The night was dark, shrouding the slowly decaying Old Town District.
The large streets within were filled with tranquility, occasionally lit up and preserving a sense of bustling activity.
Qin Shi returned to his seven or eight square meter bedroom, a space used for both sleeping and studying.
Newspapers were pasted over the windows, the writing desk was chipped and peeling, and on the right side was a small mountain of books, mostly extracurricular.
On the left was a framed photo of a family of five, the picture yellowed with age. The woman had delicate features, while the man was handsome and sturdy, both dressed in dark blue work uniforms.
The eldest daughter stood in the middle, while the other two children sat on their parents' knees.
Click!
Qin Shi lightly pulled the lamp string, and the narrow, low room instantly plunged into darkness.
Lying on the bed, he stared at the wooden boards above, the panels' edges again coming into view.
[Energy supplement No. 17536]
[Growth +1]
[Nutritional deficiency]
[Low training intensity]
[Growth slightly increased...]
[Overall rating: F]
"Three synthetic meals a day, twenty to thirty thousand steps a day, push-ups and sit-ups as soon as I get home, yet still nutritionally deficient and insufficient exercise?
What a useless enhancement, it better start showing some effect!"
Qin Shi glanced over the meaningless text information, then felt the money stashed under his pillow, feeling slightly reassured.
He had originally planned to work a summer job for two months to save up the registration fee for the training class.
Although gym-intensive training and martial arts class physical training were all useful ways to develop life force,
most were expensive, and their effectiveness varied from person to person.
His close friend Zhou Ning's family was well-off, so spending tens of thousands of yuan on a whim was barely manageable for them.
But Qin Shi couldn't justify spending the hard-earned money his eldest sister toiled for.
"The training school is also a path. Uncle Zhou said the Old Factory Street disciple school was once very prestigious."
Qin Shi had some recollection of this. Back when the Tai'an Metropolitan Area had not yet developed, the entire vast Seaport Region was centered around Dangyang, establishing a sprawling industrial park,
which gave rise to various industries closely related to daily life.
Considering the special nature of the military factories and the fervent backdrop of the Great Pioneer Movement, it was found that many senior workers on the front lines worked almost year-round without rest, making it difficult to take care of their families.
After on-site investigations, the factories led the way in establishing a non-governmental, non-private disciple school in Dangyang District.
Administratively, it was under the leadership of the factories, while the Tai'an Education Commission guided its operations.
At its peak, the disciple school had eleven branch schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools.
All the students were local workers' children.
Long, long ago, the Education Commission published a list of the top ten strong schools in Heng Province.
At that time, the "Old Factory Street disciple school," known as "Dangyang No. 11 High," was prominently on the list!
More famous even than the current No. 1 High School!
Unfortunately, with the relentless tide of time, the Dangyang Factory disciple school dwindled from eleven schools to just five.
Now, only three remain: elementary, middle, and high school.
Those old campuses, much like the army green work uniforms worn by the students' parents, went from representing the glory of labor to symbolizing the unemployed and laid-off staff of today.
Constant repairs and patches finally made them so dilapidated that they were mercilessly swept into the corner.
"In any case, I need to enhance my life force, pass the segment exam, and then think about other things."
Resolving his mind, Qin Shi closed his eyes and fell asleep.
As his consciousness entered the deepest layer of sleep, streams of text information gently passed by.
[Deep sleep No. 5572]
[Growth +10]
[Progress 100%]
[Achieved...]
[Loading...]
[Monument, unlocked!]
...
...
"That sleep was amazing!"
Morning light leaked through the gaps in the newspaper covering the window, waking Qin Shi from his dreamless, deep slumber.
He opened his eyes, and his first sensation was that of being full of energy.
Swelling vitality rushed like violently shaken cola, almost erupting forth.
Turning to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand, it was 7:12.
"What's going on? I've never had such a wonderful experience, it's like taking a potent tonic!"
Qin Shi was highly astonished.
He propped himself up with his hands and got out of bed.
Compared to usual, his movements seemed lighter.
"Something's off, very, very off!"
Qin Shi frowned tightly.
This inexplicable sensation of having undergone a dramatic transformation, akin to a protagonist in an old-era martial arts novel suddenly mastering a divine skill, invigorating every part of his body.
"Could it be that my life force has increased?"
Completely baffled, Qin Shi almost instinctively summoned the transparent panel with a black border.
Sure enough, the information displayed had drastically changed!
