Nightclub security guard at the bar.
The hours were from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., with four days off per month. The salary was four thousand yuan.
After a brief inquiry, Lu Chao made his decision.
For someone in desperate need of money like him, this job was like a timely rain—it came at the perfect moment.
"Thank you, Brother Hao."
Lu Chao was sincerely grateful. He knew this was a gesture of goodwill from the other man.
It was just like the care his original self had received when he first left the orphanage with nowhere to go and was given a rental apartment on Factory Street.
"You brat. You've gotten pretty polite since you started practicing martial arts."
Wearing a black shirt, Chen Junhao flicked the ash from his cigarette and shook his head with a smile.
Then, he walked up and patted Lu Chao on the shoulder. The force wasn't strong or weak, but it sent a quiet vibration into his body.
"Hm, not bad. Your foundation is quite solid. You haven't been learning some unorthodox style."
Chen Junhao nodded with a smile and pulled his hand back.
Lu Chao's shoulder trembled slightly. He was a little surprised by the man's technique.
Only then did it occur to him that the man had been running with the Hongyi Society for years, fighting his way up from a grunt to the position of a Red Stick. His Life Energy was definitely not low.
"Alright, report for duty tomorrow night."
"Zhou Qiang, I'm leaving Ah Chao with you. Teach him the ropes."
Chen Junhao gestured to the burly Hongyi Society man behind him, gave a few instructions, then turned to ask Lin Ze and the other three about how they'd been.
He showed concern like a real big brother, offering advice.
He only left in a hurry when he suddenly received a phone call.
"Brother Hao has helped us so much. We have to find a way to repay him in the future."
Zhao Yuanqing said in a low, grateful voice.
The group watched the black car drive away, all of them nodding solemnly and committing this to memory.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the moment, Lu Chao glanced down at his watch, where he had just saved a contact number.
It was the phone number of the Hongyi Society man from before, Zhou Qiang. He wasn't just Brother Hao's trusted subordinate but also the bar's security manager.
"Are you really going to do it?"
Zhao Yuanqing gently nudged Lu Chao's arm. Seeing his determination, he asked with some concern, "You'll have to work two jobs and still train during the day."
"Pushing yourself that hard... can you handle it?"
"I have to handle it, whether I can or not." Lu Chao answered firmly, without hesitation.
In reality, the situation wasn't as grueling as Zhao Yuanqing imagined.
The cleaning crew's work hours were random and not fixed. Combined with the bar's four days off per month, he could completely avoid any scheduling conflicts.
As for the fatigue from high-intensity work and martial arts training...
...with the blessing of his [Junior Fortitude] specialty, it wasn't a problem. He only needed five or six hours of sleep to recover his energy.
"Damn."
Somewhat impressed, Zhao Yuanqing gave him a thumbs-up and said no more.
Lu Chao then went to get some pointers from Xiaoyang, the bar's server, asking about the duties of a nightclub security guard.
For a while, a gentle breeze rustled, sweeping across the dry leaves on the ground.
It was a rare get-together for the six of them. They had lunch together before finally going their separate ways.
...
...
Busy, yet fulfilling.
Ever since taking the security job at Dreamfire Bar, Lu Chao's life had fallen into a completely new rhythm.
During the day, he went out with the cleaning crew to collect bodies. At night, he worked part-time as a nightclub security guard at the bar.
The rest of his time was spent at the martial arts hall, grinding out the Golden Stone Fighting Skill. It was a true three-point routine, and he recovered completely with just five or six hours of sleep.
Gradually, during his first month as an official disciple after joining the Jinshi Boxing Hall...
THUD! THUD!
His footing was steady. He performed a low-waisted horse stance on an iron bar, holding a ten-kilogram iron ball in his hands without a single tremor.
Thirty seconds, two minutes, five minutes...
He effortlessly completed the fourth movement of the Golden Stone Fighting Skill, the Iron Bar Stance.
Following that were the fifth form, Hard Stone Combo, and the sixth form, Flying Sand and Moving Stones...
Lu Chao clenched his fists, and the sandbag went BAM! BAM! as he pounded it over a hundred times.
Then, he leaped up, weaving nimbly between stakes as thick as the mouth of a bowl. His movements were fluid, and he never once fell.
He had improved significantly compared to when he first started.
And today...
[Life Energy: 9→10!]
[Potential Progress: 31%]
He leaped down, landing steadily on the concrete floor.
Lu Chao raised a hand to wipe away his sweat, steam rising from his body, and took the opportunity to glance at his panel.
During this period, he had been working two jobs to save money and pay off his loan, getting a salary advance to cover his rent, and buying high-quality food for nutrition.
Massive amounts of practice, watered by his own sweat.
His Potential Progress had risen by a large chunk, and his Life Energy had increased by a full three points.
Thanks to this, Lu Chao could feel that his strength had increased another notch, as had his stamina and endurance. The body beneath his training uniform also showed clear signs of exercise.
His shoulders and back were at least a bit thicker, the lines of his chest and abdominal muscles were beginning to show, and the circumference of his arms and legs had grown by two or three millimeters.
'I wonder what my punching power is now.'
Slightly curious, Lu Chao thought about the [Life Energy Development Theory] he had been reading lately.
It was knowledge passed down to Earth Star from an extraterrestrial civilization, summarizing several pathways for developing Life Energy.
The basic parts weren't restricted by the government and could be found online. He had specifically looked into it recently because of his martial arts training.
According to the theory, before breaking the twenty-point threshold for Life Energy, each point of increase corresponded to a five-kilogram increase in strength, as well as a certain boost in reaction time and explosive speed.
Although this was just a rough standard, the actual results could vary due to differences in physique and developmental path.
