Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 8: Adding Points
It was late August, the dog days of summer, and the heat had yet to break. Two major events had recently occurred in Luan River County, shaking the entire region.
The first was that the Luan River Water Association, dormant for many years, had revived its River God sacrificial rites with the backing of the major merchant guilds at the docks.
The ceremony was personally presided over by Fu Guoping, the director of the Luan River County Civil Affairs Bureau. In an unprecedented move, the festival was scheduled to last a full month, making it grander in scale than anything seen in the past decade.
The second was a string of vicious kidnappings within Luan River County, with all the victims being the sons and daughters of wealthy merchants and prominent families.
The perpetrators were meticulous, leaving no trace. Although the Luan River County Government ordered a full-scale, coordinated investigation, the cases remained unsolved, casting a pall of fear over the entire city.
These two events, one a cause for celebration and the other for concern, dominated the front page of the *Luan River County News*. They quickly became the talk of the town, discussed on every street corner during the final sweltering days of summer.
「Meanwhile, in the Fu Family residence.」
In the rear courtyard of the Fu Family residence, inside a large, empty room that had been specially cleared out.
Two figures were currently sparring on the thickly padded matted floor.
One was young and handsome, dressed in a satin training uniform. His movements were agile and his attacks fierce.
The other man appeared a bit older. He was dark-skinned and sturdily built, with a simple, rustic air about him.
As they exchanged blows, it was mostly the younger man attacking while the older one blocked. On the rare occasions the older man initiated an attack, he would always aim for non-vital areas, pulling back the instant he made contact. His strikes were completely harmless.
After a few more rounds, the younger man suddenly landed a heavy punch on the older man’s left shoulder. The older man immediately staggered back a few steps and said with a wry smile, "I surrender, Young Master."
"How boring. Utterly boring!"
Fu Juemin relaxed his fighting stance, his dissatisfaction clear. "Wang Shuisheng, if you’re going to keep treating me like a porcelain doll that will shatter at the slightest touch, not even daring to press your attacks... then don’t bother sparring with me anymore."
"Young Master, you’ve got it all wrong."
Wang Shuisheng rubbed his shoulder where he’d been hit and protested, "I might be holding back a little, but your fists are precise and tricky, Young Master. It really is true that I’m no match for you..."
"And you still dare to make excuses!"
Fu Juemin’s brow furrowed. Wang Shuisheng immediately looked sheepish and didn’t dare say another word.
Fu Juemin suddenly lost all interest and waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. You’re dismissed. Go to the accounts office and collect your five silver coins, as usual."
"Thank you, Young Master."
Wang Shuisheng seemed to realize his attempt at flattery had backfired. He accepted the payment and hastily excused himself from the training room.
Once Wang Shuisheng left, Fu Juemin was all alone. Li Tong was out on business, and Fu Juemin couldn’t be bothered to call a servant in, so he began casually striking the training post in the corner by himself.
When he had first started practicing Ming Fist, he’d found Wang Shuisheng to be the perfect partner. Now, he found him just as "infuriating."
As Fu Juemin reached the Entry Level with his Ming Fist and his skills grew, Wang Shuisheng’s "nanny-style" sparring had become an annoyance.
’When we spar, he’s always so timid, terrified of harming a single hair on my head. He deliberately goes easy on me at every turn. What’s the point of a sparring partner like that?’
Fu Juemin could understand Wang Shuisheng’s position but didn’t have a good solution. He’d tried mentioning it to Li Tong, only to receive the nonchalant reply, "You are the Fu Family’s Young Master. The Fu Family is the source of their livelihood."
’Looks like... my only option is to find a new sparring partner.’
"THUD!"
Fu Juemin landed a heavy punch on the training post, causing it to sway slightly.
Feeling somewhat frustrated, he called up his character panel—
[Fu Juemin]
[Attack—3 | Defense—2 | Life—1 | Mana—0]
[Cultivation Technique: Mixed Element Stance (Entry Level), Ming Fist (Entry Level: Attack +1)]
[Talent: ]
He had been practicing Skin Polishing for half a month—enduring Uncle Tong’s cane beatings for half a month—and the results were significant.
First, he was much stronger than before, now able to lift a forty-four-pound stone lock with one hand without much effort. And despite being called Skin Polishing, the practice trained not only the skin but also the muscle beneath.
Whenever Fu Juemin practiced Skin Polishing, he would apply a mysterious black medicinal paste to his body. As Li Tong struck him, tempering his skin, the paste’s potency would seep beneath the surface, conditioning his muscles and allowing them to grow rapidly.
These two improvements were reflected on the panel: Fu Juemin’s Attack and Defense Attributes had each increased by one point. freёweɓnovel.com
Second, his application of the Ming Fist techniques had become proficient. And although Wang Shuisheng always went easy on him, he was a Martial Artist of the Bone Forging Realm. Compared to an ordinary person, Fu Juemin felt he could already be considered a fairly skilled fighter.
’But even after all this training, both my Mixed Element Stance and Ming Fist are still at the Entry Level. I have no idea when I’ll be able to break through.’
’According to Uncle Tong, my Skin Polishing will reach Great Success in another half a month. Once it does and I enter the Bone Forging stage, my Attributes should all increase again...’
’Hm?!’
Scanning the panel, Fu Juemin suddenly noticed that the circular, yin-yang-shaped slot at the bottom was now completely empty.
He wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. ’Just this morning, I saw the left half of the slot was almost full of Blue Energy. I was even looking forward to what would happen once it filled up completely.’
’Why did it empty out for no reason?’
Forgetting everything else, Fu Juemin began to study his character panel with intense focus.
After a moment, he finally spotted the difference: on his attribute list, a small, transparent "+" symbol had appeared next to Attack, Defense, and Life.
’When the Blue Energy Slot fills up, I can exchange it for a free Attribute Point?!’
Realization dawned on Fu Juemin, and he was overjoyed.
The Blue Energy Slot represented the energy he accumulated through exercise and nourishment. Now that it could be exchanged for extra Attribute Points, didn’t this mean he could increase his strength many times faster than an ordinary person?!
’This way, I could get stronger even by just lying around and doing nothing... But of the four Basic Attributes, why can only three be upgraded? Why isn’t there a plus sign behind Mana?’
Fu Juemin was puzzled. To be honest, he’d never understood what the Mana attribute represented. Its initial value was 0, and it didn’t seem to have anything to do with Martial Arts.
He couldn’t figure it out.
So he decided not to dwell on it.
He was more interested in deciding which Basic Attribute to spend the extra Attribute Point on.
’Attack, Defense, and Life. First, I’ll rule out Defense.’
’My Defense already went up by one point from Skin Polishing because my skin’s toughness has increased, improving my overall resistance to blows.’
’But this small amount of base Defense is practically useless against a bullet. I’d still be badly injured or die from a single gunshot...’
’From the looks of it, the Life attribute is probably the hardest to raise. It hasn’t increased at all despite all my training. But the reason not to pick it is the same as with Defense...’
Fu Juemin thought it over and over. After weighing his options, he finally decided to add the point to Attack!
’In the early stages, it’s better to specialize than to spread points evenly. I’ll put it into Attack first. The best defense is a good offense, as they say!’
With that, Fu Juemin’s gaze fell on the virtual "+" next to the Attack attribute, and he pressed it decisively.
The instant the "3" behind Attack jumped to "4," the plus signs next to the other two attributes vanished.
’Just one point to spend, as I expected...’
Even though he had expected as much, Fu Juemin couldn’t help but sigh softly.
Before he could dwell on it, a searing, hot current abruptly surged from his chest, spreading through his limbs and bones in an instant...
