Chapter 149 - 107: Drawing the Bow to Train Strength

After chatting with Wubei Ahjie for a bit, while the other man was still in shock, Chen Jue snapped a photo of himself flexing one arm while squeezing a 120kg grip strengthener and sent it over.

The muscles of his entire arm bulged, making it a fair bit thicker than an average person’s. The muscle fibers were as clearly defined as strands of steel wire, and he possessed a grip strength comparable to three adult men (an average untrained man has a grip of about 40kg).

Seeing this, Wubei Ahjie finally understood how Chen Jue could string a 120-pound Hard Bow by himself.

’Incredible! I’ve really met a master this time!’ Wubei Ahjie marveled internally. He gave Chen Jue some pointers on daily bow and arrow maintenance and sent him a link for online self-registration before ending the chat.

Since the bow Chen Jue bought was a high-poundage Hard Bow that came with sharpened arrows, it was even more lethal than Darts, so registration was a must.

Fortunately, with the modern internet, the recreational sport of Archery is slowly becoming more popular, so online self-registration was very convenient.

He clicked the link, filled out his information, and completed the facial recognition scan. The whole process only took a few minutes.

...

After putting the strung Qilin Bow back in its Bow Box, Chen Jue took out the medicines he had just bought to examine them.

He studied their ingredients, medicinal properties, and side effects one by one before planning the order and dosage based on his own condition.

The topical ointments weren’t a concern. He just had to apply them to his hands as instructed. Whether they worked or not would depend on the feedback from his panel.

However, the oral supplements—vitamins, calcium tablets, and potions for nourishing blood and essence—were a different story. Even as supplements, exceeding the daily dosage could affect the metabolic function of the liver and kidneys.

The reason that "Brother Blood Exchange" from Silicon Valley dared to take over 110 different supplements daily was because he had a professional medical team guiding him and strictly controlling his daily intake.

If an ordinary person were to mindlessly copy Brother Blood Exchange and just ingest a random cocktail of supplements, they would likely end up with uremia, liver damage, or kidney failure within a month.

The old saying "all medicine has its poison" was no joke!

’I’m still focused on external training, and the metabolic function of my Inner Organs hasn’t caught up yet. I’ll reduce the daily dose by a third and play it safe for now.’ Chen Jue thought for a moment and changed his three-times-a-day regimen to just once in the morning.

The body’s metabolism is most active in the morning, when it’s at its daily peak. Chen Jue was confident he could fully metabolize and absorb all ten supplements if he took them then.

As for the topical ointments and Tongluo Wine, that was even simpler.

Chen Jue set a schedule for himself: apply a new type of topical ointment every half hour, starting by experimenting on his hands.

To be able to lift that big gold brick sooner, his current training was focused on the Strength of his hands and upper limbs.

With ten types of topical ointment, one applied every half hour, the whole routine would take five hours, making it perfect for the evening when he was resting in his room.

...

With a little time left before bed, Chen Jue first applied the Tongluo Medicine Wine to both arms. Once the hot, refreshing sensation faded, he applied the Bone-Penetrating Ointment and went straight to sleep.

He’d been doing nothing but exercise-related activities all day, so getting enough sleep was a must.

When he woke up the next day, sure enough, a new notification had appeared on his panel:

——————

[Ding~]

[Deep repair of the hand region complete. The muscle fascia, ligaments, and bones in your hands have self-healed under the stimulation of the medicine.]

[Fascia, ligament, and bone strength have slightly increased. Lactic acid accumulated within the muscles has been fully metabolized.]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

"It really works!" Chen Jue’s mood lifted as he read the panel notification. His haphazard self-experimentation had unexpectedly produced significant results in just one night.

He tore the medicinal patches off his hands. After a full night, their effects had been completely absorbed.

After washing up in the bathroom, he swallowed the ten supplements he’d laid out the night before, one by one, then drank 500ml of warm water to help them go down.

A glass of warm water in the morning replenishes moisture lost overnight and aids with morning urination and bowel movements, which is very effective for detoxifying the body.

During his training period, Chen Jue had gotten into the habit of drinking a large pot of warm water every morning. It only took a few minutes for a strong urge to hit, and he’d be in and out of the toilet in two minutes, feeling completely relieved.

Carrying the Bow Box, he went upstairs, intending to do his daily morning exercises facing the rising sun, but was greeted by a rare, beautiful sunrise.

The city skyline was bathed in a purplish-red glow. Clouds like fish scales rippled across the sky in a gradient of color, creating a scene that truly felt like the auspicious Purple Qi from the East.

"Beautiful!"

’If I still slept in on the weekends, I’d never get to see this kind of urban beauty.’ Chen Jue couldn’t help but marvel, taking out his phone to snap a few pictures.

In all his years in Hang City, he’d only seen a sunrise like this a handful of times.

Back when he was a corporate drone, he’d always stay up until two or three in the morning on Fridays. On weekends, he wouldn’t drag himself out of bed until noon or even the afternoon. With such a messed-up sleep schedule, the early morning was a foreign concept.

After admiring the "Purple Qi from the East" for a few more moments, Chen Jue faced the rising sun and began his eye and ear massages. His vision and hearing were steadily improving, so he couldn’t afford to stop.

To give himself a goal, Chen Jue deliberately focused his gaze in the direction of the Jiang University track and field during his morning exercises.

Even though it was two kilometers away, he could faintly make out the bright red flag fluttering over the field.

