C2 The Mysterious Heavenly Tome

"The Heavenly Tome."

Mu Chenyu whispered under his breath, holding his breath until the zombies outside had wandered off.

It turned out the book had somehow made its way into his head. Despite its new appearance, Mu Chenyu recognized it instantly—it was his own wordless black tome.

But this was the outcome.

"Now what?"

"Chill out."

Mu Chenyu talked to himself, puzzled. All he knew was that the book, named the Heavenly Tome, was supposed to be valuable, yet it seemed utterly useless!

He'd have to fend for himself.

Having lost his last lifeline, Mu Chenyu, once steeped in despair, now seemed transformed.

A glow returned to his face, the look of hopelessness vanished.

Simultaneously, his mind buzzed with strategies, swiftly devising several plans targeting the zombies' vulnerabilities.

Eventually, Mu Chenyu settled on a method that was both safe and effective.

He would carve a head-sized hole in the door.

That way, when zombies were lured by the scent of the living, they'd come but couldn't open the door. Lacking intelligence, they'd poke their heads through the hole, unable to fit the rest of their bodies, posing no threat. And Mu Chenyu could easily dispatch them.

"Yep, that'll work. Let's do this."

Reinvigorated, Mu Chenyu failed to notice the significant shift in his demeanor—he was brimming with newfound confidence and wit.

Later, Mu Chenyu became aware of his transformation; his mind felt sharper, his thoughts quicker.

"Is this the power of the Heavenly Tome, the Light of Wisdom?"

Concentrating, he visualized a radiant orb in his mind, roughly the size of a basin, about thirty centimeters across, enhancing his mental agility.

Indeed, it was a treasure!

Though it had no other purpose, the tome's ability to augment his intellect was a delight for Mu Chenyu. Just moments ago, he had nearly lost all hope for life, but now, he was armed with the courage to persevere. The outcome was uncertain, but it was undeniably a promising beginning.

Following the plan, Mu Chenyu located a hammer he had previously purchased and used a fruit knife to etch a head-sized circle onto the door.

"Bang, bang..."

A few firm strikes later, a hole was chiseled through, revealing the scene outside.

The hallway was in utter disarray—clothes, pants, a washbasin, shoes, and other items strewn about. Under normal circumstances, such a mess would have earned a stern reprimand from the building manager, but now it went unnoticed.

Fortunately, the old wooden door was not very sturdy. While it lacked the security of a reinforced door, particularly in the current crisis, it proved to be a significant advantage for Mu Chenyu's plan.

With no time to spare, Mu Chenyu dismantled the mop handle and fastened the fruit knife to its end, fashioning an improvised spear.

He then secured the hammer to the opposite end, ensuring it was tightly bound so it wouldn't come loose during the impending battle with the zombies.

Thus, an odd weapon was born: one end a fruit knife, the other a hammer.

Intended for ranged combat, Mu Chenyu had no intention of engaging the zombies in close quarters. That would be foolish.

If the zombies were strong enough to smash through the door and enter, escape would be impossible.

A ranged weapon was far safer. Even if the door were breached, the zombies would have to navigate through three bunk beds. Given their rigid movements, the task would be too challenging, buying Mu Chenyu ample time to dispatch them.

As time ticked by, the corridor was abuzz with noise, and heavy footsteps approached from outside the door.

The gait was unmistakable—it wasn't a human. The zombies had come.

Gripping his makeshift weapon, Mu Chenyu's hands were slick with sweat as he fixed his gaze on the door.

Just as he had anticipated, the zombie, drawn by its keen sense of smell, reached the door. A barrage of thuds ensued as the wooden door and the beds rattled.

The zombie's strength was lacking; its attempts to break in were futile. Then, a head with bits of flesh hanging from its mouth and lifeless eyes poked through the hole, snarling at Mu Chenyu with a savage, bloodthirsty hunger.

"Die, die, die!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Mu Chenyu swung his weapon with ferocity, the hammer end crashing directly into the zombie's skull.

"Bang! Bang!"

A flurry of hammer strikes, chaotic yet uncannily effective, flowed from Mu Chenyu's hands.

After just a few blows, the zombie's head couldn't withstand the assault and burst apart, black blood and white brain matter spraying in all directions.

Exhausted, Mu Chenyu slowly opened his eyes to a gruesome sight—a mass of dark flesh and scattered bits of gore, reeking with a foul stench.

"Ugh!"

Overcome with nausea, Mu Chenyu vomited. It took a few minutes for him to regain his composure.

Looking back at the scene, the zombie was now headless. A gentle poke from Mu Chenyu, and the remaining half of its body collapsed.

In the aftermath, two items caught Mu Chenyu's attention: a thumb-sized white bead and an ancient-looking book lay on the ground.

He prodded them with a stick, and, seeing no reaction, picked them up.

The bead exuded a subtle scent that awakened a deep craving within Mu Chenyu's cells, as if they yearned to consume it.

"Evolution bead."

The term surfaced unbidden in Mu Chenyu's mind, reminiscent of something from the novels he'd read—a byproduct of a zombie's demise.

Turning his attention to the book, it resembled the secret manuals of martial arts lore, its blue cover exuding an air of simplicity and mystery.

It was titled "Horse Stance."

Simultaneously, the Heavenly Book within Mu Chenyu's mind shone brightly. A fissure opened on his forehead, and a beam of white light enveloped the book in his hand.

To Mu Chenyu's amazement, the book's contents transformed into a cluster of characters, enveloped in the white light, and retreated back into his mind.

