"Damn it!"
*Thud!*
"Damn it!"
*Thud!*
"Damn it!"
*Thud! Thud!*
In the dark, empty concrete room, accompanied by low grunts and the sound of impacts, Zhang Yu finally completed the second round of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques, enduring the excruciating pain coursing through his body.
With a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
His arms and legs were trembling, and every inch of his body felt like it had reached its absolute limit. He didn't want to move a muscle.
But just as he thought he couldn't go on, that chilling sensation and the voice in his head returned.
"Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10."
"Damn it!" Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. "I've already hit my limit!"
"I can't go on!"
"I have classes tomorrow!"
No matter how much he protested or explained, the countdown continued without pause or hesitation.
As the countdown inched closer to zero, Zhang Yu cursed again and staggered to his feet, forcing himself to continue practicing.
Under normal circumstances, most people find it difficult to push themselves to their absolute limit during solo training. It usually takes a strict teacher, coach, or supervisor to push someone to their breaking point repeatedly.
For Zhang Yu, it was no different. If he were alone, he would have stopped after one or two rounds of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques, too exhausted to continue.
But the power of the ritual was like a relentless drill sergeant, watching his every move and threatening him with death if he slacked off even for a moment.
Third round...
Fourth round...
Fifth round...
All the way to the tenth round!
Under the relentless pressure of the ritual, Zhang Yu pushed through and completed ten full rounds of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques.
Throughout the process, the pain in his body shifted from a tearing sensation to a stabbing agony, and finally to a numbing ache. He felt as though his arms and legs were about to give out.
At the same time, every ounce of his magical energy was forced out, channeled into repairing his damaged muscles.
By the time he finished the tenth round, Zhang Yu felt completely drained, both physically and magically. His body was like a wrung-out rag, with nothing left to give.
All he wanted to do was lie on the ground and not move a muscle.
To his relief, the voice that had been relentlessly pushing him didn't return this time. It seemed to recognize that he had truly pushed himself to his limit.
During the grueling training session, Zhang Yu had also started to understand the nature of the ritual's power.
"This thing is like a dumb AI. It doesn't have real intelligence; it just operates based on set rules..."
He had seen similar things in movies, TV shows, and news reports back in Kunxu. Powerful magical artifacts often contained spirits, which functioned like artificial intelligences, capable of handling various tasks with a certain level of wisdom. Some of the more advanced spirits even possessed intelligence comparable to humans.
Now that the ritual's power had stopped forcing him to train, Zhang Yu finally had a chance to relax and assess the effects of leveling up the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques.
Yes, after completing the tenth round, he could feel that the technique had leveled up.
In that moment, his understanding and comprehension of the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques deepened. Details he had previously overlooked or failed to grasp suddenly became clear, flashing through his mind like lightning.
On the Feather Book, the original line "Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques (Level 1 (0/10))" had changed to "Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques (Level 2 (0/20))."
"So, I just need to practice 20 more rounds to reach Level 3?"
"If I keep this up, I'll be able to push the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques to Level 10 in no time."
Zhang Yu knew that, at the Qi Refinement stage, the maximum level for martial and Dao techniques was 10.
"By then, even without stimulants or pills, my training results will be on par with Bai Zhenzhen and the others... No, I might even surpass them."
"If I keep this up, it's not impossible for me to become the top-ranked student in physical strength."
The thought filled Zhang Yu with excitement, and the pain in his body seemed to fade slightly.
"This is terrifying. My potential is truly terrifying. Once the evil god awakened it, I'm practically unstoppable."
With these optimistic thoughts, Zhang Yu, exhausted from pushing his body to the limit, gradually succumbed to sleep.
He woke up at 5 a.m. the next morning, as if his body had instinctively remembered the countless times he had risen at this hour.
But today, his limbs felt like jelly, and even opening his eyes was a struggle.
Although he was awake, Zhang Yu had no desire to get up. He just wanted to sleep a little longer, even if it was on the cold, hard floor of the abandoned building.
"Five more minutes... just five more minutes..."
