Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

Chapter 120: Chapter 111: Developing Divine Skills

His thoughts clear, his motivation abundant.

After instructing Liu Yi and Chen Rourou on how to continue practicing the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade, Zhang Beixing paid no mind to the odd looks they gave him. He plunged directly into the water and started practicing on a wooden pile.

Listening to the splashing water beside her, Chen Rourou wanted to ask Zhang Beixing what he was doing several times. But having been reprimanded by him just that morning, she was too intimidated to speak.

It was Liu Yi who watched Zhang Beixing practice on the wooden pile in the water with a thoughtful expression. He was wondering whether Zhang Beixing was training his strength or his concentration. As for Hidden Force, it had never even crossed his mind. Deep down, he believed such a thing couldn’t possibly exist! Not to mention whether practicing on a pile in the water could even develop Hidden Force... even if it could, how long has Zhang Beixing been practicing martial arts? Only two months. Even with exceptional talent and quick learning, Hidden Force isn’t something that can be ’learned’! To master Hidden Force, one has to grind slowly, for three to four years, or even a decade. Through persistent Cultivation and accumulated experience, one can finally grasp its true essence. Only then can one make a name for themselves and become an existence just below that of a Grandmaster! In the past, some sought shortcuts to quickly master Hidden Force. Without exception, these attempts ended in failure or severe physical harm, their martial arts completely ruined, reducing them to mediocrity, or even less. Thus, from ancient times to the present, there has been no rapid method or path to practice Hidden Force. It requires slow refinement; as time and experience accumulate, once your level is sufficient, it will naturally become clear.

After watching Zhang Beixing engrossed in his pile practice in the water for a while, Liu Yi couldn’t make heads or tails of whatever strange technique Zhang Beixing was attempting, so he stopped paying attention. He threw himself wholeheartedly into practicing the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade. After going through it three or four times, he was drenched in sweat. He felt the acupoints and meridians within his body open up, his blood flow quicken, and the circulation continuously wash over the latent ailment in his shoulder, aiding its recovery. Liu Yi wiped off his sweat and decided to stop while he was ahead. He called out to Chen Rourou and Zhang Beixing, then got up and left.

Not long after Liu Yi’s departure, Chen Rourou also ran out of energy. She respectfully greeted Zhang Beixing before leaving the grove to rest.

This left Zhang Beixing alone, completely absorbed in practicing on the wooden pile in the water, exceptionally immersed. After days of training, combined with a Mental Attribute as high as 105, Zhang Beixing’s comprehension of the Hidden Force within his body had deepened considerably. Its use became more fluid, almost completely under his control, no longer reliant on chance for activation.

BANG!

Another punch struck the wooden pile. Hidden Force burst forth, and the pile emitted a dull thud, unmoved.

Once Zhang Beixing withdrew his hand, he silently counted to three.

Suddenly, BLUB BLUB BLUB.

Bubbles streamed out from within the wooden pile. Sawdust flowed out. Upon closer inspection of the spot where the punch landed, fine cracks appeared on the brown bark, spreading outwards. The current washed the bark away, revealing the white trunk beneath. The trunk was affected in the same manner!

It’s a success! I’ve finally completely mastered Hidden Force! Seeing this, Zhang Beixing was overjoyed.

Although this punch wasn’t particularly powerful in terms of damage, it was important to realize that this was just a casual punch from Zhang Beixing! A casual punch that contained Hidden Force! Compared to yesterday, when he had to specifically assume a stance from Yue Family’s Linked Fist Forms and mobilize his entire body’s strength to produce it, the difference was night and day.

As for why he mastered Hidden Force so quickly, Zhang Beixing guessed it might be related to the System’s point allocation. The System allocated points so comprehensively that even Zhang Beixing himself was unclear on what kind of hidden improvements he gained with each addition. Only when he stumbled upon these enhancements by chance would he discover, Wow, shit! My foundation is so strong, so awesome!

After becoming proficient with Hidden Force, Zhang Beixing threw a few more punches at the wooden pile, naturally harnessing Hidden Force. When he finished, the upper half of the wooden pile’s brown bark was almost gone. The tender white trunk was riddled with cracks.

It was fortunate this wooden pile was fairly thick. Otherwise, if it were thinner, perhaps only as thick as an arm, Zhang Beixing might have completed the System’s task with a few more punches.

This might actually work! Thinking this, Zhang Beixing’s eyes lit up, feeling as though he had found a small loophole in the System.

He then climbed out of the water and began searching for a suitable wooden pile on the shore. But after a long search, he couldn’t find one. The thinnest among them was only marginally thinner than the one he had thrown into the water. It was infuriating!

The idea of exploiting the System was forced to be abandoned due to unsuitable conditions.

As for going off-campus, finding a tree to chop down, and then throwing it into the water... Let’s put it this way: five years ago, when Zhang Beixing’s family renovated their house, they cut down the walnut tree planted there. His mom was fined over three thousand!

Since then, Zhang Beixing knew that those seemingly ordinary saplings and small trees planted along the roads were all bloody expensive! That experience also taught him to only look for ready-made stakes in the grove for his martial arts practice, even if he needed them. If he absolutely couldn’t find any, only then would he consider buying them from Taobao or a lumberyard.

