, asking if he had finished the marathon, if he was tired, and if he had eaten.
Cheng Jianguo posted a photo of his cultural and creative store opening today, with the caption "Business is booming."
Cheng Che replied: We finished the race, Champion, I'm not tired. You guys should get some rest.
Then there's Guo Xin.
Guo Xin sent a long voice message, which Cheng Che transcribed into text and glanced at.
"Holy crap, you broke the marathon record again! I watched the live stream at home! I almost dropped my phone when you sprinted in the last two kilometers! Are you even human?!"
He also posted a screenshot he took himself in front of his computer, showing Cheng Che crossing the finish line.
Cheng Che replied: I'll treat you to dinner another day.
Su Qingyue posted a message:
Congratulations on winning the championship! I saw you on TV, you ran very well.
Her words were very restrained, but Cheng Che knew she must have been watching the live stream in her dorm room.
He replied with a "thank you," then, after thinking for a moment, added, "Have you been busy with your studies lately? Remember to get some rest."
Zhou Mingxuan posted a message:
" Brother Cheng is awesome! Everyone in our class group is sharing your marathon video!"
Lin Xiao then sent a brief "Congratulations" followed by a thumbs-up emoji.
The three adopted sons, Wang Zheng, Zhou Hao, Li Yuan, caused an uproar in their dormitory group chat.
Wang Zheng sent a voice message with Zhou Hao and Li Yuan shouting "Godfather is awesome" in the background. Li Yuan also included a photo of the three of them holding up a poster of Cheng Che in their dormitory.
Cheng Che replied: Stop fooling around, go to sleep early.
Then came Su Miaoyin.
She sent three messages.
Article 1: "Have you finished running?"
The second one. "I saw the live stream, you broke another record."
Article 3: "When are you returning to the Capital City?"
Cheng Che stared at the third option for two seconds, then replied: Tomorrow.
Su Miaoyin replied instantly: Then I'll cook for you tomorrow.
Before Cheng Che could reply, the next message popped up.
Yan Ruanning.
She posted a screenshot of her livestreaming a marathon on her computer in the music studio, with the timestamp stopped at the moment he crossed the finish line.
The caption was just one sentence. "I watched it in the recording studio; he has great stamina!"
Cheng Che replied: I'll invite you to watch it live next time.
Yan Ruanning responded with a snort emoji, then said: I've asked Xiao Zhou to contact Qin Lie about the house.
Cheng Che replied: Okay.
The last one is from Pei Jingshu.
She was using a South Korea chat app, and it took Cheng Che a few seconds to find the chat window.
She sent several messages, a mix of Korean and somewhat broken Chinese.
The first message is in Korean, roughly meaning "Congratulations on winning the marathon."
The second message was in Chinese: "I watched the live stream in South Korea."
The third item was a photo of her phone screen, showing Cheng Che crossing the finish line, with a Korean note she had added herself below.
Article 4: "When are you coming to South Korea?"
Cheng Che thought for a moment.
The first stop of " Walking the Flower Road Together " is South Korea, in mid-November.
He replied: Next month.
Pei Jingshu replied instantly with a string of Korean, followed by a sentence in Chinese: "I'll wait for you."
Cheng Che placed his phone on the bedside table, took a deep breath, and lay down.
The room was quiet.
The curtains were drawn, with only the bedside lamp casting a small, warm glow.
His body was exhausted, but his mind was still not completely calm.
He mentally reviewed his upcoming schedule, arranging variety shows, TV dramas, and the Australian Open one by one.
Just as he was about to fall asleep--
Knock knock.
A knock on the door.
Cheng Che opened his eyes.
He's staying in a five-star hotel on the sixth floor; no one should be knocking on the door at this hour.
Chen Wei lives on the fifth floor; she'll call if she needs anything.
He sat up silently, tiptoed to the door, and peered through the peephole.
There was a person standing outside the door.
A young woman, in her early twenties, was wearing a white bathrobe, a common sight in hotel corridors. Her hair was wet and plastered to her face, as if she had just taken a shower.
She kept her head down, so her expression was obscured, but her shoulders were trembling slightly.
Cheng Che didn't know her.
He subconsciously opened the system panel, brought up the [ True Heart Glasses ], and put them on.
He looked at the person outside the door.
A number popped up.
80.
The realm of obsession.
But there's a red label next to the number.
[Pathological love].
Cheng Che run down his spine.
Holy crap, how come there are sasaeng fans?