Chapter 2 Experience Panel_2

"Oh."

With a crisp response, a gentle girl wearing a headband ran out.

She handed the items to the woman, glanced at Fang Cheng, then lowered her head and retreated back into the house.

"Your mom really, so busy she forgets what day it is today."

The woman stuffed a stack of carefully crafted paper clothes and ingots into Fang Cheng's hands.

She then followed with a concerned reminder:

"Burn these things when you get back, and offer incense to your dad, by the way, do you still have incense candles at home?"

"Yes, thank you, Auntie He."

Fang Cheng took them with both hands, his face showing a grateful smile.

He remembered, today should be the "Cold Clothes Festival" for paying respects to ancestors.

Now, with the fast pace of city life, the younger generation rarely observes such traditional festivals.

They exchanged pleasantries for a few moments, then called it a day.

Fang Cheng, holding the paper offerings, opened the iron door covered in ads.

Click, the incandescent light at the entrance switches on.

A typical household full of the era's atmosphere came into view.

The house was not big.

Living room, dining room, and kitchen were all connected, not exceeding thirty square meters.

The old tables, chairs, and floors were peeling paint but were still scrubbed clean and shiny.

The other various pieces of furniture were also neatly arranged, revealing that someone had tidied up and cleaned recently.

Fang Cheng knew it was his mother who'd been here.

His maternal grandfather was suffering from stomach cancer and had come from the countryside to East Capital for hospital treatment and chemotherapy.

Apart from work, she took turns with her brother to take care of and accompany him.

Busy to the point of exhaustion, lately, she seldom had the chance to come home for a peaceful sleep.

Fang Cheng silently changed shoes and entered the house.

Walking across the creaking floors, he approached the cabinet with the TV on it.

There, stood a photo frame with a picture of a young couple holding a newborn baby.

The woman was beautiful and gentle, the man handsome and cheerful, with happiness in their eyes that seemed to pass through the glass to the outside.

The photo frame was also wiped very clean, with a small bronze incense burner placed deliberately in front of it.

The incense in the burner had long burned to the end, leaving only the bamboo stick bases.

Fang Cheng opened the lowest drawer of the cabinet, searching carefully.

In the search, an old newspaper pressed by miscellaneous items was revealed.

The yellowed paper had half of a news headline visible.

"...Murderer swallows gun to commit suicide, sordid secrets buried in fire…"

Finally, he found a small half bundle of incense sticks remaining.

Fang Cheng took out three, re-lighted them, and placed them again.

Then, holding a damaged white iron basin, he squatted outside the door and burned the paper clothes and ingots one by one.

Watching the smoke and sparks rise continuously, Fang Cheng's eyes slightly squinted.

In the darkness, the flames made his complexion glow red, his pupils flickering.

As if awakening some long-sealed memories.

After a while, the ritual was complete.

Fang Cheng returned inside, washed up briefly, and then entered the bedroom.

He didn't go to sleep, but instead prepared to start self-study.

This bedroom-cum-study was only six square meters.

In the cramped space, there were no toys or posters of female celebrities.

The desk was piled with stacks of conspicuous academic books, "World History," "On Monarchs," "Criminal Psychology," etc.

One book laid open on the cover, titled "General Theory of Criminal Law."

Fang Cheng sat down, picked up the alarm clock, and glanced at the time.

10:29.

"I can still study for an hour and a half."

He set the timer function first, then took a deep breath.

At the same time, he silently recited in his heart:

"Concentration Skill, activate!"

"Speed Reading Skill, activate!"

In an instant, Fang Cheng's gaze calmed, as if a button was pressed in his mind.

All the troubled thoughts from before were cast out far and beyond.

The noise around him, the sound of car horns, babies' cries, also gradually receded and disappeared...

Fang Cheng sat still, his expression becoming utterly calm, but his pupils moved rapidly.

Almost every 3 to 4 seconds, his fingers flipped through a page of the book.

His eyes shining brightly, like a laser printer scanning and recording the content of the textbooks.

The second hand of the alarm clock ticked with each movement.

