Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

Chapter 128: Chapter 117: Special Effects and Status, Internet Turmoil

After finishing the Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade, Zhang Beixing’s gains were truly plentiful.

The most obvious change was to his Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade, which had jumped straight from Entry Level to Great Accomplishment, bypassing Integration.

Seeing the proficiency level for Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade, Zhang Beixing fell into deep thought.

He was pondering why, despite all his correct approaches, practicing Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade was so difficult and troublesome. It turned out to be a breakthrough beyond his current level!

This also explained something. Previously, when Zhang Beixing used the most basic methods to practice Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade, it felt awkward no matter how he performed it. But once he switched to using Hidden Force and mastered resonance, Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade became more fluent and easier to perform.

The reason for this, he realized, was: ”The issue is with my current realm, or rather, my understanding of this Martial Art isn’t deep enough; I haven’t grasped the core and am not practicing it correctly! And these are things the System cannot give me; I have to rely on my own understanding. Once I fully comprehend it, natural breakthroughs will occur, leading to smoother performance. Without sufficient understanding, though, it will feel awkward even if I level it up to +99. That’s because my realm hasn’t caught up!”

Zhang Beixing said, suddenly enlightened. He finally understood the problems he had faced before.

This might sound complicated, but it’s quite straightforward when likened to a game.

System upgrades are like game awareness, overall perspective, and so on. Proficiency is akin to the level of mechanical skill or execution.

Without a matching execution level, even if one wrote a monumental work like ’On Jayce,’ one could still make moves that look nonsensical even to oneself due to poor execution. Only when the execution level catches up, becoming equivalent to one’s understanding, can one fully unleash their power.

Evidently, after all his effort, Zhang Beixing had finally brought his execution level up to par with his awareness.

As for why the proficiency level had only changed now, Zhang Beixing had a guess. It was likely because the System would only evaluate and update after he had practiced the complete Martial Arts set.

After checking the updates in his Skill Bar, Zhang Beixing shifted his gaze to the status bar.

To be honest, he was beginning to not understand his own status bar.

’Extreme Fatigue’ and ’Mental Fatigue’ were self-explanatory, resulting from his overexertion of physical strength and mental energy.

But ’Blood Like Mercury Slurry,’ ’Qi like Thunder,’ and ’Hidden Force Crouching Dragon’...

This... What in the world are these?

Looking at these three statuses, Zhang Beixing was utterly bewildered.

He could understand Qi like Thunder; it must be related to the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound he had unleashed. But Blood Like Mercury Slurry... What’s wrong with my blood?

Zhang Beixing was filled with doubt.

He calmed his mind to perceive his internal state. He realized that after completing the Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade, the once vigorous and surging Qi and Blood in his body had... unexpectedly... settled down!

No! More accurately, it hadn’t just settled down. Rather, the vigorous, jolting practice had refined and subdued it.

Its flow rate had returned to normal, seemingly no different from usual. However, compared to normal, it was now far more concentrated and profound. It flowed slowly through Zhang Beixing’s body like mercury, continuously cleansing impurities, repairing hidden ailments, and restoring his stamina.

It felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his entire being suffused with warmth and comfort.

Furthermore, as his blood circulated, Zhang Beixing noticed an inexplicable force quietly brewing within him. Though it wasn’t much, a little more of this force would accumulate with every complete circulation of blood through the Great Zhou. But this was undeniably causing real changes in Zhang Beixing’s body.

This is... After briefly sensing the strange new force that had emerged within him, Zhang Beixing blurted out, ”Hidden Force?”

The words left his lips, and he paused, momentarily stunned. He remembered the status that had puzzled him most after completing the Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade: ’Hidden Force Crouching Dragon’!

Considering the current situation, that status must correspond to the continuously growing Hidden Force inside him!

”Holy shit, this is way too awesome!” he exclaimed. ”The Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade has this effect too? It can actually nurture Hidden Force?”

Zhang Beixing was astounded. He had initially thought it would be great if practicing the Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade simply enhanced his body, increased his strength, and allowed for recuperation. He never expected that, aside from the physical benefits, his Hidden Force would also improve. This was truly an unexpected blessing.

I was wondering how I could practice to level up my Hidden Force. Now it seems there’s no need. This Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade directly trains both the body and Hidden Force! With each repetition of the Eight Pieces of Brocade, the Hidden Force grows a bit. While faint, the cumulative effect is boundless. This Cultivation Technique was worth all the effort! My suffering wasn’t in vain!

