Next Morning
A faint voice echoed in Liu Feiyang's ears, dragging him out of the comforting void of sleep.
"Wa… wak… up… you pig…"
The muffled sound was followed by a sudden jab to his side.
"Agh—!" Liu Feiyang jolted slightly, half-drooling, half-confused. "What the hell—!?"
Standing above was a lanky, sharp-jawed youth with disheveled hair and a perpetual look of someone who hadn't had a proper bowel movement in three days. He was poking Liu Feiyang with his toe, arms crossed, eyes squinting in judgment.
"Get up, bro. You're drooling like a rabid beast on the floor. It's disgusting."
"Gu Feng…?" Liu Feiyang blinked, still groggy. "It's barely morning, what's your problem?"
Gu Feng grinned. "The problem is that you are sleeping on the floor and blocking the way for the others, and some of us plan to survive till Qi Transformation Realm, not die drooling in our sleep."
Gu Feng – 3rd Stage Body Tempering Realm.
Liu Feiyang suddenly remembered his last night and quickly sat up checked all over his body with his hands, and everything was fine...
'Strange, I really thought I was going to die yesterday'
"What happened? Did someone steal your money or something?" Ge Feng asked
Liu Feiyang groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, trying to act normal.
"No, nothing." Liu Feiyang replied.
"Never mind then, but be sure to get the rice in a few hours, its your turn today." Gu Feng said as he walked away muttering something about breakfast, Liu's mind returned to yesterday—the black book, the system, the second page.
"The Body tempering art of the black book…" he whispered.
He glanced at the faint light seeping through the window. Still early. Maybe… just maybe, he could practice it before the rest of the sect awoke. He quickly got dressed and snuck out like a martial thief, making his way to the open cultivation field behind the eastern outer disciple quarters. It was usually empty around this time, perfect for his needs.
As the morning sun began to rise, casting its golden rays over the dewy grass, Liu Feiyang stood in the middle of the field. He opened the mysterious black book again, and just like the day before, this time the second page and golden letters shimmered into existence.
The system opened on its own and gave all notifications at once.
[The host has acquired Special Physique Unyielding Golden Skeleton.]
[Unyielding Golden Skeleton: It integrates itself into the host's body, elevates his meridian network and talent. The skeleton greatly augments the physique and supplements the user's own unyielding qualities. It contains and stores a strong Yin Qi.]
[You have unlocked: Proud Golden Body – Tempered Body Record]
[Tempered Body Record: It contains the methods to cultivate a Tempered Body with the Golden Skeleton as a base.
It can only be practiced while facing the rising sun.]
"Perfect," he grinned. "Time to see what this thing can do."
As he assumed the first stance outlined in the manual, a wave of energy coursed through him. His muscles clenched, bones shifted, and he felt a strange pulling sensation in his chest and back. A dull ache spread throughout his body, like being slowly twisted and hammered at once.
"Ow ow ow—what the—!?"
The pain was sharp and continued to rise, like his body was being restructured cell by cell. His shoulders realigned, spine popped like bubble wrap, and even his feet felt like they were being pressed into shape by invisible weights. A few joints cracked audibly.
"This… hurts more than watching a filler episode after a cliffhanger!" he gritted his teeth.
"Ahhhhh!" The pain then became too much and he dropped to one knee, sweat pouring down his face. But he didn't stop.
"Come on… this is nothing. No pain, no gain. Right? Right…?"
He pushed through the stances again, slowly finding rhythm. The pain dulled slightly, becoming something… familiar. Inviting, even. As if his body welcomed the suffering.
"Haha… I'm starting to enjoy this… I mean the results are amazing" he muttered. Then blinked. "Wait. Am I a masochist?"
As he continued the stances, the restructuring accelerated slightly. Liu Feiyang felt his body growing lighter and sturdier at the same time, like steel being tempered in a forge, and then suddenly felt a wave of energy flow through his body.
[Breakthrough achieved. Host has reached Tempered Body: 3th Stage]
"Haha! YES! I knew it—!"
Suddenly, he doubled over and hurled black sludge onto the grass. The stench hit him like a wave.
"By the heavens—! That's gotta be illegal!!"
He stumbled away from the pile of impurities, eyes watering.
But the pain was gone. His breathing steadied. His limbs… felt different. Stronger. Lighter. More precise.
He tried the stance again and noticed a subtle speed increase. Control. Efficiency.
"One hour already?" he blinked, checking the sky. "That didn't even feel like half an hour."
He asked the system again, "Oi, was the art supposed to last that long?"
'It was supposed to only work for half an hour during sunrise and I actually came around 15 mins late.'
Silence. No response from the system.
"…Okay then. I'll take that as a yes." Liu Feiyang shook his head. "But too many things are going strange, I'll need to do something about it."
His stomach growled.
