After dinner, Lin Ye returned to his room, closed the door, and took out the C-grade nutrient solution.
Inside the transparent tube, a pale blue liquid glowed faintly, its contained energy almost visible to the naked eye.
In the past, this would have been a luxury item for him. His family would never have bought it unless it was a critical moment for a breakthrough in his Qi and Blood.
But now, as he looked at the nutrient solution, he felt no joy, only a heavy sense of responsibility.
Without hesitation, he twisted off the cap and drank it all in one go.
A warm current slid down his throat and into his stomach, then transformed into a surge of immense energy that rushed through his entire body.
He could clearly feel every cell in his body greedily absorbing this energy as his Qi and Blood slowly rose.
Just then, the system's notification sound echoed in his mind again.
[DING! External energy source detected!]
[Converting energy...]
[You have gained 40 EXP!]
[Your attributes have slightly increased!]
[For a BOSS, loot dropped by adventurers and rare treasures are all excellent sources of nourishment.]
Lin Ye focused his consciousness on the panel.
[Host: Lin Ye]
[Race: Goblin]
[Level: Level 1 (40/200)]
[Life Value: 112/112]
[Energy Value: 50/50]
[Physical Strength Value: 100/100]
[BOSS Mechanic: Healing out of combat (White)]
[Current Phase: P1, other phases not yet unlocked]
[Strength: 11.2]
[Agility: 9.8]
[Stamina: 10]
[Spirit: 5]
A single C-grade nutrient solution had provided 2 points to his max Life Value and 0.2 Strength.
The system had directly quantified the enhancements these supplements provided to a Martial Artist.
For him, getting stronger had now become very simple.
All he had to do was level up!
"System, how do I gain experience, and what do I get for leveling up?"
[Answering the Host's question.]
[The Host can gain experience through the following methods:]
[1. Self-cultivation.]
[2. Completing quests.]
[3. Defeating adventurers of a lower or equal level.]
[4. Surviving an assault from higher-level adventurers.]
[5. Killing or devouring other monsters/elites/BOSSes.]
[6. Unlocking special achievements.]
[After gaining enough experience to level up, the Host will receive basic rewards: an increase to All Attributes, free attribute points, and skill points.]
[Upon unlocking key levels, the Host will also be able to accept special mechanic quests, advancement quests, and phase-unlock quests!]
Lin Ye quickly made sense of the six ways to gain experience.
'Completing quests and self-cultivation are self-explanatory.'
'Option 3 means winning in spars or battles against people of similar strength.'
'Option 4 means passing a combat training session against an instructor or senior like Chen Meng.'
'Option 5 should refer to killing members of the Celestial Abyss Race or mutated beasts.'
'And the last one, Option 6, special achievements, is probably a one-time reward for accomplishing something the system deems a significant feat.'
[Friendly reminder, there are 2 hours left until the end of the day. The Host still has three daily quests left to complete!]
[If they are not completed within the time limit, the rewards will be forfeited!]
[Daily 1: Sharpen Claws: Please complete at least 5 sessions of the Basic Body Refining Skill and 5 sessions of the Spirit Observation Skill.]
[Reward: Max Life Value +5, Spirit +0.5, EXP +50]
[Daily 2: Patrolling Territory: Please run a lap around Dongjiang City's Third Ring District.]
[Reward: Stamina +0.5, EXP +50]
[Daily 3: A Deed of Evil: Kill at least 1 adventurer or kill 10 inferior monsters within your territory.]
[Reward: Strength +0.5, Agility +0.5, EXP +100]
Judging by the reward values compared to the boost from a C-grade nutrient solution, the system was quite generous.
Basically, completing the three daily quests was equivalent to taking three C-grade nutrient solutions, not to mention they gave even more experience.
But a cold sweat broke out on Lin Ye's forehead.
It was almost 10 PM.
Three quests, a two-hour time limit... and not a single one of these daily quests was easy.
In the end, Lin Ye could only grit his teeth and roll out of bed.
'Time to train!'
Lin Ye found a yoga mat.
He then settled into a horse stance and assumed his training posture in the middle of the room.
The Basic Body Refining Skill was the most common Body Refinement method in martial arts education. It used a specific combination of movements to maximally stimulate one's Qi and Blood and temper the muscles and bones.
Normally, after a single fifteen-minute session, he would be drenched in sweat and completely exhausted, needing at least half an hour of rest to recover.
But now...
As he completed the final movement, feeling the deep ache and fatigue in his muscles, he raised his right hand and checked the time on his watch.
Ten seconds passed. The next moment, Lin Ye felt the bone-deep exhaustion recede like a tide, replaced by a feeling of vigorous energy.
'It seems the system triggers the Healing out of combat mechanic ten seconds after leaving a combat or training state.'
After just ten seconds of rapid recovery, Lin Ye felt his physical strength was full and his energy was high.
Lin Ye suppressed his pleasant surprise.
With this mechanic, the once excruciatingly painful training was no longer so agonizing for him.
Lin Ye wasted no more time and immediately began his second session.
And this time, he practiced the Body Refining Skill and the Observation Skill simultaneously.
'Tackling both body and spirit at the same time!'
After overcoming the initial awkwardness, Lin Ye gradually got the hang of it.
The only sounds in the room were his heavy breathing and the rustle of his clothes.
Sweat soaked his T-shirt, only to be evaporated by his body heat thanks to his terrifying recovery rate, repeating the cycle over and over.
「One hour later.」
The yoga mat beneath Lin Ye was already soaked with his sweat.
But he had completed five sessions of the Basic Body Refining Skill and five sessions of the Spirit Observation Skill without cutting any corners!
Any other student who could complete five full sessions of both these cultivation methods in a single day would have to be an absolute grinder or a try-hard.
And even then, they would need the support of stamina-restoring supplements to pull it off.
[DING! You have completed five sessions of self-cultivation, gaining +5 EXP!]
[DING! Daily Quest: Sharpen Claws, completed!]
[You have received: Max Life Value +5, Spirit +0.5, EXP +50!]
A warm current flowed into his body, and Lin Ye could clearly feel a faint but definite increase in his physical constitution.
His Spiritual Power had also grown slightly.
Lin Ye licked his lips, the faint salty taste of sweat bringing a smile to his face.
'Training feels great!'
This was the first time he had ever felt such obvious positive feedback from training.
If his past self could have tangibly felt himself "getting stronger" after every session...
...he never would have wanted to be such a slacker!
"Next up, Patrolling Territory!"
Lin Ye glanced at the time. It was 10:50 PM, leaving him just over an hour until midnight.
He didn't even bother to change his clothes before bolting out the door.