Lu Yuan chuckled silently. He withdrew his gaze and took out his phone from his pocket. It was now a little past nine in the evening. He checked the surveillance footage; there were no irregularities, and everything seemed normal. He looked down at the street and a few alleys below, then sighed in relief.
Turning back, he didn’t rush downstairs. Instead, he walked to the entrance of the rooftop staircase, picked up a few books from the ground, and began to browse through them. He naturally entered the state of [Absolute Focus]. While reading, his lips moved silently, as if he was saying something. About half an hour passed.
Lu Yuan fiercely swatted a mosquito with distinctively patterned legs that had been sucking his blood until its belly was round. He slowly closed the book and exited the state of [Absolute Focus].
That should be enough now, he thought, casually opening his profession panel.
[You focused on professional studies for ten minutes, Profession Experience +5]
[Your Ancient Xis Language skill has increased, Experience Points +3]
[Congratulations, your [Ancient Language Expert] profession level has increased!]
[Profession: Ancient Language Expert Lv.3 (8/400)]
Basic Professional Skills:
Ancient Dudor Language Lv.3 (218/400)
Ancient Xis Language Lv.2 (88/200)
Ancient Dolan Language Lv.2 (13/200)
[Attribute Points: 2]
With his efforts over the past few days, he was already close to leveling up his [Ancient Language Expert] profession. Now, it had successfully reached Lv.3. He gained another attribute point and a skill point.
Constitution and Agility can both be improved through [Crane-shaped Pile], but Strength... Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, looking at the two attribute points. Should I add more to Strength?
He estimated his current Fist Strength to be over four hundred kilograms, nearly a thousand pounds in terms of his previous life. If he were to add 1 point to Strength, calculated at an almost 1.5x multiplier, his Fist Strength would reach over six hundred kilograms. I’ll definitely become a muscular brute, and it’ll be even more exaggerated than last time! Lu Yuan looked down at his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles, his lean physique... He decisively shook his head. Better not. He didn’t want to so quickly disrupt the balanced and harmonious state he had worked hard to achieve.
So, he allocated the other point to Intelligence. His original Intelligence of 12 became 13.
At that moment, Lu Yuan was struck by a stabbing pain, much more severe than before. It was as if an arrow had, PAK, been shot into his head, the arrowhead burying itself deep into his brain. Follow current novels on novel★fire.net
Lu Yuan’s body tensed, his hands clenched into fists. Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and body. After enduring the intense pain for several minutes, it finally receded like a tide.
Lu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief, feeling utterly drained. He leaned against the wall, slumping half-sitting on the ground. He felt that his various cognitive abilities had improved again, though he didn’t bother to test exactly how much.
Intelligence was a peculiar attribute. It was undoubtedly important. Yet, among the four basic attributes, investing points in Intelligence truly offered the least noticeable improvement to his overall combat power. Lu Yuan was now using Intelligence as an "accelerator." Paired with [Absolute Focus], his learning efficiency was now worlds apart from when he first started.
If I were to retake the final exams now, except for essay-type questions, I’d consider it a failure if I didn’t get a perfect score! Lu Yuan thought.
The results of the final exams would be announced in a couple of days. However, rumors were already circulating in his class. Someone had mentioned him in the class group chat, saying he had achieved first place in their year this time. A dull and uninteresting first place.
After the Rat Man incident, Lu Yuan’s mindset and goals had slowly begun to change. He didn’t view studying with the same importance as before. Since this world contained the Extraordinary, there were many paths to choose from besides just studying, attending military school, and eventually piloting planes, rockets, or Mecha. Weren’t there?
As Lu Yuan pondered this, he attempted to stand. Suddenly, he froze, feeling as if he had discovered something. Wait!
He closed his eyes, then waved a hand in front of his face. A few seconds later, when he opened his eyes, they were filled with utter disbelief. How can I... see with my eyes closed?
Hastily, Lu Yuan picked up the book beside him, laid it flat on his lap, and opened it. He closed his eyes. Then opened them. Closed them again... After repeating this several times, he was finally, absolutely sure—after his Intelligence increased to 13 points, he had indeed unlocked an incredible new ability! A superpower?
I can ’see’ everything around me even with my eyes closed. To be more precise, it’s not ’seeing,’ but perceiving! Mental perception... In some ways, it was even better than sight. With his eyes open, Lu Yuan could only see what was directly in front of him. But with his eyes closed, he perceived a full 720-degree panoramic display of his surroundings.
It was blurry, like looking through glasses for someone with severe nearsightedness—hundreds of degrees off. The perceivable range wasn’t very far either, only about a two-meter diameter. But it was marvelous enough! Lu Yuan felt as if a switch had been flipped in his mind, somewhat similar to when [Flash of Insight] triggered. Although not as overwhelming as when [Flash of Insight] triggered, this perception was constant, a permanent state. My perception of the external world has become much sharper. Moreover, it seems this mental vision can penetrate obstacles.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes again and could barely make out his own palms beneath the book. Continuing to try, he found he could even see through his shoes and socks to his toes inside.
This discovery thrilled Lu Yuan. Instantly, an idea struck him. He began to focus on the open book in front of him and tried... to turn the page with his mind! For a psychic power, this should be the most basic, right? Anticipation filled Lu Yuan’s mind.
Unfortunately, even after several minutes of intense concentration, to the point his eyes ached, the pages of the book remained unmoved. It seems the switch for this intelligence-based psychic ability isn’t fully open yet. I need to keep improving it... Lu Yuan felt a bit regretful.
Still, his heart pounded wildly, excitement flooding his chest. Because no matter what, he had touched the threshold of extraordinary power. This ability—"720-degree holographic vision with eyes closed"—was far more representative of extraordinary power than merely smashing concrete with his fists.
The human body is truly a vast treasure trove. Martial Arts are the key to unlocking this trove... No, Martial Arts aren’t the key; the profession panel is, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but muse, then quickly corrected himself.
He stood up from the ground joyfully, tidied up the mess scattered across the rooftop, and prepared to go downstairs. As he bent to pick up an empty plastic bottle, he suddenly remembered something. Right, I still have 1 skill point left!
Lu Yuan instantly dropped the empty plastic bottle and eagerly refocused his attention on his profession panel. Once [Imaginary Enemy] reached Lv.3, like [Absolute Focus], it was maxed out. The second Core Skill for [Fighter] had long been revealed. The grayed-out skill icon pulsed rhythmically, just waiting for Lu Yuan to spend a skill point to activate it. He had been looking forward to this moment for so long, but he had forgotten about it amidst the excitement of his new breakthrough with Intelligence.
Unlock, Lu Yuan thought, taking a deep breath as he spent the skill point.
Instantly, a brand-new Core Skill materialized before his eyes.