The silence in the clinic courtyard was thick, broken only by the muffled groans from inside and the frantic pounding of Elder Wen's heart. Su Lin stood motionless, the rough wood of the staff cool against his palm. The cold fury that had driven him was receding, replaced by the familiar, icy clarity of analysis. He'd acted. Victory, messy but deniable, was assured. But the cost? Wen's terrified flinch echoed in his mind. *Rule Two: Never reveal true strength.* He'd broken it. Not completely – the story was accidents, Wen defending himself – but Wen *knew*. That was a vulnerability.
He took a slow, deep breath, forcing the Iron Mountain Stance to settle fully within him, its grounding presence a counterpoint to the adrenaline still humming in his veins. He focused inward, calling up the System interface. Time to assess the damage and the gains.
`[Host: Su Lin]`
`[Talent Level: 1 (0.3 / 10)]`
`[Realm: None]`
`[Attributes: STR 5 | CON 5 | AGI 5 | SPI 5]`
`[Techniques:]`
` - Iron Mountain Stance (Perfection)`
` Effect: Lv4 Damage Reduction (+4 CON while active)`
` Effect: Lv4 Impact Resistance (+4 CON while active)`
` Effect: Lv4 Rooted Stability (+4 STR while active)`
` - City Guard Basic Spear Form (Mastery)`
` Effect: Lv3 Thrust Precision (+3 AGI while active)`
` Effect: Lv3 Arm Stability (+3 STR while active)`
`[EXP: 82]`
`[Talent Points: 0.3]`
The attribute boosts from the techniques were significant *while active*, effectively doubling his base Strength and Constitution during combat. But they were temporary, reliant on channeling the techniques. His base stats remained pitifully low – a frail man in a world of monsters. The bruises throbbing on his forearms and ribs, despite the Stance, were a stark reminder. Against a true Low-Level beast like the Razorback Boar, equivalent to a High-Level Body Tempering cultivator, he would have been pulped without the Stance, and even with it, he'd barely held on against the snake and rabbit. He needed to raise his *base*. He needed Talent Points.
Wen's shaky voice broke through his thoughts. "Su? The... the guards are here."
Su Lin turned. Wen stood at the courtyard curtain, looking pale but composed. Two City Guards stood behind him in the clinic doorway, their patched leather armor looking marginally more official in the dim light. One was the thick-necked guard from the West Gate, looking bored. The other was older, with a sharp gaze and a scar cutting through his short-cropped grey beard – Sergeant Kael, Su Lin recalled from overheard conversations, known for being less corrupt than most, or at least smarter about it.
Kael's eyes swept the scene: the collapsed shelf burying Broken Nose's legs, the Burly Thug clutching his crushed hand and wheezing, Greasy Hair sobbing over his shattered knee, Wen looking shaken but standing tall, and the two copper leaves on the table.
"Elder Wen," Kael's voice was gravelly but calm. "Report."
Wen took a breath, his story rehearsed with Su Lin's cold instructions. "Sergeant Kael. They broke in. Broken Nose and his thugs. Demanding money – seven copper leaves! I only had two... offered them, begged for time. They refused. Attacked me." Wen gestured to the bruise already forming on his cheek where Broken Nose had shoved him. "Shoved me hard. Then... they started ransacking the place. Went for the shelves. Broken Nose... he was pulling things down, raging. The shelf... the corner post was rotten, you see? Never got around to fixing it..." Wen's voice trembled convincingly. "It just... gave way. Came down on top of him. The others... in the struggle, things got chaotic. One fell badly, hurt his knee. The other... I think he tripped over the debris and landed on his hand? It was terrible! So loud! I was just trying to protect my home!"
Kael listened impassively, his sharp eyes missing nothing. He glanced at the crushed hand, the unnatural angle of the knee. He knelt by the collapsed shelf, examining the splintered post. "Rotten indeed," he murmured. He looked at the two copper leaves. "And they attacked over two leaves?"
"Extortion, Sergeant," Wen said, a hint of steel entering his voice now. "They've been bleeding the Moss Quarter dry for months. Everyone knows it."
The thick-necked guard grunted. "Stone Serpents. Nasty lot. Good riddance to Broken Nose, if you ask me." He nudged the Burly Thug with his boot. "Oi! Shut yer whining! That true? You lot broke in and got clumsy?"
