Chapter 71 – Special Exertion

Under the night sky.

A cool breeze swept across the rooftop, causing the clothes on the drying line to sway gently, while the chirping of crickets filled the air.

Lu Yuan stood in front of the Concrete Block, assuming a stance, and slowly threw a punch at the block.

The punch was excruciatingly slow.

As he punched, large beads of sweat appeared visibly on Lu Yuan’s forehead and cheeks.

He gritted his teeth tightly, clearly straining with great effort.

His eyes were fixed intently on his punching right hand.

His right hand appeared to be a full size larger than usual!

The muscles on his arm rippled like waves, with veins usually hidden beneath the skin bulging out like engorged worms.

Lu Yuan felt as if the muscles in his right arm were twisting together like rapidly entwining ropes.

Contracting, expanding, and then exploding.

“Bang!”

A sharp sound suddenly erupted from his punching right hand.

The noise was like a tightly strung bowstring snapping.

Lu Yuan instantly deflated, pulling back the punch that had not yet been fully delivered.

“Huff—huff—”

Lu Yuan panted heavily.

He watched as his “frightening” right arm slowly returned to its normal state from its menacing condition.

A faint, tearing pain emerged.

He knew that some of the muscles and tendons in his arm had torn and strained during the punch.

“No, I can’t do it at this stage.”

Lu Yuan’s expression turned grim.

Even though he had successfully unlocked the second professional core skill of [Martial Artist], he couldn’t use it. Anyone would be frustrated in his situation.

He checked the panel, revealing the newly unlocked skill—

[Special Exertion] (Active).

Effect: When activated, it grants more than double the instant explosive strength.

A very straightforward skill description.

The actual effect, however, was incredibly domineering! Instantly possessing twice the usual explosive strength.

Lu Yuan’s current base boxing power was over 400 kilograms. By activating this skill, his punching power would instantly surge to over 800 kilograms!

No wonder his arm showed signs of bursting and breaking down before he could even complete the punch.

“Calculating it into attribute points, activating [Special Exertion] is equivalent to instantly boosting my strength from 13 points to 15 points!

I definitely can’t handle it; my constitution can’t keep up.”

Lu Yuan recalled the sensation from his earlier punch.

It was a magical technique for controlling his body’s muscles.

His arm, thighs, and abdominal muscles were twisted together like ropes, creating that instant burst of twice the usual strength.

Twisted ropes naturally have more power and resilience than a single strand.

For a moment, Lu Yuan felt the urge to immediately allocate his remaining attribute points to his constitution.

But he forcibly restrained himself.

“Practicing the Crane Stance still improves my constitution. No rush, no rush.”

“At this stage, there’s no urgent need for this move, so why waste it?”

Lu Yuan kept persuading himself.

His cautious nature had accustomed him to always saving some attribute points for emergencies.

Many times, 1 attribute point could make a life-or-death difference in a crisis.

For instance, during his first fight in the rainy alley against the gang leader Old Hei.

And the second time against the Ratman.

Both times, the sudden boost in strength from allocating points on the spot caught his opponents off guard, leading to a decisive victory.

In a way, this was another professional core skill that Lu Yuan had developed—

Profession: [Lao Liu1]

Core Skill: [Ambush]!

This move had never failed him.

But today, Lu Yuan was itching to test the effect of this two-fold strength increase from the [Special Exertion] skill.

It felt like thousands of ants were crawling all over his body; he couldn’t hold back.

“I’ll enter the Consciousness Space. Even if I get injured there, it doesn’t matter. I can test it freely.”

Lu Yuan thought of a compromise. He quickly tidied up the mess on the rooftop, grabbed his things, and headed downstairs.

“First in grade! Xiao Yuan has really made it! He’ll surely get into Xia University!”

“Xiao Yuan is amazing. He’s been smart since he was a kid, just used to play around too much! Now that he’s matured, his intelligence is shining through!”

“Your Xiao Yuan and Xiao Jing are both excellent in their studies and so well-behaved. And they’re both so good-looking. Qiuling, you’re really blessed! We’re so envious.”

“Haha, it’s nothing, really.”

Early morning, in front of their Small Shop.

Zheng Qiuling was surrounded by a few old neighbors who often dropped by for a chat, her face beaming with joy.

Lu Yueping, wearing his reading glasses, looked at Lu Yuan’s report card, happier than when he received his hospital discharge papers.

“A perfect score in foreign languages, and nearly perfect in math, physics, and chemistry. Lu Yuan is really impressive.”

This morning, the school had sent over the final report card, and the family couldn’t be happier.

Lu Yuan, however, felt no particular excitement, as he already knew his grades.

He was currently sitting in front of the old TV in the Small Shop, watching the morning news.

“Last night, a fire broke out at a paper factory in the east district of our city. Firefighters promptly arrived and extinguished the blaze, fortunately preventing any casualties. With the hot weather and dry air, we remind all citizens to be vigilant about fire and electrical safety.”

“Considering the explosion case in the south district, this is the third fire incident reported in the news over the past few days.”

Lu Yuan stared at the TV screen, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Although the incidents occurred in different locations, he felt there was some special connection between these disasters.

While he was pondering, the next news story caught his attention.

“Recently, there has been a major breakthrough in the Missing Persons case that has troubled our city for over two months. We will continue to provide updates.”

“Ring ring ring—”

The mobile phone in his pocket rang. Lu Yuan took it out and was surprised to see that the caller ID showed it was Ge Wenjun.

“Captain Ge.”

Lu Yuan answered the phone.

Ge Wenjun’s voice came through the other end.

“Lu Yuan, how have you been lately?”

Lu Yuan knew exactly what Ge Wenjun was referring to. He glanced towards his Mom and grandfather before replying.

“Yeah, I haven’t encountered it again.”

“That’s good. Don’t worry too much. In a couple of days, this matter should be completely resolved. Just remember to stay indoors as much as possible and avoid wandering into any alleys.”

“In a couple of days, it will be completely resolved.”

Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback. He instinctively looked at the news on the TV, his eyes reflecting a hint of emotion, and then nodded, “Got it, Captain Ge.”

“Oh, by the way.”

Ge Wenjun suddenly shifted the conversation, asking, “Did you say you were practicing martial arts at a place called Yuan Martial Arts Gym?”

“Yes, why?”

“No particular reason, just curious. I’ve got a meeting to attend here, so I’ll hang up now.”

“Goodbye, Captain Ge.”

“Beep… beep…”

Footnote:

1. Lao Liu(老六): In Chinese internet slang, “老六” is used to describe someone who is particularly cunning, strategic, or clever, often in a way that is somewhat sneaky or underhanded. It is similar to calling someone a “trickster” or a “sly fox” in English. This term is often used in the context of competitive games or situations where strategic thinking is crucial.