Leoric and Tian Boguang found themselves in a predicament that could be generously described as being strangers in an alien realm; less charitably, they were two lost souls drifting in a harsh, unyielding world.

It was evident, however, that Tian Boguang had fallen even further from grace.

Prior to his transmigration, Tian Boguang had been renowned as one of the most formidable young martial artists, albeit with a dark reputation as a notorious rapist. But now, devoid of his physical body, he found himself trapped within the frail frame of an elderly man well over seventy years old.

All the painstakingly honed internal energy, swordsmanship, and other martial arts skills he had once possessed were now lost to him. Everyone knew that martial arts demanded rigorous training from a tender age. Some extreme techniques, like the Golden Bell Cover or Iron Shirt, even necessitated celibacy and purity – virtues that Tian Boguang would never contemplate embracing.

In short, for a septuagenarian, the prospect of rekindling a martial arts career was virtually impossible. Over the course of seven years, Tian Boguang diligently practiced meditation and cultivation in solitude, to no avail. Had any wuxia novel ever featured a character achieving greatness in their seventies? Never.

Thus, Tian Boguang's promising career as a rapist came to an abrupt end.

As for Leoric, despite his youth, his physical constitution was far from ideal due to his low occipital bone, rendering him a martial arts dud. Together, these two embodied the perfect example of "having the desire but lacking the means." Elsewhere, perhaps they could have ventured out at night in search of opportunities, like encountering a solitary beautiful woman. However, in the semi-militarized and isolated city of Shadowdale, the risks of committing crimes were prohibitively high.

So, they remained confined, living as recluses.

When Leoric turned nine, he had absorbed nearly everything Tian Boguang had to teach. One fateful day, the old man summoned Leoric to his chamber, announcing that he would impart the ultimate skill – the crowning jewel of his arsenal.

Leoric was a mix of curiosity and excitement. Any technique deemed the pinnacle by Tian Boguang was bound to be extraordinary.

Yet, reality proved to be a letdown.

In truth, Tian Boguang's final move was not bad – it was quite impressive, to be honest.

But it left Leoric utterly disheartened.

"This technique is known as the Jade Harvesting Scripture, a secret art of the Tian family," the old man declared passionately. "Master this, and your path as a rapist will broaden and smoothen, leading you to become the greatest flower thief of all time."

It sounded intriguing.

"The Jade Harvesting Scripture, handed down from the ancient Yellow Emperor, possesses countless miraculous attributes. It enables you to engage with multiple women in a single night without fatigue, extends your lifespan, preserves your youthful appearance, and even grants you ascension to godhood like the Yellow Emperor."

After much verbiage, the core had yet to be revealed. The old man was adept at selling snake oil... But the Jade Harvesting Scripture? It sounded rather lecherous. And "handed down from the Yellow Emperor" – according to Leoric's knowledge, many works were attributed to this ancestor, including medical texts like the Huangdi Neijing and various sexual practices...

Given the sleazy demeanor of the old man before him, Leoric could guess what the Jade Harvesting Scripture entailed.

And he was right.

The legendary Jade Harvesting Scripture was essentially a method of absorbing female yin essence to bolster one's own strength – a specialized skill for rapists. This ability allowed them to absorb true yin during intercourse, enhancing their vitality and prowess with each encounter. This skill was particularly useful for emperors with numerous concubines.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

But Tian Boguang had already instructed Leoric in this technique; it was merely a matter of finding opportunities to practice it. Now, presenting the Jade Harvesting Scripture as something novel seemed redundant.

In reality, the Jade Harvesting Scripture differed from ordinary yin absorption techniques. Instead of absorbing true yin, it targeted internal energy.

It was a specialized technique for absorbing the internal energy of women who possessed martial power.

According to Tian Boguang, mastering the Jade Harvesting Scripture meant that whenever he engaged with women possessing internal energy, he could siphon their powers, transforming them into his own – a perverted version of the Absorbing Star Great Law or the Northern Dipper Divine Skill.

Both the Absorbing Star Great Law and the Northern Dipper Divine Skill were esteemed as supreme martial arts. Jin Yong portrayed Ren Woxing using the Absorbing Star Great Law to dominate the martial world, while Duan Yu relied on the Northern Dipper Divine Skill to swiftly ascend to the ranks of a top martial artist. Only the Sunflower Manual, practiced exclusively by eunuchs, surpassed them in potency.

Furthermore, for someone like Leoric, who lacked martial talent, this skill was more practical than any high-level martial art. No matter how powerful a technique, it required ample internal energy to be effective. Even if given the Six Pulse Swordplay manual, he couldn't generate sword qi without internal energy. Similarly, knowing the secrets of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms would be futile if his strikes lacked force. In contrast, the Absorbing Star Great Law and Northern Dipper Divine Skill allowed one to swiftly become an internal energy expert by siphoning others' power, as exemplified by Duan Yu. Once internal energy was strong, even simple moves became deadly.

Thus, dubbing the Jade Harvesting Scripture his ultimate technique was justified. By systematically targeting weaker martial artists first and then progressing to stronger ones, Leoric could become a great martial artist – or rather, a great rapist – if he played his cards right and had some luck.

However, the problem was... they were on Toril, not Earth, in the Shadowfell's Shadowdale, not the martial world of Ming China. There were no female martial artists here for Leoric to absorb internal energy from...

As an avid reader of web novels and based on his observations over nine years, Leoric was convinced that this world had no concept of internal energy. All martial artists here focused solely on external strength, completely neglecting internal cultivation.

This rendered the revered Jade Harvesting Scripture akin to a dragon-slaying technique – impressive but useless in a world devoid of dragons.

Just as Leoric's hopes seemed dashed, the old man spoke once more.

"Not so fast," the old man declared.

"Cut the crap, you're not funny," Leoric muttered inwardly but politely inquired, "What do you mean, Master?"

The old rapist wore a smug expression as he explained his reasoning, nearly causing Leoric to burst into laughter.

Tian Boguang, after mysteriously finding himself in this fantasy world and inhabiting an elderly body, felt incredibly frustrated. Although his martial skills were gone, his discerning eyes remained sharp. He could tell if someone had trained in internal energy. After ten years of observation, he had concluded that warriors in Shadowdale did not cultivate internal energy. However, he had discovered another aspect that gave him hope for the Jade Harvesting Scripture.

"I have a momentous secret to share, something I've observed over ten years," the old man whispered conspiratorially. "There are people here called wizards who wield magic."

Leoric nearly stumbled at this revelation. Something so obvious to him had taken Tian Boguang ten years to figure out? And he considered it a momentous secret?

Ignoring Leoric's reaction, the old man continued. His point was that since no one here cultivated internal energy, the original purpose of the Jade Harvesting Scripture was unattainable. However, magic existed in this world, wielded by wizards (including sorcerers, clerics, and other spellcasters), so perhaps the scripture could be adapted to absorb their magical energies.

It was a clever idea, albeit impractical in the world of Faerûn, unlike in games like Diablo or Heroes of Might and Magic where mana could be likened to internal energy.

In Faerûn, magic functioned entirely differently. While internal energy was stored within the practitioner, magic drew its power from an external source known as the Weave. Wizards invoked spells by combining gestures, incantations, and material components to channel energy from the Weave. High-level wizards weren't necessarily stronger internally but were more adept at tapping into and manipulating the Weave.

Thus, comparing internal energy to magic was futile. Despite Tian Boguang's intelligence, his limited understanding as a Ming-era person, coupled with his unfortunate circumstances, led him to misinterpret the workings of this world. Without the ability to test his theories, he clung to false hopes.

Leoric was deeply disappointed until the old man produced another item.