But having only recently ditched his glasses for nearsightedness, he still couldn’t quite make out the stars on the flag. He’d have to keep working at it.

As for his hearing, with the Skill Level prompts from [Ear Health Exercises] to guide him, Chen Jue wasn’t too worried.

As long as the Skill Level notifications were popping up with +4 and +5, it meant his ear massages were on point.

After spending nearly an hour on his eye and ear exercises, it was time for ninety minutes of Horse Stance Training.

Since his Attribute gains had been too slow lately, Chen Jue had specifically brought the Bow Box upstairs with him.

He took out the 120-pound black Qilin Bow, sank into a Horse Stance, and drew the string with both hands. He felt the strain from the taut bowstring the moment he began to pull.

He tried a few times but couldn’t manage a full draw. Finally, using his [Outer Force] technique, he managed to pull the bow into a full moon shape before slowly releasing the tension and returning the string to its normal state.

"Hooo..."

’Just one pull is this exhausting!’

Chen Jue shook his somewhat stiff arms. This hard bow was clearly tougher than he’d expected for his 11 points of Strength.

Moreover, he was practicing by drawing the bow without an arrow. You can’t just violently pull and release when dry-firing—it’s easy for the string to snap back on you, and it also damages the bow’s limbs. Therefore, he had to maintain control throughout the entire motion.

A fast draw and a slow release. This feeling of controlled Force Transfer forced Chen Jue to concentrate, and even his breathing rhythm began to adjust.

To his surprise, this exercise of drawing a Hard Bow was extremely compatible with the [Horse Stance].

As he stood on the rooftop facing the sun and drew the bow a few times, the Skill Level for his [Horse Stance] began to skyrocket by +5 with each rep.

On top of that, his [Archery] Skill Level also increased, though since he wasn’t nocking and shooting a real arrow, he only got a +1 feedback for each draw.

And after fifteen minutes of drawing the Hard Bow, a new notification popped up on his panel:

——————

[Ding~]

[Skill Level has reached 100%. Skill Level has increased.]

[Horse Stance Lv4→Lv5]

[Your understanding of the Horse Stance has deepened. The muscle groups in your legs and lower back have been fully exercised, and the nerves around your Tailbone have been thoroughly stimulated. Your control over your lower limbs has risen, and your balance while in motion has greatly increased.]

[Strength Attribute +0.01]

[Spirit Attribute +0.01]

——————

[Ding~]

[You have completed one training session that surpassed your limits of endurance and explosive power. Your upper limbs were efficiently trained while continuously outputting Strength, and the muscle contractility in that region has been greatly enhanced.]

[You have mastered a special athletic breathing rhythm. Your Cardiovascular Ability has slightly improved.]

[Strength Attribute +0.01]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

[Free Attribute +0.01]

——————

*Pant, pant...*

"Awesome! Another critical hit!"

Looking at the consecutive notifications on the panel, Chen Jue’s arms felt like jelly as he placed the Qilin Bow back in its Bow Box.

This exercise was ten times more exhausting than Street Fitness. The 120-pound recoil after a full draw had already left bruises on Chen Jue’s hands.

He figured that in a few days, he would develop distinct archer’s calluses on his drawing fingers.

Ancient warriors wore a thumb Ring when practicing archery, often made of bone or jade, to effectively protect their fingers from the friction of the bowstring.

But Chen Jue was pursuing the physique of the [Strongest Human]. He wanted that raw, intense stimulation, so he decided not to wear any finger protection.

He wanted to see just how far he could push his hands with the help of the panel’s [Skills].

Besides, after so many years as a corporate drone, his right index finger already had a thin callus from using a mouse. He could live with adding a layer of archer’s calluses.

...

After working up a sweat with his bow training, Chen Jue went out for breakfast. He waited until the lingering heat from his workout had dissipated before heading back to his room for a hot shower.

Huaxia People don’t typically have the habit of showering in the morning. At most, they might wash their hair to look presentable. Most people bathe in the evening or at night.

But Westerners are different; they often shower before heading out to work, supposedly to feel refreshed and maintain their efficiency throughout the day.

Chen Jue wasn’t working anymore, but he wanted to maintain his energy levels for his daily activities. Only with ample energy could he devote himself more effectively to his training.

While enjoying the hot shower, Chen Jue allocated the new Free Attribute point he had just earned to [Constitution].

As several magical warm currents coursed through him, combined with the stimulation of the hot water, the fatigue and muscle soreness from his morning workout vanished completely.

After his shower, he changed into clean workout clothes. Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification.

Seeing it was from Zheng Yuan, Chen Jue did a little packing. He put the Face Armor and several sets of Darts, Flying Needles, and Nails into a small bag and started walking towards the Jiang University campus.

He hadn’t forgotten that he was supposed to help with a test for Zheng Yuan’s bizarre project on Saturday.

But as soon as he arrived at the designated practical training ground for the test, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up.

Because there, in his line of sight, was the figure of Teacher Wu, whom he hadn’t seen in nearly a week.

She was wearing a snow-white, fluffy coat that reached her knees, paired with loose-fitting casual jeans and black leather boots. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a red silk ribbon, and her face was rosy and full of life. Even standing among a group of twenty-year-old college students, she radiated a youthful beauty.

’Oh no! It’s that heart-fluttering feeling!’

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. After just a few days apart, Chen Jue felt that Teacher Wu had become even more beautiful.