Chapter 13 – Focus is the Ultimate Hack

“Activate, [Absolute Concentration].”

When Lu Yuan activated [Absolute Concentration] this time, he immediately sensed a difference from before.

His ability to apply the knowledge he had mastered from his textbooks reached an unprecedented level, becoming incredibly thorough.

When a problem appeared in front of him, the related formulas, theorems, and principles sprang to mind one after another, quickly combining into various solutions at the fastest speed.

This effect was even more pronounced in language subjects.

Large passages of foreign languages, once scanned by Lu Yuan, instantly transformed into coherent interpretations in his native tongue, word for word.

If an outsider were present, they would undoubtedly be astonished by Lu Yuan’s speed in solving problems.

It was as if he didn’t need to think at all.

After reading a problem, the answer would naturally appear on the paper.

“Ding—”

Like the sound of a microwave finishing its cycle.

Lu Yuan snapped out of his [Absolute Concentration] state.

A faint sense of fatigue washed over him.

But it was far better than any previous session.

“The alarm hasn’t gone off. Not even an hour has passed?”

Lu Yuan checked his phone, a slightly surprised expression on his face.

The effect of Level 2 [Absolute Concentration] was even better than he had anticipated.

What he originally estimated would take an hour and a half to complete, he had finished in just forty-five minutes—within a single class period.

His efficiency had doubled!

Moreover,

“Swish, swish—”

Lu Yuan quickly flipped through the assignments and test papers he had completed.

Even without a standard answer key for comparison, he had an extremely strong intuition.

“This time, the accuracy of my assignments has definitely improved!”

The Level 2 [Absolute Concentration] had brought him into a deeper state of focus than before.

In this state, his above-average 10-point intelligence attribute seemed to be fully utilized.

“Even if others have the same 10-point intelligence, their thinking speed and other aspects would still not match mine.”

Lu Yuan had this confidence.

Lu Yuan turned back to check the panel. The accumulated information provided him with another pleasant surprise.

“Every ten minutes, I now gain two professional experience points! And the experience gained from basic skills has almost doubled too?!”

The amount of experience he had gained in forty-five minutes was no less than what he used to gain in two hours.

“Efficiency has doubled, and so has the experience gain!”

This was undoubtedly great news for Lu Yuan.

It meant that his leveling-up speed had also doubled!

“I need to see if applying this to the [Martial Artist] profession will yield the same effect.”

Lu Yuan couldn’t wait for his energy to recover.

He directly grabbed his training mat and headed to the living room.

[You focused on professional training for ten minutes, professional experience points +2]

[Your basic body training skill has improved, experience points +4]

[Your basic body training skill has improved, experience points +6]

After completing two sets of strength training, the feedback left Lu Yuan satisfied.

The experience points gained under the [Martial Artist] panel had also doubled.

“Absolute concentration applies to any professional field. Indeed, focus is the ultimate tool!”

After two sets of strength training, Lu Yuan began practicing the basic leg techniques he had learned just that morning.

This time, the effect was even more noticeable.

While practicing, his mind played back Lin Zhiqin’s demonstration from the morning class like a movie, with each movement clearly and vividly recalled.

In the Level 2 [Absolute Concentration] state, Lu Yuan’s control over his muscles seemed to improve as well.

In previous self-practice sessions, he often struggled with “easy to understand, hard to master.”

But now, it felt much better.

His mind could recall, his eyes could learn about seventy to eighty percent, and his hands could execute about forty to fifty percent of the techniques.

That was already quite impressive.

After all, Lu Yuan was not naturally gifted or a martial arts prodigy with extraordinary comprehension.

All he could do was try his best and stay focused.

Lu Yuan fully immersed himself in his training for the next few hours.

During school days, he only had a few hours in the evening for martial arts practice.

With a rare two-day weekend at his disposal, he naturally wanted to make every second count.

Lu Yuan created a training and rest schedule.

Based on his physical condition, he adjusted the duration of each training session to be as appropriate as possible.

The last time when he trained to the point of severe muscle soreness, almost to the extent of being unable to walk, was not something he could allow to happen again.

Overtraining would only slow down his progress.

The afternoon passed quickly amidst his focused training.

When it was time for dinner, Lu Xinghua came home, looking even worse than before.

Although Lu Yuan was worried, he didn’t say anything.

A couple of days ago, the hospital had informed them that his grandfather’s cerebral infarction surgery had to be postponed by two days.

During this time, he had heard his dad, Lu Xinghua, pleading on the phone, asking for money multiple times.

Even though Lu Yuan had lived two lives, he still felt a deep sense of discomfort.

He wasn’t sure if the thousand-plus yuan he had hidden in his parents’ bedroom wardrobe had been discovered.

But even if it had been found, that amount of money wouldn’t solve their problems.

“Whether it’s school or the martial arts gym, making a breakthrough in either field could help alleviate the pressure my family is facing. I need to work even harder.”

Only by studying and training relentlessly could Lu Yuan barely suppress the profound sense of helplessness in his heart.

He spent the evening training as well.

During this time, his elder sister, Lu Jing, called him via video.

It was past eight in the evening in Jiaoyan, but it was still bright in Xixu.

Lu Jing was eating plain crackers with water while telling Lu Yuan that their archaeological team was close to reaching the entrance of the temple ruins.

They estimated that they would be able to start exploring in about two days.

Unfortunately, due to her lack of seniority, she wasn’t eligible to be part of the first group to enter.

Lu Yuan was just about to offer some words of comfort when the video call abruptly ended with a “thud” due to a poor network signal.

He tried calling back but couldn’t get through.

There was nothing more he could do.

By the time it was close to bedtime at 11 PM, Lu Yuan’s [Martial Artist] professional panel data had already changed to:

[Martial Artist Level 2 (81/200)]

[Basic Professional Skills: Basic Body Training Level 3 (2/400)]

[Basic Fist Technique Level 2 (153/200)]

[Basic Leg Techniques Level 2 (89/200)]

His professional experience had increased by over seventy points, basic body training had increased by over sixty points, reaching Level 3.

Basic fist technique had increased by nearly a hundred points.

The main practice, basic leg techniques, had increased the most, almost reaching two hundred points, directly breaking through to Level 2 and making significant progress into Level 2.

“After leveling up basic body training to Level 3, the difficulty in gaining experience points has noticeably increased.

Sometimes, after completing a set of training, I only gain one or two experience points.

Is it because my physique has improved?”

After taking a shower, Lu Yuan lay on his bed wearing only boxer briefs.

The curtains were open, allowing the light from the street lamps outside to filter in, and he could hear the occasional sound of cars passing by on the road.

“It looks like I’ll need to increase the intensity of my strength training.

Increasing the intensity will inevitably require the use of equipment, so starting next week, I’ll go to the martial arts gym every day after school.”

Looking back, Lu Yuan felt that his decision to directly allocate attribute points to his physique might have been too hasty.

The most efficient way to allocate points would probably be to wait until the growth in strength and physique from basic body training slowed down before adding points.

After upgrading basic body training to Level 3, he could clearly feel that the muscles in his thighs, calves, arms, chest, and abdomen had become more solid, and his skin seemed to have become more elastic.

His whole body was like an ingot of iron, with impurities being hammered out under constant external pressure, becoming denser and more solid.

He opened a reading app on his phone and randomly picked a novel to read.

At 11:25 PM, the light from Lu Yuan’s phone on the bed went out, and he had already fallen asleep.