Chapter Seventy-Seven: Inhuman

Before setting out for Fuyang Peak, Ji Yu spent an entire week preparing.

During this week, Lucky Star Pet Shop also had its grand opening. However, though the shop was open, Ji Yu’s attention was elsewhere. Ultimately, the pet shop was merely a convenient solution to his daily needs, a way to make ends meet. He would certainly earn some money, but how much was of little concern to him.

Over the week, Ji Yu made many online purchases: a backpack taller than himself, a simple multi-function battery, a small foldable tent, and a plethora of other essentials for his phone. Altogether, his packed bag was almost absurdly stuffed.

With his gear ready, Ji Yu found a freight driver and, without hesitation, began his journey.

“Young man, you’ve got a lot of bags there. Are you heading home? Are you from around Fuyang Peak?” the driver, bored during the ride, struck up conversation.

“Mm, you could say that,” Ji Yu replied.

It was no wonder the driver asked—the two bags Ji Yu brought were enormous. The large travel backpack weighed at least two hundred pounds, or one hundred eighty at the very least, and the smaller bag added even more. Clearly, he wasn’t heading to Fuyang Peak for a leisurely trip.

After all, aside from the open tourist area, the rest of Fuyang Peak was dense forest and sheer cliffs. Not only was it unsuitable for hiking, but the city of Lane had begun enforcing a curfew, forbidding such excursions.

The week had been uneventful for Ji Yu. Apart from the oak tree’s remarkable growth under his meditation, nothing else stood out.

It was this rare calm that allowed Ji Yu to confidently venture into the mountains and attempt to improve himself.

Fuyang Peak wasn’t far from Wuyang City—only about forty-two kilometers. Engaged in casual conversation with the driver, Ji Yu’s destination was reached in just over an hour.

He chose to stop at a service area at the foot of Fuyang Peak. It was around eleven in the morning, and the parking lot was crowded. The driver found a quiet pedestrian path, and after Ji Yu unloaded his luggage, he quickly drove off.

Ji Yu’s massive bags drew the attention of many passing tourists.

But most were simply curious. When Ji Yu shouldered his man-sized backpack and carried a snakeskin bag, he left without anyone questioning or stopping him.

Unlike other areas, Fuyang Peak was part of the city’s nearby ecological zone. It was small, with few species, and so the forested region hadn’t been officially cordoned off or sealed.

After about ten minutes, Ji Yu walked onto a dirt path.

“This should be the way,” he muttered, consulting his electronic map and gazing at a steep slope about two meters high.

This time, Ji Yu planned to head west of the open scenic area, avoiding the tourist zone, seeking the forest.

Putting away his phone, he glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he bent his knees and leapt easily onto the slope.

Ahead was a vast bamboo grove. Ji Yu strode in.

The sea of bamboo was thick, the ground covered in countless leaves—soft underfoot. Sunlight pierced the canopy in scattered, twinkling beams.

Walking among them, Ji Yu’s expression grew nostalgic. Behind his childhood home was a similar bamboo forest, where he had once caught bamboo worms and hunted birds with a slingshot.

He smiled at the memory.

Yet beneath that smile, Ji Yu prepared to use his body for the first time to perform Life Grafting.

The process felt no different than when he had transformed into a deer. It was simply a matter of connecting his thoughts with nature.

“Congratulations, player, for successfully using the Life Grafting trait. Vitality +0.03.”

Seeing the familiar prompt, Ji Yu nodded and silently continued deeper into the bamboo sea.

As he walked, every bamboo he brushed with his left hand surrendered 0.03 vitality to him.

This vitality spun around his body like whirling light. It could not be absorbed instantly; it required a short process.

Ji Yu kept a close eye on his personal stats panel, monitoring his physical attributes.

Within a minute, his constitution increased by 0.14.

The speed of growth exceeded Ji Yu’s expectations, and he could feel waves of warmth flowing within him.

He was surprised, but quickly focused. This trip into the mountains was not just to strengthen himself—he also wanted to see if his personal will could guide his traits to manifest accordingly.

Thus, as Ji Yu absorbed the bamboo’s vitality, he concentrated on one thought: he wished his body to remain within the normal human form.

This self-hypnosis was akin to the meditation he’d practiced with the oak tree, so the process was familiar.

His mind fixated on this single intent.

Yet, while Ji Yu hypnotized himself, the surrounding changes were not so optimistic.

The essence of the bamboo swirled around him, bright but not dazzling, and in the sunlight no strange phenomena appeared.

Vast streams of vitality poured into Ji Yu’s body. In just three minutes, his height increased by two centimeters.

This growth showed no sign of slowing.

Twenty minutes later, Ji Yu’s height surpassed two meters.

His clothes were splitting at the seams, his thighs revealed dense, hard muscle, and sinews bulged along his arms.

By then, his whole body was swelling, displaying a powerful physique.

At this point, Ji Yu began to look less and less human.

He sensed the changes, but had no choice. The process had begun, and there was no turning back. He continued his self-hypnosis, striving to keep his will focused.

Half an hour later, Ji Yu’s height reached a terrifying three meters.

Three meters—the height of a single-story house—was astonishing.

By now, Ji Yu’s appearance had completely transformed.

He was utterly unclothed, his exposed muscles packed together in blocks. His skin had taken on a heavy, brown, rock-like hue.

At a glance, it was impossible to imagine the creature before you had once been human.