The Role of Environment

Time flew by in a blur.

A year and a half passed without incident.

By now, Ling Wuyuan had been in the White Crow Gang for two and a half years.

Mm...

He was already a qualified trainee.

Although he had not learned singing, dancing, or rap during those two and a half years, in another half year he would leave the novice phase and be assigned from the gang training grounds to one of the gang's internal halls or subordinate businesses.

Regarding that matter.

Unlike the somewhat nervous newcomers.

Ling Wuyuan was rather unmoved.

He did not feel much about it.

By this point, he had long possessed enough wealth to live independently.

Thus, financially speaking, he no longer had any dependence on the White Crow Gang.

The reason he had remained here all this time was more because of the environment.

After all, for a mere twelve-year-old brat, living independently was not something that could be accomplished with money alone.

That was especially true in a world where public safety was not so good.

When others saw that a little ghost had enough money to live alone, they would inevitably begin to imagine all sorts of things.

"Did this little brat stash away a fortune?"

"If I kill him, will that money become mine?"

And all kinds of trouble would then begin cropping up one after another.

Therefore.

For the current Ling Wuyuan, although he possessed enough money to cover his own food, clothing, shelter, and travel, many negative factors—many negative factors born from his overly young age—were still rather difficult to resolve for the time being.

That was determined by hard conditions.

And because of that.

The White Crow Gang was still quite a good place for Ling Wuyuan.

Although he had to spend some time dealing with certain matters every day.

In return, this place could provide him with a stable, favorable environment where no one would set their sights on him.

Allowing him to continue growing in silence.

And avoid getting swept into some inexplicable storm.

All of that was extremely, extremely important to Ling Wuyuan, who lacked nothing except a safe environment!

Resources, cultivation techniques, martial skills, weapons, and even talent—he already had them all.

The only thing he needed to do was grow in peace.

Cultivate step by step, then become stronger. That was the most important thing he needed to do.

After all, he did not have some mortal enemy desperately chasing after him.

There was absolutely no need for him to take all kinds of risks, much less leave his comfort zone for no reason and roam the martial world while he was still incomparably weak.

That was not courage. It was simply asking for trouble...

At this moment.

Ling Wuyuan stood atop a small hill, gazing at the people in the distance who were putting up lanterns and decorations. There was not much emotion in his heart.

The only feeling he had was calm.

Having long grown accustomed to being alone.

It was difficult for him to empathize with others, or rather, he was rarely affected by the scenes around him.

Not far from him, most of the other newcomers were conversing with one another.

Compared with him, who felt nothing much about the event.

The other newcomers were largely brimming with enthusiasm for the Gang Competition held within the gang once every three years.

Each of them was curious about what experts they might see in this Gang Competition, and whether they could take the opportunity to broaden their horizons.

Before long.

As two horse-drawn carts loaded with goods arrived nearby, someone immediately shouted, "Come move the supplies!"

A chorus of replies followed.

"Alright, right away!"

"Coming..."

Unlike the official members who had a chance to participate in the Gang Competition.

Newcomers like Ling Wuyuan, who had yet to leave the training grounds, were only responsible for odd jobs and watching the spectacle during this event.

Since they had not even reached the [Body Tempering Realm], the gang's older members did not expect them to go onstage and show off any skills.

A few minutes later.

Carrying various wines and ingredients estimated to weigh more than three hundred jin on his back.

Ling Wuyuan silently followed the other newcomers toward White Crow Mountain's main peak.

Although the goods were not too heavy, when they thought of how the gang's main peak was over three thousand meters tall, quite a few people sighed as they walked.

"Just thinking about it makes me tired. This feels worse than continuing our daily training..."

As some people muttered their complaints.

Others gazed longingly at the official members striding up the mountain road as though flying.

Along the way.

They would occasionally see people who covered seven or eight meters in a single step, going up and down the mountain as easily as eating and drinking.

Looking at those people's carefree and graceful bearing.

It was impossible for the many newcomers who felt like mere laborers not to envy them.

Thus, before long, a newcomer could be heard encouraging himself.

"Next year."

"Within next year, I should be able to enter the [Body Tempering Realm]."

"By then, I'll definitely be as carefree as them..."

However, the companion beside him immediately shook his head disdainfully.

"Oh, give it a rest..."

"Are you some kind of genius?"

"I remember that during your last assessment, your single-arm strength was only a little over six hundred jin. You're still more than three hundred jin short of the lower limit for the [Body Tempering Realm], and you want to enter the [Body Tempering Realm] next year?"

"If you can succeed within three years, your talent will already count as quite good."

The results brought by conventional training methods were ultimately quite limited.

That was determined by an individual lifeform's innate talent.

If everyone could improve every day when they first began training, then once their Physical Fitness reached a certain level, the effort and cost required to improve further would multiply again and again.

That was normal both in Ling Wuyuan's previous life and in this world.

As for the gang's newcomers present here, although they possessed cultivation methods, once their Physical Fitness reached a certain level, every further step remained fraught with immense difficulty.

Generally speaking, once one's single-arm strength reached three hundred jin, the growth of one's Physical Fitness would become increasingly slow, while the effects of ordinary training methods would grow smaller and smaller.

To become stronger faster, one could only devote most of one's efforts to circulating Qi and Blood.

Facing the doubts, the person who had spoken earlier merely replied with full confidence.

"An increase of a little over three hundred jin in arm strength."

"Is that even a problem?"

"Let me tell you, recently, my control over the Qi and Blood inside my body has been getting better and better. My cultivation technique is circulating faster and faster. Every night, I can circulate my cultivation technique once before going to sleep, while usually ensuring four hours of sleep each day."

Hearing that.

His companion was immediately startled.

"Wow, you're working that hard?"

By the time everyone finished their daily intensive training, it was basically already six or seven in the evening.

And circulating a cultivation technique once often required seven or eight hours of focused effort.

Even without counting dinner, by the time everything was done, it would be two or three in the morning.

Then they still had to get up around seven the next morning to prepare for another round of high-intensity physical training...

That was truly a schedule packed to the brim!

Even being imprisoned as a laborer to mine ore might not be this exhausting.

"Of course. If I want to climb higher, how can I fear hardship..."

Listening to their conversation.

Feeling the other party's determination to climb upward.

Ling Wuyuan slowly let out a sigh.

Even someone with such mediocre talent worked this hard.

What reason did he have not to work hard?

Thus.

He also slightly increased the circulation speed of the Qi and Blood within his body, which could already operate around the clock.

At present, because he had to divide his attention between circulating the [Iron Statue Body Tempering Technique] and the [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] while also handling other matters, his cultivation efficiency was roughly one cycle of the [Iron Statue Body Tempering Technique] every five hours and one cycle of the [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] every four hours.

To be honest.

Circulating two cultivation techniques at once was truly not an easy matter.

Because the circulation patterns of their Qi and Blood sometimes overlapped.

Interference between them was inevitably formed.