After a day's hard work by twenty people, the result was merely a 1% increase in proficiency. Although this 1% was reached halfway through the afternoon, and a full day's work might have resulted in 2%, the prospect of only gaining 2% proficiency after such intense labor felt like a setup for failure.
With over thirty days remaining before the end of summer break, it was certain that he couldn't elevate his Grandmaster Architect skill to Perfection before school started again. Li Nianlong would have to choose between quitting his teaching job to focus on honing his life profession or maintaining his teaching position while to work part-time as a life professional.
The choice seemed clear-cut.
Stopping his work, Li Nianlong washed up at a nearby sink, taking a deep breath as he did so, feeling refreshed and comfortable.
"Hmm?" Gazing at the construction site before him, he noticed something amiss about the thirty-three-story building according to architectural standards. With his previous Advanced-level Architect skill, limited to designing structures of six stories or less, he hadn't detected any issues with this building. However, his newfound Grandmaster insight revealed minor structural inefficiencies that hindered the building's integrity and compactness from reaching optimal levels. Li Nianlong estimated that if he were to design this skyscraper, under the same materials and labor conditions, it could maintain a livable quality for 150 years, whereas the current construction would only last 70 years at best.
In fact, ensuring 70 years of quality was already quite commendable given that the national standard for residential housing lifespan was only 50 years, with many needing to be demolished before reaching that mark. For this building to guarantee 70 years was a testament to the builder's conscience, especially considering its location, which would likely attract middle to high-income residents of Tianfu City, demanding no compromise on quality.
"Why bother thinking about this?" Shaking his head, Li Nianlong queued to collect his daily wages. Though dissatisfied with the 2% daily proficiency gain, the income of 3,000 yuan for a day's work of twenty people was still quite satisfactory.
Li Nianlong now handed his daily wages to Lan Ruyue, who used the money to cover their daily expenses. Maintaining such a large villa incurred significant costs, like the maintenance of the small fountain, lawn, and landscaping, all of which required daily attention. Hiring professionals for these tasks could cost tens of thousands annually, but Lan Ruyue's capable hands saved them a considerable sum.
Their main household expenses were food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, totaling around 4,500 yuan over the past few weeks. Buying Lan Ruyue's identity document had cost a whopping 50,000 yuan, nearly crippling their finances. Fortunately, the upgrade of his Architect skill and the system's reward of 25,000 yuan, combined with today's earnings, rejuvenated their financial standing.
Arriving home, Li Nianlong found only Lan Ruyue preparing dinner; the Yue sisters were not around.
"Where are Changchang and Xixi?" he asked.
Lan Ruyue smiled and gestured, explaining that they had been feeling cooped up and went out for some fresh air, promising to return before dinner.
Nodding, Li Nianlong headed upstairs to shower. When he came down, both Yue Chang and Yue Xi had returned.
"Where did you two go?" he asked, descending the stairs with a smile.
"Just to the lake to watch people fishing," Yue Xi replied, both she and Yue Chang pausing upon seeing Li Nianlong, sensing a subtle change in his aura.
Snapping back to the present, Yue Xi giggled, saying, "Big Brother, the artificial lake here is so beautiful, the scenery is fantastic, and it's teeming with fish and shrimp. Let's buy fishing rods after dinner!"
"No need to buy, we have them at home," Li Nianlong said with a smile.
Uncle Guan, during his time, would often take his fishing gear to the lake. Influenced by Uncle Guan, Li Nianlong had developed a fondness for fishing. Besides spending holidays with Li Ying, he spent much of his leisure time fishing with Uncle Guan. Their fishing equipment was top-notch, capable of handling even a shark without snapping.
"Then let's go fishing after dinner!" Yue Xi exclaimed excitedly.
"You guys go fishing at night?" Li Nianlong ruffled her hair affectionately, jesting, "If you're really bored, watch TV or go online. Or, better yet, dance on the third floor to keep fit. You must have gained weight these days."
"Impossible!" Yue Xi pouted. "Weight gain is due to fat accumulation, and burning fat reduces weight. I control my fat percentage strictly, burning off even the slightest excess immediately. I can't get fat."
To others, it might sound like Yue Xi was referring to exercise for fat burning, but Li Nianlong and Yue Chang knew she meant literally burning fat with her fire elemental ability, allowing her to quickly eliminate any excess fat to avoid weight gain.
Yue Xi's ability was practically a dream come true for every woman prone to weight gain, enviable indeed.
"Alright, you're not fat," Li Nianlong smiled, addressing the sisters. "Go wash your hands; it's time for dinner!"
"Yes." The Yue sisters nodded and entered the bathroom together.
Inside, Yue Chang turned on the tap to rinse her hands, speaking softly, "Xixi, did you notice earlier?"
"Yes," Yue Xi's eyes sparkled. "Big Brother has actually grown stronger. His aura just now made me feel a little pressured too."
Pausing, Yue Xi turned to Yue Chang, "Isn't it strange? Big Brother awakened his abilities later in life, has dual elements, even a rare multi-element ability. Historically, such ability users don't achieve much, so why is Big Brother advancing so rapidly? At this rate, maybe one day we won't even be a match for him."
"Mm, you're right!" Yue Chang wiped her hands with a towel, lost in thought. "That day when you mentioned that Big Brother might also have the Limitless Stamina ability, it means he possesses three abilities: Seeing Virtue and Vice, Vacuum Extraction, and Limitless Stamina. This combination has never appeared in history, but could it be precisely because of this uniqueness that Big Brother becomes a genius among geniuses, turning negative into a positive?"
"That's right!" Yue Xi clapped her hands energetically, splashing droplets everywhere.
"Oh dear! You got me in the face." Yue Chang wiped her face, pouting. "Xixi, can't you be less careless?"
"Hehe... sorry." Yue Xi apologized insincerely and continued washing her face, saying, "Big Brother's situation is unprecedented, so our common knowledge doesn't apply to him."
Raising her head, she grabbed another towel to dry her face and asked, "Changchang, should we tell Master about Big Brother's condition? She's knowledgeable and experienced; perhaps she can offer some insights?"
Yue Chang pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "Considering Big Brother's current inadequate strength, let's not alarm Master for now. If, in the near future, Big Brother's power reaches or approaches our level, then it won't be too late to inform Master."
"I'll follow your lead." Putting down the towel, Yue Xi adjusted the strands of hair on her forehead in front of the mirror. "Changchang, should we teach Big Brother our secret method for rapidly enhancing abilities?"
The sisters learned this rapid ability enhancement technique from their master; even within the realm of superhuman abilities, it was a top-tier, closely guarded secret. Over these days, the sisters had practically regarded Li Nianlong as family, especially Yue Xi, who saw him as her closest kin.
While Li Nianlong was considered a decently skilled individual in China, he didn't measure up in the eyes of the sisters. Yue Xi fervently wished for Li Nianlong's power to grow faster and faster: Big Brother is a man, how can he be weaker than me, a young girl? Absolutely not!
This suggestion momentarily tempted Yue Chang, but she swiftly rejected it, shaking her head. "Xixi, have you forgotten what Master said? Our techniques are secrets not to be divulged unless to someone we can entrust our lives with. Honestly, while our relationship with Big Brother is akin to family, would he truly be willing to sacrifice his life for us?"