But by a rough calculation, his current punching power should be around one hundred kilograms.
"Not bad, Junior Brother Lu."
"You've already mastered the first seven movements of the first level. If I'm not mistaken, your Life Energy has probably reached ten points."
Zhang Hong, who had just finished his own physical conditioning, walked over while wiping his sweat and made a smiling guess.
Life Energy detection devices weren't cheap, and the boxing hall hadn't bought one. They could only make rough guesses or go to a large gym to get tested.
Lu Chao didn't deny it. The Devourer's panel display was more accurate than any device.
"I'm still far behind compared to Senior Brother Zhang."
"Besides, I've seen that the other senior brothers are also improving quickly. Most of them have already broken ten points."
He wasn't being falsely modest. An increase of four or five Life Energy points in the first month was only considered average at the Jinshi Boxing Hall.
When first starting a Fighting Skill and undergoing formal training, the human body is like a dry sponge; every bit of absorbed "nutrition" results in a very noticeable improvement.
But as time goes on, as one's physique strengthens and the demand for nutrients increases, this process gradually slows down, and improvement becomes more difficult.
"Hah, you're teasing me again."
"I've been here for two months, and my Life Energy is only at fifteen points."
Zhang Hong shook his head, looking a little resigned.
Also having mediocre aptitude, he could personally feel how grueling the process was.
In the first month, he had a full five-point increase, but in the second month, it was only a four-point gain.
The increase in Life Energy felt like it was hitting a bottleneck, getting slower and slower. If this trend continued, it was uncertain whether he could break the twenty-point threshold in the third month.
Lu Chao didn't argue, but a suspicion arose in his mind.
'Because of [Junior Fortitude], I seem to be special in this regard.'
'Although my rate of improvement is rather average, it's steady and continuous. Maybe I can rely on grinding to push my limits and avoid this kind of slowdown.'
"Junior Brother Shen is the truly amazing one."
"He has superior aptitude. Even though he started the latest, I heard his Life Energy has already reached thirteen points."
Zhang Hong suddenly lamented, his sweat having long since soaked his training uniform.
Lu Chao followed his gaze and saw a figure in the ring area not far away, sparring with the direct disciple, Senior Sister Lin.
He was about 178 cm tall, somewhat lean and muscular, with neat, short hair, and looked to be around eighteen years old.
His white-and-gray training uniform was quite form-fitting, outlining his muscle definition. He was currently moving nimbly around the ring, sometimes advancing with a jab, other times throwing a roundhouse or side kick, exuding a sharp and powerful aura.
"According to the rules, we can only spar with the Fighting Level senior brothers after we pass the stage of facing ordinary students."
"Look at Junior Brother Shen. He skipped that step entirely. And he's being personally coached by Senior Sister Lin, a professional-level expert, who spars with him every day."
Zhang Hong said again with envy, his expression somewhat complicated.
During this time, other disciples also stopped their training, turning their heads to watch and murmur quietly, their expressions tinged with sourness.
The gap between Fighting Level and non-Fighting Level is huge, which is why Master Luo previously set the rule that one must defeat three ordinary students at the same time to proceed to the second stage of combat training.
However.
'Geniuses always have their privileges.'
Lu Chao's heart was untroubled by the special case on the stage; he was even used to it.
Junior Brother Shen's full name was Shen Tianchen.
A junior brother who had joined ten days later than him.
The two of them should have been at the same stage; in fact, he should have even been slightly ahead.
But the other guy was incredibly talented. In just twenty days, he had gone from five Life Energy points to thirteen, and he had already mastered the first seven movements of the first level, to the point of near proficiency.
Practically everyone said in private that he would 100% achieve the Fighting Level; it was only a matter of time.
As for that.
He exhaled. In that single breath, Lu Chao cast aside all the envy and sourness from those around him, paying it no mind.
Other people's talent had nothing to do with him.
He believed that the [Devourer] would allow him to advance step by step, continuously surpassing his own limits.
Instantly, his mind was made up.
Lu Chao turned and walked toward an open area on the south side of the room. The concrete pillars there were spaced further apart, and the floor was covered with a layer of soft, cushioned mats.
This was a sparring area that had been cleared out, nearly a hundred square meters in size, dedicated to basic combat training.
Looking over, he could see a group of three ordinary students wearing protective gear, ganging up on an official disciple and suppressing him.
"Junior Brother Lu, are you ready?"
Zhang Hong retracted his gaze and followed him, curious.
He remembered that for the past month, Lu Chao had always failed. At most, he could defeat two of the veteran students before being overwhelmed.
It had nothing to do with stamina; it was more a deficiency in strength and reaction speed.
"Yeah."
Lu Chao nodded lightly, his thoughts clear and his eyes bright.
He didn't have Shen Tianchen's talent or privileges.
But as long as he passed this trial, he too could enter the second stage of combat training, spar with the Fighting Level senior brothers in the ring, and gain more fighting experience, as well as greater stimulation for his Life Energy to increase.
BAM!
As the thought crossed his mind, an official disciple on the mat was thrown to the ground with a muffled thud.
Although he had defeated two ordinary students, he had been taken down by the last one, perfectly demonstrating the old saying that two fists are no match for four hands.
"My turn."
Without another word, Lu Chao walked forward slowly.
The feeling under his feet was softer than the concrete floor as his figure moved steadily to the center of the mat.
Noticing the movement, the ordinary students who were also participating in the combat training exchanged a look, and a new group of three soon stepped forward.
He waited until they had put on their protective gear and surrounded him in a triangular formation.
Lu Chao exhaled slowly, the muscles in his body gradually tensing.
"Let's begin."
'Let's see what I'm capable of now.'
'How much I've really grown.'