Chapter 42: I touched the wrong place...

[You conducted combat training, fitness experience +188]

[You conducted combat training and felt pleasure from being beaten. Health experience +78]

[You conducted combat training, aiming experience +109]

[You conducted combat training, combat experience +267]

[You conducted combat training, your strength experience points +219]

[Aiming increased to Lv3 (8/800)]

Xue Jing lay sprawled on the floor, every breath a laborious effort. His muscles refused to respond, completely drained of any remaining energy.

He was utterly exhausted.

In both this life and his previous one, he had never known such profound fatigue. Yet, mingling with the weariness was an odd sense of satisfaction.

he realized It was the endorphins. His brain was rewarding him for pushing himself so hard.

Li Qi observed his disciple with a mixture of relief and pride. He could tell that Xue Jing's motionless state wasn't laziness but the complete exhaustion that comes only from giving everything you've got.

Talent, character, willpower—Xue Jing embodied all the qualities of a true martial artist, surpassing Li Qi's expectations at every turn.

Meng Qingjiao, having ensured that Xue Jing wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, quietly tiptoed over to him. She squatted down and gently touched the back of his sweat-soaked head, a gesture of both comfort and praise.

Li Qi, smiling softly at the scene, said, "That's enough for today, Qingjiao. Go ahead and get something to eat."

Meng Qingjiao nodded, gave Xue Jing's head one last reassuring pat, then stood up and left the training room.

"How are you feeling?" Li Qi asked with a knowing smile.

Xue Jing managed to summon just enough strength to croak, "I feel... great."

Li Qi burst into laughter.

---

The next morning, at precisely five o'clock, Xue Jing's eyes snapped open, not a second later.

[Early to bed and early to rise, health experience +38]

[Health preservation upgraded to Lv3 (3/800)]

A warm current seemed to flow through his body, filling him with energy. It was as if he hadn't been on the brink of collapse just hours before; the exhaustion of the previous day had entirely vanished.

'Full recovery' Xue Jing thought, marveling at the effect.

What exactly is 'health preservation'? Xue Jing wondered with a smile as he reached out to touch the familiar presence of his cat.

But his hand met only empty space.

"Hmm?"

He lifted the quilt and saw that Maomao wasn't on the bed. Recently, he had gotten used to petting the cat first thing in the morning, and now that he couldn't, something felt off.

Curious, Xue Jing got up, walked out of his room, and into the living room. As he turned on the light, he spotted Maomao strolling in from the balcony.

"Huh? Teacher Wan, were you outside?" Xue Jing asked, puzzled.

The cat stretched lazily, yawning as it replied sleepily, "I had some business to take care of... so tired. I'm going back to bed."

Without waiting for a response, Maomao darted back into Xue Jing's room, jumped onto the bed, and nestled into the remaining warmth, promptly falling into a deep sleep.

Xue Jing was puzzled but remembered his promise to Ning Fengwan not to pry into her affairs. He let it go.

After freshening up in the bathroom, he changed into his sportswear and headed out for his morning run.

An hour later, his watch vibrated, signaling the end of his run. Xue Jing stopped, his breathing steady and light.

[You completed a long run, running experience +258]

[Running upgraded to Lv5 (57/2000)]

His first skill to activate had finally reached Lv5.

Xue Jing crouched down, bracing himself with his arms, then sprang forward, covering a significant distance in a single leap.

Looking back, he estimated that he had jumped nearly four and a half meters.

The world record for the standing long jump in my previous life was just over three meters, wasn't it? Xue Jing mused, realizing his leg strength had far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

And I didn't even use my full strength.

Shaking his head in mild disbelief, he headed home, showered, and made breakfast. After eating, he left a portion for Maomao and made his way to Canglong Dojo.

After a bus ride, Xue Jing entered the dojo's office building, took the elevator to the 17th floor, and headed straight to the training room.

To his surprise, when he opened the door, someone was already inside.

Meng Qingjiao sat upright on the wooden floor, silently chewing on a triple-layer beef burger. The floor around her was littered with rolled-up burger wrappers, evidence of how many she had already consumed.

Seeing Xue Jing enter, Meng Qingjiao nodded in acknowledgment and then began eating even faster. Her thin, red lips glistened with grease, and the tip of her upturned nose had a smudge of yellow cheese sauce.

"Senior Sister Meng, are you here to help me train?" Xue Jing asked, sitting cross-legged in front of her with a smile.

Meng Qingjiao hummed an affirmative while continuing to munch on her burger.

Noticing how much she seemed to enjoy eating, Xue Jing hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Senior Sister Meng, I could cook something for you next time. I'm actually quite good at it."

He had heard from Chen Fuguang that Meng Qingjiao was very busy, yet she still made time to help him with his training. It was only right to express his gratitude.

Curious, Xue Jing opened his panel to check his cooking skill.

[Cooking Level 3 (501/800)]

Though he hadn't focused on practicing this skill, his daily cooking had steadily increased his experience points. While he wasn't on par with a professional chef, his home-cooked meals were always top-notch.

Meng Qingjiao's eyebrows lifted slightly at the offer, her eyes brightening as she nodded in agreement.

She finished the last bite of her burger, rolled up the wrapper, tossed it aside, and reached out to pat Xue Jing's head again. This seemed to be her way of showing affection.

After the brief gesture, she stood up, took a few steps back, put one hand behind her back, and made a "come" gesture with the other.

"Senior Sister, you just ate. Don't you want to rest for a bit?" Xue Jing asked, concerned.

Meng Qingjiao shook her head, rubbing her belly as if to say she was fine.

Seeing no objections, Xue Jing stood up, gave a quick warning, "Senior Sister, be careful," and charged at her.

In the training room, a new round of sparring began.

---

Three days later.

In the training room, Xue Jing and Meng Qingjiao exchanged blows in a fierce yet controlled battle.

After three days of intense sparring, Xue Jing had gained a solid foundation of practical combat experience. His fighting style, bolstered by his array of skills, had significantly improved. His punches and kicks whistled through the air with precision, each strike directed at Meng Qingjiao like raindrops in a storm.

Meng Qingjiao, her expression calm and cold, deftly blocked each attack. Every move she made was precise, a perfect balance of power—just enough to guide Xue Jing's strikes without overwhelming him.

Anyone watching would recognize that this was not a true contest but rather a master feeding moves to a student, carefully guiding their progress.

Xue Jing aimed a punch at Meng Qingjiao's open chest, but she swiftly caught his wrist, halting his advance just inches from her.

A spark of realization flashed in Xue Jing's eyes as he finally spotted a real opening.

His breathing technique kicked in, channeling strength to his fingertips. With his thumb and index finger pinched together, he delivered a swift strike, only an inch from her chest.

Snap!

A sharp crack echoed through the room as his fingers connected, channeling energy in a precise, deadly snap.

But Xue Jing's expression shifted as he felt unexpected softness beneath his fingers.