Chapter 055 Soulmate

Li Gang brought up his personal status panel.

Now, aside from his stamina and strength, the other two basic attributes had changed considerably from before.

Stamina: 314.

Spirit: 105.

Strength: 121.

Speed: 106.

As for his overall combat power, it had reached 165, finally surpassing the average sum of his four basic attributes—now above what the gods considered an average value.

After choosing to split his uses between enhancement and full restoration in a 1:2 ratio, he now had four enhancement opportunities remaining and seven full restoration uses left.

“When I chose to enhance my spirit yesterday, Lin Yan said she wouldn’t interfere with how I did it. Now I have four enhancement chances. If I want to obtain the mental cultivation technique in the short term, it’ll be difficult,” he mused.

After some deliberation, he decided to use two of his enhancement opportunities on his spirit attribute.

This way, whether learning military boxing, the Drifting Dragon Steps, or anything else, his speed at mastering new skills would increase dramatically.

At the same time, his spirit recovery would draw much closer to his stamina recovery rate, giving him more high-efficiency study periods each day than before.

Li Gang understood that what he lacked most, in his quest to catch up with Lin Yan’s power, was time.

“Could it be that Lin Yan spends her evenings watching shows and reading novels just to slow her own progress and wait for me?” The notion flashed through his mind.

But he quickly dismissed it.

Li Gang didn’t dwell on these idle thoughts, returning to the matter at hand and applying two enhancement opportunities to his spirit.

His spirit value instantly rose from 105 to 127, a direct increase of 23 points.

The moment he used the enhancement, Li Gang felt a distinct difference in himself: not only was his mind sharper, but even that faint, lingering sense of mental fatigue had vanished.

“This feeling of instantaneous self-empowerment is truly addictive,” he murmured. After a brief wash, he headed to the kitchen to look for food, planning to prepare breakfast for Lin Yan as well.

These past days, Lin Yan had always done the cooking. He’d long wanted to make a meal for her.

In the kitchen, Li Gang searched around and realized there was little left to eat.

He recalled that his appetite had grown by the day, each meal now as much as three or four of his former ones, and the thought amused him.

At that moment, footsteps sounded at the door.

Li Gang turned to see Lin Yan entering.

“Sister Lin, you’re up early too?” he greeted cheerfully.

“Yes, I’ve always been an early riser,” she replied with a nod.

Early riser?

Li Gang, hearing this, remembered his university days, when he’d spend at least five nights a week gaming at internet cafes—and Lin Yan was almost always there when he was.

“Huh? You look full of energy today. You must have had a good sleep last night?” Lin Yan gave him a once-over, a touch of surprise in her voice.

She immediately noticed that, compared to yesterday, Li Gang was brimming with vitality, his already handsome features even more striking, making her glance at him a few times more than usual.

She thought to herself, “He’s becoming more and more attractive.”

Li Gang had always been good-looking, but his former aimless lifestyle and disregard for grooming often left him looking disheveled. Now, with his body strengthened and the effects of full restoration, he was unmistakably a young heartthrob.

“Oh? Sister Lin, you really do have a keen eye—you saw right through me. I did sleep well last night. And this morning, I enhanced my spirit attribute twice more. Now that my spirit is over 120, I feel better than ever before.” Li Gang, not noticing the unusual look in Lin Yan’s eyes, spoke openly about his changes, holding nothing back.

They chatted idly for a while. When Li Gang learned that Lin Yan had come to the kitchen to inventory their supplies before heading out to gather more, he immediately decided to join her.

“Good. I was just about to find you after I finished checking. Since you’re here, you can help me carry things—especially since you eat so much these days! Let’s go,” Lin Yan said bluntly, fully intending to use him as muscle.

“I’ll be at your command, Sister Lin,” Li Gang replied with a smile.

They set out for several hours, visiting supermarkets, fruit shops, department stores, and more.

Throughout the trip, Li Gang couldn’t help but notice Lin Yan glancing at him from time to time.

Her furtive looks left him puzzled, and he asked her directly, but each time she would look away and say nothing, deepening his confusion.

“Is she upset that I used two enhancement opportunities on spirit without asking her first?” he wondered.

