SWNOVELXO Ch. 13
Chapter 13: Mighty Body!
Martial techniques differ from cultivation methods—they test a cultivator’s control over their own body.
Take the Cloud‑Riding Step, for example.
A cultivator must perfectly control every breath, every bone, every tendon…
When everything synchronizes to form a single force, only then can the Cloud‑Riding Step be executed smoothly!
If another practitioner cultivates the Cloud‑Riding Step, even if they’re a martial genius, they still need their master’s guidance and gradual trial-and-error.
They must find that balance point and then practice it repeatedly until it becomes muscle memory, at which point it’s deemed basic proficiency.
“By relying on repeated muscle‑memory formation…”
Xu Zhengyang glanced again at the Cloud‑Riding Step. After grasping its principles, he mused, “So this Cloud‑Riding Step… is basically the recoil control technique in PUBG, right?”
At that moment, Xu Zhengyang smiled slightly and said, “Since that’s the case… I can absolutely code a Martial‑Arts Manager app. I’ll tweak the Cloud‑Riding Step’s parameters into a ‘body macro,’ so I can release it with one tap—just like the Techniques I’ve been mastering!”
He didn’t delay and immediately got to work.
Considering Xu Zhengyang’s skill set, developing an app to record and replay muscle‑memory wasn’t difficult.
Within the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the Martial‑Arts Manager was complete!
“Cloud‑Riding Step, Stage One—Feather‑Snow Silence—is the simplest.
The cultivator only needs to sync breath, bones, and tendons into one tight force, light as a swallow, to leave no trace on snow.
Stage Two builds on Stage One: control over internal organs is required so that the cultivator won’t sink in water—thus the ability to glide lightly over waves.
Stage Three is the final stage: on top of Stage Two’s control, the cultivator must transport qi and blood, strengthening their physical endurance to the extreme!
At that point, the cultivator can ride the wind with just their flesh—even if they don’t tire, they can soar through the Nine Heavens!”
Xu Zhengyang’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Riding the wind with flesh alone!”
That level sounded cool and flashy enough.
At that moment, Xu Zhengyang had already programmed the “body macro” for the Cloud‑Riding Step in the Martial‑Arts Manager.
With nothing else to do, he stepped out of the meditation chamber, launched the Martial‑Arts Manager, and activated the Cloud‑Riding Step in the courtyard!
…
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Xu Zhengyang moved like an apparition, leaving behind afterimages too fast to see.
As he activated the Cloud‑Riding Step with full force, his Health Manager’s visual interface displayed a top speed of 73.6 km/h!
For a moment, Xu Zhengyang’s speed rivaled that of a car from his previous life!
He couldn’t hold back his excitement and shouted, “As expected of an immortal martial technique!”
But his joy didn’t last long.
He had only been cultivating the Mysterious‑Mechanism Art for a day, and his physique had only improved by 1.4% since yesterday—still at ordinary mortal level.
Because of that, after just over a hundred strides, the exertion exceeded what his body could bear!
At that moment, the Health Manager’s autonomous monitoring triggered an alarm—warnings flooded his retinal display:
【Warning! Warning!】
【Your body temperature, heart rate, and breathing frequency far exceed normal levels!】
【Hairline fractures detected in your left tibia and fibula!】
【Your gluteus maximus, tibialis anterior, and rectus abdominis are undergoing catabolism!】
【Multiple internal organs are bleeding simultaneously!】
…
“!?”
Xu Zhengyang turned pale and immediately stopped the Cloud‑Riding Step.
He hadn’t expected to sustain such severe bodily damage from just activating the technique!
Seeing the screen filled with red alerts, Xu Zhengyang didn’t take any chances—he retrieved a Transmission Talisman from his Jade‑Gourd Talisman.
He intended to summon Pei Zhen for rescue!
But his Health Manager’s warnings suddenly cleared themselves—some alerts vanished.
“?”
He stared in surprise and entered internal-view mode.
“When I used the Cloud‑Riding Step just now, the qi and blood transfer speed of the Mysterious‑Mechanism Art also accelerated. Moreover…”
At this point, Xu Zhengyang stared in disbelief. “When the Mysterious‑Mechanism Art transported qi and blood to my injuries… it actually sped up the healing?!”
He watched for a bit: his muscle injuries were about seventy to eighty percent healed.
Even the hairline fractures in his tibia and fibula visibly mended before his eyes!
“This…”
Xu Zhengyang gaped, “The Mysterious‑Mechanism Art has this kind of miraculous utility?”
Then he realized he’d been using the Mysterious‑Mechanism Art in the wrong way.
…
In a short moment…
Once the Mysterious‑Mechanism Art had fully healed his injuries, Xu Zhengyang noticed his qi and blood had grown stronger by one point!
He watched this whole process via internal-view.
Immediately afterwards…
He felt nearly hollowed out.
A long-lost hunger suddenly surged upon him!
“Did healing my body just now consume too much energy?”
Xu Zhengyang pondered, then retrieved a Fasting Pill from his Jade‑Gourd Talisman and swallowed it.
Unlike before…
Previously, one Fasting Pill could keep him going for three days without eating or drinking.
But this time, after its effects kicked in, his hunger was only slightly quelled, not gone!
Xu Zhengyang frowned. “Did it consume that much energy?”
As he prepared to take two more Fasting Pills to replenish his energy, he suddenly remembered the Blood Pill Xing Yong had given him.
He immediately retrieved the Blood Pill from his pouch.
After removing the sealing talisman from the bottle’s top…
Suddenly!
A rich metallic scent assaulted his nose!
But…
After smelling it, Xu Zhengyang didn’t feel nauseated.
Instead… he found it oddly… sweet?
“Is my body craving the Blood Pill?”
He said to himself.
Without hesitation, he poured out a bright crimson pill from the bottle.
“No wonder it’s called Blood Pill.”
He tilted his head back and swallowed it.
The next moment…
As the pill’s energy circulated through Xu Zhengyang’s body, a pure wave of blood‑qi filled his limbs and bones.
With the Blood Pill’s infusion, his former hunger vanished instantly.
He even felt satiated.
Immediately afterwards…
As the Mysterious‑Mechanism Art began its automatic circulation and refined the first strand of qi and blood from the Blood Pill for his own use…
“Roar—”
A soul‑stirring roar suddenly filled his ears!
In the next instant…
A savage emotion enveloped Xu Zhengyang’s consciousness, urging him to wreak destruction and unleash devastation!
Xu Zhengyang struggled to keep his spirit calm.
Recalling what Xing Yong had told him earlier, he muttered to himself, “Fiend‑qi? Or remains of a Demonic Beast?”