Chapter 2: A Mediocre Identity, an Ordinary World, and Simple Training

After rummaging through boxes and cabinets, I found this world's proof of identity. My luck isn't bad; this person is also named Zhao Lingyu, so I don't have to change my name, which would have felt a bit strange. (Actually, it's just that the author is terrible at naming things and was too lazy to come up with a new one.) Then, based on information from the mobile phone and such, I roughly deduced my experiences in this world.

Simply put, I am another orphan from the Qidian Orphanage, having grown up normally, gone to school normally, and after graduating high school while working part-time, I normally rewarded myself by playing games for two straight nights, only to die suddenly from exhaustion...

"Tsk, kicked the bucket after just two nights? That shouldn't happen given this physical constitution. My luck is a bit rotten. Could this guy also be an 'E-rank Luck' person? Damn, I hope my E-rank luck plus his E-rank luck can make a positive, otherwise, I might get hit by a car the moment I step outside."

If I hadn't dug out the ID, I really wouldn't have been able to tell I had just graduated high school when I looked in the mirror earlier. After all, having pulled two all-nighters, I look quite weathered."

"But what's the situation with this world? I just used the phone to browse the web, and I didn't see anything different. It's all ordinary news about daily necessities, celebrity scandals, and the like. I don't see anything eerie or supernatural. Could it be that spiritual energy has just begun to recover? Or is it hidden too deep? Whatever, forget it. Now that I have a system and cultivation techniques, I'll just stand tall myself. No matter what I face later, as long as I'm strong enough, I won't fear anything."

However, there is another problem. This identity (hereafter referred to as Zhao Lingyu) has just graduated high school, and Zhao Lingyu doesn't intend to go to college again. But there isn't much money on hand. After all, as an orphan, it was already good enough to have finished high school while working part-time; there's no way much money could have been saved.

"Hmm... there's a little over five thousand yuan left in the card. The purchasing power is about the same as in the original world. This one-bedroom apartment costs 500 yuan a month in rent, plus food and drink, it won't last long. It seems I have to find a way to make money."

But speaking of making money, Zhao Lingyu can't think of any good ways. After all, I'm sick of that programmer job, and I don't have any leads on other methods for now. As a young person who has lived for so many years in a society with a sound legal system, I can't think of any way to make money other than working a job without breaking the law. As for starting a business and being the boss, stop joking. If I could think of a good business idea, would I be here typing in the middle of the night...

"Forget it, the cart will find its way when it reaches the mountain. Leave tomorrow's worries to tomorrow's self. Today, let's do what needs to be done right now. Let's look at the cultivation techniques first; that's the real business."

Then Zhao Lingyu opened the system and browsed through the Physical Training Method and the Mental Training Method.

"Tsk, simply put, the physical training method is just ordinary exercise, but by following this set of movements in the system-produced training method, one can exercise more comprehensively, improve the body more thoroughly, and not leave behind any hidden illnesses or injuries. Then, relying on the system's help, I can break through physical limits without bottlenecks and become stronger. It's a bit different from the cultivation techniques I imagined."

"If that's the case, even without this physical training method, if I went to the gym every day and relied on the system's unlimited cumulative improvement, I could become a superman after a long time. Forget it, the Great Dao is simple; sometimes being simple is the strongest, just like that bald guy Saitama. Following this logic, the mental training method is probably about the same—all so simple and ordinary, then relying on the system to cheat."

Sure enough, after a rough look, the mental training method is also this simple: ordinary sitting meditation, which can recover physical strength and energy faster, and then improve mental power.

"Alright, although it looks simple, seeing it a lot is not as good as trying it out. Since that's the case, let's tidy up and start cultivating. I don't know if this counts as immortal cultivation or martial arts, Xianxia or Wuxia..."

After thinking about these random things, Zhao Lingyu found two packs of Master Kong instant noodles in the kitchen.

I simply boiled two packs of instant noodles, and after eating, I tidied up the room. After cleaning, I moved some clutter in the living room, like tables and chairs, to the corner. After all, it's just a small one-bedroom apartment; if I don't clear some space, there's no room to exercise, and I can't perform any slightly larger movements. Although there aren't any big movements to perform... it's not like I'm practicing breakdancing, but there should always be a sense of ritual.

It's not suitable to exercise immediately after eating, especially with high-intensity movements that consume physical strength. So, using the time spent sitting on the bed to digest, and after carefully reading the physical training method one last time to ensure there were no omissions or special precautions—just that I needed to simply follow the system-produced movements—Zhao Lingyu began the first cultivation, or rather, training, in this world.

Two hours later...

"Phew... phew... although it looks similar to fitness exercises, it's genuinely exhausting. Phew... but this feeling of being drenched in sweat is quite refreshing. Unlike before, I couldn't run two steps without being out of breath before even breaking a sweat. You don't know until you compare; having a good body is still very important. If it were my previous body, even with the training method, I would have been exhausted to death before finishing. Even with this new body, before receiving the system's starter pack attribute points, I would have struggled to complete a full set."

"Let's take this opportunity to try the mental training method and recover some physical strength."

Thinking this, Zhao Lingyu sat cross-legged in the living room and began sitting meditation.

About an hour later, Zhao Lingyu opened his eyes. "This mental training method is quite useful. Before, just after exercising, I felt sore all over. If I didn't have this mental training method to meditate and recover, I feel like it would take at least two or three days of rest to recover. Now, after sitting in meditation for an hour or so, I've recovered almost completely. Let's strike while the iron is hot and do another set of the physical training method."

Zhao Lingyu tried to stand up, Zhao Lingyu failed to stand up, his legs were numb...

"Emmm... I'm not used to sitting meditation for the first time, and maybe my posture wasn't standard enough... Forget it, let me rest for a bit. System, open the panel."

"Ding, system panel opened. Host information is as follows:

Body: 2.1

Speed: 2.1

Intelligence: 2.1

Possessed Techniques: Physical Training Method, Mental Training Method"

"Huh?! It went up by 0.1 just like that. If we calculate based on an average person's three attribute values being 1, then this three-hour workout equals a comprehensive 10% improvement! And I didn't do any running or reaction drills, yet speed also went up by 0.1. It seems these two training methods are indeed quite comprehensive; physical strength and mental intensity improved, and along with them, thinking, reaction, and body speed all improved together."

I clenched my fist and flexed my muscles; I could indeed feel the progress in strength. Strike while the iron is hot, let's go again.

Just as Zhao Lingyu was thinking about going again, his stomach rumbled.

"Uh... I only ate two packs of instant noodles after waking up. With this much training volume, I should be hungry. I guess I didn't notice while meditating, and that little bit of food should have been consumed long ago after the workout. Forget it, let's go out and eat something. If I keep training like this, the nutrition and energy from instant noodles won't keep up." Zhao Lingyu thought to himself.

Afterwards, he got up, took a shower, changed his clothes, and went out to forage for food.