Jiang Nian had noticed a blind spot.
But he didn’t pay it much mind.
After all, his system was a role-playing system.
Its core purpose was to let him grow stronger and touch the supernatural by playing the part of a eunuch.
And acting was simply his means of accessing that supernatural realm.
If he had to pinpoint a downside…
“It seems… there isn’t really a downside!”
Jiang Nian muttered to himself.
Sure, playing a eunuch might cause misunderstandings. People might suspect he had some peculiar fetish or an unmentionable condition.
But for someone like Jiang Nian, who back in school had no problem telling girls he was gay just to get their guard down, this had absolutely zero effect on him!
In fact, Jiang Nian hoped people would keep that fixed impression of him forever.
That way, when he wanted to drive around in secret, things would be a lot more convenient.
“Speaking of which, was me telling that girl I was gay something from my past life, or this one?”
“Damn it, everything’s blurring together. I really can’t tell anymore.”
Scratching his head, Jiang Nian grumbled briefly before tossing the thought aside.
It wasn’t important.
What was important was his system.
Recalling the martial arts memories of ‘Du Gao’ in his mind,
Jiang Nian felt his palms itch.
As a man, he too harbored a dream of martial arts, a dream of being a wandering hero.
When he was a kid, he’d even thought about going to the Shaolin Temple for training.
That idea had ended abruptly one afternoon when his mother, busy in the kitchen, retorted, “Do I look like the Shaolin Temple to you?”
Jiang Nian had replied, “Yeah, kinda.”
And promptly ate a flying slipper for his trouble. End of story.
But now, Jiang Nian hadn’t just encountered martial arts—he was dealing with the supernatural martial arts straight out of movies and TV shows.
How could he possibly sit still?
So after thinking it over, he threw on his nineteen-ninety-nine yuan casual men’s outfit from Pinduoduo, laced up his Xtep sneakers, walked out the door, and headed for a nearby park.
Half an hour later.
Inside a pavilion at the park.
Standing there, Jiang Nian recalled the training methods from his implanted memories.
He copied the movements like tracing a drawing, practicing the martial arts step by step.
Whether it was the system’s assistance or Jiang Nian having a bit of natural talent himself,
Once he started training,
It was like a light bulb went off—or like Kennedy riding in a convertible, he just suddenly got it.
Those obscure and difficult concepts in ‘Du Gao’s’ memory became, in Jiang Nian’s eyes, as simple as doing elementary school arithmetic. He could recite and apply them without even thinking.
Currently, Jiang Nian was practicing the skill ‘Du Gao’ was most famous for in the show, the one that made the protagonist’s life hell for the first three episodes: the Shaolin Boy’s Skill!
This was a technique with records in the real world.
It is one of the most difficult Shaolin boxing styles.
To master it, one must start from childhood, practicing foundational stances like the Horse Stance, Chair Stance, and T-Stance.
Simultaneously, one must master skills of sight, hearing, grasping, pulling, pushing, and the eight fundamental body methods: rising, falling, advancing, sidestepping, and withdrawing.
Only then could one achieve inner strength and outer toughness, hidden but potent.
In actual combat, it manifests movements graceful as a cat, shaking power fierce as a tiger, strides majestic as a dragon, action swift as lightning, and a voice resonant as thunder.
In the fictional show, however,
This Shaolin Boy’s Skill had become an internal energy art, and its training conditions were even stricter.
Not only were the movements more complex,
But cultivation required a supporting mental mantra.
Crucially, the practitioner had to maintain a pure Yang body—that is, remain a virgin.
If one broke this vow, or if the practitioner was not a pure virgin to begin with,
At best, they would suffer Qi Deviation and lose all their power; at worst, their blood would flow in reverse, leading to instant death on the spot—
“Wait a second?”
“Instant death on the spot?!”
Jiang Nian, who was practicing while mentally reviewing ‘Du Gao’s’ memories, froze completely upon reading that passage.
It wasn’t that he’d been careless,
Or that he hadn’t read the ‘Du Gao’ memories carefully when the system first sent them.
On the contrary, Jiang Nian had read them very thoroughly back then.
The reason for this sudden surprise lay in the very nature of the ‘Du Gao’ memories themselves.
Memories are highly subjective.
It’s like when people recall childhood—they always remember it as happy and carefree.
They completely forget the times they messed up and were chased all over the village by a parent wielding a broomstick.
The reason is simple: the latter memory holds no practical value.
You don’t lie awake at night replaying every childhood mistake and wondering why you got chased.
‘Du Gao’s’ memories were the same.
As a eunuch, maintaining virginity was a non-issue for ‘Du Gao’. It was a given, unworthy of conscious thought.
So naturally, ‘Du Gao’s’ memory had omitted that insignificant detail.
Which meant that now, as Jiang Nian pored over every word and phrase while training, he finally stumbled upon this hidden landmine.
“What the actual f***? Is this for real?!”
“I haven’t messed myself up by practicing this, have I?”
Jiang Nian was a bit panicked, and more than a little scared.
It wasn’t that his nerves were bad; it was just that the side effect of this Shaolin Boy’s Skill was way too terrifying.
He wanted to stop practicing immediately.
But stopping might not help, because he’d already completed a full cycle of the Qi circulation.
Don’t ask how that happened—just know that this damn side effect warning was written on the very last page.
Jiang Nian’s heart pounded with anxiety.
He wondered if he should book an appointment with a specialist before any side effects kicked in.
That way, even if he suffered Qi Deviation, maybe they could save him in time.
While he was lost in these frantic thoughts,
Shaolin Boy’s Skill Proficiency +1
A small line of text suddenly popped up in the upper right corner of Jiang Nian’s vision.
He blinked in surprise.
Then hurriedly opened his system interface.
[Film Emperor of Martial Arts System 1.0]
[User: Jiang Nian]
[Realm: None]
[Skills: Shaolin Boy’s Skill – Unranked (0/10)]
[Attention Value: 203]
[Currently Playable Character: Eunuch]
[Unlocked Character: Du Gao]
Looking at the screen, Jiang Nian saw that his system panel hadn’t changed much from before he left the house.
There was just an extra ‘Unlocked Character’ line, and a new entry under Skills.
“This…”
“I’ve actually learned it?”
Staring at the system panel, Jiang Nian furrowed his brow, a bit uncertain.
It wasn’t that he doubted the system’s authenticity.
Jiang Nian knew better. This kind of high-level creation was precise beyond belief.
If he made a mistake, the system wouldn’t.
He just couldn’t figure out why, if the martial art manual clearly stated non-virgins would suffer backlash, his training was progressing just fine with no negative effects whatsoever.
Could it be…
“The system corrected the negative side effect?”
This thought flashed through Jiang Nian’s mind.
He convinced himself that had to be the answer.
It couldn’t possibly mean he was still a pure, untouched young man.
He could fool other people with that story.
But if he fooled himself, well, that would be like having a tumor between his headphones—talk about hitting the jackpot 666.
As for the possibility that he was that one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy…
How should he put it?
If Jiang Nian really were that one-in-a-million genius, he’d probably be working with the Jackie Chan Stunt Team by now.
Instead of spending two years as an extra only to finally land the role of a eunuch.
