Chapter 6
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Chapter 6: Freedom
“Fuck!”
Bang!
“Fuck!”
Bang!
“Fuck!”
Bang! Bang!
In the pitch-black concrete room, amidst a series of low curses and crashing sounds, Zhang Yu finally completed his second repetition of the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening, despite the intense pain coursing through his body.
He collapsed onto the ground with a thud, gasping for breath.
Feeling his hands and feet still trembling slightly, Zhang Yu realized that his body had reached its absolute limit. Every inch of his body was in excruciating pain and he refused to move.
Yet even in this state, the chilling sensation and the voice in his mind returned.
Please adhere to the Ritual’s Covenant. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10.
“Damn it!” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “I’ve reached my limit!”
“I really can’t keep going!”
“I have classes tomorrow!”
But no matter how he pleaded or explained, the countdown continued without pause or hesitation.
As the countdown neared its end, Zhang Yu could only curse again before stumbling to his feet and resuming his practice.
Under normal circumstances, most people find it difficult to push themselves to their true physical limits when exercising alone.
It is often only under the strict supervision and demands of a Master, Teacher, Coach, or other authority figure that people can push themselves to their absolute limits repeatedly.
This was true for Zhang Yu as well. If he were left to his own devices, he probably would have grown tired after just one or two rounds of the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening and simply rested.
But the power of the Ritual now acted like a demonic coach, constantly watching him and threatening him to ensure he did not slack off even for a moment.
The third round…
The fourth round…
The fifth round…
All the way to the tenth round!
Under the repeated threats of the Ritual’s power, Zhang Yu forced himself to complete the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening a full ten times.
During this ordeal, the muscles and tendons of his entire body went from a tearing pain to excruciating needle-like stabs and finally to a gradual numbness. He even felt as though his hands and feet were about to disappear.
Simultaneously, every trace of Magic Power within him was forced out and channeled into his damaged flesh and blood.
After completing the tenth round, Zhang Yu felt as though both his flesh and blood and his Magic Power had been completely drained. He was like a wrung-out cloth that had been squeezed thousands upon thousands of times, leaving not a single drop.
At that moment, Zhang Yu simply wanted to lie on the ground and remain completely still, too exhausted to move even a fraction of an inch.
To his relief, the voice that had been relentlessly urging him on finally fell silent. It seemed to believe he had truly pushed himself to his absolute limit.
During his recent training, Zhang Yu had also begun to grasp the nature of this Ritual Power.
“This thing is like an artificial idiot. It doesn’t possess genuine intelligence and merely operates according to a set of fixed rules…”
Zhang Yu had seen similar concepts in Kunxu’s movies, television shows, and news reports.
Powerful magical artifacts often contained artifact spirits, which functioned like artificial intelligence. These spirits possessed a degree of intelligence to handle various problems, and some of the most powerful ones rivaled human intelligence.
Now that he was certain the Ritual Power would not force him to continue training, Zhang Yu could finally relax his mind and focus on experiencing the upgraded Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening.
Indeed, after completing the tenth repetition of the Thirty-Six Forms, he sensed the Martial Arts had leveled up.
In that instant, his understanding and comprehension of the Thirty-Six Forms deepened. Details he had previously overlooked or misunderstood flashed into his mind like lightning.
On the Feather Book, the initial “Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening Level 1 (0/10)” had changed to “Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening Level 2 (0/20).”
“If I practice it twenty more times, can I raise the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening to Level 3?”
“At this rate, won’t I reach Level 10 soon?”
Zhang Yu knew that in the Qi Refining Realm, the highest level for Martial Arts and Dao Arts was Level 10.
“By then, even without enhancers or medicine, my training results will be no worse than what Bai Zhenzhen and the others achieve. No, they might even far surpass theirs.”
“At this pace, it’s not impossible for my physical strength to become the best in my class.”
Excited by these thoughts, Zhang Yu felt his body ache less.
This is terrifying! My potential is truly terrifying. Once the Evil God awakens it, I’ll soar to the heavens!
Lost in these optimistic visions, his body exhausted from training, Zhang Yu gradually drifted into sleep without even realizing it.
He slept until five in the morning, waking up instinctively as if he had risen at that hour countless times before.
But today, his limbs and bones ached all over, and even opening his eyes felt like an immense effort.
Though Zhang Yu was awake, he did not want to get up. He just wanted to sleep a little longer, even if he was on the concrete floor of an abandoned building.
“Five more minutes… Just five more minutes…”
But just as Zhang Yu was about to give in to the urge to stay in bed, a chilling voice echoed from the depths of his mind again.
