Chapter 46: Pride Comes Before a Fall

Chapter 46: Pride Comes Before a Fall

The dream felt long, but in reality, it was as brief as a momentary lapse of consciousness.

Chen Shouyi opened his eyes, lying on the bed, quietly savoring the memories from the dream. This optimization had brought significant changes to the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques. Not only had the movements become more complex and difficult, but they also carried a faintly mysterious aura.

He guessed this was likely due to the changes in Earth's environment. Without the invasion of the mysterious force field and the support of such conditions, this optimization might have taken a completely different form.

A sudden whimsical thought crossed his mind—what if he had been on that island in the Otherworld during the optimization? The concentration of mysterious energy there was higher, so the techniques might have leaned even more heavily into the mysterious force field.

But speculation was just speculation. Without verification, it remained nothing more than a castle in the air.

Chen Shouyi pushed these thoughts aside.

An irresistible itch took hold of him, and he quickly got up, assuming a stance in the cramped room to begin practicing.

During the dream, he hadn’t noticed, but now, attempting it himself, he realized just how difficult it was—extremely difficult!

Every movement seemed to defy the natural mechanics of the human body. The center of gravity shifted constantly, leaving his body in a state of extreme imbalance. At the same time, he had to maintain a clear, undisturbed mind, as still as an ancient well or a mirror-like lake.

Fortunately, this "awake stillness," the most challenging aspect for ordinary people, was something he had experienced countless times in his dreams. For him, it posed no difficulty at all—he could enter that state with ease.

The real challenge was that with every movement, his body felt as if struck by an electric current, leaving him tingling and unbearably itchy.

And as the movements continued, this tingling and itching only intensified, layering upon itself until it became nearly intolerable, severely disrupting his mental state.

The slightest ripple in his focus would interrupt the sequence.

At first, Chen Shouyi could only manage up to the eleventh or twelfth movement before being forced to stop.

His body would go numb, his skin covered in goosebumps, his muscles twitching as if cramping.

But the worst was the itching—not from the skin, but from deep within his muscles, even his bones. It was impossible to scratch, driving him to the brink of frustration.

Yet, it was precisely these intense reactions that convinced Chen Shouyi of the formidable effects of this second optimized version.

Despite the discomfort, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

He practiced in bursts, resting for half a minute between sets, waiting for the tingling to subside before continuing.

After half an hour, he could reach the twenty-first movement, but by then, his entire body felt stiff, his scalp prickling.

Two hours later, he made it to the thirty-third movement—only for a slight waver in focus to freeze his body mid-motion, sending him crashing to the floor, unable to move.

......

The bored Shell Woman, seeing the giant collapse, immediately brightened. "Ah!" she exclaimed, leaping off the bed like a flea and scurrying over on her tiny legs.

"Giant, what's wrong?"

As she spoke, she crouched down, her small hand stealthily snatching a glass bead that had fallen from his pocket.

Chen Shouyi didn’t notice at all.

"I'm fine!" he said after lying still for a while, slowly recovering.

Seeing him stand up, Shell Woman quickly retreated several meters, standing at the foot of the bed, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on his pocket.

Chen Shouyi paid no attention and continued practicing.

He refused to believe he couldn’t master this set of movements.

A minute later, his body collapsed heavily once again.

The next moment, Shell Woman’s eyes gleamed with excitement. She dashed over swiftly, repeating her old trick, and said with a beaming smile, "Giant, are you okay?"

This time, so many gems had fallen that she couldn’t hold them all in her hands. She picked up one, only for another to slip out.

Shell Woman frantically tried to gather every single gem, her heart swelling with joy but also growing increasingly frantic, completely losing track of time.

"These gems are mine!" A thunderous voice suddenly boomed, startling Shell Woman into freezing stiff, the gems in her hands scattering across the floor.

At some point, the giant had already sat up.

"No! No! No!" Shell Woman immediately snatched two gems back, clutching them tightly as she turned her head away, tears streaming down her face.

"They fell from my pocket, so they’re mine," Chen Shouyi reasoned matter-of-factly. He had initially wondered why Shell Woman had suddenly become so kind—turns out it was all for the glass beads.

"But... but I picked them up," Shell Woman whimpered, her lips trembling as she cried.

"But they’re still mine!" Seeing her pitiful expression, Chen Shouyi changed tactics. "However, if you help me pick them up, I’ll give you one."

At this moment, he felt he was embodying the demeanor of a ruthless capitalist.

Hearing this, Shell Woman immediately stopped crying, her expression hopeful. "Then... if gems fall from your pocket again next time, will I get a reward if I pick them up?"

"There won’t be a next time. I’ll store the gems somewhere else."

The giant’s cruel response made Shell Woman burst into tears again. Sniffling, she wiped her tears and reluctantly crouched down, picking up the gems one by one and placing them into Chen Shouyi’s hand.

"There’s one under your foot," Chen Shouyi said sharply, noticing her heel wasn’t flat against the ground.

Shell Woman’s tears flowed even faster. Reluctantly, she lifted her foot, picked up the glass bead, and resentfully placed it into Chen Shouyi’s hand, shouting, "#@% giant, take it! Take it! Take them all! There really aren’t any left this time!"

Chen Shouyi, still suspicious, carefully inspected the floor and confirmed there were none left.

Only then did he pull out all the glass beads from his pocket.

Their dazzling glow mesmerized Shell Woman, who instinctively held her breath.

Chen Shouyi kept his promise and gave her one gem. Then, right in front of her, he counted them again before walking to the bedside table and placing dozens of pea-sized glass beads into the drawer.

Shell Woman’s gaze followed the beads intently until they disappeared from sight, at which point she deliberately turned her head away, pretending not to care.

When the giant approached again, she retreated under the bed, her eyes glancing at the first gem she had picked up, hidden in the darkness. A smug sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.

Now she had two again.

...

By 5 p.m., Chen Shouyi had finally completed a full round of the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques.

The next moment, he sensed a mysterious energy descending upon him. Vaguely, he seemed to perceive a faint yet omnipotent force. Every organ, every tissue, every muscle, and even every cell in his body seemed to be immersed in this power.

The numbness in his body rapidly faded, replaced by a warm, soothing sensation that left him feeling utterly comfortable from head to toe.

...

After taking a shower in the bathroom, Chen Shouyi stepped out again.

The streets were still congested with traffic. Some restaurants had already closed, but most remained open for business. Spotting a nearby fast-food joint still operating, Chen Shouyi was about to enter when he suddenly felt someone’s gaze on him.

His senses were sharp now, and he immediately turned his head.

A petite girl in a short skirt stood on the street, looking at him uncertainly. "Brother?"

"Xing... Xingyue? What are you doing here?" Seeing his younger sister so abruptly, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of panic, though he quickly composed himself.

"Brother, that’s my line. Aren’t you supposed to be in training camp right now?" Chen Xingyue scrutinized her brother, who now seemed somewhat unfamiliar, though her tone remained unyielding.

"There was a power outage today. After training for most of the day, the instructor announced that the camp would be postponed for a few days. I was just heading home."

Chen Shouyi then frowned. "By the way, with everything so chaotic right now, why aren’t you staying at home? What are you running around for?"

With Chen Xingyue around, he was relatively at ease about their family’s safety. After all, she was a Martial Artist Apprentice—far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person.

"Like I wanted to come out. Mom sent me to check if the supermarkets still had supplies," Chen Xingyue retorted. For some reason, she felt oddly tense under her brother’s scolding.

"Didn’t the family manage to buy anything?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"We did, but Mom thinks it might not be enough."