After a full night's sleep at home, Jason Luo woke completely refreshed, his energy fully restored. Rest day or not, his morning training routine remained unshaken—this was a long-term commitment.
Morning runs, pull-ups, frog jumps, rapid shadow boxing... He threw himself fully into every exercise. While these routines wouldn't bring an immediate leap in Strength, Jason Luo firmly believed they were worthwhile. Besides, the burst of energy afterward was addictive. Once it became habit, he genuinely enjoyed this free-form training.
But today felt different. It was as if his Strength had grown overnight—pull-ups suddenly felt effortless. Could it be...?
He suddenly remembered a system notification that had appeared at the end of his last match. Too busy celebrating, he hadn't paid attention. He quickly opened the notification log.
"Congratulations on securing another victory! The Greedy Wolf Talent has automatically extracted one point each of Strength, Toughness, and Cross Power from your opponent's superior attributes. Additionally, due to the strong support you received from the audience, you have met the criteria for a reputation upgrade ahead of schedule. You have earned the Minor Fame Reputation Achievement. As a reward, the system grants you one Talent Skill Point. Talent Skill Points can be used to upgrade talent skills. They are extremely valuable—use them wisely!"
So it really was a Strength boost—and even better, he'd been given a Talent Skill Point, skipping the usual Lottery Draw. Clearly, the system recognized how hard-fought that victory had been. The reward was far more generous than usual.
At present, Jason Luo had three talent skills: Greedy Wolf Talent, Robust Build, and Unyielding Body. The most important was without a doubt Greedy Wolf Talent—his main path to power. No question, that had to be upgraded first!
But just as he was about to select Greedy Wolf Talent, his phone suddenly rang. Startled, Jason Luo accidentally clicked Robust Build instead. It immediately upgraded to Agile Physique.
Agile Physique (Intermediate): Long-term training has made your body stronger, more flexible, and resilient. Joint durability has increased, injury recovery speed is boosted by 20%, and your physique is more athletic. Attractiveness to the opposite sex and overall charm are enhanced. Additionally, it provides minor improvements to male biological functions.
"Why'd it have to ring now, of all times?" Jason Luo groaned, exasperated.
He checked the screen. It was Tony Huo. For a moment, Jason Luo wanted to smash the phone. He'd finally received a precious skill point, only to waste it on the least useful talent. Just his damn luck!
But after reading the new description, his anger eased a little. Once useless, Robust Build wasn't so bad after its upgrade. Still, it couldn't compare to boosting Greedy Wolf Talent. What he needed most right now was raw Strength.
He answered the call, irritation spilling out in his voice.
"You really screwed me over. Why'd you have to call right now? Out with it—what do you want?"
Tony Huo sounded baffled.
"What? Why can't I call in the morning? And what could you possibly be doing that's so important I'm interrupting… Wait, no way! Don't tell me you struck it rich yesterday and called for some special service last night? Damn, man, you've got some nerve. Sorry for interrupting!" He was about to hang up.
"Don't you dare!" Jason Luo nearly cried in frustration. "What the hell are you thinking? Say that again, and next time I see you, I'll beat you down! Seriously, do I look like that kind of guy? Now, do you actually have business or not? If not, I'm hanging up!"
Tony wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
"Heh, who knows? You live alone—it's way too convenient. Who knows what you might get up to? Anyway, even if you did, that's none of my business. I actually called to tell you that video of your match blew up online. Tons of people are noticing you, and some even sent gifts. All together it's worth more than that ticket you lost money on. But a bunch of people want to get in touch with you. That's something I can't promise. So, what do you want me to do?"
Jason Luo was surprised.
"Already? I don't know anything about that stuff. I definitely can't give out contact info. You know how tight my training schedule is. You handle it. Worst case, I'll record a quick video to thank people. All the income goes to you. But make sure you check carefully—some fights might ban broadcasts. If you get tangled in a lawsuit, it'll be trouble."
"Alright, I'll look into it properly. Won't disturb your 'special operations' again..."
"Screw off!"
...
Jason Luo hadn't expected the online buzz to spread so fast. Having just received a reputation reward, he wondered if Tony's actions had helped accelerate it.
Rest day or not, he didn't dare neglect Coach Pedro's assignment. He pulled out paper and pen and carefully began writing his reflections...
The next day, clear-headed and full of energy, Jason Luo jogged to the training hall.
The moment they met, Coach Pedro checked his homework.
"Tsk, your handwriting's a mess—practice more. And your summary isn't thorough enough. The only solid part was your analysis of why both fighters went down. Maintaining balance in the ring is critical. Last match was a hard lesson. You'd better remember that and pay extra attention during training."
Jason Luo nodded seriously. Once you lose balance in the ring, your opponent won't give you a second to recover. He had learned that firsthand.
Pedro continued, "Most of the shortcomings you listed were technical, but your physical conditioning is still lacking. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so passive early on. I think it's time we bring in a specialist to help unlock your physical potential."
Jason Luo frowned.
"Coach, why bring in someone else? You're already a professional coach. Isn't learning from you enough? Adding another coach just complicates things. I don't think it's necessary."
Pedro shook his head.
"Each field has its specialists. I do know how to improve conditioning, but compared to someone like Brown, my expertise falls short. He's dedicated his entire life to it. He can optimize everything—from your diet and muscle coordination to power generation techniques—and even design combination attacks tailored to you. It's not as simple as you think."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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