As the black symbol in his palm shifted and changed, a thick, ink-black book appeared in Zhang Yu's hand.
"Feather Book?"
Seeing the two large characters on the cover, Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback.
With a thought, the black book in his hand flipped open to the first page on its own, as if guided by an unseen force.
"Is this the table of contents?"
Looking at the table of contents, apart from the first line labeled "Prologue," the rest of the text was blurry and unreadable, as if it had been censored.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Does this mean only the prologue is available now?"
With another thought, he flipped to the prologue.
On the left page was a portrait, and on the right were lines of data and information.
"Is that me?"
The portrait on the left page depicted Zhang Yu sitting cross-legged with his eyes lightly closed, as if in meditation.
The image was so lifelike that it seemed as though the figure in the painting was breathing.
There was even a faint glow, which Zhang Yu felt must represent the flow of spiritual energy within his body.
On the right page were lines of data and information:
Zhang Yu
Dao Heart: Level 1
Spiritual Energy: 7.7
Physical Strength: Level 0.83
Martial Arts: Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques - Level 1, Freehand Combat - Level 1
Dao Techniques: Basic Breathing Technique - Level 1, Basic Heart Refinement Technique - Level 1
"Is this me?"
"The data above shows my cultivation attributes. The Dao Heart level is consistent with what the school measured, though it doesn’t go into decimal points."
"Below that are the martial arts and Dao techniques I’ve learned so far?"
Among the four skills listed, apart from the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques used to enhance physical strength, there was also Freehand Combat, which he learned in martial arts class to improve practical combat skills, the Basic Breathing Technique from spiritual energy class to refine his spiritual energy, and the Basic Heart Refinement Technique to enhance his Dao Heart.
All of them were at the beginner level of 1.
Zhang Yu looked at the numbers and thought, "Is this the potential that the evil god awakened? Can this book detect all my attributes?"
"But... there must be more to it, right?"
"According to that evil god, my potential was awakened, but what’s the point of just detecting it? I can get tested at school every day."
"There must be some other use."
With that in mind, Zhang Yu decided to test it.
He focused his attention on the attribute numbers and mentally commanded, "Feather Book! Add points!"
Seeing that the data on the book remained unchanged, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly.
The evil god wasn’t very helpful after all—it hadn’t awakened his potential at all.
He tried flipping to the next page, only to find the words "To Be Continued" written in large characters.
Recalling the blurred content in the table of contents earlier, Zhang Yu speculated, "What does this mean? Can this ability be upgraded? Will more functions be unlocked after upgrading?"
He flipped back to the previous page and continued to focus his attention on the lines of data and skills, wondering if it would trigger any effect.
Just as he focused on "Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques - Level 1," he suddenly felt the line of text shift slightly, as if it had been dragged by his thoughts, moving around the page.
As Zhang Yu dragged "Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques - Level 1" around the page, wondering what it was for, the text suddenly froze when it touched the portrait of him in the book.
It was absorbed directly into the image.
As the absorption occurred, Zhang Yu felt as though a cool spring had poured over the crown of his head.
An indescribable sensation welled up in his heart, making him feel a strange connection with the Zhang Yu in the portrait.
At the same time, the portrait, which had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly stood up and began to perform the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques, one move at a time.
Above the portrait, a line of small text appeared: Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques - Level 1+
Seeing the small "+" at the end, Zhang Yu became excited.
"It’s happening! My potential is really being awakened!"
He quickly focused his attention on the "+," feeling as though he had pressed it with his thoughts.
In the next moment, the "+" blurred slightly and changed to "(0/10)."
A sudden understanding dawned on Zhang Yu: practicing the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques ten times would allow him to level up the martial art.
Looking at "Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques - Level 1 (0/10)" in the Feather Book, Zhang Yu thought in surprise, "Practicing it ten times will level up this martial art?"
Since the start of the school term, Zhang Yu had practiced the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques countless times, but he had never felt any sign of it leveling up.
"Ten times?"
Zhang Yu couldn’t wait to try.
He took a step forward, and with a loud bang, his muscles twisted like a giant python, unleashing layers of power.
Although Zhang Yu usually practiced the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques with equipment at school, that was only to enhance the training effect.
In reality, the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques, as the most basic body-refining martial art, could be practiced with or without equipment.
Practitioners could even focus on different aspects like strength, speed, or agility based on their preferences.
For example, Zhang Yu had chosen a balanced approach, focusing on both strength and speed, without bulking up.
Now, Zhang Yu moved around the small room, his feet stomping on the floor with loud bangs, his muscles expanding and contracting as his body gradually heated up.
But before he could finish a few moves, he heard a voice shouting from outside, "Are you crazy? Tearing the house down in the middle of the night?!"
Zhang Yu immediately stopped, thinking helplessly, "The soundproofing in this rental is terrible. I can’t practice martial arts at night."
Looking at the Feather Book in his hand, Zhang Yu felt an irresistible urge to practice, wanting to complete ten rounds of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques in one go to see the effect.
"Maybe I should find another place?"
"I remember there’s an abandoned building nearby..."
...
In the darkness.
The sound of banging echoed through the corridors of the abandoned building.
As the neon lights from the distant streets flickered, the figure of a young man occasionally appeared in the shadows.
It was Zhang Yu, who had come to the abandoned building to practice the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques.
With a focused expression, he performed the techniques one by one.
Soon, he was drenched in sweat, his body steaming with heat.
Zhang Yu had already trained all morning and had collapsed from exhaustion earlier in the day.
Without the aid of potions, pills, or nutritional supplements, practicing the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques now made him feel weak all over.
Every movement and exertion brought a tearing pain to his muscles.
But thinking of the changes in the Feather Book, his spirits lifted, and he managed to complete one full round of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques.
Breathing heavily, Zhang Yu eagerly opened his palm, and the Feather Book appeared once again at his will.
Looking at "Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques - Level 1 (1/10)," Zhang Yu couldn’t help but show a hint of joy on his face.
"Is this my potential?"
"Leveling up the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques to Level 2... it really seems possible."
"I’m going to complete ten rounds tonight!"
Zhang Yu eagerly began the second round of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques.
But after a short while, he collapsed to the ground, feeling as though his arms and legs no longer belonged to him.
"I can’t go on. I’ve reached my limit. I’ll have to try again tomorrow."
Just as Zhang Yu decided to stop training, rest for a bit, and go home to sleep, a chilling sensation surged through his heart.
At the same time, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Please honor the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10."
"Please honor the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 9."
"Please honor the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 8."
As the countdown continued, the chilling sensation in Zhang Yu’s heart grew more intense, as if something was about to burst out of his body, tearing his flesh apart.
"The ritual... agreement... wish..."
He quickly realized, "Is this the power of that summoning ritual?"
Zhang Yu immediately recalled the words of the doll.
...
"If you choose to refuse to fulfill my wish, or if you intentionally delay or fail in the process, you will suffer the backlash of the ritual, your flesh torn apart and your soul scattered."
...
Zhang Yu thought, "So... because I plan to study hard, get into a prestigious university, join a major sect, and earn money to fulfill the second wish..."
"Does slacking off in this process count as intentionally delaying the fulfillment of the wish?"
"If I don’t comply, will I die from the ritual backlash?"
Hearing the countdown reach 3, Zhang Yu quickly jumped up.
With a cry of pain, he forced himself to endure the tearing agony in his muscles and began practicing the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques again.
The moment he started practicing, the countdown disappeared completely.
(End of Chapter)