20: Chapter 20 [Social Dimension] Upgrade Coming Soon

After the meal, Chen Zhen returned to his room to study.

Today's tasks still required reading.

He opened the next chapter of "Decisive Moments in History" and read about the Battle of Waterloo.

Marshal Grouchy's momentary hesitation changed the history of all of Europe.

Halfway through, the system panel suddenly popped up a notification:

[Deep empathy and historical reflection detected]

[Social Dimension experience + 6]

[Current Social Dimension: 82 / 100]

Shouldn't reading normally add to Learning Dimension?

Why did it add to Social Dimension?

Could it be...

Adding points to Social Dimension isn't limited to interactions between people.

Does it count for people and history too?

He wasn't very sure, but for now, this was the only reasonable explanation.

But it's a minor issue; getting points is always good.

He continued reading.

Since he discovered that reading could also add Social Dimension points, Chen Zhen read for a bit longer today.

He gained another 5 points of Social Dimension experience.

87 / 100.

Only 13 points left.

He closed the book and began his summary for the day.

The system panel displayed:

[Day 11 Completion Status]

[Morning run 4 km (Breakthrough limit)]

[Learning Dimension upgraded to Lv.2, gained ability [Deep Understanding]]

[Completed first part-time job]

[Total gained: Cultivation + 7.56]

[Current total Cultivation: 22.48 / 100]

[Health Dimension: 35.2 / 200]

[Learning Dimension: 5.7 / 200 (post-upgrade)]

[Social Dimension: 87 / 100]

[Skill Dimension (Cooking: 42 / 100, Organizing: 12 / 100)]

[Special Note: Social Dimension is about to unlock]

Maybe it will unlock tomorrow.

Chen Zhen lay down on the bed.

He felt that his life had been exceptionally fulfilling lately.

He felt a bit tired.

He performed a few rounds of Abdominal Breathing, and the Qi slowly circulated within his body.

The fatigue was carried away bit by bit, replaced by a profound sense of calm.

The system panel finally appeared:

[Hundred-Day Foundation Building progress: 22.48% Assessment: Good]

[Suggestion: Maintain the rhythm, seek progress while staying stable]

He drifted into sleep.

...

On the twelfth day, Chen Zhen woke up on his own before the alarm rang.

It was still gray outside the window.

He lay there without moving, first taking a slow breath in, then exhaling slowly.

After repeating this a few times, the lingering sleepiness on his body had mostly dissipated.

With a thought, the translucent system panel appeared before his eyes, his gaze landing directly on that column:

[Social Dimension: 87 / 100]

Only thirteen points left.

If he pushed hard today, he might actually make it.

He got up, got dressed, and walked to the living room; his father was already sitting at the table.

Today, his father had changed into clean work clothes, combed his hair, and was drinking porridge.

"Dad, so early today?"

"Yeah, first day of training, can't be late." His father didn't even look up.

His mother came out from the kitchen, serving another bowl of porridge: "Is it far?"

"East Suburbs, takes over an hour by bus." His father took the bowl. "Have to leave at six-thirty."

Chen Zhen glanced at the clock on the wall; it was five-fifty.

He needed to leave quickly.

"I'm going for a run."

"Go ahead," his father said briefly.

The morning air was chilly, the streetlights hadn't turned off yet, and their halos dissolved into the thin mist.

Chen Zhen walked quickly toward the Riverside, running through today's tasks in his mind: running, reading, going to the Bookstore in the afternoon...

The old man was already at the Riverside.

Today, he wasn't standing or sitting, but practicing Tai Chi.

The movements were so slow it felt like time had been stretched, yet every posture was incredibly stable, as if his feet had taken root.

Chen Zhen stood by and watched.

He had learned these 24 forms in PE class.

But the way the old man performed them was different—more rounded, more fluid.

The entire set of movements flowed like clouds and water, without a single hitch.

When the old man finished, Chen Zhen finally spoke up: "Old man."

"You're here?" The old man turned his face. "Today I'll teach you something else. Watch closely."

He started again, performing only the opening form and the "Parting the Wild Horse's Mane" move, then stopped. "See anything?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment: "...It looks like drawing circles."

"That's right." The old man nodded.

"Tai Chi is all about circular rotation; the force isn't straight, it travels in a winding path."

He walked to Chen Zhen's side and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't use brute force. Think with this." He tapped his own temple.

"Imagine your hand is pushing a ball. It's elastic; you push it, and it pushes back against you."