Please adhere to the Ritual’s Covenant. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10.
“Damn it!” Zhang Yu snapped his eyes open, listening intently as the voice continued. After repeatedly confirming it was not an illusion, he could only sit up, muttering curses under his breath.
At that moment, Zhang Yu suddenly realized the situation might be more serious than he had initially thought.
“From now on, does this mean I can’t slack off even a little in anything related to studying, cultivation, getting into university, or working? In anything connected to fulfilling the Second Wish through study, cultivation, work, and earning money?”
“So it’s a twenty-four-hour supervisor, huh?”
Exhausted and sore all over, Zhang Yu could only rush back to his rented room.
Feeling the grease and sweat clinging to his skin, he quickly paid his 323.4 RMB water bill. After a five-minute shower, he rushed to the bus stop.
Glancing at the display screen on the platform, he thought, “The next bus is still ten minutes away?”
Leaning against a pole, he muttered inwardly, “Time for a rest. Thank goodness that damn thing didn’t make me use this time to practice.”
The moment he had that thought, he regretted it.
A chill surged through him, and that nightmarish voice echoed in his mind once more.
Please adhere to the Ritual’s Covenant. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10.
“What the…” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “Is this thing monitoring my thoughts? If I think of a way to work hard but don’t do it… It’ll kill me?”
And so, as the countdown continued, Zhang Yu, despite his exhaustion, began practicing the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening. He endured the curious, bewildered, admiring, and indifferent gazes of those around him.
Hah!
Bang!
With his final punch, Zhang Yu, drenched in sweat, collapsed onto the ground, exhausted once more.
Watching the approaching bus in the distance, he felt immense relief. “Finally,” he thought.
To his surprise, he even managed to find a seat on the bus today, which brought him a surge of joy.
“Now I can finally rest properly.”
“I’ll just close my eyes for a moment. Surely it can’t force me to practice on the bus, right? Unless it’s the Breathing Technique…”
The moment the words “Breathing Technique” crossed his mind, Zhang Yu felt a sense of doom.
Please adhere to the Ritual’s Covenant. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10.
As expected, the countdown began again, forcing Zhang Yu to practice the Basic Breathing Method while riding the bus.
Practicing his breathing technique while commuting seemed simple and efficient, but even the former Zhang Yu had given up after a few attempts.
First, the noisy environment of the bus made it difficult to concentrate.
Second, and most importantly, Zhang Yu was simply too tired from waking up early every day.
Having finally secured a seat, all he wanted was a quick nap. He could not muster the energy to practice his breathing technique.
The few times he had tried, he would usually start feeling drowsy and drift off to sleep after only a few breaths.
But now, under the relentless pressure of the Ritual Power, he could only force himself to practice the Breathing Technique. He fought off sleep with every inhale and exhale, desperately trying to absorb the spiritual energy of the world.
At this moment, he finally understood that the situation was far more serious than he had initially thought.
“This isn’t just a twenty-four-hour supervisor. This thing is constantly pushing me to my death.”
“As long as this thing is on me, all laziness, slacking off, entertainment, enjoyment, and relaxation will be gone from my life.”
“There will be no more weekends and certainly no holidays. My life will be devoid of any joy. Every second of every minute will be dedicated to study, cultivation, and work until I fulfill the Second Wish.”
Zhang Yu unconsciously clutched his head. “I’ll become a complete study machine, a workhorse with no free time. I’ll be a relentless overachiever for the rest of my life until this pressure crushes me completely!”
He sighed inwardly. “If my whole life is going to be like this, what’s the point of succeeding on the Path to Immortality? What’s the use of living for a few more centuries? Every extra year would just be another year of suffering.”
“Oh, heavens!”
The other passengers turned to stare at Zhang Yu, who was clutching his head in agony.
But Zhang Yu could not care less. As the countdown “Please adhere to the Ritual’s Covenant…” began again, he straightened his posture, suppressed his despair, and resumed practicing the Basic Breathing Method.
Yet at the same time, a new resolve began to surge within Zhang Yu’s heart.
In truth, until this morning, Zhang Yu had felt somewhat lost since arriving in this world.
He had thought about getting into a prestigious university, joining a Great Sect, and achieving success on the Path to Immortality. But it was hard to say how much of that was influenced by the original body’s memories, a choice made by simply following the momentum of his life.
But in this moment, Zhang Yu finally had a goal, something he was determined to achieve, no matter the obstacles.
He would become powerful enough to completely eradicate the Ritual Power that was forcing this life upon him.
Zhang Yu wanted… freedom!
