It was mainly divided into two levels: amateur and professional. Each level was subdivided into ranks one to nine. Rank one was the lowest, and rank nine was the highest. Different ranks required different levels of mastery of Martial Arts, strength, speed, and so on. Lu Yuan took a quick glance and found that the amateur ninth rank required achieving a standard of over 300 kilograms of Fist Strength.
In my previous life, that would be considered a top-tier professional heavyweight.
Lu Yuan was stunned. He now believed Cheng Peng's earlier words: the coaches at the Origin Martial Arts Hall were capable of sending a hundred-kilogram punching bag flying seven to eight meters with a single punch.
If amateur Martial Artists were already like this, professional Martial Artists would be even stronger.
It seems the level of Martial Arts in this world is much higher than in my previous life. The top Martial Artists might really be like 'supermen'.
Moreover, Lu Yuan also noticed something. Martial Artists certified by the Martial Arts Association received significant bonus points when applying to universities. Some renowned top institutions even had strict requirements in this regard. For instance, the Air Force University required at least a seventh-rank amateur level in Martial Arts for admission.
The Air Force University is the cradle of pilots and astronauts. Even members of the mechanized armor forces are selected from there. It's normal for them to have high physical requirements.
Due to the existence of the [Student] profession panel, Lu Yuan had indeed considered applying to a prestigious university. But his goal had merely been ordinary prestigious universities, aiming for a future as a researcher or a business elite. He had never thought of becoming a pilot, astronaut, or even a Mecha warrior. But now, his thoughts were changing slightly.
Human exploration of the universe in this world far exceeds that of my previous life, with top-tier individuals starting to engage in extraterrestrial colonization. If I have the chance, it would be nice to step off the planet and see the Starry Sky... This also means I need to adjust my attribute progression strategy.
Lu Yuan stood at the bus stop in front of the internet cafe, looking up at the pale-blue sky and thinking to himself.
「By the time Lu Yuan arrived home, it was already 11:20 AM.」
His mom, Zheng Qiuling, was still sitting in the store watching television. When she saw Lu Yuan return, her face immediately lit up with a smile, and she called him over.
"How was the class?"
"It was good, very good," he replied.
"As long as it's good. You really need to practice diligently. Your dad spent a lot of money for you to attend this class." Zheng Qiuling added seriously, "But your studies should still be your priority."
"I know, Mom." Lu Yuan nodded, then asked, "Where's Dad?"
"He went to the hospital to accompany your grandpa. He already made lunch for you. You should go upstairs and eat."
"I'll bring it down, and we can eat together."
Lu Yuan quickly climbed the stairs, took the sweat-soaked Martial Arts uniform from his backpack, and tossed it into the washing machine. Then, in a couple of trips, he brought all the prepared food from the upstairs table down to the first floor. They ate together at a small, half-human-height table.
As the saying goes, opening a store is easy, but keeping it running is hard. His mother practically maintained their small grain and oil store all by herself, which was undoubtedly tough work. Don't think that sitting in the store all day watching TV is leisurely. Being stuck there, unable to leave, for over ten hours a day, 365 days a year—could you do that?
The lunch was similar to yesterday's: braised pork had been replaced with braised fish, and the winter melon pork rib soup with corn pork rib soup. Lu Yuan ate with great appetite. The morning's physical exertion had left him ravenous; he ate three full bowls of rice before stopping. Normally, he ate two bowls at most, and the second bowl wouldn't even be filled to the brim. Today, all three bowls were packed full.
While eating, Lu Yuan checked his attribute panel; it was still the same as before. Expecting a significant improvement in his constitution after just one day of training was unrealistic. Once training became routine, he would probably see an increase in his strength, constitution, and other attributes.
"Looks like enrolling in that hobby class was a good idea; your appetite is great today!" Zheng Qiuling watched Lu Yuan eat with a smile. "Eating a lot is good. Eating a lot helps you grow taller and stronger. You're only in your second year of high school; you should still grow more next year. It would be great if you could reach 1.8 meters." Once he finished, she stopped him from moving and got up to clear the dishes herself.
Lu Yuan didn't argue. He knew his mother had been sitting all morning and would appreciate the chance to get up and move around.
"The white box is twenty, the red one is thirty-five. Which one do you want?"
"The white one, please. And I'll take a lighter too."
"The lighter is one yuan."
Lu Yuan skillfully served a customer buying cigarettes. His mother still hadn't returned, so he picked up the remote control from the counter and changed the TV channel. He massaged his sore, aching, and swollen arm while idly watching television to pass the time.
He switched to their local Burnt Rock City channel, which was currently broadcasting the midday news.
"...A few days ago, the old district renovation plan entered its second phase. The city's Housing and Urban-Rural Development Committee issued an important notice..."
"...On the afternoon of June 6th, our city's newly constructed sports center stadium was officially put into operation. It is understood that more than ten sports competitions and large-scale events are planned to be held here in the second half of this year..."
"HISS—"
Lu Yuan accidentally pressed a torn muscle on his arm, causing him to sharply inhale from the pain.
Just then, another news item was reported on television.
"...Recently, multiple missing persons cases have occurred in our city's West District. The Municipal Public Security Bureau is taking this matter very seriously and has established a special task force to handle these cases..."
Lu Yuan was slightly startled when he saw this news report.
The West District? Isn't that where his family lives? Missing persons cases... how come he hadn't heard about them? For it to attract such high-level attention from the Municipal Bureau and lead to the formation of a special task force, it's probably not an ordinary missing persons case. Are many people missing? Or is murder involved?
Lu Yuan mulled it over.
Just then, Zheng Qiuling came in through the back door and shooed him upstairs.
"It's hot down here. Go upstairs. Take a nap, and remember to study afterwards. You have school tomorrow."
"I know, Mom."
Lu Yuan nodded, stood up, and took two steps forward. He suddenly stopped, turned back, and asked Zheng Qiuling seriously, "Mom, has the family been unable to collect a large sum of money recently?"
Zheng Qiuling paused, her expression immediately dimming. "Yes, a long-time client of over ten years ordered a large batch of goods and then suddenly disappeared without settling the payment. Your father has been worried sick about this lately..." Then, her expression suddenly hardened, and she urged him, "Go on, go on, hurry upstairs. Why is a child like you asking so many questions? It's not your place to worry about these things..."
Lu Yuan pursed his lips but said nothing, then turned and went upstairs.
「After lunch, he was home alone again.」
Lu Yuan first took the washed Martial Arts uniform from the washing machine and hung it to dry on the balcony. Then, he went into his bedroom, turned on the air conditioner, and lay down on his bed. He didn't want to move at all now; his arm felt less and less like his own. That was the nature of Absolute Focus: once completely engrossed in something, one would forget the passage of time, unaware that their body was being overexerted. This was a typical case of overtraining.
Let's see the results of this morning's training.
Lu Yuan focused his attention and opened the attribute panel before his eyes. He now had one more profession, and thus two profession panels. He could switch freely between [Student] and [Fighter].
The [Fighter] panel currently displayed—
[Fighter Lv. 1 (13/100)]
[Basic Professional Skills: Initial Body Forging Lv. 1 (22/100)
Basic Fist Skill Lv. 1 (53/100)]
Intensive training did have its advantages. In just one morning, the Experience Points for the Basic Fist Skill Lu Yuan had just comprehended were already more than halfway full. It wouldn't take long to reach Lv. 2.