The key to a successful day lies in the morning.

After finishing his eye exercises on the rooftop of the talent apartment, Chen Jue felt a clarity akin to the freshness that follows a rainstorm in the empty mountains.

Not only did his vision grow noticeably sharper, but even his mind seemed to relax and become more agile.

“No wonder the old saying goes, ‘The morning is the key to the day.’”

“Ever since I started getting up early, my mind really isn’t as sluggish as it used to be.”

“And now, after working my eyes, all the stress from daily life seems gone. This must be what people mean by ‘clear eyes, pure heart!’” Chen Jue smiled faintly at the newborn sun.

Though he was nearly thirty, and by the joking standards of internet comedians already sliding into middle age, his life had undergone a transformation since awakening his attribute panel, changing his habits and chaotic routines. Now, he felt as vibrant and brimming with energy as the sun rising over the city’s edge.

...

Whistling and humming a tune he didn’t even know the origin of, Chen Jue headed straight down to the park.

Although the Eye Care Exercises, combined with red light therapy, were incredibly effective—half an hour a day was enough to improve his vision and boost his constitution—he could only do them for that half hour each morning. Any more, and he’d risk damaging the blood vessels and muscles around his eyes.

That was when it was time to shift focus from his eyes to his body. The Twelve Forms of Tai Chi only needed another three hundred proficiency points before they would level up again, and Chen Jue planned to use his morning exercise time to push its progress forward.

But as soon as he reached the park entrance, he was surprised.

There was no sign of Wu Fang or her grandfather by the chess tables, where they usually practiced their rope dart routines every morning—something Chen Jue had confirmed before. Today was Saturday, with no high school classes, so their absence must have been caused by something unexpected.

“Could it be another TV interview?” Chen Jue wondered.

As he pondered, he spotted a group of slick-haired young men circling the chess tables, obviously searching for something.

“No one’s here!”

“But isn’t it online that Ms. Wu usually trains here every morning?”

“Did some jerk post a fake address just to throw us off?” The young men gathered together and discussed loudly enough for Chen Jue to hear from afar.

“What the hell!”

“Are people actually chasing celebrities offline now?”

“Is Wu Fang really this popular?” Chen Jue was momentarily stunned.

So these young men were all his potential online love rivals, hoping to meet Wu Fang in real life at the park!

“Some people really have too much time on their hands.”

“Don’t they worry someone will call the police and report them for harassment?” Chen Jue muttered softly, striding into the depths of the park as if no one else existed.

With these fanboys lurking about, there was little chance Wu Fang would come for morning practice. She’d probably wait until the commotion died down.

As for the message Chen Jue had sent her last night, she hadn’t replied yet. He guessed she’d simply turned off her phone for the weekend to avoid this kind of outside disturbance.

“Once she’s back at work on Monday, she’ll probably reply,” Chen Jue thought to himself. Since he’d already established a budding friendship with Wu Fang, he wasn’t worried about a delay of a day or two.

...

By the lakeside where he’d practiced the night before, Chen Jue began slowly working through his Tai Chi forms.

From half past six to a little after nine, nearly two and a half hours passed. His stomach was growling with hunger and acid when his panel finally responded.

——————

[Ding~]

[Through your tireless effort, your skill proficiency has reached 100%]

[Twelve Forms of Tai Chi Lv3 → Twelve Forms of Tai Chi (Mastery)]

[This simplified health practice is now thoroughly mastered by you; the twelve movements hold no technical secrets anymore, and you could perform them backwards with ease.]

[Friendly reminder: This practice may still conceal secrets you haven’t imagined; if you complete it, perhaps new discoveries await.]

——————

As the skill leveled up, Chen Jue felt an indescribable warmth surge through his body.

Upon trying the Twelve Forms again, it felt as if he’d been practicing since the womb: every move came as naturally as breathing.

Though the movements were still gentle—nothing like the martial arts novels where a single punch could shatter a skull—when Chen Jue performed them, he seemed wrapped in an ethereal aura.

Light and graceful, his motions were elegant and beautiful, full of artistry!

If he entered a martial arts routine competition, he’d surely come home with a medal!

“Another skill at mastery!”

“But this friendly reminder... Is it urging me to delve deeper into Tai Chi?” Chen Jue’s face lit up, but then he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Tai Chi, a gem of Chinese martial and health traditions, had spawned countless branches and schools. Chen Jue had started by imitating the elderly in the Changhe neighborhood, only to discover online that what he’d learned was the twelve-form simplified version promoted by the sports bureau.

Besides this basic set, the bureau had also released twenty-four, thirty-six, and forty-eight-form versions.

As for unofficial styles—Chen, Yang, Wudang, Chan, Large Frame, Small Frame, Old Frame—they were too numerous to master.

Chen Jue didn’t know which was the true source of Tai Chi, so he could only experiment, hoping to unlock new skills via his attribute panel.

After all, this health practice had a natural advantage in boosting attributes.

After two and a half hours, his Constitution stat had risen by another small point.

But what pleased him most was that his free attribute points had finally accumulated to 0.10!

Opening his panel, he dragged the “Skipping Stones” and “Darts” skill tiles together, and the “Merge Skills” option popped up once again.

This time, Chen Jue didn’t hesitate and hit confirm.

——————

[Ding~]

——————

[Skill merge successful. Experience progress of both skills has combined.]

[Skill Reshaped: Hidden Weapon Throwing Lv5 (1/20000)]

[Description: This is a master-level throwing technique incorporating many variations, typically used in assassination, competition, or self-defense.]

[Under the stimulation of the new skill, your mastery of all kinds of hidden weapon throws has improved. The flexibility, resilience, and strength of your hands have increased dramatically. Whatever kind of hidden weapon or thrown object you pick up, you can now use with dazzling skill.]

——————

As the new skill appeared and the 0.10 free attribute point was consumed, an unfamiliar muscle memory spread through Chen Jue’s arms.

His fingers, wrists, arms, and shoulder joints all grew warm and tingled, with a slight numbness.

His pores opened wide, veins bulged, and the blood vessels under his skin swelled as blood raced through them, radiating heat.

When this strange phenomenon subsided, Chen Jue found his hands had become exceptionally white and supple.

With a gentle bend, all ten fingers could arch backward a full 180 degrees!

“Are these really my hands?”

Even Chen Jue was stunned!

With such flexibility and dexterity, he could play piano or video games and be a master in no time.

He picked up a small stone, aimed at a yellowed leaf twenty meters away on a tree, and flicked it with his “Hidden Weapon Throwing” skill.

With a whoosh, the stone spun rapidly in midair, traced a peculiar parabolic arc, and struck its target.

The leaf was split in two, with half still clinging to the branch!

At the same time, the proficiency for “Hidden Weapon Technique” on his panel ticked up by one, with a note of approval.

“!!!”

“I can hit a target at this distance so easily?”

“I can truly hit whatever I aim for!”

Excited, Chen Jue tried several more throws, switching between left and right hands.

There was no lag, no unfamiliarity—each throw hit its mark, leaving the tree’s leaves with jagged, half-shredded edges.

However, after a round of testing, he found that with his current hand strength and eyesight, he could only hit small objects up to about twenty meters away. Beyond that, not only did his hands lack the power, but his eyes also struggled to see clearly.

Still, for Chen Jue, this level of accuracy at such distance was already extraordinary.

A casual toss could almost span the length of two city buses!

In ancient times, he’d surely be considered a hidden weapons master!