The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness

Chapter 28: Initial Growth

“The one hundred eighty-fifth time!”

Mu En stared at the clock on the wall with red eyes, a hint of joy involuntarily appearing on his weary face.

“Finally able to last more than thirty seconds in front of the assassin!”

No matter how one looked at it, that was a strong opponent at least three levels above him, while Mu En was merely a late-stage novice who had relied on spending to reach the first level. The gap in their realms was too vast; being able to hold his ground for thirty seconds was already an unimaginable hardship for Mu En.

At least those nearly two hundred deaths were all incredibly real.

“It seems I can’t train like this indefinitely anymore.”

Mu En rubbed his temples, alleviating the brain pain brought on by the extreme mental strain.

“Otherwise, before I get stronger, I might just collapse.”

“Using the black book indeed comes with a price; although I won’t truly die, the toll on my mind is too great.”

“Fortunately, all of this is worth it!”

Mu En excitedly flipped through the black book.

He noticed that in the section recording his personal information, there were two new entries that hadn’t existed before.

【Dagger Combat Technique LV2】

【Shadow Step LV1】

“Finally made it to the entry level.”

After nearly two hundred deaths, Mu En had finally crossed the chasm of realms, catching a glimpse of the assassin’s techniques, and amidst the terror of life and death, he had turned that fear into his own power.

“Though it’s just a beginning, and still far from that assassin, once I’ve entered, it will be much easier from here on out.”

With enough time, Mu En was completely confident that he could transform all of the assassin’s techniques into his own strength!

“Hehe, I can’t wait. Let’s see how effective it is.”

Mu En got out of bed, moved the tables and chairs aside to clear enough space, and then nervously rubbed his hands together.

Although he had used it many times during battles with the assassin, that had been in the space constructed by the black book; he couldn’t be sure he could use it as smoothly in real conditions.

“Whatever, whether it works or not, I’ll find out by trying.”

Mu En focused his energy in his dantian.

Then, following the insights gained from two hundred real battles, he concentrated all his attention on his feet, heels, and ankles.

He felt a surge of warmth gathering at the soles of his feet, as if something was about to burst forth in the next moment.

Now!

A glimmer of brilliance flashed in Mu En’s eyes, gathering all the strength in his feet, erupting in that moment like a volcano.

In an instant.

The objects in Mu En’s vision changed rapidly; the table that was a full seven or eight meters away suddenly appeared right before him.

He succeeded!

“I did it…”

Mu En first murmured in disbelief, and then the excitement in his eyes erupted like a volcano.

“I did it!”

He was so happy that he could hardly contain himself.

Having inexplicably crossed into this dangerous magical world, and worse yet, having crossed into the body of this useless yellow-haired villain who could fall flat at any moment.

Mu En had always felt extremely uneasy, especially when the plot completely deviated from the original book, and his identity as a traveler lost its significance; he would even feel an inexplicable fear.

But fortunately, everything was not yet set in stone. With the black book in hand, even this wasteful playboy could become strong through his own efforts!

This was just the beginning!

Mu En couldn’t help but clench his fists in excitement.

“As long as I work hard, even fate can be changed!”

……

……

“But my feet hurt and I can’t…”

“It hurts so much… Damn it, no one told me that using this move would hurt my feet.”

Just a few seconds after making grand declarations, Mu En was already on the ground, crying uncontrollably.

He hadn’t expected that using Shadow Step would have such a significant side effect; it felt as if his foot had been broken after just one use.

“Wait, it shouldn’t be a side effect.”

“It hurts so much; I refuse to believe that even a killer who has murdered countless people could remain expressionless and indifferent.”

Mu En quickly realized:

“My realm is too low; this is not something that should be learned at the first stage, but rather a martial skill that requires the combination of fighting spirit to be used freely!”

The first stage of a martial artist is also known as Body Refinement, as described, it involves continuously training one’s body to become stronger.

Thus, the threshold for this stage is extremely low; it can be said to have no threshold at all.

Wealthy nobles can easily reach their peak through precious medicinal materials combined with appropriate training.

Ordinary people can lift weights, do push-ups, and eat meat, and they can also continuously grow stronger at this stage.

The watershed moment occurs at the second stage.

Once Body Refinement reaches its peak, a type of energy known as fighting spirit will emerge from within, and learning how to purify, temper, and use fighting spirit is the second stage for martial artists—Qi Training.

Fighting energy entwined around weapons can increase their power, and when embedded within the body, it can greatly enhance physical strength.

The presence or absence of fighting energy makes a world of difference for a martial artist.

“The Shadow Step, to put it simply, is about gathering all your strength into your foot in an instant, and then unleashing it. It’s not surprising that this puts a tremendous burden on the foot in that moment.”

“You must rely on fighting energy to strengthen your body to bear this burden.”

“Previously, in the dark space, it was just consciousness, so it didn’t matter. But once in reality, physical strength becomes extremely important.”

“Indeed, I am still too weak.”

Mu En sighed dejectedly.

However, this time, he didn’t stay down for long.

Although he once again confirmed his weakness, it was still a good start.

At least he had confirmed that the things learned through the black book could genuinely reflect in reality.

“Let’s redefine my strategy!”

Feeling that his foot didn’t hurt as much, Mu En staggered to his feet and approached his desk.

He rummaged through the drawer and pulled out the “Overall Outline” he had just drafted not long ago. After a moment’s thought, he directly held it over the candle flame and burned it.

“There’s no need to think about things too far away; it only adds to my troubles. For now, I must focus on the present.”

Mu En took out a new sheet of paper and began to draft a new route and plan based on the current situation.

“First, I must have a teacher.”

Mu En picked up a quill and wrote on the paper:

1. Teacher.

The nearly two hundred battles with the assassin not only made Mu En realize his own weakness but also made him experience the limitations of this simple, masochistic training.

This kind of practical combat indeed allowed him to progress quickly in other areas, but the Shadow Step, which he most wanted to learn, showed no improvement before he could even see the assassin’s movements clearly.

If he had a teacher to guide him step by step, perhaps he wouldn’t have to endure so much pain.

“Speaking of which, it seems that St. Maria Academy will start soon.”

Mu En suddenly recalled this important matter.

What St. Maria Academy lacked the least was various excellent teachers.

But within a few seconds, he pushed this thought out of his mind.

“Why go to school? Isn’t being a shut-in good enough?”

“I don’t want to run into the protagonist right now!”

“Not to mention, Celicia is there too.”

And speaking of martial arts teachers, didn’t he have a better option right here?

Mu En smiled wickedly, then added a name after the words “teacher.”

Longen Campbell.

My dear, cheap father.