Right now, he did not want to move at all; every twitch was an ordeal for his willpower.
"No, how can I give up so easily!"
Lin Zheyu spurred himself on.
After practicing stance work for a month, his perseverance had grown considerably.
He slowly rose from the ground, yet that single motion alone exhausted the willpower he had just scraped together.
"Press on while the momentum lasts... If I'd known, I wouldn't have pushed myself so hard at Master Liang's," Lin Zheyu muttered, feeling the aches racking his body.
He caught his breath for a moment longer, then gritted his teeth and began to train.
"When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it first fills his heart with bitterness..."
Reciting famous lines from his past life to encourage himself, Lin Zheyu forced down the pain in his body and the heavy fatigue and aversion weighing on his mind as he resumed his training.
If he could not even endure this little bit of suffering, how could he ever achieve greatness?
He sank into a stance.
Though his strength was lacking, his form was textbook perfect.
"Heh!"
"Hah!"
Crying out with each strike, Lin Zheyu began practicing his punches.
A wooden post used for fist practice stood in the courtyard, wrapped in old clothes to provide cushioning—something Lin Zheyu had prepared beforehand.
Thud, thud!
Thud, thud, thud!
Fists struck the wooden post, producing dull, heavy thuds.
As time passed, Lin Zheyu found his rhythm, and the thuds against the post grew louder and crisper.
Every beginning is hard, but once he forced himself to start, he could endure the rest by gritting his teeth.
Rustle, rustle...
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves into a soft rustle.
Under the moonlight, Lin Zheyu was already drenched in sweat. His face was pale, his lips trembling faintly.
His eyes were bloodshot, and with every punch he threw, the muscles in his arms quivered uncontrollably.
It was a sign that he was nearing his absolute limit.
"Hold on!"
"Just a little longer, almost there!"
Lin Zheyu clenched his teeth, his nerves strung to the breaking point as his sheer willpower fought against the searing pain surging from his body.
Another ten minutes passed. That familiar sensation of breaking through the body's limits and feeling the spirit sublimate washed over him; in that instant, his essence, qi, and spirit coalesced into one.
He let out a long breath and collapsed onto the ground in sheer exhaustion.
Across his body, his muscles twitched erratically from severe fatigue.
"Done."
A faint smile appeared on Lin Zheyu's pale face.
He had gained another unit of Origin Power.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence]
Name: Lin Zheyu
Origin Power: 3
Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Uninitiated 5%)
"There's still ninety-five percent left before Wild Bull Fist reaches entry level. At this rate, it should take about twenty days to get initiated."
"I wonder how effective Origin Power really is, and how much of an increase it can give Wild Bull Fist."
Lin Zheyu was filled with anticipation.
He rested on the ground for a full half hour before getting up.
Stretching his limbs, he stripped down and stepped into the tub of hot water he had prepared earlier.
"So good!"
Enveloped in the warmth of the water, a shiver ran through him as some of the exhaustion seeped out of his aching muscles.
"Time to test what Origin Power can do."
Unable to rein in his excitement, Lin Zheyu decided to try it right away.
'Use 1 unit of Origin Power to improve Wild Bull Fist.'
With that thought, one unit of Origin Power vanished.
Immediately after, the progress bar for Wild Bull Fist began jumping rapidly: 6%... 10%... 20%... 50%... 80%... 100%!
...
A mysterious surge of energy welled up from deep within his cells, beginning to reform the muscles and fascia of Lin Zheyu's body.
At the same time, his mind slipped into a strange state.
He seemed to be standing in an enigmatic space where only a single thought occupied his mind: train the Wild Bull Fist!
He practiced the Wild Bull Fist like a madman, throwing punch after punch without rest or fatigue, as if possessed.
He had no idea how long he spent in that miraculous state, but his comprehension of the Wild Bull Fist grew deeper and deeper.
A few breaths later, he snapped out of the trance-like reverie.
His eyes slowly widened, filled with sheer wonder.
Incredible!
Lin Zheyu felt as if he had spent an eternity relentlessly practicing the Wild Bull Fist without sleep or rest.
His understanding of the martial art had grown extraordinarily profound.
Suddenly, an odd sensation tickled his nose, as though something were dripping out.
Reaching up with his right hand, he caught sight of a smear of crimson in the moonlight.
"Is this... a nosebleed?"
Lin Zheyu froze. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, and a profound weakness washed through his limbs.
His vision blurred around the edges.
"What's going on?"
"Why do I feel even weaker?"
Clinging to the rim of the tub with both hands, Lin Zheyu took some time to catch his breath.
A gnawing sensation of hunger and frailty emanated from every cell in his body, turning his dark complexion ashen.
Lin Zheyu pondered it for a moment, and realization dawned.
"Origin Power forced my spirit into a special state where time was vastly stretched, allowing my spiritual form to cultivate frantically without pause."
"The results of my spiritual form's training in that state feed directly back into my flesh, causing my physical body to be tempered and strengthened alongside it."
"However, without an external source of energy, it had to consume my body's stored reserves, depleting my qi and blood."
Lin Zheyu reasoned through the process in his mind.
He gripped the edge of the tub, resting until his vision cleared once more.
Splash...
Lin Zheyu stepped out of the bath, but darkness encroached on his vision again, accompanied by another wave of dizziness.
He hastily braced himself against the tub's edge, waiting a little longer before he finally steadied himself.
The deficit in his qi and blood was severe.
Chapter 8