The First Cultivation

While Zhao Ping'an was carefully reading the Body Tempering Art, Zheng Hetong had already left.

Of course, he hadn't gone far. He was teaching Zhao Ping'an's senior brothers and sisters a little way off.

Zhao Ping'an was practically bursting with excitement. With the Game Panel backing him, his possibilities were limitless.

But as an adult—an adult who'd been cheated on—Zhao Ping'an knew better than to flaunt his wealth. Laying low was the way to go.

Right now, he was still just a little kid who couldn't even fight off a chicken.

If Zhao Ping'an followed the methods recorded in the Body Tempering Art, it would take him at least three years to master it. And that was assuming he was a once-in-a-generation genius.

If he had only average aptitude, he'd be lucky to master it before he turned eighteen.

But with the method simplified by the panel, he figured he could master the Body Tempering Art in six months at most.

"Ping'an, time to eat! Spend the afternoon getting more familiar with the Body Tempering Art. I've also prepared some medicinal herbs for you. Tomorrow morning, I'll personally guide you as you begin your cultivation!"

Zhao Ping'an had been grinning foolishly when he suddenly heard his master's voice. He quickly wiped the smile from his face and stood up.

By now, Zheng Hetong and his three disciples had finished their morning cultivation and were striding toward Zhao Ping'an.

"Yes, Master!"

"Little Junior Brother, keep it up! Try to surpass your Fourth Senior Disciple Brother. Your senior sister believes in you!"

Third Senior Sister Mu Yunmeng came up and patted Zhao Ping'an on the shoulder, raising her right fist in encouragement.

"Keep it up!"

"Keep it up!"

Second Senior Disciple Brother Cui Kang'an and Fourth Senior Disciple Brother Liu Zhe each patted Zhao Ping'an on the shoulder in the same way as they passed by.

"Uh..."

Zhao Ping'an wore a helpless expression.

In truth, Master Zheng Hetong had checked his aptitude many times already. He was an utterly ordinary person, not some once-in-a-generation genius.

His looks were a little above average, too. He wasn't handsome, just easy on the eyes.

But Fourth Senior Disciple Brother Liu Zhe was one of the Blazing Blade Sect's most celebrated geniuses, and he was handsome to boot—the dream lover of countless young ladies from wealthy families.

If Zhao Ping'an hadn't awakened his cheat, the gap between them would only have grown wider.

He'd heard that when Liu Zhe first joined the sect, several elders had fought tooth and nail to take him as a disciple. In the end, Liu Zhe had chosen to join Zheng Hetong's lineage.

So Zhao Ping'an knew his senior brothers and sisters were only teasing him. They didn't really think he could surpass Fourth Senior Disciple Brother Liu Zhe. They just wanted to keep him from feeling pressured when he practiced martial arts.

But with the Game Panel on his side, Zhao Ping'an would make their teasing come true one day—and that day wouldn't be far off.

Feather Mountain was divided into five levels. The uppermost level was the three hundred meters around the summit. No one lived there; it was covered in dense brush.

The second level was where the sect master and his personal disciples lived, roughly between eight hundred and a thousand meters up Feather Mountain.

The third level was where the four great elders lived, each in a different direction—north, south, east, and west. Apart from a circular mountain road cut by human hands, most of the area was covered by dense woods. It lay roughly between five hundred and eight hundred meters up.

The four great elders were also responsible for keeping enemies from reaching the summit.

The fourth level, roughly between two hundred and five hundred meters up, was where the stewards lived. They were all gathered along the sides of the only mountain road, since every other side was sheer cliff face, stretching from the foot of the mountain to halfway up its slopes.

The fifth and lowest level held the council hall, the enforcement hall, the battle hall, the supplies hall, and the external affairs hall. These institutions were located at the foot of the mountain.

Zhao Ping'an and his senior brothers and sisters, along with Master and Mistress, all lived in a residence half embedded in Feather Mountain's western slope. The disciples lived on the west side, while Master and Mistress lived on the east, closer to the mountainside.

