Begin Cultivation

A tenfold cultivation multiplier was still quite astonishing.

From the memories of the original owner, Lin Fan knew that martial cultivation in this world also required Bone Aptitude.

Bone Aptitude could be divided into nine grades. First-Grade Bone Aptitude was the highest, Ninth-Grade Bone Aptitude the worst. His own was Fifth-Grade Bone Aptitude—not particularly good, but not terribly bad either.

Those with First-Grade Bone Aptitude cultivated at great speed. Those with Ninth-Grade Bone Aptitude cultivated as slowly as a turtle crawling.

The original owner's Fifth-Grade Bone Aptitude was roughly at the level of a menial disciple in a sect. Even if vast resources were poured into him, it would be difficult for him to break through to the Bright Force Realm in his lifetime.

That was why the original owner had chosen the path of studying and taking the imperial examinations.

But now, he had obtained such a heaven-defying system. The gap between himself and those with First-Grade Bone Aptitude would be completely erased. He might even far surpass them.

At this thought, heroic ambition surged up in Lin Fan's heart. In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary person. This time, he was determined to become a powerful expert.

Recalling the cultivation method in his mind, the Azure Cloud Method was not of particularly high quality. It was practically everywhere, the sort of beginner's martial cultivation method used by countless people.

However, this method was upright and balanced, with no flaws or side effects. It could support cultivation throughout the Three Body-Tempering Realms. Only when breaking through to the Bright Force Realm would one need to switch methods.

Lin Fan rose from the bed and carefully dug up the soil at its corner. A small ceramic jar appeared before him, containing all the silver he had stored away.

Although the original owner had fled here, he had once belonged to a collateral branch of a wealthy clan and had brought along a small amount of savings while escaping.

Lin Fan counted it.

There were still a little over ten taels of silver left. It was not much, but it was enough for himself and his younger sister to live on for around a year.

Lin Fan took out a tael of silver, held it in his palm, and silently said, "Recharge."

A flash of light passed over the silver in his hand, and it vanished in an instant.

Then, on the pale blue panel of light, the balance on the left changed to one.

On the right side of the panel, a button appeared: Activate tenfold cultivation speed for one day.

"Is tenfold speed cultivation the system's minimum multiplier?"

"Ding. Yes, Host. The minimum multiplier is tenfold."

After sensing his physical condition, Lin Fan willed the faintly glowing system panel in his mind to slowly retract. Waves of hollow hunger rose from his stomach. He decided to set cultivation aside for the moment, go out and find something to eat, restore himself to proper condition, then settle down and cultivate wholeheartedly.

With a soft creak, Lin Fan raised a hand and pushed open the wooden door of the cabin. The unique damp scent of grass and trees from the mountain forest rushed toward him. Looking out, all he could see was lush greenery layered upon layer. Ancient trees towered throughout the surrounding woods, their emerald branches and leaves spreading into a boundless sea of green. This tiny mountain village lay quietly in a low valley surrounded by mountains, with rolling green peaks on every side.

A clear stream wound down from the depths of the mountains, rushing and twisting through the valley as it flowed beside the village. The water struck the scattered rocks beneath its surface with faint tinkling sounds, scattering tiny splashes as its translucent gleam sparkled beneath the sunlight.

The scenery was quite beautiful. White clouds still drifted over the distant mountains. Taking a deep breath, he found the air indescribably fresh.

Back then, the original owner had brought his younger sister deep into the mountains to hide. After several days of travel, when their dry provisions were nearly gone, they had stumbled by chance upon this Small Mountain Village. Even the nearest town was a two-day walk from here.

There were only a little over ten households in the village. There was little farmland, and most people made their living by hunting. The villagers were rather simple and honest. When they saw Lin Fan arrive with his younger sister, they took them in.

Previously, the original owner had gone hunting in the mountains with the villagers during the day. While chasing prey, he had accidentally fallen down a slope and been injured. Coupled with his weak constitution, he had failed to pull through.

Fortunately, Lin Fan had transmigrated here.

After stepping outside, Lin Fan looked toward the open-air earthen stove beside the house. His younger sister, Lin Ruoruo, was cooking something in a small pot.

Every half month, the village would send several people outside to trade game for grain, salt, and other supplies. In addition, Lin Fan had brought some silver with him before. Thus, the siblings had not faced too many difficulties in their daily lives during this period.

"Ruo Ruo, go get some rest. Let your brother cook."

"No need, Brother. Ruo Ruo isn't tired."

His younger sister raised her little face and bared her small tiger teeth at Lin Fan. Her dusty cheeks had somehow gotten smeared with black stove ash again.

Lin Fan reached out and touched his sister's cheek, wiping away the dirt. Suddenly, he seemed to feel the warmth of a home.

Their meal was extremely simple: some millet boiled in an iron pot, accompanied by a small amount of gathered wild vegetables and wild fruit.

Game from the mountains generally had to be traded for grain, so the villagers rarely ate meat. Moreover, because the original owner had been physically weak, he had usually only helped catch things like pheasants and rabbits.

Most of the villagers in Small Mountain Village had never cultivated martial arts. Only the village chief had reached the Skin Tempering Realm.

A Skin Tempering Realm cultivator possessed two to three times the strength of an ordinary person. Yet even for someone at the Skin Tempering Realm, hunting large prey such as wild boars was still quite difficult. Furthermore, the village chief's main duty was guarding against wild beasts attacking the village, so he rarely participated in hunts.

Judging by the sun, it was now around noon. The village hunting party should already have departed.

The thatched cottages in Small Mountain Village stood close together. Most were built using trees and thatch gathered from the mountains. Lin Fan's small house had likewise been built with the villagers' help.

After finishing his meal, Lin Fan basked in the sun for a while and felt that the injuries from his fall had improved considerably.

"System, open the panel."

"Activate one day of tenfold cultivation."

With his physical condition improving, Lin Fan silently gave the command.

After one's martial realm improved, not only would one possess greater strength, but one's body would also become sturdier and recover from injuries more quickly.

Because Lin Fan had already cultivated martial arts for some time before, coupled with the current tenfold acceleration, he felt that if he persisted in cultivating without stopping except to sleep, then at most another ten-odd days would be enough for him to break through to the Skin Tempering Realm.

As for why he did not use hundredfold acceleration, Lin Fan felt that he only had a little over ten taels of silver in total, so it was better to be frugal. One tael of silver per day would do. Perhaps he might only need five or six days to break through to Skin Tempering.

After he clicked Start Cultivation, a countdown instantly appeared on the right side of the pale blue screen. To Lin Fan's surprise, it even used a twenty-four-hour format.

Below the countdown was also a Pause button.

"System, can this countdown be paused?"

"Ding. Yes, Host. After pausing, the Host's cultivation effect will receive no amplification."