Cure All Wounds?

"Jiangcheng Martial Arts School."

"Free martial arts, meals, and accommodations."

"Three-Year Simulation, Five-Year College Entrance Exam."

"Most importantly, free upperclassmen, one-on-one instruction, guaranteed to teach you everything."

"Guaranteed job placement after graduation, with damn good benefits."

"Our Kexiang School offers both technology and martial arts."

"You can study mechanical manufacturing and the basics of mecha."

"Lessons taught by professional instructors. Two-Year Simulation, One-Year College Entrance Exam."

"For the best mecha technology, look no further than Kexiang in eastern Jiangcheng."

Staring at the advertisements on his computer, Jiang Changkong was dumbfounded.

Who knew what kind of world he'd ended up in?

A martial arts school that gave away upperclassmen for free? One-on-one instruction?

Guaranteed job placement after graduation?

Three-Year Simulation, Five-Year College Entrance Exam?

Did this world have that, too?

Kexiang, were they sure they taught mecha and not excavator operation?

Jiang Changkong looked at himself in the mirror. The face wasn't exactly handsome, but it bore a few similarities to his own.

His memories were a little hazy. All he knew was that he'd transmigrated.

He had the same name as before.

His parents had died fighting outside the city, and he'd been living off the compensation payments from the Federation.

According to his memories, the areas outside the city were overrun with Star Demons that had crossed over from other worlds.

Everyone could practice martial arts. Those with good aptitude could enter a martial arts school.

Martial arts schools waived tuition. As long as you passed the First-Year Mock Exam, you could continue with the remaining two years of simulation training.

Of course, it wasn't really free.

There was still the Five-Year College Entrance Exam.

For those five years, students had to kill Star Demons for the school. Any they killed belonged to the school.

Kexiang School was more or less the same, though it couldn't quite measure up to the martial arts schools.

It offered a Two-Year Simulation and a One-Year College Entrance Exam, with a focus on technology.

The previous owner of this body had longed to enter a martial arts school, learn martial arts, and kill Star Demons to avenge his parents.

Unfortunately, his parents had died too soon. They hadn't had time to teach him martial arts before they were gone.

Besides, they hadn't been particularly skilled martial artists. They'd only managed to cultivate Star Power, save enough money to buy technological weapons, and then go hunting Star Demons.

The previous owner had had to find martial arts techniques on his own. There were plenty of basic techniques online.

Iron Cloth Shirt, Taiji Fist, Xingyi Fist, and so on. Once you mastered them, you could go a step further and cultivate Star Power.

And once you'd cultivated Star Power, you could enter a martial arts school.

If you couldn't, you'd have to go to Kexiang to learn excavator operation... no, to study mecha.

The previous owner had chosen Iron Cloth Shirt, which required training his ability to withstand blows.

He'd pushed himself day and night. He never managed to master Iron Cloth Shirt; instead, he'd worked himself to death.

"What a screwed-up world."

He rubbed his brow.

He pulled up the Iron Cloth Shirt information on his computer. Besides the ability to withstand blows, breathing rhythm was crucial.

The previous owner had only learned how to take a beating. His breathing had been all over the place, so it was no wonder he'd dropped dead.

He felt his body. It looked fairly sturdy, but that was all it had going for it.

A martial arts school?

Jiang Changkong wasn't confident. He wasn't much stronger than the previous owner.

"Cough, cough..."

He clutched his chest and coughed violently, feeling awful.

His throat turned sweet, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Internal injuries!

That damned previous owner—how hard had he pushed himself?

This body was probably battered from head to toe.

It was only because he'd been cultivating Iron Cloth Shirt that the damage wasn't visible on the outside. Inside, though, his body was riddled with hidden problems.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit: +1

A flash of information suddenly appeared in his mind.

Jiang Changkong froze for a moment, and his vision blurred.

Jiang Changkong: Ordinary Person.

Basic Martial Art: Iron Cloth Shirt: Beginner 10/10

Essence, Qi, and Spirit: 1

(Essence, Qi, and Spirit are the foundation of all things. They can be increased without limit, allowing martial arts to harmonize and merge.

The stronger a living being is, the more abundant its Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Given enough time, the spirit of a dead thing will dissipate.

Only non-dead things can be extracted from. If a living being's level is too low, its Essence, Qi, and Spirit are as good as nonexistent and cannot be extracted.

If a living being's level is too high, its Essence, Qi, and Spirit belong to it and cannot be extracted directly.)

Essence, Qi, and Spirit could be increased without limit?

Jiang Changkong stared blankly at the blood he'd spat out, then looked at the stats in front of him.

Why not give it a try?

He willed it, and the Essence, Qi, and Spirit vanished. A warm current welled up inside him.

It spread through all four limbs and the hundred bones.

A faint sheen appeared on his skin. He gained a little muscle and a little strength.

He felt much better, too. It seemed that improving Iron Cloth Shirt could heal his battered body.

Jiang Changkong: Ordinary Person

Basic Martial Art: Iron Cloth Shirt: Minor Mastery 1/40

Essence, Qi, and Spirit: 0

His body still felt a little weak, but he was much better.

