The sun was setting as Li Wei and Ren Shiming stood near the dojo, watching the last of the day's training wind down. After a grueling year of intense training, Xu Zhan had finally reached 2 stars in the Azure Dragon Body Forging Technique. His progress had been slow and steady, but one day, without warning, Xu Zhan vanished.
Ren Shiming scratched his head, looking mildly confused but mostly amused. "You know, I thought he'd be here struggling with the 2nd-rate techniques for another decade, but now he just ups and disappears."
Li Wei smirked, unfazed. "He's probably off doing some cliché hero's journey. Don't worry. He'll come back as a 2nd-rate warrior in a month or two, glowing with newfound power."
Ren laughed, slapping Li Wei on the back. "Yeah, right. He'll probably have a mysterious mentor and maybe a magic artifact or two when he returns. Typical main character stuff."
The two shared a brief moment of levity, both knowing that Xu Zhan's erratic progress and sudden disappearance seemed par for the course given his narrative potential.
Li Family Body Forging Technique: [Complete]
Chen Family Body Forging Technique: [Complete]
Iron Body Technique: [Complete]
Iron Sand Palm: [Complete]
100 Poison Immunity: [Complete]
Li's Swordsmanship: [400%]
Internal Organ Training Manual: [Complete]
Art of Turtle Breathing: [4/5 stars]
Bull Demon Physique Refining Technique: [Complete]
Azure dragon body forging technique [Complete]
Crimson monkey body forging technique [2/5]
Li Wei opened up his status panel, assessing his own progress over the past year. Despite his tendency to keep a low profile, his growth had been steady and relentless.
He thought of hiding the techniques that had already been completed and miraculously they disappeared. This had never happened. He started to suspect that this system was had hidden functions.
Crimson monkey body forging technique [2/5]
Li's Swordsmanship: [400%]
Art of Turtle Breathing: [4/5 stars]
He closed the panel with a sense of satisfaction. The hard work had paid off, and he was closer than ever to becoming a peak 2nd-rate. He explored the if there were any useful new function of the system, but none!
A year earlier, Li Wei had a pivotal conversation with Uncle Zhao. He had accumulated enough merit points to acquire a high-level 2nd-rate technique—an opportunity he wasn't going to let slip by.
"Are you sure you want to use all your merit points on this?" Uncle Zhao asked, eyeing Li Wei cautiously.
Li Wei nodded. "It's the only way to advance. I have 20 points from uncovering the spy mission, 10 from the bandit extermination, and another 10 for yearly merits. That's 40 merit points in total. It's enough for a high-level technique."
Uncle Zhao scratched his chin, considering the situation. "Good choice. I'll help you get this technique."
With that, Li Wei exchanged his merit points for a rare high-level 2nd-rate technique. The decision had set the course for his future training.
Now, outside the town, the newly built cow and goat farms stood as another testament to the village's progress. The farms were operational, but they needed people to run them. Li Wei, the mayor, and the deputy mayor were busy recruiting new workers, selecting from the local towns people and even offering some of the laborers a chance to prove themselves.
"The top five hardest-working laborers will be given a chance to be promoted," Li Wei announced during a meeting with the town's officials. "We'll base it on a merit system, with yearly evaluations."
The laborers, once bandits, had shown varying levels of dedication. But the chance to rise from their previous status and become official workers was a powerful motivator.
"Let them know this isn't just about serving time," the mayor said, nodding. "If they want a real life again, they need to work for it."
With the farms up and running, Li Wei had already planned the next large-scale project for the laborers: road construction. The roads would connect Longjiang to the surrounding villages, improving trade and communication. The work would be grueling, but the long-term benefits to the region were undeniable.
"This will take some time," Li Wei told the mayor. "But with the laborers and the resources we've built up, we'll have a network of roads that ties everything together."
As the meeting concluded, Li Wei watched the laborers—still shackled but moving purposefully—working on the foundations of the road. The town was becoming more prosperous.