Killing Dao Fruit

Leaning against the door to confirm that the two had left, Wang Yuan's heart immediately warmed at the sound.

In his previous life, he had relied solely on his grandfather since childhood, but by the time he was old enough to repay him, his grandfather was already gone.

However, in this parallel world, even though times were tough, his grandfather had always been there.

Even though he acted a bit weird, only returning home on dreary rainy days and never showing himself in public, Wang Yuan still felt extremely content.

Just having him there was already very good.

He responded to the pitch-black bedroom, which showed no sign of human presence:

"I got it, Grandpa! I still have things to do, I'll eat later. Don't worry about me."

Meanwhile, he made a silent vow to himself that once he escaped from this sinister trap, he would give Wang Yunhu his retribution and then leave this accursed place with his grandfather.

For normal people, running away from under someone's watchful eye was hard, but for him, it was much easier.

After all, who would be wary of a "Fool"?

At that moment, he seemed to recall something, his expression turning slightly dark:

"A few years ago, I accidentally overheard the clan's attitude towards me and knew that this day would come sooner or later. I just didn't expect it to be so perilous.

Grandfather said that if I wanted to live a peaceful life, I had to stay in Daling Village for fifteen years.

No matter how hard or difficult it was during that period, I couldn't leave far. I couldn't leave the Beimang Mountain Range at most, and I couldn't leave the village for more than three days at a time.

Now, there's only one month left until my fifteenth birthday, which coincides exactly with the two-hundred-year grand ceremony of the 'Yili King.' I hope I can survive until then."

Entering his room in the eastern wing, he changed out of his drenched Dao General official uniform and took out a copy of "Thirty-Six Martial Arts Books・Volume Eight" from under his pillow, identical to the ones on the altar.

Suppressing the surging Qi-Blood within his body, he reviewed the essentials in the book from beginning to end again.

"Had it not been for that bit of Qi Fortune, maybe my life would be uncertain by now.

But regardless of how miraculous the 'Small Book of Life and Death' is, without sufficient Yin Morality to undergo a qualitative change, one's personal martial prowess is fundamental.

All I can rely on now is this 'Taoist Military Skill.'

In this world where Daoist Skill manifests and is revered, ordinary soldiers on the battlefield are almost useless.

Since ancient times, whether it was dynasties battling for supremacy or Taoist Sects waging wars to conquer mountains and destroy temples, the main force has always been those who mastered various powerful Military Skills, such as the 'Daoist Soldiers' and 'Dao Generals.'

Over two hundred years ago, after the Emperor of Great Yan seized control of the world, he compiled the 'Taoist Military Skills' from various cultivation sects into the "Thirty-Six Martial Arts Books."

He then trained the world-shaking 'Great Yan Daoist Soldiers Thirty-Six Battalions!'

The ancestor of the Wang Family of Daling, Wang Huchen, was a Dao General from the 'White Tiger Elite Soldiers,' one of the Thirty-Six Battalions.

After a lifetime of serving the Court, he gained the privilege of passing down this 'Volume Eight・White Tiger Military Art' to his descendants.

It can be cultivated to the second realm of martial arts, 'Refining Marrow and Changing Blood,' which qualifies one to join the army as a Daoist Soldier. The current Clan Leader, Wang Yunhu, is an expert of this realm.

Once Wang Yuan had made sure there were no omissions, he put the military book aside.

He stood in the Tiger Stance used for Inner Refining according to the 'White Tiger Military Art' and fully released the repressed torrent of heat within him.

Hum—!

He breathed lightly through his nose and mouth, yet deep thunderous rumbling as well as the purring of a large feline animal resounded unceasingly from within his body.

The sound started from his entire chest cavity.

It activated the muscles, fascia, and bones throughout his abdomen and body, following a peculiar rhythm, sometimes tensing and sometimes exploding.

It caused constant vibrations everywhere inside his body, as if countless forging hammers were relentlessly hammering at his marrow, blood, and organs...

It seemed like the thunder of early spring awakening the earth and all things coming into being, continuously revitalizing the life force and internal organs stored within his body.

Even laypeople could tell that this young man had internalized a highly sophisticated technique of Inner Refining.

It was the core Inner Refining method among various 'Taoist Military Skills.'

'Tiger Roar,' 'Dragon Roar,' 'Crane Call,' 'Elephant Roar,' 'Toad Shock,' and 'Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound' all belonged to this category.

