Galon, satisfied with his performance, took off his gloves and walked over to Elvin. "It looks like it won't be long before I catch up to you, Senior Brother Elvin."
"Do you think you're the only one making progress?" Elvin glanced at him with feigned disdain. "Enough of that, you need to head home for dinner, right? You should hurry back. It's a bit of a distance from the main hall to the city, and there won't be any rides if it gets too late."
"Alright, I'll be heading off then." Galon was aware of the situation. After bidding farewell to the other two, he left the building with ease, crossed the training ground, and exited the main gate of the Baiyun Martial Arts School with some other students who were also leaving.
Baiyun Martial Arts School, located in Huai Shan City, only has two branches and one main hall. The branches are within the city, while the main hall is situated in a more remote area, far from Lan Tree Street where Galon's home is located.
After finally hailing a carriage, Galon squeezed in with another female student who was headed in the same direction. They traveled along a gray-white cobblestone road towards the city center.
Sitting on the right side of the carriage, Galon leaned back against the leather seat, resting with his eyes closed, listening to the crisp sound of horse hooves.
The female student next to him took out a book and began flipping through it, the sound of the pages turning filling the air at intervals.
Galon, in a half-asleep state, gradually drifted into a drowsy consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, the surroundings became slightly more lively with murmurs. Waking up, Galon looked outside the carriage.
The dark-haired girl beside him was also looking out to the left, watching a group of brightly dressed children laughing and chasing past the carriage, each holding different colored gift boxes in their hands.
"Today is Children's Day..." Galon realized.
"It was yesterday, actually. Some families choose to celebrate it a day late to avoid the crowds and for safety," the girl turned back, facing forward, and glanced at Galon, "Which stop are you getting off at?"
"I'm getting off at Bernington."
"We're already at Black Tree Street. Bernington is coming up."
Only then did Galon notice that the buildings passing by had turned to a series of gray-white structures, each adorned with intricate reliefs, with rows of dark-leaved trees planted on either side of the road.
"Thanks for letting me know. The corner of Bernington Street is just ahead. Driver, could you please stop here?"
"Of course."
The black carriage slowly stopped at the corner of Bernington Street. Galon jumped down, paid the fare, straightened his somewhat wrinkled clothes, and headed towards the Dolphin Antique Shop.
The pale red sunlight streamed through the shop door, casting the entire antique store in a warm glow.
The old man was still sitting in front of the shelf across the door, dozing off at his desk.
Galon entered without disturbing him, heading straight to the left, where the bronze cross medals were displayed.
Picking up a medal, he examined it closely again. The surface had been polished to a light sheen, but that was not important. Holding the medal, Galon's attention shifted to the attributes panel in his vision.
Although he had used up 100% of his potential, after days of "accumulating" it without a single day's break, his potential had now reached 47%.
"It's you again..." Grigor, the old man's voice came from behind, "You come here every day just to look. Wouldn't it be better to buy it and take your time at home?"
"I'm saving up for it, you know? Do you think an ordinary student can easily come up with such a sum?" Galon retorted without turning around.
"Suit yourself. Anyway, you're adding some life to my shop. Just remember the old rule, 10 bucks an hour."
"Got it, got it! Money-crazed!" Galon muttered.
After another hour of reluctantly holding the medal and watching the potential slowly increase, Galon finally put it down as the sky outside darkened.
"Take good care of it. I'll come back for it next time!"
"Yeah, yeah, scram! You're more nagging than I am!" the old man waved him off impatiently, "I'm going to close up after you leave."
"Serves you right for not having any business!" Galon had grown familiar with the old man's temperament over time; their initial politeness had faded, giving way to more open and uninhibited interactions.
Days passed, and over two weeks went by.
Galon's daily routine of school, antique shop, and martial arts school continued, with his potential steadily increasing. Soon, it reached 100% again, allowing him to use new attribute points.
However, he had not yet decided what to allocate them to. He had intended to boost his academic subjects, but unfortunately, not all skill areas could be forcibly improved with attribute points.
Only a few special skill subjects could be enhanced; others, like national studies and foreign languages, were not eligible. Without high-level textbooks or any related memories, Galon lacked the knowledge to understand these subjects.
He realized that attribute point enhancements were limited to skills within his known range. In other words, if he had only been taught one level of a technique, with subsequent levels unknown until discovered, attribute points could not be used to force an improvement. This was because his memory did not contain methods for further advancement.
