054 is nothing more than a dumbbell.

Beer with late-night snacks, the river breeze brushing against his face, and the raspy strains of a melancholy ballad echoing in his ears—Chen Jue gazed out at the winding, meandering surface of the distant river, completely lost in thought.

This midnight meal had cost over three hundred yuan, a testament to Chen Jue's considerable appetite. For an ordinary person, ordering this much would require at least three or four people to finish. Yet, with his body newly transformed and having sprinted for six kilometers, burning a great deal of energy, Chen Jue found his hunger insatiable and consumed enough for three or four people on his own.

Besides, late-night snacks differ from regular meals; it's a drawn-out affair, eating and drinking in tandem, digestion occurring as the night stretches on. By the time Chen Jue had polished off every dish on the table and drained his last glass of beer, most of the food had already been digested.

After settling the bill, he left the night market on foot. In the distance, the wailing, howling voices from a few rustic eateries had finally died down. No matter how lively things got, even the most bustling township must yield to the quiet of midnight. Unlike the endless, all-night markets of big cities, here, once the clock struck twelve, the vendors themselves packed up and went home; no one would indulge the late-night revelry of their customers until dawn.

…

Following the little path out of Panlong Town, Chen Jue crossed the national highway, where few cars now passed. Sensing that his meal had settled, he broke into another sprint along the mountain road. The night was still and silent; the mountain road was deserted, not a soul or returning vehicle in sight. Chen Jue lengthened his stride, running with even more abandon than when he’d descended, racing back toward Chen Village.

He covered the five-plus kilometers in just over eight minutes, not bothering to keep exact time. Arriving home, he let his energy dissipate—instantly, a wave of sweat steamed from his body, heating the entire first-floor living room.

A glance at the clock showed it was already half past midnight. Chen Jue took a hot shower, changed into clean clothes, and went to bed.

When the rooster crowed at dawn and he opened his eyes, Chen Jue found himself full of energy after less than six hours of sleep. He felt utterly refreshed, without a trace of the fatigue he’d once experienced after late nights at work. Clearly, the strength of his constitution and that 105% health index were showing their effects.

This breakthrough in his health index had surprised Chen Jue at first, but compared to the way all his attributes had shattered the human limit of “1,” surpassing 100% in health was just another way of breaking through boundaries.

…

It meant that Chen Jue was in fact healthier than the healthiest individual recognized by the attribute panel; that explained the 105%.

He strapped on his weighted vest and jogged up the mountain by the reservoir, making a full circuit in under half an hour. Taking advantage of the solitude, he slipped into the water to train.

Practicing Tai Chi and the Thirteen Posture Standing Meditation in rotation, his proficiency steadily rose. Over more than twenty minutes submerged, he accumulated another 0.1 free attribute points.

The twelve kilometers he’d run the previous night, pores closed, had certainly contributed; despite having been depleted by upgrading the Muscle and Tendon Change Scripture, his free attribute points had climbed back to 0.27—an efficiency well beyond his previous efforts.

After another morning of underwater training, Chen Jue realized that the reservoir’s currents were too gentle. While they helped him sense the subtle inner force, they lacked the power of a surging river or the crashing waves of the sea. The peaceful Chen Village Reservoir fell short in comparison.

Perhaps if the floodgate beneath the reservoir were opened wider, creating a stronger undertow and whirlpools, it would aid his training. But that would nearly drain the reservoir. Besides, although it appeared unsupervised, there were administrators who conducted spot checks, and the valve controls were monitored by a water-level device. Chen Jue had no opportunity to open the floodgates himself.

“Maybe I should head to the seaside,” he thought.

After all, Wenshi was a coastal city. Training in the sea might help him internalize the inner force throughout his body faster. With that, Chen Jue resolved to head home and pack.

…

He didn’t bring much—just a backpack of clean clothes. He left the weighted vest behind, but figured the 200-kilogram chrome dumbbell might come in handy for some impromptu workouts. He dug out a travel bag and packed one inside.

On his phone, he called for a long-distance ride, setting his destination as Dongdao County in Wenshi—a renowned island city nearby, famous for its beaches and picturesque coastline.

The trip from An County was a bit of a distance, costing over two hundred yuan. Since Chen Jue opted not to share the ride, it was essentially a private hire. Ordering from the remote corner of Chen Village, the price automatically rose above three hundred.

Fortunately, big orders like this were quickly snatched up by ride-share drivers—within seconds, someone grabbed it. It turned out to be a Buick GL8 business van, already waiting in Panlong Town.

After securing the ride, the driver called to confirm the pickup location and departure time. About ten minutes later, the vehicle arrived where Chen Jue had set his location.

The door slid open automatically. After confirming the last digits of the license plate, Chen Jue hoisted his travel bag and climbed aboard.

But as soon as he set the travel bag—with its 400-jin dumbbell—inside, the middle-aged driver at the wheel felt his vehicle sink sharply. It was as if four or five adults had boarded at once. The suspension visibly reacted.

“Brother, what on earth is so heavy in your bag?” the driver asked curiously, glancing back at Chen Jue.

The GL8 had three rows of seats. Chen Jue took the middle row, near the passenger side, and placed his travel bag upright in the aisle between the two seats, to prevent the dumbbell from rolling around if the car braked sharply. Seeing the driver’s interest, Chen Jue grinned. “Nothing special, just a dumbbell for working out.”

“Oh, by the way, sir, I haven’t had breakfast yet. Could you make a quick stop in the next village so I can grab something to eat?” Chen Jue added.

“A dumbbell, huh! No wonder it’s so heavy.” The driver laughed. “You want breakfast? Perfect! I haven’t eaten either. Seven in the morning is a bit early for my shift. Let’s eat together. No need to bring food into the car—otherwise, oil stains and food smells will linger, and it won’t be comfortable for you either.” Clearly, the driver was a car enthusiast; the interior was spotless and even had an air freshener.

Finding the driver so amiable, Chen Jue chatted with him for a while and learned that his surname was Zhu, in his forties and a resident of Panlong Town. His family had pooled money to buy him this business van, so he could earn some extra income.

Once the car doors closed and the engine started, they stopped for about fifteen minutes at Linjia Village. The two of them grabbed a simple breakfast at a local stall before setting off for Dongdao County.