Chapter 12: The Speed of Recovery
Chapter 12: [Health Regeneration Rate]
Xia Zuo was complaining about how stingy his cheat ability was when suddenly a flood of information surged into his mind.
“Detected that the host has an attribute with a value exceeding 5 points for the first time. Character template updating… Update complete. New entry added: [Health Regeneration Rate].”
The character template interface blurred momentarily, and a subtle electric sensation flickered across his limbs. Within less than a second, the template cleared up again.
Beneath [Health], several new lines of data appeared:
[Health Regeneration Rate] (timing units can be switched by thought)
[Base Health Regeneration Rate]
1.11 points/hour.
This value is determined by vitality and represents the host’s natural regeneration speed without external influences.
[Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate]
1.11 points/hour.
This value reflects the host’s current regeneration speed affected by items, skills, traits, environment, and other factors.
[Average Health Regeneration Rate]
1.11 points/hour.
This is the moving average of the [Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate] over the past 60 timing units.
So the [Health Regeneration Rate] was a hidden stat all along—no wonder the cheat remained silent about it.
1.11 points/hour was 0.13 points higher than the previously estimated 0.98 points/hour, a nice little bonus.
This indicated that the relationship between vitality and regeneration speed wasn’t simply proportional.
Performing with the fire-spitting agent enhanced by five drops of fiery solvent was now completely feasible.
By steadily expelling airflow like spitting flames, he could easily maintain a flame length exceeding half a meter.
Since [Health Regeneration Rate] was now clearly visible on the character template, why not try a higher-grade fire-spitting agent?
Xia Zuo’s eyes gleamed.
He had long wanted to test the power of the secondary-level agent but hesitated, worried that his health wouldn’t recover fast enough and that wounds in his mouth wouldn’t heal in time, affecting eating and drinking.
“Think first, then act. I’ll try it out.”
Back in his room, Xia Zuo opened his suitcase and prepared the fire-spitting agent following Audrey’s instructions.
The agents were ranked by strength from lowest to highest: weak, secondary, intermediate, strong, and perfect grade.
His suitcase contained weak and secondary agents.
Higher grades were stored by Audrey to prevent mistakes that could cause accidents during fire-spitting training.
Five minutes later, a bottle of secondary mixed fire-spitting agent sat on the table.
Like the weak agent, it had fire resistance, differing only in the rate of health loss.
“Audrey-style secondary mixed fire-spitting agent: causes 5 points of health loss per hour while held in the mouth.”
The panel showed a health loss rate of 5 points/hour, but the actual loss during performance would be lower.
Xia Zuo grabbed the freshly made agent and a torch, locked the money box and door, and headed to the empty backyard behind the inn.
The dark red potion entered his mouth, the sharp spicy aroma much more intense than the weak agent. The taste was bitterer; his tongue and gums dried out, urging him to spit it out and rinse with water, then drink deeply to soothe his throat.
The character template immediately updated.
[Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate]
1.11 - 5 → -3.89 points/hour
[Average Health Regeneration Rate]
1.11 - 0.08 → 1.03 points/hour
Suppressing the discomfort in his mouth, Xia Zuo picked up the torch and slowly exhaled a stream of flame.
The flame length slightly exceeded half a meter but fell short of one meter.
He instantly sped up the water expulsion, clearing the agent from his mouth in two or three seconds.
The flame abruptly surged to two meters before quickly diminishing and vanishing into the air.
As soon as the agent was spit out, the regeneration data refreshed again.
[Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate]
-3.89 + 5 → 1.11 points/hour
[Average Health Regeneration Rate]
1.08 + 0.028 → 1.108 points/hour
Xia Zuo repeated the process several times, his thoughts gradually clarifying.
With the help of real-time regeneration data, he could prepare fire-spitting agents of varying intensities in advance and alternate them during performances, creating a rich and diverse display rather than simply spewing large flames.
For big fireballs, he’d use the heavily dosed agent, which was highly toxic and caused rapid health loss, keeping the [Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate] very low.
For small flames or fire tips, he’d use agents with lower toxicity. Though the health loss rate was still high, the real-time regeneration rate remained negative but higher than for big fireballs.
At other times, with no toxic agent in his mouth, the real-time regeneration rate was positive.
This way, the different [Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate] values could balance each other out, maintaining the [Average Health Regeneration Rate] above zero points per hour.
Farns’ fire-spitting performances were intense but lasted only about five minutes at most.
After all, the big bald man lacked high vitality and rapid regeneration, so he couldn’t hold toxic agents in his mouth for long without risk of poisoning and fainting.
Xia Zuo was different.
He possessed high regeneration speed and [Immortal Body], and could monitor dynamic changes in [Health] and [Health Regeneration Rate].
As long as the [Average Health Regeneration Rate] stayed above -1 point/hour, and his health remained above 90%, he could extend fire-spitting performances significantly without danger.
Don’t forget, the cheat calculated experience based on the duration and size of the flames.
