"I'm awake!"
Neo stared at the purplish wall in front of him with curiosity.
Was this the inside of the cocoon that had surrounded him last time?
Neo remembered that the previous time something like this happened, he had only been able to infer that he had been encased in a cocoon when he woke up, seeing the remnants of what looked like purplish skin scattered around his body.
But now, he was still inside it.
Neo gently raised one finger to lightly caress the wall, but his hand poked through the cocoon and tore it apart as though it were made of air.
Why was it so fragile?
Blue water flooded the inside of the cocoon and shredded it into pieces within seconds.
After the purple cocoon surrounding him was destroyed by the water, Neo decided to swim out of the pond before he ran out of breath.
He wasn't ready to return to the surface yet. God knows when he would even feel ready.
Was there ever a good time to venture into a common-grade zone alone?
Neo doubted it.
*Shuuu!*
'What the heck!'
Neo was shocked the moment he began to swim.
He swam up so much faster than expected that he couldn't help but stop in surprise.
What was going on?
He attempted to swim upwards again, and the same thing happened.
Neo discovered that with significantly less effort than before, he could achieve a swimming speed that was just as fast!
And when he used his full strength...
The water gushed against Neo's face with force. He was moving incredibly fast. In no time, he had broken through the surface of the water and emerged from the pool.
The first thing he noticed was his vision.
It was as though it had gone from 1080 pixels to 2k!
His vision had become much clearer and sharper. He could see things much farther away and with more detail than before!
Neo looked around and felt that the scenery had become much more beautiful. The pink grass looked more ethereal, and the lush forest appeared ridiculously vibrant!
It was truly wonderful!
After noticing the improvements in his sight, Neo confirmed that he had also experienced such a drastic enhancement in all his other senses.
His hearing had improved significantly. He could hear lower sounds more clearly, discern distant noises better, and distinguish vocal differences with greater ease.
Neo really didn't know how to describe it other than as wonderful. His improved hearing also enhanced his balance and body positional awareness.
And that wasn't all. His taste, touch, and smell had improved as well.
Neo wore a wide smile on his face.
All these improvements were clear indications of a shocking truth—one that would allow Neo to catch up to and surpass his peers in no time.
Neo dropped to the floor and began doing some push-ups.
Yes, he was doing good old-fashioned push-ups.
What better way to test his strength than this?
Neo spent the next ten minutes performing this exercise until he couldn't go on anymore. He lay on the floor completely naked, but with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
'I can't believe this. It's really a common-grade physique!'
Just last night, Neo had peaked at 400 push-ups. His body was already abnormally strong for a mortal, although push-ups also depended on body size, and he was still rather slender.
But just now, Neo had managed to do 200 more!
Two hundred!
A whole 50% more!
This was definitely the common-grade physique!
Neo opened his mouth and guffawed like a mad demon who had just escaped from hell.
He laughed so much that he cried. He felt euphoric.
He had just made a shocking discovery—one that would allow him to upgrade his physique as much as he wanted simply by consuming treasures!
To understand how insane this was, one needed to know what a common-grade physique truly entailed.
Out of every 100 Body Spirituals, only 25 would possess a common-grade physique. They were so hard and difficult to forge that most Body Spirituals gave up halfway.
A common-grade physique was no joke!
By consuming Chi pills and engaging in extremely rigorous exercise and breathing techniques, a person could continuously forge and refine their body until they managed to break the limits of their physical form and improve their body on a cellular level.
This made them at least 50% stronger and better in all aspects!
All aspects!
This 50% boost would remain even after breaking through another stage or ascending in the Body Path!
And all Neo had to do to achieve this kind of physique was to eat one treasure.
Neo was liking his new self more and more.
How could he not? In fact, he was beginning to think it wasn't such a bad exchange for the curse of ba—
Neo stopped his thoughts there.
It was still a bad exchange.
After confirming that he indeed now possessed a common-grade physique, Neo stood up, put on his dried clothes, and climbed back into his treehouse.
As he stared at the now empty wooden box, Neo felt his mood dampen slightly. The treasure he had just devoured belonged to the leader of the party...
Neo sighed.
He would repay his family for the treasure once he got out. He promised himself he would do that as soon as he had enough money to buy an uncommon-grade energy lotus.
For now, he would have to survive alone in this underground world.
Neo lay down to sleep when he suddenly discovered something else shocking.
'Mind feeling like it wants to sleep, vision darkening at the edges...'
Neo was stunned.
The beckoning of his Soul Space?
'My Soul Space is open?'
Wasn't that supposed to happen only after he had fused with a spirit?
What was happening again?
Neo closed his eyes and tried to trace the source of the call. His vision gradually darkened until all he saw was blackness.
Then his consciousness was pulled into his Soul Space.
The first thing Neo said as he stared at his Soul Space was...
"This is not normal!"