Power of the Ram, Succubus Physique

Just as he had hoped, his body had grown much "stronger."

His once-flat muscles had filled out. With the slightest movement, their contours stood out clearly, well-proportioned and handsome.

The swelling muscles naturally brought a surge in strength.

Cheng Sheng threw a punch at the air and clearly felt how completely different it was from his punches before.

Faster, more explosive, more overbearing...

It even stirred up a faint whoosh as it cut through the air!

"A perfect sacrifice brought a perfect reward."

Cheng Sheng looked with satisfaction at his well-defined arms. As he recalled what had happened during the sacrifice, his eyes flickered slightly.

There had been a small mishap.

But thankfully, it had been a scare without real danger.

It would be more accurate to say that sorcerers often encountered such situations while they were still weak.

Sorcerers made pacts with the Abyss and, to a certain extent, represented its will. Their status was far nobler than that of the vast majority of demons.

Because of the contract, demons summoned through a ritual could not, in theory, take the initiative to attack their summoners.

But some foolish demons would ignore the rule's restraints regardless.

Of course, they couldn't really do anything to Cheng Sheng, but they could still use their demonic abilities to torment him a little and make him look foolish.

"This time, it was the Intermediary Demon who protected me..."

Cheng Sheng recalled the sight of the demon possessing the black goat being forcibly dragged back into the Abyss, and he was a little moved.

The Intermediary Demon's role was beginning to show.

With the Intermediary Demon's protection, Cheng Sheng should be able to pass through his period of weakness more "safely" than the average sorcerer.

"Her appearance this time seems to have boosted my charm a little more..."

Cheng Sheng studied himself in the mirror. He had become more "charming."

This time was a little different from the last.

It wasn't just a simple increase in "charm"; the shape and contours of his face also seemed to have undergone a slight adjustment.

They had become softer and more pleasing to the eye.

"Every sacrifice gives me a few extra points of charm. If this keeps up, won't I gradually turn into a 'humanoid succubus'?"

Cheng Sheng touched his cheek and shook his head in amusement.

He quickly got dressed and ran out the door, not even taking the time to dry his hair.

He went to the same little park where he had practiced his punches during the day.

It was almost dark now, and the already secluded park had even fewer people in it.

Cheng Sheng found the coconut tree he had wrapped in burlap to use as a punching post. He stood before it, ready to properly test how much strength he had gained from the sacrifice.

"Bang!"

Without putting much force into it, Cheng Sheng slammed a punch into the coconut tree, making the tall tree tremble slightly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

Cheng Sheng punched again and again, steadily increasing his strength to see where his limit lay.

As he continued punching, tiny streams of searing heat naturally surged from within him, and his strength kept growing...

At one moment, a strange black goat's head with scarlet eyes suddenly flashed through Cheng Sheng's mind!

"Buzz!"

It was as if a switch inside his body had suddenly been flipped. Cheng Sheng's eyes turned bloodshot in an instant, and the heart beating in his chest seemed to swell abruptly!

"Boom!"

"Crack!"

His fist, veins bulging, struck the coconut tree trunk fiercely. The tall tree shuddered violently, and a faint, crisp cracking sound rang out.

Cheng Sheng's face quickly contorted. He clutched the right hand he had punched with and squatted down, baring his teeth in pain.

"Damn, the impact didn't break a bone, did it...?"

Now he knew why the boxing gym used banana tree trunks as punching posts for ordinary students like him.

Because banana tree trunks weren't this hard!

Sweat poured down Cheng Sheng's face from the pain. Once it had finally eased a little, he hurried to his feet to inspect the spot he had struck.

He removed the thick burlap used for padding and could clearly see a long, thin crack in the coconut tree trunk where his fist had landed.

"Did I really do that with my fist?"

A strange light flickered in Cheng Sheng's eyes. It was as if his hand had stopped hurting all at once.

He seemed to have triggered something just now. His already greatly increased strength had instantly multiplied several times over, enough to crack a coconut tree with a punch!

"Is it a special ability I got from sacrificing that black goat? It seems it can only be activated for an instant..."

The Black Book had mentioned that if a perfect sacrifice particularly pleased the demon receiving it, there was indeed a chance of getting an unexpected surprise in return.

"In the texts, black goats themselves represent the image of demons. The male black goat I chose was even a 'variant' among black goats: fierce, volatile, and aggressive... And when it was sacrificed, it was in extreme pain and filled with hatred for me..."

"It's no surprise it had this effect."

Cheng Sheng tested it many more times and confirmed beyond all doubt that the ability existed.

Whenever the image of the strange black goat flashed through his mind, his strength would surge in an instant, as if it were some kind of instinct.

"Wrath--Power of the Ram!"

Cheng Sheng casually gave the ability a name, his face full of satisfaction.

"But at my current stage, this power is still hard to control. It's easy to hurt myself when I punch.

"It might be more suitable for elbow strikes and knee strikes..."

Nantu martial arts developed every part of the body to a high degree. Even basic combat techniques weren't limited to punches and kicks; elbows, knees, and the like were all excellent weapons for attack.

Cheng Sheng felt that if he used this ability with his elbows, knees, and similar body parts, it should be much more powerful.

"'Sparrow Spirit'-level reactions, plus Power of the Ram... There shouldn't be any problem with the formal disciple assessment this time."

With the tests finished, Cheng Sheng let out a long breath and turned toward home.

"I heard you! I'll give it back! Stop talking about it!!..."

"Bang!"

Standing in front of his bedroom door, Cheng Sheng heard a door slam heavily in the living room. Only then did he calmly push his door open and walk out.

In the living room, his mother, Wu Li, stood beside the dining table, facing the front door with a helpless look on her face.

"What did she say?"

Cheng Sheng sat down at the dining table as usual, picked up a glass of milk, and took a sip.

"Your sister said a classmate had just bought the phone, and she only borrowed it to play with for a few days. That time, too, it was a friend who picked her up to go out and have fun..."

Wu Li shook her head and sat down as well. Then she continued, "I called Yueyue's homeroom teacher. The teacher said her behavior has changed a little lately, but her grades haven't really been affected. She's still in the top three in her grade...

"Oh, right."

Wu Li added, "Yueyue said she wanted to apply to live at school. I agreed."

"Live at school?"

Cheng Sheng was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly nodded.

Living at school was fine too. The two of them wouldn't have to see each other every day anymore, which would save them quite a few sibling "disputes."

Although he could tell at once that Cheng Yue's story was an excuse, he had already fulfilled his responsibility as her older brother, and he couldn't be bothered to concern himself with her anymore.

After a couple of casual remarks, he changed the subject with his mother.

"...There was a major accident at the Golden Valley Travel Agency next door last time, and a lot of their clients have switched to us. Your dad and I will be very busy for a while, so take good care of yourself, okay..."

No wonder Wu Li had agreed to let Cheng Yue live at school. She had wanted one less thing to worry about.

Hearing this, Cheng Sheng had a thought and couldn't help asking, "Mom, has the alert in Kunsha District been lifted? Did they catch that wanted criminal on the run?"