In the days that followed,
to avoid raising suspicions,
Lin Yuan hardly went out.
Even when buying essentials, he would do it late at night when there were few people around, purchasing stacks of instant noodles, eggs, and green vegetables...
It was lucky that he'd grown tired of the braised spicy chicken and mushrooms from his previous life.
Trying out new flavors from another world wasn't bad either.
As for taking out the trash daily, it was convenient—just toss it into the area enclosed by the neighbor across the way.
How to deal with a headstrong bad neighbor?
Very simple...
Just be more overbearing than he is.
The guy was clearly scared out of his wits and didn't dare come knocking,
but his wife was relentless, banging on Lin Yuan's door, looking to cause trouble.
Lin Yuan answered the door holding a kitchen knife, at the same time he was on the phone with the Public Security Department, seemingly discussing issues related to household registration and getting quite flustered.
He was visibly red in the face and neck with anger.
"Sorry, I don't have a guardian anymore, so I have to handle all the procedures myself... yes, I've said I'm still underage, yes, no need to take responsibility for... Eh, what can I do for you, sister?"
The last sentence was directed at the young woman.
The woman across blinked, then immediately acted very polite, saying her husband didn't know any better and did such a terrible thing, she had specifically come to apologize.
Lin Yuan responded that it was completely fine, he didn't mind, and then apologized, saying that she was so pretty and he was sorry if the knife had scared her.
He then warmly invited her in to sit…
Lin Yuan wasn't hard on the eyes.
Youthful and handsome, with clear features and a vibrant complexion—he was at that exuberant age.
This kind of "puppy charm" was really hard for young women to resist.
She intended to decline, but when she saw his resistible handsome face, she bizarrely agreed.
The two got along remarkably well in conversation, and she even burst into laughter again and again, amused by Lin Yuan.
Over the next few days, Lin Yuan didn't look for more trouble, but instead knocked on the neighbor's door every day like clockwork, saying he wanted to chat with 'sister'.
Soon after, rows started breaking out across the hall.
Lin Yuan stayed out of it, only occasionally running into the young woman, expressing bashful guilt for being the cause of their arguments, criticizing her 'big brother' for not being more considerate toward her, unlike him... he only knew how to be concerned for 'sister'...
Then the quarreling across the way grew fiercer.
It lasted about six or seven days.
After a particularly intense argument, the neighbors moved out.
The day after they left, a junk collector came specifically to take down the enclosure...
It was a kind of silent capitulation.
For Lin Yuan, though, it was all just a minor interlude.
What he was mainly doing these days was investigating some extremely important data.
Perhaps because of the revival of Spiritual Energy, yet without anyone practicing Cultivation Techniques to absorb it, over a thousand years...
the world's Spiritual Energy had already swelled to a shocking degree.
This led to the unfortunate consequence that those residual consciousnesses coexisting with Spiritual Energy became even more active.
Five hundred years ago, the Eradication Department was just a force operating in the shadows, but now, it had no choice but to step into the light, and only with the assistance of all martial forces could they barely cope with the increasing number of Cultivators.
As for Lin Yuan, who already had Spiritual Power within his body, after reading the "Nayuan True Jue," it was like he'd opened up a channel...
Spiritual Energy had entered his body.
Therefore, even if Lin Yuan actively refrained from Cultivating,
when he fell asleep, the True Yuan within his body would still follow a preset route to absorb Spiritual Energy, effectively telling him there's no need to exert effort—just lie down and enjoy the serenity.
In just a few days, his physique had improved and climbed another rung.
Others, after transmigrating, would worry about having a weak constitution, unable to keep up with others...
But he was the only one worried that his constitution was too strong; afraid he might accidentally give himself away. Even if the Force of Pollution only had three segments, what then?
They were not without other means.
Just take the lie detector test—they might not be able to escape it.
Fortunately, Lin Yuan had indeed found a solution over the past few days.
Over the years, technology had advanced rapidly, and many things that only cultivators could previously accomplish could now be achieved through technology, and even done better.
But humans are always coveting more; knowing that there are supernatural methods in this world, they could never be content.
They could no longer touch Immortal Dao, but that didn't prevent them from using the foundational knowledge of Immortal Dao to develop some alternative paths...
Take for instance the most basic Immortal Dao body refinement technique, which, since it doesn't involve recitation of cultivation techniques, has been preserved. After hundreds of years of development, it has now become the Martial Dao.
Although it is only the most basic derivation, practicing Martial Dao to the extreme can also endow one with the strength to move mountains and split stones!
In the videos that Lin Yuan searched for, those martial artists could easily jump several meters high, and thick logs hugged by a single person were split in two with a single punch.
They were much stronger than his current physique.
It could be considered the perfect alternative.
"So, as long as I can become a martial artist, then I can explain, with head held high, that although my body is as light as a sparrow, my recovery ability is astounding, and my skin is crystal clear, maintaining youth, and even possibly in the future I might fly or tunnel through the earth effortlessly, but all of that would be thanks to Martial Dao, having nothing to do with cultivation!"
After much consideration, it seemed that this was the only way for Lin Yuan.
Only, after a few days of research...
He depressingly discovered some bad news.
And that was the relation between Martial Dao and his previous life was far too distant.
This world was divided into literary and martial paths, and his previous self was in the most critical year of that division...
Yet he had not found even a single book about Martial Dao at home.
And after searching online...
Titles like "Three-Year Martial Artist, Five-Year Expert", "Thirteen Shortcuts to Becoming a Warrior", "How Warriors Are Made" and so on...
Not to mention the exorbitant prices, the titles alone felt dubious.
Most importantly, there was a lack of fundamental knowledge about Martial Dao online, not even a trace of information could be found.
"What rubbish... Did he not even have a single thought of becoming a martial artist?"
Lin Yuan sighed deeply, lying on the bed in the shape of the Chinese character "木".
For a moment, even he didn't know what to do.
"Unacceptable, I'll have to go out and find a martial arts hall after a while, see if I can pay a bit more for a basic class."
With the inheritance left by his parents, Lin Yuan had a lot more confidence.
And this was not only to fulfill his dream of becoming strong, but also to ensure his own safety, no matter how expensive it was he couldn't be stingy with money.
......
Early the next day.
Just as dawn broke.
Lin Yuan got up from bed before five o'clock.
After washing up.
He did 100 push-ups in one go.
Then 100 sit-ups, 100 squats.
And then he went to what used to be a clothes rack... no, to the treadmill to run for ten kilometers.
His current state was very strange, being just a normal human body, and not even one that had been exercised, but when Spiritual Energy flowed through him, it could endow him with superhuman strength.
So at the very least, he had to make his body stronger, to make it appear as though he had been exercising.
After finishing his activity, he took a shower.
Feeling refreshed.
The gradual strengthening of his Spiritual Power gave Lin Yuan an abundant supply of energy; he only required three to four hours of sleep each day to maintain his vitality throughout the whole day.
This also gave him more time to interact with the world.
At eight o'clock, Lin Yuan finally went into the kitchen to cook himself two bags of instant noodles and four boiled eggs...
He had just dished up the noodles and hadn't had time to eat them in large mouthfuls.
Outside, a crisp doorbell rang.
Lin Yuan, who had just picked up his chopsticks, was instantly stupefied...
Someone was knocking at the door?
Considering his background, which was more than suitable for an orphanage, could there actually be someone looking for him?