The Run-Down Martial Hall

The bleak wind wailed without cease, and ghostly shadows danced among the dead trees. Between the scattered mounds of earth came two furtive figures.

"Just dump him here. If wild dogs tear him apart, then the brat was simply unlucky."

"Pah, what trash. He did not even have a penny on him, and they called him a martial hall master."

"Enough, enough. Let's count ourselves unlucky and get out of here. This damned place is creepy."

The howling wind swept the two figures away, leaving only a sack behind.

After a while, perhaps unable to endure the biting cold any longer, movement finally came from within the sack.

As the sack tore open, a figure shot out with the speed of a leaping fish.

Taking in the desolate, barren surroundings, with the eerie wind and barking dogs constantly ringing in his ears—

Wu Yi froze, and a chill crept into his heart.

Good heavens, where the hell had they dumped me? Was this even still China?

He vaguely remembered standing outside his own martial hall before closing his eyes. Then, some bastard had struck the back of his head hard. When he woke up, he was already in this godforsaken place.

Still, that blow had helped him recall the memories of his past life.

As an utterly ordinary, exemplary young man from the twenty-first century, he had also successfully enjoyed the services of Great Fortune Transmigration Wired Company.

He had been transmigrated for twenty years, yet only yesterday, after being hit with a club, had his memories of his past life fully awakened.

Caw—caw—caw—

An unknown strange bird called out, making Wu Yi shudder all over.

I should leave this place first.

Thinking that, Wu Yi did not slow his steps for even a moment.

Having lived in this world for twenty years, Wu Yi had long known that demons and monsters existed. This place was so gloomy and strange that there had to be something wrong with it. If he did not run, was he supposed to wait around and become a midnight snack for some filthy thing?

It was nearly noon when Wu Yi slowly woke up from bed.

After all, he was a martial artist. Following a night of rest, Wu Yi had mostly recovered.

My head is finally clear. Looks like I cannot drink so much in the future.

Wu Yi pondered silently as he recalled the scene of being attacked.

As usual, he had drunk himself senseless until late at night. Passing by his own martial hall, he had planned to go in and take a look. Just as he was about to push open the doors, a heavy blow struck him, leaving him dazed before knocking him unconscious on the spot.

To knock a peak Skin-Flesh Realm martial artist like him unconscious in a single strike, leaving him unable to resist at all—even with a sneak attack—the attacker had to be at least in the same realm as him, perhaps even higher.

They had merely knocked him out and tossed him into a graveyard without finishing him off. Either they had meant to warn him, or he had simply been incredibly lucky.

Looking back over the past twenty years, he had lived quite comfortably for the first sixteen under the protection of his father and elder brother. At sixteen, he had reached the peak of the Meridian-Piercing Realm and become the undisputed number one genius of Cloudwater City. Even his True Intent Martial Hall had been the city's foremost martial hall.

That same year, the Yang Emperor ordered nationwide conscription to send troops to Demon Suppression Pass and suppress the surging demon tide. The master of True Intent Martial Hall—Wu Yi's father—personally led numerous core disciples to Demon Suppression Pass. Several months later, news arrived from the front that every member of True Intent Martial Hall had died in battle. From then on, True Intent Martial Hall existed in name only, and its status in Cloudwater City plummeted.

Wu Yi, on whom so much hope had been placed, had his foundation crippled one night. His energy channels were sealed, and his cultivation fell back to the Skin-Flesh Realm. From then on, True Intent Martial Hall had no hope of rising again.

The disciples left one after another, scattering in every direction. From that day onward, Wu Yi began drowning himself in drink, numbing himself and wasting away until now.

Today, counting Wu Yi himself, the vast True Intent Martial Hall had only three people left.

But from this day forward, he would show everyone in Cloudwater City what a true genius was. He would show the person who had destroyed his foundation what it meant to provoke the wrong man.

Because his cheat had finally arrived.

Wu Yi stared at the glowing virtual panel before him, unable to contain his wild joy.

The panel was simple. It had only a module called Energy, showing that one unit of Bronze Energy had been accumulated. Beneath it was a note: Elevate all things, nothing is impossible.

Wu Yi also tried calling out to the system, but the panel remained utterly silent and gave no response.

All he could do was console himself silently. The simpler the panel, the purer the cheat. The purer the cheat, the stronger it was.

