Crimson

A dim room, its earthen walls mottled and worn.

The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Where was this?

Fang Xing opened his eyes and looked around. He couldn't help freezing.

"Ugh... Why does it hurt so much?"

Before he could make sense of anything, a sudden, searing pain flared at the back of his head.

He reached back and felt something. A dark-red liquid stained his palm.

Blood!

Had someone clobbered him from behind?

Seriously? He'd just gotten his feet washed, and now someone had clobbered him?

Kidnapping?

Extortion?

Staring at the blood on his palm and feeling the ache at the back of his head, Fang Xing's heart gave a sudden lurch.

He was about to stand when a boom suddenly erupted in his mind, and a flood of information poured in.

It surged into his consciousness like a raging torrent!

His body shuddered on instinct, and his eyes closed of their own accord.

Great Jing, Jiang Province... Qingshan County... constable... fugitive.

Fragments of information flashed through his mind, one after another, like scenes from a lantern show. After a long while, he finally opened his eyes.

"I transmigrated..."

Fang Xing stared at the mottled earthen walls, his expression frozen.

After sorting through the memories, he more or less understood his current predicament.

His predecessor had been an ordinary constable in a county town in the Great Jing Dynasty. While pursuing a badly wounded fugitive, he'd been ambushed...

This world resembled the ancient world of his past life, but it wasn't the ancient world he knew!

There had never been a dynasty called Great Jing in history.

And there was one more thing: the Great Jing Dynasty had a history of a thousand years!

It had endured for a millennium. Though turmoil now wracked the dynasty and it showed signs of descending into chaos, it remained a colossal power!

Most importantly, extraordinary powers existed in this world. There were mighty martial artists—and demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits!

"A thousand-year dynasty, martial artists and demons... This world looks incredibly dangerous!"

After piecing together the memories, Fang Xing's heart sank.

In a supernatural world like this, the death rate was high!

And he had arrived in the middle of a dynasty on the brink of chaos, sending that death rate through the roof!

"Maybe... I should try to see if I can go back?" Fang Xing looked at the bloodstained wooden club nearby. After a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea.

Dying wasn't scary. But failing to die and ending up half-dead? That was terrifying.

Once he'd calmed down, Fang Xing considered what to do next. He had to survive in this chaotic world—and he wanted to live well!

That left him with only one path!

Become a martial artist and gain extraordinary power!

It was the only way!

His predecessor had been a constable with an official position, but his strength was truly nothing to write home about.

In this world, the authorities valued strength above all.

Becoming a martial artist was one way to rise above the common lot.

But it wasn't something you could achieve just by wanting it.

His predecessor had practiced some martial arts, but his skills were pitiful—barely more than a few clumsy tricks.

And without resources, there was no chance of training enough to become a martial artist!

On top of that, he needed talent!

Bone structure, aptitude, comprehension... These were all crucial factors in determining whether someone could become a martial artist!

His predecessor's talent hadn't been very good. Otherwise, after a year or so of training, he wouldn't have been stuck with such a few clumsy tricks.

He wasn't even a martial artist.

Martial artists in this world enjoyed a status above ordinary people.

There were different ranks and stations, and martial artists were unquestionably among the elite.

The stronger the martial artist, the higher their rank!

Still, becoming one was no easy feat.

The common folk could spend their whole lives trying and never become martial artists.

A lone man with no resources and no talent... That was a poor hand to be dealt!

"Forget it. I'll leave this wretched place first." Coming back to himself, Fang Xing staggered to his feet.

Pain pulsed at the back of his head. He needed to tend to it first, or an infection could become a real problem.

He tore a strip of cloth from his clothes and tied it around the wound. Then he picked up his saber and slowly headed for the door.

As soon as he reached it, sunlight from the horizon fell across his face. In an instant, a stabbing pain shot through his eyes.

"Ugh..."

The pain in his eyes was intense, as if they'd been dipped in chili water.

Eyes squeezed shut, Fang Xing reached out and leaned against the earthen wall. The sharp pain overwhelmed him, accompanied by a searing heat, as if his eyes were on fire!