Between them was a courtyard of about five hundred square meters, roughly twenty-five meters from north to south and twenty meters from east to west. A three-meter-wide path paved with bluestone ran through its center, with all sorts of rare flowers and trees planted on either side.

Mistress Zhao Xiuyun and a few servants tended them every day. It was one of her greatest hobbies.

The courtyard had no walls. Instead, it was completely surrounded by woods.

After lunch, Zhao Ping'an didn't return to the Training Ground. He went to an open patch in the woods behind his room and stood there.

The spot was where Senior Disciple Brother had practiced martial arts in the past. Ever since he broke through to the Martial Practitioner Realm and left the mountain, no one had visited it in ages. Weeds had long since overrun the place.

The other senior brothers and sisters preferred practicing at the level Training Ground.

Zhao Ping'an wanted to test whether the Game Panel was telling the truth.

"Let's begin!"

A hundred jumping jacks might seem like a lot at first, but as his cultivation grew, they would surely become easier and easier.

In the quiet forest, apart from the occasional rush of wind and birdsong, a third sound soon rang out.

"Smack, thump! Smack, thump! Smack, thump!..."

A steady rhythm of sounds echoed through the woods: Zhao Ping'an's palms clapping together and his feet striking the ground.

One, five, ten...

"Huff! Huff! Huff!..."

About two minutes later, Zhao Ping'an stopped doing jumping jacks and leaned forward, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

Sure enough, the number beside Body Tempering Art on his panel had changed.

[Body Tempering Art (Unranked): 1/100 (Not yet initiated, simplified), 100 jumping jacks increase proficiency by one point]

"It really went up! But ten thousand jumping jacks... this is so hard!"

After catching his breath, Zhao Ping'an couldn't help cursing himself for designing the requirement as a hundred instead of ten!

But what was done was done. This was still countless times faster than practicing the complicated movements recorded in the Body Tempering Art.

After resting for more than ten minutes, Zhao Ping'an continued working toward his ten thousand jumping jacks.

Time flew by. The first set of a hundred jumping jacks had taken about two minutes; by the later sets, each hundred took a full five minutes.

All told, Zhao Ping'an managed thirteen sets. Now he couldn't do a single jump more.

Zhao Ping'an lay sprawled on the weeds, limbs stretched out like the character for "great," gazing at the sun sinking in the distance. He didn't want to move a muscle.

He was freaking exhausted!

His arms and legs felt like they no longer belonged to him, trembling uncontrollably.

He lay there for more than half an hour. Only when dew began to bead on the weeds did Zhao Ping'an slowly get to his feet and head back to his room.

He was thirsty, exhausted, and hungry—he felt worse than if someone had beaten him up. But the pain came with a thrill, too.

Because:

[Body Tempering Art (Unranked): 13/100 (Not yet initiated, simplified), 100 jumping jacks increase proficiency by one point]

At most, he needed another week to initiate the Body Tempering Art and reach the first level.

He dragged his exhausted body back to his modest room. It was about twenty square meters, with only a bed, a table, two stools, and a cabinet. The rest of the room was bare and empty.

Zhao Ping'an picked up the kettle on the table and drank several cups of water. Then he flopped straight onto the soft bed, unwilling to move even a finger.

When the sun had completely vanished below the horizon...

"Ping'an, Ping'an! Come out and eat!"

A gentle woman's voice called from outside his room.

"Coming, Mistress!"

The visitor was Zhao Ping'an's Mistress, Zhao Xiuyun. She was a well-bred young lady; people said her father was the biggest cloth merchant in South Ridge City. As for why she had married Zheng Hetong, no one knew.

All they knew was that she hadn't been home in a long time because of it. Clearly, things between her and her family had ended badly.

After a lavish dinner, Zhao Ping'an said goodbye to Master and Mistress, then went straight back to his room and collapsed into bed.

He had to get up early tomorrow morning!