Chapter 16: Seize Someone's Weakness, and Anyone Will Cave

He discovered that beef was indeed the most suitable high-protein food for the human body.

It was also tremendously helpful for his cultivation progress.

If he could eat a sufficient amount of beef every day, his cultivation advancement would surely yield some pleasant surprises.

He cast aside all worldly concerns.

Su Ning calmed his mind and sat down to meditate.

He settled into a cross-legged position.

He looked like an old monk who had entered deep meditation.

Still as stone, not moving a single inch.

This level of meditative discipline would normally require decades of practice — it simply wouldn't be this steady otherwise.

But whether it was the marvel of the immortal cultivation technique or something else entirely, Su Ning took to it immediately, and it wasn't tiring in the slightest.

More comfortable than lying down, even.

A gentle breeze drifted by, unhurried.

It brushed across Su Ning's resolute face. Since he had begun cultivating, the bloated puffiness had vanished from his body, and the listlessness had disappeared as well.

His whole person radiated vitality, and he had slimmed down noticeably.

It was a healthy kind of slim — not the frailty of illness.

In fact, over these past few days, Su Ning could see the change in his own physique every time he bathed. He was proportioned like the male lead stepping out of a manga panel.

Lean… and well-built — chest muscles, arm muscles, all of it remarkably defined and taut.

His face had grown more chiseled, as though he'd had cosmetic surgery.

His skin was no longer the pallid, office-worker white of before; instead, it had taken on a healthy, wheat-golden tone that made him look far more masculine.

His posture was upright and commanding. Even while sitting in meditation, his upper body was as straight as a javelin.

Cultivation… could change a person's very bearing.

Su Ning entered meditation, composed and serene… like a green pine — tall and straight.

He exuded an indescribable quality of tranquility.

It was as though… he had become one with the nature around him.

He was a part of nature, and nature was a part of him.

Each within the other, inseparable.

With every breath, there was a certain rhythm to it.

Deeply harmonious.

One full Circulation Cycle completed.

Su Ning drew both hands in a circle before his chest.

This was the closing motion that guided the True Essence within him back to his Dantian.

The True Essence returned to its sea.

Su Ning opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air. "Phew…"

"This cycle ran incredibly smoothly. Before, I could still feel some blockages, but today it flowed like it had been oiled." A bright, sunny smile spread across Su Ning's face.

Like a big kid.

He was nearly thirty, yet he looked no older than twenty-one or twenty-two. Was he actually aging in reverse?

His pores had shrunk, and every function of his body was continuously improving.

His eyes in particular — sharp and clear, black and white perfectly defined.

Bright…

Like the eyes of a child, free of impurities.

If he continued cultivating, even that last trace of impurity would vanish.

In truth, these days of cultivation had made Su Ning acutely aware that even his eyesight had improved.

He used to be slightly nearsighted — whenever he needed to read information on large screens on high-speed trains or planes, he'd have to put on his glasses.

Now Su Ning could see far into the distance without them.

Cultivation… had elevated him in every way.

A comprehensive upgrade — not just in strength.

It also encompassed every bodily function, even his perception and reaction speed — all of it had improved.

This was good news.

Faced with this good news, Su Ning could only marvel: cultivation is genuinely incredible.

Don't let these improvements seem trivial — they were actually enormously significant…

Take eyesight, for example. If you could cure someone's nearsightedness without any side effects, a single pair of eyes would be worth tens of thousands… and thinking bigger, curing a wealthy tycoon's eyes? That wouldn't be a matter of tens of thousands anymore — it could easily be millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, no problem.

Don't think the price is too high. Some tycoons own a single pair of glasses that an ordinary person couldn't afford even after ten lifetimes of hard work — let alone having their eyes cured outright.

As for agility… it's really about how fast the brain processes things. That's a bonus to intelligence. If word got out that you could make people smarter — or at least keep their minds exceptionally sharp — you'd have no idea how many people would be scrambling to throw money at you!

That's no exaggeration. Otherwise, why do those brain supplements — which are clearly just a tax on gullibility — still sell so well?

Boom…

Boom…

Su Ning stood up, his whole body feeling refreshed and unrestrained.

He threw a few casual punches, each one cutting through the air with a sharp whoosh.

