"I'm Tian Fang, from Earth."

Bang!

Tian Fang muttered, his voice barely a whisper.

He raised the pickaxe in his hands again.

"I'm Tian Fang, from the Iron Bull village."

His eyes were dull, his words mechanical, yet his movements held a practised rhythm.

Bang!

"I'm Tian Fang, from Earth."

He kept repeating these words like a mantra as he struck the rock wall.

Bang!

Six years.

Tian Fang had been trapped in this world for six long years. 

The constant suffering had almost made him forget who he was; he had to always remind himself.

Bang! 

Suddenly, in the spot he kept hammering, a faint light appeared, breaking his trance.

"A Qi Stone?"

Tian Fang hesitated, then struck faster, his heartbeat quickening.

With a few more hits, the light grew brighter.

"It really is a Qi Stone!"

Tian Fang glanced around to make sure no other miners were nearby, then quickly grabbed the crystal stone, which emitted a soft, transparent glow.

"Absorb."

[Absorbing Low-Grade Qi Stone]

[+5 Energy Points!]

The light in the stone faded as it crumbled into dust.

"Status."

[Name: Tian Fang]

[Age: 16]

[Title: Slave of the Poison Serpent Sect]

[Level: Third-Rate Martial Artist]

[Strength: 1.6]

[Agility: 1.2]

[Constitution: 1.1]

[Spirit: 1.2]

[Martial Arts: None]

[Martial Techniques: None]

[Skills: Basic Boxing (Perfect 23% (+)), Basic Axe Technique (Entry 67% (+)), Mining (Small Achievement 32% (+)), Basic Swordsmanship (Entry 19% (+))]

[Ability: Absorption]

[Energy Points: 492 (+1 every 7 days)]

[Status: Poisoned by the Gu Worm of the Poison Serpent Sect]

"It will soon clock 500 points." 

Tian Fang muttered with faint emotion.

When he awakened in this world, this mysterious panel appeared before him.

His cheat.

Six years ago, Tian Fang had died on Earth from cancer, only to awaken in the body of a 10-year-old boy who had succumbed to a severe cold in another world. 

This was no ordinary world.

This was the world of Jianghu, and the location he found himself in was called the Fire Dragon Continent.

The world of Jianghu was a dark and ruthless land where might defined right. 

Only those with strength could carve their place in history. 

It was a realm where martial artists reigned supreme, their fists, blades, and Qi techniques dictating the fate of kingdoms and individuals alike.

For the weak, the laws of this world held no meaning. 

Survival was the only rule, and survival belonged to those who could dominate others.

In this land, territories were divided among powerful families, kingdoms, and sects.

When Tian Fang first awakened, he was just an ordinary village youth living with a widowed mother and three elder sisters. 

That was until disaster struck.

The village was attacked by a sect from the evil faction.

The Poison Serpent Sect.

A vile organisation filled with martial artists who practised demonic arts to grow stronger.

The raid was merciless.

The village of 467 people was reduced to fewer than 100 survivors. 

The elderly were slaughtered, and the women were abused—including Tian Fang's widowed mother and elder sisters—right before his eyes. 

This horrific event unfolded just three months after Tian Fang had arrived in this world.

His cheat, though powerful, had proven useless.

The mysterious panel granted him the ability to instantly master skills, martial arts, and techniques using energy points, provided his body could endure the transformation. 

This power came with a dangerous limitation.

When he first arrived, Tian Fang had been practising {Basic Boxing}, taught by the village chief to the village children. 

Excited by the prospect of power, Tian Fang impulsively increased his mastery of the skill to the next level.

The resulting transformation almost killed him.

The rapid increase in mastery drained Tian Fang's body of nutrients and energy, leaving him on the brink of death.

From that moment, He learned a harsh lesson.

While his cheat could grant him immense power, his body needed to be strong enough to handle it.

This was why, despite possessing a large reserve of energy points, Tian Fang used them sparingly. He couldn't afford to waste his life recklessly.

But that didn't mean he would let his cheat gather dust.

Tian Fang was waiting. Accumulating strength.

The day he gained his freedom from the Poison Serpent Sect would be the day they learned the true meaning of fear.

For now, however, Tian Fang was just a poor, skinny slave.

Perhaps if he had been given two more years to train before the Poison Serpent Sect attacked, he might have stood a chance. 

He might have been able to protect his family, his village, and himself.

But there were no "ifs" in this world.

The past could not be undone.