PotF Chapter 5: Rock Shattering Body
Entering the inner garden of the house, Yang Ao took the lotus position and started reading the martial art book he got from the library. As he delved deeper into reading the "Rock Shattering Body," his initial smile slowly transformed into a frown.
The "Rock Shattering" in the martial arts title didn't mean that your body would become so strong that it could shatter rocks; instead, it meant that you needed to shatter your body using rocks for it to become more resilient.
"No wonder no one picked this trash martial art from the shelf. I thought that I would have a heavenly martial art fall on my lap because I knew the patterns of cultivation novels. However, I forgot that I am not in any cultivation novel. For example, if I courted death. No old grandpa would come to save me, right?"
Yang Ao started to realize the situation that he was in; however, the fear he began to feel made him stop thinking about it and continue reading the martial art. After all, he had nothing better to do.
Analyzing the martial art made Yang Ao understand that, although it isn't a heavenly-shattering martial art, he could still use it to improve his body. Still, he needed to adjust it so that it would not leave any internal injuries in the long run, which would hinder his path of cultivation when he reached that age. The problem lay in the fact that he didn't have any experience in how the human body worked more than a basic understanding that he got from school, but it had been so long that he forgot most of it.
Like any reincarnator who can't face any kind of hardship, Yang Ao called his golden finger to the rescue.
"Nyx, are you there?"
An indifferent voice replied, "Host, I am quite disappointed in you. It hasn't been that long since I told you that your hard work would be rewarded, yet you seek my aid at the first sign of hardship. A protagonist that is reliant on a system for every trivial need, how mundane and unremarkable the tale would become if it were to grant him strength without struggle. I was given to you not to make your life easier. Instead, I am here to make sure that this show will be entertaining to HIM."
"E*Rror"
"System adjustment Information revealed exceeds Host current level of authority."
"Best course of action according to the elements"
"Final analysis"
"Conclusion: Moving the fate and editing the timeline."
"Process completion 1%"
"Process completion 96%"
"Process completed"
"Timeline adjustment -5 minutes."
"Nyx, are you there?"
An indifferent voice replied, "Yes, Host."
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Can you help me edit this martial art so that it can become more compatible with me?" Yang Ao asked with a hopeful tone.
"Function status: Locked."
"Host, firstly, you didn't reach the point where you can use me to edit martial arts. Secondly, using me to improve a mortal martial art would be a waste of your rather limited resources."
Yang Ao didn't know what resources she meant. However, he didn't want to dig deeper because he felt sorrow over the fact that he now would need to find another way that was even more challenging to improve this martial art. Also, there was the fact that he wanted to avoid pushing his luck with his rather unfriendly system.
Yang Ao was determined to enhance his strength through any means necessary. He desired to shatter rocks with his bare hands. He wanted to reach a higher sky beyond his Clan and city.
"Who am I?" Yang Ao asked himself this question. Only to come up with one conclusion, "I am no longer that Aiden Clark of Earth that died by a truck. I am no longer that Idiot who stayed day and night reading novels, not having anything better to do. I am Yang Ao, the next patriarch of the Yang Clan and the future master of this world."
After considering his status and connections, he realized that he could have easily visited the library and selected a different form of martial arts. However, upon further consideration, he told himself, "No, although it might be better to just pick another one, it is the easier choice. In all my life, I have consistently chosen the easier option. I hated trying new things because I was afraid of failure. But, now that I was given this second chance, I will change."
Yang Ao was determined to train using the "Rock Shattering Body" technique, No matter how much effort he needed.
"It seems that I owe my father a visit." with that, Yang Ao went to find Yang Ma.
Yang Ao thought of the last place he saw his father, and with that, he ran to the house entrance to check if his father was still enjoying his tea instead of fulfilling his duties as the head of the Clan.
Looking around the entrance only to notice it was empty, with no one there. He headed towards the next location where he believed he would find his father. Yang Ao hurried to his parent's bedroom, thinking that his father might have taken a nap since the sun had already set and the sky was displaying the beautiful red hue that marked the beginning of dusk.
Once he reached the door of the room, he knocked three times, as was customary, before entering any room that didn't belong to him.
After he knocked for the third time, he heard a gentle voice telling him, "Coming, wait for a second."
The door opened for Yang Ao only to see his mother questioning face, wanting to know if he needed anything. "Dear, are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat? I don't know why you train so hard every day. I wish you just played with the other kids in the Clan."
"No thanks, I am not hungry. And I don't play with the other kids, not because I lack time, but because I don't find it enjoyable. They are too childish for my liking." Yang Ao replied with an apologetic voice. After all, he didn't want to make this woman angry, and even though she wasn't his real mother, he still considered her as one.
Hearing him talk about the other children like that, she held his cheeks, telling him, "You little brat, why are you acting like a grown-up while you are still only two years old? Sight, I know that my son is special. You are like a shining star with your brilliance, but I still wish for you to have a normal childhood. I guess this is the hidden price of having a genius as your son."
Chi Ray talked for quite a while about how he should act more like a child, and although normally, he would have gotten angry if someone had told him what to do. But instead, he only felt a warm feeling in his chest, the feeling of motherly love and having someone care for him.
After all that talking, Chi Ray finally realized that she didn't let Yang Ao tell her what he came here for, so she asked him, "Oh my, I think I talked too much. So, do you need help with anything?"
Yang Ao first comforted her, telling her, "It's ok. I know that I am not like the other kids, so I am sorry for any worry I have caused." Continuing from there, he told her what he wanted "I came here to ask Father a couple of questions regarding my training, but I can't seem to find him. Do you perhaps know where he is?"
Chi Ray smiled, telling her son, "Your Father is on a short business trip. However, he will come back tomorrow, and he might bring a little surprise for you."