The Burly Thug, eyes wide with pain and fear, looked from the guards to Wen to the curtained courtyard where Su Lin stood unseen. He saw no help. Only the terrifying, blank-eyed "cripple" who had broken them effortlessly. "Y-yes! Yes!" he gasped, eager to agree with the story that didn't involve the monster in the back. "B-Broken Nose went mad! Pulled the shelf down! Tripped over his own feet, he did! We... we just got caught in it!"
Greasy Hair just whimpered, nodding frantically.
Kael straightened up. He looked at Wen, then his gaze flickered towards the courtyard curtain for a fraction of a second. Su Lin, observing through a tiny gap, saw the calculating look. Kael knew the story was too neat. But the evidence fit. The victims confirmed it. And the Stone Serpents were a nuisance the City Guard was happy to be rid of, especially if it didn't require them doing any actual work.
"Accidents happen," Kael stated flatly. "Especially to clumsy thieves in poorly maintained buildings." He gestured to his partner. "Drag the bodies – the live ones too. Lock 'em up for trespassing and assault. The dead one... dump him in the pauper's field." He turned back to Wen. "Clean this up, Elder. And fix that post." He picked up the two copper leaves. "Evidence." He pocketed them without ceremony. "Try to stay out of trouble."
The guards hauled the groaning thugs out, leaving Wen alone amidst the wreckage. He sagged against the wall, the bravado draining away, replaced by exhaustion and lingering shock. He looked towards the curtain. "Su?"
Su Lin pushed the curtain aside and stepped in. He didn't speak. He started righting unbroken jars, picking up scattered, salvageable herbs. Wen watched him for a moment, the efficiency of his movements, the unnatural steadiness in his bruised hands. The image of Su Lin moving like lightning, breaking men like dry twigs, clashed violently with the quiet, recovering man he'd nursed.
"Su," Wen said again, his voice softer. "Who... *what* are you?"
Su Lin paused, holding a jar of dried Frostpetal leaves. He met Wen's gaze. The fear was still there, but also a dawning awe, and deep confusion. "I am Su," he said, his voice flat. "I am here. I need to be stronger." He placed the jar carefully on a stable part of the remaining shelf. "The Stone Serpents here are gone. But their boss? Others? They will come looking."
Wen swallowed. "What do we do?"
"We prepare," Su Lin stated. "You fix the shelf. I gather herbs. Stronger herbs." He looked at the Frostpetal jar. `[Potential Talent Points: 0.1]` per leaf. Not enough. He needed better sources. "The marsh. The deeper fringes. Where the better herbs grow. Where the tougher beasts are." He paused. "But not yet." He wasn't ready for beasts equivalent to Meridian Awakening cultivators. He needed a foundation.
He walked back to his pallet and sat cross-legged. He closed his eyes, focusing on the System. He had 82 EXP. He had the Iron Mountain Stance at Perfection and the Spear Form at Mastery. He needed the next step: Cultivation itself. The first realm – Body Tempering. The System had scanned the basic concept when he saw the City Guard. He focused on it.
`[Path: Body Tempering Realm (Foundation)]`
`[Goal: Strengthen the body to withstand martial training.]`
`[Focus: Hardening bones, strengthening tendons, building raw stamina.]`
`[System Analysis: Host possesses incomplete foundational knowledge. Requires: "Essence Gathering for Body Forging" (Common Cultivation Manual - Low-Grade)]`
`[Estimated Scan & Completion Time if Found: 1 Hour]`
`[EXP Cost for Instant Mastery of Completed Manual: 100 EXP]`
A manual. He needed the knowledge. He looked at Wen, who was starting to clear debris, still casting nervous glances his way. "Elder Wen. Do you have any books? Scrolls? Anything about... strengthening the body? The basics?"
Wen stopped, surprised. "Strengthening? Like... martial training? Su, you're already..." He trailed off, remembering the shattered thugs. "I... I have fragments. An old herbalist text talks about 'Iron Bone Broths' and 'Sinew-Stretching Exercises'. It's not a proper manual, just... notes." He rummaged through a battered wooden chest and pulled out a few brittle, stained pages. "Here. It's incomplete, barely legible in places."
Su Lin took the pages. The script was faded, the diagrams crude. He focused.
`[Scanning: "Herbalist's Notes on Physical Fortitude" (Incomplete - Common Knowledge / Low-Grade Fragment)]`
`[Estimated Completion Time: 45 Minutes]`
`[EXP Cost for Instant Mastery of Completed Text: 60 EXP]`
He could wait 45 minutes. He had time. He settled back down, the pages in his lap, pretending to study them while the System worked silently.
