506: Chapter 506 represents luck, attribute point allocation.

Running back from Jiangbin Park to Jiuchang Street was a distance of about seven or eight kilometers.

For the current Fang Cheng, this journey was nothing more than a slightly lengthy walk.

He deliberately slowed his pace, carrying a heavy oiled paper bag in his hand, yet he still appeared to be striding forward with flying speed.

Inside the bag were freshly cooked pan-fried buns.

Fang Cheng had bought these on his way at a well-known old shop; they had thin wrappers, generous fillings, and crispy bottoms.

His mom used to love eating this exact food, but later, being busy making a living, she didn't eat it often.

By this time, it was around 7:30, and Jiuchang Street had completely awakened.

The narrow streets were mostly occupied by all sorts of breakfast stalls.

Youtiao tumbled and expanded in the boiling oil pan, plump white steamed buns gave off steam in the steamers, and there were also freshly cooked glutinous rice chicken and douhua.

The steaming aromas intertwined, making one's mouth water.

Aunties in pajamas carried vegetable baskets while haggling, and students with schoolbags rushed past with breakfast in their mouths.

Electric bikes and tricycles struggled to weave through the gaps in the crowd, and the whole street exuded vibrant vitality.

Fang Cheng walked through the noisy crowd and entered his family's Tubular Building with its slightly mottled outer walls.

Just as he stepped onto the second-floor stairs, he bumped head-on into a girl rushing downstairs.

The girl was wearing a simple beige floral dress and stepping on a pair of clean white canvas shoes.

On her back, she also carried a huge black guitar case, making her look somewhat strained.

The morning sunlight poured in through the hallway window, shining on her dark, soft long hair and plating it with a faint golden rim.

That unadorned face was as pure as a newly bloomed lily, with fair skin and a delicate, straight bridge of the nose.

Especially those eyes, bright and sparkling, like two black gemstones inlaid in a jade plate.

"Xiumei."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng immediately called out.

The girl's steps paused, and she abruptly raised her head.

When she saw the familiar face before her, her originally somewhat anxious expression was instantly filled with immense pleasant surprise.

"Brother Cheng?!"

Zhou Xiumei blurted out, her voice crisp and melodious, carrying a trace of undisguised jubilation.

"You... you're back?"

Fang Cheng had been on a business trip to Tiannan Province for nearly half a month, and after returning, he had been Running off his feet busy with the matter of setting up the Illuminati.

Although the two lived in the same building, they hadn't been able to run into each other all this time.

"Yeah, I just came back a few days ago."

Fang Cheng smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the guitar case on her back:

"Going out so early? Heading to the training class?"

"Yeah..."

Zhou Xiumei pressed her lips together somewhat bashfully, her fingers twisting her skirt hem:

"The auditions are this weekend, and the teacher said my high notes are still a bit unstable. I want to head over to the vocal music room a bit earlier to practice more."

Speaking of the competition, her tone revealed a trace of nervousness, and her eyes, like those of a startled fawn, blinked uneasily.

"What, lacking confidence?"

Fang Cheng raised his eyebrows slightly, his tone carrying a bit of teasing:

"Xiumei, your voice is very talented. As long as you perform normally, passing the auditions will definitely be no problem, and winning the grand champion in the future will be a piece of cake."

"Don't forget, you are our Jiuchang Street's Bailing."

Hearing this familiar banter, Zhou Xiumei burst out laughing, two flushes appearing on her cheeks, and her original nervousness dissipated a lot.

"Brother Cheng, you just like to coax me into happiness..."

"I'm serious."

Fang Cheng looked at her, suddenly as if remembering something: "Wait for me a moment."

Having said that, without waiting for Zhou Xiumei to react, he ran up to his home on the ninth floor in two or three steps.

Returning home, he first placed the pan-fried buns in his hand on the dining table.

Then he rushed into the bedroom, pulling out an exquisite dark blue velvet jewelry box from his shoulder bag.

Before his mom could call out to him, he thumped all the way down the stairs again.

"Here."

Fang Cheng handed the jewelry box to Zhou Xiumei.

Zhou Xiumei was stunned, looking at that box somewhat at a loss:

"This... what is it?"

"Open it and see."

Under Fang Cheng's encouraging gaze, she cautiously took the jewelry box and gently lifted the lid.

A slender platinum necklace lay quietly inside, with the pendant being a small four-leaf clover inlaid with a crystal-clear blue gemstone in the middle.

In the slightly dim hallway light, that trace of blue was quiet and profound, just like the look of pleasant surprise blooming in her eyes at this moment.

"So pretty..."

Zhou Xiumei let out a soft exclamation, covering her mouth, then looked somewhat flusteredly at Fang Cheng:

"Brother Cheng, this gift is too precious, I can't..."

"Just keep it."

Fang Cheng interrupted her refusal and said with a sincere tone:

"I bought this when I was on a business trip in Tiannan Province. When I saw this gemstone at the time, I felt it was especially clear and pure, matching your temperament very well."