"But first… bath. Definitely bath. I smell like something that crawled out of a demon beast's rectum."
He walked off toward the bathing chambers, muttering to himself.
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On his way to the Contribution Hall, a small crowd caught his attention.
'They are all ordinary disciples so its probably a match between disciple .' Feiyang decided to observe the fight as a learning experience.
"Pick me."
"I will go easy on you so please pick me!"
"I will end the match in just one punch so please pick me."
He squeezed through the gaps in the crowd. Everyone was dying to get a chance to fight, which struck him as odd.
But after looking at the person of interest, he understood why. It was Yang Kai- A trial disciple who has been stuck at the 3rd Stage Body tempering realm for 3 years. Yes, he is actually 16 years old right now from the information he got from his friends, compared to his canon age which was 15.
At first, Liu Feiyang was scared if he awakened his memories too late but everything seemed normal including the fact that he hadn't discovered black book so everything was still fine for now.
Nonetheless, He is an easy target for almost every outer disciple to gain contribution points.
At the moment, he was sitting cross-legged, meditating, his face not showing slightest bit of concern for the jeering crowd.
'This is probably the match showed in the earliest chapters of the manhua,' Feiyang thought. 'The one where he later gets up and throws a spinning broom into the sky to select his opponent.'
After a few minutes, Yang Kai awakened from his meditation with determination in eyes, one you would not expect in someone with all the odds against him.
Just as Liu Feiyang had expected, he picked up a broom, spinning it into the air. The broom's tip landed on a purple-haired disciple.
A purple haired guy shouldn't be humanly possible but it is in this world, and not people here are Asian, instead they are closer to how they were seen in manhua. You can see all races and ethnicities here, except one which is yet to be seen, you know, like the manhua.
"Haha, the heavens are smiling on me today," the chosen disciple laughed. "I hope my brothers here won't blame me for this!"
The crowd's scornful looks said otherwise.
"Ordinary disciple Lou Peng, Tempered body 5th stage"
"Trial disciple Yang Kai, Tempered Body 3rd Stage"
"Thank you for the opportunity" x2 and with that the match started.
Both of them exploded into action right form the beginning. Luo Peng charged like a bull, his massive fists pounding forward with terrifying force. Yang Kai ducked and sidestepped, his movements a seamless flow of precision and timing. He countered with sharp strikes—targeting Luo Peng's ribs, wrists, and shins.
Luo Peng grunted, his frustration mounting. "How can someone so weak move like this?" he thought, unleashing a ferocious hook. Yang Kai narrowly evaded it, retaliating with a swift palm strike to Luo Peng's abdomen. The impact wasn't powerful, but it was enough to disrupt Luo Peng's rhythm.
For every heavy blow Luo Peng attempted, Yang Kai found a gap, slipping in to land pinpoint attacks. The crowd was enthralled by the stark contrast between Luo Peng's brute strength and Yang Kai's refined skill.
But Luo Peng wasn't a fighter to be underestimated. With a roar of frustration, he feigned a wide hook, forcing Yang Kai to step back, then followed up with a crushing punch to the chest. The impact sent Yang Kai flying to the ground, the air knocked from his lungs.
Luo Peng stepped back, grinning as he wiped the dust off of his hands. "What's the point of trying so much when you already know the outcome?" he declared arrogantly.
He was about to leave, when, to his astonishment, Yang Kai stirred. Slowly, he pushed himself up, wiping dust from his face as he fixed Luo Peng with a steady gaze. "Not done yet," he said, his voice unwavering.
Even Liu Feiyang was taken aback. "This guy…" he murmured.
The crowd gasped, their murmurs growing louder. Luo Peng's smirk faltered. "How is he still standing?" he wondered.
They clashed again, Yang Kai pressing the offensive this time. He struck with precision and speed, landing quick blows to Luo Peng's torso and legs. Though the strikes lacked raw power to cause decisive damage to the opponent, they forced Luo Peng to adjust constantly, his strength tested by Yang Kai's relentless skill.
But brute force found its opening. As Yang Kai stepped in for another precise strike, Luo Peng deflected the blow with his forearm, spun, and brought his hand down in a devastating chop to Yang Kai's neck.
Yang Kai froze for a moment, his body swaying before crumpling to the ground. The fight was over.
Luo Peng stood over his unconscious opponent, panting heavily. His chest heaved, and his muscles trembled with exhaustion. "Tougher than I thought," he muttered, a grudging respect in his tone.
The crowd slowly dispersed as there was nothing left to watch, leaving behind an unconscious Yang Kai and Liu Feiyang.
'Well, main character for a reason,' Feiyang thought. Deciding to help, he carried the unconscious Yang Kai on his back and walked to his hut.
Arriving at Yang Kai's hut, Feiyang kicked open the door and dropped him on the hay stack cum bed. His role was done so left him and went to the contribution hall.