036 Rapid Progress with the Tendon Transformation Sutra

As Chen Jue had expected, after swallowing another Great Strength Pill, he found that his health index did not decrease; instead, practicing the Twelve Movements of the Tendon-Changing Sutra felt increasingly comfortable to his body. However, compared to the medicinal effect of the first Shaolin Great Strength Pill, the second pill yielded slightly diminished attribute gains.

He continued practicing the Tendon-Changing Sutra for another hour, but his constitution and strength only increased by 0.02. It seemed the benefits of consecutive supplementation were waning.

Player: Chen Jue
Age: 27
Health Index: 98%
Strength: 1.11
Agility: 1.05
Intelligence: 1.23
Constitution: 1.79
Skills Mastered: [Boat Fist Lv2 (46/500)], [Twelve Movements of the Tendon-Changing Sutra Lv1 (22/200)], [Eight Immortals Post Lv2 (37/500)], [Shaolin Body Conditioning Lv0 (2/100)], [Inner Strength Youth Skill (Perfected)]
Allocatable Attribute Points: 0.37

"The efficiency is dropping!" he muttered. "Maybe I should just allocate points directly—at this rate, who knows how long it'll take to train?"

Impatience crept in. With the martial arts exchange looming next week, he felt uncertain about competing with his current attributes. After a moment’s contemplation, Chen Jue decided to upgrade the Twelve Movements of the Tendon-Changing Sutra to Lv2, spending 0.18 attribute points in total.

The breakthrough was far more dramatic than with any other skill. Upon leveling up, a surge of heat rushed through his body, a strange muscle memory flooded his limbs, and his skin turned crimson like a cooked shrimp, steam and sweat rising off him. His muscles, fascia, and bones expanded unconsciously.

Yet the intense hunger in his stomach and the sudden sense of depletion frightened him, prompting him to hurriedly peel and swallow another Shaolin Great Strength Pill.

This third pill was absorbed entirely in less than five minutes. His constitution and strength rose by another 0.02. Chen Jue understood that this was a brief siphoning effect triggered by the skill breakthrough, rapidly draining all accumulated nutrients within his body.

Quietly, he peeled a fourth pill, washed it down with yellow wine, and continued practicing the newly upgraded Twelve Movements of the Tendon-Changing Sutra.

He repeated this cycle, swallowing six more Great Strength Pills, before the siphoning effect finally subsided. Glancing at his attributes, his strength had increased to 1.23, and his constitution to 1.91.

Chen Jue felt an inexhaustible power coursing through him! However, such breakthroughs consumed a lot of medicine. Of the thirty Great Strength Pills he’d acquired that morning, only twenty remained.

“Constantly taking pills is an endless thrill!” he exclaimed, glancing at his attribute panel.

Through this process, Chen Jue discovered a pattern: continuous use of the same supplement gradually diminished its effectiveness in boosting attributes.

The first pill, digested alongside the Tendon-Changing Sutra, had increased strength and constitution by a remarkable 0.03. Yet by the last pill, the gain had dropped to just 0.01.

It seemed his body developed a resistance to the medicine in a short time, causing the attribute growth to slow.

Still, for a single afternoon’s effort, Chen Jue was more than satisfied with the attribute gains.

…

Sweat from the breakthrough compelled Chen Jue to take a hot shower.

Looking in the mirror, his features appeared sharper; his nearsightedness had improved noticeably. He suspected that the sharp increase in constitution, combined with the transformative effects of the Tendon-Changing Sutra and the rejuvenating prowess of the Youth Skill, had healed his nearsightedness and astigmatism entirely.

“Shaolin truly produces miraculous skills!”

“When I next go into town, I must find an opportunity to test my eyesight,” he thought, elated. Who wouldn’t wish for a stronger, healthier body?

Besides his vision, Chen Jue noticed a significant reduction in his fat and flab. Pinching his belly and thighs, he found that the beer belly and elephant legs that had plagued him for years had mostly vanished. Beneath his skin, there was now a subtle hardness and resilience to his muscles.

Once his new fitness equipment arrived and he stuck to scientific training for a few more days, he believed he could resolve his obesity issues completely.

“We’re missing a scale at home—I’ll just buy one online,” he decided.

After changing into clean clothes, Chen Jue rested on the couch, purchased a home scale capable of supporting up to five hundred pounds, and ordered a sixty-by-five-centimeter copper bar from a metal supplier.

The copper bar was for practicing Shaolin Body Conditioning. As for replacing bamboo sticks with bricks, he could easily find one in the village, but the copper bar needed to be custom ordered online.

Having experienced the exhilaration of direct attribute allocation, Chen Jue resolved to upgrade the Body Conditioning skill as well. However, since he’d already used his opportunity on the Tendon-Changing Sutra today, he planned to wait a day, allowing the residual effects of the Great Strength Pills to fully dissipate before attempting another breakthrough.

This was a precaution, for the breakthrough in the Tendon-Changing Sutra had caused far more commotion than the combined upgrades of Boat Fist and Eight Immortals Post.

To avoid any hidden risks to his body, Chen Jue decided to endure for just one day.

With six days left before the martial arts exchange, he had plenty of time. Given his current efficiency in boosting attributes, he should have no trouble fully mastering Body Conditioning before next week.

…

After dinner, Chen Jue donned his weights and headed up the mountain.

The morning rain had cooled the air, and nighttime temperatures had dropped to just over ten degrees. He changed into autumn long-sleeved athletic wear.

The cicadas were far less vocal, signaling the imminent end of summer and the arrival of autumn.

Jogging along the reservoir, Chen Jue didn’t head straight for the dam to train, but instead took a small path, hoping to enjoy some different scenery.

Just as he reached a patch of waist-high wild grass, he heard several heavy snorts nearby.

Peering through the grass, he saw a huge wild boar with bluish-black bristled fur and a pair of long tusks, leading four smaller piglets out foraging.

He and the wild boar met face-to-face, both startled as Chen Jue jogged into their path!