Suddenly, James Bolton began to tremble all over. Both his hands turned bright red, and the veins on his arms and hands bulged frighteningly. Sweat dripped continuously from his face. After a few minutes, James Bolton finally recovered from the state of pain.

“Phew, if I’d known it would hurt this much, I would’ve waited until I was asleep to learn it. I’m exhausted!”

In James Bolton’s mind, a pair of fists kept swinging. At this moment, he felt as if his hands were filled with endless strength—what a rush!

James Bolton checked his stats again. It showed: Stamina: 8; Spirit: 6; Combat Power: 5; Skill: Iron Fist (Beginner).

“I can’t believe just a 4-point increase in stamina makes me feel invincible.” James Bolton was a bit incredulous. Had he turned into Ultraman? Could he take on a few little monsters now?

Reluctantly giving up the idea of going out for a fight, James Bolton obediently took a shower, which made him feel much better.

Seeing that it was already dark outside, and having not eaten all day plus just expending a lot of energy, James Bolton felt hungry and quickly got up to go out for a meal.

The basement apartment James Bolton rented was in an old neighborhood, but back in the day, this area was quite bustling. Just a hundred meters outside the complex was a snack street, which became crowded every evening.

He randomly picked a snack shop and ordered a bowl of beef noodles. James Bolton sat down and activated the scanning system.

There were only about five or six people in the shop. James Bolton looked around and saw that above each person’s head, three stats were displayed: stamina, spirit, and combat power. “John Thompson, stamina 5, spirit 4, combat power 1; Grace Carter, stamina 4, spirit 5, combat power 1; William Thompson, stamina 3, spirit 3, combat power 0...”

Seeing this, James Bolton started to understand: adult stamina should be around 5, while children’s was about 3.

Then James Bolton looked at the burly man in the corner. The system showed: “Robert Bolton, stamina 7, spirit 5, combat power 2.”

James Bolton thought about his own stats: stamina 8, combat power 5. It must be because he learned Iron Fist!

After absentmindedly finishing his noodles, James Bolton strolled over to a small park nearby.

Modern nightlife is colorful, so few people wander in the park at night. Only a few elderly men and women were slowly practicing tai chi to music.

James Bolton walked deeper into the park, found a spot where no one could see him, and began to slowly practice Iron Fist. Then he gradually increased his speed. As James Bolton practiced again and again, Iron Fist finally showed its true power. Each punch he threw sliced through the air with a whooshing sound, especially clear in the night.

After about ten rounds, James Bolton let out a loud shout, “Ha...!” Pain shot through his fists, but his heart was burning with excitement.

Just as James Bolton was lost in his practice, he couldn’t help but punch a tree trunk as thick as a bowl next to him, leaving a clear fist mark on it.

Staring at the scene before him, James Bolton was thrilled. Was this martial arts? Could the tree be fake? James Bolton was a bit skeptical and touched it several times before confirming it was real!

Looking around to make sure no one had seen him, James Bolton dashed back to the basement like he was greased lightning—otherwise, if someone came and made him pay for the tree, he’d be in trouble!

Back in the basement, James Bolton finally let out a big sigh of relief—partly from the excitement and longing for strength, and partly from a sense of release.

That punch just now proved that everything that happened today was real—he wasn’t dreaming!

Night fell as usual. Lying in bed, James Bolton couldn’t calm down for a long time. With dreams and longing in his heart, James Bolton drifted off to sleep...

Chapter Two: Ingenious Uses of the System

Early the next morning, James Bolton got up. Everything that happened yesterday felt like a dream!

Excited, James Bolton still couldn’t believe such a miraculous thing had happened to him. After splashing his face with cold water, the somewhat frazzled James Bolton finally returned to reality.

Even though he now had a magical energy exchange device, life still had to go on.

Looking at the few hundred yuan left in his pocket, James Bolton could only smile wryly. When he used to work as a salesman, his monthly salary was just over 2,000 yuan. After living expenses, he still had to send 1,000 yuan home every month.

The past three months, he’d only had a base salary of about 1,000 yuan. Now he was truly penniless!

“Sigh! System, why can’t you just make me some money? Poverty stifles ambition!” James Bolton sighed. It wasn’t for himself—his family still needed his support.

Although his parents always told him not to send money, the two of them only farmed a few acres of thin land and raised some livestock, barely making ends meet. They really couldn’t afford to send his younger sister to school.

James Bolton’s younger sister is named Emily Bolton, and she just started her senior year of high school this year. Sensible and clever since childhood, she always worked hard at school and consistently ranked among the top students.

This year, as a senior, while others were spending their parents’ money on study materials and hiring top tutors, she was still using the extra materials James Bolton had left behind to save money for the family.