I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart

As the system sound rang out, a rather simple game interface appeared before Zhu Youning's eyes.

Emblazoned at the top were seven large characters: I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart!

On the left was the item and martial arts exchange list, while in the center were the available adventure dungeons; perhaps due to the mutations occurring in this different world, the adventure dungeons were completely non-functional.

On the right was Zhu Youning's personal information panel.

[Zhu Youning]

[Realm: Great Star Realm]

[Martial Arts: Tiger Roar Art, Dragon-Snake Spear Technique]

[Currently Auto-Cultivating Martial Art: None]

[Tiger Roar Art: An internal cultivation method distilled from the essence of various Central Plains sects, with fierce and powerful energy. Trait: Fierce True Qi]

[Dragon-Snake Spear Technique: A spear technique derived from Zhu Youning's battlefield drills, with sharp and swift moves. Trait: Swiftness]

[Talents: Battle-Hardened, Born Savage]

[Current Status: Severely Injured]

[Items: None]

[Current Cultivation Wave Count: 0]

Looking at the attribute list before him, Zhu Youning was pleasantly surprised.

That's right, this system was a mutation of a game Zhu Youning had played in his previous life.

I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart was originally a small idle game.

Its core gameplay had only one focus: practicing martial arts.

As an idle game, practicing was naturally done automatically.

Becoming a system did not change that.

Familiar with the ropes, Zhu Youning immediately began operating the system.

[Ding, your martial art: Tiger Roar Art has begun auto-cultivation. It is expected to complete in twenty-four hours, granting one Cultivation Wave. During this period, you can accelerate the cultivation process by consuming rare treasures!]

[Ding, your martial art: Dragon-Snake Spear Technique has begun auto-cultivation. It is expected to complete in twenty-four hours, granting one Cultivation Wave. During this period, you can accelerate the cultivation process by consuming rare treasures!]

[You can simultaneously activate auto-cultivation for four martial arts.]

"As expected, although the main interface has changed slightly, the cultivation mechanism is exactly the same as in the game."

Seeing the system prompts, Zhu Youning smiled knowingly.

If nothing went wrong, at this time tomorrow, he would obtain one Cultivation Wave.

Cultivation Waves were a currency obtained by completing auto-cultivation, which could be used to exchange for various items and martial arts within the game.

It could be said that this game didn't require much grinding to obtain various rewards. After all, it was a casual idle game, and its primary users were casual players.

In short, as long as Zhu Youning could keep his life and make full use of this system, he would grow stronger the longer he survived; becoming invincible under the heavens was not out of the question.

But right now, his strength was somewhat weak.

In particular, the injuries from his fall from a horse had yet to heal, severely affecting his mobility. Any slightly strenuous movement caused his body intense pain.

Therefore, his top priority was to recover.

Afternoon.

While resting, Zhu Youning was informed by a servant that an uninvited guest had arrived at the manor.

Leading the group was an old woman who appeared quite aged.

This old woman was Meng Po, who stood beneath one person but above ten thousand in the Xuanming Cult, the official assassination organization of the Liang State.

Do not be fooled by Meng Po's aged face and harmless appearance; her martial arts were unfathomable. Otherwise, she could never have attained the position of Meng Po in the Xuanming Cult.

"So it is Elder Meng Po."

Seeing Meng Po, Zhu Youning was somewhat surprised, but his tone remained calm and composed.

Zhu Youning looked toward Meng Po, and an information panel immediately appeared before him.

[Meng Po (Shi Yao)]

[Realm: ???]

[Martial Arts: ??, ???, ??]

[Talents: ???, ???]

[Items: ???, ???]

Looking at the displayed information, Zhu Youning was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected the information viewing function to still exist. This function, of course, came from the game I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart. Its only drawback was that it could not view the information of characters whose realm was higher than his own or those who had not yet taken action.

These two conditions were linked by a logical AND; only when both conditions were met could a character's information be truly discerned.

Take Meng Po before him, for instance; her cultivation realm far exceeds that of Zhu Youning. Furthermore, the two have never truly crossed blades, which is why all Zhu Youning receives is a string of question marks.

In short, this scouting function is of little use—better than nothing, perhaps. After all, in I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart, this feature is primarily intended for gathering information on various dungeon NPCs to flesh out the bestiary.

At this moment, Meng Po has already arrived before Zhu Youning.

"This old woman pays her respects to Prince An."

As soon as she entered the room, she bowed low toward Zhu Youning. As a prince of the Great Liang, Zhu Youning holds a noble status and is naturally entitled to such honors.

No matter how high Meng Po's position within the Xuanming Cult may be, she is, at the end of the day, merely the leader of an assassination organization.

Yet, Zhu Youning would never underestimate her.

This woman is no simple character!

"Elder Meng Po, please, no need for formalities."

Zhu Youning made to rise, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Evidently, the sudden movement had aggravated his wounds.

"Prince An, there is no need to rise. This old woman has come under the Emperor's orders to check on your injuries and seek a path to recovery."

Zhu Youning could not tell if these words were true or false, so he could only say, "I have troubled you, Meng Po."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Meng Po's figure flickered with lightning speed, and in the next instant, she was right in front of him.

She then placed a hand upon his wrist.

Zhu Youning felt a touch of nervousness, fearing that Meng Po might suddenly launch an attack, but the event he dreaded did not come to pass.

After a long while, Meng Po let out a sigh.

"Your Highness's injuries are severe and require rest, but..."

"But what?" Zhu Youning asked, feigning an urgent tone.

Meng Po hesitated, but eventually said, "It is just that your injuries have shaken your very foundation. Even if you recover, you should avoid strenuous activity in the future."

"Are you saying that this Prince will find it difficult to return to the battlefield?!" Zhu Youning slammed his fist heavily onto the table.

Table HP -1!

He did this intentionally, putting on a show for Meng Po.

The reason was simple: to feign weakness before the enemy.

Though Meng Po appears loyal to the Great Liang dynasty and serves as the second-in-command of its assassination organization, the Xuanming Cult, she possesses another secret identity.

She is Shi Yao, the Tianyou Star among the Thirty-Six Tiangang Captains of the Buliangren.

She is, in fact, a mole planted by the Buliang Commander within the Xuanming Cult, and thus an enemy of the Great Liang dynasty.

Naturally, Zhu Youning must treat an enemy with caution.

"Your Highness, do not be discouraged; you must maintain a calm heart," Meng Po said, showing no surprise at Zhu Youning's attitude.

One must realize that Zhu Youning is the Commander of the Left and Right Longxiang Army, holding command over one of the Great Liang's six armies and tens of thousands of troops. He was once a man of awe-inspiring might who conquered all he faced. To suddenly become a sickly invalid with no strength to truss a chicken—how could he not be agitated?

Thus, she spoke in a grave and earnest tone, "This old woman will certainly seek out fine medicine and do her utmost to assist Your Highness."

Zhu Youning sighed and finally cupped his hands, saying, "Then this Prince thanks you, Elder Meng Po."

"Serving Your Highness is this old woman's honor."

Meng Po shook her head modestly, then added, seemingly offhandedly yet with clear intent, "As the only surviving bloodline of Prince Lang's lineage, Your Highness must take care of your health!"

Prince Lang refers to Zhu Cun, the biological father of this body. Zhu Cun and Zhu Youning's brother, Zhu Youlun, have both perished—Zhu Youlun having been killed at the hands of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang.

Hearing this, Zhu Youning felt there was more to her words than met the ear. Combined with her true identity, it stirred an inexplicable sense of crisis within him.