Chapter 9

Luo Yuan looked at Zhao Yali, who had cried herself to sleep, and gently picked her up, walking into her bedroom and placing her on the bed.

Just as Luo Yuan was about to withdraw his hand, Zhao Yali, sensing something in her sleep, suddenly hugged him tightly and murmured, "Weiqiang, don't go!"

Luo Yuan had no choice but to stop and remain still in that position.

Gradually, he felt a strange sensation in his heart, but his eyes involuntarily slid down to her legs.

Today, Zhao Yali was wearing a dress. After returning home, she had found it too hot and removed her pantyhose. Now, her pair of snow-white, plump thighs were completely exposed, and his hand was resting on her thigh.

Her skin was extremely smooth and soft. Placing his hand on it felt like touching soft cotton. Although Luo Yuan was not the type to take advantage of others, young men were easily stimulated. After the events of the afternoon, seeing this alluring scene made him feel a bit dry-mouthed and tongue-tied.

Luo Yuan cursed inwardly, turned his head away, but the image kept lingering in his mind.

After about ten minutes, seeing that Zhao Yali's breathing had become steady and she was deeply asleep, he gently withdrew his hand and left as if fleeing.

After taking a shower, Luo Yuan turned on his computer and logged into Taobao.

He searched for knives, and a large number of shops quickly appeared.

Since returning the machete to the police station, he had felt a sense of loss, as if he had lost something. Moreover, given the current situation, having a knife at home was very necessary, and he could also practice his knife skills.

Knives are controlled items in China.

However, any system has loopholes. Sword and knife art pieces can be traded freely, but not actual knives and swords. The only difference between them is whether they are sharpened!

Luo Yuan opened one of the shops, where the prices of the knives and swords were extremely high. Even the cheapest ones cost over a thousand yuan, and the more expensive ones could cost ten to twenty thousand. He opened a few shops, and they were all the same. He chose the most popular one and found that it offered custom orders.

Luo Yuan thought that if he encountered a giant snake alone, a common weapon like a machete would not be effective. One strike might not even break through its defenses. If he were to buy a knife, it had to be a sharp and good one. After all, no one could guarantee that he wouldn't encounter similar dangers in the future.

He opened the Taobao chat window and typed, "Do you offer custom orders?"

Soon, the other party responded, without any formalities, directly asking, "What material and specifications do you want?"

"About 1.4 meters long, suitable for chopping. What materials do you recommend?"

"Generally, tool steel, carbon steel, 4Gr139, and Gr13 are used. These can meet most needs. Of course, there are also some imported special steels, but they are more expensive."

"Do you know what I want to do with it?" Luo Yuan asked curiously, sensing the implications in the other party's words.

"What's the secret? Nowadays, many people buy knives for self-defense. I receive hundreds of customers every day!"

"I usually follow the advice of professionals. What do you recommend?" Luo Yuan thought for a moment and typed.

"A very wise choice. I recommend 154CM steel. It is corrosion-resistant, and its edge wear and toughness are very strong. Many famous knives use this steel. After heat treatment, its hardness can reach around HRC60, making it capable of slicing through iron like butter. Due to the scarcity of the material, I can get very little, so the price is relatively high."

"How much does it cost?" Luo Yuan asked.

"By weight, 10,000 yuan per kilogram, including the finished product. Of course, this price might seem exaggerated, but prices are rising daily, and it might be hard to find one even if you have the money."

"Send me some sample pictures." Luo Yuan didn't think the other party was trying to cheat him. From the tone, it was clear that many people were buying cold weapons recently.

The other party quickly sent over a dozen pictures. Luo Yuan particularly liked one that resembled a saber, suitable for both one-handed and two-handed attacks.

"I'll take this one. It weighs four kilograms. When can you send it?" Although four kilograms was heavy and would be tiring, his strength would improve in the future.

"Orders are already full. You might need to wait two to three days," the other party replied.

"I'm in a hurry. If you can send it tomorrow, I'll add 3,000 yuan!" Luo Yuan, worried about the worsening situation, quickly typed.

The other party seemed to be thinking. After about ten seconds, they typed, "5,000 yuan!"

Luo Yuan hesitated for a moment and typed, "Okay, deal!"

…………………………………………………………

The next day, around 9:00 AM, Luo Yuan walked into the Delta Fitness Club.

He didn't specifically search for it; he chose this one simply because it was large and close to his neighborhood.

