A Challenge?

Yang Que ran up the hillside and settled down to think about where to begin his training.

Right. I have the cultivation method for the Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body, and the system says I can earn gold coins by killing Soul Beasts and Soul Masters. I can cultivate Soul Power on my own, without rare treasures, pills, or Soul Beast flesh and blood, so I don't need to worry too much about it for now. My body isn't very strong, though. I can train it first. Once it's stronger, I can use sheer physical strength to kill Soul Beasts and gain gold coins and Soul Power, even without a Soul Ring or an awakened Martial Soul. That'll save me the time I'd spend cultivating Soul Power! I'm a clever little devil!

Yang Que suddenly felt glad he had watched so many training videos while studying back on Earth: ab-ripper workouts, Russian push-ups, special forces hell training...

He would get so fired up watching them that he'd toss and turn under the covers... Then he'd save them to his favorites and let them gather dust.

Actually do the workouts? Not a chance.

Training like that was practically fatal.

Without years of work, he couldn't hope to achieve much, and one wrong move could easily leave him injured. Besides, he'd been a model student back then, always busy grinding through homework and exercises. He hadn't had time to train!

But now that he had his cheat, things were different. With the Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body's cultivation method, Body Tempering Pills, and the Supreme Heavenly Blood Fruit, he didn't have to worry about overtaxing his body.

Yang Que thought, Going by the time Grandpa Jack mentioned... Su Yuntao should come to Spirit Hall in Holy Soul Village for the awakening ceremony in half a year...

I've already reached level fifteen, but if Xiao San and I fought for real, I might not beat him. His Hidden Weapons appear and vanish like ghosts. I need to fight him before Su Yuntao arrives and establish myself as the big brother!

With that in mind, Yang Que immediately began training right where he stood!

His spirits surged. He charged straight ahead at a frantic pace, eager to test his body's current limits.

But before long, his legs went numb and his head began to spin.

Looks like my Martial Souls raised my level, but my body's still as frail as an alchemist's. I need to take this one step at a time. Even a meal has to be eaten bite by bite, or I'll choke.

And so Yang Que returned to days of rising early and training late.

In the days that followed, Tang San discovered that no matter how early he got up or how late he returned, he always saw Brother Que running madly through the woods. The Blue Silver Grass Brother Que used to keep in his mouth every day had disappeared, too. On the first day, Brother Que had run without carrying anything. A few days later, he was dragging a great stone behind him, one that grew larger by the day. Was Brother Que preparing for the Martial Soul Awakening in half a year? With only half a year left, could it really work?

Ten days had passed since Yang Que started running without a load. Now he ran while dragging a stone weighing over a hundred pounds. As usual, he ran for five hours before sitting down to cultivate the Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body.

Suddenly, a muffled crack sounded inside him!

"Phew! I've finally reached the initial stage of the Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body. Now I can try training at my limits!"

Yang Que strapped the heavy stone to his body and began all manner of exercises: squats, frog jumps, diamond push-ups... He pushed himself to his limit with every exercise. Once he could go no further, he sat on the stone and took a Body Tempering Pill and the Supreme Heavenly Blood Fruit. Before he knew it, two months had passed, and he had successfully cultivated to level seventeen!

Today, Yang Que was training on the hillside as usual when Tang San walked over. He stared in astonishment at Brother Que, who was drenched in sweat. Over the past two months, he had watched Brother Que improve at a speed visible to the naked eye, performing strange movements every day. Tang San was curious.

At one moment, Brother Que held his body straight above the ground on a single finger, lowered himself, then pushed back up. At another, he sank as though sitting on air, his thighs and calves forming right angles. Then he rose into a handstand before swiftly balancing above the ground on two fingers, repeating the sequence again and again. The movements looked simple, but they took a tremendous toll on the body! In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, Tang San watched Brother Que complete hundreds of repetitions, set after set!

Without the Mysterious Heaven Skill, I might not be much stronger than Brother Que in raw physical ability... And he's carrying a stone weighing over a hundred pounds.

Tang San watched in amazement. These movements are all remarkably effective exercises!