But that was a problem for later. Zhang Beixing hadn’t even broken the current stake, so there was no point in thinking so far ahead.

After looking around and still not finding a suitable replacement, Zhang Beixing decided to give up. Figuring since he was already out of the water, he wouldn’t go back in. He wiped his body with a wet towel and changed into a clean set of clothes.

Zhang Beixing assumed the initial stance of the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade and began the routine. After fully mastering Hidden Force, incorporating it into the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade went much more smoothly. Though his movements were still stiff, and he would typically mess up after just one form, after relentless effort and several improvements on Zhang Beixing’s part, at 10 p.m., when the night was quiet and dark:

HA!

A slight muffled sound came from within Zhang Beixing’s body. The Hidden Force resonated with the ’qi’ and blood in his body. His blood flow sped up, and his skin turned red.

Noticing these changes, Zhang Beixing felt it was odd. When he had watched Elder Chen’s martial arts video, Elder Chen only exhibited these symptoms after finishing his practice. Yet now, Zhang Beixing had merely executed the first form of the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade and had already undergone such changes. This made him feel that something was off.

But after a closer inspection, he found that besides feeling tired, his physical condition was better than ever, not like someone who had made a mistake in practice.

Practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade with Hidden Force should be correct. Only by doing so have I felt a trace of its intensity and change. It’s possible that Elder Chen didn’t show his true skill in that martial arts video. That makes sense. Who would show their true skill during casual martial arts practice? Besides, after integrating Hidden Force, the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade has become so powerful. If someone found out and secretly learned it, that would be a huge loss! But it is indeed difficult; average people truly can’t do it. I wonder what effect I will be able to achieve once I’ve mastered it?

Zhang Beixing muttered to himself, then completed the first form of the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade. He stood still, exhaled a deep breath of turbid air, and immediately, sweat, mixed with vapor, emerged from his body, enveloping him.

Thus, after several revisions by Zhang Beixing, the Hidden Force version of the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade’s first form had finally been performed successfully!

That really wasn’t easy!

He stopped the routine, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sat down on the ground with a thud, panting heavily, drenched. The prolonged underwater stake punching and practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade had nearly depleted his stamina. It was only due to his stubborn determination that Zhang Beixing had gritted his teeth and persisted.

Fortunately, his perseverance paid off. Successfully performing the first form of the Eight Pieces of Brocade was the best reward for his efforts.

Not bad, major progress! By not distinguishing between internal and external and using one method of Cultivation, it shows my idea wasn’t wrong! Although some things are strange, they’re not a big deal. What I need to do next is continue to work hard, aiming to integrate Hidden Force fully into the Northern Sect’s Eight Pieces of Brocade in the next few days and achieve Great Accomplishment! Zhang Beixing whispered to himself.

He rested on the spot for a while until he felt mostly recovered, then stood up and returned to the dormitory.

Shower, laundry.

Sitting at the desk in his underwear, Zhang Beixing pulled out the journal that had been lying untouched in his desk drawer for several days and began to write about his experiences.

Meanwhile, Zheng Jituo was idly scrolling through his phone and soon started exclaiming. Hearing the commotion, Zhang Beixing and Jin Linyu looked over.

They saw Zheng Jituo holding his phone, shouting, ”Hey, hey, guys, Shi University is haunted again! This time it’s Chu Renmei! Anyone want to go check it out with me?”

Jin Linyu looked at Zheng Jituo and said, ”Chu Renmei... Oh, right, you mean that post about supernatural events at Shi University on our forum, right? Hey, wasn’t that debunked as a hoax a long time ago? You’re only seeing it now? Besides, even if it were real, would you actually dare to check it out?”

At this, Zheng Jituo nodded and replied, ”Why wouldn’t I dare? Old Jin, ever heard the saying: ’With enough courage, even female ghosts take maternity leave! And with strong yang energy, not even Meng Po can escape.’ I may not be talented, but I’ve maintained a pure yang body for twenty-one years, untainted by any woman. I feel I can do it!”

”Smooth,” Zhang Beixing was drawn in by Zheng Jituo’s words, turning to look, a hint of amusement on his face. ”How do you make being single sound so righteous? Plus, even if you could subdue that female ghost, are you sure you could handle it? If I remember correctly, female ghosts retain their appearance at the time of death, right? And if a person drowns—I forget if it takes a few hours or a few days—their face will be bloated from soaking. Then, those bacteria, bugs, and other things in the water will enter the body and breed. If you can still handle *that*... well, when it comes to being a pervert, it really has to be you!”

Dong Guoning, who was lazing on his bed adoring his goddess, also chimed in with a jab, ”Indeed, indeed, Jituo’s an old pervert! The pure kind. I feel like he now finds even Komodo Dragons pretty!”

Hearing this, Zheng Jituo immediately got upset, jumping up and protesting, ”What are you saying? What kind of talk is that? How am I a pervert? I’m just curious, alright!”

”Yeah, yeah, yeah, so curious you could even get down with a water ghost. Alright, stop talking. The more you say, the more perverted you sound to us!”

”Go to hell!”

With Zheng Jituo’s frustrated roar, Room 203 erupted in laughter.

Zhang Beixing chatted with them for a while longer, then climbed into bed and fell asleep.