Mental Feedback to the Physical Body

On the way home, a familiar figure stepped out from a corner.

"Mister Lin, have you considered yesterday's matter?"

The man was Jia Yanming, the steward of Yi Xiang Teahouse.

Unlike Steward Wu, Jia Yanming had a well-proportioned build, a stern face, and exceptionally sharp eyes. He looked every bit like a hard-driving business elite from Lin Zheyu's previous life.

"My apologies, but Bi Dan Teahouse has shown me kindness."

"I went to your Tea House back then too, but before I could even enter, the waiter drove me away. What a pity."

Lin Zheyu wore a regretful expression as he spoke.

Jia Yanming had been there at the time as well. He had given Lin Zheyu a cold glance, his expression utterly indifferent, as though he were looking at a beggar who had come to the door for food.

Impatiently, he had waved at the waiter and told him to drive Lin Zheyu away.

"Please reconsider. We can negotiate the terms further."

"At Yi Xiang Teahouse, we can pay you three hundred copper coins per performance. Then, based on the number of guests, we'll add ten copper coins for every ten guests beyond the base number, and so on."

"Bi Dan Teahouse is small. Your prospects there cannot compare to those at Yi Xiang Teahouse."

"As long as you come to our Tea House, we..."

"My apologies, but I'm not considering it for now."

Lin Zheyu cut Jia Yanming off and walked past him.

"Still young, after all. Read a few Books of Sages and Philosophers and doesn't understand the cruelty of the business world."

"He does have some loyalty, knows how to repay kindness, but... heh..."

Jia Yanming watched his retreating back, his expression unreadable as he murmured softly, who knew what he was thinking.

Upon returning to the courtyard, Lin Zheyu took off his Blue Shirt.

This outfit was uncomfortable to wear. He still preferred the fitted martial attire he used for training.

He took out the Replenishing Qi and Nourishing Blood herbs he had bought yesterday, poured them into the medicine pot, and began brewing them.

"Whew, this really is hard labor. How nice it would be to have a maid."

Lin Zheyu wiped the sweat from his forehead and panted heavily.

He had trained for several hours in the morning, leaving his body already exhausted. Now, after chopping firewood, carrying water, and boiling it, he was even more tired.

Lin Zheyu collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Right now, he did not want to move at all. Every little movement was a test of his will.

"No, how can I speak of giving up so lightly!"

Lin Zheyu encouraged himself.

After practicing stance training for a month, his perseverance had grown considerably.

He slowly rose from the ground. This action alone exhausted the bit of willpower he had just gathered.

"One last push. If I'd known, I wouldn't have trained so hard at Master Liang's place."

Lin Zheyu spoke as he felt the pain coursing through his body.

He rested a while longer, then gritted his teeth and began training.

"When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it must first torment his mind and will..."

Lin Zheyu recited a famous passage from his previous life to spur himself on. Enduring the pain in his body and the exhaustion and aversion rising from his mind, he began training.

If he could not even endure this little hardship, how could he achieve anything great?

He assumed his stance.

His strength was somewhat lacking, but his posture remained precise.

Hah!

Ha!

Lin Zheyu shouted as he began practicing his punches.

A Wooden Training Dummy for punching stood in the courtyard. It was wrapped in ragged old clothes as padding, something Lin Zheyu had prepared in advance.

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His fists struck the Wooden Training Dummy, producing resounding bangs.

As time passed, Lin Zheyu gradually found his rhythm, and the bangs from the Wooden Training Dummy grew louder and louder.

The beginning of all things was difficult. Once he forced himself to start training, he could grit his teeth and persist through the rest.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

A breeze stirred, and the leaves rustled.

Under the moonlight, Lin Zheyu was already drenched in sweat. His face was somewhat pale, and his lips trembled faintly despite himself.

His eyes were bloodshot. Every time he threw a punch, the muscles in his arms could not help but tremble.

This was a sign that he was nearing his limit.

"Keep going!"

"Hold on a little longer. I'm about to make it!"

Lin Zheyu clenched his teeth, his mind stretched to the utmost limit as he used his powerful will to resist the intense pain flooding through his body.

Another ten minutes passed.

The sensation of breaking through his physical limits and his spirit rising in an instant came over him. At that moment, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit condensed into one.

He let out a long breath and collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.

The muscles throughout his body twitched continuously from excessive fatigue.

"I did it."

A smile appeared on Lin Zheyu's pale face.

He had gained another unit of Source Power.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 3

Skill: Wild Bull Fist (Uninitiated 5%)

"Wild Bull Fist still needs 95% progress before it reaches the entry level. It should take around twenty days."

"I wonder how effective Source Power is, and how much it can improve Wild Bull Fist."

Lin Zheyu was filled with anticipation.

He rested on the ground for a full half hour before getting up.

After stretching his limbs, he stripped naked and stepped into the bathtub he had prepared beforehand.

"Feels great!"

Wrapped in warm water, Lin Zheyu shuddered all over, feeling some of the fatigue in his muscles fade away.

"Let's test the effects of Source Power."

Unable to suppress the anticipation in his heart, Lin Zheyu decided to try it right away.

Use 1 unit of Source Power to improve Wild Bull Fist.

As his thought emerged, 1 unit of Source Power vanished.

Immediately afterward, Wild Bull Fist's progress began rapidly climbing—6%... 10%... 20%... 50%... 80%... 100%!

A mysterious energy surged from the depths of his cells, beginning to transform Lin Zheyu's muscles and fascia.

At the same time, his mind entered a strange state.

He seemed to be standing in an inexplicable space. In that space, Lin Zheyu had only one thought: practice Wild Bull Fist!

He trained Wild Bull Fist like mad, punch after punch, never stopping, never tiring, like a Demon gone mad.

He did not know how long passed in that wondrous state, but Lin Zheyu's understanding of Wild Bull Fist grew ever deeper.

A few breaths later, he came back to his senses from the hazy memories.

His eyes slowly widened, filled with astonishment.

Unbelievable!

Lin Zheyu felt as though he had practiced Wild Bull Fist for an extremely long time, without sleep or rest.

His understanding of Wild Bull Fist was now exceptionally profound.

Suddenly, a strange sensation came from his nose, as though something had flowed out.

He touched it with his right hand and saw a smear of blood in the moonlight.

"This is... a nosebleed?"

Lin Zheyu froze. He suddenly felt lightheaded, and his body was incomparably weak.

His vision had grown somewhat blurry as well.

"What's going on?"

"Why does it feel like my body has become even weaker?"

Lin Zheyu braced both hands against the edge of the bathtub and rested for a while before recovering.

A sensation of hunger and weakness rose from every cell in his body, and his dark skin had turned somewhat deathly pale.

After thinking it over, Lin Zheyu understood.

"The effect of Source Power sent my mind into a special state. In that special state, time was greatly extended, and my Mental Body trained frantically within it without ever stopping."

"The results of the Mental Body's training in that state could be directly fed back to my physical body, allowing my body to train and grow stronger as well."

"But without sufficient energy, it could only consume the body's stored energy, causing a deficiency of qi and blood."

Lin Zheyu pondered inwardly and figured out the process.

Holding onto the edge of the bathtub, he rested for a while until his vision cleared again.

Splash...

Lin Zheyu stepped out of the bathtub, and darkness once more swept over his vision as a wave of dizziness struck his head.

He hurriedly grabbed the edge of the bathtub, resting for a while before recovering.

His deficiency of qi and blood was rather severe.