When Chen Shouyi opened the attribute panel in the evening, he found that this experience was not without its benefits. He noticed his will had increased by 0.2 points again, now reaching 11.2.
However, compared to willpower, he wished more for physical strength.
He absolutely didn't want to flee like a headless chicken when encountering Barbarians again, betting his life on elusive luck and the enemy's whims.
That night, he worked harder and more desperately than ever before.
Swordsmanship, the 36 Physical Exercises, and meditation to refine himself, he completed them all, almost draining every ounce of his physical and mental strength.
Yet, once his spirit slightly recovered, he lay on the bed and entered the Gray Mist Space.
Over the past month, his body here had become increasingly solid.
Though still feeling illusory, there was now a hint of texture, and the small tree had grown a few inches taller, with the space seemingly more stable.
But these were mere details. These changes didn't bring any tangible help to his strength.
He looked at today's Memory Leaves, and soon his consciousness was immersed within.
He chose the memory of encountering the Barbarian. When his mind inhabited the Barbarian's body, an indescribable sensation arose.
Powerful! Incredibly powerful!
The body was filled with an explosive strength, and he felt as if his feet might float off the ground.
But that wasn't all.
Like the sweltering heat after a thunderstorm, everything before his eyes seemed to come alive. His ears were filled with various sounds of all sizes, his nose could sense more subtle odors, his vision became brighter, and his skin felt exceedingly sensitive.
After just feeling it for a few seconds, the massive influx of information made Chen Shouyi dizzy, his mind spinning, forcing his spirit to withdraw from the body.
This experience left him feeling both novel and shocked; is this a Barbarian?
Obviously, the Barbarian who could easily kill Zhou Shaofeng while under police firepower siege wasn't an ordinary one.
...
Time in the Memory Space flowed gently until the moment the middle-aged man stepped forward to face off against the Barbarian.
Feeling his dizziness had subsided, Chen Shouyi hesitated whether to re-enter the Barbarian's body.
He wanted to feel how the muscles engaged when a Barbarian fought.
However, it was essentially killing, a cruel and bloody kind of killing.
The middle-aged man's head would be shattered, brain matter scattering everywhere.
If this were a movie, he could eat popcorn with no emotional stir, eyes glued to the screen.
But this was a memory, and just that afternoon, this middle-aged man had tragically died in front of him.
And now he was about to inhabit the Barbarian's body, personally experiencing how "he" would kill him, smashing his head with his fist.
He struggled inside for a moment, seeing the memory of the battle about to pass.
He finally made a decision.
The next moment, his spirit entered... the body of the middle-aged man.
His body was stronger than Chen Shouyi's, at least meeting the Martial Artist Apprentice's standard. But having experienced the Barbarian's body, this one felt particularly "weak."
Before the tragedy occurred, he gripped the broom tightly, muscles connecting throughout his body as if ready to strike like a "sword."
However, the Barbarian's speed was too fast, beyond his capacity to react. In an instant, a gale barreled toward him, then a fist flew from afar and struck heavily on his head.
Chen Shouyi felt a thunderous explosion, his vision went black, and his consciousness was ejected.
If he could feel his heart, it would probably be pounding wildly.
The experience of death was not pleasant, even though it was a weaker version, far from real death, but it still sent a chilling sensation from the depths of his heart.
He rewound the memory and returned to the previous moment.
This time, he chose to inhabit the Barbarian because having "died" once, his guilt was minimal, with little psychological barrier left.
...
Looking at the corpse on the ground, Chen Shouyi exited the Barbarian's body, sorting through his mixed feelings, feeling a bit disappointed.
The Barbarian's use of force was quite crude, still in its initial stages. Compared to ordinary people, he might be experienced and meticulous, but it couldn't compare to human Martial Arts.
It made sense, considering one derived from primitive tribal eras, honing skills through generations of hunting experiences, while the other came from the collective wisdom of the Information Age.
The key point is, the other world's supernatural ability is apparent, whereas on Earth, it is not; the different environments made their pursuit of technique far less emphasized than on Earth.
