Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 1: Starting today, let's exercise!

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and the weather was freezing cold.

Xia Fa wrapped his slightly dirty wool coat tighter around himself and walked toward the church not far ahead.

In the extreme cold, he shivered uncontrollably, as if trying to squeeze out the last bit of heat from his body to resist the bone-chilling cold from head to toe.

Three days.

Since transmigrating to this world and arriving in this small town called Rum City, he hasn't had a proper meal in three days. He relies on the church's charity meals—tomato stewed chickpeas, accompanied by dry and hard baguettes.

And there's only one meal a day.

But that's not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is...

Xia Fa looked up at the sky.

The warm spring sun hangs in the clear, refreshing sky, surrounded by a halo of light.

The sunlight shone softly, making the streets and buildings appear clean and bright.

Among the pedestrians on the street, the men mostly wore thin embroidered vests with riding breeches, while the women wore light white or sky-blue silk dresses.

Yes, it is springtime now.

Moreover, it was March, the best time of year for the climate in Rum City and the entire Kingdom of Augu.

Xia Fa withdrew his gaze and looked around. Goose feather snowflakes were falling heavily, and the cold wind was like ice knives piercing his cheeks, even mixed with fine ice shards.

Even though the whole world was bathed in sunshine, a small, extremely cold zone, typical only for a winter, formed within a few meters of him.

More importantly, the pedestrians on the street ignored it and instead glanced at Xiafa with strange looks from time to time.

I don't understand why this guy is still wearing a heavy wool coat meant for keeping warm, even though spring has come.

Aren't you hot?

Xia Fa sighed and continued walking toward the church.

The strange situation that happened to him is actually very easy to understand.

That was... he encountered an extremely rare and very dangerous supernatural event!
Snow demons are a notorious and infamous monster that becomes active after the end of winter each year and randomly harasses ordinary people.

Ordinary people who are entangled will be trapped in this seemingly real yet extremely cold region, and will be gradually frozen into ice sculptures by the increasingly lower temperatures over five days.

When that time comes, the eerie yet beautiful snow demon will descend and devour the frozen people piece by piece, like popsicles.

Xia Fa even suspected that the original owner of this body was so frightened to death by being entangled by a snow demon that he was able to transmigrate into this world.

Having already transmigrated to the extraordinary world, Xia Fa certainly didn't want to go back. He used to be just a lowly employee with a monthly salary of only a few thousand.

But in this extraordinary world, he has the opportunity to become an extraordinary being, and he wants to become even more powerful, even a legendary god, in pursuit of immortality.

But first... you have to survive!
And the hope of survival lies in—

Xia Fa looked up at the St. Vivian Church in front of him and walked over quickly.

The moment he stepped through the church's arched doors, the heavy snow, the biting wind, the ice shards... all the signs of the harsh weather that had tried to kill him vanished, and the warmth of spring enveloped him once more.

Then came the noisy chatter of people in the church, accompanied by the aroma of food, as if I had suddenly returned to the long-lost world.

The church was spacious and bright, with sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows above. Refugees were lining up to receive their daily serving of tomato and chickpea stew.

This cheap, filling, and delicious food is a favorite among refugees.

A battle sword crafted from bones lay flat on a golden sword rack on a marble platform at the deepest part of the church.

The sword was about 1.5 meters long, covered with obscure and profound cryptic inscriptions, making it look both ferocious and majestic. The hilt was wrapped in blood-stained cloth strips, the blade was straight, and the edge was curved, making it an excellent sword for slashing.

Legend has it that this is a sacred relic of the church, forged from the rib of the giant beast Baal, which was killed by the "Silver Universe," one of the nine gods.

"Xia Fa, you're here!"

A clear and melodious sound rang out, like the tinkling of wind chimes, and a young girl in a pure white priest's robe walked towards him, carrying a small iron basin that was steaming.

The girl had skin as smooth as goat's milk, as silky as silk. Her straight black hair fell over her shoulders, and her large eyes were clear and bright, with a gaze as fresh as the air after rain, carrying a rare innocence.

Her legs, wrapped in her priest's robe, were long and slender, her body delicate and light, as holy as a messenger sent by God to earth. But what was most striking were the round ears on her head.

Her two fluffy ears, with an inner ring of off-white and an outer ring of pure black, looked like she was wearing a headdress, but that wasn't the case.

Xia Fa had been at the church almost every day for the past few days, so he naturally recognized the girl.

The Archbishop of St. Vivian's Church, Chestnut.