Next came testing the cheat's functions. Since the panel said nothing was impossible, he would see exactly what it could do.

Come on, I want to suppress everything in this world! Make me a Heavenly Emperor who reaches the heavens and spans the earth!

Wu Yi reclined halfway on the bed, eagerly awaiting the panel's mighty power. Yet the surroundings remained silent, and nothing happened at all.

When Wu Yi looked at the panel again, he saw a huge red exclamation mark.

"Elevating to the Heavenly Emperor Realm requires one hundred million units of Eternal-Grade Energy. Current energy insufficient."

Several more lines then appeared on the panel.

[Energy tier classification: Bronze—Silver—Gold—Diamond—Eternal

Accumulating Bronze Energy requires one natural day. Accumulating Silver-Grade Energy requires ten natural days. Accumulating Gold-Grade Energy requires one hundred natural days.

Please explore the accumulation rules for the remaining energy tiers yourself.

Currently available functions: elevate realms, restore injuries, increase martial art proficiency.]

After reading the new lines on the panel, Wu Yi finally understood its purpose completely.

So this panel was like a toad—it only jumped when poked.

Based on the energy tier classification, Bronze Energy was merely the lowest grade. Wu Yi guessed it would not be very useful.

With that thought, Wu Yi began experimenting again.

With a thought, a realm option appeared on the panel, with a plus sign after it.

[Current realm: Peak Skin-Flesh Realm

Realm (+) (May be selected freely)]

Wu Yi stretched out his hand and tapped the panel before him, discovering that the realm field could be dragged to choose a realm freely.

He first dragged it to the peak of the Meridian-Piercing Realm, then tapped the plus sign.

A prompt immediately popped up on the panel.

"Elevating to the peak Meridian-Piercing Realm requires ten units of Bronze Energy. Current energy insufficient."

So that was how it worked. Wu Yi seemed to understand something, and another thought crossed his mind.

A status field appeared on the panel.

[Current status: Severe internal injuries, all meridians blocked (+)]

Seeing the plus sign, Wu Yi immediately tapped it.

This time, no exclamation mark appeared on the panel, but Wu Yi leaped straight out of bed.

Feeling energy slowly begin to flow again through his once-blocked meridians, Wu Yi could not help clenching his fists. His muscles bulged as explosive, surging power gathered within him.

Mid Meridian-Piercing Realm!

Although half his meridians still felt obstructed and sluggish, Wu Yi was undoubtedly thrilled.

It was not only because he had exploited a loophole in the panel, nor merely because he had regained his strength. More than that, having witnessed the panel's immense power, he was filled with anticipation for the future.

When he looked at the panel again, it had changed once more.

[Bronze Energy: 0 (Accumulating)

Realm: Mid Meridian-Piercing Realm

Status: Internal injuries sustained, half of all meridians blocked]

"With this panel, I, Wu Yi, may not be unable to climb to the absolute peak of martial arts. I may not be unable to become invincible in this world!"

A brilliant gleam flashed in Wu Yi's eyes. His chest rose and fell as boundless ambition surged within him, and the suffering he had endured over the years seemed to fade into fleeting clouds.

But he would not forget the ugly faces of those forces that had claimed to be allies and friends after his martial hall fell into misfortune. One after another, they had kicked him while he was down, eager to devour his martial hall whole. Under repeated threats and temptations, he had been forced to sacrifice much just to survive.

By now, only this empty martial hall and two disciples remained by Wu Yi's side.

He would maintain the current situation and secretly accumulate strength. Once he broke through to the Astral-Condensing Realm, he would settle accounts with them one by one.

Though Wu Yi had wasted away for several years, he still understood that the tallest tree in the forest was the first to be toppled by the wind. Once the time was right, he would strike with crushing force.

The Astral-Condensing Realm was already the strongest combat power publicly known in Cloudwater City. His father had previously been in the Core Essence Realm, above the Astral-Condensing Realm. That was why his martial hall had once possessed such imposing prestige and been able to dominate Cloudwater City.

The martial arts realms were divided as follows: Skin-Flesh Realm—Meridian-Piercing Realm—Astral-Condensing Realm—Core Essence Realm...

Come to think of it, the martial hall was far too quiet today.

Even with only two disciples, there would usually be the sounds of strikes and collisions from training at this time.

Wu Yi sensed that something was wrong and was about to get up and investigate when an argument suddenly erupted outside the martial hall...