Iron Cloth Shirt had also reached Minor Mastery, a level the previous owner had worked himself to death without ever achieving.

Living things?

Dead things?

Butchers?

In an instant, Jiang Changkong thought of plenty of places where he could obtain Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

As for the claim that stronger beings had more abundant Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he chose to ignore it.

And the part about powerful living beings having Essence, Qi, and Spirit of their own went without saying.

He was still an ordinary person, and Iron Cloth Shirt had only just reached Minor Mastery. He still had internal injuries; he probably couldn't even beat a random adult man off the street.

What he needed to do now was get Essence, Qi, and Spirit and improve Iron Cloth Shirt, healing his body first.

Iron Cloth Shirt had four stages: Beginner, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfected.

By the time he reached Perfected, his body should have mostly recovered.

Beyond Perfected, he could cultivate Star Power and enter a martial arts school.

He wanted Essence, Qi, and Spirit. This world's technology was more advanced than in his previous life. Apart from the homes people lived in, there were surveillance cameras almost everywhere.

He couldn't break the law or commit crimes. That wasn't an option.

That left only legitimate methods: buying it.

He opened his phone and checked his account balance. A little over three thousand Star Yuan.

In half a month, he'd receive another two thousand in compensation. He couldn't afford to eat and drink lavishly, but if he was careful, he could have meat every day.

The compensation payments would stop when he turned eighteen. He was seventeen this year.

Whether for the previous owner's sake or his own, he had to work hard to improve himself.

Phone in hand, Jiang Changkong headed for the market.

The previous owner had lived in an ordinary home, a commoner's house. It was spacious enough, with two bedrooms, a living room, and a small courtyard.

He made his way to the market, where he recognized quite a few faces.

"Little Changkong, what are you looking for?"

Several familiar uncles and aunties greeted him with smiles.

"I'm here to buy some live poultry."

Jiang Changkong answered, then looked toward the meat stalls.

"Little Changkong, you've finally decided to eat meat." The uncles and aunties looked at him with pity.

Jiang Changkong didn't know what to say, so he hurried over to the meat stalls.

The previous owner never ate meat. How was he supposed to train Iron Cloth Shirt if all he did was save money?

There was beef, lamb, pork, and all kinds of poultry.

Some of the meat was frozen, and some was fresh.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit +0.5, +0.1...

Jiang Changkong froze. There was something like this?

Right, some of this beef, lamb, pork, and dog meat was fresh.

Its Essence, Qi, and Spirit hadn't completely dissipated yet!

Essence, Qi, and Spirit: 1. Extract?

A voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

He looked at the large chunk of beef. It had a whole point!

Jiang Changkong hurriedly extracted it.

"Boss, this meat's gone bad," a customer said, pointing at the beef.

"How could that be? I slaughtered it this morning!" The butcher didn't believe him. He sniffed it, and his expression changed. "Sorry about that. I'll throw it out right away. Have a look at something else."

Extracting it made the meat stink?

Jiang Changkong felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly slipped away.

It would be better to just absorb the Essence, Qi, and Spirit dissipating into the air. Extracting it made the meat go bad.

Once all its Essence, Qi, and Spirit had dissipated, that meant it had been dead for a long time.

With frozen meat, only the spirit had dissipated. The essence was still there.

It had to be fresh enough!

He bought a chicken and a fish weighing a little over a pound, then headed home.

The Essence, Qi, and Spirit of a living creature couldn't be extracted directly.

If it was injured, its Essence, Qi, and Spirit would drain away. He could extract them before they vanished completely.

Now that he had a better understanding, he headed back with the chicken and fish.

"Treating all kinds of injuries, with hands-on treatment by martial arts school students."

"Free treatment for injuries. Healed within a minute."

Not long after he left the market, he heard someone hawking nearby.

Jiang Changkong looked toward the person calling out. A young man stood in front of a small storefront.

Yingji Clinic.

Free treatment for all injuries. Treatment in one minute, with no pain.

Could there really be something that good?

The clinic didn't have many customers. The young man was doing his best to attract people, but no one paid him any attention.

Should he give it a try?

An idea took shape in Jiang Changkong's mind. If it worked, he could get Essence, Qi, and Spirit without spending money or breaking the law.

He strode over to the young man. "You treat a hundred kinds of injuries?"

"That's right. As long as it's not a serious injury or one to a vital spot, I can handle it in a minute." The young man nodded.

"For free?"

"For free."

"Can I give it a try?" Jiang Changkong asked.

"You're injured?" The young man eyed him suspiciously. He looked perfectly healthy.

"This is." Jiang Changkong lifted the chicken.

"I treat people, not animals." A soft voice rang out, and a woman in white came out.

"What about a minor injury on a person? What if you can't cure it?"

"There are surveillance cameras here. If I can't cure it, you can sue me," the woman in white said softly.

"Kid, are you here to cause trouble?" The young man's expression darkened. "Watch your step. We're students at a martial arts school."

Jiang Changkong glanced inside, spotted a pair of scissors, and strode over to pick them up.

Squish.

Blood ran down his thigh.

Jiang Changkong: "Now I'm injured."

The two of them: "..."