Regaining that feeling, Yu Yun cried out in pain. His entire body, from head to toe, felt something piercing through the pores of his skin. Whatever entered his flesh tore it apart, causing internal bleeding.
'System, if I practice the Bull Martial Art now, what's the success rate of staying alive?'
[55%]
'The chance is still low, especially now that my body is under physical strain. I can feel my muscles breaking down along with the destruction.'
Yu Yun was in deep trouble in every way, but surprisingly, his heart remained calm. From the start, he had known he might die. After all, his odds were only half. If he cried out in regret, that would be hypocritical, since this had been entirely his choice.
'I underestimated myself because I had a chance. As long as I'm alive, giving up is never an option!'
He declared in his mind, determined to fight.
'My chance is 55% if I use perfect breathing and channel spiritual power while training. It could either destroy everything in seconds or perform a miracle. What's the success rate?'
[60%]
With that five percent increase, Yu Yun no longer cared about anything else. Adjusting his breathing to the perfect level, he entered the bull stance once more.
Each movement gathered the fibers of his muscles and increased the density of his veins. It was difficult to endure even with his senses blocked. The numbness in his arms was no joke.
But that was only one of Yu Yun's smaller problems.
His entire body was suddenly crushed under an overwhelming shroud of pressure that pressed down on his head and squeezed him like a pestle grinding garlic. Combined with the increasing weight, his situation worsened.
'It seems to be working. I can feel the pressure in every part of my being. If I punch my own chest, what's the chance of survival?'
[70%]
Yu Yun, who had that thought purely out of boredom, never expected it would actually trigger another success increase.
'This method was made for monsters with bodies ten times stronger than humans. The goal is to turn the body into a furnace. A true furnace needs fire. So in my current situation, I need a stimulus to fuse spiritual power into my flesh?'
Understanding that, he grew excited. 'Hey! Hey! What's my survival rate now that I've figured this out?'
[80%]
'That's it, hell yeah!' Yu Yun wanted to jump like a madman but held himself back. He could celebrate later. For now, he had to deal with this life-and-death crisis.
Taking a deep breath, he controlled his arm, which had been punching forward, and swung it backward. Like a missile launched through a wave of wind, his fist struck his chest like the charge of a bull.
Boom!
A thunderous sound erupted in Yu Yun's mind. He felt something like a shroud sliding away. The crushing pressure eased slightly, successfully neutralizing some of the destruction. He continued striking his chest several more times.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
After ten punches, all aimed at the same spot, the spiritual power that had been tearing everything apart was forced to fuse with his flesh through the explosive impacts. Once merged, the flesh began to regenerate, reborn stronger than before, nourished by the essence of heaven and earth.
'Am I transcending human limits?'
As the pain in his body was replaced by a warm and pleasant sensation, Yu Yun smiled. Evolving felt exhilarating. Enjoying the feeling, he widened his grin as his entire body transformed. He was being reborn from the ashes.
After an unknown amount of time, he felt his body reach its limit. A barrier appeared, blocking further improvement.
'Can I break through it successfully?'
[100%]
'And can I do it myself?' After asking, he immediately received another answer. [100%] That excited Yu Yun. Like a giant, he struck his chest once again. The moment the blow landed, an explosion collided with the barrier, shattering it instantly into countless fragments.
After breaking through, Yu Yun's physical condition improved drastically, giving him the strength to kill two bulls with a single punch. Along with this surge of power, his five senses returned just before the pill's effects faded.
As he regained them, Yu Yun could hear the flow of the stream more clearly, the songs of the birds, and the rustling of the trees. The scent of the earth was completely different from what he had ever breathed before.
'So these are the benefits of cultivation?'
Yu Yun felt immense joy as he finally celebrated his success. Instead of jumping, he decided to mark the moment with something bold.
Clenching his fist, he threw a punch into the air and stood firmly on the ground. The gusts of wind lifted his black hair, which fluttered wildly.
"System, what's the rate of this being insanely awesome?"
[1%]
"..."
'Go to hell! Give me a break. I just performed a miracle here.'
Yu Yun rolled his eyes, then turned around, seeing the elder staring at him with wide eyes and a mouth so open it could probably fit an entire pig. That was an exaggeration, but the old man was genuinely shocked, which made Yu Yun feel quite satisfied.
"You know you've done something incredible when an old man with what seems like endless years ahead is completely stunned," he muttered calmly.
Then, patting the elder's shoulder, he said, "Elder, thank you for the pill. Thanks to you, I succeeded."
"Huh?" The old man's voice sounded distant, but he soon came back to his senses. Wanting to maintain his mysterious elder demeanor, he coughed lightly.
Cough. Cough.
"Congratulations, boy. It seems I wasn't wrong about you. But don't get arrogant now that you've opened your first meridian and officially stepped into the First Great Realm of Spiritual Energy Cultivation: the Meridian Refinement Stage. You won't advance beyond this realm unless you cultivate the other two."
The elder praised him at first, then poured a bucket of cold water on his excitement. Smiling with satisfaction, he continued.
"Your life won't be easy. I really wouldn't want to be in your place. Good luck." He placed his hands behind his back and took out a map.
"Here, this is the sect's map. Now that you've entered the first stage, you can qualify to become an outer disciple once you pass the examination. I recommend doing it as soon as possible. Only outer disciples are allowed to leave the sect.
And as you know better than anyone, you'll need to extract blood and seek the essence of the five elements. No matter what you do, everything comes down to money. To earn it, you either hunt or rely on luck."
The old man finished speaking while gazing at the horizon, the sunlight reflecting off his face. With a flick of his hand, he tossed the map backward. "Good luck on your journey, boy. Don't disappoint me. I want to see how far someone can go practicing a nonhuman technique."
After leaving those words, the elder summoned a sword and began floating in the air above the trees.
With a swift acceleration, he shot forward, cutting through the sky like lightning. Within seconds, he vanished from Yu Yun's sight.
Standing still, Yu Yun frowned.
'That old man… if he lived on Earth, he'd definitely be a scam artist. For someone whose heart nearly stopped a while ago, he sure talks a lot. But his advice is useful. I still need to cultivate two more things.'
'Haa… My path to immortality has just begun. Opening the first meridian is only the start. System, what's the success rate of the body art now?'
[65%]