Chapter 4: Unlocking the [Fighter] Panel

On a blue bus with hospital advertisements on its side, Blake Bai sat on a plastic seat to the right at the back, finishing the last of his meat buns. He crumpled the plastic bag into a ball and stuffed it into the mesh pocket on the side of his canvas bag. He reached out to open half the window, letting fresh air blow in.

The sunlight was strong, and Blake squinted slightly, his black bangs fluttering as he watched the shops and roadside trees pass by.

"The vehicle has arrived at the stop, please exit from the rear door."

With the announcement, Blake stepped off the bus.

He adjusted his backpack and walked along the sidewalk, turning into an intersection.

Vendors selling assorted grain pancakes, meat floss rice balls, and Yunqing noodles were setting up stalls at the corner, while some late risers in slippers were scanning QR codes to pay.

Blake glanced at them and quickened his pace.

In no time, he saw the advertisement sign for the martial arts academy ahead.

"Bai Niao"

The two large artistic characters were eye-catching, with the edges of the font resembling the wings of a bird about to take flight, full of tension. Below the characters were keywords: Combat, Professional, Packages, Discounts.

Not far ahead, a metal sign glinted slightly in the daylight.

[Bai Niao Martial Arts Academy]

Familiar with the place, Blake walked in and headed straight to the changing room.

After changing into his training clothes, he quickly went to the No. 2 Training Hall.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, and the black mats on the floor emitted a leather smell. Looking around, several leather punching bags hung from iron racks, ranging from 80 to 160 centimeters.

In the far corner were four or five metal equipment racks with professional gear like punching pads, boxing gloves, mouthguards, hand wraps, and belts. These were used for Sanda courses at Bai Niao Martial Arts Academy.

The training hall was large enough to accommodate over thirty trainees despite the equipment. At this moment, quite a few people had already arrived, about half of them looking under eighteen, with young and naive faces.

Blake walked over and sat down in his row.

Nearby, a group of people were chatting animatedly.

A girl with a black ponytail and long legs was the most popular. Another girl with short hair, light makeup, and lipstick also attracted attention. The boys around them kept trying to strike up conversations.

However, it was clear that both girls were focused on the tall, lean, and handsome Guo Hao, who stood about six feet tall. They were engaging him in light-hearted conversation, laughing and creating a relaxed atmosphere.

"Guo Hao, why did Coach Zhang keep you after class yesterday?" the black ponytail girl asked in a clear voice, her big eyes fixed on Guo Hao.

"Nothing much, just that I performed the best in our class, so Coach Zhang wants to move me to the elite class for further training…" Guo Hao replied with a slight smirk, casually showing off.

Boys at this age tend to act this way, especially in front of girls.

"You're amazing," the short-haired girl said, turning her gaze to him, not exactly in awe but with some admiration.

"Of course, Hao is naturally talented in sports. He easily became the basketball team captain, always comes first in long-distance running, and excels in martial arts..." A freckled boy next to Guo Hao chimed in, trying to find a sense of presence, looking proud as if sharing the glory.

At that moment, Zhang Hongtao walked in quickly from the corridor.

He held a thermos cup in his right hand and wore a black training suit with patterns resembling raptor feathers on the sleeves and shoulders.

"It's about time, everyone starts warming up."

"After warming up, practice the moves I taught you yesterday twice..."

Instantly, the chatter in the hall ceased.

The trainees stood up and began stretching and loosening their limbs.

Ten minutes later.

Coach Zhang called a stop and resumed explaining the remaining Sanda moves.

As he did the previous day, he had the trainees imitate him. During the process, Zhang Hongtao walked among them, correcting mistakes.

The least skilled were corrected over ten times.

Blake himself was corrected seven or eight times.

Only Guo Hao, who was indeed talented, needed correction just once.

Time passed, and the sun outside rose higher and higher.

"Next, practice on your own."

Coach Zhang stood at the front of the hall and said.

After speaking, he stood next to Guo Hao with his thermos cup.

In martial arts and combat, talent is crucial, sometimes even more important than hard work.

"Coach, how am I doing?"

While demonstrating a fairly standard basic punching technique, Guo Hao asked Zhang Hongtao, who was standing by the window. His tone carried both a sense of closeness and a bit of showing off.

"Not bad, but don't get cocky, kid."

"That opportunity might not be yours."

Zhang Hongtao took a sip of tea.

He was somewhat annoyed by Guo Hao's boastful personality.

"Hehe."

Guo Hao chuckled twice, not voicing his inner thoughts.

"If not mine, then whose?"

At this moment, in the corner of the hall.

A young man with black hair was practicing punches diligently, sweating profusely.

Blake Bai had found his rhythm!

Whether it was the stimulus from last night or a sudden moment of clarity this morning, he was getting better with each practice, feeling more and more energized.

With fingers together, waist and hips slightly twisting, he punched out with a sudden force.

This was a straight punch.

With knees slightly bent, he suddenly powered up, his right leg whipping out high and fast.

This was a roundhouse kick.

Soon, his gray training suit was drenched in sweat, gradually soaking through.

Blake entered the zone, his eyes growing brighter.

Finally, he took a quick step forward and threw a powerful straight punch.

Then, he froze in place.

It worked!

In his vision, the personal panel flashed.

In the occupation column, something quickly glowed and expanded.

[Occupation: Fighter (Activating)]

[Conditions: 1. Average attributes above 10 √, 2. Introduction to Fighting √]

Buzzing...

[You have activated a new occupation: "Fighter"!!!]

[You have obtained a new talent: "Pure Heart"!]

His mind went blank for a moment, followed by a slight dizziness.

Blake looked ahead again.

[Occupation: Fighter LV.1 (1/100)]

[Talent: Pure Heart]

[Skill: Sanda Introduction (1/100)]

He had finally awakened the Fighter occupation and learned the Sanda skill.

Then there was the talent "Pure Heart."

Pure Heart: It filters out extraneous and chaotic information during learning and work, retaining only the most essential and pure parts, enhancing efficiency.

What a great talent!

Blake's eyes lit up, feeling like he had received exactly what he needed.

This body's athletic talent wasn't great, below average, but with the aid of Pure Heart, things would change significantly!

"How about testing the effect now?"

He was eager to test the Fighter's talent.

However, his vision suddenly changed.

[Your occupation panel has detected two or more occupations!]

[Main and secondary occupations distinction enabled]

[Do you want to set "Fighter" as your main occupation?]

[Do you want to set "Deliveryman" as your main occupation?]