Eternal Night World

In the deep of night at the borderlands, the howling wind seemed ready to fall asleep, finally ceasing its churning and gradually quieting down.

Under the night sky where a bright moon hung high, Li Qing, having washed his mess kit, returned to his tent.

Tucked under his arm was a thick tome. Only once inside the tent did he carefully pick up a rag to wipe the dust from its surface, finally making out the four characters on the cover.

"Ancient Profound Hammer Technique"!

Ancient Profound?

Li Qing furrowed his brow slightly. Wasn't Master Gu's name Gu Tianxing? Why was this hammer technique named after Ancient Profound?

"Forget it. I'll go comprehend and practice it in the Eternal Night World. With what happened this afternoon, no one should come looking for me tonight."

Li Qing murmured to himself, then held the "Ancient Profound Hammer Technique" in both hands and closed his eyes.

After a good long while, Li Qing's figure within the tent gradually began to blur, and then completely vanished from sight.

Sensing the change in temperature around him, Li Qing opened his eyes, a look of fatigue on his face.

It wasn't just the temperature that had changed, but also the surrounding scenery—from the endless yellow sands of the borderlands to a small town with strange customs.

"Hah!"

"This is more exhausting than forging a few broadswords!"

In an elegantly furnished classical room, Li Qing let out a long breath.

This place was called the Eternal Night World. Of course, the name was one Li Qing had chosen himself. Ever since he was ten years old and could see his own lifespan, he had stumbled upon the discovery that, in the dead of night, he could use his will to come to this world of eternal darkness.

But this kind of physical travel was extremely tiring. Every time he did it, it consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

The first time he had crossed over at age ten, he had nearly collapsed from exhaustion. It was only in recent years that this condition had gradually improved.

Now seventeen, he had grown much stronger, but carrying physical objects during the crossing still placed a heavy burden on him.

Through many crossings, Li Qing had already noticed some unusual aspects of the Eternal Night World.

For instance, the flow of time here was different from his original world. Three days in the Eternal Night World passed for only one day in his original world.

This was also why his blacksmithing skills had improved so rapidly—all thanks to tempering and practicing in this world.

"I have nearly a full day to myself. I need to hurry and comprehend the 'Ancient Profound Hammer Technique.'"

Li Qing treasured time. Without taking too many breaths to recover, he opened the "Ancient Profound Hammer Technique" that Master Gu had given him and began to read.

The very first sentence dispelled the doubts in his heart.

"This hammer technique is inherited from the ancient forebear Profound. It is a martial art that simultaneously tempers the body and teaches hammer forms. Later, I, Old Man Gu Tianxing, became a blacksmith and modified this technique, adding methods for forging iron. Being a blacksmith while also strengthening the body—not bad at all."

Seeing this first passage, Li Qing couldn't help but show an excited expression on his face.

As expected!

His master and those officers in the army with astonishing strength had indeed practiced martial arts!

Otherwise, that kind of unattainable power simply couldn't be explained by common sense.

Li Qing still clearly remembered one time when he saw a chiliarch in the army, during a public drill, lift a giant tripod dozens of centimeters off the ground!

His heart had been incredibly shaken back then, but the other soldiers all clapped and cheered.

And now, he had finally obtained a secret martial arts manual!

Thank nature. Ah, no—thank Master Gu for the gift!

With an excited heart, Li Qing began to read this hammer technique, passed down through who knows how many generations.

Contrary to his imagination, the entry point of this martial art was teaching one to stand in a stance—that is, stance training!

"...If a person leaves the ground, they become like duckweed without roots. At the moment of exerting force, both feet must be firmly planted on the earth..."

It had to be said, this hammer technique explained the principles of exerting and borrowing force in great detail, making it very suitable for a beginner like Li Qing.

After about two hours, Li Qing had firmly memorized the basics of this hammer technique.

Then he walked out of the room, casually threw on a cotton coat, and came to the independent courtyard outside. Bathing in the moonlight cast by the crimson moon in the sky, he began to practice his stance.

The air around him was cold—not because it was winter, but because in the Eternal Night World, it was always this frigid.

Li Qing's first attempt at stance training lasted only about fifteen minutes before his legs began to tremble uncontrollably, as if he had just sprinted several kilometers at full force.

Bang!

"Hiss! Standing in this stance while coordinating with the technique's mental method is this exhausting?" Li Qing marveled, wiping the sweat from his forehead, shocked by the difficulty of the entry level.

"Well, it makes sense. Martial arts like this are best practiced from childhood. For someone my age, past that point, I can only slowly grind it out with time."

