Great, now we are dead!

However, he now completely disregarded those minor talents and continued to concentrate on waiting for something.

Suddenly, as if blinking, the light on the golden hourglass flickered.

Ye Shou seemed to be deep in thought. He casually pulled a piece of white paper from the notepad on the table and stared at it intently.

Slowly, meticulous regular script strokes emerged from it:

[System Card Random]

[This issue's theme: Purity has been greatly improved!]

If you draw 15 points (fake), you can choose any combination from the following options, with a maximum of two choices per level.

Positive gains deduct points, while negative effects increase points.

Note: Please make a decision within 24 hours.

The effects of all options will last for one month.

——Positive——

-6:

[Extremely high purity energy dissipation!], [Extremely high purity ghost brain!], [Extremely high purity ghost back!]

[A ghost of extremely high purity!] [A Confucian sage of extremely high purity!]

-4:

[To become stronger, one must eat forbidden fruit], [This is a victory for martial arts], [The freest man in the world!], [Fanma's Blood] - 2:

[The Hero's Stance], [The Poisonous Hand], [Aikido], [Shaolin Kung Fu], [Semi-circular Human Anatomy]

——Negative——

6:

[The ultimate insult to the second son!]

3:

【The Soul of a Madman】【Filial Piety and Fatherly Love】2:

[A mountaineer of exceptionally high purity!]

[Extremely pure ghost pussy (chrysanthemum)?] [Extremely pure woman!] [Extremely pure hot dog!] 1:

[Fighter's Gravity] [Primitive Man's Instinct] [Stepping Stone] [Athlete]

……

"Confucian sage? What the hell is this 'male Taoist' thing?"

Ye Shou clicked his tongue: "There are clearly two worldviews that are wrong here, right?"

No, you can act crazy, but don't act like this!

Chapter 5 It's a pity you're not crazy enough

"It's quite rare that most of the options come from the same work."

Baki is a realistic fighting manga (laughs), and it's considered a niche work, but because it has many famous references, I still have some impression of it.

Aside from the NPCs, most of the characters are fighters with monstrous physical strength, some of whose behavior completely defies biology and ergonomics—later on, there are even clones and soul possession, giving off a kind of idealistic madness vibe.

If we categorize combat power according to the standards of martial arts novels, it should be considered the "peak of external martial arts." Although it lacks concepts like internal energy and true qi, its performance is certainly far superior to that of real humans.

...But then again, since the Suzuki Foundation exists, there will surely be Makoto Kyogoku and Professor Agasa in the future, right? If we have to compare fighting power, which is more outrageous, Baki or the Conan movies?

Shaking his head to suppress his distracting thoughts, Ye Shou began to carefully read the system card. Each option was followed by a corresponding text description, so that one could understand its advantages, disadvantages, and potential risks.

"The drawback of Fanma's blood is that it affects one's way of thinking and intelligence... Ghost Back's buffs are so strong... But these martial arts techniques are relatively cheap. Um, what the heck is Confucian Sage? What does 'Confucian Sage' mean?"

Careful comparison, reasonable matching, and avoiding pitfalls are things Ye Shou does every month. It seems tonight will be another sleepless night.

...In any case, the ultimate insult must be ignored!

Just kidding, there's no magnetic field in this world, and Ye Shou isn't crazy. Choosing this is just pure masochism, okay?

Bai Cinan was able to break free from his cocoon and be reborn because his Dao heart was firm enough. Ordinary people would only become evil (fall) - just like that beast Griffith!

……

It's a strange feeling.

Standing in front of the champagne-colored luxurious door, Liuli held a silver plate in one hand. Suddenly, she paused, feeling a chill for some reason. Her skin tightened as if she had been chilled, and her muscles stiffened.

Breathing became cautious, and my heart started racing uncontrollably. Although I couldn't see it myself, my pupils must have contracted like a cat in the midday sun.

Is this love?

No, it's more like an atmosphere of fear!

That's a very distant memory, one of the few happy times I had as a child. My mother took me to the zoo, and it was the first time I saw a real wild animal.

A tiger trapped in a large pit.

Even though there was a fence between them, they could still smell a strong odor of wild animals, and just looking into each other's eyes would make them freeze on the spot.

At one point, she was separated from the tiger by only a thick concrete wall and a few steel bars. When the colorful insect walked towards her, her biological instincts made her forget how to escape, and she couldn't even cry.

—Just like now.

Of course, it wasn't that exaggerated. Liuli was no longer a child, and there was no unpleasant animal stench in the air. There was just an inexplicable heat, like the feeling of steam and sweat mixing at the entrance of a sauna...

"What's going on... Ah, is it that time of the month again?"

Liuli suddenly realized.

Just as girls have special days every month, so too does Ye Shou. Every so often, he displays some unusual hobbies or his temperament undergoes subtle changes.

This was undoubtedly strange, but everyone, including Liuli, got used to it. After all, the people of this country had an extremely high tolerance for geniuses. Even if someone had a few quirks or even committed crimes, people would just say, "That's just how geniuses are."

Liuli is capable of handling all tasks except serving the emperor, and she may even be able to fill in any gaps in her skills in the future. She and Ye Shou have been together day and night, so she is no longer surprised by what has happened.

"This feeling is so strange today..."

The maid frowned slightly, took a deep breath to prepare herself, knocked on the door, and waited for five seconds before opening the door and entering if she did not hear a response.

"...Lord Ye Shou?"

Contrary to Liuli's expectations, Ye Shou didn't need her to wake him up, nor did he need to set an alarm.

"Oh, Ruri."

So hot!

