Chapter 10: Daily Routine Basics

"Damn it!"
"May your whole family perish in a telecom scam!"
Zhang Chu let out a curse, blocked the caller, and collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep.

He recognized Li Feng’s voice instantly. Those curses were meant for that disgrace of a teacher, that contemptible scoundrel.

As for the guaranteed spot at the Martial Arts Research Institute—it had only ever been a means to gain more resources and, step by step, become a powerhouse of Great Xia. But now, with the system in his possession, Zhang Chu had no interest in that place at all.

He slept soundly on his king-sized bed, while things were far less pleasant for Li Feng. For a university lecturer, it was the first time a student had ever insulted his entire family. Still, he could only swallow his anger.

Zhang Chu’s performance in the Virtual Hunting Arena had become the top trending topic on Binzhou’s short video platforms, drawing intense attention from the university’s leadership. If word got out that Zhang Chu had been expelled, other schools would certainly offer him generous terms during the Martial Arts Research Institute selection, inviting him to enroll. When that happened, Binzhou University would be utterly humiliated. Huang Wenzhan would lose all face, and Li Feng’s fate would be sealed.

“Su Mingyue, I hope I’m not disturbing your rest with this late call…”
Suppressing his fury, Li Feng dialed Su Mingyue’s number. In this school, if anyone could possibly make Zhang Chu change his mind, it would be Su Mingyue.

...

“Ding-dong!”
“Host has consumed 50 vitamin tablets. Vitality +0.5.”

The next morning, Zhang Chu woke as usual, grabbed a handful of vitamins from the large bottle on his nightstand, and went to the bathroom. According to the plan he’d made the night before, he would take one big bottle of vitamins every day. Every little bit counts—Zhang Chu had calculated that each tablet increased his vitality by 0.01. At 500 tablets a day, that was 5 points of vitality daily. Hold out for a month, and that’s 150 points.

Although he was still a long way from breaking through to 500 vitality and reaching Martial Artist Level 2, Zhang Chu knew that if simply taking vitamins could boost his vitality, it was already the most miraculous form of assistance that didn’t harm his body.

He took care of his morning routine—using the toilet, washing his face, brushing his teeth, styling his hair. Dressed in a stylish tracksuit, he ordered a ride to the Warrior Center.

With the year-long experimental drug contract from the Covey Institute, Zhang Chu had found a stable way to steadily increase his vitality for the time being. But there was a waiting period between drug trials—three days until the next one. Last night, Zhang Chu had drawn up a detailed vitality improvement plan.

Daily vitamins were the basic supportive measure. The Covey Institute trials were his main source, and the Warrior Center’s Virtual Hunting Arena was his regular method. The only way to gain vitality points every day was to visit the Virtual Hunting Arena. Each session cost 800, but he could earn 3,200 per run—an incredible profit. Opportunities like this to make money and buy Vitality Pills were rare, and Zhang Chu was determined not to miss out.

Just like the day before, Zhang Chu arrived early. As the security guard unlocked the doors, Zhang Chu rushed inside, heading straight for the 12th floor.

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Zhou Chuanxiong, the manager of the Virtual Hunting Arena, carrying a bowl of tofu pudding.

“You’re up early to cash in again,” Zhou greeted him with a grin. Zhang Chu’s record-breaking exploits from the day before had spread throughout the Warrior Center, even making it onto the trending page of the forum’s short videos.

By the end of yesterday, the “Skyrocket” martial technique on the Warrior Mall app had sold 500 copies in just one hour, and climbed to third on the daily sales chart within 24 hours. Even Zhou himself had benefited, earning an extra thousand from the surge in ticket sales in the viewing area.

“The usual?” Zhou asked.

“Five rounds, Wild Plains Armored Wolf,” Zhang Chu replied, glancing at the electronic leaderboard.

First place: Zhang Chu, Wild Plains Armored Wolf, record time: 5.2 seconds.

“Breakfast is on me today,” Zhou offered, handing him a breakfast set meant for a colleague—soy milk and fried dough sticks.

After a quick bite, Zhang Chu entered Arena 1. With yesterday’s experience, he breezed through the preparation steps and started setting up the AI monitoring.

Outside, Zhou Chuanxiong used the intercom and the official forum account to post: “Yesterday’s daily leaderboard champion returns to the Virtual Hunting Arena! Viewing tickets on the 11th floor are selling out fast—100 per match!”

As soon as the post went up, the forum exploded, and students from nearby universities rushed over. Yesterday’s crowd had wanted to watch martial artists in action. Today, they wanted to see who was crazy enough to break their own record over and over again in a single day.

“Mingyue, Zhou Chuanxiong from the Virtual Hunting Arena just messaged me—Zhang Chu’s back,” said Zhao Panpan, bursting into the dorm room where Su Mingyue had just finished her makeup.

“Panpan, get me a ticket,” Su Mingyue replied, frowning as she grabbed her bag and left.

“What’s going on?” Zhao Panpan stared after her as she hurried off campus. “Is this a reconciliation?”

...

By this time, Zhang Chu had already completed his first match with ease. His opponent was the familiar Level 1 Low Rank Wild Plains Armored Wolf. This time, Zhang Chu was watching the clock—he beat his previous record, finishing in 5.1 seconds.

Outside, Zhou Chuanxiong kept posting short videos and selling tickets. He knew exactly what Zhang Chu was up to but didn’t call him out on it.

In less than half an hour, with only 30 eager university students in the 11th-floor viewing area, Zhang Chu finished all five rounds. The system didn’t notify him of any increase in his martial skill proficiency, but Zhang Chu could feel it—using the “Skyrocket” technique against the Wild Plains Armored Wolf felt like child’s play now. Aside from making some money, it did little to improve his skills.

“Manager Zhou, that’s it for today,” Zhang Chu announced after calculating his earnings—another 16,000 yuan, enough for a Vitality Pill.

Seeing Zhang Chu about to leave, Zhou panicked. With 200 tickets sold and barely half the seats filled, if Zhang Chu walked out now, the students would riot.

“Brother, we’re running a promotion today—500 per match, and I’ll switch you to a different beast,” Zhou pleaded. Opening a session cost less than 300; paying Zhang Chu 500 per match was still a safe profit. More importantly, it would boost the 12th-floor viewing area’s attendance—a long-term win.

Zhang Chu quickly did the math—another easy profit. He wanted to try a new beast anyway to see if it would help with his martial skill proficiency, so he agreed on the spot. “Manager Zhou, it’s not the discount I value—it’s you.”

“Deal!” Zhou grinned from ear to ear.

But as the arena shifted to a grassland setting, Zhang Chu’s expression turned serious. Before him stood a massive Triceratops Rhino, snorting and exuding an overwhelming sense of menace.

System prompt: Level 1 Low Rank Exotic Beast, Triceratops Rhino.

“Roar!” Before Zhang Chu could prepare himself, the furious Triceratops Rhino charged, horns lowered.

“Damn, this thing’s wild!”