Chestnut is not human, but a rat race unique to this world. Moreover, she is a noble among the rats, a high-ranking rat known as the "Silver Iris Orchid".

Whether nobles or commoners, all members of the rat tribe are named after the food they eat; the only difference is their surnames. Their large, round, furry ears on top of their heads are the symbol of their tribe.

As soon as he got closer, Archbishop Chestnut handed a small pot of steaming hot water to Xiafa.

Xia Fa took a look and saw the familiar tomato and chickpea stew.

However, the bread soaked inside has been changed from dry and hard baguettes to brioche bread with a rich aroma of milk and wheat, and the beans are mixed with more than a dozen chunks of beef and melting butter.

"Look, you've worked hard these past few days, so I'm treating you to an extra meal!" Chestnut's big, dark eyes sparkled with a smile.

Xia Fa swallowed, not out of greed, but because he sensed something bad was about to happen, and said:
"This is such a lavish meal, could it be my last meal before I'm executed?"

There was absolutely no beef or butter in the tomato and chickpea stew I made the past two days!
Chestnut stared at him blankly for a while before realizing what the last meal meant, and couldn't help but chuckle:
"No, it's really an extra meal for you. It's just because you're too thin. Don't worry, the Mithril Emblem will be delivered tomorrow morning."

The Mithril Emblem, a seal of the Silver Church, is specifically used to help the poor souls entangled by snow demons.

As long as you wear the Mithril Holy Symbol and expose yourself to the sun for an hour, the freezing cold will disappear, and the snow demon will no longer be able to find its locked prey.

Xia Fa felt relieved, but then asked curiously:

"Wasn't it supposed to be this afternoon? Why was it changed to tomorrow?"

Archbishop Chestnut sighed softly:
"Sigh, too many people have been entangled with the Snow Demon this time, some of whom are nobles, so we have to satisfy them first."

Xia Fa remained silent for a moment, but there was nothing he could do; after all, the other party was a nobleman, while he was a commoner.

Only by becoming an extraordinary being will things change.

Chestnut suddenly clenched her little fists, her pretty face filled with righteous indignation:
"I hate those nobles the most! They bully people! You started it!"

Xia Fa chuckled slightly:

"But, Lady Chestnut Silver Iris, aren't you also a noble among your rat clan?"

“That’s different!” Chestnut said seriously. “We always take care of the civilians first, because they are weaker.”

“Okay.” Shafa admitted that he was convinced, because that was indeed how the rats were.

Moreover, since there is no reproductive isolation between the rats and humans, many civilians are more willing to go to the rat territory to make a living.

"Eat up, eat up. Tomorrow you'll be rid of this wretched snow demon. Then, there's something I need to discuss with you."

Chestnut stretched out her delicate, snow-white hand, patted Xiafa's shoulder in a very familiar manner, gave him a few words of advice, and then prepared to get busy.

As a young and promising archbishop, she became a wolf-level superhuman at the age of nineteen and has many official duties to attend to every day.

Xia Fa asked curiously:
"What is it? Can you tell me now?"

Chestnut stopped, turned around, and looked him up and down with her clear, large eyes, especially at Xia Fa's sunken cheeks. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke:

"Hmm... I'll tell you quietly, but you're not allowed to tell anyone else."

Xia Fayi said firmly, "Don't worry, I've always kept my mouth shut."

Chestnut chuckled:
"Get lost, I don't believe you. But it's okay to tell you in advance, it's just that... the church has already approved your application and is preparing to recruit you as a superhuman!"

Xia Fa was slightly startled:
When was it reviewed?

For the past three days, in order to avoid being affected by the extreme cold of the Snow Demon's land, he had been working as a volunteer at the church, but as far as he could remember, he had never encountered any scrutiny.

Chestnut's bright almond-shaped eyes were filled with seriousness:
"It was during these three days that we assessed your mental state every time you came to the church. We found that your mind was unusually stable. The church therefore judged that even if you became a superhuman, the risk of you losing control would be much lower than that of an ordinary person, and you would be more likely to control the power of the secret code. So, the review was passed directly!"

She paused for a moment, then quietly added:
“If it were anyone else who had been possessed by the snow demon, they would have had a mental breakdown by now. Even the church’s higher-ups find it rare to see someone like you who is completely mentally sound.”

Xia Fa was a little confused because he had previously inquired about the extremely difficult conditions required to become a superhuman in any of the major churches. He never expected that it would be so simple for him.
But it is estimated that this is also because he was already involved in supernatural events, and as Archbishop Chestnut said, his mind has always been very stable.

