Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: The Garbage Awakens?

Time drained like sand through the fingers. There was little more than a month left for the Green Cloud Sect to examine. The pressure on Gù Ti?nháo was immense, but instead of crushing him, she forged him, tempering his will like steel in the furnace. Each night was a battle against the pain and limits of his body; each day was a race against the clock to absorb knowledge and gain strength. The combination of tyrannical art, the Nine Cycles, and the Stimulation Guide was proving to be miraculously effective, albeit excruciating. He felt his body changing day after day. The chronic weakness that had plagued him for years was receding, replaced by a vibrant energy and physical strength that he had never imagined he possessed. His senses were sharper, his mind clearer. The greatest progress, however, was in its meridians. The Meridian Opening Pill was still a distant dream - he had no opportunity or resources to even try to get the ingredients - but the Nine Draconian Body Tempering Cycles were doing slow but steady work. It was like using a stream of water to erode a mountain; it seemed impossible, but with relentless persistence, the rock began to give way. He felt the Qi flowing with a little more freedom, the internal resistance gradually diminishing. He was still technically at Level 1 of Body Refinement, but felt he was on the precipice of a breakthrough. The energy accumulated in his Dantian was denser, more potent, and the barrier to Level 2 seemed tenuous, almost translucent. That night, he decided to force the advance. I knew it was risky; forcing a breakthrough without proper preparation or supportive resources such as pills could lead to damage to the meridians or a deviation of Qi. But he didn't have time for the cautious, gradual approach that other growers might take. The exam was approaching. Locked in his room, under the cloak of darkness, he began his cultivation. First, he used Tyrannical Art to absorb Qi from the environment with renewed ferocity, pulling energy into his body and enduring the burning pain as it flooded his still partially blocked meridians. He pushed the accumulated IQ against the invisible barrier that separated Level 1 from Level 2, feeling familiar resistance. Then he switched to the Nine Cycles, adopting the complex postures, breathing in the prescribed patterns. He felt the softer and more nutritious energy begin to circulate, calming the turbulence caused by Tyrannical Art and strengthening his energy channels from the inside out. He alternated between the two techniques, a cycle of aggression and nutrition, attack and repair, pushing his limits repeatedly. Hours have passed. Sweat drenched his clothes and dripped down the floor. His muscles trembled with exhaustion, his meridians seemed about to break under pressure. Pain was a constant companion, but his mind was focused, his will inflexible. He gathered all the Qi he could accumulate, compressing it into his Dantian until it became a small sphere of unstable and vibrant energy. Then, following an instinctive impulse guided by the two techniques, he directed this sphere of concentrated energy directly to the main blockage that prevented him from advancing. The impact was like silent thunder exploding inside him. A blinding pain, so intense that it stole his breath and almost made him lose consciousness, radiated from his Dantian. For a terrible moment, he thought he had failed, that he had broken something vital. But then, the pain began to subside, replaced by a feeling of... space. The main blockade, the barrier that had kept him stuck at Level 1 for years, had broken. The Qi flowed. No longer a thread, but a constant stream, circulating through his meridians with a freedom he had never experienced. The energy of the world seemed to open up to him in a new, more accessible, more inviting way. Your body absorbed ambient IQ at a noticeably faster rate, replenishing your expended energy and filling your newly released meridians. Kingdom of Body Refinement, Level 2! He had succeeded! A wave of euphoria swept through him, as powerful as the pain that preceded it. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to scream, but he contained the emotion, remembering the need for secrecy. He remained in meditation, consolidating his new realm, becoming familiar with the increased flow of Qi and the feeling of renewed strength that permeated every cell of his being. It wasn't just a quantitative increase in IQ; it was qualitative. His physical strength had taken a remarkable leap, his endurance had increased, and even his spiritual perception, once almost non-existent, seemed to have awakened slightly, allowing him to feel the fluctuations of energy around him with a little more clarity. He knew that Level 2 was still far from Level 3, and Level 3 was only the minimum requirement for the exam. He was still weak compared to his brothers and the true geniuses of his generation. But the difference between Level 1 and Level 2 was like night and day for someone who had been considered hopeless garbage. In the following days, although Ti?nháo tried to maintain his facade, the changes were more difficult to hide. There was a new light in his eyes, a subtle confidence in his posture that not even deliberate curvature could completely mask. His skin had a healthy glow, and he moved with an agility and lightness that contrasted sharply with his old fragility. The ripples in standing water became more visible. Aunt Liu began leaving extra portions of food in her meals without saying a word, her curious looks now dyed with a hint of reluctant respect. The servants who once despised him now actively avoided his path, instinctively feeling that the Third Young Master was no longer the same easy target. Even Gù Wei, the cousin who had confronted him weeks earlier, seemed to swallow in dryness and look away when his paths crossed a corridor. Most significant, however, was a chance encounter with one of the family's elders, Elder Hu, an elderly man responsible for the basic training of younger disciples. Ti?nháo was returning from one of his information-gathering sessions when he passed Elder Hu in the garden. As usual, Tianánháo bowed his head and bowed superficially, hoping to be ignored. But the old man stopped. Gù Ti?nháo? Elder Hu's voice was hoarse by age, but his eyes, usually half-closed and disinterested, were surprisingly focused on him. Elder Hu," Ti?nháo replied, keeping his head down. The old man took some slow steps towards him, his eyes sweeping Ti?nháo from top to bottom. A surprise glow passed through his wrinkled face. You look different. More... substance. Ti?nháo remained silent, his heart beating a little faster. Being noticed by an elder was dangerous. Elder Hu extended a wrinkled, bony hand, and before Tiannháo could react, he lightly touched his wrist, sending a subtle thread of Qi to probe his meridians. Ti?nháo felt the probe, but could not resist. The old man's IQ was much stronger than his own. Elder Hu's eyes widened slightly. He removed his hand as if he had touched something hot. Level 2 of Body Refinement? The question was suspended in the air. The shock to the old man's voice was genuine. For the useless garbage of the Gu Family, which could barely maintain Level 1, suddenly reaching Level 2 was almost unheard of. Ti?nháo finally raised his head, finding the shocked look of the elder with a carefully neutral expression. I have been striving in my cultivation recently, Elder. Maybe I was lucky. Lucky? Elder Hu murmured, still looking at Ti?nháo as if to see him for the first time. Maybe... maybe it's not just luck. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then shook his head slowly. Keep trying hard, boy. The path of cultivation is long. With this, the elder turned and continued on his way, leaving Ti?nháo alone in the garden, his mind turning. The garbage had awakened. The news, even if only whispered or suspected, would begin to spread. Some might dismiss it as luck or a temporary flash. Others, like her siblings, might see her as a threat or an irritation. But one thing was certain: Gù Ti?nháo was no longer invisible. And that brought both opportunities and new dangers.