Shen Xingyan arrived at a large training hall not far from his school. It was a spacious facility with a variety of equipment for all kinds of training.
He had trained here before with his school teachers. According to them, while the equipment here wasn't as good as the school's, it was still perfectly adequate for effective training.
At this time, there were quite a few people in the hall—mostly "go-getters" like Shen Xingyan, with a profession level no higher than 20. They didn't want to waste time in the real world and continued to train to increase their physical strength.
After observing the routines of such people, Shen Xingyan figured out that they had a rigid schedule. They would usually spend time in the Star Core world from 6 PM to 6 AM the next day. After returning to reality, they would sleep for a few hours to recover, and then go to the training hall, where they would work out until 6 PM before diving back into the Star Core world.
Following this pattern and aiming not to attract attention, Shen Xingyan approached the front desk and booked six hours of training.
Under the friendly gaze of the girl at the counter, he took out his star card and paid 300 copper coins using the payment terminal.
This was his first time paying with a star card in the real world, and Shen Xingyan felt a strange sense of novelty. It was as if he had lived his whole life in an agrarian civilization and had suddenly found himself in a modern world—the feeling was almost surreal.
After paying, Shen Xingyan headed to the beginner's training area. For a newly awakened professional with stats of no more than 20 points, the beginner equipment was perfect for his needs. If he ever exceeded that level, he would need to use the intermediate equipment, which cost 500 copper coins per hour—a completely different level of expense.
Seeing his 10-point Strength stat on his star card, Shen Xingyan felt a surge of motivation. In the past few days, even without special equipment, he had managed to increase his constitution by two points. Now, with the help of the training machines and a focus on a single stat, he hoped to significantly speed up his progress.
The moment Shen Xingyan approached a machine, ready to start his workout, he suddenly saw a familiar face.
"Teacher Li, are you here too?" he greeted with some awkwardness.
Standing before him was the very same Teacher Li who had accompanied his group to the Central District for their awakening. Since Shen Xingyan had only recently graduated, he still instinctively felt a sense of awe toward his teacher and subconsciously wanted to avoid him.
However, Teacher Li had already spotted him, and their eyes met, so Shen Xingyan had to muster his courage and approach.
Teacher Li, whose full name was Li Liming, wasn't just a teacher at the school; he was also a coach at this gym, a second profession of his. He was checking the equipment when he was surprised to see Shen Xingyan, a talented student whose fate he regretted.
At school, Shen Xingyan was a prominent student, and although Li Liming wasn't his homeroom teacher, he knew who he was. When he learned that Shen Xingyan had awakened as a farmer, he felt genuine pity. In an age where a person's profession largely determined their fate, misfortune was sometimes as bad as making a mistake.
Now, seeing that Shen Xingyan, despite his farming profession, hadn't given up on his self-development, Teacher Li felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Shen Xingyan, right? I remember you. I didn't expect to see you here. I work here as a part-time coach," Li Liming said with a hint of surprise.
It's worth noting that about 90% of the people training here had combat professions. Those with civilian professions were extremely rare, and farmers like Shen Xingyan were one of a kind, which made his appearance all the more surprising.
"Yeah, I earned a bit of money, so I decided to train. I didn't expect to see you here either," Shen Xingyan replied politely.
Their relationship was merely a casual acquaintance, with no real closeness, and Shen Xingyan understood the danger of being overly frank with someone he only knew on a surface level.
Li Liming, having interacted with countless students, could easily read young people's thoughts on their faces. He noticed the formality in Shen Xingyan's tone and, to avoid awkwardness, replied with a smile, "I just happened to be here as well. Running into you must be fate. Go on and train, and if you have any questions, just ask."
Shen Xingyan politely thanked him, they exchanged a couple more pleasantries, and then each went about their business.
Li Liming continued checking the equipment, while Shen Xingyan, feeling a little more at ease, chose a machine farther away and began his workout. The equipment was similar to the school's, and since Shen Xingyan had been here before, he got comfortable quickly.
As he worked, Li Liming would occasionally glance at this unfortunate but persistent young man. Seeing his skillful movements, he nodded approvingly. Although there were minor flaws in Shen Xingyan's technique, they were not significant. Among the young people he had seen, Shen Xingyan stood out with his skill, although his training still felt academic and didn't align with the demands of the real world.
Seeing that Shen Xingyan was a farmer and would likely never fight with the Scourge outside the base, this level of training was enough for him. There was no need for him to raise the intensity to the level of a combat professional.
After finishing his work, Li Liming said goodbye to Shen Xingyan and left the hall.
With his teacher gone, Shen Xingyan fully relaxed. In the presence of someone he knew, he hadn't dared to train with his full strength. After all, he was now a man with a secret, and it was better to be safe than sorry.
With his current constitution of 12, he could increase his training intensity by one level, which would accelerate the growth of his strength. The experience of those before him showed that all stats were interconnected, and increasing one's constitution would have a positive effect on their other attributes.
While the increased intensity would quickly drain his stamina, he calculated that he would still be able to endure the workout for the entire day.
Freed from his inhibitions, Shen Xingyan began to train with all his might, showing no mercy to the machines.