"However..." Chestnut suddenly changed the subject.

Upon hearing those three words, Xia Fa's heart skipped a beat. According to common sense, this change of topic meant that he would have to pay some price.

"But what?"

“Hmm… Your body is too weak to withstand the infusion of the power of the secret contract, not even the most ordinary secret contract. Therefore, the church requires you to strengthen your body first!” Chestnut said decisively.

As a grown man, being told he was physically weak by a cute rat girl should have been very embarrassing, but Xia Fa didn't feel it at all.

Because what the chestnut said is true.

He looked down, and through the collar of his loose wool coat, he could clearly see his protruding ribs, each one clearly defined. His body was so thin that it looked like a skeleton wrapped in human skin, without a trace of excess muscle or fat.

"All right……"

Xia Fa smiled helplessly.

Chestnut encouraged him, saying:

"It's alright. According to the church's assessment of you, you'll probably be able to sign a secret contract and become a superhuman after about a year of training."

She paused slightly, then continued:
"After we eliminate the Snow Demon's threat for you tomorrow and reach a preliminary agreement with the Church, the Church will provide you with comprehensive nutritional support and some financial assistance every week. As for the training plan, for the first few months, you can just run, do push-ups, and lift stone weights every day to get your body in good shape. Later, we will send a Divine Punishment Knight to give you specialized training."

A year is neither a long nor a short time, and Xia Fa can accept it.

After all, his previous job was just a dockworker who had been unemployed for a few months.

"Okay, I'll try my best," Xia Fa replied jokingly, but there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

His eyes were pure black, without a single blemish, yet very bright, like charcoal about to burn.

"Okay, good luck!" Chestnut clenched her little fist, giving him a look that said, "I absolutely believe in you," and then added, "Alright, I'm going to get busy now!"

Watching her figure disappear into the distance, Xia Ding composed himself, glanced around, found a bench, sat down, and began to eat his meal for the day.

It must be said that adding beef and butter made the already delicious tomato and chickpea stew even better, and the brioche bread was also exceptionally sweet.

After wolfing down his food, Xia Fa wiped the red sauce from his mouth with satisfaction, then handed the utensils to the other volunteers in charge of meals at the church.

He immediately stood up and looked towards the church's backyard, a marble courtyard with a fountain.

After having eaten and drunk his fill, he prepared to start exercising!

……

"one!"

"two!"

"three!!!"

With withered palms supporting him on the marble floor, his bamboo-like arms trembled violently as Xia Fa, panting heavily, barely managed to complete the first three push-ups.

“Hoo, ho, ho—”

He sat on the ground, catching his breath for a while, and then pressed on, preparing for the second set.

It has to be admitted that what Banli said is right. His body is really too weak. Let alone the infusion of extraordinary power, he probably couldn't even handle a very nourishing meal.

Fortunately, I have plenty of time to exercise and recover my health.

"Four!"

"five!"

"six!!!"

……

Just as Xia Fa was working hard to exercise.

At the same moment, in some desolate and lonely corner of the universe.

A planet that was once inhabited by life but is now completely barren is slowly revolving around a star.

Two blurry human figures were chasing a supernatural creature of cosmic scale, just passing by the planet.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened!
The planet shuddered violently, sending shockwaves surging across the surface. These shockwaves overturned mountains and plains, destroyed buildings left by past civilizations, and even the oceans and rivers were not spared.

The two human figures were stunned. They retreated to a great distance in an instant before stopping to watch.

Just a few seconds later, this once life-bearing planet suddenly collapsed, and endless essence was "drawn" out, gathering into invisible particles that flew to the unknown distance.

"Is this... some great being... preparing for a godhood ritual?"

One of the figures remained silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty, his tone filled with disbelief.

"No, it doesn't seem like it. The scale of an ascension ceremony isn't like that, but..."

The other figure stared silently at the particles that even He couldn't track, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

……

The backyard of St. Vivian's Cathedral.

"seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine--"

With a thud, Xia Fa lost his strength in his arms and fell directly to the ground, kicking up a lot of dust.

At that moment, without his knowledge, countless invisible particles came from the depths of the universe, crossing the earth and the sky, and poured into his mouth and nose.

"Huh, huh-"

Xia Fa was panting heavily, waiting for his strength to recover, but he suddenly found that his body was starting to feel slightly warm all over.

"Huh? These push-ups are actually having some effect."

He was pleasantly surprised, and after resting for a while, he was full of energy and continued exercising.

"ten……"

"eleven……"

"twelve……!"

(End of this chapter)