Crimson

A gloomy room, mottled earthen walls.

A bloody scent permeated the air.

Where is this?

Opening his eyes and looking at his surroundings, Fang Xing could not help but freeze.

"Hiss... why does it hurt so much?"

Before he could even think it through, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from the back of his head.

He reached up to touch it, and crimson liquid appeared on his palm.

Blood!

Was he knocked out by a mugger?

That couldn't be right, could it? Getting mugged just for getting a foot massage?

Kidnapping?

Extortion?

Looking at the blood on his palm and feeling the throbbing pain in the back of his head, Fang Xing's heart skipped a beat.

Just as he was about to stand up, a roar suddenly exploded in his mind, and a massive amount of information flooded in.

It surged into his brain with the force of a torrential flood!

Subconsciously, his body trembled, and he couldn't help but close his eyes.

Great Jing Dynasty, Jiang Province... Qingshan County... Yamen Runner... fugitive.

Fragments of information flashed through his mind like a horse galloping past a flower, and it was a long while before he finally opened his eyes.

"I've transmigrated..."

Looking at the mottled earthen walls, Fang Xing's expression stalled.

After organizing his memories, Fang Xing roughly understood his current situation.

The original owner was an ordinary Yamen Runner in a county of the Great Jing Dynasty, and he had been backstabbed while pursuing a severely wounded fugitive...

This world was similar to the ancient times of his previous life, but this was not an ancient era he recognized!

There was no dynasty called the Great Jing in history.

Furthermore, this Great Jing Dynasty was a dynasty with a thousand-year history!

Having survived for a millennium without falling, although the dynasty was now rife with chaos and showed signs of a crumbling era, it remained a behemoth!

The most important point was that this world contained extraordinary power; there were powerful martial artists, and at the same time, there were demons and ghosts!

"A thousand-year dynasty, martial artists, and demons... this world seems quite dangerous!"

As he sorted through his memories, Fang Xing's heart sank.

In such an extraordinary world, the mortality rate was very high!

And the fact that it was now the chaotic era of the dynasty meant that the mortality rate was skyrocketing!

"Should I... try to see if I can transmigrate back?" Fang Xing looked at the blood-stained wooden club nearby, but after a moment of thought, he abandoned the idea.

Death was not scary, but if he failed to die and ended up half-dead, that would be truly terrifying.

Calming his thoughts, Fang Xing pondered his next steps. If he wanted to survive in this chaotic world, and live well at that!

Then there was only one path!

Become a martial artist and obtain extraordinary power!

This was the only way!

Although his predecessor was a Yamen Runner with an official position, his strength was truly not worth mentioning.

In this world, the authorities valued strength above all else.

Being a martial artist was the path to becoming a person above others.

But this path was not something one could achieve just by wanting it.

His predecessor had practiced some martial arts, but those skills were truly pathetic—nothing more than amateur tricks.

Moreover, without resources, it was impossible to cultivate successfully and become a martial artist!

And one needed talent!

Bone structure, aptitude, comprehension... these were all important factors in determining whether one could become a martial artist!

The original owner's talent was not very good; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up with only these amateur tricks after practicing for a year or two.

He wasn't even a martial artist.

Martial artists in this world held a superior status.

Among the social strata, martial artists were definitely in the top tier.

The more powerful the martial artist, the higher their rank!

However, becoming a martial artist was not that easy.

Ordinary commoners might not become martial artists even after a lifetime of effort.

A lone wolf with no resources and mediocre talent... this combination was truly hard to describe!

"Forget it, stop thinking about it for now. I need to get out of this hellhole first." Regaining his focus, Fang Xing stood up unsteadily.

The back of his head was throbbing with pain, and he needed to treat it first, otherwise, it would be troublesome if it got infected.

Tearing a strip of cloth from his clothes, Fang Xing bandaged it simply, then picked up his saber and walked slowly toward the door.

Just as he reached the entrance, the sunlight from the horizon shone in, and instantly, Fang Xing felt a sharp stinging sensation in his eyes.

"Hiss..."

The stinging pain in his eyes was intense, as if he had been splashed with chili water.

Fang Xing closed his eyes and reached out to lean against the earthen wall, the intense stinging sensation invading his senses, accompanied by a burning heat—hot as if he were being scorched by fire!

