“Continue the simution…” Chu Yuan whispered, determination fshing in his eyes.

  But just as he summoned the panel, a sudden wave of dizziness surged through him.

  Then… his stomach churned.

  “Right…” Chu Yuan chuckled dryly, pressing a hand to his gut. “I forgot I’m still starving…”

  His body was still weak — the lingering aftereffects of a beggar who just died of starvation.

  Fortunately, his recent progress in the Tiger Breathing Technique had slightly alleviated his condition, just enough to keep him upright.

  But food was still a concern.

  For a knight, the most important foundation was the body.

  Without a strong physique, it was nearly impossible to impact the Knight Seed to achieve the Knight Body.

  In the early days of his simution life, Chu Yuan remembered wandering for three days before finding a single bite to eat.

  “If not for him…”

  He recalled the face of a kind, determined youth.

  In that simuted life, the boy had found the dying Chu Yuan in an alley and, despite having little himself, shared half a hard loaf of bread and a tin of cold water.

  That small act had saved Chu Yuan’s life.

  It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that without the boy, the infamous Blood Knight would never have existed.

  Unfortunately, the boy had died young… a senseless tragedy.

  “I wonder what he’s doing right now…”

  Chu Yuan’s gaze shifted eastward.

  The town hadn’t changed much.

  If he recalled correctly, the boy should be living in a rundown shack near the old bcksmith’s alley.

  Chu Yuan stood and moved quickly, ignoring the aching in his limbs.

  As he walked, he didn't forget to simute.

  Every second was precious.

  “Simute Tiger Bone Tempering Art for ten years,” Chu Yuan commanded silently in his heart.

  [Consuming 10 years…35 years of text simution remaining]

  [Beginning simution of Tiger Bone Tempering Art]

  The screen soon appeared in front of him.

  [In the first year, you recalled a physical body technique in your memory called Tiger Bone Tempering Art. With this, you started cultivating your body.]

  [In the same year, you didn’t achieve much. Your weak body was hindering your practice. Each time you circute the technique, pain overwhelm your senses. You persisted.]

  [In the second year, there was minor progress. Your bones began to strengthen. Your body structure improved.]

  [In the third year, you finally reached stage one of Tiger Bone Tempering Art. You finally got rid of your weak body.]

  [By the sixth year, your proficiency in Tiger Bone Tempering Art was increasing in a gradual phase.]

  [In the same year, you broke through the second stage and your body was now comparable to peak 1st rank of Knight Apprentice.]

  [In the final year, you reached the peak of second stage and faced a bottleneck. You prepared to advance beyond human limits and achieved the bronze bone, but the simution suddenly ended.]

  [Tiger Bone Tempering Art(uninitiated) → Tiger Bone Tempering Art(Peak Second Stage)]

  A powerful sensation surged through Chu Yuan’s limbs. His frail bones crackled, subtly reshaping. A faint metallic brown hue was mixing with his skeletal structures.

  He felt his entire body was as light as a feather and sturdy as a copper coin.

  “Without using my Knight Seed, I’d probably match a peak first-stage Knight Apprentice. Maybe even second stage, as long as they don’t use Knight Arts.” Chu Yuan smiled.

  As he rounded a corner, shouting echoed down the alley.

  “She’s my sister! Uncle, please leave!”

  “Zu Xian! You ungrateful brat! Did you forget who fed you? Housed you? Is this how you repay your uncle? Choosing over a st you found on streets over me?”

  Chu Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

  Up ahead, a teenage boy stood protectively in front of a girl, arms spread wide. His face was bruised, his lips bleeding, but he didn’t back down.

  The girl behind him clutched a tattered doll, her eyes wide with fear as she sobbed lightly.

  Before Zhu Xian stood a thin man with sunken eyes and a crooked smile.

  Chu Yuan's eyes turned cold.

  In the simuted timeline, this scum, Zu Jiang, had sold Zu Xian’s sister to pay off a gambling debt. He’d gotten lucky with a bet afterward and made double his money — but greed overtook him. He lost everything… including the deed to his house.

  Then, he tried selling Zu Xian.

  When the boy resisted, the man beat him. Zu Xian’s head hit a wall. He died that same night.

  Too weak to intervene, Chu Yuan fled to a nearby town.

  That was when he met his master, a wandering knight, and began training.

  By the time Chu Yuan returned to Eastwind Town for vengeance five years ter, Zu Jiang had already died.

  He heard that the scum was beaten to death over unpaid debts.

  This time, things would be different.

  “I said she’s my sister! You can’t—!”

  Zu Jiang sneered. He stepped forward and seized Zu Xian by the neck.

  “Get out of the way, you ungrateful brat! Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do!”

  Zu Xian trembled. His fists were clenched.

  What could a child do against a grown man?

  “Let them go.”

  A calm voice cut through the alley.

  Zu Jiang froze, gncing toward the source.

  Out of the shadows stepped a dusty, ragged figure.

  A beggar with dirt-streaked clothes and messy hair. But his eyes were unsettlingly calm, like still water in a deep well.

  At first, Zu Jiang looked nervous at being caught, but when he saw it was just a beggar, a mocking smile curled on his lips.

  “Another stray mutt?” He spat. “Buzz off before I sp you back into your grave.”

  “Leave.” Chu Yuan’s gaze didn’t falter. He repeated. “Don’t make me repeat twice.”

  Zu Jiang sneered. “Oh? Big words for a filthy beggar. What are you gonna do, huh? Teach me a lesson? Get lost!”

  He raised a hand and swung it toward Chu Yuan with all his weight behind it.

  “Uncle, don’t!” Zu Xian shouted in panic.

  But it was too te.

  As Zu Xian helplessly watched as the arm swing, the beggar moved.

  Chu Yuan’s hand shot out and snatched the incoming wrist mid-air, stopping it dead in its tracks.

  Crack.

  A sickening pop echoed as he twisted Zu Jiang’s arm slowly, deliberately.

  “AARGHH!!”

  Zu Jiang screamed, his face contorted in pain.

  Then, Chu Yuan threw him to the ground.

  “Let this be a warning. Next time, I won’t be this gentle.”

  Chu Yuan stared coldly at him.

  Zu Jiang clutched his broken arm, tears of pain streaming down his face.

  “Y-you…! You bastard! I’ll remember this!”

  He turned and bolted, nearly tripping as he fled the alley.

  Chu Yuan watched him go, the murderous intent fshed in his eyes which was concealed quickly.

  Zu Xian was stunned. It took several moments before he could speak.

  “Thank you…” he said quietly, bowing.

  Then he looked up, eyes filled with both confusion and gratitude. “Why did you help us? Do we know each other?”

  “We don’t,” Chu Yuan smiled. “Just… think of it as an act of chivalry.”

  Zu Xian’s face darkened again. “My uncle is a vengeful ghost... You should leave town before he brings trouble.”

  “It’s okay.”

  Just then, Chu Yuan’s stomach growled again.

  “Uh…”

  Zu Xian looked up, surprised. Then, after a moment, he smiled.

  “Brother… why don’t you come inside and have a meal with us before you go? My sister and I don’t have much, but… it’s the least I can do.”

  Chu Yuan thought for a moment before nodding his head.

  “Okay.”