This was the maid's subconscious feeling, but after a slight pause, the strange atmosphere vanished as if it were just her imagination.

There was nothing shocking or outrageous in the room; it was just a half-naked boy standing in front of the mirror, observing or admiring something. The level of nudity was so-so that it wouldn't need to be censored even if it were shown to children.

Liuli felt a heat on her face.

This wasn't the first time they'd seen Ye Shou's upper body...

This scion of a wealthy family possessed a healthy physique completely out of character for his status, with a well-proportioned and defined figure as slender and graceful as a swimmer's.

In terms of muscle mass alone, he's not considered exaggerated compared to professional athletes, and you can find many people in the gym who are even more "muscular" than him.

But upon closer inspection, you can see that he has many small muscle groups that ordinary people can't train, which also make a strong impression. They don't overshadow the main body, but rather, like the scenery in an oil painting, they are clearly distinguished, with each muscle perfectly fulfilling its own function. Together, they can convey "strength" and "beauty".

It's difficult for the average person to achieve a physique that looks like it's been meticulously sculpted stroke by stroke through simple exercise. Athletes also train specifically for their competition events, so they can't take care of their entire body at the same time.

Even in sports that require full-body coordination, some trade-offs must be made due to individual talent limitations.

—Ye Shou gives the impression of being an all-rounder, having achieved the most perfect development in the whole.

...Was it like this before?

Liuli blinked, slightly dazed.

The owner's physique hasn't changed much, and he has indeed been actively involved in various sports and achieved remarkable results, so there's nothing to be surprised about.

But whether it's temperament or imposing presence, even the slightest adjustment can drastically change the impression one gets.

Especially the muscles on his back, which were not particularly unusual and not as muscular as a bodybuilder, but for some reason always reminded her of a tiger stretching its back in the forest.

If I get close, will I be preyed upon?

Completely powerless to resist, like a gazelle with a broken neck... that doesn't seem so bad.

"...Liuli?"

"Yes!"

The maid snapped out of her reverie, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. I was looking at... oh no, I was thinking about work."

"Work? Ah, as always, I'll have to trouble you with the Kayaba matter."

Ye Shou didn't pay attention. He seemed quieter today, staring at the mirror thoughtfully.

As she put down the tray and left the room, Ruri secretly glanced at it again, her eyes widening slightly.

Perhaps because the perspective was dynamic, a vaguely visible demonic face flashed across Ye Shou's back!

"!"

Upon closer inspection, the large and small muscle groups are interlocked, which gives a strong visual impact, but there is no terrifying ghost face.

"I must have seen wrong," Liuli shook her head slightly and quietly withdrew.

Once he was alone in the room, Ye Shouchang let out a long breath, and then his entire body visibly began to "glow".

Those were fine beads of sweat that slowly seeped out from the pores and sweat glands, appearing as if coated with a thin halo under the morning light, and quickly evaporated under the high body temperature caused by the high-intensity metabolism.

"Take a shower."

Ye Shou twisted his neck.

——【Ghost Brain】

Baki Hanma's special skills include high-intensity combat calculations and action prediction, and at a higher level, he can imagine various opponents for simulated battles.

It's basically a battle of wits with the air!

If that were all, it wouldn't be worth the "6 points" cost. The most powerful aspect of the Ghost Brain is that it can truly reflect the effects of simulated battles onto the physical body!

If you train your muscles and bones with weights in your mind, they will actually feel the corresponding weight; if you are hit by an imaginary opponent, you will feel vivid pain and even bleed.

This is no longer in the realm of "filling in the blanks"; it can be considered a kind of psychological suggestion superpower!

Just now, he seemed to be standing blankly in front of the mirror, but in his mind, he was standing under a waterfall, his feet on smooth stones, the water pressure constantly pounding down on his head, and he was doing his best to maintain his posture.

—It really works!

The muscle soreness and the rapid, relieved heartbeat both indicate that the body has been under tremendous strain, and when he recovers his strength, he will naturally feel better.

The surprise factor is even greater than that of the "Ghost Back"!

Of course, the Ghost Back is also very powerful, which is equivalent to a simple "transformation". It can enter the battle form of a natural predator, allowing the back muscle groups to maximize their power, and thus doubling the overall stats.

However, for Ye Shou, the special skill of Ghost Brain is obviously more valuable.

The only regret is that Ye Shou is too "normal," not persistent enough, or rather—eccentric enough.

Baki truly perceives his imagined opponents as physical entities, and the physical strain he experiences is almost perfectly replicated. Ye Shou, however, cannot completely believe this; subconsciously, he always harbors the thought that "this is a product of imagination," which weakens the effect somewhat.

It seems he needs to find a psychology master, or perhaps he should just teach himself hypnosis.

Yesterday he chose three abilities, including the two mentioned above and [a ghost of extremely high purity], which is also a special type:

A certain degree of psychic talent;

A rudimentary application of spiritual power;

To enable oneself to possess the qualifications for "spirit possession".

— Ye Shou estimates that this should be from Miyamoto Musashi in "Baki".

The great swordsman who had been dead for hundreds of years was resurrected in a sense by possessing a modern clone through a spirit-summoning ritual—although such a thing would be far-fetched in a fighting manga.

The reason for choosing this over the cheaper martial arts styles is twofold: firstly, Ye Shou's skills are already quite good, after all, he hasn't been training for nothing over the years; secondly, he valued its rarity.

In any case, this is a "supernatural" ability, and nothing related to "ghosts and gods" has appeared on the system card before.

Now that this has appeared... who knows if it will be useful? As the saying goes, it's better to be prepared!

"Can spiritual power be introduced through yoga and tantra?"