The bandits spurred their horses into a wild gallop, kicking up clouds of dust that filled the sky.
Ning Chuan was thrown across a horse's back, his stomach jammed against the saddle. He was jolted so badly he nearly vomited bile, while who knew how much dust poured into his nose and mouth.
He bit the tip of his tongue open, refusing to let himself pass out.
His mind remained tightly focused as he constantly checked the system.
"This location cannot be used to Sign In!"
"This location cannot be used to Sign In!"
Shit, he still couldn't Sign In!
You damn system, where the hell could he Sign In?
He did not know how much time passed.
Ning Chuan only felt the world spinning. His head lolled to one side, and he passed out. He was simply too weak!
Bang!
In his haze, Ning Chuan felt himself being thrown onto the ground, followed by the sound of a heavy door closing.
Damn it, that hurt like hell!
Ning Chuan's head spun as he struggled into a seated position. His entire body hurt as though it were about to fall apart.
He looked around and saw walls on three sides. The space was cramped, and the light was dim.
A wooden door stood in front of him, its posts thicker than his thighs.
At the top of the wall was only a bowl-sized window, letting in a faint sliver of light.
This was definitely a dungeon!
He had arrived at Three Tiger Mountain. He had been locked up!
The cell door creaked open, and a bald, burly man entered, tossing a blackened basin onto the floor.
"Eat up. When you get to the underworld, don't hold a grudge against your brother!"
The bald man left after saying that, slamming the cell door shut with a bang.
Ning Chuan shifted forward to inspect it.
Inside the wooden basin lay a pitch-black lump. Both its color and appearance were utterly horrifying.
Was this shit?
Or food?
He examined it closely, then was overjoyed.
"Even if it looks awful, it's still food!"
Ning Chuan's Adam's apple bobbed as his dry mouth desperately produced saliva.
Smack... smack...
Mm, it actually tasted pretty good!
Eh? There were even a few kernels of corn. Delicious!
After a whirlwind feast that swept away everything in its path, the black wooden basin had been licked clean until it looked brand new.
He tossed the basin aside and leaned weakly against the wall.
Having recovered a little strength, Ning Chuan opened the system to take a look.
His constitution had risen from 0.3 to 0.5, though he was still in a weakened state.
What delighted Ning Chuan was that the words "Available to Sign In" had appeared after his remaining Sign In attempts.
Damn it, after a thousand calls and ten thousand summons, Sign In had finally arrived!
Ning Chuan's heart pounded. He took a deep breath and silently said, "Sign In."
"Ding, you have Signed In at Three Tiger Mountain and obtained 22 Attribute Points."
Ning Chuan hurriedly checked his attribute panel.
Sure enough, there was a 22 after Attribute Points.
A glowing plus sign had appeared after Constitution, indicating that he could add points.
"System, whether I live or die depends on you!"
He would add one point to Constitution first and see what happened. With a thought, he tapped the area after Constitution.
Ning Chuan immediately felt a warm current arise from nowhere and pour into his limbs and bones before circulating through his body.
"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
Ning Chuan could not help wanting to moan aloud.
This sensation was infinitely wonderful, leaving an endless aftertaste!
Wherever the warm current passed, the bruises on his body quickly faded. His skin and flesh swelled slightly, as though muscles were slowly growing beneath them.
He stood up. The feeling of collapse had vanished, and he seemed to have returned to normal.
Checking the attribute panel, he saw that his Constitution had risen from 0.5 to 0.75. The description behind it had changed from "Weakened State" to "Sub-healthy State."
He added another point to Constitution and underwent the warm current's cleansing once more, instantly feeling brimming with energy.
Looking at the system again, his Constitution had gone directly from 0.75 to 1, and "Sub-healthy State" had disappeared.
He added all his remaining Attribute Points!
The warm current surged like a raging tide, rolling and crashing through Ning Chuan's limbs and bones. It continuously remolded his body, gradually merging into every part of him.
After half a quarter of an hour, Ning Chuan stood up.
It stank!
It was so sticky!
Why did he feel as though he had just crawled out of a cesspit?
Ning Chuan rubbed himself hard against the wall, then grabbed dirt and sand to scrub at himself, barely managing to wipe some of it off.
Looking at himself again, he had grown a full half inch taller, reaching around 1.6 meters.
