Chapter 115 - 86: Caught in the Act

To climb a street lamp over 10 meters tall, a regular repairman would need a cherry picker, or at the very least, professional climbing spikes and a non-slip safety harness.

Yet Chen Jue hadn’t used any of those tools. He had managed to conquer the street lamp with nothing but his bare hands, giving off the distinct impression that he’d been possessed by Spider-Man.

’Another Attribute critical hit!’

’It really is true... the more I court death, the more effective it is!’

A corner of Chen Jue’s mouth curled up as he read the notification on the panel. Before anyone could spot him, he hugged the pole, slowly loosened the grip of his legs, and began to slide down bit by bit from a height of twenty meters.

The closer he got to the ground, the more his tense nerves began to relax. It wasn’t until his feet were firmly on the pavement that his pounding heart finally began to settle.

"Phew... What a rush!" Chen Jue let out a long breath, immensely satisfied by the sense of accomplishment that came with landing safely.

The moment Chen Jue landed, the panel came through, displaying a notification for [+150 Climbing Skill Level]. The reward was much higher than what he’d gotten from climbing the two roadside trees earlier.

Based on his deductions, Chen Jue figured the system registered any related limb movement as [Climbing], whether he was going up or down.

And the greater the height and difficulty of the climb, the higher the Skill Level reward.

It was just like the video games he played—the difficulty was directly proportional to the reward.

...

Having conquered the street lamp, Chen Jue cautiously scanned his surroundings.

The road outside Wangyang Apartment was a dead end, blocked off by the T-shaped perimeter wall of Jiang University.

At night, hardly anyone wandered this way. Furthermore, with the roadside trees obscuring the view, it was difficult to see the top of the street lamp from below.

Besides, people these days were always staring down at their phones. Their awareness of their surroundings had plummeted. Most wouldn’t even look up at the sky while walking down the street, let alone notice a person who had suddenly "sprouted" from a street lamp.

’Good thing this place is pretty secluded. It would’ve been a hassle if a crowd gathered.’ Chen Jue thought. ’Climbing a street lamp isn’t illegal, but I don’t want to be the center of attention.’

Once his racing heart had completely calmed, Chen Jue walked briskly back to his apartment.

The full day of studying and exercising had completely drained him of both physical and mental energy.

He had only managed to climb the tree and the street lamp by using the small amount of energy he’d recovered after dinner.

Now that he was done, his whole body felt weak, as if he’d been completely hollowed out.

He carried the new foldable bathtub he’d bought into the bathroom, unfolded it, and slowly filled it with hot water, tossing in a medicinal bath packet for good measure.

The seller had claimed it was a special medicinal bath packet from the Yao Race—a national-level intangible cultural heritage—containing over a dozen medicinal herbs.

Prolonged soaking was said to help expel dampness, improve blood circulation, and reduce swelling—a traditional health remedy of the Yao Race used specifically for lower back strain, bruises, and impact injuries.

Chen Jue had no idea if this stuff was as miraculous as the Taobao seller claimed, but as long as it worked better than a regular hot shower, he’d be happy.

...

He stripped off his clothes and sank into the tub. The hot, herb-scented water enveloped his skin.

Compared to a quick shower, soaking in a bath was far more effective at relieving fatigue.

The moment he submerged himself, Chen Jue couldn’t help but let out a sigh: "So comfortable!"

He leaned back against the edge of the tub, the feeling of his entire body being immersed in the hot water incredibly relaxing.

Gradually, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and dozed off for a bit.

To his surprise, after he’d been soaking for about ten minutes, a new notification popped up on the panel:

——————

[Ding!]

[Under the combined stimulation of hot water and medicinal herbs, you have completed a highly efficient bodily recovery exercise.]

[Your blood circulation and metabolism have accelerated. Accumulated waste and toxins have been effectively expelled from your body. The lactic acid buildup in your muscles has been broken down at an increased rate, relieving your muscle soreness.]

[The hot water has stimulated and softened your skin, promoting the discharge of sweat and sebum.]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

——————

’The medicinal bath actually works?’

’Worthy of being an intangible cultural heritage!’

Chen Jue’s eyes snapped open. The unexpected Attribute increase completely chased away his drowsiness.

He’d thought the two or three hundred he’d spent online for the tub and bath packets would be nothing more than a placebo. He never expected they could actually stimulate an improvement in his physical fitness.

’Money well spent!’ Chen Jue was in a great mood. He soaked a while longer, not getting out until the water began to cool and his fingers had turned pruney and white.

But unexpectedly, the panel seemed to be going haywire tonight, as another notification popped up:

——————

[Ding!]

[In order to adapt to the wet and slippery underwater environment, the skin on your palms and soles has wrinkled. This is a result of your sympathetic nervous system frequently releasing neural signals to increase the frictional grip of your hands and feet. You have completed a successful environmental adaptation neural exercise.]

[Spirit Attribute +0.01]

——————

’What?’

’Neural exercise?’

’A bath can do that?’

Reading the new notification on the panel, Chen Jue hurriedly changed into his pajamas and scrambled into bed to avoid catching a cold from the draft after his bath.

He pulled his laptop onto the bed and did a quick search, only to realize just how wrong his old assumptions had been.

According to current scientific research, the reason fingers wrinkle after being soaked in water for a long time isn’t what most people believe: that water molecules permeate the skin, entering the dermis and epidermis and causing the outer layer to swell. This is the common misconception of the skin "absorbing water."