[Day Eleven: You attempt to save yourself by contacting the Miss of the Song Family, who once confessed her feelings to you, only to find that you can't get any messages through, nor does anyone come to see you. You realize that your situation might have been deliberately kept under wraps.]

  [Day Twelve: Shackled, you board a beast cart. Once the escort team leaves Liangzhou City, you shout out, ciming to have top-secret military intelligence to report. Your identity as a martial artist catches the attention of the Leading Officer, who asks what military intelligence you have. You reveal everything about the masked Man in Bck, but in your account, the Man in Bck's target is not you, but the entire escort team.]

  ***

  He gives you a deep look and orders the team to rest on the spot.

  You see the Leading Officer whisper a few words to a trusted aide, who then turns his horse around and rides back to Liangzhou City.

  You wait for half a day and see another group of prisoners being escorted from afar.

  Your prison cart is opened, and a foul-smelling, disheveled Old Beggar is shoved inside.

  The team continues on its way.

  ***

  [Day Thirteen: You try to talk to the Old Beggar, but he only responds with silly ughter and even tries to snatch your pickled vegetables during meals. Enraged, you give him a punch, and he quiets down.]

  [Day Fourteen: You are extremely tense, knowing that according to history, the Man in Bck will make his move tomorrow.]

  [Day Fifteen: In the morning, the masked Man in Bck appears on schedule, unching a massacre without a word. After killing more than ten people, the Old Beggar beside you suddenly charges out, striking the Man in Bck's back with a palm. Instantly, five more figures leap from the prison cart. Facing the onsught, the Man in Bck becomes furious and unleashes astonishing combat power. Ultimately, at the cost of severe injuries, he kills four Spirit River Stage and two True Lake Stage experts.]

  ***

  "This..."

  Seeing this, Chen Shi felt a bit unsettled.

  Having spent over two years in the Divine General's Manor, he had picked up some common knowledge about cultivation.

  Spirit River, True Lake, Prenatal, Heaven and Human... these are the four stages of martial prowess.

  For the Man in Bck to counter-kill two True Lake Stage experts even when ambushed, he must be an outstanding figure in the True Lake Stage, possibly even approaching the Prenatal Realm.

  The current head of the Song Family, Song Tiangang, is only at the Prenatal Realm.

  In a time when Heaven and Human experts remain hidden, the Prenatal Realm is nearly the pinnacle of combat power in the human world.

  Being targeted by such a monster...

  It's truly like having a bone stuck in your throat, a thorn in your back, sitting on pins and needles...

  ***

  [Seeing the Old Beggar and his group completely wiped out.]

  [You are in utter despair, thinking you'll die on the spot when a passing True Lake Stage martial artist hears the sounds of battle and happens to arrive. Seeing that court officers are under attack, he decisively intervenes and forces back the severely injured Man in Bck.]

  [Overjoyed, you take advantage of the chaos to escape the prison cart and flee into a deep, remote forest.]

  [You dare not stop, running frantically...]

  [During your escape...]

  [You survive on wild fruits and leaves, running continuously for a month until you reach a desote mountain.]

  [Finding a hidden spot, you dig a cave and decide to settle there, pnning to cultivate for a while before venturing out.]

  [Two months ter, your cultivation breaks through to the early Flesh Refining Stage. However, you also discover a problem: there are no wild animals near this mountain, thwarting your hopes of hunting for food, forcing you to rely on wild fruits to stave off hunger.]

  [Due to the ck of meat, you often feel unbearably hungry during cultivation. This adversity only makes you train harder, fueling your resentment towards the Man in Bck. You silently encourage yourself, thinking, "Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank..."]

  [Five months ter, your cultivation breaks through to the te Flesh Refining Stage.]

  [Seven months ter, your cultivation breaks through to the peak of the Flesh Refining Stage.]

  [A year ter, your cultivation breaks through to the early Tendon Refining Stage.]

  ***

  "Hmm?"

  Chen Shi was stunned.

  When did he become such a genius?

  Breaking through a major stage in ten months, this cultivation speed is comparable to the elite disciples of the Song Family, right?

  Could it be that the Man in Bck's medicinal bath improved his physique?

  With doubts in mind.

  Chen Shi continued to read.

  ***

  [Two years ter, your cultivation breaks through to the mid Tendon Refining Stage. Eted, you take a cold bath by the riverbank and inadvertently see your weathered reflection in the water, sighing at how your life as a wild man has made you look so weather-beaten...]

  [Three years ter, your cultivation breaks through to the te Tendon Refining Stage.]

  [Four years ter, your cultivation breaks through to the early Organ Refining Stage.]