After a while, the stinging and burning in his eyes seemed to subside significantly.

Fang Xing slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry at first, but soon, the blurriness vanished, and his vision cleared.

"What's going on? The original owner's eyes seemed fine, didn't they?" Fang Xing was filled with doubt.

Just as he was wondering, a glimmer of crimson light slowly emerged before his eyes.

Soon, a Crimson Panel appeared in his vision.

What is this?!

A golden finger?

A cheat code?!

The Crimson Panel, characters emerged.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: None

Enhancement Level: One Star (0%)

Enhancement Points: Ten!

(Can perform one initial enhancement, randomly enhancing one of your attributes. Do you wish to enhance?!)

???

Crimson... enhancement?!

Looking at the Crimson Panel before him, Fang Xing was stunned.

This is... a cheat?!

He quickly regained his composure.

"There is still an initial enhancement opportunity, to randomly enhance one of my attributes..."

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

"Enhance."

As his thought shifted, crimson light instantly flooded his vision.

On the Crimson Panel, a line of text appeared.

[You have enhanced your comprehension. Enhancement successful. Your comprehension has reached the level of Heavenly Talent.]

Fang Xing: "...?!"

Looking at the Crimson Panel before him, Fang Xing's heart jumped.

Comprehension... can also be enhanced?!

This... is simply absurd!

He had expected it to enhance his physical fitness, strength, spirit, or recovery, but he never imagined it would enhance his comprehension.

Heavenly Talent for comprehension!

That should... be very powerful, right?!

Doesn't that mean becoming a martial artist will be no problem for me?!

Comprehension was one of the talents!

Although it wasn't bone structure or aptitude, with powerful comprehension, even if one's martial arts foundation was mediocre, stepping into the realm of a martial artist should be no problem at all.

If he could become a martial artist, then... he could become a person above others.

Looking at the Crimson Panel, a light rose in Fang Xing's eyes.

With such a panel, would becoming a martial artist still be a problem?!

If even comprehension could be enhanced, what else couldn't be?!

"Enhancement must require Enhancement Points... how do I get those?"

Fang Xing stared at the panel, lost in thought.

He had ten Enhancement Points, which were perhaps a gift.

However, his top priority was to figure out how to enhance things and how to acquire more Enhancement Points.

Fang Xing swept his gaze over a blood-stained wooden club, and a line of text appeared in his eyes.

[A blood-stained, rotten wooden club; requires one Enhancement Point to enhance.]

This works too?!

Looking at the text, Fang Xing glanced back at the blood-stained wooden club.

The text remained unchanged, but a plus sign had appeared on the wooden club!

If a wooden club can be enhanced, then other things... Fang Xing lowered his head and scanned the room, and text appeared once more.

[A blood-stained Yamen Runner uniform; requires one Enhancement Point to enhance.]

Following that, Fang Xing glanced at the saber in his hand.

[An ordinary saber; requires two Enhancement Points to enhance.]

Everything in the room.

As long as it was under his gaze, it would trigger a corresponding prompt.

The items were all very ordinary, each requiring only one Enhancement Point.

Yet, when he looked at his own body, there was no reaction at all.

His palms, his thighs—none of these showed any response.

Aside from myself, there is no issue with anything else. Could it be... that this is related to the enhancement level?!

A thought flashed through Fang Xing's mind, and he reckoned that he was likely close to the truth.

Perhaps once his enhancement level increased, he would be able to enhance himself.

No rush. These Enhancement Points are scarce, so I cannot waste them. Suppressing the urge to test it out, Fang Xing calmed himself down.

Use the best steel on the blade's edge!

He understood the enhancement process now; it would not be too late to enhance things once he knew how to acquire more Enhancement Points.

The Crimson Panel in his eyes vanished.

Just as he was about to walk out into the courtyard, a series of footsteps reached his ears.

At the entrance of the dilapidated earthen courtyard, a figure dressed in a Yamen Runner uniform appeared in his sight.

He looked to be eighteen or nineteen, tall and sturdy.

Xu Le!

Looking at this young Yamen Runner, a name immediately surfaced in Fang Xing's mind.

This young Yamen Runner was his colleague, and they had a good relationship.