Those who understand others are wise; those who understand themselves are enlightened.

“What?”
“There’s a restriction already?”
“That can’t be right, I should still be able to upgrade, it’s not at Perfection yet.”

Chen Jue paused in surprise, then picked up the electronic dart and tried another throw.

With a satisfying thud, the dart struck dead center again.

Now that the “Darts” skill had reached Level 4, Chen Jue’s feel was even more precise, his bullseye rate almost ridiculous—out of ten throws, he could hit the center six or seven times.

But this time, the panel didn’t give him a “Perfect” rating or the familiar +5 proficiency notification.

This only meant the panel was getting picky, no longer letting him exploit the close-range targets of the international darts machine for easy gains.

Mechanical, close-range throws like this could no longer bring him any technical reward.

“Skipping stones capped at Level 4, hitting Perfection immediately.”
“I didn’t expect ‘Darts’ to hit a restriction at Level 4, too.”
“So the panel must set the skills’ watershed at Level 4,” Chen Jue analyzed inwardly.

He tried switching to another machine and stood farther back for a few throws.

At first, he went from the standard 2.44 meters to about five meters. The difficulty ramped up considerably.

But since he was in the zone and his needle-dart technique had reached a professional standard, his first throw from five meters still landed on the board.

However, with the distance increased, he had to adjust the force through his arm, wrist, and fingers; his accuracy dropped sharply, the first dart landing on the outermost ring—just a hair from missing the board entirely.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Jue put more strength into his left hand and threw again.

This time, he hit a scoring area, but the panel still gave no proficiency increase.

“Still not enough?”

Unconvinced, he stepped back further—now ten meters from the target—and threw a few more times.

The distance was too great, and his glasses prescription hadn’t been updated in ages; from ten meters, the target looked blurry and doubled.

Nearsightedness and astigmatism were sabotaging his performance.

His first two attempts missed entirely—not only was his power insufficient, his aim was way off.

“My left hand is too weak.”

“Trying to force a straight-line throw at this distance just won’t work.” Chen Jue adjusted, switching to the more typical lobbed throw.

At last, he managed to hit—barely—the outermost ring of the scoring area, and the panel finally responded!

———
[Ping~]
[You’ve completed a high-difficulty dart throw, gaining an extraordinary new understanding of the sport.]
[Darts proficiency +1]
———

“So only throws from beyond ten meters will count?”
“That’s a tough standard!”

Chen Jue pursed his lips in mild frustration as he read the notification.

That last throw had been pure luck, nothing like the control he had at 2.44 meters. Neither his eyesight nor his arm strength came close to meeting the basic requirements for ten-meter darts.

Worse, this time he only got a single point of proficiency. At that rate, leveling up to five would take half a year or more.

Having enjoyed the quick progress of gaining a level every few days, Chen Jue had no patience for this inefficient grind.

“Brother Jue, are you trying some kind of trick-shot darts?” Lin Ling, who was practicing nearby, came over to ask.

She’d noticed Chen Jue throwing from more than ten meters away and was intrigued.

“Trick shots?”
“Not really! Just wanted to test my arm strength.”

Chen Jue shook his head, recalling the fancy trick shots in billiards—only the top masters with absolute confidence in their technique could really show off like that.

He’d just reached the professional level; he was still a long way from being a true darts master.

“Brother Jue, you only just started working out, so it’s fine if your strength isn’t up to par. Give it some time, lower your body fat, build some muscle, and your strength will improve naturally.”

“Unlike Feifei and me—neither of us has any talent for darts. We’ve played for nearly two years and we’re still just hobbyists,” Lin Ling laughed, giving Chen Jue a once-over.

His frame was decent, with a solid build, and his looks were maybe a 6 out of 10. But with a bit of chubbiness, a fuller face, and thinning hair, he’d dropped to a 4 or 5—just an ordinary guy you’d never notice in a crowd.

If not for the fact that Chen Jue was polite and never stared at them inappropriately, Lin Ling and Hu Feifei probably wouldn’t have bothered talking to him at all.

...

About half an hour later, both Hu Feifei and Lin Ling had lost interest in practicing.

After saying their goodbyes to Chen Jue, the two women changed and left the club together.

As they got into the black Mercedes sports car in the parking lot, Lin Ling teased, “Feifei, you asked Brother Jue for his WeChat—don’t tell me you’re interested in him?”

