In his room, Noah stared at his attribute panel in surprise. It wasn't just his physique; his strength, charm, and other attributes had all hit new highs, thanks to this breakthrough. Just this morning, he had been daydreaming about raising his mental strength in a few days. Yet here he was, with all attributes boosted just within a day! And then there was his charm…
"Charm? How did that one go up?" he wondered, frowning. It made sense that his strength would get a bump, but charm? Puzzled, Noah flipped on the bathroom light and took a good look in the mirror. What he saw made his jaw drop.
The guy staring back at him looked like a model out of a magazine: chiseled features, flawless skin, and those eyes—clear and sharp, with a depth he'd never seen before. He was suddenly… radiant. And for the first time, he had to admit it. "Well, can't complain," he smirked, marveling at his upgraded reflection.
Stepping back into his room, he settled onto the couch and resumed his focus on the Zixia Divine Art. His memory felt sharper than ever, his focus laser-like. In just two hours, he'd internalized the entire scroll, each technique, every meridian pathway, all etched into his mind as if he'd known them for years.
Noah closed his eyes, calmed his breath, and, following the detailed instructions, started to guide his energy according to the ancient diagrams. Nothing happened for a long stretch of minutes. But he wasn't worried—Gentleman Sword's notes in the manual had explained that it could take from minutes to days depending on one's innate talent.
Finally, after a solid half-hour of focused meditation, he felt a tiny flicker of something cool and tingling flow through his body—a first, thin stream of energy. With total concentration, he slowly channeled it through each meridian, eventually guiding it to his lower dantian, where it settled and multiplied.
A message flashed on his panel: You've created an internal energy source. Congratulations, Noah.
"Hah! So, I'm not trash after all," Noah chuckled to himself, noting that his initial progress matched the pace Gentleman Sword had described for "gifted individuals." Even better, he quickly realized that he felt no fatigue despite being up all night. This was real, restorative energy, drawn from deep within.
As he spent the next few hours cycling the energy through his body, it grew gradually, from a single thread to two solid streams. By morning, his body brimmed with this newfound energy. His skin practically glowed as he finished his practice, his face looking relaxed and fresh.
After a quick breakfast, he grabbed his gear and headed to the gym. He was ready to see if last night's gains would show any measurable improvements in his workout stats.
Description: You've run 1,824 meters at an average pace of 3 minutes, 21 seconds per kilometer. Repeat 412 times for a strength boost of 0.1. Repeat 213 times for a fitness boost of 0.1. Repeat 1,742 times for a mental boost of 0.1.
Noah glanced at the numbers, his heart pumping with excitement. He'd shaved nearly a full minute off his time since yesterday—a crazy improvement! However, it did seem like his growth curve was steepening. Still, progress was progress.
At the gym, he found his trainer, Coach Smith, who seemed taken aback as Noah walked in, bright and glowing. "You... are you Noah? Is this a magic trick? How did you change so much overnight??" Smith joked, eyeing him up and down. "Kid, you look like a movie star; you should be in Hollywood, not sweating here in the gym."
"Just focus on training, Coach!" Noah grinned, rolling his eyes. Smith was nice, but he definitely loved to chatter.
"Fine, fine. So, what'll it be today?" Smith asked, raising his hands in surrender.
"Bodyweight squats, Coach," Noah replied. He kicked off his shoes, stretched briefly, and positioned himself on the mat, steadying his breath. Then he began.
Smith watched him closely, counting in his head. After a few minutes, Noah had blasted through 200 squats, then 300, and he showed no signs of slowing down. Smith could hardly believe it. By the time Noah had hit 400, he was panting but still pushing forward, determined to set a personal record.
"Whoa," Smith muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Just yesterday, you could barely do 200. Are you faking it now, or were you faking it then?" He wondered out loud, half-amused, half-baffled.
Noah finished his last squat and gave Smith a confident grin. He was only getting started.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Alright, my exams for this week are done. So, I will try to consistently upload for maybe the next 2 days
So, this is my first time doing this. I hope you guys can help me improve by providing your feedback, and some stones would be nice. (づ ◕‿◕ )づ