Chapter 2: The Enigmatic World of Mind and Spirit Hidden from the World

Heaven and earth possess a primal energy that nurtures all things; within my body flows a vital force that connects with the universe. This primal energy is a manifestation of unwavering righteousness and vast majesty—when gathered, it stands as firm as a mountain; when dispersed, it moves like a dragon. It can overcome myriad techniques and shield my very being...

At this moment, the “Primal Energy Heart Manual” had undergone a profound transformation.

Originally, the manual was simple and unadorned, straightforward and easy to understand.

Anyone who could read characters should be able to comprehend it.

It was initially intended for the common people of the Xia Kingdom, to strengthen their bodies for better labor. How could it have been difficult?

When the “Primal Energy Heart Manual +1” emerged, its contents changed drastically. Its subtlety then was already sufficient for cultivation.

Refined once more, this set of techniques reached the second tier.

The entire manual had changed dramatically.

Its complexity surged, the content expanded, and it was now divided into four chapters:

General Principles, Gathering Energy, Controlling Energy, and Transforming Energy.

Within its pages, it was no longer merely a set of exercises for physical health.

The Marquis’s household sought to coerce me into submission, preventing me from accessing authentic cultivation techniques.

Yet they did not anticipate that I possessed such a mysterious ability.

It was precisely this uncanny power that lent me greater confidence amid my current predicament.

Six years had passed since I crossed into the Lu family’s domain. I originally thought that avoiding conflict and living an ordinary life would suffice.

But trouble always found its way.

The small room I inhabited lay in the southwestern corner of the Marquis’s estate.

This was a secluded spot adjoining the family vegetable garden.

Occasionally, after fertilization, the stench would waft over.

According to the Lu family’s matriarch, this was part of the hardship meant to temper me. Since I was so confident that I could carve a path in cultivation, she insisted on imposing even harsher demands to aid my growth.

I was accustomed to such trivial chores.

Food, clothing, shelter, and transport had always been earned through my own efforts.

Handling the estate’s dirty and exhausting labor was nothing new.

I knew well whether these tasks benefited my cultivation.

In truth, a martial artist’s training demands much time and undivided focus.

Diverting attention to menial tasks could hardly yield meaningful growth.

If it truly helped, then the countless servants toiling in various noble estates should possess formidable martial prowess.

To me, these tasks were deliberate wastes of my time and energy.

The Lu family had cultivated martial and literary arts across generations; the matriarch could not be unaware of this.

Their actions were intentional, and I needed no deep analysis to discern their motives.

It was late, and after refining the “Primal Energy Heart Manual” once again, I had exhausted much energy and stamina.

I no longer forced myself and slept until the hour of the Snake.

Seeing that I had not yet risen, the servants from the madam’s quarters arrived once more.

“Fourth Young Master, have you awoken? The back garden path was damaged recently by a passing carriage, breaking the paving stones. The matriarch has asked you to repair it.”

Several servants knocked on the door as they spoke.

I ignored them at first, but they persisted.

Cultivation was difficult to pursue in peace, and rest was equally elusive.

After a long while, I slowly opened the door.

Their disturbance did not trouble me.

Taking the tools, I went straight to the back garden to mend the broken path.

By the time I finished, it was midday.

Thanks to my labor, I collected some food from the kitchen and returned to my room to eat.

Now, there was nothing within the Marquis’s estate I could obtain without work.

Even to have a meal, I needed to earn it through labor.

Along the way, the estate’s servants treated me politely, their tone unobjectionable.

But once I was out of earshot, their conversations were filled with ridicule and mockery.

Back in my room, I sat by the bedside, holding the food I had taken.

With a sip of water, I swallowed it down.

The room held no other chair, so I had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed.

Even shifting slightly caused the bed to creak.

I had to be cautious not to break the bed by sitting too heavily.

After lunch, I gathered some tools, intending to repair my bed.

I tidied everything atop it and studied the bed, pondering how to begin.

Suddenly, the words “Wooden Bed” appeared before my eyes in faint gray characters.

Unlike the white text of the “Primal Energy Heart Manual,” this gray text surprised me.

Previously, I had thought this effect applied only to cultivation manuals.

Yet even this ordinary bed could be refined through my unique ability.

Setting down the repair tools, I focused intently on the wooden bed and refined it.

The gray text remained gray.

However, “Wooden Bed” had transformed into “Wooden Bed +1.”

My mysterious ability could refine any object!

Upon closer inspection, the once rickety, shaky wooden bed had become sturdy.

It even seemed as if the materials had improved.

Sitting back down, I recalled the process of refining the bed.

After a moment’s hesitation, I concentrated again on the wooden bed.

Refining a second time, the gray text changed to “Wooden Bed +2.”

The bed had not only become stronger but now bore delicate patterns.

Its appearance had gained a certain elegance.

Encouraged, I prepared to continue refining.

Yet no matter how I focused, I could not refine it further.

I sensed the bed could be refined more, but the difficulty in succeeding likely stemmed from my current limitations.

Reaching the third tier of refinement probably demanded more energy and stamina than I possessed.

Only with greater strength could I hope to refine to the third tier.

With these realizations, I pondered the significance behind the colors of the item names.

So far, I had encountered only two: gray and white.

Sitting by the bed, I contemplated carefully.

The world held countless kinds of objects.

Some bore gray labels; others, white.

Perhaps higher grades existed, represented by other colors.

This mysterious ability surely held deeper meaning.

Comforted by this thought, I felt more secure.

Taking my spiritual bone to supply others would not be so easy.

Setting aside the harm removing it would cause me, those two half-siblings by different mothers were strangers to me.

Why should I sacrifice myself to help them improve?

Moreover, losing a spiritual bone would cripple me.

Without it, surviving as an ordinary person would be difficult, let alone pursuing martial cultivation.

The spiritual bone was vital not only for martial arts but as part of the body, located by the thigh.

Removing it meant becoming lame.

If both spiritual bones were taken, traveling elsewhere would require being pushed in a wooden cart.

While lost in thought in my room, the eldest young master of the Marquis’s household and his attendants approached.

“Fourth Young Master, are you inside?”

The door to my small room was ajar, concealing its interior.

Had it been other servants, they would have barged in without hesitation.

Only this elder brother and his followers showed such courtesy, truly regarding me as the fourth young master of the household.