A Month's Time

Time slowly passed.

Every morning, Chen Xuan went up the mountain to hunt. Relying on the bug-like abilities of his Conceptual Ability, although he sometimes could not bring back food every time for the sake of safety, he could still bring back one or two prey animals every day or two.

Especially as his skin refinement continued and his strength gradually increased, the prey he could bring back also grew larger.

At first, he could only bring back Mountain Chickens, sparrows, and at most Bamboo Rats. Later on, however, he could even bring back larger prey such as sika deer and Mountain Goats.

With these animals added to their meals, Chen Xuan's family life steadily improved.

Zhang Chunhua no longer insisted on gathering wild vegetables. Instead, she gathered firewood for Chen Xuan and prepared and boiled the medicinal baths.

Under such circumstances, a month gradually passed.

When the final barrel of medicinal bathwater gradually changed from milky white to transparent, Chen Xuan knew that Lotus Flower had been completely used up.

He rose and put on his clothes.

By now, his body was undoubtedly much sturdier than it had been at the beginning.

Originally fourteen years old, he had looked only eight or nine because of long-term malnutrition.

But over the past few months, with enough meat at every meal, his body had fully grown into itself. He was a head taller than he had been three months ago and truly looked around fourteen years old now. At the same time, his complexion had become exceedingly rosy.

Of course, the greatest changes were not on the outside, but within.

Compared to three months ago, his strength had increased by nearly three times or more. His skin was now as tough as cowhide; even a sharp arrow could only leave a faint white mark when scraped across it.

Without any surprises, he had now completed skin refinement.

He had also truly set foot upon the Martial Path Road.

"Skin Refinement!"

"I wonder what comes next on the Martial Path Road?"

His soft murmur drifted out. Beneath the sky full of stars, Chen Xuan felt a trace of anticipation in his heart.

With the system, and knowing that this world possessed supernatural power, Chen Xuan's sights naturally could not stop at skin refinement. Although the Skin Refining Realm was already enough to let his village live in prosperity, it was still not enough.

His heart stirred slightly.

The next moment, words flickered into view once more.

Objective: Obtain a cultivation method beyond Martial Arts Skin Refinement (Pending Confirmation)

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"Path One: Three hundred li outside Green Mountain City lies a Blood Demon Sect outpost. Reach the Blood Demon Sect, pass the Blood Demon Sect trial, and successfully join the Blood Demon Sect. Temper the body through blood refinement; survive for six months, and successfully enter the martial artist's Blood Refining Realm."

"Path Two: Join the Overlord Blade Martial Hall, earn the favor of the Overlord Blade Hall Master, and obtain secret medicine to enter the martial artist's Blood Refining Realm."

"Path Three: Join Fierce Mountain Hall, render great merit, and receive Blood Refining secret medicine from Fierce Mountain Hall to step into the martial artist's Blood Refining Realm."

New words appeared.

"Blood Refinement!"

Muttering to himself as he looked at those words, Chen Xuan finally understood what realm lay beyond the Skin Refining Realm.

—Blood Refinement.

But clearly, reaching the Blood Refining Realm was far more difficult than reaching the Skin Refining Realm.

Of the three paths, he could not safely complete a single one.

There was no need to mention the first. He had not dared to try it even when it had only required surviving for three months, much less now that it required a year.

As for the second and third paths, they were equally difficult.

Whether it was the secret medicine of the Overlord Blade Martial Hall or that of Fierce Mountain Hall, anyone could tell with their toes that neither would be easy to obtain.

Not to mention that he currently had no plans to go to Green Mountain City.

Even though the city would certainly be safer.

And he would certainly enter the city someday.

But not now.

The reason was simple.

He had no money.

He remembered his father, Chen San Shan, saying that every commoner entering Green Mountain City had to pay an entrance fee of one hundred copper coins. Green Mountain City also enforced a curfew. If one could not stay in the city, one had to leave before nightfall. And to stay in Green Mountain City, one at least needed money for an inn—or even to buy a house.

All of that required money. Their family did not have a single coin right now. Even though they had hunted quite a lot these past days, it was still not enough to head to Green Mountain City.

In his plan, they would wait until this winter had passed. The prey they hunted would not spoil because of the weather, and once they had stored up enough game, he would take the game, his mother, and his younger brother into the city to buy a small house and live there. It was clearly still not enough yet.

Shaking his head, he looked toward his Conceptual Ability again.

At that moment, his thoughts changed once more.

Objective: Enter the Blood Refining Realm within the village (Pending Confirmation)

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"Path One: In three days, a Blood Refining Manual will be for sale at the Black Market of Green Mountain City. Bring one hundred taels of silver to the Black Market of Green Mountain City, purchase it, and return. In the back mountain dwell fierce Tiger and Leopard beasts. Hunt one tiger and one leopard every three days. Boil Tiger Gallbladder, Leopard Heart, Thirty-Year Ginseng, and Thirty-Year Lingzhi in three buckets of water until only one bucket remains. Soak once every three days and cultivate with the Blood Refining Manual. The Blood Refining Realm can be completed in three years."

The words appeared, and Chen Xuan could not help shaking his head as he looked at them.

Clearly, his hopes had fallen through.

Although the Conceptual Ability was incredibly bug-like, the lower his foundation was and the higher the objective he set, the more difficult the resulting path to completion would be.

It was indeed possible to complete the Blood Refining Realm within the village. But gathering one hundred taels of silver within three days, buying a Blood Refining Manual at the Black Market, then going to the back mountain every three days to hunt Tigers and Leopards and obtain Thirty-Year Ginseng and Thirty-Year Lingzhi—every single part was exceedingly difficult.

With his current scrawny arms and legs, the chance of achieving it was not quite zero, but close enough.

"Looks like I still need to enter the city as soon as possible!"

He spoke softly. Beneath the stars, Chen Xuan could not help looking into the distance.

At this moment, his original plan began to waver slightly.

What he had imagined before had been beautiful.

But would things truly unfold as he imagined?

The terror in the river, the Giant Python and monsters in the mountains—these were all deadly dangers within the village.

Added to that was his martial arts cultivation. Although he did not know when martial arts cultivation would begin, it was clear that now that he had started, he could not stop. Otherwise, one step behind meant falling behind at every step.

That was something Chen Xuan absolutely could not accept.

He shook his head.

Chen Xuan temporarily suppressed those thoughts.

He tidied up the mess before him, then returned to the room.

Entering the city—although the thought had already arisen and his plans had changed, Chen Xuan also knew that it was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

The problems that had existed before still existed now. They would not change merely because his thoughts had changed.

The night gradually passed.

Stars dotted the Azure Sky above as Chen Xuan gradually fell asleep.