Attribute Points

Host: Lu Changsheng.

Age: Twenty (Fifty)

Realm: None.

Martial Arts: None.

Skills: None.

Equipment: None.

Status: Weak.

Source Energy Points: Six.

Bound Exotic Beast: Pangolin (White)

"Isn't this the Game Modifier I bought in my previous life? The kind that even came with pets?"

At the sight of this, Lu Changsheng's expression changed in shock.

The Source Energy Points above were clearly the warm current he had absorbed earlier.

Staring at the various entries, he fell into deep thought.

The brackets after his age showed fifty. Did that mean his current condition meant he could only live to fifty?

But when he thought of his physical constitution, he came to terms with it.

Besides, in this world, an ordinary person living to fifty was already considered fortunate.

He then turned his gaze to the status column.

There was a green plus sign after "Weak."

"Could it be...?"

With a thought, he immediately tapped it.

His Source Energy Points instantly dropped to five.

"Mm..."

Countless warm currents surged in like ocean waves, flowing straight into every limb and bone.

His entire body was recovering at an astonishing speed, while the injury at the back of his head sent out a numb, tingling sensation.

Before long, Lu Changsheng felt much of his vitality return, and his face had grown considerably rosier as well.

He clenched his fist tightly, his face brimming with delight.

The effects of these Source Energy Points were simply too powerful.

This world was terrifying. Only with something to rely on could he truly live well.

Otherwise, with his own foundations, let alone practicing martial arts, even surviving would be difficult.

Not to mention that this body had long indulged in wine and women, lingering in gambling dens and brothels until it had already been hollowed out.

In Lu Changsheng's memories, because his cheap father had spent long periods away from home and neglected to discipline him in childhood, the original owner had long gone astray, spending his days with all sorts of unsavory people.

As for martial arts, that was even more impossible. He could not endure that kind of hardship.

Moreover, there had been no suitable cultivation method for him to practice in the past.

Martial arts techniques were exceedingly precious. Other than certain powerful families and gangs within the county, ordinary people found it difficult to come into contact with them.

This was also one of the methods they used to control the people at the bottom.

As for official forces, joining them was even harder.

Without a certain level of martial arts cultivation, it was almost impossible to enter their ranks.

At this moment, Lu Changsheng had only one thought in his heart: practice martial arts.

Only powerful strength could allow him to control his own fate.

He then turned his gaze to the final entry, Bound Exotic Beast.

With a thought—

A round, earth-yellow pangolin appeared inside the room, lying on the floor and sleeping soundly.

Its head was long and narrow, its four limbs were covered in sharp claws, and its entire body was clad in hard armor that glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. Its defensive power was clearly impressive.

Bound Exotic Beast: Pangolin.

Level: 1

Quality: White.

Skills: Burrowing (Common).

Armor Enhancement (Common).

A certain amount of Source Energy Points can be consumed to raise its rank and skills.

Lu Changsheng stared at the pangolin that had suddenly appeared on the ground, his face full of astonishment.

He could actually control this beast's movements as easily as moving his own arm.

This discovery immediately thrilled him beyond measure.

One had to know that over three hundred li south of Changping County lay the Cangyun Mountain Range.

As one of the branches of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, this range contained countless spiritual herbs and resources. However, ferocious beasts ran rampant within it, and even many martial artists did not dare venture too deeply.

The entire mountain range had completely become a forbidden zone for humanity.

Now that he had this Burrowing Exotic Beast, so long as he nurtured it well, the spiritual treasures in Cangyun Mountain would become his Source Energy Points. He could use them to strengthen the Exotic Beast and raise his own cultivation, then advance deeper into the mountain range, forming a complete cycle.

He might even explore the Hundred Thousand Mountains someday.

This was simply a perfect path to becoming stronger.

Thinking of this, Lu Changsheng clenched his fists, filled with excitement.

He could no longer wait to test it out.

His consciousness slowly drew closer before directly sinking into the pangolin's body.

The pangolin on the ground abruptly opened its eyes and surveyed its surroundings.

There was even human intelligence in its gaze.

"How miraculous."

Lu Changsheng raised a claw and rapidly swiped it several times through the air.

He could clearly feel the pangolin's body and limbs, as though it were another incarnation of himself.

He then controlled the pangolin to run around the room.

Only after playing with it for quite some time did he store the Exotic Beast back into the system space.

Lu Changsheng then turned his attention to the book inside the wooden box.

A booklet lay quietly inside the box, with a faint smell of mildew wafting from it.

"Iron Cloth Shirt."

The three large characters were clearly printed on the book's cover.

Lu Changsheng hurriedly picked up the manual and began leafing through it.