"And I heard people say that the four-leaf clover represents luck. I thought the meaning was nice, so I bought it to give to you, hoping it can bring you good luck in this weekend's competition."

"Matching... my temperament?"

Zhou Xiumei murmured softly, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

Her cheeks instantly turned red to the roots of her ears, even dyeing her neck with a layer of pink.

Afterward, she tightly grasped the small box, feeling her palms burning hot.

"Alright, go quickly, don't be late."

Fang Cheng raised his fist and made a cheering gesture at her:

"Keep it up, oh, once you break into the grand finals, I'll celebrate for you."

"Mm!"

Zhou Xiumei nodded vigorously, putting the box away into her small carry-on bag as if it were a precious treasure.

She took a deep breath, hurriedly turned around, and quickly ran down the stairs.

After walking a few steps, she couldn't help turning back again, as if gathering all her courage, and said loudly to Fang Cheng:

"Brother Cheng, thank you! I will definitely work hard, and I'll come back to see you with the trophy!"

Having said that, she ran a few more steps, turned back once more, and waved vigorously.

Her skirt fluttered, and her long hair brushed lightly, looking like a butterfly about to spread its wings and fly in the morning light.

Fang Cheng stood at the stairwell, watching that youthful and vibrant figure recede, a smile curling up at the corner of his mouth unconsciously.

Returning to the ninth floor, he pushed open the front door.

The house was already permeated with the aroma of breakfast.

Li Biyun was carrying a pot of steaming millet porridge out of the kitchen. Seeing Fang Cheng changing his shoes in the entryway, she asked somewhat quizzically:

"Chengcheng, you just came back, why did you run out again so anxiously?"

"Oh, I just remembered I left something in the car, so I went down to get it."

Fang Cheng casually made up an excuse and pointed at the oiled paper bag on the table:

"Mom, have you tried the pan-fried buns? I specifically went to Wang's to buy them; they just came out of the pot and are piping hot."

"Wang's? Those require standing in a really long line."

With a gentle and graceful smile on her face, Li Biyun walked over to the dining table and set down the scalding casserole in her hand.

Afterward, she nimbly untied the oiled paper bag, and amidst the rising and falling of her chopsticks, she clipped the thin-wrapped, crispy-bottomed pan-fried buns one by one into a plate.

"Mm, they look good, and they still smell like that authentic scorched aroma."

"I remember you craved this bite the most when you were a kid, every time stuffing your cheeks until they were bulging, and able to eat five or six in one breath."

While speaking, she raised her eyes to scan her son, her gaze falling on the fine beads of sweat on Fang Cheng's temples, and she hurriedly urged:

"Go take a shower quickly, rinse off this sweat odor all over your body, and come out just in time to eat while it's hot."

"Yes, Mother Dear."

Fang Cheng smiled and gave a less-than-standard military salute, casually picked up the change of clothes draped over the back of the chair, and turned to walk into the washroom.

The old copper faucet was twisted open, letting out a muffled sound.

The icy tap water immediately flowed out with a rushing sound, gathering in the enamel washbasin.

Fang Cheng scooped up a handful of cold water, splashing it fiercely onto his face, then soaked a towel and vigorously wiped his chest and back.

The icy water current washed over muscles as taut as if cast from fine steel, taking away the stickiness and fatigue left over from morning exercise, refreshing his entire being.

He straightened his body, shaking his damp hair.

Afterward, while wiping his upper body with a towel, he faced the mirror, admiring his current explosive and bodybuilding Physique.

As his thoughts shifted, a light blue light screen quietly emerged on the water-droplet-covered mirror surface.

[Congratulations, through effort and persistence far exceeding ordinary people, your skill has reached the Great Master level]

[Running Lv2 (0/500)]

[Obtained skill enhancement reward, 9 free attribute points]

Several flickering, shimmering messages popped out one after another, reflected in Fang Cheng's pitch-black pupils.

Earlier during the morning run in the park, there were too many people and eyes around, so he gritted his teeth and chose not to allocate attributes immediately.

At this moment, facing the secret visible only to himself alone, the corner of his mouth finally couldn't help curling up into a satisfied arc.

This was truly wanting to sleep and having someone hand over a pillow.

Fang Cheng hung the towel around his neck, staring burning brightly at those 9 free attribute points.

His brain operated at high speed, beginning to plan the attribute allocation scheme.

His current panel data was:

[Strength: 65]

[Agility: 64]

[Physique: 76]

[Spirit: 70]

These 9 attribute points came just at the right time, practically tailor-made for breaking the Bottleneck.

First, take 4 free attribute points to add to Physique, pushing it directly to the 80-point milestone.

According to previous experiential speculation, 80 attribute points were extremely likely to be an absolute watershed of human physiological functions.

It might even be the key threshold for truly crossing over from a "Mortal" to a "Superman".

Once this shackle was broken, physical fitness would inevitably usher in a qualitative leap.