What Li Gang could never have guessed was that Lin Yan kept sneaking glances simply because she couldn’t help but look at someone she found attractive—and that person was someone she liked.

Although Li Gang wasn’t overwhelmingly handsome, his looks and temperament matched exactly what Lin Yan found appealing.

Just as Lin Yan, with her plain, unremarkable features, was precisely the type Li Gang preferred—he thought no great beauty could compare to her.

People’s tastes differ, as they say.

Were it not for their mutual affection, how could they have spent four silent years together at the internet café?

If not for their lack of romantic experience and their respective hesitations—neither daring to break the ice—how else could four years have passed without even knowing each other’s names?

During those years,

Li Gang dared not take things further, feeling Lin Yan was too outstanding and sharp, and lacking the confidence to offer her the future life he thought she deserved.

Lin Yan, for her part, was reluctant because she knew she wasn’t pretty, was disabled, and harbored a rare, deeply hidden trace of a maiden’s heart—shy, reserved, or perhaps fearful.

There truly are soulmates in this world, souls perfectly attuned to one another.

When they meet, they’re drawn together; when they spend time together, affection naturally grows. With time, a bond forms, lasting a lifetime.

Li Gang and Lin Yan were such soulmates.

After Li Gang’s question was met with Lin Yan’s silence, the two fell into a quiet, pensive mood for the remainder of their journey.

By around 8 a.m.,

Outside the WF County Fitness Center,

They were unloading bags of supplies from a jeep and carrying them inside.

“Sister Lin, I shouldn’t have used two enhancement opportunities without consulting you this morning. Please don’t be mad at me,” Li Gang said at last, struggling with his feelings as he watched Lin Yan sort through the supplies.

“I’m not angry. I’ve told you before, what I offer are just my thoughts and suggestions. You can listen and consider them, but you don’t have to follow them. What matters most is what’s right for you,” Lin Yan replied, pausing but not turning around.

Inside, Lin Yan was secretly delighted. She realized that Li Gang must have mistaken her occasional glances as disapproval over his enhancements.

“All right, hurry up and bring these inside. This should last us several days. We’ve already lost enough time today—these next few days, we need to train seriously.” Lin Yan, suppressing her joy, spoke with a calm face.

Li Gang said nothing more, but as he carried supplies, he kept wondering if Lin Yan was truly not upset.

An hour later,

Lin Yan watched as Li Gang lunged at her again, lips curled in a faint smile. She deftly dodged his straight punch, twisted his left arm behind his back, and with a clever use of leverage, flipped him several meters away.

“Again! At this rate, even the weakest person would be better than you!” Lin Yan barked coldly at the fallen Li Gang.

Li Gang felt a pang of bitterness.

Originally, their sparring was supposed to start the next day, but Lin Yan had told him that morning that he was progressing faster than she’d anticipated, so they began early.

At first, her praise had filled Li Gang with secret delight.

But after an hour’s sparring, things looked much different.

This was already the fifth time Lin Yan had tossed him aside with a single move.

In their matches, Li Gang felt she became a different person—scolding him at every turn, showing no mercy.

“She says she’s not angry, but this is clearly payback,” Li Gang thought, getting up and nursing his bruises.

“What are you waiting for?! You only get two sparring sessions with me each day, ten minutes each. If you waste your own time, that’s your business, but you’re wasting mine too!” Lin Yan snapped, her gaze sharp as a blade.

Li Gang dared not dawdle any longer, throwing himself at her with all his might.

At first, he’d held back, not daring to go all out, but after being thrown twice and having his arm forcibly dislocated once, he realized that giving less than his best made him no match for Lin Yan.

In fact, Lin Yan seemed able to tell when he wasn’t trying his hardest—when he held back, the beatings were even harsher.

If not for his extraordinary stamina, he doubted he could withstand even a few minutes of such punishment.

Crash!

This time, Lin Yan pinned him to the ground with his arms behind his back.

“Useless! Your Drifting Dragon Steps are so clumsy, you might as well not use them at all. You’re a disgrace to this military secret technique. If you’re not embarrassed, I am—for the technique’s sake!” Lin Yan released him, but continued her scolding even as she stood up.