Chapter 8 – Addiction

Lu Yuan mentally reviewed the morning’s training.

He felt that he had already mastered the dozen or so basic boxing techniques taught by Lin Zhiqin. He remembered them clearly and could execute each move.

However, there were surely deviations in the precision of his movements.

“If I can learn all the basic leg techniques and basic footwork, which are professional basic skills, and upgrade them all to Level 3, I might be able to unlock a professional core skill!”

The professional core skill [Absolute Concentration] for the [Student] profession was unlocked after Lu Yuan raised the level of all eight core subjects to Level 3.

After unlocking the skill [Absolute Concentration], Lu Yuan truly began to stand out from ordinary students.

His learning efficiency underwent a qualitative transformation, and he felt a sense of rapid progress in his studies.

Therefore, Lu Yuan was very eager to see what surprises the core skill of the [Martial Artist] profession would bring him.

“The martial arts class is held twice a week on weekends. To learn the basic leg techniques and basic footwork, I’ll have to wait another week. But I can ask Cheng Peng to teach me first.”

Lu Yuan had already mentally designated Cheng Peng as his go-to tool.

After the intense morning exercise and a hearty lunch, Lu Yuan lay on his bed and soon began to feel drowsy.

He didn’t know how long he had slept when a series of phone notifications woke him up.

Originally still groggy, as he reached for his phone, the soreness in his arm immediately made him fully awake.

“Just endure it. By tomorrow, the torn muscles will heal, and it won’t hurt this much!”

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth and comforted himself.

With some effort, he grabbed his phone and saw a dozen message notifications.

Opening the messaging app, he saw that one of the messages was a friend request from someone.

“I’m Liu Yue, requesting to add you as a friend.”

It was the round-faced girl with glasses from the martial arts class.

Lu Yuan casually accepted the request.

Then, he checked the remaining messages and found that they were all from his elder sister, Lu Jing.

Lu Jing: “Lu Yuan! Look at the scenery of Xixu! The desert charm you’ve never experienced!”

Below were a dozen photos.

Deserts, gobi deserts, poplar trees, and a few photos of a girl wearing a hat, riding a camel, with a bright smile on her face.

The girl on the camel was naturally Lu Jing.

Lu Yuan quickly looked through the photos and typed back, “Jealous. You get to travel on public funds and still get paid.”

The message was sent, and within seconds, there was a reply.

“You have no idea how tough it is here! The ruins we’re excavating are deep in the Xixu desert. I have to live in a tent every day. I can only take a bath once a week, and I can’t even talk outside because as soon as I open my mouth, a few pounds of sand get in!”

“Haha!”

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud and sent a few laughing emojis.

Then he thought for a moment and asked, “What have you discovered this time?”

Lu Jing replied, “A large temple ruins from the Baishan era. It’s very valuable for studying the religious history of the Baishan era. It’s quite a significant discovery. Just wait, it won’t be long before you see me on the news. (Proud)”

“Yeah right, you’re just a nobody doing grunt work for the archaeological team. No matter what you dig up, it has nothing to do with you.”

“(Disdain)(Disdain)(Disdain)!”

Lu Yuan chatted with Lu Jing for a while and learned that the archaeological work she was involved in this time would take quite a long time, possibly six months to a year or more. There was no telling when she would have a chance to come back, at least not in the near future.

After ending the chat, Lu Yuan opened his computer and searched for information about the Baishan Temple.

The Baishan era dates back over three thousand years.

It was an extremely chaotic and dark era, with numerous religions.

Many sects had very evil doctrines and liked to use human sacrifices, which were extremely bloody.

Lu Yuan read a little bit and then closed the webpage.

“I wonder what kind of temple Lu Jing and her archaeological team have unearthed. If they dig up a pile of bones, with Lu Jing’s courage, she’d probably cry on the spot.”

Lu Yuan thought humorously.

As for the recent family issues, Lu Yuan didn’t mention them to Lu Jing.

He figured their parents hadn’t mentioned it to her either.

After all, she was now more than three thousand kilometers away in the depths of the desert. Even if she knew, she couldn’t do anything to help and would only worry unnecessarily. Why add to her concerns?

“Study hard and train diligently. That’s the biggest help I can give my parents right now.”

Lu Yuan thought to himself.

Putting down his phone, he sat at his desk.

Although his arms were temporarily sore, making it hard to write, he had almost finished his homework.

In the [absolute concentration] state, he read, previewed new lessons, and reviewed and consolidated his knowledge.

By the end of the afternoon, the experience points for all eight core subjects had increased, and the [Student] professional experience had also risen by several dozen points, bringing him closer to Level 4.

Around five in the afternoon, Zheng Qiuling hurriedly called Lu Yuan downstairs to help watch the store while she went into the kitchen to make dinner.

In the meantime, Lu Xinghua came back from the hospital briefly, packed some food, and rushed off again. Lu Yuan barely had a chance to speak with him.

However, there was some good news.

Grandfather’s cerebral infarction surgery was scheduled for next week.

“My arms can’t handle training right now, but my waist, abdomen, and legs are unaffected.”

After dinner, Lu Yuan laid out a mat in the living room, then lay down and began doing strength training that didn’t involve his arms.

Of course, he did this in the [absolute concentration] state.

[You have focused on professional training for ten minutes, professional experience points +1]

[Your skill basic body training has improved, experience points +2]

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

The notifications kept popping up on the professional panel.

One of the biggest advantages of the professional panel was that it could immediately convert Lu Yuan’s efforts into experience points, providing instant feedback.

This transformation of hard work into motivation allowed Lu Yuan to pursue his training with even greater enthusiasm.

Not to mention, body training itself is something that can easily become addictive.

“In my past life, I couldn’t understand why people got addicted to fitness. Now, I get it.”

“Huff—huff—”

Lu Yuan panted heavily as he finished another set of exercises, talking to himself, “This repeated process of pushing beyond my limits really gives a sense of self-accomplishment.”

Originally, Lu Yuan’s goal was to do two sets of each exercise.

But after completing two sets and still feeling like he had more in the tank, he did another two sets.

And then another two sets.

By the end, he had done eight sets of the entire routine!

It wasn’t until he had completely exhausted every bit of strength and lay sprawled out on the living room floor, too tired to even move a finger, that he finally stopped.

“Will I be so sore tomorrow that I can’t get out of bed?”

The mat beneath him was soaked with sweat. Lu Yuan stared up at the white ceiling of the living room, thinking silently.

When the professional panel information slowly appeared on the ceiling, showing a significant increase in experience points, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but smile.

“If I can’t get up, so be it.”

“The feeling of getting stronger is really awesome.”