Fang Cheng's gaze flickered, unable to stop his thoughts from Running wild.

To what extent would defensive power be enhanced? Would ordinary small-caliber bullets hitting his body only leave a white mark?

How much would recovery capability increase? Would regenerating broken bones and recreating flesh become reality?

More importantly, the enhancement of Physique would inevitably feed back into the Inner Scene World.

That "Sun" hanging high in the depths of consciousness might burn even more fiercely.

The upper limit of True Qi reserves, the explosive power of Qigong, and even the comprehension of the "Dao of the Sun" might all rise concurrently.

Just imagining that feeling of his whole body being filled with endless power, as if a single punch could shatter a mountain, made his blood heat up restlessly.

As for the remaining 5 attribute points, they would all be added to Strength, making up exactly 70 points.

You must know that in the skill special effect description of Pull-up, it was written clearly and distinctly.

As long as the Strength attribute broke through 70 points, this skill would smoothly unlock a hidden special effect.

Although the specific effect was not yet clear, the increase in the Strength numerical value itself was already very considerable.

It was enough to push the power of skill special effects like "Demon Back", "Qilin Arm", and "Infinite Combo" up another flight of stairs.

Fang Cheng's spirits were high, his fists hanging by his sides couldn't help clenching slightly, and his knuckle joints made crisp cracking sounds.

However, just at the moment when he was ready to confirm with his mind and add the points on.

A terrifying scene suddenly flashed across his mind, like a basin of icy water poured directly over his head, causing him to abruptly halt this thought.

"No... I can't add them here."

Fang Cheng stared at himself in the mirror, his brows gradually furrowing tightly.

If 80 points in Physique was truly a major barrier to human limits.

Then the physical reaction triggered by breaking through this taboo would definitely be several times more violent than when he originally pushed 60 attribute points.

Not to mention the excruciating pain as if every cell in his whole body were being torn apart and reorganized.

The berserk appetite that followed right after the Breakthrough was the biggest trouble at present.

Fang Cheng was far too clear about that feeling.

It was like a starved ghost who had starved for several lifetimes being reincarnated, eager to swallow everything edible around him into his stomach.

If his willpower wasn't firm enough, the whole person would be completely controlled by appetite.

During several previous Breakthroughs, the refrigerator at home had been ransacked clean by him, and he even had the experience of swallowing raw rice whole.

That scene of red eyes and wolfing down food was simply comparable to a horror movie in the eyes of outsiders.

If it suddenly acted up now, turning the house upside down and making some monster-like actions, it would definitely scare his mom into a bad state.

Moreover, with the Strength attribute added to 70 points, his muscle dimensions would definitely swell accordingly.

Although it probably wouldn't turn into a very exaggerated body shape, his clothes being stretched tight and his figure suddenly becoming a size larger was certain.

These changes had to be carefully considered, making response plans in advance.

Otherwise, it would not only cause relatives and friends around him to be startled and suspicious, but it would more easily attract the attention of attentive people, exposing the abnormalities of his body.

In this sensitive period, any slight negligence could bring unpredictable consequences.

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment, reaching out to scoop up a handful of cold water and slap it onto his face.

Forcing himself to calm down, he quickly made a decision.

After finishing breakfast later, he would tell his mom, and then head to Haitian Garden.

He would first go to the large supermarket over there to purchase enough meat and high-calorie food, filling up the large freezer.

Making foolproof preparations before starting to allocate points.

If the physical changes after the Breakthrough were still within a controllable range, he would rush back to Jiuchang Street at night.

If the changes were really too big, or if that berserk appetite was hard to calm down.

Then he would simply find an excuse, saying he was participating in a closed fitness training camp organized by the company.

He would just treat it as Cultivating in seclusion at Haitian Garden for a few days, and return after completely adapting to the new power.

Thinking this through, Fang Cheng let out a light breath, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.

Ever since returning to Dongdu, he had always chosen to live in the old house on Jiuchang Street.

Except for inspecting the base site selection with Lin Chuqiao and them, and taking a trip to the club, he had almost entirely stayed by his mom's side, inseparable.

He hadn't run off to live alone at Haitian Garden like he used to.

Even though the fitness equipment there was more complete, the environment was more private, and the workout efficiency was much higher.

But as long as he thought of the Utopia that might be hidden in the dark and peeping at him, Fang Cheng's heart felt like a sharp sword was hanging over it.

That powerful and mysterious leader was like an indwelling shadow that couldn't be shaken off.

Before completely eliminating the hidden dangers, Fang Cheng always found it hard to truly set his mind at ease.

Although through the connection of the "Sun Heart Network", he could perceive his mother's condition anytime and anywhere, and would notice it immediately once there was danger.

But this perception was passive after all, far less reassuring than personally guarding by her side.

What if the opponent possessed bizarre methods to forcibly cut off this connection?

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng picked up the damp towel and forcefully wiped his face once more.

"If I already possessed a sufficiently large and loyal faction right now, how wonderful that would be..."