Chapter 50: Mastery and Integration

The early winter sun, like a bright orange, illuminated the silent, cold city.

Soft light pierced through the mist, reflecting off the glass and casting shadows across the empty space of the room.

A muscular figure, wearing only shorts, was continuously performing squats, thrusting his hips upward with every repetition.

Beads of sweat slowly seeped from his back.

They rolled and flowed along the clearly defined lines of his muscles.

Under the sunlight, the sweat shimmered with a crystalline brilliance, possessing an unusual aesthetic beauty.

With every descent, the muscles in his thighs bulged in distinct blocks, as if concealing an explosive power.

"Phew—"

Fang Cheng exhaled, stood up straight, and used a towel to wipe the sweat from his chest and back.

After a two-minute rest, he resumed the movement, beginning the next set of single-leg squat exercises.

Two days had passed since the scheduled duel with Mashima Goro.

Although he was technically on medical leave, Fang Cheng could not sit idle and had returned to training this morning.

The recovery speed of his dislocated shoulder was within expectations.

The injury to his left shoulder was relatively light; he felt it was nearing complete recovery.

While his right shoulder did not hurt, there was still a lingering sensation of abnormality, making it unsuitable for intense exercise for the time being.

Considering his current physical condition, Fang Cheng adjusted his training plan.

Aside from practicing leg techniques, he focused entirely on squat training.

By doing so, the rate of experience growth for that single skill was incredibly fast.

In particular, his squat skill was visibly on the verge of breaking the 250 mark.

"..."

"698."

"699."

"700."

Fang Cheng muttered the count to himself, then let out a long breath, standing straight with a sense of total relaxation.

"Training complete!"

Under the sunlight, the pale blue light screen was exceptionally dazzling.

【Focus Experience +4】

【Squat Experience +59】

【Sanda Experience +13】

………………

【Squat Lv1 (226/250)】

【Sanda Lv1 (140/250)】

Fang Cheng’s gaze swept over the various pieces of information on the panel, and he nodded in satisfaction.

He was another big step closer to a skill upgrade.

The gains were decent; he would keep up the momentum.

He looked up at the calendar on the wall: December 15th.

Then, his eyes flickered slightly as he whispered to himself

"I hope my shoulder is fully healed by the time Zheng Hao Kang arrives..."

He had promised to step in for Mashima Goro to test the true strength of this newly crowned world-class boxing champion.

As the thought flashed through his mind, Fang Cheng quickly walked toward the bathroom.

He planned to wash up before diving into his postgraduate entrance exam studies.

………………………………

*Ring ring ring—*

On the desk, the alarm clock let out a piercing sound.

Fang Cheng immediately put down his pen, tossed aside his books, and pressed the stop button.

At the same time, several lines of small text scrolled into view before his eyes.

【Your Focus skill experience +3】

【Your Speed Reading skill experience +3】

Fang Cheng’s eyes were bright, showing no signs of fatigue.

There was no throbbing ache in his forehead or temples from prolonged mental exertion.

In the past, if he had used two mental-type skills simultaneously for more than an hour and a half, the panel would have inevitably issued a warning.

Now that his mental attribute had broken through 20 points, it was equivalent to a significant increase in his "mana bar."

The previous skill consumption was now negligible.

Consequently, his learning efficiency had also increased significantly.

After putting away his exam materials, Fang Cheng picked up a book with a brand-new cover.

It was titled *New Edition: Japanese Language Tutorial*.

He had bought it from a nearby bookstore the day before yesterday after visiting Mashima Goro.

Since he intended to learn more information from the man, Fang Cheng was unwilling to rely solely on others for translation.

Over the past few days, in addition to self-studying Japanese at home, he had been dropping by the hospital whenever he had free time to chat with Mashima Goro.

They talked about martial arts, about life, or even about the shifting international landscape and the mysteries of the universe...

Most of the time, the two of them were like "chickens talking to ducks," simply staring at each other.

Fang Cheng treated it as oral practice to gain experience.

As for Cui Xiuying's slightly reproachful looks, he simply chose to ignore them.

"Kuso damare."

"Obasan wa tetsudai."

Fang Cheng recited a few common phrases in an authentic Osaka dialect.

In truth, he had already memorized the entire contents of the textbook using his "Focus" and "Speed Reading" skills the day he bought it.

Now, he was merely reviewing and reciting to deepen his understanding.

Just as he was getting into the flow of reading, a sudden realization struck him.

It was as if a shackle had been unlocked; inspiration surged forth like a bubbling spring.

Simultaneously, several notification messages appeared before his eyes.

【You have reached a certain proficiency in learning a foreign language; you have successfully mastered a language-type skill】

【Unlocked Skill: Japanese Lv0 (0/100)】

Fang Cheng’s eyes widened slightly.

He felt the knowledge that had been poured into his mind instantly coalesce, achieving a profound and thorough understanding in that single moment.

"This effect..."

Feeling the qualitative change that came with mastering a skill, Fang Cheng couldn't help but whisper in admiration.

His current language proficiency was essentially equivalent to that of a genuine Japanese language graduate.

Simple communication should be no problem at all; at the very least, there would be no significant communication barriers.

Unfortunately...

Skills mastered before the activation of the panel seemed to be excluded and could not be displayed.

Otherwise, adding his compulsory English and his native tongue, he would have unlocked three language skills all at once.

If he learned another new foreign language and successfully mastered four skills of the same type...

Wouldn't he have the chance to test the true effects of synthesizing an Epic-quality talent early?

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng's eyes brightened, and his motivation grew even stronger.

At worst, he would just have to learn a few more foreign languages.

For someone with high mental attributes and two learning skills, this was not a difficult task.

Judging by his current learning speed, it was at least much easier than fitness or combat training.

………………………………

*Chop, chop, chop!*

The kitchen knife danced rapidly on the cutting board, slicing through a piece of pork leg meat.

A cold light flashed as the blade first made a light incision, then a quick push with the hand caused the bone to separate from the flesh.

Then, using the gaps in the bone, he used the tip of the knife to strip away the fascia and lymph at the joints.

Finally, he cut the disassembled pork leg into small, square pieces.

Fang Cheng stood at the stove, skillfully processing the ingredients he had bought from the morning market.

In the living room behind him, the television screen flickered, playing a foreign horror movie.

Occasional bone-chilling screams drifted through the air.

Now that he had money, he certainly wouldn't skimp on his food.

Fang Cheng's dietary standards had improved significantly.

While not quite at the level of professional combat athletes, he had basically reached the standard of an ordinary athlete.

He finished disassembling the pork leg, cleaning the bones thoroughly.

He kept two pieces of meat for stir-frying later and hid the rest in the refrigerator.

The remaining marrow bones could be used to make soup.

Fang Cheng planned to cook something delicious tomorrow to take to the hospital, so he could personally tell his mother that the surgery fees had been settled.

As for this afternoon?

Looking at the "Cooking Experience +2" notification appearing before him, Fang Cheng considered his options.

He could go bother Mashima Goro again, show off his linguistic talent, and grind his skill proficiency.

That would likely surprise the man even more than his martial arts progress.

After returning, he still had to go to Master Lin's bone-setting clinic to help out voluntarily in the evening.

He would also learn medical arts like bone setting along the way.

Even though he was on medical leave, his life remained busy and fulfilling.

Fang Cheng thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of making progress and gaining something new every single day.

(End of Chapter)