If the performances yielded experience, and it was calculated by time…
Heh heh heh...
He could stretch his fire-spitting performances to ten minutes or even half an hour!
If he raised his vitality attribute a bit more, boosting the [Base Health Regeneration Rate], even the most intense agents would keep the [Real-Time Health Regeneration Rate] positive.
By then, unless the big sister forced him off stage, he wouldn’t stop.
Forget roasting one chicken—he could roast three or five in succession and prepare a big platter of roasted chicken without trouble.
Heh heh, 200 experience points to level from five to six—is that high?
Not really~
Xia Zuo chuckled smugly in the backyard, eyes flashing as he settled on his next plan.
To rake in experience using this method, one crucial prerequisite was that performances actually granted experience.
He needed to find a chance to perform and observe the cheat’s reaction.
Previously, though he had the big sister’s backing, his skills weren’t good enough to confront Farns directly.
Now…
Heh heh, with the dynamic data support of [Health Regeneration Rate], sustained fire-spitting was no longer a problem.
“Those who like petty theft, better leave my cradle for making money and gaining experience early!”
With this thought, Xia Zuo quickened his pace back to the room, grabbed the money box and ledger, and headed toward the square.
The big sister and others were rehearsing there.
…
Backstage at the performance venue.
Audrey counted the money in the box and passed around the ledger among the members.
She decided to stick to the old routine of settling everyone’s pay after dinner.
No one objected.
The square’s performances were for the common folk, with ticket costs covered by the fortress commander. Xia Zuo no longer needed to guard the ticket booth.
A week later, when performing for the army, the sergeants would arrange soldiers’ viewing schedules, so there would be no ticket selling then either.
Audrey, as the circus leader, had anticipated this.
She let the other members rehearse on their own and pulled Xia Zuo outside the low tent.
“Little guy, you don’t need to sell tickets this month. Do you want to help us backstage or stay at the inn reading?”
“Big sister, I want to perform. I just tested the secondary fire-spitting agent in the backyard. It flows smoothly and lets me spit flames for a long time without mouth pain.”
Xia Zuo’s tone and expression were resolute.
Audrey frowned slightly, a stern look crossing her face.
She hadn’t expected the boy to practice fire-spitting alone without her supervision—it was too dangerous.
She intended to warn him firmly but, seeing the hopeful light in his eyes, the harsh words softened as she said:
“Open your mouth, let me check.”
“Ah~”
Xia Zuo tilted his head back and opened his mouth.
At full health, his mouth was certainly intact.
Audrey examined carefully but saw no signs of the agent corroding his oral cavity.
“Huh? Why aren’t your gums red or bleeding? Did you use the wrong agent?”
“I didn’t use the wrong one, big sister.”
Xia Zuo took Audrey’s arm. “Let’s go to the inn’s backyard and try again.”
…
In the inn’s backyard clearing.
Under Audrey’s watchful eye, Xia Zuo performed with the secondary mixed fire-spitting agent for several minutes.
When he opened his mouth again, there were only faint traces of gum damage.
With his accelerated regeneration, if Audrey checked his mouth a few seconds later that night, even those minor injuries would have healed completely…
Audrey looked at the boy with a complex expression.
“Xia Zuo, do you know your body recovers much faster than a normal person?”
She had noticed this during her early lessons with the weak fire-spitting agent.
At the time, she attributed it to his youth—his recovery was better than typical adults, and the weak agent’s toxicity wasn’t enough to damage his gums or tongue.
Now, even the secondary agent left no lasting scars. The boy before her was clearly of a special constitution.
Audrey had heard of such people before but never imagined one would be standing right in front of her—her own fire-spitting apprentice.
Xia Zuo knew he couldn’t hide this from the big sister and had prepared an explanation.
“I wasn’t like this at birth. After that alchemist villain in the underground den gave me all those potions, my recovery ability became so strong.”
He blinked, speaking with utmost sincerity and perfectly shifting the blame onto the old alchemist.
This answer was plausible—he did indeed take potions to gain experience and level up.
He just omitted the crucial details.
Audrey frowned in thought, then gradually relaxed her expression.
In her experience, there were indeed rare and precious medicines that could greatly enhance bodily recovery.
That old villain hiding in the underground alchemy lab must have obtained the formula for such potions by illegal means.
Otherwise, why would he cower in a hole like a mouse?
“So that’s how it is. Little guy, your luck really isn’t ordinary.”
Audrey smiled softly, now understanding the cause and effect.
Her voice carried a trace of regret, as if mourning the loss of the potion formula that was consumed in the great fire.
Seeing Audrey’s smile, Xia Zuo breathed a sigh of relief and asked eagerly, “So can I perform on stage now?”
“Of course. Start by learning to warm up the crowd.”
Audrey’s expression suddenly changed, coldness radiating from her.
“When the time is right, we’ll drive Farns away. That addict. Hmph, if I weren’t watching him, he would have already become a disaster for the circus.”
(End of chapter)