The Heavenly Book then opened to its first page, where words began to materialize:

The Horse Stance, a low-grade Human Rank cultivation method.

Beneath the title were densely packed words and diagrams of human figures.

Mu Chenyu concentrated, and as if the Heavenly Book sensed his intent, it quivered. A wealth of information on how to practice the Horse Stance poured into his mind.

The meaning of it all was etched into Mu Chenyu's mind, as if he had fully grasped the concept.

If measured by the standards of cultivation realms, he had just begun to scratch the surface.

"A true treasure!"

Shock painted Mu Chenyu's face as he examined the Evolution Bead in his hand, which now seemed less enigmatic.

The Earth, after all, was shrouded in mystery!

Holding this belief, Mu Chenyu naturally found the current changes understandable. Zombies, Evolution Beads, and martial arts secret manuals were, in his mind, nothing out of the ordinary.

Approaching the door, he peered through the hole to see a decapitated zombie outside. A wave of nausea surged within him, prompting him to quickly avert his gaze. He hastily covered the hole with a bed board, sealing it shut to prevent any undead visitors from returning.

For the time being, zombie-slaying was off the table. With a cultivation method and the Evolution Bead in hand, the priority—as long as he was in his right mind—was to bolster his strength. Otherwise, his current power wouldn't even suffice for a few swings of a hammer.

Once everything was in order, Mu Chenyu closed his eyes to rest, his previously unsettled thoughts now settling into a tranquil rhythm.

Breathing in and out, he repeated the cycle nine times. Upon opening his eyes, they were clear, devoid of any distractions, filled only with calm.

He placed the Evolution Bead in his mouth, feeling warmth spread instantly to every limb and bone.

Feet apart, shoulder-width, toes turned inward, he steadied his gaze and calmed his breath.

His arms extended slowly, knees bending into a squat, forming a right angle. Palms faced each other as he drew his hands back to his waist, curling them into loose fists. Shoulders sank, elbows dropped, tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth.

Mu Chenyu assumed the standard Horse Stance, his body undulating with each breath, mimicking the motion of riding a horse. Within a minute, however, his limbs flagged, his body weakened, and frustration set in as he recognized his limitations.

With a "gulp," the Evolution Bead slid down his throat, transforming into a surge of energy that coursed through his body's meridians, invigorating him entirely.

Ah, that felt good. Really good.

A faint smile played on Mu Chenyu's lips as the pallor that had washed over his face gave way to a healthy flush. His previously unsteady frame found its balance.

Each rise and fall of his chest, each breath he took, was a symphony of smoothness. A gentle warmth spread through his body as every cell eagerly soaked up the energy essence from the evolution bead.

Before he knew it, half an hour had slipped by. The energy from the evolution bead had been fully absorbed by his cells, nourishing his flesh and blood.

Realizing there was no energy left to consume, Mu Chenyu slowly came out of his horse stance, and after steadying himself, he expelled a long, stale breath.

He swung his arms, feeling the muscles that had been strained from overexertion now fully healed. A new surge of strength coursed through him, significantly more potent than before.

Handling his peculiar weapon, he noticed it felt much lighter—a clear sign of his increased strength.

He estimated a gain of about fifty kilograms. Coupled with his existing strength, he should now be at around 150 kilograms. Moreover, the Horse Stance had harmonized his body, fine-tuning the treasured trio of essence, energy, and spirit, significantly enhancing Mu Chenyu's capabilities.

Without further ado, he returned to dispatching zombies. No more idle thoughts—he found some food in the dormitory to satisfy his hunger, wolfing it down before removing the bed boards.

Soon, the shuffling footsteps of zombies approached. A "Roar!" echoed, followed by the sound of impact and a head bursting through the door, bellowing. The wooden door groaned under the assault, clearly not long for this world. Mu Chenyu wasted no time, gripping his weapon tightly and, with a resounding crash accompanied by a snapping sound, took action.

He saw a gaping hole in the zombie's head, oozing blackish blood. The weapon, however, had snapped in the middle—the half with the hammer lay on the ground, while the half with the fruit knife remained firmly in Mu Chenyu's grasp.

With a newfound calm, he slashed backward, severing the zombie's head from its body. The creature, which had been flailing moments before, now hung limp and still.

After ensuring the zombie was no longer a threat, Mu Chenyu's tension melted away, and he let out a deep sigh of relief. His heart had been pounding in his throat, but the recent ordeal and the grounding effects of the Horse Stance had elevated his mindset, imbuing him with the vigor and spirit of a martial cultivator.

This allowed him to deliver a lethal strike to the zombies with a single slash; without this skill, it wouldn't have been nearly as effortless.

The recent zombie slayings highlighted Mu Chenyu's progress and catalyzed a shift from his previously timid nature.

Struggling to suppress his revulsion, he sliced open a zombie's skull to extract a white bead.

The evolution bead was as pristine and unblemished as ever. He nonchalantly pocketed it and shoved the lifeless zombie out of the cave, not bothering to block the entrance with the bed. He still had plenty of energy and was ready for the next undead assailant.

After dispatching several zombies, he sealed the entrance and began practicing the Horse Stance, strengthening his body and enhancing his vitality while also regaining his energy.

Once rejuvenated, he resumed his relentless assault on the zombies. As the cycle repeated, his kill count rose, and an imperceptible aura of menace began to cloak Mu Chenyu, erasing any trace of his former timidity.

Now, his countenance bore unwavering resolve, his gaze was piercingly sharp, and he radiated sheer confidence.

And so, Mu Chenyu embarked on the inaugural steps of his journey to growth.