Chen Zhen closed his eyes and tried to follow suit.

As his palm moved forward, it felt like it was truly pressing against something.

Following that resistance, he guided it to the side, drawing an arc.

He tried again, and it was indeed smoother.

[Learning Tai Chi basics, Health Dimension experience + 12]

[Mastered the secret of 'using intent, not force']

[Breathing Method synchronization rate increased, current mastery: 25%]

A few lines of text quietly appeared.

"Starting to look like something." The old man stepped back two paces. "Carry this feeling when you run. Don't just think about pushing off the ground; think about your body flowing forward on its own."

These words were a bit mystical. Chen Zhen didn't fully understand, but he replied anyway: "I'll try."

"Go on, four kilometers as usual."

It felt awkward when he started running. Trying deliberately to find that "flowing" sensation made him unsure of how to position his hands and feet.

After running for one kilometer, he simply stopped thinking about it and let his body run on its own.

Once he let go, something miraculous happened.

Between the lifting and landing of his legs, that "intent" the old man mentioned earlier surfaced on its own.

He wasn't "running"; it was more like he was being pushed forward by the morning breeze, gliding along.

His breathing was steady and long, his steps light and swift, and his entire body relaxed.

Around three kilometers in, the system panel prompted:

[Entered 'Body-Intent Unity' state, all conversion efficiency increased by 35%]

After finishing the four kilometers, the harvest was even greater than yesterday:

[Morning run completed (4 km), Health Dimension experience + 10.2]

[Cultivation + 0.28]

[Tai Chi basics mastery: Beginner (8%)]

[Breathing Method mastery: Beginner (30%)]

While stretching, he felt a warm heat seeping through his joints, which was very comfortable.

The old man came over carrying a water bottle: "How was it?"

"...Smooth." Chen Zhen wiped away his sweat. "Like water."

The old man laughed: "Not bad Comprehension Ability. See you tomorrow."

He got home at seven-ten.

His father had already left, and his mother was hanging laundry on the balcony.

Seeing him return, she asked: "Done running?"

"Yeah."

"Wash up and eat."

Breakfast was steamed buns, soy milk, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

As Chen Zhen ate, his mother sat opposite him, flipping through an old notebook with slightly furrowed brows.

"Mom, what are you looking at?"

"The household accounts." His mother didn't look up. "Calculating how to get through this month."

Chen Zhen put down his chopsticks: "Is... the money still enough?"

"It's enough, after all, we have the shop money to cover it." His mother paused. "Your dad doesn't get paid for these three days of training, and next month's salary won't be issued until the end of the month."

"It's always a bit unsettling. Let's be frugal, but no need to be too anxious."

"Yeah."

Chen Zhen finished the last bit of soy milk in his bowl, then got up to clear the dishes.

"Leave it there, I'll wash them."

"I'll wash them." Chen Zhen carried the bowls into the kitchen.

The faucet splashed noisily.

He washed them very carefully, scrubbing the edges and bottoms of the bowls.

When he was washing the third one, his mother walked in and stood behind him.

"You... earned thirty yesterday?"

His mother's voice was soft.

"Yeah."

"Is the work at the Bookstore tiring?"

"Not tiring, just organizing books."

"Is the boss a good person?"

"A very nice old man."

His mother was silent for a moment.

"What's wrong, Mom? Didn't I tell you all this when I came back yesterday?"

"Your dad... he doesn't mind you working, he's just afraid you'll get distracted and neglect your studies."

"I know."

"As long as you know."

His mother's voice became even softer.

"Mom feels really warm inside; my son knows how to look after the family now."

"I know that too, Mom. Didn't we talk about this yesterday?"

[Deep communication with mother, Social Dimension experience + 5]

[Current Social Dimension: 92 / 100]

Eight points left.

"Mom." Chen Zhen dried his hands and turned around. "I won't fall behind in my studies. The job is only for a little while in the afternoon; it won't interfere."

"Yeah."

His mother looked up at him, then suddenly reached out and brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair from his forehead.

"Mom believes in you."

[Gained mother's trust, Social Dimension experience + 3]

[Current Social Dimension: 95 / 100]

Only five points left.

Reading in the morning, his mind was exceptionally clear.

That newly acquired [Deep Understanding] ability seemed to have truly started working.

A glance at a math problem, and the diagrams built themselves in his mind.

After reading a physics problem, the knowns and unknowns were perfectly clear.

Before ten o'clock, today's math and science tasks were completed, and the Learning Dimension increased by twenty-eight points.