After a while, the stabbing heat in his eyes seemed to ease.

Fang Xing slowly opened his eyes. Everything in front of him was blurry, but the haze soon cleared, and his vision returned to normal.

"What happened? There wasn't anything wrong with my predecessor's eyes, was there?" Fang Xing was bewildered.

As he wondered about it, a glimmer of crimson slowly appeared before him.

Soon, a Crimson Panel appeared in his field of vision.

What was this?!

A cheat?

A golden finger?!

The Crimson Panel. Lines of text appeared.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: None

Enhancement Level: One Star (0%)

Enhancement Points: Ten!

(You may perform one initial enhancement, randomly enhancing one of your attributes. Enhance?)

???

Crimson... Enhancement?!

Fang Xing stared at the Crimson Panel, stunned.

Was this... a cheat?!

He quickly came back to himself.

"I still have one chance at an initial enhancement, which will randomly improve one of my attributes..."

Looking at the final prompt on the Crimson Panel, Fang Xing quickly understood.

"Enhance."

The moment he thought it, crimson light flooded his eyes.

A line of text appeared on the Crimson Panel.

[You enhanced your comprehension. Enhancement successful. Your comprehension has reached the level of a heaven-blessed genius.]

Fang Xing: "...?!"

Staring at the Crimson Panel, Fang Xing's heart skipped a beat.

Comprehension... could be enhanced too?!

This... was absurd!

He'd thought it would enhance his physical attributes, strength, spirit, or perhaps his body's ability to recover. He'd never imagined it would enhance his comprehension.

Comprehension at the level of a heaven-blessed genius!

That had to be... pretty impressive, right?!

Wouldn't that mean becoming a martial artist was no problem for him now?!

Comprehension was one kind of talent!

It wasn't the same as bone structure or aptitude, but with extraordinary comprehension, even someone with mediocre martial arts potential should have no trouble becoming a martial artist.

And if he could become a martial artist, he could rise above the common lot.

Looking at the Crimson Panel, Fang Xing's eyes lit up.

With a panel like this, becoming a martial artist wouldn't be a problem, would it?

If it could enhance his comprehension, what couldn't it enhance?!

"Enhancement must require Enhancement Points... How do I get more?"

Fang Xing looked at the panel, deep in thought.

He had ten Enhancement Points, which might have been a gift.

But first, he needed to figure out how enhancement worked and how to get more Enhancement Points.

Fang Xing's gaze swept toward the bloodstained wooden club. A line of text appeared in his vision.

[A bloodstained, rotten wooden club. Enhancement cost: one Enhancement Point.]

"That works too?!"

Fang Xing looked at the text, then at the bloodstained wooden club.

The text stayed the same, but a plus sign had appeared on the club!

"If the club can be enhanced, what about other things..." Fang Xing looked down. More text appeared.

[A bloodstained constable's uniform. Enhancement cost: one Enhancement Point.]

Then he glanced at the saber in his hand.

[An ordinary saber. Enhancement cost: two Enhancement Points.]

Everything in the room.

As long as he looked at it, a corresponding prompt appeared.

The items were all ordinary, and each required just one Enhancement Point.

But when he looked at his own body, nothing happened.

His palm, his thigh—none of them showed any reaction.

"Everything else works, but not me. Could this... be related to my Enhancement Level?!"

A thought flashed through Fang Xing's mind. He figured that was probably it.

Perhaps once his Enhancement Level increased, he would be able to enhance himself.

"No rush. I don't have many Enhancement Points, so I can't waste them." Fang Xing tamped down the urge to try it and steadied himself.

The best steel should be used on the blade!

He understood how enhancement worked. There was no harm in waiting until he knew how to get more Enhancement Points.

The crimson panel in his eyes then disappeared.

He was about to head out into the courtyard when he heard footsteps.

A figure in a constable's uniform appeared at the entrance to the dilapidated earthen courtyard.

He looked eighteen or nineteen, tall and burly.

Xu Le!

The moment Fang Xing saw the young constable, a name surfaced in his mind.

This young constable was his colleague, and they got along well.