By the fifth month, you had been searching the ruins for over a month. Aside from discovering countless skeletons, there was nothing else of use… at least for now. As someone from the 21st century, you couldn't bear to leave these remains exposed to the wild, so you invited Wu Youdao to help you build graves for them.
By the sixth month, the ruins were still there, but now a small cemetery had formed around them. Looking toward the last skeleton in the distance, you thought that once it was buried, it would be time to leave.
You had basically confirmed that these ruins were once a tiny cultivation sect. After all, besides the skeletons, there were also many broken weapons. Unfortunately, even if this had once been a cultivation sect, it now seemed to hold no practical value for you.
As you lifted the final skeleton, your eyes suddenly brightened—beneath it were two books. This discovery stirred a flicker of hope in your otherwise desolate mood. After burying the bones, you hesitantly began to examine the books, hoping to glean some information about cultivation.
One of the books, called Heavenly Profound Technique (Tian Xuan Gong), turned out to be a cultivation manual. Seeing it, you were overjoyed, thinking that good things come to those who do good. Had you not buried the skeletons, you might have missed this entirely.
The book was filled with archaic language, some passages difficult to understand at first glance. You decided to keep it safe and study it more thoroughly once you returned to Qingshan City.
The other book, Cultivation Notes, was unfortunately quite damaged. Still, you managed to extract some information. The first page recorded that this world was called the Nine Profound Realms. Beyond that, the text was smudged and unreadable. Flipping further, you found descriptions of cultivation ranks: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Fusion, Great Perfection, Tribulation Crossing… and then the text became illegible again.
There were fragments of text scattered later in the book, but nothing coherent enough to reconstruct. You decided not to pursue it further for now. These discoveries, however, left you ecstatic. After all, the Heavenly Profound Technique had been well-preserved, giving you hope for your own path to immortality.
"Hmm? A cultivation technique has actually been found?" In reality, Jiang Yifeng felt a surge of excitement. Suppressing his emotions, he continued watching the simulator's progress.
Although you had gained something in the ruins, you felt conflicted. You had originally planned to revisit Tianxuan Temple in a few years, but now that you possessed a cultivation manual, was another visit even necessary? You didn't have an answer yet, so you decided to worry about it later.
You also realized that Wu Youdao had noticed your find. To ensure your safety, you agreed to let him make a copy. Wu Youdao simply chuckled, saying he only wanted to train in martial arts; even if the path of immortality existed, he had no interest in it. You felt a deep respect for him instantly.
By the seventh month, you set out on the journey home. By the ninth month, thanks to your improved physique, it took only two months for you and Wu Youdao to return to Qingshan City. Back in the city, you devoted yourself to studying the Heavenly Profound Technique.
By the end of the first year, you could read it fluently and understand its principles. The second year, you attempted to practice it—but to no avail; you couldn't channel qi into your body. The third year yielded the same result.
In the fourth year, you speculated that your body might not yet be strong enough, so you began daily training. By the fifth year, your physical strength had increased dramatically—you could lift objects weighing five to six hundred pounds with one hand—but still, you couldn't draw qi into your body.
Jiang Yifeng frowned in reality. Was the technique flawed? Or did he lack a natural talent for cultivation? At this rate, it wouldn't work. According to the simulator, by the thirteenth year, the black-clad man with the palm technique would appear. At this pace, there was no way to resist him.
"If it doesn't work, just train in martial arts. Grow stronger, leave Qingshan City first, avoid that black-clad man, and extend the simulation time. That way, I can improve more." Jiang Yifeng silently urged himself, hoping to influence his simulated self.
By the sixth year, still no progress in Heavenly Profound Technique left you frustrated. Perhaps you lacked cultivation talent. Having read many novels in your past life, you knew cultivation required inherent aptitude. You gave up on forcing it and began learning martial arts at Wu's family dojo alongside Wu Youdao.
Jiang Yifeng couldn't help laughing at this. Even halfway through the simulation, the real him could influence his simulated self. No sooner had he thought of training in martial arts than the simulator did exactly that.
By the seventh year, you trained with Wu Youdao for a year. Your combat skills improved greatly, and your physique was astonishing—you could now effortlessly lift over a thousand pounds with one hand. By the eighth year, your strength plateaued, but your martial techniques had improved dramatically. With your strength advantage, you could now spar evenly with Wu Youdao.
By the ninth year, Wu Youdao admitted he could no longer match you. He said he had an ancestral martial manual and asked if you wanted to learn it. You had realized that strengthening yourself was all that mattered, so without hesitation, you agreed. You even offered a stack of silver notes as tuition. Wu Youdao, ever greedy, shook his head and refused the payment.
He handed you the yellowed manual with solemnity, explaining that it was an ancestral treasure. According to oral instructions left by his ancestors, if mastered to a high level, one could ascend through martial arts itself. Unfortunately, Wu Youdao lacked the talent to reach that standard and hoped you could carry the legacy forward.
Curious, you opened the manual. Without even a title, your interest wavered slightly. Yet as you skimmed the first lines, a chill ran through you:
"At the dawn of chaos, humans had no magic. With martial arts, they shattered the heavens, slew demons, banished evil, moved mountains, filled seas, and guarded the mortal world for countless ages."
Just reading that one line set your blood boiling. Could it be that you had underestimated the martial arts of this world? You couldn't help but read on:
"The pinnacle of martial arts can even split heaven and earth, but it requires continuously pushing the limits of the human body, facing one crisis after another."