As the thick book was flipped through, the pages left gradually diminished.

Suddenly——

Fang Cheng's brows furrowed tightly, his face showing signs of pain.

Almost at the same time, the alarm clock also emitted an irritating "ding ling ling" sound.

He immediately dropped the book and pressed the off button.

Then he vigorously rubbed his forehead and temples with both hands to alleviate the throbbing pain in his head.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that his tense face relaxed and he exhaled deeply.

In front of him, rows of small characters scrolled and appeared.

[Your Concentration Skill Experience +1]

[Your Speed Reading Skill Experience +1]

[Your Concentration Skill Experience +2]

[Your Speed Reading Skill Experience +2]

[Warning! You have slightly overtaxed your Spirit, and your physical condition is poor. Please rest.]

"It seems that using both skills at the same time, I can last at most one hour..."

Fang Cheng's complexion was somewhat pale as he continued to slowly rub his forehead.

Both "Concentration" and "Speed Reading" had been upgraded to lv1, and indeed their effects were significantly more pronounced.

Correspondingly, the energy consumption, like Experience Points, counted in half-hour increments and increased linearly.

The specific differences should be related to the Spirit Attribute.

Fang Cheng closed his eyes, reflected for a moment, and his face showed a relieved expression.

Just now, his reading speed was incredibly fast.

He had successfully muddled through thick tomes over a thousand pages of dense legal provisions.

In the past, this would have been unthinkable.

Though it was but a cursory reading, grasping the general content outline.

But that's alright, he could continue to read in-depth several times more and delve into contemplative digestion.

The so-called Reviewing the Old to Understand the New was precisely this.

After a short rest, Fang Cheng began to review starting from the first page.

However, this time his spirit might have been too exhausted, or perhaps distractions were resurrecting.

He couldn't maintain the state required for using the skills, let alone the concentration level needed for normal studying.

"Sigh——"

Fang Cheng simply closed the book, picked up the eye drops, and dripped a few into his sore eyes.

With his eyes closed, the light blue interface reappeared in his mind.

Looking at the panel listing various Skills, his thoughts couldn't help but flit around.

All these were his gains over the past two months.

Different Skills represented different development directions.

Cooking Skill? Continue to upgrade and become a Special Grade Chef, State Banquet Chef, Food God?

Cleaning? Become a Cleaning Expert and start a cleaning company?

Boxing? Fight in professional matches, win championship titles in various events, compete for the title of Boxing King?

Human energy is ultimately limited, and career planning also needs to be clear-cut, emphasizing prioritization.

Which path should he choose in the future?

Ever since he unlocked the "Boxing" Skill a week ago, this question had always lingered in Fang Cheng's mind.

Pursue a postgraduate degree and then acquire a Master's degree.

After that, using the degree to work in the legal department of a company or a law firm.

Or stay in academia, progressively advance in professional titles and rise to lecturer, associate professor, professor...

If not for Golden Finger, choosing this path would no doubt be the most in line with his personal circumstances and family background.

"But——"

"What if this world isn't as mundane as it seems on the surface?"

Fang Cheng suddenly remembered the evening of his sixth birthday.

His father, hiding a gun, the resolute silhouette as he walked out the door.

And that last message:

"Live well, being ordinary is enough!"

The night grew deeper, and waves of cold washed over him.

Fang Cheng rubbed his hands together, exhaling a breath of warm air.

Staring out at the neon lights blurring outside, at the dark and chilly city, his eyes shimmered, his mind awash with thoughts.

Money, power, law, class, profession...

These, after all, are but external constructs attached to human society.

"What if I can evolve endlessly, break through the limitations of the body, and transcend all social rules..."

Fang Cheng's eyes blazed with fiery passion, as if a dormant beast in his heart was being awakened.

Whatever choices lie ahead, a strong and robust physique was clearly the greatest asset.

With this thought, he immediately picked up a ballpoint pen and opened his diary.

The tip of the pen skimmed over the paper, scribbling down a line.

"Fitness plan, Prisoner's Training..."