But just as he was about to give in to the temptation of sleeping in, that chilling voice echoed in his mind once more.
"Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10."
"Damn it!" Zhang Yu's eyes snapped open. After listening carefully and confirming that this wasn't a hallucination, he cursed under his breath and forced himself to sit up.
At that moment, Zhang Yu realized that the situation might be even more serious than he had initially thought.
"From now on, anything related to studying, training, getting into university, or working—basically anything that contributes to fulfilling the second wish—I can't slack off even a little?"
"24-hour surveillance, huh?"
Bone-tired and weary, Zhang Yu hurried back to his rented apartment.
Feeling the grime and sweat on his body, he quickly topped up his water bill with 323.4 credits, took a five-minute shower, and then rushed to the bus stop.
Glancing at the display screen at the stop, Zhang Yu thought, "The next bus is in ten minutes?"
Leaning against a pole, he muttered to himself, "I'll rest for a bit. At least that damn thing isn't forcing me to train right now."
The moment the thought crossed his mind, he regretted it.
Because that familiar chill surged through him, and the nightmare-like voice returned.
"Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10."
"Are you kidding me?" Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. "Is this thing monitoring my thoughts? If I think of a way to work harder but don't act on it, it's going to kill me?"
As the countdown began, Zhang Yu, under the curious, puzzled, or indifferent gazes of the people around him, started practicing the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques again.
*Hah!*
*Thud!*
With the final punch, Zhang Yu, now drenched in sweat, collapsed to the ground once more.
Seeing the bus approaching in the distance, he felt a wave of relief. "Finally, it's here."
To his surprise, he even managed to find a seat on the bus today, which lifted his spirits slightly.
"Finally, I can rest a bit."
"I'll just close my eyes for a moment. It can't possibly force me to train on the bus, right? Unless it's the breathing technique..."
The moment the thought of the breathing technique crossed his mind, Zhang Yu knew he was in trouble.
"Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10."
Sure enough, the countdown started again, forcing Zhang Yu to practice the Basic Breathing Technique while riding the bus.
Practicing the breathing technique on the bus might sound simple and efficient, but Zhang Yu had tried it a few times before and always gave up.
First, the environment on the bus was too noisy, making it hard to concentrate.
Second, and more importantly, Zhang Yu was always too tired from waking up early. On the rare occasion he got a seat, all he wanted to do was close his eyes and rest, not focus on breathing exercises.
The few times he had tried, he usually ended up dozing off midway.
But now, under the relentless pressure of the ritual, Zhang Yu had no choice but to practice the breathing technique, fighting off sleep as he tried to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with each breath.
At this point, he fully understood that the situation was far more serious than he had initially thought.
"This isn't just a 24-hour surveillance. It's pushing me to the brink of death every second."
"As long as this thing is inside me, all laziness, slacking off, entertainment, enjoyment, and relaxation... are gone."
"No more weekends, no more holidays. My life will have no joy. Every second will be devoted to studying, training, and working... until the second wish is fulfilled."
Zhang Yu unconsciously clutched his head. "I'll become a complete study machine, a workhorse, with no leisure time at all. I'll be a grind king for the rest of my life... until this pressure completely destroys me!"
He lamented inwardly, "If my life is going to be like this, what's the point of achieving immortality and living for hundreds of years? Living longer just means suffering longer."
"Heavens, help me!"
The other passengers on the bus glanced at Zhang Yu, who was clutching his head in apparent agony.
But Zhang Yu didn't care. As the countdown of "Please adhere to the ritual agreement..." began again, he straightened up, suppressing his despair, and continued practicing the Basic Breathing Technique.
At the same time, however, a sense of determination began to grow within him.
Up until this morning, Zhang Yu had been somewhat lost since arriving in this world.
Although he had thought about getting into a prestigious university, joining a major sect, and achieving success in the Dao, it was hard to say how much of that was influenced by his original self's memories and how much was just him going with the flow of life.
But now, Zhang Yu finally had a goal, something he was determined to achieve no matter the obstacles.
He wanted to become strong enough to completely rid himself of this oppressive ritual power.
Zhang Yu wanted... freedom!
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