Chapter 003: The Ship Fist with an Imposing Background

Chen Jue was a little surprised by the change in his attribute panel. He had only just practiced a few moves with the old man, yet the panel now displayed a new skill: Boat Boxing. Even his free attribute points had unknowingly increased by 0.01. This efficiency was far better than what he’d gained from exercise or doing chores before!

“Let’s try adding a point,” Chen Jue thought, assigning his newly acquired attribute point to the Boat Boxing skill. Immediately, [Boat Boxing Lv0 (3/100)] became [Boat Boxing Lv0 (13/100)]. “So, 0.01 attribute points can be converted into 10 points of skill proficiency?” he mused. After pondering for a moment, he went through another set of Boat Boxing moves. Though his movements were still stiff and a bit awkward, they were much smoother than before.

The old man who had taught him stood by, his eyes lighting up. “Young people really do learn fast. Your body is strong!” he praised.

“It’s because you’re such a good teacher!” Chen Jue replied with a smile. After finishing a set, he chatted with the old man, learning he was from Huang Family Village by the reservoir and already in his seventies. Out of respect, Chen Jue called him Grandpa Huang.

As for Boat Boxing, the old man had learned it from the elders in his village when he was young. Back in those turbulent days across the land, many learned some martial arts to protect themselves—if not to fight off bandits, then at least to build up their bodies. Though these were mostly farmer’s tricks, the boxing style had a long legacy.

However, as Grandpa Huang had aged and his skills weren’t that refined, he could only teach Chen Jue a few basic moves and a simple set of footwork. The learning curve was much gentler than even calisthenics. Furthermore, Chen Jue’s intelligence attribute was 22% higher than the average adult male’s, so he picked up the routines with remarkable speed.

As for the stamina-building stances and weapon techniques that went along with Boat Boxing, those had faded away with time. Few people knew them anymore.

“Young man! Now that you’ve learned it, practice it well when you go home! I can tell you work in an office—your body isn’t as strong as we were in our youth, working the fields. Practice more, and it’ll do you good.”

“I understand, Grandpa Huang! Thank you for teaching me!”

After a few more pointers, Grandpa Huang, thinking Chen Jue was just a city visitor come to fish, saw that it was getting late. He bid farewell and ambled off toward Huang Family Village.

As for Chen Jue, since he still had some energy, he stayed at the embankment to repeat the routines a few more times. As the temperature dropped, he headed down the mountain and returned home.

...

On the second floor of the old Chen family house, Chen Jue took a hot shower, rinsing away the sweat. He put on shorts and a vest, then lay down on his bed. Checking his phone, he saw messages from old colleagues and friends in Hangzhou, replied to them, and then closed his eyes, letting his mind sink back into his attribute panel.

Player: Chen Jue
Age: 27

Strength: 0.84
Agility: 0.75
Intelligence: 1.22
Constitution: 1.04
Skills: Boat Boxing Lv0 (21/100)
Free attribute points: 0.03

Compared to before his walk up the mountain, there was quite a bit of growth! Not only did he have a new Boat Boxing skill, but both Strength and Agility had increased by 0.01, and this wasn’t even from assigning free points, but from practicing Boat Boxing itself. Given that both stats were slightly below the average adult male, it made sense that some focused training would yield quick gains. The additional 0.03 free attribute points had accumulated over a single night of practice—far more efficient than his previous, unstructured workouts or household chores.

After a whole evening of boxing, Chen Jue’s stomach felt a bit empty. Dinner had digested much faster than usual. “It must be from the improved constitution and the energy spent practicing,” he thought, getting up to cook himself some plain noodles.

It was a shame he had no other ingredients; otherwise, the meal could have been better. As for Boat Boxing, while he could just about get through the routine, Chen Jue felt something was still missing.

After his late-night snack, he went upstairs, opened his laptop, and started searching online for information about Boat Boxing. Thanks to the explosion of information in the internet age, he actually found a video of someone performing the Boat Boxing routine. The man in the video was in his thirties or forties, wearing practice clothes, his limbs muscular and his movements powerful. His set of Boat Boxing moves was fierce and vigorous, far surpassing Grandpa Huang’s demonstration.

Moreover, the routine in the video was much more complex, with more variations—clearly passed down in a more complete lineage, unlike Grandpa Huang’s handful of tricks. At the end, the man even demonstrated a Boat Boxing stance routine, leaping onto an Eight Immortals table and holding stances with deep, rhythmic breathing. Chen Jue was utterly captivated.

“So this is the full Boat Boxing routine?” he exclaimed. “And there’s even the accompanying stance training! And it’s all uploaded online?”

Rubbing his eyes, Chen Jue made sure he wasn’t seeing things. In this era of peace, many ancient boxing styles were fading into obscurity. Even Boat Boxing, once used along the Jiangsu-Zhejiang coast to resist pirates, was nearly lost.

If things kept going this way, the next generation might never even see it. That was probably why even the secret stance training had been posted online. The video series was extensive, covering not just stances but also weapon practice, breathing techniques, and combat methods. Each move was broken down step by step, the video crisp in 1080p, with detailed explanations from the middle-aged man, almost like being in a live class.

“Let’s practice along!” Chen Jue, now deeply interested, downloaded the videos. With his late-night snack digested, he took his laptop downstairs. The tiled living room was spacious and uncluttered, perfect for practice.

Following the video, he worked through several routines, then tried the unique Eight Immortals stance—though without the proper table, he had to settle for practicing on the floor. Still, the skill proficiency on his attribute panel shot up at a remarkable rate, far outpacing what he’d gained with Grandpa Huang’s guidance.

In less than an hour, he reached [Boat Boxing Lv0 (56/100)], his entire body drenched as if caught in a downpour, his fresh clothes soaked through with sweat. He had no choice but to take another hot shower before sprawling comfortably in bed.

He opened the attribute panel once again:

Player: Chen Jue

Strength: 0.85
Agility: 0.75
Intelligence: 1.22
Constitution: 1.05
Skills: [Boat Boxing Lv0 (56/100)]
Free attribute points: 0.07

“I actually improved this much in one go!” he marveled. “Strength, agility, constitution—all up by 0.01! And 0.07 free attribute points gained. This efficiency… could it be that this panel is designed for martial artists?” Chen Jue was thoroughly excited now.

He had once thought the attribute panel was of little use, but in less than a day back home, he had made such gratifying progress. But after a long day and a strenuous practice, exhaustion soon overcame him, and he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.