At last, he couldn't contain his curiosity. "Brother Que, have you been training like this for the past two months? How did you learn these methods?"

Yang Que stopped. The muscles in his arms had begun to show; with a light push, he rose smoothly to his feet. Looking at Tang San, he said, "Yep. I came up with these training methods myself." Without so much as blushing or losing his breath, Yang Que claimed all the methods and experience developed by people back on Earth as his own!

Seeing the shock in Xiao San's eyes, Yang Que felt his vanity swell to bursting.

Heh... You're a transmigrator too, but you're not from the modern world... My explosive Russian push-ups, full-body burpees, and advanced squats that every man should master... Aren't they enough to dazzle you?

Yang Que laughed to himself.

After all, these were training methods refined in the modern age.

Those who knew, knew.

In the past, Yang Que could only watch the masters in those videos with envy as they performed all kinds of dazzling feats of bodily control.

But in just two months, he had learned to perform those moves with ease and had even surpassed them. His sense of achievement was beyond compare.

Having a system feels great!

As Tang San approached with admiration written all over his face, Yang Que set down the stone from his back. Bursting with pride, he asked, "What do you think, Xiao San?"

"Amazing! I never thought you'd reach this level after just two months of training, Brother Que! It's unbelievable! And you even came up with these training methods yourself! That's incredible!" Tang San said without a trace of doubt. Brother Que had always shown an unusually sharp mind, so perhaps it wasn't that strange for him to devise such methods.

Yang Que waved a hand as though it were nothing. "It's no big deal. By the way, Xiao San, the Martial Soul Awakening is less than four months away. Grandpa Jack told you about it, right?"

"I know. Grandpa Jack mentions it sometimes, but Dad seems really opposed to it... I haven't dared bring it up. I don't even know if I'll be able to go," Tang San said quietly.

"Don't worry. You'll definitely be able to go. Let's have a fight in three months," Yang Que said solemnly.

"A fight?" Tang San looked at Brother Que in surprise.

"Yeah, a fight! You know, Xiao San, after watching you these past two months, I've realized you're stronger than other kids your age. You have good stamina, you're fast, and you're pretty smart too. Not as smart as me, but I still want to fight you. After these two months of training, I feel so strong that it's getting a little lonely at the top." Yang Que spoke with a wistful look on his face.

Tang San was speechless. Was Brother Que praising him or praising himself?

Still, he knew Brother Que was clever and liked to spout nonsense or grand principles from time to time. He liked to brag, too. So Tang San found nothing unusual about his tone.

He understood well enough that Yang Que wanted to test the results of another three months of training.

"So let's fight then. Win or lose!" Yang Que said with a smile.

"Sure, Brother Que. But I don't think you can beat me. Don't worry, though. I won't let you be too lonely," Tang San said earnestly.

Tang San knew his current strength very well. He had learned every special technique in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, mastered the first level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and possessed the Purple Demon Eye. He could even use stones as Hidden Weapons... Forget one Brother Que; even ten of him... probably couldn't beat Tang San. Brother Que's physical condition was good, certainly, but only good. He couldn't defeat Tang San on physical strength alone!

"Good. It's settled!" Yang Que strapped on his stone again and continued with his other exercises.

Tang San shook his head, picked up the wild fruit he had gathered that day, and went home.

Watching Tang San walk away, Yang Que couldn't help thinking that with his current strength, he could probably fight Xiao San to a draw. Crushing him outright, however, was clearly impossible. He shook his head. What Yang Que wanted was an overwhelming victory that would make Xiao San acknowledge him as the big brother from the bottom of his heart!

Yang Que opened his status panel.

[Infinite Upgrade System]

[Host: Yang Que]

[Level: LV17]

[Title: Soul Master]

[Soul Power: 2000/17000]

[Gold Coins: 1000]

[Martial Souls: Nine-Headed Demon Lion, Soul-Slaying Sword]

[Weapon: Clearwind Sword]

[Cultivation Method: Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body (First Part)]

That alone probably isn't enough. Looks like I'll need the system if I want to crush him in a fight...