Hu Feifei immediately looked nauseated. “Lin Ling, are you crazy, or am I blind? At my shop, there are tons of handsome guys chasing me—eight-pack abs, v-lines, and a few rich heirs who look better than celebrities.”

“If it wasn’t for Brother Jue’s darts skills, I wouldn’t have asked him for tips. How could I possibly be interested in a guy like that?”

Seeing how vehemently Hu Feifei denied it, Lin Ling burst out laughing.

Both of them were young fitness instructors from well-off middle-class families in Hangzhou, so they always aimed high when looking for partners.

Someone like Chen Jue, despite his good nature, just didn’t have the looks or charisma to match. Unless he was outrageously rich, they might have considered it, but after seeing him drive off in a domestic SUV, all interest in his background evaporated.

What good is being a darts expert for an ordinary guy? It’s not like looks, something you can eat for dinner.

They honked the horn as a polite farewell, then the two women chatted and drove off to find somewhere to shop and have dinner.

As for Chen Jue, with his darts proficiency now grinding to a halt, he soon lost interest in practicing and got in his car, heading toward the Changhe neighborhood.

That morning, after onboarding at his new job, he’d posted a sublet notice for his apartment on the Huaye Park forums and in various chat groups.

By afternoon, two prospective tenants had already contacted him to see the place.

It was almost quitting time; if he didn’t leave soon, Hangzhou’s main roads would be a nightmare of traffic.

As for Lin Ling and Hu Feifei, those pretty girls he’d spent the afternoon with, there was no rush to pursue them—he’d already had a close look, after all.

Did he really think he could win over a rich, beautiful woman with just his darts skills?

That would be like a toad lusting after a swan—pure fantasy!

Better to focus on his own business. As long as he had their WeChat and practiced at the same club, he’d have plenty of chances to interact in the future.

Almost thirty now, Chen Jue at least had that much self-awareness.

...

He drove back to the Changhe neighborhood as the evening traffic began to swell.

Once there, he made a couple of calls, arranging for the two prospective tenants to meet him.

About ten minutes later, they arrived—both recent college graduates working in the park.

They looked very young, with innocent faces, backpacks slung over their shoulders even after work, glasses perched on their noses, a certain wariness in their naïveté, just like his own young apprentice, Jing Lin.

After a brief chat, he took them inside to view the apartment.

There wasn’t much to see—it was just a standard partitioned room.

Being on the ground floor, both guys weren’t thrilled; Hangzhou’s damp weather made the first floor even more humid, the sort of place that would give older people rheumatism.

Only young workers with their youth could handle it.

But when they heard the rent for the first three months was only 1800, one cash-strapped guy immediately jumped at the offer.

Since it was a sublet, it’d be almost impossible to find a tenant at full price, so Chen Jue simply slashed 500 off the monthly rent to seal the deal.

He called the landlord from the same neighborhood, signed the sublet agreement, collected the rent and deposit, and began packing up.

Like most migrant workers in Hangzhou, he’d arrived with just a suitcase and a blanket.

Now, as he left, his belongings had multiplied into a random assortment of odds and ends.

If not for his newly acquired car, he’d have had to hire a moving service online just to get it all out.

...

It took over an hour to pack up. The landlord would send someone to clean, so Chen Jue didn’t have to worry about tidying up.

He loaded everything into his car, handed the keys to the new tenant, and, shedding his thin autumn jacket, slumped sweaty into the driver’s seat.

He started the engine, made a turn, and drove one last loop around the Changhe neighborhood.

He’d lived and worked here for more than two years. He had no emotional attachment, but still, a trace of sentiment lingered.

Taking this moment, he reached into the suit jacket hanging in the back seat and pulled out a nearly empty pack of Blue Liqun cigarettes.

He lit one and, as smoke curled around the car interior, he watched the young workers his age streaming in and out of the community gates.

In their hurried steps and tired faces, Chen Jue saw his former self.

If not for awakening the attribute panel, he’d still be trapped in the industrial park’s cage, just like them.

When the cigarette burned to the filter, he stifled his useless nostalgia, pressed down on the accelerator, and headed for Hengtong Group’s talent apartments.

A brand new life awaited him.

As for this neighborhood where he’d spent over two years, he doubted he would ever return.