His strength hadn't improved since his sophomore year. Although he was stronger than he was in his sophomore year, it still didn't meet the criteria for a stat point increase. He decided to engage in high-intensity strength training to try to automatically gain a stat point. Since returning from the mountain the day before, he had a sense of urgency, eager to enhance every bit of his strength.

"Can I get a monthly membership here?"

"Of course, you can."

The young girl at the front desk, who looked quite young, stood up shyly when Luo Yuan entered and introduced herself, "We offer various membership options. Three-year, annual, quarterly, and monthly memberships, as well as single-use cards. All of these include access to basic fitness facilities. The monthly membership costs 600 yuan. If you get an annual membership, you can get a 50% discount. All memberships include free showers and lockers.

Additionally, we offer various training classes, such as yoga, kickboxing, dance, and swimming, with professional coaches. If you have special needs, you can request a personal trainer and massage services, which are charged separately."

Luo Yuan thought for a moment, "How about a quarterly membership?"

"1,500 yuan!"

"Then, please get me a quarterly membership." Luo Yuan said.

The girl nodded, took out a form, and handed it to Luo Yuan, "Please fill out this form first."

"By the way, how much does it cost to hire a personal fitness trainer?" Luo Yuan still had a lot of money in his account, and this wasn't the time to be frugal.

"100 yuan per hour. You can top up your card, and the fees will be automatically deducted from your membership card." She smiled.

"Then, top up 1,000 yuan for me."

After filling out the form and paying, the girl gave him a membership card, "The number on your membership card is also your locker number. The lockers are in the changing room."

Luo Yuan took the membership card and walked to the second floor, which was quite large, covering over 1,000 square meters. It was divided into several areas, with rows of fitness equipment in the middle. It was Saturday, a peak business day, and the fitness area was almost full.

There were not only office workers in sportswear, muscular men, and urban women working on their figures, but also many elderly people and children.

Luo Yuan hadn't brought a change of clothes and didn't go to the changing room. He went directly to the fitness area and called a staff member.

A tall, slender woman in a white tennis outfit, revealing her snow-white thighs, walked over with a professional smile.

"I want a two-hour personal training session, preferably with a professional trainer."

"Of course, sir. We have many retired or active bodybuilders as trainers. Please wait a moment." The staff member smiled, took the membership card, and walked away.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a tight tank top, with bulging muscles, walked over, exuding a sense of intimidation.

"Sir, are you interested in bodybuilding?" His smile was somewhat stiff, but his voice was strong.

"Call me Luo Yuan. Actually, I'm not interested in bodybuilding." Luo Yuan wasn't interested in his muscles. Such muscles, while intimidating, were uncoordinated and sacrificed agility, making them vulnerable.

"I just want to become stronger and more enduring in the short term without losing my flexibility. I need you to create a personalized, high-intensity training plan for me." Luo Yuan emphasized his determination at the end.

"Of course, no problem. That's my job." The trainer smiled stiffly and continued, "High-intensity training is a process of breaking down and rebuilding body tissues. Through scientific training, you can transform yourself and become much stronger. If you haven't warmed up, I suggest you jump rope for a while."

The middle-aged man had seen many customers like this, most of whom only had a short-lived enthusiasm. The best could last four to five days, while the worst wouldn't return after the first day. After high-intensity training, the body would be extremely sore, which was a severe test of willpower. In modern society, most people lived comfortably and rarely persisted after trying it once.

"I ran here," Luo Yuan said.

"How long did you run?" The middle-aged man was slightly surprised.

"Half an hour," Luo Yuan thought for a moment and said.

"Good. Since you've already warmed up, let's start with muscle exercises. First, I want to see your strength limit. Lie down on the bench press, and I'll add weight each time for you to push."

The middle-aged man found an empty bench press and had Luo Yuan lie down.

"Relax your muscles, keep your shoulders natural, take a deep breath. Good. I'm adding 60 kilograms. Try to push it."

Luo Yuan didn't use much effort and pushed it easily, "Too light."

The middle-aged man added 5 kilograms to each side, but Luo Yuan still felt it was easy. It wasn't until he added up to 90 kilograms that Luo Yuan started to feel some strain.

The final measurement was 95 kilograms.

The middle-aged man was surprised. He didn't expect this young man, who looked like a student, to have such strength. Even he could only push 115 kilograms, and that was with his muscular build.

Luo Yuan exhaled, satisfied with his strength.

His bench press strength in his sophomore year was around 78 kilograms, and the system's evaluation was still 10 points. With each point increasing strength by 50%, he estimated that 11 points would require around 100 kilograms. It was entirely possible to reach 11 points in the short term.