"Su," Wen ventured cautiously after a while, watching him. "That stance you used... it felt... solid. Unmoving. Is that...?"
"The Iron Mountain Stance," Su Lin said without looking up. "Basic guard technique. Saw it at the training ground. Practiced." The half-truth slipped easily. "Helped me keep my feet when the boar charged."
Wen nodded slowly, accepting the explanation, though his eyes still held questions. He went back to cleaning. The System finished its work.
`[Scan Complete. Reconstruction Complete: "Essence Gathering for Body Forging" (Low-Grade Cultivation Manual)]`
`[EXP Cost for Instant Mastery: 60]`
Su Lin focused. *Master.*
`[EXP Deducted: 60]`
`[New EXP Total: 22]`
`[Mastering: Essence Gathering for Body Forging (Perfection)]`
Knowledge flooded him – not just exercises, but a fundamental understanding. How to draw in the faint ambient energy of the world, the "Qi" that permeated Xuan Huang, through controlled breathing and specific, strenuous postures. How to channel that energy not into flashy techniques, but deep into his bones, his muscles, his tendons. How to break down his body at a microscopic level and rebuild it stronger, denser, more resilient. It was the foundation. The absolute bedrock of power in this world. And he now understood it perfectly.
He stood up. He moved to a clear space in the clinic, ignoring Wen's curious look. He assumed the first foundational posture described in the manual – the "Rooted Sapling". Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, spine straight, arms hanging loosely. He closed his eyes and began the breathing pattern: deep, slow inhale through the nose, drawing the breath down to his belly, a measured hold, then a controlled, complete exhale through the mouth, expelling impurities.
He focused inward. At first, nothing. Just the ache of his bruises, the rhythm of his breath. Then, gradually, he felt it. A faint tingling. A whisper of warmth in his belly, spreading slowly outwards along his limbs. It was incredibly weak, barely perceptible, like the first hint of sunlight before dawn. But it was there. Qi. The energy of this world. And he was drawing it in.
He held the posture, breathing, focusing, for what felt like an hour. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His muscles trembled with the sustained effort. When he finally released the posture, he felt drained, but also... cleaner. More solid. The bruises felt less angry. He checked his status.
`[Host: Su Lin]`
`[Talent Level: 1 (0.3 / 10)]`
`[Realm: Body Tempering (Low-Level - Progress 1%)]`
`[Attributes: STR 5 | CON 5 | AGI 5 | SPI 5]`
`[Techniques:]`
` - Essence Gathering for Body Forging (Perfection)`
` - Iron Mountain Stance (Perfection)`
` - City Guard Basic Spear Form (Mastery)]`
`[EXP: 22]`
`[Talent Points: 0.3]`
Progress. 1%. A minuscule step onto the path. His base stats hadn't changed yet – that would come with sustained cultivation and breakthroughs within the realm. But he had started. The foundation was laid. The first, crucial step from mortal frailty towards something more.
As dusk fell, Wen finally got the shelf more or less upright, using scavenged wood to brace the broken post. He looked exhausted. "There. Won't win any craft awards, but it'll hold." He looked at Su Lin, who was washing up again. "Su... thank you. For today. For... handling it."
Su Lin nodded curtly. "They were a threat. They are gone." He dried his hands. "Tomorrow, I go back to the marsh. Deeper. I need rarer herbs."
Wen looked worried. "Deeper? Su, that's where the Razorbacks roam! And worse! The Horned Toads near the black pools... they spit venom! Equivalent to Mid-Level Body Tempering, they say! You can't..."
"I won't fight them," Su Lin stated, his voice calm. "I'll avoid them. I need the herbs that grow there. For... for the broths. The exercises." He gestured vaguely at the reconstructed manual notes. "To get stronger. Properly."
Wen studied him, seeing the determination in the set of his jaw, the newfound stillness in his posture. He sighed. "Alright. But be careful. More careful than today. Please."
"Always," Su Lin replied. He picked up his crude spear staff. He needed to practice the spear form with his new understanding of body mechanics, integrate it with the faint trickle of Qi he could now feel. He needed to be ready. The Moss Quarter might be free of Broken Nose, but the city walls felt thinner than ever. The marsh whispered of greater dangers, and the path of the Cautious Sovereign demanded constant, meticulous preparation. He stepped into the dim courtyard, the first faint stars appearing overhead, and began to move, the staff an extension of his slowly solidifying will.
( End of Chapter )