Zhang Beixing sighed with emotion.

This was a Cultivation Technique he had poured so much effort into practicing. Its effects truly did not disappoint! The only slight drawback was that this Hidden Force version of Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade couldn’t be practiced excessively. The Qi and Blood it stirred were simply too tremendous, and the training process itself was excruciatingly painful. Even with his current physical condition, practicing it once or twice a day was pretty much the absolute limit. Any more than that, and his body wouldn’t be able to withstand the surging Qi and Blood.

However, it’s not a big deal, he thought. If I can’t practice it many times, I’ll just take it slow and steady. I’m young, only twenty-one. Time is the one thing I don’t lack!

Gazing at the bright moonlight, he panted, recovering his depleted energy.

While he was recovering his energy, the Shi University forum exploded into chaos.

The couples who had frantically fled the small woods of Shi University were still shaken as they mulled over what had just happened.

It had been terrifying!

Out of nowhere, the sounds of tiger roars, rolling thunder, and what seemed like River Rushing had emanated from the small woods of Shi University. The sounds were so realistic; they definitely weren’t something a video or recording could reproduce! This left them both panicked and utterly bewildered.

So, they all took out their phones, opened the university’s online forum, and began posting about their bizarre experiences and the emotional rollercoaster they had been on.

[Outrageous! Sounds of tiger roars from Shi University’s small woods, is it a prank or has a tiger escaped?]

[Personal experience, after the Hi-Ha Immortal and Chu Renmei incidents, bizarre phenomena keep occurring in the small woods of Shi University, with thundering sounds that are undeniably real!]

[Help! Help! Help! I’m in the small woods and heard the sound of rushing rivers, is Shi University about to be flooded?]

[There’s a tiger in Shi University’s small woods, oh my God...]

In no time, posts like these flooded the Shi University forum. But clicking into these posts revealed that the content was mostly long-winded personal accounts. Even when some more conscientious posters attached photos of the Shi University small woods, the pictures were always taken from outside. There were no videos or audio recordings from inside the woods at all!

This led the online onlookers to believe these posters were just making things up. Many started accusing them of clickbait, spamming ”pics or it didn’t happen,” and swiftly hitting the report button.

Seeing these reactions, the students who had just fled the woods felt deeply wronged. They tried to defend themselves. Some claimed the situation had been too urgent to think about filming. Others said they were too panicked and only realized what had happened after they had already run out.

They hoped their fellow students would believe them. Unexpectedly, seeing these replies only made the other Shi University students more convinced they were fabricating their stories. The insults intensified, and the reports flooded in even more ferociously.

Before long, several posters received so many reports that they were slapped with temporary bans.

As the Shi University forum moderators and administrators began clearing away these posts, those browsing the forum thought the incident was drawing to a close.

But they had no idea that shortly thereafter, a video post titled ’[Live Recording from Shi University’s Small Woods]’ would be uploaded, pushing the incident to a dramatic climax!

The video was shot with night vision equipment. Though somewhat blurry, it was clearly identifiable as the Shi University small woods. From the videographer’s mutterings, it was clear he was a horror enthusiast. He had come to the small woods late at night, equipped with night vision goggles, to capture footage. His goal was to witness firsthand the truth behind the ”Chu Renmei” phenomenon that had caused such a stir previously.

The video was only four minutes long in total. The first two minutes were quite mundane, consisting mostly of walking and the videographer’s soliloquy. Occasionally, some unsettling moans and low growls could be heard, making the viewers drowsy.

Many started exclaiming, ”Is this it?”

They were just about to swipe the video away and report it. But before they could do so,

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The sound of rushing water suddenly came from deep within the small woods, without any warning. Although not very loud, the sound was clearly captured by the video.

Hearing this, the viewers paused. Finding it somewhat interesting, they stopped what they were doing and watched on with bated breath.

Then, after this sound, the video image froze for a moment before returning to normal. The camera continued to move forward.

Just as the videographer was about to exit the small woods and reach the edge of the artificial lake,

ROAR!

A deafening tiger’s roar suddenly erupted from the side. This instantly startled everyone watching the video.

They stared blankly at the video on their phones, exchanging bewildered glances, completely dumbfounded.

Then, before they could even recover from the shock,

BOOM!

The sound of rolling thunder followed immediately after.

The Shi University netizens watching exclaimed, ”Holy shit?!”