Chapter 3 – Absolute Concentration

Lu Yuan’s current profession is [Student].

The eight core subjects taught at school are his eight basic skills in this profession.

By focusing on listening to lectures, self-studying, and doing exercises, Lu Yuan can gain a certain amount of skill experience in each subject.

For every ten minutes of concentrated study, he gains one [Student] professional experience point.

Of course, the best way to gain experience is through exams.

Whether it’s a major grade exam or a minor class test, weekly tests, or the Monthly Test, every time Lu Yuan goes through an exam, his experience points increase significantly.

In the two months since he arrived here, he has gone from being an average student with below-average grades to becoming one of the top three in his class and top twenty in his grade.

While his hard work is undoubtedly important, the main reason for his success is the professional panel in front of him.

During this time, he has experienced two level-ups in his profession.

His [Student] profession has gone from Level 1 to Level 3.

Each level-up provided Lu Yuan with two attribute points and two skill points.

He used the attribute points to boost his intelligence to 10 points, surpassing the average intelligence level of a typical senior high school student. The skill points helped him overcome his weakness in Physics, and even unlocked a core skill on his panel-[Absolute Concentration].

[Absolute Concentration] (Active), Effect: Allows the learner to focus intensely for a short period, slightly enhancing mental capabilities and enabling full immersion in studying.

(Note: The duration of this skill activation is related to the intelligence and constitution attributes. The higher the intelligence and constitution attributes, the longer the duration.)

For a teenager prone to distraction, this skill is practically a “divine skill.”

At this moment, the slight headache Lu Yuan was feeling had disappeared, and he stopped massaging his temples.

He then started to massage his sore and aching fingers and wrists.

“My mental capacity hasn’t reached its limit yet, but my body is starting to wear out. The physical exertion is too much.”

Who said studying isn’t a physical activity?

Lu Yuan wanted to join a physical education Extracurricular Class to strengthen his body. Besides preparing for the Unified Examination, he also hoped that improving his fitness would extend the duration of [Absolute Concentration], indirectly enhancing his study efficiency.

“I’ll download some workout videos tonight and start following them. Tomorrow, I’ll begin running!”

Lu Yuan squeezed his thin arm, making a firm decision in his heart.

His current physical condition was really poor.

His previous self spent all day hiding in his room, reading novels and comics, almost wasting away.

He always failed the physical education tests at school.

With such a weak body, he worried that one day he might push himself too hard while studying and collapse at his desk, never to get up again.

After resting for a while and feeling his strength returning, he noticed it was almost 3 PM.

Lu Yuan prepared to head to the hospital.

Before leaving, he took a stack of light green bills from a thick dictionary on his bookshelf and carefully put them in his pocket.

This was the reward money he received from the school for his academic improvement， once 500 and once 800, totaling 1,300.

He planned to withdraw the money from his phone on the way to the hospital to make it a round number and give it to his Dad when he found the chance.

As a member of this family, he felt he needed to contribute during these tough times.

With that in mind, Lu Yuan walked out of his room.

Just as he finished putting on his shoes and was about to leave, the front door opened from the outside.

A middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a blue shirt and looking exhausted, appeared before Lu Yuan.

“Dad?!”

Lu Yuan was a bit surprised. “Why are you back?”

“Yeah.”

Lu Xinghua nodded at Lu Yuan, without saying anything, dragging his weary body inside.

He went straight to the living room, sat on the sofa, faced the ceiling, and closed his eyes.

Lu Yuan reached into his pocket, clutching the small roll of money, contemplating whether to give it to Lu Xinghua now.

Just then, Lu Xinghua’s phone rang.

He opened his eyes, glanced at the screen, and then quickly got up and went to the balcony.

“Can you give me a couple more days?”

“That bastard Wang Zhichao! He owes me hundreds of thousands in payments, and now he’s nowhere to be found. My old man is still lying in the ICU!”

“I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I can!”

From the balcony, Lu Yuan could faintly hear Lu Xinghua’s phone conversation.

Lu Yuan moved closer, listening to the conversation, his brow gradually furrowing.

After a moment’s consideration, he clutched the roll of money in his pocket and quickly walked into his parents’ bedroom.

Half a minute later, he emerged, looking calm, but the money was gone.

At some point, the conversation on the balcony had ceased.

Through the glass door, Lu Yuan saw Lu Xinghua silently smoking, staring at the opposite residential building.

Lu Yuan watched for a moment and then turned to leave quietly. Just then, Lu Xinghua’s voice came from behind.

“Xiao Yuan, come here!”

Lu Yuan turned around to see Lu Xinghua extinguishing the cigarette in a flowerpot on the balcony, beckoning him over.

“What’s up?”

Lu Yuan walked over.

It was the first time he had observed Lu Xinghua up close and noticed his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept for days.

“I heard from Xiaopeng that you want to join the martial arts class at the gym he attends?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan’s heart sank, and he couldn’t help but curse internally.

Cheng Peng, that idiot, could forget to eat while playing games but still remembered to call his dad and discuss the martial arts class?!

“No, I don’t want to go.”

Lu Yuan immediately denied it. “I think there’s no need to join a physical education Extracurricular Class right now. There’s still a year until the Unified Examination. Plus, the class will take up my study time, and my coursework is already tight.”

“Staying cooped up in your room studying all the time, you should get out more.”

Lu Xinghua suddenly interrupted Lu Yuan, then took something out of his pocket and placed it in Lu Yuan’s hand. “Remember to balance work and rest.”

Lu Yuan looked down to see a receipt in his hand. The receipt header read “Yuan Martial Arts Gym,” with an amount of “9,988.”

Lu Yuan was stunned.

“When I was at the hospital, Xiaopeng called me. On my way back, I happened to pass by that gym, so I paid the fee for you.”

“The gym is having a promotion right now. Since you’ll have to sign up eventually, it’s better to do it while there’s a discount.”

“You don’t need to worry about the family or your grandfather. Your main task now is to focus on your studies and health.”

“I heard from your mom that once she asked you to carry two bags of rice to the fourth floor, and you had to rest three times to get them up. Your body is too weak. When I was your age, I could carry two large gas cylinders up to the eighth floor without breaking a sweat.”