Over the past five days, he had allocated all his Breakthrough Points to [Physique].
Coupled with high-intensity training every day, the result was his [Physique] had now completely reached the level expected of a standard healthy adult male.
But don't underestimate this change, because a standard healthy adult male's constitution doesn't represent the average.
In fact, Li Ang's current constitution could easily surpass that of 90% of ordinary people without any problem.
For most people, in the absence of healthy exercise habits and good living routines, it is difficult to maintain their bodies in a completely healthy state.
More people are like the middle-aged corporate drone Li used to be, in a subhealth state, with more or less some physical issues.
The consistent running exercise over these days had also enabled him to successfully master the skill of [Running], and he had even advanced it to the [Proficient] level.
With the skill level improved, the increase in exercise experience and technique naturally goes without saying.
At the same time, he was surprised to find that when his skill broke through to a new grade, he simultaneously gained a green-font Trait.
For instance, when [Cycling] reached [Proficient], the Trait gained was a 10% increase in lower limb strength and endurance.
The difference is that this increase in strength was not obtained through slow training, but the moment he gained it, he felt his strength grow.
The magnitude of physical changes and leaps these five days had brought about effects that he wouldn't possibly have achieved from five months of training before.
Li Ang now not only had muscular definition on his arms but even his abs were clearly visible.
Previously, although some abs could be seen, they were all due to being thin.
At a height of 175cm, his weight was only 55 kilograms – describing him as skinny would be no exaggeration.
Now, after five days, not only had his weight increased by two kilograms, but his height had also grown by a centimeter.
While the numbers didn't change much, his overall spirit and appearance had undergone a huge transformation.
To give a direct comparison, it was like evolving from a traditional science geek into an outgoing and sunny young man.
After confirming his current condition, Li Ang turned to the manual of fists again and began to learn the actions step by step.
The movements of Xiao Lian Shou were not complex, but they required continuity, and the position of the arms, the steps of the feet, and even the direction faced would all change with the execution of moves.
At the beginning, he could only imitate each move slowly, trying to perfect the actions and positions as much as possible.
After that, it was time to connect several moves together.
As for seamless motion coordination and strength exertion, that was not something he could master momentarily.
By contrast, the Pile Skill that accompanied Tongbei Fist was much simpler, and in just over half an hour, he felt he was already standing quite decently.
Until the sun set, all the joints in Li Ang's body were sore and aching.
Unfortunately, his panel still didn't display the skill of [Tongbei Fist].
Not even the Pile Skill, which he thought was relatively simple, appeared.
It must be that what he considered as standing well was still far from truly standing well.
However, Li Ang didn't feel discouraged, as it would have been abnormal if he could become a beginner in just half a day.
In fact, his achievements for the day were not insignificant, having memorized and mastered each individual practice move.
Li Ang could feel that his memory now, compared to when he was working, had become more than twice as strong.
His memory used to be quite good during high school, but it began to deteriorate significantly from college onwards, after long nights and all-nighters online.
A few years into his work, as his age increased, his memory further declined.
Forgetting to take things when going out was common, and if work tasks were not listed in a spreadsheet, they would inevitably be overlooked.
Li Ang doubted very much that he would be able to reach retirement age without succumbing to dementia.
Yet now, he managed to memorize so many moves in such a short time, remembering each one completely and clearly — his memory had obviously surpassed its prime.
The energy he exhausted today was clearly greater than usual from doing those simple exercises.
In the evening, Li Ang cooked a big pot of tomato and potato beef stew for himself. It seemed that due to the improvement of his physical attributes, his various sensory perceptions, including his sense of smell and taste, had also improved.
Therefore, he was quite satisfied with the flavor of tonight's meal.
In the cooking profession, a chef's keen sense of taste and smell are fundamental. If one can't taste the quality oneself, there's no hope that the meal will be delicious.
Before dinner, Li Ang thought it over and decided to take a bowl of his dish to invite his neighbor to try it.
After all, they had given him food before, and they got along quite well in their daily lives. Not to mention anything else, the least he could do was to observe the basic social niceties.
Li Ang stood at the door and rang the doorbell.
"Thump thump thump."
It sounded like the noise of someone running barefoot on a wooden floor.
The sound stopped at the door for two seconds, then the door opened, revealing a surprised Sheila.
She seemed to have been exercising just before, dressed in a black sports tank top, paired with black yoga pants, and barefooted.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and there were some fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
"Li, is this for me?"
Sheila looked at Li Ang with a face full of surprise and asked.
She had smelled a delicious fragrance as soon as she opened the door, which seemed very appetizing.
"Yes,"
Li Ang nodded.
"I just don't know if it suits your taste."
Li Ang didn't know why, but he felt his heartbeat was somewhat fast. It seemed he had practiced too hard today.
"Why don't you come in and eat with me? There's so much, I can't finish it by myself, and there are some snacks baking in my oven."
Sheila had intended to express her thanks, but for some reason, her words turned into an invitation.
She just felt that the young man in front of her had undergone quite a significant change from a few days ago, but she couldn't quite pinpoint the specific changes.
If she had to describe it, it was that he'd acquired more of a man's aura.
"I shouldn't, I still have rice cooking at home..."
Li Ang appeared somewhat uneasy, as his original intention was just to deliver some food, an act of simple reciprocity. He didn't know how it had turned into having dinner together.
Before he could finish his refusal, Sheila grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the house.
"I must have overexerted myself in training today, why do I not have any strength to resist?"
Li Ang mused to himself.
In the middle of the living room, there was a huge yoga mat laid out, and a yoga class was still running on the TV. He could faintly smell a sweet scent mixed with butter.
After they sat down close to each other on the couch, Sheila glanced over Li Ang's body, raised her eyebrows, and inquired:
"Did you do any physical training today?"