As the light entered his body, Wu Yu felt a wonderfully soothing coolness.
Soaking in the warm water, he felt as though he were caught between ice and fire!
"This feels pretty good..."
Wu Yu muttered to himself.
Suddenly!
Countless memories surfaced in his mind, dreamlike and illusory, both real and unreal.
In an instant, Wu Yu seemed to fall into a dream.
In the dream, he practiced the "Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber" relentlessly. The master of the Evil Tiger Stronghold had developed this saber art by observing the Mountain Lord day and night and combining those insights with the transcendent saber art he had inherited!
It included an essence refinement method, [Tiger Roar Saber], which had only one move. Yet every slash carried a tiger's roar that shook the mind. At most, it could deliver eight slashes and eight tiger roars, even affecting the physical world and shattering a person's body.
There was also a spirit refinement method, [Tiger Roar], which consumed vitality to unleash the Mountain Lord's furious roar!
By the time he came back to his senses, the water in the large wooden tub had grown a little cool.
Wu Yu exhaled, feeling strength coursing through his body.
In that brief span of time, he had gone from a feeble student to a martial artist who had trained diligently in saber arts!
"'Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber'..."
"Too bad I'm only at the beginner level. I wonder whether reaching the perfection realm would make me a transcendent lifeform."
Wu Yu felt his arm and discovered bulging muscles with a faintly fearsome look.
He stood up to examine himself further. Every part of his body showed signs of training, yet there were no hidden injuries or calluses.
It was mysterious beyond understanding, wondrous beyond words!
"Incredible! This is different from a knowledge chip!"
Wu Yu looked astonished.
There had been quite a few wealthy students at River City Advanced Academy.
They installed "knowledge chips" and, in no time at all, mastered knowledge that others had spent years studying.
But... he had never seen anyone's body change as a result!
"And this is only a white-quality Technique Card?"
"What about higher-quality ones?"
Wu Yu's gaze sharpened slightly, and this place felt more mysterious than ever.
This was a treasure trove. Even the most insignificant thing here could bring him tremendous benefits.
"I was too far away earlier to tell whether that bandit leader used the 'Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber.' But according to Old Wu, the stronghold's chief can leap over a dozen meters, run like thunder, and punch straight through iron armor!"
"Even if the iron armor in this ancient setting isn't as good as modern armor, it's still solid metal. The one I met was probably just a minor leader!"
"Come to think of it, my current skill with the 'Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber' might be no worse than that minor leader's!"
Brimming with enthusiasm, Wu Yu wanted to take out a saber and practice.
Unfortunately, he had no saber.
By the time he calmed down, the bathwater had gone completely cold.
Wu Yu touched it, growing wary.
He really needed to find somewhere safe before using things like Technique Cards!
Climbing out of the large wooden tub, he changed into his clothes and let out a long breath, feeling thoroughly refreshed.
Though the innkeeper's eyes lit up at the sight of money, he did deliver. The clothes he had sent were made of sturdy fabric. The cloth was not fine, but it was perfectly presentable.
Wearing cloth shoes, Wu Yu walked over to the bed and slowly sat down. With a shift of his gaze, a panel appeared in his vision.
[Wu Yu] Race: Zhuxia Human Race. Talent: [Nameless Chaos] Identity: [Sin Immortal] (Black) Technique: "Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber" (Beginner) Inventory: [Bronze Token], high-grade spirit wine x100, Exquisite Food x96, "Moon Palace's Little Story After the Rain", one tael of silver x98, beast meat x11, Vitality Pill x7.
"All right, looks like there are no attribute points or proficiency scores."
Wu Yu opened the entries and checked them carefully, looking disappointed.
But on reflection, that made sense. This was not a panel exclusive to one person.
"In modern society, spending years or even decades painstakingly practicing a saber art..."
He shook his head, knowing that was out of the question.
Even if he brought the "Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber" to the perfection realm, so what? Taking decades to become transcendent was a joke in the face of modern technology.
Even setting aside advanced injections like [Nine Dragons' Might], quite a few teachers at the academy sold inferior, low-grade injections. They were cheap, but their side effects were severe.
Their effects, however, were incredibly powerful!
Some people were two meters tall at sixteen, could burst a punching bag with a single punch, and had muscles bigger than a baby's head.
Though their heads were pointy...
"Should I try a Vitality Pill now?"
Wu Yu took out a [Vitality Pill]. Wisps of fragrance drifted into his nose, refreshing his spirits.
"My head won't turn pointy after eating this, will it?"
"Even a white-quality Technique Card is better than a knowledge chip. This green-quality pill probably isn't any worse than a proper injection!"
Wu Yu's eyes flickered. A moment later, he decisively popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed.
As the pill reached his stomach, Wu Yu immediately felt a spreading warmth.
A few minutes later, as the pill was digested, sweat broke out all over Wu Yu's body, and his blood seemed to begin boiling!
"This is way stronger than Exquisite Food!"
His face flushed red, and he immediately got off the bed and began doing push-ups on the floor.
Huff-!
Huff-!
At some point, someone knocked on the door.
"Sir, the food you ordered is here!"
An attendant's voice came from outside.
Wu Yu came back to his senses and immediately got up from the floor. He felt full of strength, and his clothes were soaked through.
"The [Vitality Pill] is incredibly potent. If I eat a few more, I might really become a transcendent lifeform!"
"But I can't fully digest even one Vitality Pill... in such a short time."
Wu Yu rubbed his stomach. Remembering what he needed to do, he suppressed his excitement and went to open the door.
Outside stood a young man in plain cloth clothes, holding a tray with a bowl of noodles on it.
"Please come in!"
Wu Yu spoke politely and gestured inside.
"You're too kind, sir!"
The attendant nodded respectfully, entered, and placed the noodles on the table.
"Sir, just call if you need anything. I'll be going now."
As he spoke, he grabbed the large wooden tub and actually lifted it outright.
"You're strong!"
Wu Yu gave him a surprised look and hurriedly stopped him.
"Wait a moment, young man!"
"We're about the same age, sir. Just call me Xiao Zheng!"
The young man in plain clothes hurriedly put down the wooden tub and looked over curiously.
"I'd like to ask you about a few things..."
Wu Yu took out a tael of silver.
Half an hour later!
Thanking him repeatedly, Xiao Zheng carried the large wooden tub away.
Not long afterward, he brought over a brand-new set of clothes.
Wu Yu closed the door, changed into the clean clothes, and sat on the bed.
Wu Yu had long intended to ask the locals at the inn for information. In all of Redfang Village, there was probably no one better informed than the people here.
They were bound to know what happened both inside and outside the village!
And just as he had expected, once silver paved the way, Xiao Zheng held nothing back and revealed many secrets.
For instance, the village chief was not only a transcendent martial artist; he could also cast a spell!
The village chief also did business, but he only sold transcendent items, so most ordinary people in Redfang Village knew nothing about it. Xiao Zheng had only learned of it after seeing outsiders trade with the village chief.
"Lostway Cave... The Mountain Lord actually lives there! Several groups of martial artists from outside tried to slay the monster, but they all died in the Mountain Lord's jaws. Still, the Mountain Lord was badly wounded too!"
"The village chief is old and timid. He doesn't dare pursue the Mountain Lord."
"And..."
Before you continue