Understanding flashed through Yun Feng's mind as a large amount of information drilled into his consciousness, skillfully carving out a place of its own.
In the next second, he dropped on his butt, his chest heaving up and down. He took heavy breaths and gave himself a moment to calm down before a smile formed on his face.
'In just one day, I leveled up to Greater Success.'
Yun Feng couldn't describe his happiness. After all, he had taken years to reach Larger Success, and now he had reached Greater Success in just a few hours. Granted, he was already close to the threshold, but that last gap had always been the hardest to cross.
He ignored the pain in his knuckles and stood up. It was dinner time, and all staff had to be there on time, or they wouldn't get their meal.
The only exception to this rule were the night shift staff — they had a different meal schedule.
As he walked toward the city, Yun Feng conversed with his system assistant. 'Can you check how much EXP I need to rank up my Talent?'
[Host needs a total of 20 True EXP for Grade 2 Talent.]
'Twenty... I'd need to level up ten skills from Level 1 to Level 2. Every level-up gives the same EXP as the level.' Yun Feng calculated. 'But I don't have many skills, so I'll need to work on the existing ones. As for new skills... the only way to gain them is if they come naturally, like Basic Knife Skill. I'll have to work on that too.'
[Host, most actions that improve you beyond a certain margin can be categorized as Skills. As for what that margin is, I'm not sure.]
'Interesting.' Yun Feng smiled. Pushing past the discomfort of exhaustion, he bent forward and began sprinting toward the city.
He hoped this too would become a skill. After all, running would definitely improve him. His body was tired, but he resisted the urge to stop and pushed the ground with everything he had.
With quick strides, he entered the city and deliberately took a detour to reach the Golden Taste Restaurant. The path was longer, but usually empty, perfect for pushing his limits.
Improvement was a vague concept, but Yun Feng felt it mostly meant pushing past one's limits to become stronger in way or another. His body was already powerful due to cultivation, so the chance of sprinting registering as a skill was low.
But what if he broke through his limits while running? What if he ran so fast that even his cultivated body started to feel like it was collapsing?
His thigh muscles burned as if someone had poured lava over them, his vision blurred, and he raced past pedestrians, kicking up dust wherever he ran.
Yet he clenched his will, resisting the growing fatigue.
People cursed him in confusion, but soon recognized him and the rumor quickly spread in Blackwood City:
The former Young Master of the Wei Clan had gone mad after being exiled. Now he runs around the city like a lunatic.
Yun Feng couldn't care less. He poured everything he had into running just one more step. But even that came to an end.
Just when he was about to lose consciousness and crash, a notification flashed before his eyes, igniting a newfound excitement in his mind.
[Sprinting +1]
Yun Feng beamed in joy but that joy broke his concentration. He planted his foot at a wrong angle. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but he was too exhausted to correct his balance.
His momentum hurled him forward and he crashed headfirst into the hard wall of a building.
Considering his speed, if he were a normal human, his spine would have surely snapped in half.
Yun Feng groaned, pain flaring from his back as his clarity returned. A moment later, he heard footsteps approaching and a familiar voice.
"Young Master Feng, are you alright?"
He blinked and turned toward the speaker — the waiter he had met earlier that day. A young man with average feature.
Yun Feng gave a slight nod. "I'm fine."
The waiter shook his head and helped him up, then guided him inside the restaurant. Fortunately, Yun Feng had crashed near it — otherwise, help might not have come at all.
Once inside, the waiter, who introduced himself as Tang Lie, led him to the staff quarters behind the restaurant.
Yun Feng had a hot bath there that washed away his exhaustion and soothed his aching body. He definitely needed rest, but at least he was functional again.
Then the two of them headed toward the dining room where all staff gathered to eat.
On the way, Yun Feng said, "Thanks a lot, buddy."
"It's nothing, Brother Feng. I admire your character, so I don't mind helping," Tang Lie chuckled.
"Still, let me know if you ever need help. I'll try my best," Yun Feng replied as they picked up their meals.
The dining hall was a wide room with multiple tables, and a corner where meals were distributed. Other staff were already seated in groups, enjoying their food.
Most of them were hesitant to approach Yun Feng — still wary of associating with the Wei Clan's disgrace. So he really appreciated Tang Lie's company. At least here, he wasn't completely isolated like he had been in the clan.
They weren't giving him trouble either, and for that, Yun Feng was genuinely grateful, even if it sounded ridiculous.
Just as they sat down at their table, a middle-aged man with a pot belly and deep black hair walked over and asked with a smile, "Can I join?"
"The seat's empty," Yun Feng gestured and shifted to give him space.
"Haha, thanks. I'm the Main Chef's assistant, you can call me Old Bai." The man introduced himself while stuffing a huge chunk of meat into his mouth. "Hmph, the best part of this job is definitely the food here."
"Old Bai, I didn't think you'd actually try to befriend someone," Tang Lie said, eyeing the big man.
"I'll be honest then. I'm just curious about him," Old Bai laughed and pointed at Yun Feng. "This guy was running around the city like a madman, the whole city's talking. So I wanted to meet this so-called madman myself."
Tang Lie clicked his tongue, but Yun Feng just nodded with a smile. "Is your curiosity satisfied?"
"No. I'm even more curious now," Old Bai said, then pointed at his plate. "To show my sincerity, I'll give you a portion of my food."
Tang Lie choked on his meal, quickly gulped water, and stared at Old Bai in disbelief. "You're giving him your food?"
"Of course I am." Old Bai snorted and dropped two pieces of meat onto Yun Feng's plate.
"Unbelievable! I didn't know a day like this would ever come," Tang Lie muttered, then turned to Yun Feng. "You should treasure this moment, he never does this."
Yun Feng smiled, chewed a piece of meat, and gave a little bow. "I'm honored. Also… why do I feel like you're trying to recruit me into some Big Belly Organization?"
Old Bai stared at him for a second, then burst into loud laughter. The dining hall echoed with his booming voice. People glanced over with strange looks, but Old Bai didn't care in the slightest.
"You're good, kiddo," Old Bai chuckled. "Even after losing everything, you're still smiling and working hard. That's a good quality."
"It's not really that hard," Yun Feng replied, shaking his head.
"Hmm, Don't mind the little ones," Old Bai added, nodding toward the other staff. "They're just hesitant to mingle with you. After all, you're the disgrace of the Wei Clan. Anyone seen talking to you risks offending them. Nobody in Blackwood City wants that."
"What about you, Old Bai?" Yun Feng asked, genuinely curious. "You're not afraid of the Wei Clan?"
Old Bai rolled his eyes and growled, "Those bastards of the Wei Clan can suck my dick, and I won't even release my pressure."