My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 87: Head in Ceiling

He didn't just jump. He became a human missile. Because the waiting room was made of old, and weathered stone and the ceiling was only about ten feet high, Yin Zhe's head hit the roof with the force of a falling star.

(CRACK-SHATTER!)

The stone ceiling gave way like wet cardboard. His head and shoulders disappeared into the rock, plunging through the layers of dust, mortar, and masonry. His body was left dangling in the air, and his legs kicking back and forth in the empty space while his head was firmly stuck in the darkness of the upper floor's foundation. Dust rained down in thick, white clouds, coating the furniture.

Xiao Hu, the young attendant, was standing by the door while holding a tray of refreshment. When Yin Zhe launched himself, the boy's eyes had nearly popped out of his skull. (CLATTER!) The tray hit the floor, and the water splashed everywhere, soaking Xiao Hu's boots. He stared up at the pair of legs wiggling from the ceiling. He was instantly paralyzed with a mix of shock and pure, unadulterated fear.

He... he really is a madman, Xiao Hu monologued to himself, his voice shaking so hard it felt like it was rattling his teeth. "Did He just head-butted the ceiling because he was happy? Is he trying to dig a tunnel to the surface with his face? I have to get help! He's going to suffocate! Or worse, he's going to come back down and head-butt me to death! This is what happens when you let a monster into the spirit palace!"

[Feared Reactive points +1]

[Doubted Reactive points +1]

Xiao Hu didn't wait a second longer. He turned around and bolted out the door, his sandals slapping against the stone. (Bam!) Yin Zhe, meanwhile, was actually quite comfortable. The stone was cool against his hot skin, acting like a giant ice pack for his shoulders. Thanks to Iron Might, he didn't even have a headache. He just hung there, dangling like a weird, human-sized chandelier, while his boots twitching in the air.

Alright, system, let's see what we really got, Yin Zhe monologued to himself. His eyes were closed in the dark, and dusty rock, but his mind was focused on the new skill icon that was floating in his mental space.

[Skill: Primordial Life-force (Inactive)]

[Description: Provides overwhelming vitality, rapid body regeneration, and high-speed spirit essence recharge. Improves mental clarity and spirit health.]

It's inactive because it's level zero, Yin Zhe realized, feeling a fresh stab of heat from the fire seed. "I can feel the black flames still nipping at my core. It's like having a hot coal in my stomach that refuses to go out. I need to level this up right now before I turn into a pile of ash."

He didn't even wait to get his head out of the ceiling. He pulled up his reactive point balance, the numbers flickering in the darkness of his "ceiling-view."

[Total Reactive Points: 57,778]

"System, buy 11 skill tickets. Use them all on Primordial Life-force. Take it straight to the Qi Realm! Do it now!"

(Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!)

The sounds of the system leveling up echoed in his brain like a beautiful, and heavenly choir.

[Primordial Life-force Root Awakening Lv1]

(Swoosh!)

[Primordial Life-force Root Awakening Lv2]

[Primordial Life-force Root Awakening Lv3]

As the levels climbed, Yin Zhe felt a sudden, violent change. It started in the center of his chest, right where the black fire was strongest. A wave of cool, and refreshing energy washed over him, pulsing outward like a ripple in a pond. It felt like drinking a gallon of ice-cold water after a week in the desert. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

[...Lv7... Lv8... Lv9... Lv10]

[Primordial Life-force: Qi Lv1]

(VROOOOM! Cinematic Sound)

A green explosion of light happened inside his veins. The red, and angry color of his skin began to fade back to its normal, and healthy tone. The Black Fire Seed in his core let out a sizzling hiss as the new life-force pushed back against the flames, surrounding the seed like a cage of cold emeralds.

"Oh, man, that feels incredible," Yin Zhe monologued to himself. (Deep breath...) "It's like my whole body is being washed in a mountain spring. My spirit essence... look at it go!"

He looked at his internal energy bar. Usually, when the black flames burned him, his essence stayed low and drained away like a leaking bucket. Now, it was filling back up so fast he could practically hear it splashing. His wounds from the backstab attempt. the tiny scratches on his neck and the internal bruises on his chest. Had simply vanished. It was like they were never there. His skin felt refreshed, his mind felt refreshed, and the "mental fog" of the fight was gone.

Using his Divine Perception, he looked "inward." He saw a glowing green light swirling around his heart, beating in time with his pulse. It made him feel like he could actually run a marathon and then fight ten more matches without even breaking a single sweat.

(Clack-clack-clack!)

He heard footsteps and the sound of something heavy and wooden being dragged across the floor. He focused his Divine Perception outward, seeing through to the floor. Below his ceiling dug head, Xiao Hu had returned. The poor kid was panting, and his face was red, while dragging a long wooden ladder into the room. Behind him were two other servants looking up at the ceiling with their mouths open.

"Wait, is he trying to save me?" Yin Zhe thought, while being genuinely amused. "That's actually kind of sweet. Too bad I'm not actually stuck."

Xiao Hu propped the ladder against the wall near Yin Zhe's dangling legs. "Hang on, Master Yin Zhe! Don't die! I'll pull you out! Just... please don't explode when I touch you! I have a family!"

Xiao Hu started to climb the ladder, his hands shaking so much the wood was rattling against the stone. He reached out to grab Yin Zhe's waist.

"Alright, enough playing around,"

Yin Zhe monologued to himself. He didn't want the kid to touch his expensive clothes with those sweaty, and terrified hands. He also didn't want to explain why his legs were kicking for joy.

Yin Zhe pressed his palms against the jagged edges of the hole in the ceiling. He tensed his arm muscles, the power of Iron Might and his new Primordial Life-force working together. (Creeeak!) With a sudden, and violent pull, he dragged his head out of the stone ceiling.

(POP!)

It sounded like a massive champagne cork coming out of a bottle. Yin Zhe flipped in mid-air, a shower of dust following him down like snow. He landed perfectly on his feet on the stone floor, not making a single sound. (Thud.) A cloud of dust and small pebbles fell down after him, coating the floor in white powder and making the attendants cough. (Cough! Wheeze!)

Xiao Hu froze on the ladder, his hand still reaching for empty air. He looked down at Yin Zhe, who was standing there, casually brushing dust off his shoulders like he had just come back from a walk in the park. He perfectly looked healthy and well. He noticed that The red glow of his skin was gone. Even The small steams were gone. He looked better than he did before the fight had started.