When he raised his arm, his biceps had grown into small knots.
When he touched his chest, he found that streamlined pectoral muscles had actually grown there.
His entire body now brimmed with explosive power, as different from his previous weakness as heaven was from earth.
Eh? Why had his hearing become so sharp?
Though the dungeon was dim, Ning Chuan could see as clearly as if it were daylight!
His hearing had actually become this powerful too!
Within ten feet, he could even hear a rat poking its head around in the corner.
This body-forging system was actually terrifying to such a degree!
Overjoyed, Ning Chuan looked at the panel again.
Host: Ning Chuan Realm: Body Tempering Realm (Second Layer) Age: 16/36 Constitution: 20 Cultivation Method: None Attribute Points: 0 Remaining Sign In Attempts: 0
His realm had become Body Tempering Realm Second Layer!
For every 10 points of Constitution added, the Body Tempering Realm rose by one layer!
Good! Good! Good!
Ning Chuan shouted three times in a row. All the red warnings had disappeared, and he no longer needed to worry about starving to death!
His lifespan was only 36. It seemed this body had been damaged far too severely, and its foundation was far too weak!
Of the 22 points of Constitution he had added, 2 had turned into healing effects, increasing his lifespan by 20 years.
Adding one point of Constitution increased his lifespan by one year!
As long as he did not court death, he would at least be able to muddle his way into immortality someday. It was secure!
Ning Chuan came to a realization: as his Constitution increased, all his other attributes increased with it.
Now, escaping from ordinary bandits would not be difficult, right?
What he feared was encountering the Third Boss. He had heard that the three bosses were all Ninth Grade martial artists.
Martial artists who had entered the ranks had already stepped into the realm of superhumans.
Before martial artists entered the ranks, they tempered their bodies with basic cultivation methods, refining their sinews and bones and strengthening their physiques. This was called the Body Tempering Realm.
The Body Tempering Realm was divided into ten layers, but very few people could cultivate to the tenth layer.
Once one cultivated the first thread of true qi, one became a Ninth Grade martial artist.
When true qi filled the dantian, spread throughout the entire body, and broke open the barrier gate, one became an Eighth Grade martial master.
Among martial artist ranks, Ninth Grade was the weakest, while First Grade was the strongest.
From Ninth Grade to First Grade, they were respectively called Martial Artist, Martial Master, Great Martial Master, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Martial King, Martial Emperor, Martial Venerable, and Martial Saint.
With every rank advanced, strength and lifespan doubled.
It was said that above Martial Saints lay the mysterious and unfathomable Divine Realm.
As he pondered this, a series of footsteps came from outside. Two people entered the dungeon, talking as they walked.
"Brother Wang Er, the Third Boss caught a kid and plans to use him for hot pot tomorrow morning. I heard his skin is tender and his flesh is soft. Just thinking about it has made my cravings come alive."
Upon hearing this, Ning Chuan relaxed slightly. The bandits would not eat him today.
Once midnight passed, he would have another chance to Sign In.
By then, his strength would improve further, and his chances of escaping with his life would increase considerably!
Then he heard the two outside continue.
"Brother Li San, stop drooling already!"
"With so many leaders above us, by the time it gets to us brothers, at most there'll be a bowl of clear broth left!"
"Sigh!"
The two sighed together, apparently somewhat dissatisfied.
The sounds outside fell silent. The two seemed to be in low spirits and did not want to speak.
After a while, their conversation made Ning Chuan's heart tighten again, sending chills down his spine.
"I heard this brat was already injured when they caught him. How about us brothers..."
At this point, their voices lowered, but after his Constitution had been enhanced, Ning Chuan's eyes and ears were sharp enough for him to hear every word clearly.
"How about us brothers cut off a few bits from this brat first and have a taste?"
"As long as he isn't missing any arms or legs, no one will notice. When they butcher him, the Third Boss definitely won't inspect him either. Heh heh..."
"Not bad, not bad. Brother Wang Er, your mind really works fast!"
The two men outside swallowed together and let out strange, lewd chuckles.
Ning Chuan flew into a rage.
Damn it, they wanted to eat him, did they? They wanted to cut pieces off him and eat them, did they?
He hid behind the door, clenched his fists, and wore a savage expression.
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