Chapter 1

"Like a powerful arrow, the fist strikes; the back bends like a bow, the waist twists like a dragon's sinew, the mind is fierce like a tiger, the spirit surges, and the energy begins to flow..."

The clear voice, though slightly immature, was filled with determination. Under the bright moon and sparse stars, by a lake in a small valley, the moon's solitary reflection shimmered on the water. A boy of about thirteen or fourteen was practicing his boxing routine by the lake, reciting the boxing mantra as he moved. His actions were smooth, clearly indicating that he had practiced this set of boxing routines to perfection. Although his strength was lacking, his movements had a semblance of the essence.

Although the boy was physically strong, he was still young. After practicing the entire set of boxing routines for about half an hour, he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, finally stopping.

Squatting by the lake, he scooped up the cool lake water to wash his face. Zhuge Xiang's mood was somewhat low. He had practiced this Qi-nourishing boxing routine for a whole year, but he still hadn't successfully grasped the sense of Qi. In just half a month, the annual recruitment assembly would take place. If he couldn't grasp the sense of Qi in the next half month, he would remain an ordinary person for the rest of his life, struggling for a living every day.

Speaking of Zhuge Xiang's background, it was quite tragic. He had been an orphan since childhood, living a hand-to-mouth existence with an old beggar. A year ago, while begging at a wealthy household, the master not only refused to give alms but also set dogs on the old beggar, who was bitten to death.

Filled with hatred, Zhuge Xiang stole a dagger and sneaked into the wealthy household at night, killing all thirteen members of the family. Then, a young man appeared and asked Zhuge Xiang if he wanted to become someone above others, if he wanted to eat meat and never worry about food and clothing. Zhuge Xiang then came to the Asura Sect.

The Great Qin Empire, with a population of two billion and vast territory, had a strong martial culture. Nine major sects stood tall, even rivaling the imperial family. The Asura Sect was one of them, demonstrating its formidable power.

Every year, the Asura Sect recruited ten thousand boys aged twelve to fifteen from the secular world, training them on the mountain. They practiced the Qi-nourishing boxing routine, which, while not combat-effective, effectively stimulated the body's essence, transforming it into Qi and helping them grasp the sense of Qi. Zhuge Xiang was one of these ten thousand boys.

Zhuge Xiang had been at the Asura Sect for almost a year, and in half a month, the next batch of boys would arrive.

On that day, Zhuge Xiang and his batch of disciples would be evaluated. Those who successfully grasped the sense of Qi would be admitted as formal disciples of the Asura Sect. Those who failed might be lucky enough to stay in the outer affairs department, working as servants or laborers under the sect's control, ensuring a basic living. The unlucky ones would be expelled from the mountain, left to fend for themselves.

Having endured hardship since childhood, Zhuge Xiang could not bear to think of those impoverished days. As the saying goes, "Good people are often bullied," but in Zhuge Xiang's view, it should be "Weak people are often bullied." The old beggar was bitten to death by dogs for no reason, which made Zhuge Xiang realize the importance of strength. Therefore, he must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a disciple of the Asura Sect and must not let it slip away.

Even if he were lucky enough to enter the outer affairs department, being a servant who is ordered around would be unacceptable to Zhuge Xiang.

"Again, the closer the time, the more people will successfully grasp the sense of Qi. After practicing for a year, I should be on the verge of grasping the sense of Qi. In the last half month, I absolutely cannot fail." Thinking of the old beggar's tragic death and this being his only chance in life, Zhuge Xiang rested for a moment, gathered his strength, and resumed his practice of the Qi-nourishing boxing routine.

Having a strong will is a good thing, but among the ten thousand boys recruited by the Asura Sect each year, only a few could successfully grasp the sense of Qi within a year. Moreover, Zhuge Xiang's aptitude was not exceptional. He practiced until the third watch of the night, repeating the Qi-nourishing boxing routine over ten times. By the end, his body and will were pushed to their limits, and he lay by the lake, unable to move a finger, yet still had no sense of Qi.

After resting for a short while, Zhuge Xiang regained some strength and stood up to leave. Although cultivation was important, the first level of cultivation was transforming essence into Qi. The source of Qi was the body's essence, so physical fitness was crucial. It was important to balance work and rest; otherwise, overexertion could damage the body, making it impossible to grasp the sense of Qi. Every year, the Asura Sect saw people who overexerted themselves to the point of exhaustion or even death.

As he stood up to leave, Zhuge Xiang suddenly paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the moon reflected in the lake was missing a piece.

Looking up at the night sky, the full moon was round and complete, but the moon's reflection in the lake was clearly missing a piece. What was happening? Why was the moon in the lake missing a piece? Could there be some extraordinary treasure?

Curious, Zhuge Xiang took off his clothes and dived into the lake, using the moon's reflection to closely examine the missing piece.

As he approached, he could barely make out that the moon's reflection in the lake was missing a piece because there was a black light in the water overlapping with the moon's reflection, making it appear incomplete.

Just a black light? How could there be a black light in the lake? If not for the moon's reflection overlapping with the black light, it would have been impossible to notice it in the dark lake at night.

Diving into the lake, after a moment of calm, Zhuge Xiang finally surfaced, raising his hand to reveal a black ring lying in his palm, glowing with a black light under the moon.

Swimming to the shore, Zhuge Xiang examined the black ring. It was made of an unknown metal, giving off a strange feeling and clearly not an ordinary item.

"Could this be a magical artifact? Left behind by someone?" Zhuge Xiang wondered, looking at the ring in his hand.

Formal disciples of the Asura Sect each received a magical artifact, which often had extraordinary abilities, fundamentally different from ordinary weapons like swords and spears. The black light emitted by the ring suggested to Zhuge Xiang that it was at least a magical artifact.

Considering the magical artifact that only formal disciples of the Asura Sect could possess, Zhuge Xiang could not resist his curiosity and slipped the black ring onto his finger.

As the black ring went on, it seemed to come to life, and a needle-like pain made Zhuge Xiang cry out in pain. Reflexively, he tried to remove the ring, but it seemed to have rooted itself in his flesh, impossible to take off.

The pain grew more intense, and the already exhausted Zhuge Xiang felt his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred.

Just as his consciousness was about to fade into darkness, he vaguely heard a mechanical voice in his mind: "Scanning bones, blood, iris... Body qualified for binding... Countdown 20 seconds... System default... Binding successful... Welcome to the Super Game System."

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