Fortunately, he wasn't short on time.

After resting a while, Li Qing got up again and began a new round of stance training.

The second time, he lasted nearly twenty minutes before collapsing.

The third time, he lasted nearly thirty minutes.

The fourth time, he couldn't hold on for even five minutes.

It was too tiring!

Li Qing, drenched in sweat, took off the cotton robe and clothes draped over his shoulders, baring his upper body as he slumped down in the courtyard to rest.

The lines of his muscles were razor-sharp, sweat dripping steadily onto the ground.

Though the surrounding temperature was biting cold, he felt warmth spreading through his entire body, with white vapor rising from his skin.

Just as he had rested for a good while and was about to resume practice, a clattering sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"Damn it, Old An, don't be so ungrateful!"

"You sniveling bootlicker, get the hell out! Tell the Yan family, my granddaughter will never marry into their house!" an angry, aged voice rang out.

"Then you and your granddaughter can starve to death. Offend the Yan family and see how you survive in Obsidian City. From now on, don't expect to get a single Black Rye Mushroom!" the shrill, venomous voice shouted back.

Li Qing had no desire to get involved or meddle in others' affairs. He kept his eyes half-closed, breathing and regulating his qi according to the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique.

The Eternal Night World was no peaceful or tranquil place—in fact, it was far more chaotic than Feng Kingdom.

With eternal darkness, scarce food, and a sparse population, empty houses were the norm.

Laws and order were empty talk. Everyone was already pushing themselves to the limit just to avoid starvation; no one would waste even a shred of energy on someone else's problems.

Take the standalone courtyard Li Qing now lived in, for example. It wasn't even his property—just that few people lived on this street.

He had simply moved in without anyone bothering to question it.

Because of this state of affairs, no one paid any attention when Li Qing disappeared for long stretches of time.

Thump thump thump!

Soon, a knock came at the door. Li Qing, who had intended to ignore the outside world, furrowed his brow slightly.

In the end, he decided to answer it.

Creak~

The courtyard door swung open, revealing a scrawny man with a shifty-eyed look.

"Oh! Little Master Li is home. I've knocked several times these past days, and finally I've caught you."

This man was Yan San, one of the Yan family's lackeys. He hadn't originally been named Yan, but after gaining the family's favor, he changed his surname to show loyalty.

"Yan San, if you have something to say, just say it. No need to beat around the bush," Li Qing said calmly.

Only then did Yan San get a clear look at Li Qing's state—bare-chested, steam rising from his body, his muscles solid and robust.

A flicker of wariness passed through his eyes before he switched to a fawning tone. "Little Master Li, the Yan family needs a new batch of farm tools for harvesting Black Rye Mushrooms. Are you available? The pay's the same as before—forge three cutting knives for half a catty of Black Rye Mushrooms!"

Black Rye Mushrooms were a specialty of the Eternal Night World. Ordinary folk basically survived on them.

Li Qing had zero interest in this fungus, which tasted like moldy wheat flour.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "I heard that a few martial arts schools in Obsidian City shut down, and the Yan family used some food to scoop up all their fist and foot techniques. I don't want the Black Rye Mushrooms. Go ask the Yan family if I can borrow those martial arts manuals to read."

This caught Yan San off guard, but then a glint of delight flashed in his eyes.

Who practiced martial arts these days? It wasn't like it could put food on the table.

Those dusty martial arts manuals gathering cobwebs in corners had long lost their value.

Martial artists had huge appetites. Even the Yan family couldn't spare the resources to raise a bunch of thugs. Nowadays, no one actually trained in those fist and foot techniques.

"So Little Master Li is interested in those fist and foot techniques. Leave it to me—I'll make sure to get them for you!" Yan San said cheerfully.

There weren't many blacksmiths left in the city, and Black Rye Mushroom yields were low. Trading useless junk as payment was the best deal possible!

With that, Yan San hurried off down the street.

Standing at the courtyard gate, Li Qing watched him go and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Alas, this wasn't cautious enough. I should have used a more clever, roundabout method to obtain them."

"But the border is about to erupt in war. There's no helping it—emergency measures for an emergency."

Back in the courtyard, Li Qing engaged in some deep self-reflection, analyzing every point of his interaction with Yan San that could be improved.

As a blacksmith in the city, his background wasn't something anyone would bother investigating.

Still, in this era, someone turning down Black Rye Mushrooms in favor of neglected martial arts manuals was bound to make a few people think.

Though it was unlikely anyone would guess his secret of traveling between two worlds, it was still a bit reckless.

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