Chapter 5: Feather Letter

As the black symbol on his palm shifted, a thick, ink-black book materialized in Zhang Yu's hand.

"Feather Book?" Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback as he looked at the two large characters on the cover.

With a flicker of his thought, the black book in his hand opened on its own to the first page, without any wind.

"This must be the table of contents," he mused. Looking at the table of contents, he saw that apart from the "Prologue" on the first line, all the subsequent entries were blurred and illegible, as if censored. "Does this mean only the prologue is currently accessible?" Zhang Yu wondered.

With a thought, he turned to the prologue. Before him, on the left page, was a portrait of a figure, and on the right, rows of data and information.

"Is this me?" The portrait on the left page depicted Zhang Yu himself, sitting cross-legged with eyes gently closed, seemingly in meditation.

The figure was strikingly lifelike, giving the impression that the person in the drawing was still breathing. A faint glow seemed to circulate within the portrait, which Zhang Yu felt represented the flow of spiritual energy within his own body.

The right page displayed rows of data and information:Dao Heart Level 1Spiritual Energy 7.7Physical Strength Level 0.83Martial Arts: Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 1, San Shou Level 1Daoist Arts: Basic Breathing Technique Level 1, Basic Heart Cultivation Level 1

"This is me?" he thought. "The top section shows data for various immortal cultivation qualities. The Dao Heart level here is similar to school assessments, not precise enough to include decimals. And the bottom part lists the martial arts and Daoist arts I've learned so far?"

Among the four skills listed below, all were at Level 1, indicating a beginner's mastery. They included the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, used to enhance physical strength; San Shou, learned in martial arts classes for combat training; the Basic Breathing Technique, taught in spiritual energy classes to refine energy; and the Basic Heart Cultivation, used to improve the Dao Heart.

Zhang Yu looked at the numbers and mused, "Is this the potential the evil god awakened? Can this book detect all my attributes? But... it shouldn't be just that, right? The evil god claimed to have awakened my potential, but what kind of potential is mere detection? I can get tested every day at school. There must be other marvelous uses."

With this thought, Zhang Yu decided to test it. He focused his attention on the attribute numbers and mentally commanded, "Feather Book! Give me some points!" Seeing the data on the book remain unchanged, Zhang Yu sighed, lamenting that the evil god was useless and hadn't truly awakened his potential.

He tried turning to the next page, only to find the words "To Be Continued" written in large characters. Connecting this to the previously unrevealed contents in the table of contents, Zhang Yu speculated, "What does this mean? Can this ability be upgraded? Do subsequent functions only unlock after an upgrade?"

He flipped back to the previous page, continually focusing his attention on his data and skills, wondering if it would trigger any effect.

As he concentrated on "Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 1," he suddenly felt the line of text subtly jump. It was then directly dragged and moved around the page according to his will.

While Zhang Yu was dragging "Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 1" across the page, wondering its purpose, the text suddenly solidified upon touching the character portrait and was absorbed by the image of Zhang Yu within it.

With this absorption, Zhang Yu felt as if a clear spring was pouring over the crown of his head. An indescribable sensation surged within him, creating a strange connection between himself and the Zhang Yu in the portrait.

At the same time, the previously seated portrait abruptly stood up and began to perform the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, move by move. Above the portrait, a small line of text appeared: "Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 1 +". Seeing the small "+" at the end, Zhang Yu immediately became excited. "It's here! My potential has truly been awakened!"

He quickly focused his attention on the "+", feeling as if he had pressed it with his mind. The next moment, the "+" blurred slightly and transformed into "(0/10)". An understanding then dawned on Zhang Yu: completing ten practices of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms would allow for a martial arts upgrade.

Looking at "Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 1 (0/10)" on the Feather Book, Zhang Yu was astonished. "I can upgrade this martial art just by practicing it ten times?" He knew that since the start of the school year, he had practiced the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms countless times without ever feeling close to an upgrade.

"Ten times?" Zhang Yu eagerly began to try. With a step, a thud echoed as his muscles twisted like a giant python, unleashing layers of power.

While Zhang Yu usually used equipment when practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms at school, that was merely to enhance the training's effectiveness. In reality, as a foundational body-refining martial art, the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms could be practiced with or without equipment. Practitioners could even focus on different aspects like strength, speed, or agility based on their preferences. For instance, the original Zhang Yu had opted for balanced development in strength and speed, avoiding becoming overly bulky.

Now, Zhang Yu moved back and forth in the small room, his feet pounding on the floor with thudding sounds as his muscles continuously expanded and contracted, gradually heating up.

Before he could complete a few moves, shouts of protest came from his neighbors: "Are you crazy?! Tearing down the building in the middle of the night?!" Zhang Yu immediately stopped, sighing helplessly. "The soundproofing in this rental is terrible. I can't practice martial arts at night."

Looking at the Feather Book appearing in his palm, Zhang Yu felt an irrepressible urge to immediately practice intensely and complete ten repetitions of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms in one go to see the effect. "Maybe I should find another place?" he thought. "I remember there's an abandoned building nearby..."

In the complete darkness, thudding sounds echoed continuously through the stairwell of the abandoned building. As neon lights from the distant street flickered, the silhouette of a young man occasionally emerged from the shadows. It was Zhang Yu, who had hurried to the abandoned building to practice the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms.

At that moment, his gaze was serious as he meticulously performed each move of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. In moments, he was drenched in sweat and steaming.

Zhang Yu had already trained all morning and was exhausted, having collapsed to the ground. Without the aid of injections, elixirs, or nutritional supplements, practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms now left him feeling sore all over. Every movement and every exertion of strength brought a tearing pain to his muscles.

However, thinking of the changes on the Feather Book invigorated him. He persevered and finally completed one repetition of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. Gasping for breath, Zhang Yu impatiently opened his palm, and the Feather Book reappeared at his command. Seeing "Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 1 (1/10)" on it, a hint of joy couldn't help but appear on Zhang Yu's face.

"Is this my potential?" he wondered. "To upgrade the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms to Level 2... it really seems possible. I'm going to practice ten times tonight!"

Zhang Yu eagerly started his second repetition of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. But after a few moments, he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, feeling as if his hands and feet no longer belonged to him. "I can't do it anymore. I've reached my limit. It looks like I'll have to try again tomorrow."

Just as Zhang Yu decided to stop training, rest for a bit, and then go home for a good night's sleep, a sudden chill surged within him. Simultaneously, a voice echoed in his mind.

"Please adhere to the ritual's agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 10.""Please adhere to the ritual's agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 9.""Please adhere to the ritual's agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 8."

As the countdown continued, the ominous chill in Zhang Yu's heart intensified, as if something was about to surge out of him, tearing his flesh apart.

"Ritual... agreement... wish..." He immediately understood. "Is this the power of that spirit-summoning ritual?"

The doll's past words instantly resurfaced in Zhang Yu's mind: "If you choose to refuse to fulfill my wish, or deliberately delay or even fail during its fulfillment, you shall suffer the ritual's backlash: your flesh will explode, and your soul will scatter."

Zhang Yu thought, "So... because I plan to fulfill the second wish by studying hard, getting into a prestigious university, joining a major sect, and earning money... any slackening in this process is considered deliberately delaying the fulfillment of the wish? If I don't obey, will I die from the ritual's backlash?"

Hearing the countdown inadvertently reach 3, Zhang Yu frantically leaped to his feet. With a cry of pain, he endured the tearing agony in his muscles and began to practice the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. The moment he started training, the countdown vanished without a trace.