[Anchor: Qin Shi]
[Growth Stage: Embryo]
[Progress: 0.008%]
[Monument Number: 1]
[Description: A carbon-based life form so weak it's astonishing, its body naturally ages, is highly susceptible to diseases, has numerous fatal vulnerabilities, and cannot withstand damage from cold weapons and hot weapons, relying on inefficient feeding to sustain basic activities. That such a race hasn't gone extinct is truly a cosmic miracle!]
"What does this mean? I remember that reaching First Rank at the amateur level could enable one to block high-caliber bullets with their body and tear through alloy with bare hands.
Upgrading to the specialized level allowed adapting to most planetary environments, being unafraid of radiation and mutations…"
Qin Shi was dumbfounded, having watched numerous videos of past Star Cup events.
As Dongxia's most prestigious martial arts event, the Star Cup was broadcasted galaxy-wide every year, consistently ranking top three in viewership.
"In every opening show, those renowned martial artists would showcase their strength.
Some could even traverse frontlines under heavy artillery fire without exoskeleton armor.
Recalling scenes of exhilarating and thrilling moments,
With flesh and blood alone, enduring bombardments from both ground and air, storming steel defense fortifications.
The audience was driven into a frenzy, shouting and cheering!
It's no wonder martial artist remained the most popular profession for so many years!
"Even First Rank at the specialized level with over 100 points of life force couldn't withstand a battleship's main cannon! What kind of species can ignore thermal weapons at the embryo stage?"
Qin Shi pondered the Monument's evaluation, his mind wandering as the text information changed again.
[Basic Achievement - Deep Sleep activated]
[Deep Sleep: Youth is wonderful, falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. Every biological growth stage requires ample rest, let alone your embryonic development.]
[Trait: You will gain prolonged high-quality sleep, eliminate fatigue, restore energy, and slightly enhance disease resistance and immunity.]
[Advanced Route: Maintaining good sleep habits is essential; if you persist in going to bed early and waking up early for seven days and achieve more than eight hours of sufficient sleep, you can upgrade and unlock corresponding skills.]
"So this is the function of the Monument?"
Glancing across the black-bordered panel, Qin Shi vaguely saw a gray stone stele resembling a small mound appearing in the mysterious background.
Inscribed with shallow numbers.
(1/7)
"Revitalized, my thoughts are active... the benefits of deep sleep are indeed significant."
Qin Shi suppressed his excitement as deep sleep, also known as "golden sleep," if maintained long-term, his body would definitely get better, equating to being in the best condition every day.
It's like having continuous buff enhancements!
"Going to bed early and waking up early for one week shouldn't be a problem.
Maintaining it for months or even years might even improve my life force!
I remember Zhou Ning mentioning that elite class top students hire private Meditation Masters to help them fall asleep and achieve deep sleep."
Qin Shi couldn't help but yearn.
Knowing that even a small life force boost
required intense training, adequate nutrition, and accumulated innate talent for gradual progress.
Increasing life force by just sleeping was so unbelievable that even health product companies with massive marketing campaigns wouldn't dare to make such outlandish claims.
But with deep sleep, it was entirely possible.
"Too bad I don't have the instruments to test and confirm whether my perception is true or false."
Qin Shi was a bit regretful, knowing that to accurately determine life force values required a comprehensive examination.
Medical bracelets sold in pharmacies often had large errors, while scanning machines commonly found in cultivation halls were slightly more accurate.
"Finally, a glimmer of hope."
Qin Shi put away his joy, making the bed and getting dressed.
The living environment of the shantytown was quite uniform, all being simple houses of great age.
As he lifted the thick bedsheet used as a door curtain, he saw his youngest sibling Qin Lan walking in with breakfast.
It was a few sheets of smoked meat pancakes and two steaming bowls of mutton soup.
"Brother, you slept so soundly last night, I called you twice but you didn't move."
"Did I? I wasn't snoring, was I?"
Qin Shi asked while washing up.
"Nope. Brother, you work so hard with part-time jobs, I don't need that computer anymore."
Qin Lan pouted, her ponytail swaying.
"When I say something, I mean it. I promised you, I won't go back on my word. Appeal rejected, decision upheld!"
Qin Shi sat by the dining table, rubbing Qin Lan's head:
"You have to work hard too, little sister. I'm waiting for the day you become 'Engineer Qin.'
Then, let me try out a mecha for once."
Qin Lan chuckled:
"Sure thing, brother! If I get into the Yangchen Museum of the Four National Universities, I'll go to Santang Heavy Industry after graduation to create a Divine Machine!"
"Haha, sounds great, Engineer Qin. I'll be going to the training school later, solve lunch yourself."
Qin Shi laughed while gulping down the mutton soup.
After the warm heat spread through his body, he wiped his mouth and headed out.
His not-so-thin figure immediately merged into the lively long street outside.