1: Chapter 1 Time Travel

Lin Qing turned his head and saw two suns hurtling toward him; in his desperation, he only had time to shout...

"Iron Block!"

Then, boundless darkness swallowed him whole. His battered body rolled to the side of the road, his stiff middle finger a silent testament to his indignation.

...

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

A violent coughing fit sent tremors through Lin Qing's body, and he snapped his eyes open.

Before he could observe his surroundings, a sharp, stabbing pain invaded his mind.

Then, he continued to twitch and howl.

The passing villagers outside could only shake their heads and sigh:

"That boy Lin Qing is truly pitiful! He lost his mother at a young age, and his father finally managed to raise him, only to die in the mountains a few days ago. Listen, how heartbroken the child sounds!"

Someone nearby heard this and responded:

"I'd say it's all fate. His father supported him all these years with game from the mountains, and now that he's an adult, his father has returned his life to the mountains."

"Sigh..."

With that, the two shook their heads, sighed, and walked away.

...

After more than an hour, the splitting headache faded. Lin Qing raised his hands—covered in scars and thick calluses—before his eyes.

He muttered to himself:

"I've transmigrated?"

The original owner's mother had died young. His father, relying on his rudimentary hunting skills, had barely managed to raise him in Wuming Village at the foot of Qingyang Mountain. But just a few days ago, his father failed to return home overnight. When the villagers found him the next day, only half a corpse and a broken hunting knife remained.

He stood up and patted off the dust he'd gathered while rolling on the ground. His coarse cloth tunic was covered in patches.

Perhaps influenced by the lingering regrets of the original owner, a wave of sorrow welled up in Lin Qing's heart. But since heaven had given him a chance to live another life, he would naturally cherish it.

He couldn't be like the original owner, who failed to eat properly and, coupled with excessive grief, had passed away so abruptly.

He scanned the room he was in. It was a most ordinary rural adobe house, with walls made of rammed yellow mud mixed with straw. The surface was mottled and peeling, showing signs of decay everywhere. Spiderwebs clung to the corners, and the only small window was covered with tattered paper, letting in a dim, gloomy light that made the already simple room feel even more desolate.

Outside, he could faintly hear the sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking, along with the footsteps and voices of villagers passing by, all carrying the unique tranquility of the countryside.

The village was nestled at the foot of Qingyang Mountain, with dozens of households scattered about. Every home was an adobe house with a thatched roof, and the paths between them were bumpy dirt roads lined with nameless weeds.

The village was adjacent to the towering Qingyang Mountain. From a distance, the mountain ranges rolled on, covered in lush, green forests that looked full of life but were actually hidden with danger. For generations, the villagers had made their living from the fields at the foot of the mountain and the forests themselves. Though their lives weren't destitute, they constantly faced the dangers the mountains brought.

Following the memories of the original body, Lin Qing went to the kitchen. He simply washed some brown rice, added spring water, and used a flint to light the firewood. After placing the pot on the stove, he sat before it, adding fuel and watching the fire. He made no unnecessary movements, his mind entirely focused on planning his future livelihood.

The village was located on the outskirts of Qingyang County, right at the foot of Qingyang Mountain. Most of the villagers were farmers who relied on tilling the land, with a small portion being independent hunters who made their living in the mountains.

Although the village was remote, it sat on the only path into the mountains. Those from the county town who entered the mountains to gather medicinal herbs or hunt Vicious Beasts would mostly pass through here. When tired from their journey, they would stop in the village to rest, paying for hot water and coarse grain meals. Occasionally, they would chat with the villagers, sharing news from the county town and the mountains. Thus, the village wasn't considered isolated, and the locals had some understanding of Martial Artists.

There was an unwritten rule in the village: once a child reached the age of fifteen, their parents would do everything possible to send them to a martial arts hall in the county as an apprentice, hoping they might one day step onto the Path of Martial Arts and change the family's destiny. However, becoming a Martial Artist was as difficult as reaching the heavens. Most of the youths from the village who went to study martial arts over the years returned empty-handed, though their physiques were slightly stronger than ordinary people.

Lin Hu from the village was the most typical example. He went to a martial arts hall in the county town the year before last and toiled for over a year, but in the end, he failed to even touch the threshold of becoming a Martial Artist and had to return to the village in disappointment.

Relying on the physique he'd developed at the martial arts hall, his strength far exceeded that of ordinary villagers, and his temperament became increasingly arrogant after his return. His family used his intimidation to prey on the heirless in the village, specifically bullying widows, orphans, or the elderly.

In just one year, they had annexed over a dozen mu of fertile land, transforming from ordinary farmers into the village's minor landlords, acting tyrannically. Others were filled with resentment but dared not speak out. This made the villagers realize even more clearly that even if one couldn't become a Martial Artist, acquiring a strong physique could completely change one's circumstances in this remote village.

The original owner had been weak since childhood, and being young—having just turned fifteen a few days ago—he hadn't inherited his father's hunting skills.

Hunting on Qingyang Mountain was no simple task. Wolves, leopards, and tigers were common, but the Vicious Beasts deep within were the true terrors.

Usually, the original owner's father only dared to hunt rabbits and pheasants on the outskirts, or at most, wild boar piglets and roe deer. The skill to survive in the mountains was more important than the skill to hunt.

Because it was so dangerous, his father hadn't taught him too much.

He had originally planned to have Lin Qing start studying martial arts in the city this year. After a few years, if he became a Martial Artist, he would soar to success. If he didn't have that luck, it wouldn't be too late to return and learn some hunting skills.

By then, his physique would be stronger than it was now, and his chances of survival in the mountains would be greater.

Lin Qing pondered, remembering that his father had saved some money for him to study martial arts.

He stood up, walked to the bed, and crouched down to crawl under it, retrieving a small box from beneath a blue brick.

Inside were some pieces of silver and copper coins, along with several Land Deeds.

There were about a dozen taels of silver and 135 copper coins. The Land Deeds were for the plots he usually worked, totaling two mu. As for this house, his father had built it himself on vacant land without any formal paperwork, so naturally, there was no property deed.

After taking stock of his finances, he turned to go back to the kitchen to see if the food was ready.

After just two steps, Lin Qing suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks.

Ever since he woke up, he felt an emptiness in his heart, as if something were missing. Now, he finally remembered.

Suppressing his nervous anticipation, he called out in his mind:

"System? Panel?"

As soon as the thought occurred, a pale blue semi-transparent light screen suddenly appeared before his eyes. The light was soft, and several lines of text were clearly visible on it—it was the Panel he had been longing for.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Mortal (Breakthrough Time: ∞)

Fused Cultivation Techniques (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques: None

Lin Qing's eyes lit up, and his heart skipped a beat—he really did have a cheat!