Attribute points and his unique abilities seemed more like a significant development and utilization of his potential, merely represented in this attribute format.
Therefore, to enhance skills, one must fully understand the next level's content. Without complete knowledge, upgrades would be impossible.
Setting aside his personal development, his relationship with his sister Ying'er had become even more awkward since their playful fight took an odd turn. Ying'er now hurried through their interactions, barely speaking to him. After meals, she would quickly clear the plates and retreat to her room, avoiding further conversation with Galon.
The midterm exams were approaching. With the school year divided into three terms, each term was short. Ying'er was also preparing for an archery competition.
Galon briefly reviewed his studies, focusing only on the crucial high school exams. With mathematics and physics being incredibly simple in this world, he managed to advance both subjects to a high level within ten days, and his improved intelligence helped him reach a basic level in national studies and foreign languages.
His enhanced memory and understanding, combined with his mature mindset, significantly improved his academic performance. If not for his focus elsewhere, he could have aimed for the top student rankings.
The afternoon's pale yellow sunlight cast a slanting glow on Bernington Street, which was quiet except for a few passersby wrapped in thick coats.
Two black sedans parked by the curb reflected the soft yellow light, one with a driver asleep at the wheel.
A red-eyed boy with purple hair, now grown long enough to cover his face, briskly walked down the street. His light grey sweater and trousers highlighted his pale complexion.
Galon glanced at an advertisement banner on a distant building.
The red banner announced a fall discount event at Elizabeth Jewelry, offering discounts ranging from 10% to 50% from September 21 to 25.
"Is it already September? Time flies..." Galon quickened his pace towards the antique shop, several days past the deadline Grigor had mentioned. As a new disciple of the martial arts school, he had to wait a quarter before participating in internal selection competitions, leaving him unable to earn money through competitions.
Though he hadn't saved enough money, Grigor's other potential buyer hadn't appeared either, allowing Galon to guiltlessly absorb potential from the medal for an hour or two each day.
"Using attribute points to enhance skills isn't as worthwhile as boosting personal attributes," Galon analyzed. "Skills can be improved through mastery, except for extremely difficult ones. It's better to use points on personal attributes for long-term benefits. If I had spent points on physics or mathematics, I could easily reach an advanced level later, making it a waste. It's more cost-effective to use them on difficult skills like the Baiyun Secret Technique..."
Galon checked his attributes panel.
His strength had increased by two points to 0.52, with potential at 124%.
"The increase in strength came from practicing the secret technique and daily strength exercises. The attribute ability seems to solidify the body, preventing strength decline from lack of exercise."
He reviewed his skills.
Baiyun Secret Technique: Intermediate. Basic Combat Technique: Beginner. Explosive Fist Technique: Not Started.
"Only official disciples can learn the entry-level Explosive Fist Technique, and the Baiyun Secret Technique, now at intermediate level, can be enhanced with attribute points," Galon hesitated. "The Explosive Fist Technique integrates the body's full strength, tripling fist power, and takes at least two years to master. Once mastered, the skin becomes very tough, allowing one to punch bags barehanded without injury. The Baiyun Secret Technique, fundamental and effective over time, reportedly takes over a decade to reach an advanced stage and requires exceptional talent..."
Galon, interested in this world's martial arts, found them similar to Earth's national arts but more widespread. Though difficult to master, his abilities made training easier.
In his previous life, he had wanted to learn martial arts for fitness but lacked the opportunity. Now, with all conditions met, his interest surged, and he devoted himself entirely to training.
"Fortunately, with the medal, I can slowly accumulate more attribute points. With this progression, first enhancing the Baiyun Secret Technique and then advancing the Explosive Fist Technique to a high level, I'll definitely reach the upper echelons of the martial arts school! The head of the Baiyun Martial Arts School has only mastered the third stage of the Explosive Fist Technique and reached an advanced level in the Baiyun Secret Technique, not yet fully mastered."
"As long as I continue to use the medal to enhance my abilities, just five attribute points will bring my martial skills to a level comparable to the head of the school!"
Snapping out of his excited thoughts, Galon had reached the corner of Bernington Street. Unlike usual, the door of the Dolphin Antique Shop appeared somewhat disordered.
He hastened his steps, entering the shop to find it in disarray, with antiques and trinkets scattered everywhere.
Two people in coats, a man and a woman, were inquiring about something with the old man at the door.