Coupled with the Primordial Qi heat flow transformed by 'Deceit Bone' and 'Deceit Skin,' working together, the body's immense Life Force continued to climb.

This body, not yet fifteen years old and not particularly imposing, was brimming with vigorous Qi-Blood, giving one the impression of a fierce tiger!

And Wang Yuan was amazed to discover that after performing "Ghost King Altar Sealing Seal" and having those three ghost gods attach to him,

it was as if he had been personally taught by a martial arts grandmaster. In every aspect, he had made significant progress; moving Qi-Blood and summoning Power had almost become instinctive.

Merely less than fifteen minutes later, a thunderous boom suddenly resounded by his ear.

Boom!

Having already passed through the stages of "External Strength" and "Inner Strength," and being only a step away from the "Bone and Flesh Outer Appearance" reaching "Integrated Force," the barrier was now violently shattered.

The base of his spine was hot like burning coal, and his spine bounced as if it were a great dragon.

With the spine as a pivot, Power surged through like a flowing river, swiftly traversing his entire body, allowing him to effortlessly mobilize the strength of every muscle and fascia with a mere gesture.

With Power infusing his hair, his spirit became acutely keen, ready to react to any stimulus!

Skin, fascia, bones, organs... every part of his body obeyed his command, with his consciousness taking full control of this physical form.

Wang Yuan suddenly sprang to his feet, and with a slight push of his hand, he leaped onto the beam like an agile monkey.

Flipping over like a civet, he pounced downward and passed through the narrow window.

Mysteriously, though the half-open window was so small that even a child had to sidle through,

he shrank his body in mid-leap as if he had dismantled all his bones, nimbly passing through it with finesse.

Wang Yuan landed silently, standing amidst the fine drizzle, and spread his arms open.

The raindrops falling from the sky would explode upon touching his skin, repelled by the bouncing fascia, soon creating a mist encircling him, making him resemble a divine being.

Closing his eyes to sense the changes within himself, it was only after a long while that he let out a breath:

"With 'Bone and Flesh Outer Appearance' reaching Great Success, although it wouldn't even meet the standards of a Daoist Soldier outside, reaching this step means I'm no longer just wielding a hoe in the field.

Having reached a new level of proficiency, brimming with energy, I could face ten alone.

Even against a company of elite soldiers who train incessantly and are fully armed, I could boldly kill, gaining the initial capital needed to take control of my Fate."

The constant anxiety stemming from the uncertainty of surviving from one day to the next quietly dissipated by half, and even the fog in his mind seemed to lift, suddenly making everything much clearer.

It was at this point that he became certain he had finally grasped that sliver of Qi Fortune created opportunity.

Had it not been for that hint of Qi Fortune's influence, he might have been directly captured by Wang Cheng and his companion, left with no chance to recover.

But mere Qi Fortune is like floating duckweed; only when combined with corresponding strength or resources can it possibly create miracles.

"Perhaps this is the principle of 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.'

Even if one is born with a precious Life Chart, without striving for oneself, no matter how strong their Qi Fortune is, it ends up as a tree without roots or water without a source.

Just like those pigs standing at the whirlwind in my previous life.

Although lucky enough to catch the whirlwind, if one does not enhance their strength during that short period of good fortune, the day will inevitably come when they fall back down.

Unworthy of the position, disaster will follow!"

At this time, Wang Yuan's understanding of Qi Fortune deepened even further.

He no longer cared about those Tomb Guardians who were certainly monitoring the courtyard tightly at this moment.

He was well aware of his situation and had never thought of seeking help from anyone.

With a pancake from his grandfather left in the pot in his mouth, Wang Yuan searched through the chests and cabinets, placing several jars with suspicious powders and an incense bag filled with six locust leaves on the table.

His gaze drifted through the rear window of the bedroom and settled on the misty Beimang Mountain.

"Logically speaking, with this Fool encountering Abnormality and nearing his end, those thousand acres of fertile land should be safely pocketed.

Why would they then go out of their way to coax me into Beimang Mountain? There's a limit to everything; they must have another purpose, a great secret that they've been meticulously hiding even from the Fool!"

He had a premonition that, within this remaining month, simply playing the fool and stalling for time would be of no use.

Only by finding that answer,

could he have a chance to reverse the predetermined Fate of "like floating duckweed on the ocean of suffering, a withered tree hard to rejuvenate with spring rain, unlucky in all endeavors facing a strong wind, this life adrift without anything to cling to!"