Chapter 14: The Thrill of Battle
After sending Li Ge on his way home, Xue Jing also made his way to the bus stop, intending to head back as well.
Along the way, he opened his panel to check his gains from the recent encounter.
[You engaged in a fight. Fitness Experience +109]
[You were in a battle. Aiming Experience +50]
[You were in a fight and felt extremely refreshed. Health Cultivation Experience +33]
[Condition met. Skill Unlocked: Martial Arts]
[You were in a fight. Martial Arts Experience +68]
[Fitness Lv2 (431/500)
Health Cultivation Lv1 (269/300)
Culinary Arts Lv2 (279/500)
Running Lv3 (502/800)
Charm Lv2 (398/500)
Aiming Lv1 (208/300)
Martial Arts Lv1 (68/300)]
First was the experience gain. His fitness skill had increased by over a hundred points—a similar amount to what he would get from an hour of grueling workout at the gym. Yet, he had earned this simply from a relatively effortless fight.
His aiming skill had increased by 50 points, which likely included his use of dynamic vision and precise punches during the battle, as well as his impressive feat of hitting Pei Youguang in the left eye with a pebble. This was a much more significant gain than what he would get from his usual practice.
What surprised Xue Jing the most was the over 30-point increase in his health cultivation experience.
This skill, which had previously only increased through early sleeping and rising, had now gained experience from a fight?
So, brawling is considered a health-cultivating activity now?
However, upon seeing the panel's prompt about feeling "refreshed," Xue Jing found it reasonable.
An essential aspect of health cultivation is maintaining a positive mindset, and the impact of one's mental state on their physical well-being is undeniable. There are numerous accounts of patients with severe illnesses making miraculous recoveries solely due to their optimistic attitudes.
Indeed, after the fight, Xue Jing felt incredibly refreshed and invigorated, experiencing a sense of unadulterated joy.
Battling is exhilarating!
"Looks like I should do things that make me happy more often..."
The substantial experience gains once again proved that the panel didn't encourage solitary efforts but rather encouraged him to be more active and engage with the outside world.
Lastly, there was the newly unlocked skill—Martial Arts.
Xue Jing never expected to unlock a skill so directly linked to combat capabilities in this situation.
He had thought that the month he spent practicing in front of the mirror was all for naught, but it turned out that all that effort had culminated in this moment.
On a quiet path, Xue Jing, ensuring that no one was around, performed a high leg lift, raising his right leg high in the air, forming a vertical split.
At that moment, he barely felt any pulling pain in his groin, a level of flexibility he certainly didn't possess before.
Furthermore, when he held his leg over his head, he didn't feel the slightest bit strained, and his lone standing leg maintained excellent balance.
The Martial Arts skill had altered his physical structure.
The human body subtly changes due to different lifestyle habits and training methods. For instance, the physical structures of gymnasts and weightlifters are entirely dissimilar due to their distinct athletic pursuits.
Years of specialized training mold their bodies to perfectly suit their chosen disciplines, resulting in either lightweight agility or bulky strength.
With the activation of the Martial Arts skill, Xue Jing's body underwent a similar 'specialization,' transforming from an ordinary structure to one 'optimized for martial arts.'
In addition to enhancing his fundamental physical attributes, the skill also improved his reaction speed, explosiveness, flexibility, durability, agility, punching sense, and balance—all capabilities related to martial arts—to varying degrees.
"This skill merely enhances my 'martial arts capability' and doesn't grant me 'martial arts techniques' directly..." Xue Jing mused.
"In a way, it's similar to subjects like language, mathematics, and physics. Techniques are a form of 'knowledge' rather than an inherent skill. Martial Arts improves my ability to grasp and execute techniques but doesn't bestow them upon me automatically."
"Instead of calling it a 'Martial Arts Skill,' it might be more apt to refer to it as 'Martial Arts Aptitude.'"
Chapter: "The Path of Self-Improvement"
In fact, the other skills were similar in nature. "Culinary Arts" enhanced his control over the heat and utensils but didn't provide him with recipes. Likewise, "Fitness" didn't grant him knowledge about working out; it only strengthened his body.
The same was true for "Running," "Aiming," "Charm," and "Health Cultivation." They all intensified his related abilities without directly imparting knowledge.
"Well, it's pretty awesome."
Xue Jing's face lit up with pleasure.
This feeling of growing stronger was truly addictive. His body, already light and agile due to the enhancement of his "Martial Arts" skill, now felt even lighter.
"Time to go home and pet my cat."
...
Xue Jing took the bus to the street where his residential area was located, but instead of going straight home, he made a detour to the supermarket to buy some ingredients before finally returning home.
He unlocked the door with his key and stepped inside, only to find Cat waiting for him by the entrance.
As soon as it saw him, Cat meowed and gently swayed its tail, which was adorned with a bell, in greeting.
Xue Jing put down his backpack and the bag of ingredients on the table in the living room. He then crouched down and scratched Cat's head with both hands, scratching its cheeks from side to side.
"You want some head scratches, don't you, kitty?"
Cat tried to struggle at first but soon succumbed to the exquisite technique, its eyes narrowing in bliss.
"Meow~"
Xue Jing enjoyed the feel of Cat's head, but eventually, he stopped, his curiosity unsatisfied. With one hand, he grabbed Cat's cheek and smiled, asking, "Are you hungry?"
Even though he knew that the cat in front of him was most likely a transformed human, Xue Jing couldn't help but use a childish tone with such a cute little animal.
"Meow~"
Cat stretched out its white-gloved paws and pushed, trying to escape Xue Jing's grip on its cheek, but to no avail. It could only meow helplessly, indicating that it was indeed hungry.
Xue Jing smiled and released the poor cat, picking up the ingredients from the table and heading into the kitchen.
Cat's face showed a very human-like expression of displeasure, and it rubbed its sore cheeks with its paws.
'Stupid human, using too much force,' the cat thought, having almost forgotten that it wasn't actually a cat.
It padded over to the corner of the living room, peeking into the kitchen to make sure Xue Jing was busy, then dashed into his room.
Xue Jing's sudden return had caught it off guard, and it needed to clean up some loose ends.
Once in the room, Cat jumped onto the computer desk and used its claws to awkwardly move the mouse, typing with 'one-claw zen' to clear the browsing history and uninstall a strange program, restoring the computer to a state as if 'nothing had happened.' Then it shut down the machine.
After completing these tasks, Cat breathed a sigh of relief and quietly left the room, heading to the living room, where it curled up lazily on the sofa, its paws resting on the remote control as it turned on the TV.
"...Shang Mingyang, the chief of the Qingcheng Security Bureau, stated that the police have confirmed the escape route of a batch of border smugglers, who are highly likely to pass through Qingcheng. The Security Bureau has issued a yellow safety alert, and all citizens are urged to be vigilant about their personal safety..."
In the kitchen, Xue Jing's phone suddenly rang.
He put down the soy sauce and soup ladle in his hands, washed them, dried them on his apron, and then pulled out his phone from his pocket.
Xue Jing glanced at the caller ID. It was a number he didn't have saved as a contact, but he knew it by heart.
He answered the call and said, "Hello, Mom. What's up?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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