Jesus, Buddha, and Shiva. Thank you so much for the blessing, holy shit!
A fierce excitement surged through Yoichi's blood vessels, a rush potent enough to make his frail body tremble. He was sitting up now, breathing raggedly in the pitch darkness.
[Congratulations on unlocking the Martial Arts Inheritance System!]
[The host obtained the title (Martial Arts Inheritor)]
"What's going on with you? Are you getting chilly?" Sabito mumbled, stirring again. He was curled up against Genji's warmth. He squinted at Yoichi's trembling silhouette.
"No. Just go back and sleep. Maybe I'm constipated from the food earlier." Yoichi kept his voice low and steady.
"Shit it out, bro. It won't be good for you to resist that. I'm going to sleep again." Sabito grumbled, shifted his position, and tightened his hug around Genji, immediately drifting back to sleep.
The immediate crisis averted, Yoichi focused inward. He found the system panel again, his eyes wide in the dark. He clicked the obtained title.
[Martial Arts Inheritor]
—Instead of spewing fire or summoning humongous roots, you can now strengthen your body to unimaginable levels and break the hearsay of bloodlines reigned supreme! Furthermore, you gained the complete main techniques of all sects and organizations within the Martial Arts Domain!
A martial arts type system! No matter what, I am glad!
The terrifying nightmare of the orphanage fire and his mother's abandonment had receded.
A fierce, stabilizing hope now illuminated his mind.
[Host, please choose your Cultivation Technique!]
The system expanded, presenting a dizzying list of ancient, powerful names:
[Mount Hua Sword Blossoming Techniques] [Mahavairocana Transformation Arts] [Profound Yin Mantra]
[Kunlun Mountains Overturning Book]
[Tang's Thousand Mechanism Arts]
[Zhuge's Nine Stratagem Methods]
[Habuk-Peng's Saber Domination Techniques]
[Dragon Elephant Prajna Scroll]
[Yin-Yang Meditation Techniques]
[Moon Swallowing Snake Method]
A red-text warning pulsed beneath the list.
[Caution: Please choose wisely! Once the host has picked a cultivation manual, there's no turning back! Again, please choose wisely!]
Holy moly! Even Murim-type techniques are here! Yoichi crossed his arms, the cool reality of the mine floor beneath him forgotten.
I have all the techniques, yet I am stuck on one thing: I need the most suitable one, not the strongest.
The situation was dire. He had no resources. His body was weak. He was in a cold, rainy, chakra-oppressive land. Beggars could not be choosers.
Mount Hua is out. There is no wooden sword or dagger to practice with. Vairocana and Yin Mantra are also out. They rely on sunlight and moonlight, which the perpetually cloudy Land of Rain lacks. Dragon-Prajna? My body is far too weak. I would destroy my own joints with a glass cannon build attempting that.
He meticulously dismissed each powerful method, focusing ruthlessly on prerequisites and environment. He scrolled to the very bottom of the expansive list.
[Heavenly Demon Scripture]
I'm picking [Heavenly Demon Scripture]!
In his past life, the Heavenly Demon archetype was generic, but effective.
These protagonists were either overwhelmingly strong in physical prowess or masters of all trades. It was the quintessential jack-of-all-trades cheat.
[Congratulations, you chose (Heavenly Demon Scripture)]
[You obtained (Heavenly Demon Postures)!]
[You obtained (Martial Ancestor Notes)!]
I understand the first reward is an initial stage for martial artists, but what is this...
Before he could finish the thought, Yoichi's physical sensations vanished. His mind buzzed, and his surroundings dissolved. He found himself floating effortlessly on crystal clear, impossibly blue water. Above him, a beautiful blue sky held white, soft clouds.
This was the spiritual sea of consciousness.
On the surface of the water, a magically hovering booklet appeared. Its edges were chipped and dented, giving it an ancient, well-used look.
Whoa, this is the spiritual sea of consciousness. That's cool...
He recognized the title on the booklet cover: Martial Ancestor Notes.
But how do I get out, though?
Yoichi tested the boundaries of this mental space. As soon as he focused on returning to his body, the world snapped back into the cramped, cold sleeping quarters. He was sitting on the ground.
I will check the notes later, but for now. Status!
[Name: Yoichi]
[Title: Martial Arts Inheritor]
[Status: Externally Injured, Confused, Afflicted by the Curse Seal: Brain Implantation Technique (Flawed), Afflicted by Shepherd of the Innocent Lambs.]
[Tickets: 4 Prismatic, 4 Gold, 12 Silver]
So, the others and I were ingrained with an absurd seal, huh.
Yoichi's eyebrows furrowed.
The sheer insight offered by the system was terrifying. He was tagged, branded, and monitored.
The Curse Seal mimicked highly potent sealing jutsu, like the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, but the system declared it "Flawed" due to several factors: Amegakure's lack of skilled Uzumaki seal masters, insufficient resources to create a truly potent version, and a general lack of sealing prodigies compared to major villages like Konoha.
Shepherd of the Innocent Lambs. Is this a curse or a blessing?
The first status felt ominous, but the second sounded deceptively positive.
First, I'll go and take a look at the other parts of the system. Tickets? I'll pull a silver one.
Yoichi skipped the mysterious curses for now, focusing on the immediate reward. A small, shimmering object materialized in his hand.
The Silver Ticket felt cool and papery.
"Do I need to rip it off?"
The moment he tore the ticket in half, Yoichi returned to the serene sea of consciousness.
This time, however, the blue sky was dominated by a massive, colorful roulette wheel. It was filled with mysterious and otherworldly item icons. An arrow hovered above, waiting to spin.
"Space Pouch. 10 Million Ryō. Secondary Profession Books. Wow, holy shit! This is merely a silver ticket. What about the gold and prismatic? Hehehe. Let the gods take the wheel!"
[Drawing...]
The wheel spun with dizzying speed, finally slowing with a series of mechanical clicks before stopping.
[Congratulations on winning (Qi-Blood Pills)!]
A porcelain bottle suddenly materialized in his physical hand, pulling his consciousness back instantly.
[Qi-Blood Pills]
—Certified and guaranteed best top-quality Qi-Blood Pills, helpful for those beginning martial arts to enhance vitality and facilitate training methods much faster!
"Hehehe, good, good," Yoichi muttered, clutching the bottle tightly against his chest, the cool ceramic a tangible piece of hope.
He allowed himself a moment of pure, nostalgic satisfaction, imagining a future where he could use these powers. Then, the chilling reality of his surroundings crashed in.
Shit! There is no way I can hide this thing from the guards.
The bottle was heavy and obvious.
And even if I ate all of them, I would probably explode and make my condition worse.
In a moment, the high of excitement evaporated, doused by the cold, continuous downpour outside the open windows.
His expression snapped back to zero, replaced by grim determination. Survival remained the priority, and a visible, explosive power-up was a death sentence.
_________
(Revision 3/???)