  [What puzzles you is that this breakthrough doesn't increase your strength much; instead, you feel a sense of weakness. Just as you're puzzled, you suddenly notice that the skin on the back of your hand has become wrinkled and covered with bck spots...]

  [A minute ter, you stand before a spring, looking at your aged self, feeling lost.]

  [You vaguely understand something: this mountain is peculiar, accelerating aging. Your rapid cultivation speed is likely due to this. Realizing this, you flee the mountain overnight...]

  [On your way out, you encounter a Young Boy.]

  [He seems surprised to see you, hurriedly stops you, and takes out a portrait, asking if you've seen the person in the picture.]

  [You shake your head, denying that you've seen them.]

  [The Young Boy leaves disappointed.]

  [Seeing this, you quicken your pace, because the portrait is clearly of your younger self. The Young Boy also seems vaguely familiar, as if you've seen him somewhere, but you can't recall where.]

  [Most importantly, the Young Boy exudes a formidable aura, giving you a sense of dread.]

  [Ten days ter, you see smoke rising ahead, overjoyed to realize you've finally escaped that eerie pce. But just then, a shout comes from behind: "Dog thief! Do you remember the grudge from the Martial Practice Field four years ago?"]

  [You turn around and see the Young Boy who asked for directions. Seeing the old clothes in his hand, you realize he found the cave where you lived.]

  [At this moment, the Young Boy recognizes you, and you recognize him. His mother is the Beautiful Woman who framed you four years ago.]

  [Enemies meeting face to face, the anger is palpable.]

  [But due to the disparity in strength, you dare not express your anger. You patiently expin, only to have your jaw shattered by the furious Young Boy's punch.]

  [He accuses you of sndering his mother even at death's door.]

  [According to the Young Boy, his mother, out of love for her son, brought gifts to visit you, hoping you'd show mercy, but you, the dog thief, harbored lustful intentions, attempting to coerce her...]

  [In the end, you suffer various tortures at the hands of the Young Boy and die from the ordeal.]

  [Due to your death, this simution ends.]

  ***

  "This Young Boy is quite extraordinary."

  After reading the simution text, Chen Shi was a bit taken aback.

  Four years ago, this Young Boy was just an apprentice in an Elementary Css, likely not even having started on the Martial Path, still in the stage of sensing Vital Qi and Blood. Yet, four years ter, he could instantly defeat someone like him at the Organ Refining Stage?

  Was he too weak?

  Or was the opponent too strong?

  Chen Shi couldn't tell for a moment.

  But then he rexed, thinking, no matter how strong a talent, could they be better than someone like him with a cheat?

  "This simution yielded quite a bit."

  Chen Shi smiled.

  Although he didn't uncover the identity of the Man in Bck, at least he gauged his strength.

  The people behind the scenes are also starting to come into view.

  The Beautiful Woman who framed him in the simution was certainly acting under someone's orders. If he could capture and interrogate her, he might uncover the truth.

  [Ding! Generating simution rewards, the host can choose one.]

  [, Early Organ Refining Stage cultivation.]

  [②, White Talent · Turn of Fortune.]

  [③, Proficient in Wilderness Survival.]

  [④, "Rocksteady Breathing Technique."]

  Seeing these rewards, Chen Shi faced a difficult choice.

  In this simution, his ability to enter the Martial Practice Field and escape the Man in Bck's pursuit might have been due to his talent. If he gives it up, it might not be easy to get it again next time.

  But then he thought, this White Talent is probably the lowest level, something that came out with just 10 Destiny Points. If he chooses the Organ Refining Stage cultivation, his ability to change history would be greatly enhanced. Once he accumutes enough Destiny Points, he might be able to refresh for a stronger talent.

  As for the Rocksteady Breathing Technique, that's simple. Just joining the Martial Practice Field would grant him access.

  With this in mind, he decisively chose .

  Instantly, his whole body felt hot, his skin turned red, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

  His body's strength was continuously increasing.

  His senses became exceptionally sharp.

  He could even see the dust particles floating in the air, hear the faint sounds of insects crawling in the distance, and smell various subtle scents...

  "Ah..."

  Feeling the changes in his body, Chen Shi couldn't help but smile.

  At the Skin Refining Stage, one has the strength of three thousand pounds, capable of killing a bull with a single punch.

  At the Flesh Refining Stage, one has the strength of six thousand pounds, enough to become a minor officer in the army.

  At the Tendon Refining Stage, one has the strength of ten thousand pounds, considered a local expert in small towns.

  At the Organ Refining Stage, one has the strength of twenty thousand pounds. Reaching this stage at eighteen years old makes one somewhat of a young genius. With this strength, he wouldn't even need Lin Manqing's help; he could just verify his bone age and enter the Martial Practice Field for training.