The Lin Martial Hall was expansive. The front courtyards were training grounds for martial arts, while over a dozen courtyards in the rear served as residences.
Led by a disciple of the martial hall, Lu Chen and Jiang Qingyu were quickly taken to a quiet and elegant courtyard.
“This will be your residence from now on. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.” After speaking, the disciple respectfully cupped his fists and left.
Jiang Qingyu wandered the courtyard curiously, checking everything out like a little explorer. Before long, she ran over and said, “Brother Chen, this courtyard is huge! It’s even bigger than the one we used to rent!”
“Now that we’re living here, we don’t have to be afraid of the Wild Wolf Gang anymore, right?”
Lu Chen gently patted her head, “That’s right. This is the safest place in Luo City. From now on, we no longer have to worry about them collecting tribute.”
“That’s great! I’ll weave more straw sandals and use the money to buy you candied hawthorn sticks!”
“You’re such a good girl. But Brother Chen doesn’t eat candied hawthorn. Also, from now on, you don’t need to make straw sandals anymore. Spend your free time reading, writing, or doing things you enjoy.”
Jiang Qingyu blinked her big eyes and asked in confusion, “Why? Don’t you think my straw sandals look nice?”
“They do! They look good and feel good to wear too.” Lu Chen pulled out a money pouch. “This came from the two Wild Wolf Gang thugs. There’s a few dozen taels of silver in here—enough to last us a long time. And now that we live in the Lin Martial Hall, we won’t lack food or clothing. So you don’t need to make straw sandals anymore.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of silver!” Jiang Qingyu’s eyes lit up as soon as she looked inside the pouch.
Lu Chen made a shushing gesture and said, “Don’t tell anyone about the silver. This is our lifeline.”
Jiang Qingyu patted her chest and said, “Don’t worry, Brother Chen. I understand.”
The courtyard and rooms were cleaned daily and very tidy. The two of them only needed to do a little organizing before settling in.
Lu Chen stayed in the east wing room, and Jiang Qingyu in the west wing. At first, she wanted to stay in the same room as Lu Chen, but he rejected her, saying she was too young to mess around like that. Pouting, she went back to the west wing.
In the days that followed, the two lived peacefully in the Lin Martial Hall. Master Lin took special care of them, not only sending them meals but also providing clean clothes.
Before, they wore patched coarse hemp clothes, hardly any better than beggars. Now, dressed in clean and well-fitted garments, their appearances underwent a complete transformation.
Jiang Qingyu, in particular, looked completely different.
With the help of the maids, her hair was tied up into a proper bun, and she wore a new green blouse and skirt set. She now looked just like a refined daughter of a wealthy family—elegant and pure.
The little girl became well-behaved and no longer spent her days weaving sandals. Instead, she sat quietly in her room reading and writing. When she got bored, she would go play with Lin Wan, the daughter of Master Lin.
Lin Wan was around the same age as Jiang Qingyu. Although not as striking in appearance, she had delicate features and a gentle personality—complementing Jiang Qingyu’s playful nature. The two often played together until late.
Now that he no longer had to worry about Jiang Qingyu’s safety, Lu Chen could finally focus on his own matters.
“Open status panel!” he silently commanded in his room.
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes:
[Name: Lu Chen]
[Lifespan: 14/60]
[Identity: Commoner of Luo City]
[Talent: Outstanding Bone Structure (Purple)]
As he had expected, martial arts from the real world couldn’t be brought into the simulation. But that didn’t trouble Lu Chen at all.
“If I can’t bring them in directly, I’ll reconstruct them myself!”
With that decision, he closed the panel, assumed a horse stance, and began practicing the Evergreen Technique.
Previously, under the old housekeeper’s guidance, he had already fully grasped its core essence. So even in the simulation, he could reconstruct it from memory.
The key to the Evergreen Technique lay in its breathing rhythm and Qi flow techniques. Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the floor, fully immersed in cultivation.
After countless rounds of practice, a line of text finally appeared before his eyes:
[Congratulations! You have successfully created a new technique. Please name it!]
“It worked! Finally!” Lu Chen was thrilled.
“As I expected, as long as I practice the right way, I can transfer techniques from reality into the simulation.”
“Since this is a direct copy, I’ll still call it Evergreen Technique.”
[Understood, Host. The new technique has been named Evergreen Technique!]
With the system prompt confirmed, Lu Chen opened his panel again:
[Name: Lu Chen]
[Lifespan: 14/60]
[Identity: Commoner of Luo City]
[Realm: 9th rank Copper Skin Realm]
[Technique: Evergreen Technique]
[Talent: Outstanding Bone Structure (Purple)]
He now had a new “Technique” entry—along with an additional “Realm” section.
Looking at his updated panel, a bold idea struck Lu Chen.
“If I was able to transfer the Evergreen Technique… what about the Mountain-Shaking Fist? Can I transfer that too?”
With that thought, Lu Chen closed the panel and began practicing the Mountain-Shaking Fist in the courtyard.
Although he lived in the martial hall, Master Lin hadn’t offered to teach him any martial arts. After all, Lu Chen was merely staying there temporarily, not a formal disciple. Moreover, since Lu Chen claimed to be Hong Qi’s disciple, Master Lin wouldn’t dare overstep by teaching him the Lin family’s arts.
So if no one would teach him, Lu Chen would reconstruct it himself.
The first attempt—failure.
Second attempt—still failed.
Third attempt—failure again.
…
Lu Chen kept practicing for several days, yet couldn’t succeed. Just when he was ready to give up, a notification finally appeared:
[Congratulations! You have successfully created a new martial art. Please name it!]
“It worked! Finally worked!” Lu Chen couldn’t contain his joy.
Just like with the Evergreen Technique, he named it directly: Mountain-Shaking Fist.
The panel updated once again:
[Name: Lu Chen]
[Lifespan: 14/60]
[Identity: Disciple of Beggar Sect Master Hong Qi]
[Realm: 9th rank Copper Skin Realm]
[Technique: Evergreen Technique]
[Martial Art: Mountain-Shaking Fist]
[Talent: Outstanding Bone Structure (Purple)]
Through relentless effort, Lu Chen had successfully transferred both the Evergreen Technique and Mountain-Shaking Fist into the simulation.
“Now here’s the big question—if I level up in the simulation, can I bring that realm back into the real world?”
“If I can… wouldn’t my strength grow at lightning speed?”
Thinking of this, Lu Chen felt a surge of anticipation.