[After a week, you refined a high-quality Body-Building Pill. Although satisfied, you quickly realized the immense difficulty of refining a perfect-quality pill. Thus, you shifted focus to experimenting with other recipes to further temper your alchemy skills.]
(Pill quality: Low → Mid → High → Top → Perfect)
[After a full month of focused alchemy, you reached the peak of the Body Refining Realm. You immediately set your sights on crafting the Blood-Purifying Pill, preparing for your next breakthrough.]
[By the second month, you successfully refined a high-quality Blood-Purifying Pill. Upon consuming it, your qi and blood surged, and you smoothly advanced into the Blood Refining Realm.]
[After some thought, you stopped pursuing martial arts for the time being. Instead, you devoted yourself to alchemy and auxiliary cultivation techniques. The first technique you practiced was the Breath-Retaining Technique, which allowed you to conceal your cultivation realm from others.]
[In the sixth month, a heavy knock rattled your door. You knew immediately—it was the Water Dragon Gang, who controlled this district. They collected "protection fees" from every household.]
[You opened the door, prepared to hand over the silver as usual. However, a burly man with greedy eyes and a ferocious grin stepped forward. Just as you were about to close the door, he blocked your path.]
["Boy," he sneered, "hand over all your money, and I might consider sparing you."]
[Feigning confusion, you asked, "Senior brother, what do you mean? What money?"]
["Don't play games with me," he barked. "You've never worked a day, never left this house. I know you're hiding something!" His voice was thick with menace.]
[Reluctantly, you produced a bag of silver, your expression full of heartache. "This is all I have, senior brother. Please, show mercy."]
[The man snatched the bag, but the greed in his eyes only deepened. He leaned closer, voice low and sinister. "Not enough. I'll check your house myself. Who knows what treasures you've hidden?"]
[A cold light flashed in your eyes. Killing intent surged in your heart. You realized that in your eagerness to refine pills, you had been careless. Pills of various quality lay scattered around your house. If he stepped inside, your secret would be exposed.]
(System remark: What a hassle. I gave you storage space, yet you were too foolish to use it. Truly disappointing.)
[You regretted your carelessness deeply, but regret was meaningless now. The only solution was silence. Forever.]
[Suppressing your murderous intent, you forced a smile and welcomed them into your house with apparent warmth.]
---
[At dawn the next day, a young man slipped quietly out of Yongcheng City. That youth was you.]
[The previous night, you had mercilessly slaughtered every Water Dragon Gang member who entered your house. They were all cultivators of the Body Refining Realm—no challenge for you. Once their corpses fell, you knew you could no longer remain in the city.]
[For the sake of safety, you decided to leave until your strength reached new heights. Only then would you return to claim all the martial arts and resources within Yongcheng.]
[You escaped into the dense forest near the city, where you secluded yourself. There, you devoted yourself to alchemy, martial arts, and cultivation techniques.]
---
[In the 9th month, aided by pills and tempered through techniques, you broke through to the Bone-Strengthening Realm.]
[By the end of the 1st year, you had reached the peak of the Bone-Strengthening Realm. Cautious this time, you stored the mysterious pendant within your system's infinite storage space. Without the pendant's interference, you began practicing the Marrow-Cleansing Technique.]
[In the 11th month of the 1st year, you infiltrated the Beggar Gang's treasury. Using the Breath-Retaining Technique, you erased all traces of your presence, raided their vaults, and stole every martial arts manual they possessed.]
[In the 2nd year, you heard startling news—the Beggar Gang and the Wang family had both been annihilated overnight. Their roots erased completely.]
[By the end of the 5th year, you had cultivated to the peak of the Marrow-Cleansing Realm. Confident in your foundation, you began preparing for the breakthrough into the Martial Master Realm.]
[In the 6th year, you successfully advanced into the Martial Master Realm, and your strength surpassed that of the average cultivator of the same realm.]
[In the 7th year, you advanced to the late stage of the Martial Master Realm. Just as you stabilized your cultivation, a clear notification rang in your mind.]
[Ding! The host has ranked 1st in the entire Yongcheng City.]
[Reward is being distributed…]