CHAPTER 2: Records of Toil
The golden tablet was taller than a skyscraper and shined brighter than a midday sun. Yet, its brilliance didn’t hurt Luo Ling’s eyes even when he kept staring at it without blinking.
The tablet had only one thing written: the name of the martial arts he was practicing and his progress on the said technique. It had a [Second] tag next to the name, meaning he had reached the second stage of the body forging technique, boosting his level to 2nd-rate martial warrior.
“Martial God,” Luo Ling mumbled under his breath, staring at the tablet with a forlorn expression. In truth, the [Transcendent] was not the end of the martial path; there was another stage above it— the Martial God.
The three stages above 1st-rate Martial Warrior, namely Martial Master, Martial Grandmaster, and Martial Transcendent, have a goal each. A Martial Master must tap into their mental energy and train it to perfection. Then, they are to flood their mental energy into their bodies and strive to achieve absolute control over their physique. This stage is called the Martial Grandmaster. Similarly, when a Grandmaster’s mastery over their bodies reaches microscopic levels and they achieve mind-body unity, the door to Martial Transcendence opens.
After becoming a Martial Transcendent, Luo Ling unlocked the inherent shackles in his body and gained access to his soul. He could also absorb the natural energy in the atmosphere and use it to strengthen his soul. The speed at which he improved was even faster than when he was a master or grandmaster. Everyone thought he had a higher chance of becoming the legendary God within a hundred years, and even Luo Ling agreed with their speculations. After all, by the time this rumor spread among martial artists of Murim, he had already achieved perfection of his Transcendent stage. The door to godhood was right before his eyes.
But Luo Ling had never expected to be poisoned by his schoolmaster’s disciple because the man was jealous of his talent. Moreover, the poison that the disciple used was something Luo Ling had never seen before; even the strength of a Martial Transcendent couldn’t stop its spread. As his vision sunk into the darkness, Luo Ling regretted his naivety. He should have adhered to the prime rule of the Jianghu in the Murim world- trust no one. One poisoned dagger to the heart shattered all his glory and dreams. He would soon become a nameless corpse destined to be forgotten in the annals of history.
At the height of his despair, Luo Ling noticed the emergence of a door in his fading consciousness, and a call echoed in the depths of his soul— open it. He felt compelled to reach out and pry it open. It's as if his very existence wished to open that door.
And that’s what he did.
The memories of what happened after that were hazy, but Luo Ling remembered casting a technique to save himself. It was a technique he obtained after becoming a God. The door was the final shackle of his body that prevented a mortal from divinity, and he broke it.
The technique was meant to send his soul several hours back in time and assimilate with his past self so he could avoid death and live on. Even while using himself, Luo Ling couldn't help but hold a lot of doubt. Traveling in time was already treading upon the boundaries of impossibility.
And it succeeded, but partially.
Although he managed to send his soul, it was not to the past but across the space-time and to a different dimension. He lost everything in the process and was reduced to a frail mortal with the last vestiges of his fading God Soul transforming into this golden tablet.
Speaking of the golden tablet, it was another wonder that tested his common sense. When Luo Ling learned its uses for the first time, he was rendered speechless for an entire day. To put it bluntly, this treasure could help him master any technique through continuous repetitions. It didn't matter what the requirements of the technique were, as long as he repeatedly performed it, he would continuously increase its mastery.
Let's consider the Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging Exercise that he practiced as an example. This martial technique had three levels, corresponding to the three stages before Martial Master. In the first stage, the practitioner was required to execute a set of complex-looking and strenuous stances while breathing in a specific pattern. After persisting until mastery, the practitioner was guaranteed to become a 3rd-rate martial warrior.
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The second level of Iron Muscles and Steel Veins required the practitioner to wear weights while performing all the exercises of the first stage. The added stress would hone his muscle strength and flexibility. As for the third stage, the practitioner had to wear weight and repeat the first level while enduring physical pain in the form of beating. This level focussed on strengthening the skin as it was the first line of defense of the body. This stage was basically a form of self-harm.
Each level had its corresponding methods that needed to be followed to increase martial technique's mastery. But thanks to the tablet, Luo Ling became a 2nd-rate martial warrior by continuously repeating the first stage. Even without the weights, his body grew stronger as the mastery of the level increased with each passing day.
