Chapter 118 - 88: Arrow with Serpentine Movement

’The panel updated and upgraded?’

’Is it because I’ve grasped the panel’s true purpose?’

As the notification popped up from the panel, Chen Jue, who had been wracking his brain, instantly regained his clarity.

He tried to open the text box in his vision again, and the panel displayed normally. The Three-dimensional Attribute, Skill Bar, and character evaluation were all still there.

However, a new line of text had appeared at the very bottom: [Updating...].

In addition, a countdown clock showing [23:59] had appeared at the very top of the panel.

’Could this panel be related to the information and knowledge I master?’

’It can actually have version updates!’

Chen Jue was filled with a sense of awe and confusion. The meaning of "natural selection, survival of the fittest" he’d just heard in class hadn’t just given him an epiphany—to his surprise, it had also spurred the Attribute panel he relied on to evolve.

He glanced at the now-noisy classroom. On the podium, Wu Yingxue had finished assigning the classwork and was packing up his materials, ready to end the class.

Before he left, however, Mr. Wu shot a meaningful glance toward Chen Jue in the back row.

’That kid was actually daydreaming in my class?’

’Is he just some absent-minded fool, or did he actually have a breakthrough during my lecture?’ Wu Yingxue mused.

Clearly, Chen Jue—the auditing student with a "special relationship" with his daughter—had left a very deep first impression on Mr. Wu.

As for Zheng Yuan, when he saw Chen Jue snap out of his pensive state, he poked him and whispered in surprise, "Brother Jue! What was that all about? My uncle totally saw you spacing out!"

Compared to the perfectly calm Chen Jue—his potential future brother-in-law—Zheng Yuan was clearly far more invested in his cousin’s love life. He was more anxious about it than the people actually involved.

"I was just engrossed in the lecture. Teacher Wu’s genetics course is really good."

"Sorry about that!"

Chen Jue smiled faintly and patted Zheng Yuan’s shoulder, signaling for him to calm down. He stood, gathered his textbooks, and planned to find a place to test his earlier hypothesis about the panel’s Skills.

"Engrossed in the lecture?"

"Isn’t the stuff my uncle teaches just the most basic material for first-year students?" Zheng Yuan was a bit stunned, unable to follow Chen Jue’s train of thought.

He had no choice but to gather up his materials and chase after Chen Jue to inform him that his bizarre research project was scheduled to begin testing this Saturday.

Chen Jue’s interest was piqued when he heard the news. "Is Saturday enough time? Didn’t your sister have a cold and a fever?"

"Bah! Don’t you worry, Brother Jue! With my sister’s physique, a minor issue like a cold and a fever will be gone in two or three days. I guarantee she’ll be there on Saturday."

Zheng Yuan puffed out his chest and made a guarantee, selling out his cousin in just a few words. A total little brat, no doubt about it.

「...」

After leaving the academic building, Chen Jue said goodbye to Zheng Yuan.

Zheng Yuan had to go help his uncle with some class-related chores, so Chen Jue didn’t linger, anxious to test the new idea he’d had about his Skills.

’If the prerequisite for the panel to record a Skill is based on the ideas in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution... and if a Skill’s purpose is to help the human body better adapt to harsh survival conditions...’

’...whether for fighting off wild beasts, competing with other humans, or surviving harsh environments, then these next few Skills should definitely get registered!’ Chen Jue’s thoughts raced.

He was supposed to have a clinical medicine class that morning, but he couldn’t be bothered with that now. Verifying his theory was his top priority.

He left the university with his small bag on his back and jogged along the long road back to his apartment.

Now that he couldn’t vault over the wall anymore, it took Chen Jue an extra fifteen minutes to get back to his apartment.

Fortunately, his stamina was now plentiful, so a light jog like this was merely a warm-up for him.

He tossed his backpack full of textbooks onto the car seat, paid no mind to his sweat-soaked clothes, and drove straight to the sports and commercial park he’d visited before.

’Darts, Rock Climbing, golf... There! A multi-purpose archery range!’

Chen Jue searched the park and finally found an archery range, still in business, tucked away in a corner.

The sign at the entrance read "Kaiyu Archery." The indoor facility wasn’t large, only a little over five hundred square meters.

It wasn’t as impressive as the Darts club Zhu Hongbin had invested in, but the selection of equipment inside was complete, with everything from Compound Bows to traditional bows. At the far end, there was even a decent-sized indoor target range.

But since it was a weekday morning, not many people were there to try it out. A sales consultant who looked rather professional was making small talk with the young woman at the front desk.

When the consultant saw an unfamiliar customer like Chen Jue walk in, he hurried over to greet him. "Sir, are you a member?"

"No, this is my first time. I’d like to take a trial lesson to test the waters," Chen Jue said, shaking his head. He got straight to the point while sizing up the facility.

"In that case, please take a look at our price list. Our trial lessons are charged based on time."

"We don’t have any promotions right now. If you’d come during a holiday, I could’ve set you up with a free trial!" the consultant said enthusiastically, as he earned a commission on any lessons he sold.

After all, Archery, much like professional Darts and Rock Climbing, was a very niche sport. Not many people made a special trip to an archery range like this one.

"In that case, I’ll sign up for a one-hour trial lesson for now!"

Chen Jue glanced at the price list, then at the clock on the wall. One hour of practice would take him right up to lunchtime.

Still, the price of 88 yuan for a one-hour trial was a bit steep.