Chapter 133: Human Perpetual Motion Machine?

‘So the principle behind adding points to Constitution is just accelerating blood circulation throughout the body or in a specific organ or tissue?’

Chen Jue looked at the few notifications that popped up on the panel and quickly jotted down this new discovery in the notebook he carried with him.

He felt like he had vaguely grasped another of the panel’s operating principles, but he couldn’t yet fully understand the mechanics behind it.

To what extent did blood circulation accelerate? Were other nutrients being delivered during the process? Was it synchronized with neural stimulation? Answering these questions would require professional data and monitoring.

However, Chen Jue currently lacked the material resources. He didn’t have a professional medical or scientific research team to work with, so he could only record this new discovery for now and wait to study it more deeply in the future.

Still, considering the newly updated [Designated Points] feature, Chen Jue could guess that the panel’s enhancement of his physical fitness wasn’t created out of thin air.

Instead, it seemed to be taking some factor or substance he couldn’t comprehend and moving it to where it needed to go within his existing body, accelerating the stimulation of those specific tissues and organs.

After exploring the updated panel, Chen Jue went to the cafeteria and had a hearty meal.

Taking advantage of the fresh intake of nutrients, he added the remaining 0.03 Free Attribute points to his [Constitution].

This time, he didn’t use [Designated Points], as the returns were too low. Instead, he opted for the original full-body allocation.

As three streams of heat spread throughout his body, Chen Jue felt the slight inflammation left over from last night’s massage and stretching greatly subside.

By the time he walked out of the cafeteria, the faint aching pain had completely disappeared.

‘High-intensity exercise leads to minor injury, which I can then heal by spending accumulated Free Attribute points!’

‘It’s an infinite loop! A human perpetual motion machine!’ Chen Jue grinned excitedly. He felt like he had discovered a shortcut to physical enhancement.

He took a nap for about an hour on the lawn, then followed the freshmen to a Developmental Biology class for biological science majors in the afternoon.

The lecture covered the development and growth of various animal embryos, including the process of human development.

The combination of textbook knowledge and a modern documentary captivated Chen Jue. He also took the opportunity to note down a few hormones related to human development.

One was human growth hormone, a peptide hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. It’s composed of 191 amino acids and promotes the growth of bones, Inner Organs, and the entire body.

It also promotes protein synthesis, affects fat and mineral metabolism, and plays a crucial role in human growth and development.

Another was melatonin, one of the hormones secreted by the pineal gland. It’s an amine hormone and plays a vital role in regulating circadian rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle.

Melatonin is also the most potent [endogenous free-radical scavenger] discovered in the human body to date. Its presence spans the entire human life cycle, from embryo to death, and it participates in the body’s antioxidant system. It prevents oxidative damage to cells and protects DNA from free-radical damage.

It’s even involved in combating diseases through anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-tumor processes.

However, melatonin secretion has a distinct circadian rhythm. Its secretion is suppressed during the day and becomes active at night.

If the body is exposed to excessively strong ambient light at night, melatonin secretion drops significantly.

This is why people who frequently stay up late age so quickly. Their bodies produce less melatonin, their antioxidant capacity decreases, and a whole host of problems follows.

‘No wonder I always felt so exhausted, lost my appetite, and just felt off all over whenever I stayed up late scrolling on my phone.’

‘So the real culprit was a hormonal imbalance in my body!’

Chen Jue recalled his irregular schedule from his working days. If it weren’t for the panel, he might still be getting emo in the middle of the night, listening to sad music.

There was only one class he could audit in the afternoon, a physiology course for clinical medicine majors. After class, Chen Jue put on his small backpack and tried jogging back to his apartment.

He discovered that the inflammation in his body was truly gone. After his warm-up jog, his body felt exceptionally energetic, and the faint, sharp pain had vanished.

Compared to adding points to [Constitution] before the update, Chen Jue felt that the effect was now a bit stronger, though he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.

‘Could it be that because my physical fitness has improved, the effect of the blood circulation after adding points is also stronger?’

‘Lactic acid is metabolized faster, and minor inflammation heals more quickly?’ Chen Jue muttered to himself.

Back in his apartment, he recorded all of today’s discoveries in the data spreadsheet he had designed for his [Strongest Human Training Plan] to make sure he didn’t forget anything.

After all, he was absorbing new knowledge every day, and with his mediocre memory, it was easy to make mistakes.

Chen Jue was putting the old saying, “The faintest ink is more reliable than the strongest memory,” to excellent use.

Back in his apartment, he lay down on his bed for a short nap. His brain felt a little fuzzy after a full day of classes.

Before Li Rui came up with a professional training plan, Chen Jue had originally planned to continue grinding for attribute points at his own pace.

If he hadn’t been injured, he would have been at the Rock Climbing club for a private lesson with Yu Jie this afternoon.

However, considering the masseuse’s advice, Chen Jue decided not to do any more high-intensity exercise today. He planned to take a day to rest and relax, allowing his muscles and fascia to release their tension and regain elasticity.

He lay in bed for an hour. When he got up at dusk, Chen Jue felt full of energy.

Looking at the sunset outside his window, he first splashed his face with cold water to wake himself up, sweeping away the afternoon drowsiness.

‘Dinner’s still two hours away. I might as well work on my upper body.’ Chen Jue twisted his body around the room, doing a simple post-nap stretch.

