chsdbacks Chapter 9 seems to have celebrated too soon.
Chapter 9 seems to have celebrated too soon.
Chapter Nine: Seemingly Overly Confident
The sweltering heat of summer enveloped the entire island, but for this small island surrounded by the sea, the summer heat was merely intense sunshine; the daily sea breezes from all around lowered the temperature by several degrees.
But none of this mattered to Mu Chong, because for him, regardless of the weather, being drenched in sweat was commonplace, a constant companion from morning till night.
"Phew... It's so heavy. I feel like my legs don't even belong to me anymore. Ah, I can't stop. If I stop, I'll never be able to stand up again. Almost there, almost at the top..."
On the way up the mountain, Mu Chong, soaked to the bone, trudged up step by step with great difficulty. Although he wasn't carrying any heavy loads, each step left a deep footprint on the mountain path, demonstrating just how heavy Mu Chong's body was.
"I've been climbing this mountain for three months now, and my body is getting heavier and heavier. I still don't know how much weight Uncle Yixiao has been putting on me. It's fucking heavy..."
Mu Chong muttered to himself, his steps never faltering. Though he walked slowly, he kept moving forward.
Three months ago, Mu Chong successfully completed his training mission of swinging a 500-pound wooden stick 10,000 times. He thought he could learn some cool moves, but a smile and a raised hand shattered his fantasies.
The moment that relentless gravity struck his body, Mu Chong felt terrible; he was slammed to the ground.
His bones and muscles seemed to have been crushed together, like a human-shaped meat patty stuck to the ground.
After experiencing that heavy load, Yi Xiao's exploitation of Mu Chong became unstoppable, with an invisible gravity constantly weighing on him.
Sleeping, using the toilet, eating, training...
During one training session, Mu Chong asked a question with a smile.
"Uncle Yixiao, you've been putting all your power on me all day long. Aren't you tired? Don't you feel exhausted?"
The answer he received made him feel extremely ashamed.
"With Brother Mu's current physique, I only need to exert a little effort. A little sun exposure now and then will be enough for me to recover. Brother Mu, you don't need to worry about me..."
"I'm worried about you my ass..."
Having been humiliated, Mu Chong never asked Yi Xiao a similar question again, considering it a self-inflicted insult.
As for whether Ichisho can slack off when he's not around, dear readers, don't even think about it. Just consider the gravity that never disappears from our bodies—do you think it makes any difference whether Ichisho is there or not?
The island wasn't very big to begin with. Considering Yixiao's terrifying Observation Haki, Mu Chong immediately gave up the idea of slacking off. He could even bring down meteorites from the sky. Meteorites were so far away. Look at the distance we're at now. How could you possibly slack off?
Besides, I'm going to be the Pirate King, huh? No, I'm the most self-disciplined man.
"Meow……"
Just then, a meow rang out, waking the focused Mu Chong. The white cat hopped and skipped to the top of the mountain not far ahead, wagged its paw in a human-like manner, and then licked its lips with its tongue.
"Damn, dinner's ready! Dinner's ready! I want to eat..."
Mu Chong instantly understood what the white cat meant, but his heavy body couldn't reach the summit in a flash; he had to proceed step by step.
Finally, as the sun reached its zenith, Mu Chong, dragging his weary body, pushed open the gates of the mountain stronghold and saw a table laden with food in the courtyard.
"Ah, Uncle Yixiao, I love you to death..."
The next moment, a magical power erupted from Mu Chong's body, seemingly negating the added gravity, and he swiftly rushed towards the food on the table.
call……
boom……
It sounded like a gust of wind, followed by the sound of something colliding.
Mu Chong's hand was about to touch the piece of animal thigh meat on the table, but the next moment, it returned to where it came from.
He fell heavily back to the front door, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Ouch, that hurts... Uncle Yixiao, I'm carrying a weight on me, this fall will break my bones..."
Mu Chong lay motionless on the ground, grumbling incessantly.
"Haha, don't worry, Brother Mu, I know what's important. Brother Mu still has a thousand punches to throw. Until then, I'll keep the food for you..."
Sitting on the stone stool, Yi Xiao, leaning on his wooden cane, smiled and said...
"what……"
A profound saying floated over Mu Chong's head.
If you can't resist the oppression life places on you, then give up resisting and just enjoy the feeling of being oppressed.
"1, 2, 3,..."
Before long, the sound of Mu Chong counting his punches echoed in the middle of the courtyard. The added weight on his fists made each punch he threw a powerful gust of wind.
This wasn't just happening today; it had been like this every day for the past three months. Unless he completed his cultivation tasks, Mu Chong wouldn't get any food.
Unable to win in a fight, I can only endure it.
"Hmph, when I become stronger, I'll make you taste the pain of not having enough to eat..."
This was the only time in three months that Mu Chong, unable to resist, uttered the most ruthless sentence.
Of course, after saying that, Mu Chong stayed in bed for a whole day, which was also the only day he ever rested.
Despite hearing Mu Chong's complaints and laziness every day, he never secretly reduced the amount of training he did; in fact, he sometimes even increased the amount of training on his own.
Since seeing that newspaper three months ago, Mu Chong's will has been like Pandora's box being opened; he has been changing and growing from the inside out.
Three months of training had drastically changed Mu Chong's demeanor, and his body had transformed from thin and frail to a strong and muscular physique with a beautifully proportioned appearance.
Although Mu Chong is only a little over fourteen years old, he has already grown to over 1.7 meters tall, nearly 1.8 meters. Although his face still looks childish, his well-defined features make him handsome and dashing, a real heartthrob.
After finishing lunch and resting briefly, Mu Chong once again dragged his heavy body and began his daily arduous climb up the mountain.
The sun didn't set until countless stars filled the night sky and the bright moonlight shone on the island, but the physical burden remained.
The stone table in the mountain village courtyard was once laden with food, but now only a mess of scraps remains.
"Brother Mu, how much do you know about the power system of this world?"
A sudden question from Yi Xiao startled Mu Chong for a moment, then his eyes filled with anticipation. He then shook his head and slowly put down the piece of meat in his hand.
Then, a smile was heard as someone slowly said...
"The basic powers possessed by the strong on the sea fall into three categories: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki. Possessing the first two is generally enough to be considered a strong person, while Conqueror's Haki is extremely rare..."
After a slight pause, Mu Chong didn't disturb him, listening quietly.
"And the power below the strong includes physical skills, swordsmanship, and the power of technology..."
"Beyond these power systems, there exists a mysterious power on the sea, that is... the sea's secret treasure, the Devil Fruit..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Chong's eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression. He smiled earnestly and sat up straight, sensing that the man was about to get to the point.
"I possess Devil Fruit abilities, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and swordsmanship. Of these, I cannot teach you the Devil Fruit ability, but I can teach you the other three..."
"The reason I've kept you focused on basic training is because of these three powers. Now, after nearly half a year of rigorous training, Brother Mu is ready to move on to the next stage of training..."
Before the joke had even finished, Mu Chong shouted excitedly.
"Really, Uncle Yixiao? Are you serious? Hahaha, that's great, that's great..."
Yi Xiao turned his head and "looked" at the excited Mu Chong, then smiled slightly.
"So, Brother Mu, are you prepared for an even more painful form of cultivation?"
"Uh...it seems I'm getting excited too soon..."