Nevertheless, that terrifying physical prowess made up for everything. The saying "an ounce of power can subdue ten times the skill" — Chen Shouyi had heard it before but never deeply understood it until now when he personally experienced the terror of strength.
It truly can crush everything.
...
The next day, Dongning City was calm and quiet, and his family's restaurant was back in business.
He also welcomed his first monthly exam since starting senior high school.
Now his mindset was calm. When the Chinese exam paper was distributed, he answered questions smoothly, the tip of his pen scratching the paper, producing a rustling sound. Except for a few blank questions on poetry and verse completion, he filled the entire paper.
Whether he did well or not was unknown, but at least Chen Shouyi was quite satisfied.
The second subject, math, was much harder for Chen Shouyi. He first completed what he could, then tackled the tough problems, still having no clue about two major questions by the end of the exam.
The following day's English and comprehensive science also made his head spin.
After finishing the exams, Chen Shouyi felt utterly exhausted.
"How did you do, Chen Shouyi?" Zhang Xiaoyue suddenly quickened her pace to catch up with Chen Shouyi after they walked out of the classroom.
Looking at the charming and radiant Zhang Xiaoyue beside him, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but recall the soft hand he held a few days ago, his heart beating a few quickened pulses.
However, his face showed no sign of it. A month's "training" had allowed him to face women with at least an outer calm.
"I'm not hoping much for my scores."
He missed too many classes, and a month of effort wasn't enough to make up for it.
"But you'll probably take the exam for Martial Arts Academy, right?" Zhang Xiaoyue gazed at Chen Shouyi with a smile, her eyes seemingly holding some inexplicable meaning.
"Yes, unless something unexpected happens."
"What about you?"
"I don't know yet, but I'll apply to a university in Zhonghai."
Their tacit exchange left Sun Xin, beside them, dumbfounded. Unfortunately, neither of them paid him any attention.
Ahead, in the small woods, people gathered, seemingly involved in a fight.
Chen Shouyi paid no mind. In an ordinary high school like Dongning No. 5, where management was lax, fighting was too common, no longer a surprise.
A group of hormone-charged teenagers could spark fights with the slightest friction.
"It looks like Zhao Yifeng is the one getting beaten." Sun Xin said quietly.
Chen Shouyi immediately halted his steps.
Upon hearing it was a classmate, Zhang Xiaoyue hurriedly shouted, "Stop it, don't fight! What class are you in? I'll report this to the teacher!"
"Oh wow, a beauty, gonna tell the teacher? I'm so scared!" The three stopped. One, seemingly the tall leader, shook his flowing hair and said with a cheeky face.
Chen Shouyi saw Zhang Xiaoyue's face full of shame and anger, shaking his head internally. Reasoning with such people is useless; the weaker you are, the more you'll be bullied. Only a stronger fist can convince them.
He knew this before but didn't have a stronger fist. Now he did.
He immediately rushed up.
His speed was astonishing, stepping quickly into the crowd.
The tall one stood there without reacting much, only for Chen Shouyi to lightly flick his hand, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.
The other two youths responded, lunging forward together, aiming to subdue Chen Shouyi.
Sadly, against a near Martial Arts Apprentice, such resistance was as meaningless as a child resisting an adult.
He grabbed both by the arms, pulling along with their force, and they smoothly and swiftly fell face-first, eating dirt.
"Just you wait."
"If you have the guts, don't leave!"
...
"Thank you!" Zhao Yifeng stood up, his face bruised and swollen. He glanced at Chen Shouyi, then at the pretty Zhang Xiaoyue, speaking reluctantly.
"Aren't we friends?" Chen Shouyi said.
"Zhao Yifeng, why were they beating you?" Zhang Xiaoyue asked.
"It's... nothing!" He mumbled, turning red, admitting nothing.
...
In the end, Zhao Yifeng didn't explain why and soon limped away.
Chen Shouyi watched his retreating figure silently, as if seeing his past self.