He saw a figure standing with legs spread apart and arms curved in an embracing posture, displaying all sorts of stances.

Each stance differed in subtle ways, eighteen illustrations in total.

"Flip, flip..."

In the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, he had reached the final page.

A look of understanding appeared on his face.

His prediction had been correct. This truly was a martial arts technique, but it lacked the most crucial part.

There was not a single method for medicinal baths inside.

For this kind of hard qigong technique, the most important thing was to cultivate with medicinal meals and medicinal baths together.

Otherwise, it was extremely easy to train oneself into a cripple.

In his memories, quite a few people in Changping County had obtained this technique as well.

This was also the only martial arts manual that commoners could easily acquire. No wonder this body's father had obtained it; he had likely intended to practice it himself, only for some unknown reason to leave it unfinished.

There had been many people in the past who disregarded the danger and cultivated it anyway, and their fates were often not good.

Only a small number had entered Skin Refining and become true martial artists.

This book divided martial artist realms into Skin Refining, Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, Blood Exchange...

As for higher realms beyond those, there was not a single record.

Lu Changsheng looked at the final page that had been torn from the book. Clearly, the most crucial medicinal bath section was missing.

He had no choice but to suspect that certain people had done this deliberately.

Some powerful families and gangs merely gave commoners a sliver of fantasy in order to mass-produce loyal death soldiers and cannon fodder.

But none of that was any obstacle to him.

Now that he had the Attribute Modifier, it did not matter even without medicinal baths.

Moreover, this technique suited him extremely well.

Once this hard technique was successfully cultivated, its defensive power would be extraordinary, greatly improving his ability to survive.

With a thought—

The blue panel immediately appeared in midair.

A new line of text had suddenly appeared beneath the martial arts technique section.

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Not Initiated)

The add-point option behind the technique was actually gray.

"Do I have to initiate the technique before I can use the modifier? Or do I not have enough Source Energy Points?"

Lu Changsheng pondered.

Seeing that night was drawing near, he did not dwell on it further and prepared to verify it the next day.

He walked straight to the bedside and soon lay down.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning.

As the morning sun rose, late autumn sunlight filtered through the crack in the door and fell across the head of the bed.

Lu Changsheng quickly put on his clothes, got up, and headed outside.

He came to a large water vat on the left side of the courtyard.

A handsome young man's reflection appeared in the water.

His gaze was sharp, and his brows carried a resolute air.

He immediately washed up, then headed into the kitchen.

After searching for a while, he finally found a blackened round cake on the stove.

Lu Changsheng picked up the palm-sized "food" and took a bite.

"Urgh..."

It was practically as hard as stone. His teeth were nearly chipped.

After forcing down one black cake with well water, he barely filled his stomach.

Even his throat had been scraped raw. It had nearly sent him straight to the afterlife on the spot.

He had never eaten food as hard as an iron cake before, and he found it utterly unbearable.

Thinking that he would have to eat such iron cakes every day in the future made him shudder.

Lu Changsheng wanted meat.

He never wanted to eat this damned stuff again.

Lu Changsheng then returned to the center of the courtyard, preparing to test the Iron Cloth Shirt technique.

The initial stage of this technique was very simple. One only needed to strike the body with a wooden stick every day.

With medicinal baths to support the cultivation, one would naturally be able to slowly enter the door.

But he lacked the crucial medicinal baths, so he could only try it first.

He hoped the Attribute Modifier could help him cross this threshold.

The most crucial issue now was that he had no one to assist him.

Thinking of this, Lu Changsheng frowned.

"Do I have to go find Fang Tao and his sister?"

The first people he thought of were the two next door.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps rang out.

A youth was striding toward him, having already crossed over the low fence.

"Huh... Brother Changsheng, you recovered so quickly?"

After Fang Tao approached, his face was filled with surprise.

He had not expected that after only one day apart, Lu Changsheng's face would already have some color in it.

"They were only minor injuries. After resting for a night, I felt much better."

Lu Changsheng smiled slightly and did not explain further.

"It's good that you came today. I plan to practice martial arts, and I need your help."

Without wasting words, he immediately placed the Iron Cloth Shirt manual on the stone table.

As a young man, Fang Tao's strength was barely sufficient.

"Are you crazy? This technique has killed so many people."

Fang Tao had learned a few characters from Lu Changsheng's father when he was young, so he recognized the technique on the table at a glance.

This Iron Cloth Shirt was no stranger throughout Changping County.

Many people had forcibly used acupuncture to stimulate their potential and cultivate it, only to become crippled for life.

As a result, few people later dared to force themselves to cultivate it.