A Life Cut Short

[You examined your statue carefully and found an account of your life on the lower middle part of the statue.]

[Name: Su Wen.]

[Occupation: God of Wealth.]

[Age at death: 24.]

[Cause of death: Died during a secret realm exploration in May of Year 23, his life cut short in its prime.]

[Merits: Recipient of the national first-class medal.]

[Appraisal: Su Wen's life was like a meteor streaking across the horizon, dazzling and brief. Whenever people spoke of him, their hearts filled with endless regret.]

[The Basic Body Tempering Method invented by Su Wen pioneered the Martial Dao, directly giving rise to a vast community of martial artists.]

[The physical fitness of the Heavenly Mandate Bearers also improved thanks to the Basic Body Tempering Method, greatly increasing their survival rate during training.]

[The renowned Martial Dao master Du Guowei once said that Su Wen was the founding patriarch of the Martial Dao. If Su Wen had not died, the Martial Dao would surely have made a greater contribution to the fight against the Otherkind, and martial artists would surely have had brighter prospects.]

[Otherkind researcher Bai Zikai once stated publicly that, without the Basic Body Tempering Method developed by Su Wen, humanity's plight would inevitably have been far more harrowing when faced with the invasion of the Arrow Realm's Otherkind.]

[Some martial artists believed there was more to Su Wen's death than met the eye. None of the others on the exploration died, and only Su Wen died during it? They would surely uncover the truth and bring Su Wen's killer to justice!]

[In the future spacetime, you discovered that you had only ten months left to live. The short time left frightened you somewhat, but after careful thought, you felt that something did not add up.]

[You knew your own character: timid and cowardly, and well versed in the survival principles of the Dao of staying hidden. If you felt anything was beyond your capabilities, you would never do it.]

[You were the God of Wealth, capable of traveling through spacetime. In your eyes, disturbing spacetime and reversing yin and yang were abilities you had always possessed. How could someone as powerful and thoughtful as you die so young?]

[To you, how was ten months any different from the blink of an eye?]

[You therefore felt that this matter was not so simple. You would leave the manner of your death to ponder over later; for now, you wanted to do something.]

[You walked into the city and found a martial arts school.]

[The Azure Cloud Martial Arts School helped train martial artists and also sold Martial Dao techniques.]

[You went over with great interest, but after talking with the school's master, you discovered that you could not afford even the cheapest martial skill there.]

[Oh, impoverished God of Wealth! As the God of Wealth, you should have held sway over the source of all wealth under heaven, yet now you had fallen so low that you could not afford even the simplest martial skill. With not even a hundred yuan to your name, did you feel ashamed?]

[Before you could leave, the school master called out to you. He was puzzled as to why you were still practicing the original version of the Basic Body Tempering Method when the country had already issued the latest version three years ago.]

[After staring at you carefully for a while, the school master said frankly that, seeing how much you resembled Su Wen, the patriarch of the Martial Dao, he would give you two skill-transmission talismans. Without charging you, he also gave you a brief introduction.]

[Of the two basic martial skills, one was an improved Basic Body Tempering Method. Compared with the eighteen forms and eighteen breathing methods of the original Basic Body Tempering Method, four forms had been added, bringing the total to twenty-two body-strengthening movements.]

[The eighteen breathing methods had been summarized, calculated, and condensed, finally reduced to five general-purpose breathing methods. Each corresponded to the strengthening of one of the body's five organs, and they also provided a degree of explosive power when used in battle.]

[The other martial skill was called the "Tiger Fist." A year ago, Martial Dao master Du Guowei had developed it from the Tiger Form Fist of Xingyi Quan, combining it with the principles and circulation patterns of blood and qi in the Basic Body Tempering Method. It strengthened the body and bones.]

[After thanking the school master, you accepted the two skill-transmission talismans he had given you.]

[Oh, lucky God of Wealth from a past spacetime! The seeds you planted in the past spacetime had begun to take root and sprout in the future spacetime, and you had tasted their delicious, sweet fruit.]

[You were deeply curious about the updated Basic Body Tempering Method and martial skill of the future spacetime, so you found a random place to sit and began learning through the skill-transmission talismans.]

[Just as you were studying diligently, a beam of black light shot into the sky from the center of Jiang City, tearing straight through the barrier of the heavens. Evil, dark energy poured out from the other side and began wreaking havoc in Jiang City.]

[Your surging blood and qi were like a light in the night, drawing the evil, dark power to you.]

[Your eyes turned pitch-black, your qi and blood flowed in reverse, and you suffered qi deviation.]

[Oh, unfortunate God of Wealth! You happened to arrive in time for a brutal battle between high-level forces, but unfortunately, the winners were not on humanity's side, and you became a casualty of the energy upheaval.]

[You died.]

[The faint power of spacetime attached to your body began to tremble. The River of Space-Time in this world keenly sensed that your soul did not belong to the current point in time, refused to accept your true spirit, and chose to expel you.]

[Under the protection of the power of wealth, your soul and true spirit began returning to the current point in time.]