15: Chapter 15 [Health Dimension Lv.1→Lv.2]

The text on the system panel appeared, then faded.

"Right, that's exactly what I mean."

"Maintain this rhythm. Inhale for a count of three, hold for one, and exhale for a count of four. You don't need to actually count; just get a feel for the duration, and that'll do."

Chen Zhen followed along.

He inhaled, his stomach slowly expanding.

He held it, the Qi suspended within his body.

He exhaled, his stomach slowly deflating.

Once, twice, three times.

Gradually, the surrounding sounds of birds chirping, the river, and the distant rumble of tires on the road all blended together and blurred.

In the world around Chen Zhen, it seemed as if only his own breathing remained.

Inhale, exhale, inhale again, exhale again.

He didn't know how much time had passed when the old man's voice pulled him back: "That's enough."

Chen Zhen opened his eyes.

The sky was bright, and the fog had mostly dissipated.

The river surface was illuminated by the sun, shimmering with fragments of golden light.

Is it really this effective...

Why does he feel like the world has opened up?

"How are you feeling?" the old man asked.

"...My mind is calm."

"Calm is exactly right."

"Now, go for a run while holding onto that calmness."

The old man sat back down on the bench. "Don't overthink your posture, don't overthink your breathing; just hold onto that calmness."

"Alright." Chen Zhen nodded, stepped onto the track, and started running slowly.

For the first few hundred meters, he still unconsciously wanted to adjust his posture and control his breathing.

But slowly, his body found its own rhythm.

He stopped paying attention to his body and let it run on its own.

His steps landed on their own, and his breathing adjusted itself.

Gradually, that sense of deliberateness vanished.

In its place was a fluid, almost instinctual state.

When he reached one kilometer, a line of text flashed across the system panel:

[Entered Natural State: All conversion efficiency increased by 20%]

He didn't look closely and kept running.

By the time he reached two kilometers, the experience growth rate of the Health Dimension had clearly accelerated.

The wind whipped past his ears, carrying the fishy scent of the river mixed with the smell of grass.

There was some soreness in his left calf, but it was very slight and not a big issue.

After three kilometers, he leaned against the railing to catch his breath.

Sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the ground.

A string of numbers popped up on the system panel, but he wasn't in a rush to look at them.

He felt this state was... very comfortable.

Although his body was tired, his mind was truly calm.

The old man walked over and handed him a water bottle. "Same time tomorrow."

"Okay."

Chen Zhen took the water and took a big gulp.

"Does this Breathing Method... have a name?"

Although the system panel had given him a prompt calling it Abdominal Breathing.

He still wanted to ask what the old man called it.

"Breathing needs a name?" The old man laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching up. "As long as you can breathe smoothly, that's all that matters."

It was a very simple and unadorned response.

He picked up his cloth bag, turned to leave, and then stopped:

"Before bed, stand on one leg—five minutes on the left, five minutes on the right. You can hold onto a wall, but it's best not to."

"Okay, I'll remember that."

The old man's back grew smaller in the morning light, his dark blue jacket gradually blending into the radiance.

Chen Zhen leaned against the railing to rest; the wind blowing on his face felt refreshing.

He opened the system panel. Not bad, not bad; today's gains were another notch higher than yesterday's.

[Morning run completed: Health Dimension experience +4.8]

[Cultivation +0.19]

[Posture correction progress: 12%]

[Breathing Method mastery: Beginner (5%)]

While stretching, Chen Zhen felt his body was more relaxed than ever before.

It wasn't the relaxation of exhaustion, but rather a kind of... elasticity, a lightness ready to burst forth at any moment.

At 7:15, Chen Zhen arrived home.

His mother was hanging clothes on the balcony, damp bedsheets fluttering in the wind.

She turned her head, her movements pausing:

"Oh, son, you're back. Your complexion today... it looks especially good!"

Chen Zhen wiped away his sweat. "Running is like that. Wasn't it good the past few days?"

"You looked rosy after running the past few days too, but today, it feels like your entire spirit has changed."

She continued hanging the clothes; the hangers clinked crisply against the drying rack.

Could it be because he learned the Breathing Method?

Breakfast was plain porridge and pickled vegetables.

Chen Zhen filled a big bowl, added some pickled vegetables, and mixed them into the porridge.

His mother sat opposite him, holding her bowl, but she didn't eat.

Chen Zhen sensed something was off and looked up.

"Mom, why aren't you eating?"

"Your dad received a call this morning," she said suddenly.

Chen Zhen lowered his eyes, staring at his food, feeling a vague premonition that it was bad news.

"His company called him in for a talk."

Her voice was flat, as if she were talking about the nice weather. "It's probably about the layoffs."

His spoon hit the edge of the bowl with a soft clinking sound.

"Has it been decided?"

"Not yet."

His mother lowered her head, poking at her bowl with her chopsticks. "But it's likely."

The steam from the porridge rose, blurring her face.

"It hasn't been decided yet, Mom."

"Yeah... well, that's life. Stay optimistic." Although she said that, her smile looked a bit forced.

Naturally, it's hard to be optimistic about something like this right away.

"We still have the shop; at least food and shelter definitely won't be an issue. You don't need to worry too much; just focus on your studies."

His mother's tone was firm.

Chen Zhen opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

He lowered his head and continued drinking his porridge.

Today's porridge felt a bit bitter.

Chen Zhen's efficiency during his morning studies was very high.

It must have been the Breathing Method from this morning that made his brain clearer.

He wondered if the bonus from the Natural State could extend to when he was doing problems.

When doing problems today, he could see the direction to solve the difficult questions on his math paper at a glance.

For the comprehensive physics problems, he solved them using only one method, whereas he had tried three yesterday.

Hiss... could he really be a Genius?

The system panel kept popping up high-efficiency notifications:

[Problem-solving speed increased by 30%]

[Understanding depth increased by 25%]

[Learning Dimension experience acquisition speed +40%]...

By eleven o'clock, he had already completed more than half of today's study tasks.

Chen Zhen stretched his body and opened the system panel.

"Come on, come on, let me see where the progress bar is at."

[Health Dimension: 25/100]

[Upgrade conditions met]

[Upgrade immediately?]

Does he even need to ask? Absolutely!

Chen Zhen selected Yes.

The system panel flickered, all text disappeared, and it turned into a pure blue color.

A few seconds later, new text appeared:

[Health Dimension upgrade: Lv.1 → Lv.2]

[Ability obtained: [Rapid Recovery]]

[Effect: Light injury/fatigue recovery speed ×2]

[Upgrade reward obtained: Cultivation +5]

[Health Dimension cap increased to 200]

"Rapid Recovery," Chen Zhen read aloud.

"It means... it doesn't heal serious injuries, but accelerates the body's natural recovery process."

"Scrapes, bruises, muscle soreness, mental fatigue... for these daily minor injuries, the recovery time is halved."

Wow, super practical.

The 5 points of Cultivation from the upgrade reward were credited directly, and his total Cultivation jumped to 15.56.

Progress: 15.56%.

Not bad, not bad; he was one big step closer to Foundation Establishment.

Chen Zhen clenched his fist.

He felt that something was indeed different within his body.

It wasn't a sudden burst of strength, but a more internal, more fundamental change.

It was as if... the machine's parts had been replaced with new ones, running much more smoothly.

He took a few deep breaths; that feeling of Abdominal Breathing was still there.

Each time he inhaled, he felt the breath could sink to a deeper place.

Each time he exhaled, it carried away a hint of fatigue.

Was this... very similar to the breathing techniques in Cultivating?

It's just that the Spiritual Qi in his world is very thin, so the effect is not as obvious as it would be in the Immortal Realm.