Lake Bottom Encounter: Data System

"Fists like swift arrows, back like a snapping bow, waist like dragon sinew, intent like a fierce tiger, essence boiling, and thus Qi emerges..."

The crisp voice, though slightly immature, carried a profound sense of determination. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. By the side of a small lake in a valley, the lonely moon in the sky was reflected in the water. A youth of about thirteen or fourteen years old was practicing his punches by the shore, constantly chanting the mnemonic of the technique. His movements were fairly fluid as he shifted and lunged, clearly having practiced this set of punches until he knew them by heart. Although his strength was lacking, his movements possessed a hint of the intended spirit.

Though the youth had a sturdy physique, he was young after all. Having exerted himself to perform the entire set of punches from start to finish, it took only about an hour before he was drenched in sweat, panting like an ox as he came to a halt.

Squatting by the lake, Zhuge Xiang cupped the cool water to wash his face, his mood somewhat low. He had been practicing this set of Qi Nourishing Fist for a full year, yet he had failed to successfully comprehend the sensation of Qi. The annual Recruitment Assembly was only half a month away. If he could not comprehend the sensation of Qi within these final two weeks, he would be destined to remain an ordinary person for the rest of his life—an ordinary person struggling daily just to make ends meet.

Speaking of Zhuge Xiang's background, it was quite miserable. Orphaned and alone from a young age, he had followed an old beggar, begging for food and living a life where he never knew if he would have his next meal. It wasn't until a year ago, while begging at the home of a wealthy family, that the master not only refused to give alms but instead set his dogs upon them, biting the old beggar to death.

Harboring hatred in his heart, Zhuge Xiang stole a dagger that night and snuck into that wealthy household, killing all thirteen members of the family. Shortly after, a young man appeared and asked Zhuge Xiang if he wanted to become someone superior, if he wanted to eat meat and never worry about food again. And so, Zhuge Xiang came here: the Asura Sect.

The Great Qin Empire had a population of two billion and spanned vast territories. Its martial culture was intense, with nine great sects standing tall, some even capable of rivaling the imperial family. The Asura Sect was one of them, and its power was evident.

Every year, the Asura Sect recruited one hundred thousand youths between the ages of twelve and fifteen from the secular world to train on the mountain, practicing this very set of Qi Nourishing Fist. The Qi Nourishing Fist itself had no combat power, but it could effectively stimulate the essence and energy within the body, Refining Essence to Qi, and help one comprehend the sensation of Qi. Zhuge Xiang was one of those one hundred thousand youths.

Zhuge Xiang had been at the Asura Sect for nearly a year, and in half a month, the next batch of youths would arrive on the mountain.

On that day, Zhuge Xiang's batch of disciples would undergo an assessment. Those who successfully comprehended Qi Energy would be accepted into the sect as official disciples of the Asura Sect. Otherwise, the lucky ones might remain in the External Affairs Department, working as menial servants in industries controlled by the sect to ensure they had food and clothing. The unlucky ones would be driven down the mountain, their fate left to the heavens.

Having grown up suffering, Zhuge Xiang could not bear to look back on those days of poverty. As the saying goes, people are bullied for being kind, but in Zhuge Xiang's view, it was actually that the weak are bullied. Just like the old beggar, bitten to death by dogs for no reason—this taught Zhuge Xiang the importance of strength. Therefore, he had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become an Asura Sect disciple; he absolutely could not let it slip away.

Even if he were lucky enough to enter the External Affairs Department of the Asura Sect, Zhuge Xiang could not accept being a menial servant, ordered about by others.

"Again. The closer it gets to the end, the more people succeed in comprehending the sensation of Qi. I've practiced for a year; I should be on the verge of comprehending it. In these last fifteen days, I absolutely cannot fail." Thinking of the old beggar's tragic death and realizing this was the only opportunity to change his life, Zhuge Xiang rested for a moment, gathered his spirits, took the stance of the Qi Nourishing Fist, and continued...

Having willpower was a good thing, but of the one hundred thousand youths recruited by the Asura Sect each year, those who truly succeeded in comprehending the sensation of Qi within a year were one in a hundred. Furthermore, Zhuge Xiang's aptitude was not top-tier. He practiced until the dead of night, repeating the set of Qi Nourishing Fist dozens of times. By the end, when his body and willpower had completely exceeded their limits and he lay by the lake unable to move even a pinky, he still hadn't felt the slightest sensation of Qi Energy.

After resting for nearly an hour, Zhuge Xiang recovered some strength and stood up to leave. Although cultivation was important, the first level of the path of cultivation was Refining Essence to Qi, and the source of Qi Energy was the body's essence. Therefore, to comprehend Qi Energy, physical fitness was crucial, which naturally required proper rest and a balance of work and leisure. Otherwise, blind and unrestrained hard training would ruin his body, making it impossible to comprehend Qi Energy. Every year, the Asura Sect had no shortage of people who ruined their bodies or even worked themselves to death.

As he stood up to leave, Zhuge Xiang's body suddenly paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to see the full moon reflected in the lake, and it appeared to have a piece missing.

He looked up at the night sky; the full moon was like a plate. But looking back at the reflection in the lake, a piece was visibly missing from the edge. What was going on? Why would the moon in the lake have a piece missing? Could there be some strange treasure?

Thinking of this, the curious Zhuge Xiang took off his clothes and dove into the lake, keeping his eyes fixed on the gap, guided by the reflection of the moon.

As Zhuge Xiang drew closer, he managed to see clearly: the reason the reflected moon had a piece missing was that there was a mass of black light in the lake overlapping with the reflection of the moonlight.

But black light? How could there be black light in this lake? If not for the fact that Zhuge Xiang happened to be standing in a position where the moonlight overlapped with that mass of black light, he believed that in the pitch-black lake at night, this mass of black light would never have been discovered.

After diving into the lake and waiting for the surface to calm for a moment, Zhuge Xiang finally surfaced. He raised his hand, and a black ring lay in his palm, emitting a mass of black light under the moonlight.

Swimming to the shore, Zhuge Xiang looked down to examine it. He didn't know what kind of metal this black ring was made of, but it gave him a very strange feeling. Emitting black light, it was clearly no ordinary object.

"Could it be? Is this a legendary magical artifact? Was it left behind here by someone?" Looking at the ring in his hand, Zhuge Xiang couldn't help but think to himself.

Official disciples of the Asura Sect could all obtain a magical artifact. These artifacts often possessed strange abilities and were fundamentally different from ordinary secular weapons like knives, spears, swords, and staves. Since it could emit black light, in Zhuge Xiang's view, it should at least be a magical artifact.

A magical artifact that only official Asura Sect disciples could possess? Zhuge Xiang pondered for a moment, but unable to suppress his curiosity, he extended his finger and slid the black ring onto it.

As the black ring was put on, it seemed to suddenly come alive. Accompanied by a stinging sensation, Zhuge Xiang couldn't help but cry out in pain. He reflexively tried to pull the black ring off, but it felt as if it had taken root in his flesh and could not be removed at all.

The pain grew more and more intense, and Zhuge Xiang, already exhausted, felt his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred.

Just as Zhuge Xiang's consciousness sank into darkness, he could vaguely hear a mechanical voice ringing in the depths of his mind: "Scanning skeleton, blood, iris... Physique qualified. Bind? Countdown 20 seconds... System default... Binding successful... Welcome to binding the Super Game System."