Beautiful Youth

Beautiful Youth

Ronan had already gotten the hang of the [Shine] Rune. His success rate was now stable at around one in three, though each inscription took half again as long as inscribing a Cleaning Rune.

Ronan now mainly inscribed [Shine] Runes, only switching to Cleaning Runes when he grew tired of them.

Even so, after a month, his net income could reach around thirty-five Low-Level Magic Stones.

He had gone straight to living comfortably.

Even if Ronan drank one low-grade Spirit Concentration Potion a month, he would still have more than enough left over.

"The Spirit Concentration Potion is most effective the first time it's taken, and its effects weaken with every dose afterward. But my Spiritual Power rose by more than a full level after the first dose. It wouldn't be unreasonable for the second dose to raise it by half a level, would it?

"Then I'll be able to advance smoothly to a Level Four Apprentice and try inscribing Zero-Order Intermediate Runes."

Ronan had heard that potions which assisted Spiritual Power inevitably left impurities behind in one's Spiritual Power. They could not be taken too often, or they would make one's foundation unstable and make future breakthroughs difficult.

But Ronan could not worry about that now. At worst, he would find a way to solve it later.

His gaze returned to the panel, settling on the newly appeared line of small text at the bottom—Ascetic Body Forging (Beginner 1/100).

The skill's name suited its contents well enough.

Ronan had practiced this body-forging technique for more than two whole months before barely managing to officially get started.

Suddenly thinking of something, Ronan climbed to his feet and performed the first body-forging movement he had just practiced once more.

After officially reaching the beginner stage, his body seemed to have undergone some subtle transformation. That movement, which had once seemed impossibly difficult, suddenly became much easier to perform.

But it still hurt.

It just did not hurt as badly as before.

Ronan held the posture, his eyes fixed on the panel, until the proficiency behind Ascetic Body Forging silently jumped from (Beginner 1) to (Beginner 2). Only then did he abruptly release the stance.

"Phew, phew—"

Ronan panted heavily and wiped away his sweat, a hint of relief appearing on his face.

"Good, good. Continuing to practice the first posture can still increase proficiency. If it couldn't, that really would have been deadly."

This body-forging method of the Ancient Ascetics contained thirteen cultivation postures and movements in total, each more difficult and arduous than the last.

The simplest first movement had already tortured Ronan half to death. If he had to immediately move on to the even harder second one, he would definitely switch body-forging methods without hesitation.

"But I have to say, its effect on strengthening the body really is excellent."

Ronan lowered his head and looked at his sweat-damp, oily body.

He still remembered what this body had looked like when he first transmigrated into it—slightly sagging breasts, a protruding belly, and fat on his arms and thighs that wobbled whenever he moved.

And now? His lower abdomen was flat, his limbs sturdy and powerful, and there was no longer any trace of obesity on his body. The outlines of muscle had even emerged. Compared to before, this body had become far stronger, more toned, and better proportioned. He had even grown several centimeters taller. When he draped his old long robe over himself, it gave him a somewhat slender, upright bearing.

Ronan reached out and touched his cheek, feeling the smooth firmness beneath his palm.

He went to rummage through the miscellaneous box and found a small silver mirror left behind by the previous owner. He had once thought this face too ugly and rarely looked in mirrors, but now... the mirror showed a youthful face with faintly defined features.

His skin was fair and smooth, his eyes lake-blue. The scattered freckles on his face and the dark circles beneath his eyes had both faded to the point of being almost invisible.

His chestnut-brown, slightly curly hair had grown a little long. It hung loose and casual, yet carried a natural air of elegance.

That was the noble bloodline of a Count Family.

When Ronan tried brushing his long hair back, the mirror revealed a handsome Beautiful Youth with an air of nobility.

"Now this is what a person is supposed to look like."

Ronan set down the mirror, quite satisfied with the results of his body-strengthening plan over the past few months. The faint pain in his chest and lungs had long since vanished. It seemed the problem of energy-particle erosion had also been resolved, exceeding his expectations.

After looking in the mirror, Ronan casually picked up the gray robe he had tossed onto the floor, draped it over himself, and slowly walked out of his home.

It was exactly two in the afternoon, and the sun outside was blazing.

Golden patches of light poured recklessly through gaps in the branches and leaves, scattering across the ground.

Ronan stood in the forest breeze for a while. Once he felt his sweat had dried a little, he began climbing down along the vines.

When he was about halfway to the ground, his head suddenly grew hot for no reason. His hand loosened. "Whoosh—bang!"

A figure dropped from midair, feet spread apart as he landed firmly on the ground. Two small shallow pits appeared in the grass beneath his feet.

"Whew—"

Ronan let out a short breath, his face filled with delight and wonder.

He knew that his physique had improved greatly after Ascetic Body Forging reached the beginner stage, but he had not expected it to improve by this much.

He had free-fallen from nearly four meters in the air and landed steadily without suffering the slightest injury.

His control over his center of gravity and the foundation of his physical fitness had improved far too much compared to before.

"Let's try it!"

A strange gleam flashed through Ronan's eyes as he immediately took off running in one direction.

He shot into the forest, startling countless beasts and birds into flight in an instant.

The fierce wind howled past Ronan's ears. He ran faster and faster, and the complicated forest terrain was almost as easy beneath his feet as flat ground.

The rushing wind lifted Ronan's robe. Beneath it, the flesh of his rhythmically moving limbs rippled, revealing clear muscular lines.

Ronan was like a cheetah on the hunt—swift and agile!

"This feels amazing!!"

Ronan ran for a long while, feeling as if an endless stream of scorching heat was surging from within his chest. He did not feel the least bit exhausted.

It felt so exhilarating that he wanted to throw his head back and howl at the sky.

"I wonder how my physical fitness now compares to those powerful knights in the mortal world?"

"Too bad Ascetic Body Forging only teaches body forging and has no accompanying breathing technique. Otherwise, it might have let me cultivate Knight Aura!"

Ronan ran wildly for some time, with no idea how long he had run or how far he had gone.

By the time he felt his stamina running dry and gradually slowed to a stop, he discovered that he had arrived somewhere completely unfamiliar.

Looking around, the trees here were older and denser.

The branches and leaves of ancient trees overhead intertwined, nearly blocking out the sky entirely. Only scattered rays of sunlight could shine through.

"Woo—"

The howl of some unknown beast drifted over from the distance, and Ronan shuddered involuntarily.

"Damn it, I got carried away. Don't tell me I ran into the depths of the forest."

Ronan felt a little uneasy.

He had not forgotten that magical beasts lived in the depths of this forest.

Legendary powerful beasts that swallowed ice and ate fire, born with the ability to control energy particles.

It was said that even the weakest magical beast possessed strength roughly equal to that of an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice.

If he accidentally encountered one, he might very well lose his life here.

"I need to leave while it's still light."

Ronan grew tense and quickly began retracing his path.

After walking for a while, he was just about to say that his luck was not bad, that he had not run into any strange trouble.

Then, at that moment—"Boom!"

A violent explosion rang out from Ronan's left.