In his past life, Ding Sheng had read countless martial arts rules, one of which stated that whenever the protagonist fell off a cliff, they would have a miraculous encounter. Ding Sheng felt that he had always been lucky, and since today’s experience already met the first half of that martial arts rule, if he could find some divine weapon or martial arts manual in this cave, it would truly be worth the trip.

But who would have thought that besides a stone table and stone chairs, there was nothing else special in the cave?

Ding Sheng wished he could dig three feet into the ground but found nothing.

“It seems one must be kind and not too greedy; it’s already great that I survived a great disaster. Perhaps the faint black liquid in that stone pit is some incredible treasure that saved my life. It’s a pity I can't take it with me now,” he sighed, feeling disappointed as he stopped searching.

With no food or water in the cave, it was time to think of a way back.

He followed the passageway to the cave entrance.

Below him was an abyss of ten thousand feet.

Looking up and around, he saw dark clouds rolling and fierce winds howling.

However, when he looked upward, he could faintly see stars twinkling through the black mist, suggesting he hadn’t been unconscious for too long; at least it was not yet dawn.

Moreover, seeing the starlight indicated that the cave was not too far from the ground, and there was hope of climbing up.

“It’s strange, how did I fall into this cave after tumbling down the cliff and end up soaking in that liquid?” Ding Sheng pondered, perplexed.

He did a couple of sets of the eighth children’s radio gymnastics to loosen up his body, then secured his rusty sword on his back and carefully grabbed a few protruding rocks at the cave entrance, slowly climbing up.

Fortunately, in his past life, Ding Sheng had been quite interested in rock climbing and had participated in some indoor climbing activities, mastering a few climbing techniques, which prevented him from panicking.

He climbed like a gecko, stretching his limbs, firmly adhering to the cliff, and steadily moving upward.

Behind him, fierce winds howled, and a terrifying gravitational pull in the black mist seemed ready to sweep Ding Sheng away at any moment.

This process was truly perilous.

A moment of carelessness could result in being swept away by the winds and plummeting into the abyss, resulting in a gruesome death, utterly irreversible.

Moreover, the gravity here was shockingly strong, far beyond normal, making every step feel fraught with danger.

After climbing for about twenty meters, Ding Sheng felt his limbs aching intensely, his body on the verge of exhaustion. He had to grit his teeth and persist, gripping the protruding rocks tightly with his fingers, his toes firmly pressing against the footholds.

Sweat poured down like rain.

Ding Sheng was soon drenched, breathing heavily and not daring to relax for a moment.

After climbing another twenty meters, he was utterly exhausted, his muscles felt like they were being sliced with knives, and his arms were losing sensation.

But at that moment, something incredible happened—

A strange heat flow emerged from his dantian, like a gentle stream, quickly coursing through his limbs and bones, cleansing every part of his body like a lover’s tender caress.

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Then, all his fatigue and soreness vanished in an instant.

Ding Sheng felt as if he had been reborn, instantly filled with energy.

His physical strength had inexplicably surged by more than half.

If he had four hundred pounds of strength before, he now had over a thousand.

As he continued to climb, his speed increased significantly.

After climbing another forty meters, just as Ding Sheng was about to feel exhausted again, the same thing happened once more.

A heat surged from his dantian, spreading through his limbs and bones.

New strength emerged, sweeping away all fatigue and pain.

This incredible phenomenon occurred six times before Ding Sheng found himself less than a hundred meters from the surface.

At that moment, he noticed a few flashes of red light on a nearby rock outcropping.

“Eh? Those red lights... that’s... the Dragonheart Mysterious Grass actually fell with me! Thankfully, it didn’t end up in the abyss. Haha, this truly is a case of searching high and low, only to find it without effort.”

Seeing the red light nearby, Ding Sheng was overjoyed.

Without hesitation, he carefully climbed over and collected the six stalks of the bright red, glowing Dragonheart Mysterious Grass, resembling ginseng, wrapping them carefully in his tattered clothes.

With the spiritual herbs in hand, Ding Sheng felt an exhilarating excitement.

After a brief rest, he gathered his strength and climbed smoothly to the cliff’s summit, reaching the ground.

“Whew, damn, I’m finally up! I just danced with death; I mustn’t be so reckless in the future.”

Ding Sheng lay on the ground, taking deep breaths, feeling he had pushed his luck this time. Reflecting on the experience sent a shiver down his spine; he knew he needed to be more cautious.

However, the climb of five to six hundred meters had caused a bizarre transformation in his body. Not only had his physical strength increased dramatically, but as he sweated profusely, some black, greasy filth oozed from his pores, forming a thin layer of black shell on his body.

This situation resembled the legendary process of rebirth and cleansing.

At that moment, with Ding Sheng’s movements, the black shell cracked and fell away, revealing skin underneath as white as snow, yet extremely tough and resilient.

Even Ding Sheng’s entire aura had transformed, as if he were a celestial being descended to the mortal realm, standing on the edge of the cliff with an ethereal presence. In the distance, the horizon was beginning to show a hint of dawn.

...

A new day was about to begin.

The morning breeze blew, and even his trousers felt a chill.

Ding Sheng looked down and was at a loss for words; his clothes were nearly torn to shreds, with a large hole in his trousers.

Fortunately, the six stalks of Dragonheart Mysterious Grass were unharmed, tightly wrapped in his clothes.

After adjusting his clothing to cover the essentials, Ding Sheng set a course, avoiding the poison and swamps, arriving at the edge of the garbage stone forest. He followed the path, sprinting toward home.

“Eh? Why can I run so fast all of a sudden?”

With a single step, Ding Sheng was startled.

His body was filled with power; a single step covered three to four meters, and he felt weightless, as if he had learned the legendary lightness skill.

In the blink of an eye, he was outside the picket fence of his small yard.

...

Beneath the morning sun, the courtyard appeared tranquil and beautiful.

However, Ding Sheng furrowed his brows.

He sensed a dangerous aura.

Ding Sheng felt an unsettling tension and began scanning the quiet courtyard, trying to locate the source of the danger. The sunlight streamed through the treetops, casting an interplay of light and shadow on the yard, resembling a beautiful painting. Yet this beauty could not mask the wariness in his heart.

“Could it be that my presence after climbing up from the cliff has attracted some attention?” he pondered, feeling a chill run down his spine. At that moment, even though his body felt as light as a feather, unease lingered within him. He recalled the strange experiences in the cave, especially the shadow of the mysterious sword that seemed to echo in his mind.

“I must be cautious,” Ding Sheng thought, adjusting his breath and listening intently. The sounds around him grew clearer—the morning birds chirping, the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze, and the distant sound of flowing water—seeming to remind him that the world was still peaceful.

But just then, a low howl suddenly echoed, shattering the morning stillness. It seemed to come from deep within the forest, sending a shiver down Ding Sheng’s spine. He felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over him, as if an ominous event was looming.

“I can’t stay here any longer,” Ding Sheng decided. Although he possessed six precious stalks of Dragonheart Mysterious Grass, he was more concerned about the danger lurking behind him. He quickly tidied up his clothes, focused his thoughts, and cautiously moved towards the village.

On this familiar path, Ding Sheng tread carefully, trying not to make a sound. Every step felt precarious, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, while his ears caught that low howl more clearly, as if it was hinting at something.

Who could it be? Ding Sheng thought anxiously, “Could it be one of those legendary beasts? Or... something else?”

Just when he was deeply worried...