Sunshine District, inside a rental property.
Having just finished his shower, Bai Xiao, drying his wet black hair with a towel, stepped out of the bathroom and picked up his charging phone from the bed, opening the chat interface with Coach Zhang Hongtao. As expected, he saw a whole set of instructional videos.
"Let's see…"
He clicked on one of the collections, the first video.
In the footage, a man dressed in black fighting attire stood alone in a vast hall. Since the shot moved from far to near, Bai Xiao first noticed the man's physique. Over one meter eighty-five, with broad and strong shoulders, muscular build, typical inverted triangle shape, creating a strong sense of oppression.
From a distance, he looked like a towering iron tower stretching out ahead.
The focus zoomed in to reveal the man's face, a fierce kind of handsome.
His bone structure was extremely aggressive, with a high nose and deep eyebrows, sharp and chiseled contours. His eyes were half-closed, the corners as sharp as knives. Under his messy hair, a narrow, cross-shaped scar spread from the corner of his right eyebrow to his temple.
"This man…"
Bai Xiao suddenly noticed that the fighting attire the man wore was different from Coach Zhang's. It had a menacing bird of prey with spread wings covering a large part of his back, even extending its claws onto the sleeves.
It was all in white gold, with hints of blood-like dark red.
It looked both aesthetic and commanding.
"Boxing, Lesson One…"
In the video, the man spoke with a deep, raspy voice.
It was like sand chafing against each other enveloped by the wind in a dry desert.
He then introduced the essentials of the move with short, direct, professional terminology, setting his feet and swinging his fist.
Standard, perfect, relaxed, and clean-cut.
Bai Xiao watched somewhat surprised, until the video ended.
"The man in this instructional video, he's very skillful! Feels like he teaches even better than Coach Zhang Hongtao; I wonder which instructor from the Martial Arts Hall he is…"
He hesitated slightly, then typed in the chat interface.
"Coach, who is the man in this video, is he an instructor from our White Bird Martial Arts Hall? The movements are so standard, a template among templates…"
Waiting for a moment, the screen bumped slightly.
Zhang Hongtao (Coach): Haha, of course, he's standard, he's the senior brother doing the instructional videos at White Bird Martial Arts Hall! It's definitely different.
Bai Xiao: Senior brother? What does that mean? Isn't he one of the instructors?
Zhang Hongtao (Coach): We have two systems, inside White Bird Martial Arts Hall is a legacy of master and disciple, outside resembles more of a training class setting with coach and students. Either way, he's the senior brother to everyone in the hall.
Bai Xiao: So, Coach, you're his junior brother then?
Zhang Hongtao (Coach): Formally speaking, yes, but I'm actually far from having the status to call myself his junior, the gap is too wide. Let me put it to you this way, we instructors at the martial arts hall are all eliminated losers…
Zhang Hongtao seemed to somewhat admire Bai Xiao, thus revealing some details, but when Bai Xiao asked more, he became reluctant to say more.
In the end, he only replied with these words to Bai Xiao.
Train hard!
If you get a chance to join the elite class, anything is possible.
"Inside White Bird Martial Arts Hall, there seems to be a more core circle…"
"Legacy of master and disciple? Is it similar to those ancient schools of martial arts?"
Bai Xiao looked puzzled and eventually put away his phone.
He decided not to practice any other fighting techniques today.
Bai Xiao planned to focus on leveling up his career as a delivery driver to level two next.
He picked up his dirty clothes and soaked them in a basin full of soapy water.
Carrying his phone and keys, he quickly went downstairs.
At the Sunshine District's bike shed.
Bai Xiao saw his own electric scooter which had been repaired and rejuvenated. The master's skills were quite good, it had been brought back to life.
Huaguang Electric Vehicle Repair Store, he noted, he would go there again next time.
Login, receive orders, delivery.
Bai Xiao started his routine delivery process, which he knew well.
Today was a clear day, no heavy rain, sunset tinged with red.
Sunset's glow streamed between the tall buildings, blurring the horizon with a soft twilight hue. An electric scooter wove steadily through the roads.
Continuously moving, never stopping.
Until darkness completely engulfed the sky, and the city's neon lights came on.
On a bridge crossing the river, Bai Xiao rode his steed, speeding along the edge of the lane. Moist air filled with mist brushed against him as vehicles flowed endlessly beside him, while the halo of streetlights and car lights swirled like revolving lighthouses.
The lights flickered and passed by incessantly.
Looking up, through the helmet, I gazed far across to the district on the other side of the bridge.
The brightly illuminated modern city was bustling and enchanting. Skyscrapers and luxurious buildings, blocks of square, brown glass lighting up in a connected series, roof tops designated for helicopters were rotating laser headlights continuously.
Thousands of lights twinkled like stars, an illusion of glamorous vanity.
How many people would become lost in this city's nighttime scenery?
Forgetting their goals, forgetting the present.
Only yearning for that mirage-like opulence.
"What a beautiful view."
"Next, it's time to continue improving my security profession..."
Bai Xiao stretched out his hand, pulled down the glass face shield, and his gaze dropped.
Completely isolated from the distant, intricately magical neon lights.
[Your profession "Delivery Worker" Experience +12]
[Your professional skill "Electric Scooter Driving" Experience +17]
[Your professional skill "Expertise in City Routes" Experience +20]
[Your profession "Delivery Worker" has been upgraded to LV.2]
The numerous information before my eyes receded, and the profession panel displayed.
[Profession: Delivery Worker LV.2 (1/200)]
(Extractable)
"Here it comes!"
Before Bai Xiao's eyes lit up, the dark red (extractable) indicator appeared again. What's the difference between the experience of the profession and that of the skills?
Soon, everything before him provided the answer.
"Dark Red!"
The entire Delivery Worker profession suddenly underwent a blurry distortion.
As if a layer of misty water vapor had covered the surface.
The next second, a bright red light burst forth.
[Dark Red Modifier]
[Potential Points: 2]
Two potential points! The simplest and most tangible difference.
The potential points extracted from professional experience were twice that of the skill experience.
Bai Xiao's gaze swept over the other profession panels.
He quickly found a plus sign behind the security profession skill "Patrol."
Bai Xiao decisively chose to save it for later.
He couldn't afford to waste precious potential points on such common professions.
Wouldn't it be better to use these two potential points to learn boxing in a few days, or to save up a bit more to improve sandboxing?
Every potential point must be used effectively.
Bai Xiao was clear about that in his mind.
After eight in the evening, he rode his bike home and started by washing his clothes.
After a bit of rest, Bai Xiao headed to his workplace for the evening.
No. 111 Wutong Road, Sakura Bird Bar.
In the shadowy corner nearest to the black marble bar, a tall and vague figure always stood quietly, surveying the entire place.
[Your profession "Security Guard" Experience +10]
[Your professional skill "Patrol" Experience +13]
Profession panel.
[Profession: Security Guard LV.1 (33/100)]
[Skill: Patrol LV.1 (43/100)]
Every bit of your effort is faithfully recorded as experience.
Every jump in the numbers at the end is a symbol of sweat flowing.