Yesterday’s beyond-limit jog had mainly targeted his lower-body and core muscle groups, so his upper body was still fine for some light exercises.

First, he picked up the 100 kg grip strengthener in his room and did a few sets, alternating hands.

The spring must have developed metal fatigue from prolonged use. Chen Jue found that he could now easily squeeze the 100 kg grip strengthener to its limit.

‘I’ve actually worn out a grip strengthener without even realizing it!’ Chen Jue thought, tossing the old device into the trash.

It was a cheap thing he’d bought for a few dozen yuan, so he didn’t feel bad about it breaking.

He checked his Taobao account and saw that the professional-grade 165 kg grip strengthener he had ordered still hadn’t shipped.

When he asked the seller, he learned that due to the Double 11 shopping festival, the delivery truck had spontaneously combusted en route. A whole bunch of people’s orders were now in a queue to be re-shipped.

Chen Jue’s face darkened when he read the message. He never thought that one day he’d personally experience the “delivery truck on fire” news he always saw online.

After urging the seller to re-ship it as soon as possible, Chen Jue casually picked up his 50kg power twister and started bending it.

His rhythm wasn’t fast; he bent and released it about once every three seconds.

While bending the power twister, Chen Jue also adopted the power-generating posture of the Horse Stance—chest out, abdomen tight, anus contracted. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, he began to bend it rhythmically for about half an hour.

Although he didn’t have a counter, Chen Jue mentally counted in sets of 100, stopping only after completing five full sets.

By then, the muscles in both his arms were slightly sore, and the muscle fibers stood out in stark, striated definition.

Meanwhile, the panel continuously displayed Skill Level notifications as he bent the power twister. The entire notification window was flooded with various level-up alerts:

——————

[DING~]

[Skill Level reached 100%. Skill Level increased.]

[Horse Stance Lv3 → Lv4]

[You have gained a deeper understanding of the special comprehensive exercise that is the Horse Stance. You can now adjust your posture to find a more suitable stance for generating power.]

[Your leg muscle endurance has increased. The muscle tissues in your waist and back regions have been enhanced. Your Cardiovascular Ability has slightly increased.]

[Strength Attribute +0.01]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

[DING~]

[Skill Level reached 100%. Skill Level increased.]

[Squeezing Valley Dao Lv3 → Perfection]

[Your anal contraction exercises have reached the pinnacle of technique. Your neural sensitivity in the Tailbone area has greatly increased, and your Spiritual Willpower has been enhanced.]

[Through long-term practice, the varicose veins (hemorrhoids) in your anal region have significantly improved.]

[Spirit Attribute +0.01]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

[DING~]

[You have completed a high-intensity upper-body muscle endurance training session. The endurance of your arm muscle groups has been effectively trained.]

[Strength Attribute +0.01]

——————

“HUUFF…”

Putting down the power twister, Chen Jue let out a long breath.

Then, seeing the high attribute returns on the panel, his mood lifted immensely.

Compared to the grip strengthener, the power twister was clearly more suitable for home workouts.

Seeing another Perfect Skill appear on his panel, Chen Jue felt his persistence had not been in vain.

After practicing [Squeezing Valley Dao] for a while, the hemorrhoid problem caused by prolonged sitting had indeed improved significantly.

His morning bowel movements were now very regular and smooth. In the past, he would take his phone to the bathroom and sit on the toilet for 20 minutes, until his legs went numb.

But ever since he started practicing [Horse Stance] and [Squeezing Valley Dao], Chen Jue’s time on the toilet had been cut to under two minutes.

It felt like the time it took to wipe was longer than the time it took to go. The moment he felt the urge, he could go to the toilet and be done with it cleanly. He had finally said goodbye to the troubles of hemorrhoids and constipation.

After half an hour with the power twister, Chen Jue was drenched in sweat. He took a hot bath in the bathroom, and by the time he was done, the sky outside was already dark.

As his stomach started to rumble, he strolled over to the Jiang University cafeteria for dinner.

He was only halfway through his meal when, to his surprise, he received a WeChat message from Wu Fang.

“I heard from my grandpa that you haven’t been to the park these past few mornings. Did you catch the flu, too? (sniffle)” Wu Fang asked.

Seeing Teacher Wu actually contact him of her own accord made Chen Jue’s dinner taste that much better. He happily typed back: “I’ve been resting these past few days. I just had a deep-tissue massage last night and can’t do any strenuous exercise, so I skipped my morning workout at the park (grin). What about you? Is your cold any better?”

Wu Fang: “I’ve been taking medicine for a few days, so I’m almost better! (smug) I have to help test my cousin on Saturday, so I’ll definitely be all good by then! (Let’s go!)”

Chen Jue: “See you Saturday, then (grin).”

Wu Fang: “By the way, have you thought about what to film for your next trick shot video? A lot of people online are calling to debunk Traditional Martial Arts lately. The entire TMA community’s reputation is being dragged through the mud by that Inch Fist-breaking-bricks thing (dizzy). I saw a lot of people in the comments of your Darts video calling it fake, too. There are even a few minor internet celebrities calling for you to come forward and clarify if it’s real or not (giggle).”

Chen Jue: “Inch Fist breaking bricks? Who’s that much of a badass?! Even Bruce Lee only dared to break wooden boards (wide-eyed).”