The sunlight was warm. Zhao Cheng read as he breathed slowly, each breath measured and rhythmic. With every inhalation and exhalation, even the sunlight seemed to warp in faint ripples.
Indeed, he had not gained supernatural powers. Since that path did not work, Zhao Cheng did not rail against Heaven and blame others. Instead, he began searching for another path.
For now, aside from superpowers, there were also mortal arts that could make him stronger.
Before conducting a ritual, every major orthodox sect required its participants to temper their minds and bodies to the pinnacle of what mortals could achieve. It was not strictly necessary, but those who did so could bear greater power.
As for surpassing the limits of the human body and reaching a new realm without involving anything supernatural—that had never happened before.
At first, Zhao Cheng had merely wanted to make himself as strong as possible. Any little bit stronger was still stronger.
So he studied a little.
Fist techniques, breathing, visualization, meditation...
There were countless methods, a dazzling mishmash of everything imaginable. Zhao Cheng spent a day using quantum speed-reading to finish every piece of material he could find.
He had not expected to fuse everything together and forge something new. If one could achieve true mastery simply by reading through it once, that would have been far too absurd.
He had only intended to look through them and narrow them down, finding a set that seemed best suited to himself.
Then—then, after he finished reading, he discovered that he had fully assimilated all of it. He directly created a complete system that encompassed unarmed combat, every kind of weapon, and the refinement of one's own body.
Afterward, with the mindset of giving it a try, Zhao Cheng practiced casually. In just one week, he