Taking note of such game-changing, almost cheating-like, abilities of the tablet, Luo Ling named it [Records of Toil]. He briefly considered naming it [Repetition Makes Perfection], but it sounded rather bland.
-~X~-
Luo Ling observed the monolithic structure for a few more minutes with mixed feelings before pulling himself out of the subconscious world. Although he lost all his accomplishments, he gained a logic-defying tool in exchange. With its help, climbing back to his previous summit wouldn’t pose much of a challenge. Perhaps he’d only need a few years to achieve transcendence this time.
Luo Ling rose to his feet and stretched, eliciting a series of satisfying popping sounds from his bones. Assuming a horse stance, he regulated his breathing with practiced ease. After a few minutes, he seamlessly transitioned into another form. The first stage of the Iron Muscles Steel Veins body forging exercise comprised a series of complex-looking stances; executing them posed no challenge for Luo Ling.
By the time he reached the thirteenth stance, he was already sweating.
The technique harnessed the excessive energy in the body to strengthen muscles and blood vessels. Therefore, an energy-rich diet was necessary for the practice. Usually, the martial apprentices who practiced this body-forging technique would fatten themselves until they were overweight. Their accumulated fats supplied inexhaustible energy, helping them to level up quickly.
Luo Ling also did the same when he started on this body-forging technique. After regaining his memories, he spent the first few months to gain weight. Although the orphanage was not too shabby, they still cut corners in many things. The meals they provided left much to be desired. Meat dishes were an occasional luxury, and the vegetables were often rotten. They lacked the necessary nutrients he desired.
After becoming a 3rd-rate martial warrior, Luo Ling no longer relied on the orphanage for meals. Having trained a physique rivaling that of trained adults and ample experience in wilderness survival, he had the means to hunt on the outskirts of Hundred Beast Forest.
The combination of energy-rich diets, diligent practice, and Records of Toil made him a 2nd-rate martial warrior in nine months. With how fast things were progressing, he had a high chance at breaking through to 1st-rate warrior in the next two months. Although this speed fell short of his expectations, he was still much faster than his previous life.
-~X~-
Luo Ling crouched down before springing up with an uppercut. The fifteenth, also the final, stance in the Iron Muscle Steel Veins series was named Leaping Dragon. Designed to counter bigger opponents than the practitioner by targeting their chin, the move puts a massive toll on the body, especially on the thighs.
A wave of weakness washed over him as soon as his foot touched the ground. Luo Ling nearly tumbled down, barely managing to stay on his legs through sheer willpower. Just then, his stomach rumbled with a vengeance. The last time he had a full meal was before he left the village to hunt; that was a few hours ago. As a 2nd-rate martial warrior, his metabolism had already surpassed the limits of an average person. Food that took hours to digest would be done within half an hour.
Luo Ling was famished after all that hard work he put himself through and the fragrance of the slow-cooking rabbit continuously stimulated his appetite. However, the meat entered the oven for only a few minutes. It was still far from being cooked properly. Raw flesh would never enter his menu no matter how hungry he was.
Luckily, he was prepared. On his way here, he stopped by Madam Wei’s Eatery. Famous for its delicious yet greasy meat buns, the shop always saw a steady stream of patrons around the clock. Luo Ling regularly bought his pre-meal ‘snacks’ from that restaurant as not only did those oily buns satisfy his palette, but the stuffings were generous. It was the perfect starter before the main dish was ready.
Luo Ling had bought a handful of extra-large buns; he tore through them like a ravenous glutton. Two servings of those buns were enough to make an adult feel bloated, yet Luo Ling had no trouble gorging on three. Feeling stuffed, he put away the remaining three and settled down on a meditative stance. His mind sunk into the depths of his subconsciousness.
[Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging Exercise (Second Level)]— Proficiency: 179/500
The proficiency had grown. Each time Luo Ling finished the set of fifteen stances, the proficiency of the exercise would increase by one point. Following this trend, he needed to repeat the sets 321 more times to reach the Third Level and become a 1st-rate warrior.
With his current vitality and blood, Luo Ling could perform the sets four times daily. That was his limit. Forcing himself beyond that number would stunt his natural growth, and he didn’t want that. It wouldn’t be wise to jeopardize his body’s natural growth process.
Roughly, he would need two months to reach 1st-rate.