Chapter 14: Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Back in his cramped rental apartment, Chen Jue slept especially soundly that night.

He even woke up naturally the next morning before seven o’clock!

Chen Jue guessed it might be due to a change in his mindset.

Previously, his life had been dominated by the monotonous routine of work, and he had almost turned into a robot that only knew how to clock in and out.

He spent his days in a daze, always looking forward to getting off work, for night to fall so he could go back to his apartment to scroll through his phone and play games.

But now, things were different with the panel!

The fire that had long been extinguished in Chen Jue’s heart had been rekindled!

He no longer thought about how to end each day sooner, but instead began to look forward to starting it.

For the day to dawn, for the long night to pass, so he could live a more fulfilling life and grind for more Attributes.

He wanted to see how his body, and even his life, would change as his Attributes grew.

This was a lost young man who had suddenly found a new pursuit and something to look forward to.

The passion and hope that had been worn away by reality were being rediscovered bit by bit over these few days.

’I can’t believe my depression was cured by an Attribute panel!’

’No one would believe it if I told them, right?’

...

With his hope for life rekindled, Chen Jue woke up early in the morning and wanted a cigarette to perk himself up.

After seeing the "Smoking is harmful to your health" warning printed on the pack, he hesitated for a moment. He squeezed the pack, which had three cigarettes left, and stuffed it into the inner pocket of the suit jacket hanging on the wall.

’From now on, I won’t smoke unless I absolutely have to.’

’I’ll set a small goal for myself first: start by quitting smoking!’

Chen Jue made up his mind.

After washing up and shaving his scruffy stubble, he dragged his sore body out for a slow walk.

Because he had just started working out at the gym yesterday, his legs were so sore he could barely move them. The slightest strenuous movement caused a sharp, pulling pain in his thigh muscles.

Even the 688-yuan-a-session hydrotherapy at the Jingtang Club was no help!

According to Coach Li, this was a normal buildup of lactic acid and would take time to be metabolized and broken down.

Regular gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts wouldn’t have this problem. Their metabolisms are faster than ordinary people’s, and they basically recover overnight.

Chen Jue hadn’t exercised in years. Now that he was starting again, his body needed time to adapt.

...

He took a slow walk around the central flowerbed of the residential complex. There were quite a few elderly men and women out for their morning exercises.

There were also some middle-aged women in matching outfits and headphones doing square dancing, and a group of balding old men gathered in a pavilion playing Chinese chess.

The retired lives of these elderly people were rich and varied, and their schedules were very regular—a far cry from the young white-collar workers in the rental apartments who slept until noon.

Chen Jue was a bit envious of these old folks in Hang City.

Most of them were landlords who just sat back and collected rent, with several compensated properties from demolitions to their names. They had absolutely no financial pressure.

As long as their children didn’t blindly start a business, they could just lie back and collect money until they were in their graves, completely secure.

’So being born into the right family really is a skill!’ Chen Jue lamented inwardly.

Dragging his sore body along for a lap, he discovered a few elderly people practicing Tai Chi in a corner of the complex.

A small speaker sat on the ground, playing some graceful and elegant background music.

Chen Jue was getting bored of his slow walk, so he watched them for a bit from the side. Feeling an itch to try, he casually mimicked their movements.

Who would have thought the panel would actually react to this traditional Chinese martial art!

——————

[DING~]

[Movements meet requirements]

[Skill Activated: Tai Chi Twelve Forms]

——————

’This can be activated as a Skill too?’

Chen Jue stared blankly at the panel for a good while before snapping back to his senses.

He had always thought the panel would only record more obscure sports; he never expected traditional Martial Arts to be within its scope.

’Tai Chi Twelve Forms?’

’This must be the simplified version of Tai Chi, right?’ Chen Jue took out his phone, looked it up online, and confirmed his suspicion.

The debates surrounding the traditional martial art of Tai Chi were endless; there were six different theories just about its origin.

There were also countless schools of Tai Chi on the market: Chen-style Tai Chi, Wudang Tai Chi, Sun-style Tai Chi, and many more.

They were also divided into Big Frame, Small Frame, and Tai Chi Old Frame.

Chen Jue was just an ordinary office worker and didn’t like to delve too deeply into such things; reading too much about them made his head spin.

Once he found out that the Tai Chi Twelve Forms was a simplified adaptation by the General Administration of Sport, Chen Jue put his phone away.

His muscles were aching all over, so he couldn’t do any strenuous exercise for the next few days.

Coincidentally, the movements of the Tai Chi Twelve Forms were gentle and had health benefits, so Chen Jue joined the group and began to practice slowly with them.

The few elderly men and women in their loose-fitting practice clothes didn’t reject the stranger. They smiled and nodded at Chen Jue, giving him a once-over with a look that said, ’This young man has potential,’ before paying him no more mind, seemingly completely absorbed in their own world.

Chen Jue, however, grew more enthusiastic the more he practiced, because he saw continuous notifications about his Skill Level increasing pop up on his panel.

After an hour or so of practicing the Twelve Forms until he broke into a light sweat, the Tai Chi Twelve Forms actually leveled up with surprising ease!

——————

[DING~]

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

[Tai Chi Twelve Forms Lv0 (100/100) → Lv1 (1/200)]

[You have become more familiar with the sport of Tai Chi Twelve Forms. Your movements are more fluid and less prone to error.]

——————

[DING~]

[A qualifying aerobic exercise has been completed.]

[Free Attribute Points +0.01]

——————

[DING~]

[After a period of moderate exercise, your body’s muscle groups have been well-stretched and relaxed. Your metabolism has accelerated, and your muscle recovery speed has slightly increased.]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

’Incredible! I can get a critical hit from practicing Tai Chi?’

’Hell yeah! This is awesome!’

Watching the series of notifications pop up on his panel, Chen Jue was reminded of the night he practiced [Stone Skimming], and his mood soared.

If not for the group of elderly people nearby and his fear of causing a scene, he probably would have let out a couple of loud shouts right then and there.

Of course, the sudden increase in his Constitution Attribute also brought a warm current with it.

But this warm current wasn’t confined to Chen Jue’s hands and feet; it spread throughout his entire body. Even his Inner Organs felt pleasantly warm and comfortable.

To make the feeling last a little longer, Chen Jue once again added the free attribute points he had just received to [Constitution].

His Constitution Attribute instantly jumped to 0.96, and the soreness in his muscles eased considerably.

He subconsciously glanced at the MUD-style text attribute panel:

——————

Character: Chen Jue

Strength: 0.79

Constitution: 0.96

Spirit: 1.06

Skills: [Level 1 Stone Skimming (2/200)], [Darts Lv2 (1/500)], [Tai Chi Twelve Forms Lv1 (1/200)]

Assignable Free Attribute Points: 0.00

(Character Evaluation: A somewhat awakened corporate drone. Your sub-optimal health is developing in a positive direction.)

——————

’The evaluation changed!’

’And my Constitution Attribute is only a few points away from a whole number!’ Chen Jue clenched his fists happily, a grin splitting his face.

If the old men and women hadn’t been busy with their own Tai Chi practice, they probably would have been looking at him as if he were a fool.

’This young man is standing there early in the morning, grinning like an idiot, and not even at his phone. Could it be that the stress of work has finally made him snap?’