In the dark prison, the light was dim.
Chen Ming had just regained consciousness and felt completely uncomfortable, without any strength, his throat felt as if he had swallowed razor blades. He thought to himself: Am I sick again?
Then, a foul stench overwhelmed him, almost making him pass out.
Who put this on my bed?
It was a composite stench mixed with the smell of damp mold and excrement, incredibly overwhelming.
Chen Ming's stomach churned, and he almost threw up.
"This kid's awake."
"Kid, what crime did you commit to land in here?"
The sudden voice startled him, and he instinctively turned his head, seeing two disheveled, raggedly dressed individuals through the dim light.
Who are they?
No, wait!
Where is this place?
Stunned to the extreme, Chen Ming realized he was not in his room.
It seemed to be a cell?
How did I end up here?
Buzz—
Chen Ming's head felt like it had been stabbed with something, and in immense pain, he let out a terrible scream as countless unfamiliar memories flooded into his mind.
"Ming'er, you've been learning martial arts from Master Huo for four years, but you haven't achieved anything notable. Our family can't support you any longer..."
"You're already seventeen; it's time to find something to do. Starting tomorrow, go work as an assistant at Jin Yuansheng. Your grandfather was an old acquaintance of their shopkeeper, so you must be careful in your words and actions, talk less and do more, and absolutely avoid causing trouble..."
"Kid, if you dare ruin my plans..."
"It was Chen Er, he drugged my tea and tried to do something to me. Master, you must stand up for me..."
...
"Did I travel through time?"
After what seemed like ages, Chen Ming finally recovered, though his mind still felt sluggish.
This was an ancient dynasty setting, a Martial Arts World. It was said that cultivators existed here, though the original owner had never seen them, only heard about them from others.
The original owner was twenty years old, from a well-off family that ran a small shop—comfortable but not wealthy.
He was the second son in his family, had loved martial arts since childhood, and at thirteen had become a martial student under a martial master named Huo for four years until asked to leave due to lack of talent.
He then relied on connections to become a clerk at a business called Jin Yuansheng. Because he worked diligently and responsibly, he gained the trust of the shopkeeper and became a minor manager after three years.
What went wrong was that the original owner was too responsible.
Soon, he discovered someone was embezzling and secretly gathered evidence to report to the shopkeeper.
The embezzler was dealt with immediately.
Months later, revenge came.
On the venerable former owner's seventieth birthday, the original owner was drugged, wandered into the inner quarters in a daze, and was accused by a half-dressed maid of inappropriate intentions.
On such a joyous occasion, such a scandal enraged the old master, who not only had the original owner beaten but also thrown into prison.
The original owner died unjustly in this way.
For a moment, Chen Ming was filled with intense indignation.
So young, he really considered the business his career?
Modern companies treat employees like oxen and horses.
Ancient businesses truly treated clerks like dogs.
Chen Ming didn't believe the old master and the shopkeeper, such clever persons, couldn't tell he was framed. Yet they expressed their anger on him, and the other didn't say a word in his defense.
Not worth it in this world!
...
Chen Ming quickly set aside his sympathy for the original owner and pondered his own situation.
"System?"
"Old man?"
"Cheat code?"
"..."
He tried everything but couldn't summon a panel or cheat code, feeling a bit flustered.
With the world crashing down from the start, how would he turn things around without a cheat?
No family, no talent. Still imprisoned, and his reputation was ruined...
"Kid, stop playing dead."
At that moment, someone kicked him.
Chen Ming turned to see the two prisoners glaring fiercely at him, "Don't lie here, that's your spot over there."
This was a display of dominance.
The old hands in the cell testing the newcomer's compliance.
Chen Ming dropped his gaze, struggling to rise from the ground.
"Hurry up!"
The person kicked him again, causing him to fall over.
Chen Ming didn't say anything, gritting his teeth, silently getting up again, and moved to the corner. Next to him was a toilet, and the smell of excrement everywhere.
Those two prisoners saw he didn't even dare let out a fart and laughed triumphantly.
Chen Ming closed his eyes, tolerating the unpleasant stench, adjusting his breathing to slowly gather his strength.
A smart man knows when to yield.
His current physical condition was too weak to have conflicts with others.
"Kid, I asked you a question just now..."
At that moment, a prison guard came over, and the two immediately shut their mouths.
The guard glanced at Chen Ming sitting in the corner, seeing he was alive, warned, "You two, don't touch him. If someone ends up dead, I'll take both of you out."
The two prisoners repeatedly assured they dared not.
The prison guard turned and left.
Having just been warned, they didn't dare bother Chen Ming for a while.
Chen Ming let out a sigh of relief, able to restore his strength in peace.
...
After an unknown amount of time, the cell was completely dark.
Night fell.
One of the prisoners spoke, "Kid, what crime did you commit?"
After waiting a while and seeing the kid remained silent, he got angry, "Don't think that officer will protect you. He just doesn't want to make trouble by having someone die. At this time, they're all asleep, even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come to save you..."
Then, the kid finally spoke, "Hearing that line out of your mouth is really disgusting."
"You say—"
That prisoner became furious, rolling up his sleeves to go teach the kid a lesson. Just as he stood up, a gust of force struck and his chest took a heavy punch.
This punch was so severe that his vision went dark, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Then, two slaps struck his face in quick succession.
"Spare...me..."
Only then did he realize he had kicked a wall, this was a trained fighter, and he hastily pleaded loudly.
Chen Ming stood dumbfounded at the sudden prompt that appeared before him, [You defeated a LV0 enemy and gained 1 Experience Point.]
So, this is the cheat?
His heart surged with excitement.
Before him, a panel appeared.
[Name: Chen Ming]
[Level: 2]
[Current Points: 1]
[Cultivation Technique: Iron Horse Stance (Stage One 98/100+)]
[Martial Skills: Three Talents Fist (Proficient 21/200+), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Beginner 12/100+)]
Sure enough, it was a system.
The contents of this panel were clear at a glance; no manual was needed, he already guessed how it operated.
Point allocation style!
With a thought, Chen Ming added that lone point to the Cultivation Technique: Iron Horse Stance.
Instantly, he felt a surge of heat within him, clearly sensing that he had become a bit stronger.
Not enough, just a little more!
He suddenly looked at the other prisoner and kicked him.
"Don't hit me... I didn't do anything..."
That prisoner, who was a bit weaker, covered his head, wailing and begging for mercy.
[You defeated a LV0 enemy and gained 1 Experience Point.]
"It really works."
Seeing the prompt, Chen Ming felt elated, and without hesitation, added the newly gained point to Iron Horse Stance.
Instantly, a scorching sensation exploded within him, and he felt his body burning, a powerful force surged forth.
He had successfully broken through.