Era of Mist

So, was eighty-five Dragon Coins expensive for Shi Tiexin?

"Keep the change." He handed over a one-hundred Dragon Coin bill. The restaurant owner bowed and scraped as Shi Tiexin turned and left. In the past, he would never have wasted money, not even a single cent. But today, he decided to splurge. Because one hundred Dragon Coins was truly nothing to him now.

’Central Star is the best!’

In Tumu Castle, eighty-five value points couldn’t buy such a high-quality nourishing meal. The difference was just too vast; this was practically a giveaway.

Besides, it felt pretty damn good to be a big boss throwing money around. Also on Central Star, the Champion Scholar Shi Ke from Fengming First Middle School would never have dared to spend money like this. He’d pinch every penny, squeezing his four lackeys to eat cheap combo meals, picking out shreds of meat from the greasy soup, and only getting two or three wisps of primordial essence per meal.

If he’d had money from the start and could afford nourishing meals like today’s, what would Teng Chaoguo and his thirty or forty little brothers even matter? If he’d had money, what would that punk He Chong even matter? ’I’d have beaten them black and blue long ago.’

’Being rich is awesome!’

Listening to the upbeat music in his ears, Shi Tiexin felt himself starting to swagger as he walked.

He was suddenly filled with anticipation for the day, eager to see just how extravagantly a rich big boss lived—and he would soon find out.

After the meal, the second stop was the gym.

Whoa!

Professional gym equipment with attributes! Shi Tiexin’s heart pounded with excitement. He had always made do with ordinary heavy objects, like helping the old baldy carry building materials and water buckets upstairs. Today, he finally got to experience the professional touch.

His physical body, which had already reached the human limit in this world line, improved by a sliver under the enhancement of primordial essence and the refinement of high-end equipment. Just a sliver of progress was enough to make him ecstatic, because it was a sign of breaking through his limits.

Whether or not one could break through the human limit made a huge difference in combat power.

Whoa again!

Professional gym trainers with attributes! They provided attentive service, detailed instructions, and comprehensive assistance. It seemed that even gym trainers had a hard time making a living in these chaotic times.

Shi Tiexin had always just bullshitted his way through training before, at most picking up some tips he’d heard online, all of which was unsystematic. Today, under the trainers’ comprehensive guidance, various points of confusion, difficulties, and common mistakes gradually became clear. He benefited greatly, and he’d be able to use the same methods to temper his body when he returned to Tumu Castle.

This level of treatment was now on par with what He Chong had.

And another whoa!

A young lady—no attributes, but with a top-tier figure—was bouncing up and down on the treadmill! Even just seeing her from behind, and though her clothes weren’t too tight, her swan-like neck, well-proportioned shoulders, slender waist, peach-like butt, and long, shapely legs... every part of her was gorgeous.

Even her ponytail, tied up and swinging back and forth as she ran, was like a fish hook, ready to reel in the little fish in your heart. Compared to this young lady, the girls under his command, no matter how much they tried to show off their cleavage, weren’t even in the same league.

’Er, is it a little shameless to be staring so intently?’ Shi Tiexin secretly glanced left and right. ’Okay, good. The guys pumping iron next to me are all breathing heavily too.’

Look at those pathetic fools. They weren’t even lifting that much weight, but the sounds they squeezed out of their throats were like Xiang Yu lifting the great ding.

’Look at them, each one like a bull in heat. Is it really that serious?’

He glanced back at the young lady. Hmm. Shi Tiexin nodded honestly. ’Yeah, it is.’

However, although Shi Tiexin had a lot going on in his head, he looked far more respectable than them on the surface.

His primordial essence fluctuated, and Shi Tiexin quickly averted his gaze. ’Can’t look, can’t look. If my thoughts fluctuate too much, all this essence I’ve stored will be for nothing.’

Huh? SNIFF—HAAAH~~ So fragrant! The air seemed to be filled with the scent of pheromones, sparking his imagination. His primordial essence continued to fluctuate. It felt as if even breathing was a sin.

’Nope, I can’t stay in this gym any longer!’

’During the essence-nourishing stage, it really is best to be a monk. A calm body and mind are optimal.’

Shi Tiexin felt he had worked out enough anyway and didn’t dare to look at the "female benefactor" again, so he quickly headed for the exit. Behind him, it seemed someone couldn’t hold back any longer and went over to try and chat her up.

Even though he was the one fleeing in disarray, Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but want to turn to the guy hitting on her and yell, ’A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh? Eat shit!’

Of course, Shi Tiexin didn’t actually do something so classless in the end, but he couldn’t quiet the distracting thoughts in his mind. ’This is probably just a man’s nature.’

He had lunch, spent two hundred and thirty, and gained another six wisps of primordial essence.

Shi Tiexin wondered if his Essence Nourishment Technique was too low-level. Lunch was clearly better than breakfast, but his Excellent-grade Basic Essence Nourishment Technique didn’t seem to be able to extract all the essence, wasting quite a bit.

With Psionic Energy in his body, Shi Tiexin was full of energy. He didn’t need a noon nap; he went straight to his afternoon activity.

’Where to next?’

According to his fragmented memories, this big boss’s afternoon haunt was the Fighting Club.

When he got there, Shi Tiexin was once again stunned.

Training equipment with attributes, protective gear with attributes, and even professional sparring partners with attributes! One of the dozen or so partners had the attribute of [Excellent Basic Sparring Partner], which could increase the training speed of ordinary fist and foot-based martial arts.

That wasn’t even the best part. The best part was that this place actually had Martial Arts Techniques!

Hot damn, all sorts of "Something-Something Fists," with names that sounded very intimidating. Shi Tiexin browsed through them with great anticipation, then was excited to find that his vision system also recognized the existence of these fist arts. Unfortunately, after having the trainers demonstrate them, the vision system’s annotation for all of them changed to "some variation of Basic Fist Art," and Shi Tiexin’s interest immediately plummeted.

After comprehending the "Ruthless" attribute, Shi Tiexin’s own Basic Fist Art was already a variation—and a rather lethal and powerful one at that. He didn’t need to waste time learning these versions that were inferior to his own.

Setting aside those basic fist arts, Shi Tiexin continued to practice his own. He then discovered that the sparring partners with attributes were actually meaningless for him.

At their skill level, the sparring partners could neither withstand the force of his punches nor point out his shortcomings. This wasn’t his original world, and there were no secret realms. Shi Tiexin didn’t dare to use his full strength, lest he accidentally injure someone severely or even kill them. So, with some regret, he bid farewell to the sparring partners and went off to the side to practice on dummies and targets.

Back when he fought through the crowd of eight hundred and battled in the Lesser Township Trial, especially during the fight with He Chong, his Basic Fist Art had progressed rapidly. It was now at Profound 55.

A dummy was no substitute for a real person, but this one with attributes was somewhat surprising. After an afternoon of practice, his skill rose by four points, reaching Profound 59. As far as hitting a target went, that was already very good.

It seemed that in this world where martial arts were not prominent, there wasn’t much that could help him in terms of his techniques.