Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

"TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!"

Both feet on the steel cable immediately set it swaying, emitting bursts of strange sounds.

Hearing this, Zhang Beixing exhaled deeply, then inhaled sharply, striving to control himself and avoid panic.

Then, he slowly released his hands from the tree.

He shifted his entire weight and center of gravity onto the cable.

"TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!"

Instantly, the cable swayed even more violently, as if it would fling Zhang Beixing off at any moment.

It was also thanks to the lower body training Zhang Beixing had done before stepping onto the cable, which was also inextricably linked to his attribute points. The comprehensive improvement in his physical fitness made his supplementary training remarkably effective. Otherwise, with such violent swaying, an ordinary person would have long since been shaken off and tumbled to the ground, completely disoriented.

Despite this, Zhang Beixing dared not be careless. He stared intently at the swaying cable beneath his feet. His feet exerted force, silently adjusting his strength while sensing the amplitude of the cable's sway, trying to resonate with it.

As the most difficult exercise Zhang Beixing had undertaken so far, it was also the final one. The difficulty of "Training punches on a steel wire, walking like a dragon" surpassed the combined challenge of breaking the table and training on the raft. After all, for the latter two, maintaining balance and stability wasn't particularly difficult if one focused. But practicing punches while walking a tightrope? Merely maintaining stability and balance was already an incredibly demanding feat. To then attempt to walk and punch simultaneously on it was even more arduous.

Tightrope walking alone was a skill only mastered by a few dedicated individuals, like balance beam athletes and acrobats. As for punching on such a slender wire? That was preposterous and virtually impossible, even for these specialists. This was because ordinary tightrope walkers control their balance by shifting their weight, aiming to keep their center of gravity stable and avoid superfluous movements. However, Zhang Beixing did the opposite, needing to execute fierce punches on the wire, which completely contradicted the theoretical techniques of tightrope walking!

Thus, Zhang Beixing found himself in a standoff with the steel wire. He remained in this deadlock for a full five minutes before finally managing to stabilize the violently swaying cable, drawing upon the subtle strength he had developed from training on the water raft and the stability honed from breaking tables.

Seeing this, Zhang Beixing let out a long breath and then cautiously began to move forward. Naturally, he couldn't start punching on the wire immediately; he first needed to acclimate to the balance.

One step. Two steps.

This was Zhang Beixing's first time attempting to walk a tightrope. Therefore, he took each step with extreme caution and care. His arms extended out to the sides, maintaining his balance. Zhang Beixing stared straight ahead at the trees in the distance, relying on the sensation beneath his feet to guide him as he slowly walked towards them.

To an outsider, this method would seem incredibly risky. But in reality, walking this way was the most stable approach for Zhang Beixing! This was because the wire was too thin! It was a small target. If one stared at it while walking, the shifting scenery could easily distract one's attention to other objects, leading to a loss of balance. However, looking straight ahead didn't have this issue because there was a large, distant target. So large, in fact, that you couldn't take it all in at once. This meant that while one's attention appeared to be focused forward, it was actually concentrated on the feet. Unless a bird suddenly flies right into your face, or you see a plane giving birth to a chubby baby boy, your attention basically won't get diverted.

「...」

Moving at a snail's pace, step by step.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Beixing stood in the middle of the wire, having completed half the distance.

Just as he swallowed, preparing to gather his resolve and complete the remaining half, Lin Siqi's voice drifted from the small woods, drawing nearer, "Lao Zhang! Lao Zhang! Are you there?"

Zhang Beixing's nerves were stretched taut. Being shouted at so suddenly made him jump in fright. If he had been on solid ground, a mere jolt wouldn't have mattered. He could have even performed an impromptu flashy sword move without issue. But the crucial problem was that Zhang Beixing wasn't on the ground; he was on a tightrope!

That jolt instantly shattered the delicate balance he had painstakingly established. The wire began to thrash wildly, as if having a seizure.

"TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!"

"TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!"

Listening to the strange sounds from the wire and feeling the violent swaying beneath his feet, Zhang Beixing's face paled. He quickly took a deep breath, sank his Qi to his Dantian, and exerted force through his feet, desperately trying to stabilize the wildly oscillating wire.

Despite his swift reaction and timely attempt to recover, the wire's swaying was simply too violent. Eventually, it wasn't just swaying anymore; it was vibrating, shaking uncontrollably! Faced with this, Zhang Beixing had no other option. To avoid injury, he had to jump off the wire.

THUD!

With a muffled sound, Zhang Beixing landed on the mat. Thanks to the mat's cushioning and the mere two-meter height, he didn't injure his feet.

Zhang Beixing then looked towards the grove. He saw two figures, one short and one tall, emerge from it successively. It was Lin Siqi and Chen Rourou.

The two walked to the lakeside. The first thing they saw was Zhang Beixing sitting on the mat, his face dark. Only then did they notice the wire, tied between the trees, still 'humming' and trembling incessantly.

Seeing this, Lin Siqi and Chen Rourou were momentarily stunned, feeling like their brains were short-circuiting.

However, Chen Rourou soon seemed to realize something and asked cautiously, "Um... Brother Beixing, were you... walking a tightrope?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zhang Beixing retorted, annoyed.

I was already annoyed enough from being disturbed and falling off the wire, Zhang Beixing thought. And now this silly girl comes along asking the obvious, as if she's mocking me.

This infuriated Zhang Beixing even more.

Hearing his tone, Chen Rourou flinched and mumbled, He's always so mean to me.

Then she looked up at the wire, which was now gradually settling, a sense of shock blooming within her.

As Zhang Beixing's good (bullying) friend (target), Chen Rourou was very concerned about him. Therefore, she had seen the Douyin video Zhang Beixing posted a few days ago. She naturally knew he had been asking for advice in the comments on how to train his lower body stability. She also knew what kind of 'guidance' those ridiculous netizens had offered Zhang Beixing: Things like "Crossing the River with a Reed," "Lightness Technique over water," "practicing punches on a wire," and so on.

Chen Rourou had dismissed these 'suggestions' as mere entertainment, not taking them seriously at all.

But to her surprise, while she hadn't taken them seriously, Zhang Beixing had! He had actually listened to those netizens and procured a steel wire to practice on.

Seriously, Big Brother, do you have to be this ridiculous? Chen Rourou thought. It's just the internet! Why are you being so literal with internet stuff?

You're already practicing martial arts on a tightrope; are you actually going to try Crossing the River with a Reed next, or maybe even flying by stepping on your own feet?

Chen Rourou was thoroughly shocked, unable to comprehend why Zhang Beixing would take netizens so seriously. These things are clearly impossible, utterly absurd!

Then, perhaps driven by excessive curiosity or simple audacity, after delivering Zhang Beixing's usual milk tea, Chen Rourou didn't leave. Instead, she stayed to watch him practice his Martial Arts Training.