He had grown stronger again.

"Not only is my strength greater, but my body feels harder too." Su Ning noticed that his body had become tougher.

Not in the ordinary sense of the word.

Rather, the resilience of his skin had increased.

Minor scrapes and scratches could no longer leave marks on him.

"If I keep cultivating to the end, will I be like the characters in cultivation novels — impervious to blades and bullets?"

Never mind blades and bullets — a truly powerful cultivator probably couldn't be harmed even by the world's most terrifying bombs. The powerhouses described in cultivation novels hold the sun and moon in their hands and pluck stars from the sky; there is no one in the world like them.

And that's considered the low-end version.

Could I, Su Ning, one day reach that point?

Su Ning let his imagination run wild with excitement…

But then he quickly sobered up: "Forget it… better not get carried away. The path of cultivation is incredibly difficult. Even in the cultivation world, where cultivators are countless, very few ever reach that level. Becoming that kind of powerhouse is probably even less likely than getting into Tsinghua or Peking University."

Su Ning never set lofty goals for himself. He was easygoing by nature — taking things one step at a time, going as far as he could, without forcing himself to become an immortal or a buddha.

No striving, no demanding…

He only wanted to do the things he loved.

After walking back from death's door, Su Ning had become far more clear-headed and at peace with life.

Many of the world's troubles, he realized, stem from the pressure people put on themselves.

Pressure doesn't necessarily make a person stronger.

It can just as easily make a person miserable and depressed.

Anyone who sings the praises of pressure is a fool.

Pressure deserves no praise, and immense pressure does not bring success.

"This time, a single Circulation Cycle only took three hours!" Su Ning checked his watch — only three hours had passed.

To think that his very first Circulation Cycle had taken an entire day.

Su Ning was progressing rapidly.

"What's wrong with this Wang guy?" Glancing at his phone, he saw another barrage of messages from his former manager.

His expression soured.

Because Su Ning had been deep in cultivation and had ignored him the whole time, the man had apparently even broken down crying.

"Ancestor… I'll call you Ancestor, alright?! Please, just help me this once. As long as you fix the system error, I'll do anything you ask!" The former manager had completely fallen apart.

Su Ning had been about to block him outright, but on second thought, he typed back: "I can help, but you'll need to hire me as an outside contractor at one hundred times the industry rate. Otherwise, there's no way I'm lifting a finger."

"Ancestor… you finally responded, Ancestor!" The Wang fellow was overjoyed.

This project was a make-or-break moment for the company.

"But a hundred times… that's way too much…"

"One hundred times. Non-negotiable. Say one more word and I'll block you." Su Ning had no patience to waste on this scum — he issued his final ultimatum.

In truth, he hadn't expected the man to agree.

Su Ning had no real desire to do anything for that company.

But to his surprise, Manager Wang didn't even hesitate. He replied immediately: "No no no — a hundred times it is!"

This Su Ning was ruthless… Back when he was a meek, spineless pushover, who would have guessed he had such a calculating heart?

Manager Wang was seething inside, but for the sake of the company's future, he caved.

Su Ning was taken aback: He agreed just like that?

This guy used to be so arrogant. Getting him to approve a hundred-yuan raise felt like digging up his ancestors' graves — and now he was this agreeable?

This project must really be critical.

Indeed… once you seize someone's weakness, no matter who they are or what their personality is like, they'll fold.

"Transfer the money first, then I work. If you can accept that, pay up. If not, then…" Su Ning said.

"I can, I can. As they say, if you're going to use someone, trust them — and besides, Little Su, I've always trusted your character." Manager Wang laid on the flattery so thick it made Su Ning's stomach turn.

Besides, in a society governed by law, if you tried to take the money and run, you'd have to be prepared to never live in this country again — otherwise, there was basically no escaping it.

It had to be said — Su Ning had been treated absolutely wretchedly by that company over a few measly coins. It was exploitation piled on top of oppression. If not for his salary, he truly would not have endured it.

If they had just treated him with a little basic decency, without making him so thoroughly disgusted, he would have helped out with even the smallest favor — and wouldn't have asked for a single cent.

That was just Su Ning's nature: treat him well and he'd treat you well; treat him poorly and he wouldn't give you the time of day.

This was what people called: an eye for an eye.