“……”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly thinking Ye Chu was bragging.
Ye Chu didn’t acknowledge her disbelief and continued, his tone turning malicious: “As for extreme environments to train your body, I can arrange that for you too. Do you want it?”
Ye Qingyi shook her head frantically, like a rattling drum: “No, no!”
Then she stopped, a hint of worry crossing her face.
She pinched her arm and asked softly, “Will I… end up as a huge, muscular bodybuilder Barbie, a muscle chick?”
She didn’t want to become a muscle monster… better to not train at all.
Ye Chu was silent for a full six seconds.
To be fair, after all this, she still had the energy to worry about that?
“You’ll definitely build muscle, but not the exaggerated kind. Have you seen female national track and field athletes? You’ll get a body like that—full of vitality and wildness…”
“If you don’t even want that… then do you still want to refine the antidote, improve your cultivation, and go home?”
Ye Qingyi pursed her lips, lowered her head, and said quietly, “Alright… I’ll train.”
“Good!”
Ye Chu’s tone turned extremely serious, as vicious as the brutal, inhuman drill instructor from a special forces TV show.
“Then start now—push-ups, sit-ups, high knees, and shuttle runs, ten thousand each! Immediately! Right now!”
Ye Qingyi: “…Huh?”
Her eyes widened, her mouth forming an “O,” and she stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
T… ten thousand?
Was he serious?
“Isn’t that too much?”
Her voice cracked.
“For an ordinary person, yes.”
Ye Chu’s gaze was sharp.
“But you’re at Qi Refining Layer 3, and you’ve even reached Layer 10 before. You should… be able to handle it, right?”
By the end, even Ye Chu sounded uncertain.
After all, the overall level of Qingyun City was… debatable.
He had no idea what Ye Qingyi could actually do.
Half an hour later.
Ye Qingyi had only done twenty push-ups, thirteen sit-ups, and twenty-seven high knees before collapsing on the ground, limbs splayed.
Her small mouth gasped for air, her forehead covered in sweat, and the stray hairs at her temples stuck wetly to her face.
I can’t, I can’t… I’m really going to die… Is this guy messing with me?
How long would it take a normal person to do that amount of exercise, let alone in a cultivation world?
Ye Chu was silent for a long time before speaking slowly, his tone complex: “I knew you were a genius at body refinement, but I never imagined—there was still so much room for improvement.”
Ye Qingyi’s foundation was worse than he thought.
No, it wasn’t just bad—it was practically nonexistent.
He sighed in dismay: “Is all your cultivation just sitting around meditating? What’s the difference between you and a helpless female college student? Even if you’re only at Qi Refining Layer 3 now, you were once a genius who reached Layer 10 at fifteen!”
Ye Qingyi lay on the ground, weakly retorting: “Sorry about that… what did female college students ever do to you?”
Her eyes darted around, then suddenly lit up with a sly gleam: “Since you’re the old man in my head, can you… possess my body like a ghost and train for me?”
Ye Chu thought it over carefully.
Was that really impossible?
Everything can lie, but muscle gained from training won’t.
“Even though this comes with big problems, we don’t have many other options right now. Let’s give it a try.”
Soul possession drained Ye Chu a lot and carried considerable risk.
But given Ye Qingyi’s current state, if they didn’t cheat a little, she’d be training until the cows came home.
By now it was deep night.
Moonlight spilled across the courtyard.
Ye Qingyi lay on the ground, closed her eyes, and emptied her mind.
Ye Chu began to attempt it.
His wrist—there was a reaction.
His fingertips—twitched slightly.
But just as he tried to push further, an invisible force repelled him, as if hitting a transparent wall.
He tried once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every time, at the last moment, some incomprehensible force shoved him away.
Ye Qingyi waited a while but felt nothing.
She opened her eyes and asked the air, “Brother, how is it?”
Ye Chu’s voice came through, tinged with embarrassment and helplessness: “…I tried. It didn’t work.”
Ye Qingyi froze, then burst out laughing, rolling on the ground: “Hahaha—! I thought you were so powerful, but you can’t even control a weakling’s body like mine at Qi Refining Layer 3?!”
She laughed until tears came, saying between laughs, “Now I’m really starting to doubt if you’re actually strong!”
Ye Chu’s tone turned resigned, but he tried to maintain his dignity: “Even though you say that, I’ll still forgive your rudeness. This is fate—you can only rely on yourself for body refinement.”
He spoke earnestly: “You endured the pain of gathering spiritual energy only to see it dissipate time and again. Can’t you endure the pain of physical training? Keep going. I believe in you.”
Ye Qingyi lay on the ground, staring at the roof beam, still smiling at the corners of her mouth, but her heart felt strangely calm.
Meanwhile, Ye Chu noticed the wooden doll on the table.
He’d almost forgotten why he bought it.
Now, let me show you my skill.
A soft crack came from the table.
Ye Qingyi whipped her head around, and saw the wooden doll on the table moving on its own!
The doll’s joints made a faint creak as it slowly lifted its head and turned its body to face Ye Qingyi.
The ink-drawn eyes seemed to be looking right at her.
A chill ran down Ye Qingyi’s spine.
Just as she was about to scream, Ye Chu’s voice echoed in her mind: “Relax, I’m controlling this doll now.”
She was startled, then sighed in relief, patting her chest and pouting, “You scared me!”
The doll waved at her.
Ye Chu’s voice carried a hint of mischief: “Now, you can use any method you can think of—to defeat me.”
Ye Qingyi blinked, climbed to her feet, cracked her wrists, and a fighting spirit lit up her eyes.
“Is this to test my strength? Or are you taking revenge on me?”
“Think whatever you want.”
The doll Ye Chu controlled shrugged.
“Let me see what you’re made of, so I can plan your next steps.”
“Girl, do your best and hit me.”
Ye Chu thought the line sounded cool, so he said it again.
Ye Qingyi’s lips curled into a confident smile.
Even if she was exhausted, since he was offering himself up, why not take the chance?
“Then let me show you what I’ve got!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed off the ground and shot toward the doll like an arrow from a bow.
Her speed wasn’t bad—for a Qi Refining Layer 3 cultivator, this charge used about seventy to eighty percent of her strength.
Her right fist flew straight at the doll’s face, the punch creating a faint whistle in the air.
The doll didn’t move.
Just as her fist was an inch from the doll’s face, it suddenly ducked.
Ye Qingyi’s vision blurred as her fist hit nothing but air.
Her momentum carried her forward, and at the same time, something lightly hooked her ankle.
Thump.
She hit the ground hard, her teeth bared from the pain.
“Again.”
Ye Chu’s voice was as calm as if he were announcing the time, but Ye Qingyi knew he was showing off.
She hissed, did a kip-up, and her eyes turned serious.
She charged again.
This time, she was smart—she didn’t go straight for a punch.
Instead, she feinted first, then kicked at the doll’s legs.
Ye Chu’s response was simple: he took a small step back.
That one step made Ye Qingyi’s kick miss.
As her right leg swept through the air and her body’s center of gravity shifted, Ye Chu suddenly stepped forward, placed his wooden hand on her shoulder, and gently pulled.
Thump.
Another solid face-plant.
Ye Qingyi lay on the ground, cheek pressed to the floor, letting out a muffled “Mmph.”
Ye Qingyi refused to accept it.
It was just a tiny bit off.
Why couldn’t she hit him?
“Again.”
Two hours later.
Ye Qingyi lay completely prone on the ground, like the useless husband in those educational videos, unable to get up.