Chapter 168 Climbing Beyond the Limit

He had wanted to go grab a late-night snack with Jiang Zhe at one of their old haunts, but when they got there, they found the place had already gone out of business.

The pandemic had hit the restaurant industry hard over the past few years, making it fiercely competitive. The smaller, more honest eateries just couldn’t survive.

They had to find another place, settling on a Northwestern-style restaurant. They ordered roasted naan, lamb skewers, grilled lamb liver, and "jar meat," along with a pot of eight-treasure tea.

He figured it was because he had overdone it with his training during the day. He also noticed that after [Adding Points], his body’s functions consumed energy more rapidly. The enhanced blood circulation and metabolism from [Adding Points] were clearly accelerating the depletion of nutrients in his body.

So, for this late-night meal, Chen Jue ate with complete abandon, polishing off enough food for two or three people. It truly stunned Jiang Zhe.

"Old Si, are you sure it’s okay for you to eat this much?" Jiang Zhe asked, curious.

He’d noticed that Chen Jue’s recent changes were pretty dramatic. Not only had he successfully lost weight, but his entire image and demeanor had improved by leaps and bounds.

If they didn’t see each other so often, the transformation would have been even more jarring. Jiang Zhe might have even thought Chen Jue had gone to South Korea for plastic surgery!

"It’s fine! If I’m hungry, I eat. I’m working out every day now, so my appetite is a lot bigger than before," Chen Jue said, stuffing a lamb skewer into his mouth.

Unlike professional athletes who had to control their weight and diet, he was free from such restrictions and pressures. So, whenever he came across good food, he didn’t hold back.

With his current daily metabolism and exercise level, he could eat four or five bowls of rice by himself and digest it all, without worrying in the slightest about gaining weight.

This gave Chen Jue an idea. ’When I have free time in the future, I should travel more and try all the delicious food the world has to offer.’

’After all, I have money in my pocket, a stable side income, and a healthy body. It would be a real shame not to go out and live a little, a disservice to this panel I accidentally awakened.’

...

By the time he finished his snack and took a taxi back to his apartment, it was already 11 PM.

He rarely stayed up this late, and with the [Mild Fatigue] debuff still active on his panel, a wave of drowsiness washed over him the moment he entered his room. He stripped off his clothes and fell straight into bed.

As winter set in, the nights in Hang City grew colder. Snuggling under the covers was definitely the most comfortable thing for any transplant living in the city.

Perhaps it was the thorough workout, the satisfying meal, and his renewed hope for the future, but Chen Jue slept especially soundly that night.

He didn’t dream; it was as if he’d been unconscious.

When he woke up at 6 AM the next day, Chen Jue realized he had only slept for one hour less than usual, but he felt exceptionally refreshed. Even the [Mild Fatigue] on his panel had disappeared.

The drop in his [Constitution] Attribute, caused by the minor damage to his eardrums, had also been cleared.

He hurriedly opened the notification log and, sure enough, saw a historical prompt for [Deep Sleep] that had been triggered in the middle of the night:

——————

[Ding!]

[You have completed a perfect Deep Sleep. Your metabolic function has been enhanced, your physical fatigue has been greatly relieved, and some damaged organs and tissues have undergone self-healing repairs.]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

"Awesome!"

Chen Jue grinned. There was nothing more satisfying than gaining Attributes just by sleeping.

However, opportunities for [Deep Sleep] were rare and couldn’t be forced. Since acquiring the panel, the number of times he had triggered it through normal sleep could be counted on one hand.

If he could figure out a way to activate [Deep Sleep] at will, Chen Jue would be willing to sleep until the end of time!

...

Seeing the sun had already risen, Chen Jue quickly got up, washed his face, and went upstairs to practice his eye and Ear Health Exercises.

He had damaged his eardrums while diving yesterday, which made Chen Jue take the health of his ears even more seriously.

He began to fantasize. ’If I practice the [Ear Health Exercises] more, could I make my ears move even better? Could I one day control them with my mind, making them fold and retract like a car’s side mirrors to close on their own and physically block my ear canals?’

’If that happened, I wouldn’t even need to wear earplugs when I go Swimming anymore. I’d have a built-in, all-natural pair with no side effects.’

Of course, Chen Jue’s idea wasn’t entirely far-fetched. Many animals in Nature have a similar ability to close their ears.

For example, the Capybara, a mammal found in South America, evades predators like the Jaguar by swimming and diving. Their ears evolved the ability to close as a result of this lifestyle.

’If I could really move my ears to that extent, it would probably count as a superpower!’ Chen Jue thought to himself.

After spending 45 minutes on the roof practicing his eye and ear health exercises, Chen Jue drove to the Morning Exercise Park again.

His relationship with Teacher Wu was growing closer by the day, and Chen Jue felt an itch in his heart if he went even a single day without seeing her.

This was a normal symptom for a man falling in love. Even with a powerful Attribute panel, Chen Jue couldn’t resist this spontaneous emotional impulse.

However, as Chen Jue hummed a tune, driving in high spirits toward the parking lot outside the park, he saw a large crowd gathered outside a residential complex across the street.

Chen Jue’s eyes, having just been exercised, were exceptionally sharp and clear at the moment. He spotted Wu Fang and Elder Wu squeezed into the crowd at a single glance.

Everyone was looking up, their voices a constant buzz of heated discussion.

Seeing this, Chen Jue quickly pulled over and parked. He got out of the car and followed the crowd’s gaze upward—and what he saw left him completely dumbfounded.

On the exterior of a high-rise residential building in the complex facing the road, a child was standing, seemingly suspended in mid-air, on the building’s facade.