Chen Jue slept fitfully that night, probably because of the in-ear earphones he was wearing. His ears started to feel a sharp pain after wearing them for a long time.
When he got up and looked in the morning, a red ring had formed around his outer ear.
The auricle and ear canal are both extremely fragile. They have no subcutaneous tissue; a thin layer of skin covers the bone, and underneath that skin are abundant blood vessels and nerve tissue.
Apparently, wearing the in-ear earphones for so long had compressed the blood vessels in the area, irritating the nerves and causing minor inflammation.
’Looks like sleeping with earphones in is not going to work!’
Chen Jue gently rubbed the reddened area. Thanks to his constant practice of the [Eye Health Exercises], his massage technique was already quite impressive.
After rubbing for a moment, the sharp pain subsided a bit.
While he felt refreshed early in the morning, he went online, searched for a pair of non-compressive, over-ear soundproof earmuffs, and immediately placed an order.
Wangyang Apartment was full of university couples, so the embarrassing situation from last night could happen again with neighbors upstairs, downstairs, or on either side.
Chen Jue couldn’t just shut off his hearing every night, so for now, he had to rely on these "sleep aids" recommended by netizens to ensure he got a good night’s rest.
As for an eye mask, he didn’t need one. He needed to use his eyes to perceive the light outside the window to better regulate his biological clock.
...
After washing up and changing into his workout clothes, Chen Jue went to the rooftop and did 30 minutes of eye exercises, then drove to the park where he usually did his morning workout.
When he saw Wu Fang again, she was, as always, doing her morning training with Elder Wu.
They spotted each other at the same time and waved hello. After exchanging "Good morning"s, Chen Jue gave her a nod and entered the small grove to continue his Tai Chi practice.
He didn’t see Zhao Jianguo today either. After asking a few of the senior students, he learned that Layman Zhao had gone to another province. He’d heard it was to visit his martial arts school and that he likely wouldn’t be back until next week.
With no teacher to guide him, Chen Jue just practiced his own way.
Anyway, his Tai Chi and Pile Skills Levels had already gone up, so he wouldn’t make any major mistakes practicing on his own.
He could also monitor his progress at any time through the Skill Level notifications that popped up on his panel. Practicing alone, Chen Jue’s efficiency was hardly any worse than when he followed a group.
After practicing for about two hours, his Free Attributes had increased by another 0.01, and the Skill Level for his various Tai Chi Skills had risen by over 200.
It was a health-cultivating martial art, and when he first started, he couldn’t feel any significant effects.
But the more he practiced, the more Chen Jue discovered that Tai Chi could alleviate his physical fatigue.
Those 40 high pull-ups last night had taken a lot out of him. When he woke up this morning, the weaker muscles in his waist, abdomen, and back still felt a bit stiff and sore.
But after practicing Tai Chi, the hardened, stiff muscles in those areas felt as if they had been softened.
Although the Attribute growth was a bit slow, after two hours of Tai Chi, Chen Jue found himself feeling more energetic and full of spirit than when he had first woken up.
...
As he left the grove, he passed by the chess tables again.
Wu Fang and Elder Wu had just finished as well. She was packing up, about to leave the park and head to school for work.
Seeing Chen Jue emerge from deeper within the park, Wu Fang, carrying a small bag, skipped over lightly. "My cousin told me you already moved over to the Jiang University area. You’re quite the man of action, Master Chen!"
"Just call me by my name. I can’t live up to the title ’Master’," Chen Jue said with a slight smile.
’He noticed that Teacher Wu didn’t seem as standoffish as she was at first. She even seemed a little interested in what he was up to.’
’This was a great sign! She was shifting from being passive to proactive!’
"Alright, then I’ll call you Brother Jue from now on!"
"So you’re the quiet Brother Jue in real life, but online you transform into the hard-hitting Brother of Special Skills. That’s a great video ID, a clever little pun." Wu Fang’s eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled, her voice cheerful as she walked out of the park alongside Chen Jue.
"Do you want a ride to school?" Chen Jue asked.
"No, thanks! The school’s really close, and I ride my little electric scooter to work every day. If you drove me, I’d have to rely on my own two feet to get back to my scooter!" Wu Fang waved her hand. With her small bag on her back, she skipped away like a high school student after class, slipping through the gates of the high-end residential complex beside the park.
Chen Jue was momentarily stunned. ’He never expected the prim and proper Teacher Wu to have such a playful and cute side.’
’She probably hangs around high school students so much that she’s developed an endearing contrast in her personality—cold on the outside but warm on the inside.’
...
Chen Jue wasn’t annoyed that he hadn’t given Teacher Wu a ride.
The fact that she had started a conversation with him on her own was a huge improvement in their relationship.
He grabbed some breakfast nearby and then drove back to the Jiang University campus.
He went to the library to pick up all the textbooks he had ordered last night. There were books for 13 courses in total, forming two massive stacks.
Since he was just starting to audit classes, all the textbooks Chen Jue ordered were for first-year courses.
He struggled to carry the pile of new books to his car. Breathing in their fresh scent, he returned to Wangyang Apartment for the time being.
First, he printed the class schedules from the school’s intranet. Since he was juggling courses from three different majors, there were some scheduling conflicts.
So, Chen Jue weeded out the courses that looked too esoteric or that he didn’t need to learn just yet. This would keep him from running around like a headless chicken, unable to keep up with them all.
Fortunately, all of Jiang University’s classes were recorded and available on the cloud. If worse came to worst, he could always just brute-force his way through the textbooks on his own.
His goal wasn’t to pass exams, but to gain a deeper understanding of his own body, so he didn’t need to achieve complete mastery of the subjects.