The morning sun filtered through the cracks in the wooden walls, casting thin streaks of light onto Chen Tian's bruised face. He tried to shift his weight, and a dull, throbbing pain immediately shot through his nerves. He didn't groan. To him, this pain was a constant reminder that he was still breathing—a stark contrast to the cold silence of the grave he had escaped.
It had been exactly one year since he woke up in this body.
As a reincarnator from Earth, Chen Tian had initially expected his new life to follow the path of the grand protagonists he had read about. The reality, however, was far more cynical. The original owner of this body had perished from the relentless abuse of the clan members, leaving Chen Tian to inherit a legacy of suffering. For an entire year, he had waited for a 'Golden Finger' to manifest, but nothing came. He was suppressed, insulted, and used as a living punching bag, forced to endure every indignity in silence.
In this indifferent world, Elder Chen Yan was the only soul who treated him as a human being. Without the old man, Chen Tian knew he would have long since become a nameless mound of earth.
"You're awake?"
Heavy footsteps approached. Chen Yan entered, bringing with him the scent of damp earth and exhaustion. The old man's eyes rested on Chen Tian, and he let out a long, weary sigh. Deep lines of fatigue were etched into his face, yet a flickering spark of concern remained in his gaze.
"You turned twelve a few days ago, didn't you?" Chen Yan asked softly as he sat at the edge of the hard wooden bed.
Chen Tian nodded slowly. In this world, the age of twelve was the threshold. It was the moment the skeletal structure became stable enough to begin tempering the body with the world's energy.
"I know the clan looks down on you because of your Five-Element Spiritual Root," Chen Yan continued, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "It is the most common, the most mediocre, and the slowest at absorbing energy. But... becoming a cultivator is your only path to stop being trampled upon."
Chen Yan reached into his robes and pulled out a weathered book with yellowed pages. He placed it in Chen Tian's hands with extreme care.
"This is the Wild Beast Blood Art. A Low-grade Mortal Rank technique," Chen Yan explained. "The method is crude. You must absorb the blood essence of wild beasts to temper your physical frame. It isn't a flashy technique, and the process will be excruciating, but it is the only one I could secure for you."
Chen Tian accepted the manual, his fingers brushing against the coarse paper. He knew that for Elder Yan, who was merely a logistics elder with no real power, obtaining even this lowly manual must have required a significant sacrifice.
"Thank you, Elder Yan. I will remember this," Chen Tian replied. He forced a small, cheerful smile to ease the old man's worries, carefully hiding the cold, calculating light in his eyes.
Once Chen Yan left the shack, Chen Tian immediately flipped open the manual. As his eyes scanned the first line of instructions, a familiar cold sensation surged behind his eyelids. The transparent panel appeared, clearer than ever before.
Technique:Wild Beast Blood Art (Level 1 - Mortal Grade) [+]
Points: 1
Chen Tian's eyes narrowed slightly. The [+] symbol next to the technique's name seemed to pulse, calling out to him. Though he had only a single point, he knew that his year of powerlessness was finally over.
He was in no rush. With a cautious, measured movement, he tucked the manual beneath his pillow. In the Chen Estate, power that grew too quickly was a death sentence—unless he could hide it perfectly.
"One point..." he whispered, a cheerful yet secretive smile playing on his bruised lips. "Let's see how far this 'beast blood' can truly take me."
Chen Tian focused his mind, pouring his singular point into the text floating before his eyes.
Immediately, a sharp sting pierced his temples. It wasn't an external attack, but a torrent of raw, instinctive information surging into his brain. It was as if he had spent weeks under the scorching sun, repeatedly practicing the breathing patterns and muscle contractions required for the Wild Beast Blood Art. The complex diagrams from the manual, which had seemed confusing moments ago, were now etched into his memory with crystalline clarity.
When the sensation faded, Chen Tian let out a slow, controlled breath. He blinked, and the panel adjusted itself to reflect his new reality.
Technique:Wild Beast Blood Art (Level 1 - Mortal Grade)
Mastery: Beginner
Points: 0
The word [Beginner] now sat firmly beside the technique's name.
He clenched and unclenched his hands. While his muscles were still lean and bruised, he could feel a subtle change in how his body held itself. He no longer just 'knew' the technique; he understood the rhythm of it. The way the blood was supposed to surge, the way the skin was meant to harden—it was all there, resting just beneath the surface of his consciousness.
"One point to reach the Beginner stage..." Chen Tian mused, his eyes narrowing.
A daring thought crossed his mind. If points could increase his mastery—from Beginner to Proficient, and perhaps beyond—could they also change the very nature of the technique? If he poured enough points into this lowly Mortal-grade art, would it eventually evolve? Could it shed its crude origins and become something that even the Great Elders would covet?
He stared at the "Mortal Grade" label for a long moment before shaking his head.
"Speculating on the future is a luxury I can't afford yet," he whispered, his expression returning to its usual mask of quiet indifference.
The immediate problem was the Points. The counter was now a cold, hollow zero. Without points, this panel was nothing more than a record of his current weakness. He needed to find the source. Was it hidden in the medicinal herbs Elder Yan brought? Was it in the blood of the beasts he was supposed to refine? Or perhaps it was something else entirely?
He didn't have the luxury of time to sit and wait for the answers to come to him. In the Chen Estate, a person without value was lower than the dirt on a master's boot.
Setting the manual aside, Chen Tian stood up. His body still ached, but the new 'Beginner' mastery over the Wild Beast Blood Art gave him a slight edge in managing the pain. He needed to get out there, perform his chores, and keep his eyes open.
To survive, he needed more points. And to get them, he would have to be more observant, more careful, and more patient than anyone else in this clan.