After lying unconscious for a full day and night without a drop of water or a grain of rice, on top of exhausting his energy in yesterday's fierce battle, Qingxiao felt utterly drained.
The Heavenly Motion Cursed Technique burned through his body's energy around the clock. Right now, Qingxiao was ravenous and felt weak all over.
He pulled out his phone and called Sato Kenta. After briefly asking where the Jujutsu High dorms were and when the cafeteria served meals, he learned that it was still open, immediately got ready, and headed straight there.
There was nothing else on his mind right now, only one word-eat.
Qingxiao had no time to look around. He headed straight for the nutritious meal counter, choosing healthy ingredients high in protein that would keep him full. Boiled chicken breast, soft-boiled eggs, multigrain brown rice with lightly stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and finally a full twenty-three braised chicken drumsticks piled high, filling an enormous plate.
This outrageous amount of food immediately drew the attention of the cafeteria staff and those nearby. Every one of them looked astonished and could not help stealing several more glances at him.
But Qingxiao was so hungry that he had no time to care what anyone thought.
Only after he had polished off every bit of rice, vegetables, and chicken did that hollow hunger finally disappear. At last, Qingxiao rose in satisfaction and left the cafeteria.
Outside the cafeteria, a warm breeze brushed past him, and the comfort of a full stomach dispelled every last trace of weakness.
Qingxiao strolled slowly along Jujutsu High's tree-lined paths, taking the opportunity to move his limbs and stretch. He raised his arms, pressed his shoulders, twisted his waist, and rotated his wrists and ankles, gradually loosening the muscles left stiff and sore after battle.
As he stretched, the strength within him slowly stirred, and his condition steadily improved until he soon returned to his peak.
He could distinctly feel that his physical abilities had genuinely risen a notch. The gains from this fight to the death were easily worth two weeks of dedicated training.
So this was the right way for me to level up. The thought filled him with excitement. This cheat just kept getting more powerful. He wondered what other surprises awaited him.
Taking advantage of his walk, Qingxiao calmed his mind and slowly reviewed yesterday's battle. He wanted to figure out exactly how he had landed Black Flash.
According to common knowledge in Jujutsu Society, Black Flash was a critical hit so improbable it bordered on the mystical, impossible to control deliberately. Official records stated that Black Flash could only occur when the release of cursed energy and a physical strike were synchronized within a time difference of 0.000001 seconds. That extreme timing requirement was so exacting it inspired despair.
The vast majority of sorcerers could spend their entire lives without landing even one. Even top-tier powerhouses like the later Satoru Gojo and Sukuna relied on their condition and luck to land Black Flash; they could never control it consistently.
But he had a feeling that yesterday's Black Flash had not been mere luck.
Qingxiao carefully sensed the state of his body. Combining this with the properties of the Heavenly Motion Cursed Technique that the mysterious voice had described, he gradually worked out the key logic behind it.
An ordinary sorcerer's weakness had never been insufficient reserves of cursed energy, but the disconnect between body, cursed energy, and soul. Both physical exertion and the circulation of cursed energy were driven by the soul.
The speed of a physical punch could not keep up with the burst of cursed energy, while the rhythm of cursed energy circulation lagged behind the soul's decision. Tiny time differences existed between all three.
This was the fundamental reason most people could never land Black Flash. Even deliberate training could only reduce that time difference endlessly; bringing it all the way down to zero was extremely difficult.
But the Heavenly Motion Cursed Technique had completely changed his body. This top-tier core ability had never been limited to rapid healing, maintaining his condition, and improving the effects of training.
There was also that line he had never understood: "Body, cursed energy, and soul are tempered in synchronization as a trinity, gradually merging."
My super-strength Cursed Technique was absolutely no weaker than Idle Transfiguration or Limitless! At that thought, the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably, harder to keep down than an AK.
Consecutive Black Flashes were no longer a dream. Qingxiao felt as though a world brimming with vitality, where all things surged forward, lay right before his eyes!
Still, luck was an indispensable factor too. You could even say it accounted for a large part of it. After all, I had only trained for a year.
Looks like I still needed more honing. But Qingxiao believed that sooner or later, he too would be able to use Black Flash as a basic attack, just like Heavenly Emperor Yuji.
He leisurely wandered back to his assigned single dorm room. It was clean and tidy, with a simple, comfortable layout.
After a quick wash, Qingxiao picked up an ordinary plastic comb from the table, intending to tidy his messy hair. He planned to comb the fringe back into a neat slicked-back style with two wisps framing his face.
His movements were casual, and he gave no thought to his strength. He merely raised his hand to comb his hair normally, but the instant his fingertips tightened slightly and applied a little pressure, a crisp crack rang out.
The plastic comb split in his bare hand. Its teeth snapped off, and its handle broke into several pieces. Tiny plastic fragments slipped between his fingers and fell onto the sink counter.
Qingxiao froze.
He lowered his head to look at the shattered comb in his palm. A flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes before he fully realized what the problem was.
It wasn't poor quality. There was a problem with my control over my strength!
The boost from his Black Flash breakthrough was worth a full two weeks of hard training, causing his strength to surge. But this sudden power had arrived too quickly, too fiercely. His body had yet to adapt completely, and the most obvious side effect was his inability to control it properly.
He was already immensely strong. The slightest exertion produced force far beyond an ordinary person's, which meant even a tiny lapse in control could have serious consequences. Even gentle, everyday movements could end up using the wrong amount of force.
Realizing this was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, dampening his joy.
If he could not even reliably control his everyday movements, he would be even more prone to misjudging his strength and throwing off his rhythm in actual combat. At a critical moment, it could instead become a weakness.
After a brief daze, Qingxiao quickly collected himself and adjusted his mindset. The restlessness in his eyes faded, replaced by a measure of steadiness.
Daily training was the foundation of my combat strength. Black Flash brought rapid improvements, but its side effects weren't small either.
Though daily, diligent training brought slow progress, strength and control improved together, leaving no hidden risk of a disconnect.
Next, besides cultivating cursed energy, he would have to focus specifically on honing his bodily control, take time to consolidate his gains, and thoroughly master his surging strength until he could unleash or restrain it at will.
Having worked this out, he was no longer impatient. He raised a hand and simply smoothed his hair back, the neat slicked-back style with its two framing wisps revealing all his features.
He was not the sort of exceptionally handsome man who stunned people at first glance, but his features were sharp and clean, his brow pronounced, and his jawline crisp, without a single unnecessary soft curve. His bearing had shed the awkward immaturity of an ordinary teenager. Instead, he resembled a sheathed sword with a hidden edge-restrained, yet unable to conceal the biting sharpness in his bones, clean-cut yet imposing.
He changed out of his tattered clothes and hospital gown and put on a simple, fitted black short-sleeved shirt. Its close fit perfectly outlined his taut, sharply defined, explosive muscles. His figure was upright and rugged, wild yet clean-cut.
Ready and in peak condition, Qingxiao stretched gently, confidence in his eyes. With his hunger and thirst satisfied and his strength greatly increased, it was time to meet his new classmates and officially begin his life at Jujutsu High.
"Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Shoko Ieiri, here I fucking come."
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