After talking with Chu Wei, Shen Xingyan's mood noticeably improved; even his footsteps felt lighter.
Chu Wei was like a small sun in Shen Xingyan's world—every time he was overcome by negative emotions, she would mercilessly scatter them with her bright light. This was one of the key reasons why Shen Xingyan had not yet succumbed to negative emotions.
Leaving the school, Shen Xingyan was at the training hall in just a few steps. Presenting the membership card he had received from Coach Li to the administrator, he successfully used his 20% discount.
"Hello, is Coach Li here today?" Shen Xingyan asked with a smile, putting away his membership card and paying for six hours of training.
Although he couldn't thank Coach Li directly right now in order to keep his secret, it didn't stop him from expressing his gratitude. If the coach were there, he could thank him in person.
"Coach Li? Oh, he's not here today. I heard he went outside the base to perform a mission," the administrator replied, who seemed to recognize Shen Xingyan. Unlike her usual indifference to other visitors, she answered calmly. After all, this was the person Coach Li had asked her to take special care of, so she had to show some respect.
"A mission outside the base?" Upon hearing this, Shen Xingyan frowned slightly, and a flicker of worry flashed in his eyes.
Even in school, he often heard from his teachers that every mission outside the base should not be taken lightly. Such missions held many unpredictable dangers, and he couldn't help but worry about Coach Li.
Seeing the genuine concern in Shen Xingyan's eyes, the administrator mentally nodded in approval: it seemed Coach Li had not been wrong about this boy. Judging by his reaction, this kid was truly worried about the coach and wasn't ungrateful.
"Don't worry, the mission, I heard, is just a reconnaissance near the border, in preparation for your graduation trial in twenty days. The danger shouldn't be too high," the administrator casually reassured him.
"Oh, I see! Then the danger is indeed low. Thank you for telling me!" Shen Xingyan sighed with relief, casting aside his previous worry. He then thanked the administrator with a smile and headed toward the physical training zone.
The administrator merely glanced briefly after him and returned to her work.
She felt neither disgust nor special sympathy for Shen Xingyan, who had recently awakened his profession. Over the years, she had met too many clients like him and couldn't feel sincere emotions for everyone.
Moreover, these people usually started with great enthusiasm, as if they were going to train for the rest of their lives, but after tasting the sweetness of the Star Source world, they would soon gradually disappear, abandoning this difficult path of development.
Only a few could continue. Not even the Base Chief could deal with this phenomenon—after all, it was a human instinct, a desire for profit and an avoidance of hardship. She couldn't judge it; one could only say that Heaven would not betray hardworking people. Those who could persevere definitely had a strong will, and only such people were worth her sincere attention.
Shen Xingyan, of course, was unaware of the administrator's thoughts. For him, a good workout was for himself, not to impress others. Some things were pointless to discuss; everything could only be proven by time.
He arrived at the physical training zone, where there were few people. Only a few individuals were training as if reluctantly—they'd exercise a little, then rest for a long time, occasionally discussing the tasks they needed to complete in the Star Source world.
Shen Xingyan paid no attention to them. He chose an exercise machine, set the difficulty to the highest level he could reasonably handle, and began to train without minding his surroundings.
Compared to other professionals, Shen Xingyan had a distinct advantage in real-world training—his ability to completely focus on the process without being distracted. In this state, the effectiveness of his training was at least one and a half times higher than others.
After all, unlike other professionals, he didn't have to constantly worry about what was happening in the Star Source world in his absence. His little skeletons could completely handle all the tasks.
Shen Xingyan only needed to visit his cultivation space at a certain time, check the results of the work in his absence, use his two powerful skills, and then go about his business—sleeping or training, without a single worry.
Therefore, his training now yielded a twofold effect for the same effort.
The few people training nearby, seeing such a "workaholic," quickly moved away, not wanting to be "infected" by his zeal.
Besides, if a person is so merciless to himself, he's definitely dangerous. "Better to keep a distance!" they thought.
When there were about ten minutes left of his planned three hours of physical training, Shen Xingyan suddenly felt that the machine had become much lighter.
This made him freeze, and then he quickly got up from the machine and examined it, instinctively thinking, "I hope I didn't break the equipment with my last set. Am I really that unlucky?"
Shen Xingyan carefully inspected the machine and, upon confirming that all the parts were in order, sighed with relief. Although he now had a little money, it still wasn't enough to pay for the damage if he had broken the equipment.
"Good, the machine is fine. You scared me. But what was that feeling? Did I have a breakthrough?" After the relief, Shen Xingyan immediately thought of this possibility and quickly checked his stats on his Star Card.
On his real-world stats panel, his Strength attribute, which should have been 10 points, had now become 11 points!
A wave of joy instantly swept over Shen Xingyan, and he immediately understood the reason for his strange sensation.
He was so excited that he jumped up but didn't shout out loud—after all, he was in a public place and had to restrain himself to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
But he still clenched his fist and energetically waved it a few times in triumph!
The fact that he was able to increase his Strength by one point on only his second day of training was much faster than when he had trained his physique at home. The speed of his progress had exceeded his expectations by several times.