In the dimly lit wooden hut, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged on the cold wooden floor, the faint morning breeze slipping through the cracks of the old window. The sound of roosters crowing echoed from the distant village, marking the start of another ordinary day. His eyes calmly stared at the floating system panel before him, glowing faintly in the air.
[Max Learning System Activated.]
[You have acquired: Basic Fist Technique [MAX.Level]][You have acquired: Basic Blacksmithing [MAX.Level]][You have acquired: Basic Farming [MAX.Level]][You have acquired: Basic Calligraphy [MAX.Level]][You have acquired: Basic Writing [MAX.Level]]
Jiang Chen let out a long sigh. A month had passed since he awakened this so-called "Max Learning System." The system allowed him to instantly master any skill to perfection just by touching or learning about it. In the beginning, he was overjoyed, believing that with martial arts and craftsmanship maxed out, he could dominate the world. Yet, when he actually threw a punch at the wooden dummy in the backyard, nothing happened.
At least, that's what he believed.
"Ah... I can't even kill a dog with this punch," Jiang Chen muttered helplessly, standing there like a fool, completely unaware that his casual punch had shattered the wooden dummy into fine dust, leaving behind a charred hole in the ground. But since it was night, he didn't notice a thing.
From that day onward, Jiang Chen completely gave up on martial arts.
"Forget it, this system is probably defective," he thought.
Since he couldn't cultivate nor feel spiritual energy flowing through his body, he concluded that he was just an ordinary mortal. Thus, he decided to live a peaceful life in this abandoned martial dojo left behind by his father.
The dojo stood on the outskirts of the village, far from the bustling town. Behind the dojo was an ancient mansion left by his ancestors, but due to the village's declining population and its remote location, no one was foolish enough to buy this piece of land.
Jiang Chen didn't mind. He liked the peaceful life.
In the past month, relying on the Max Learning System, he mastered farming, carpentry, blacksmithing, and even basic alchemy. But instead of becoming a legendary figure, he simply grew potatoes in the backyard and occasionally crafted wooden furniture to sell in the nearby town.
"I'm just a mortal, after all... There's no need to think about things like cultivation or immortality," Jiang Chen comforted himself.
Yet, deep down, he couldn't help but feel a little bitter.
On the second day, Jiang Chen woke up early as usual. After having a simple breakfast of steamed buns and porridge, he sat on the wooden porch and lazily gazed at the rising sun.
At that moment, the system panel suddenly flickered.
[Ding!]
[New Skill Unlocked: Martial Concept Creation [MAX.Level]]
[You can now create any martial art technique within the scope of the mortal realm.]
Jiang Chen was stunned.
"I can... create martial arts?"
For a moment, his heart trembled with excitement. But recalling his past "failed punch," he quickly calmed down.
"Forget it... even if I create something, I probably won't be able to use it," he muttered.
However, since he had nothing better to do, Jiang Chen picked up a brush and an old bamboo scroll from the storage room.
Sitting on the wooden floor, he casually dipped the brush in ink and began writing.
[Flowing Water Sword Technique][Three Fold Dragon Fist][Heaven Breaking Palm]
As the ink touched the scroll, strange patterns and ancient runes naturally flowed from his brush.
With MAX-Level Calligraphy and MAX-Level Martial Concept Creation, Jiang Chen's writing seemed ordinary on the surface, but in reality, the techniques he created already carried profound martial intent and terrifying power.
[Ding!]
[You have acquired: Flowing Water Sword Technique [MAX.Level]][You have acquired: Three Fold Dragon Fist [MAX.Level]][You have acquired: Heaven Breaking Palm [MAX.Level]]
Jiang Chen glanced at the scroll.
"Hmm... not bad. It looks pretty cool," he thought.
Satisfied, he rolled up the scroll and casually tossed it aside.
"Alright, that's enough playing around for today. Let's start writing novels."
With MAX-Level Writing and MAX-Level Calligraphy, Jiang Chen's penmanship had already reached perfection.
At first, he planned to write some cultivation novels to sell in the town market and earn some extra money. However, as he continued writing, he slowly became immersed in the process.
One novel after another, Jiang Chen wrote ten entire novels in a single day. Each novel was filled with profound stories, deep emotions, and flawless writing that could easily shake the literary world.
[Ding!]
[Hidden Achievement Triggered: "Mortal World's Author."]
[Reward: Dimensional Storage Room Unlocked.]
The system's cold voice echoed in his mind.
Jiang Chen's expression stiffened.
"Wait... I got a reward from writing novels?"
The air before him trembled slightly as a faint golden door appeared out of nowhere. With a curious expression, Jiang Chen stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Inside was an endless, white dimension, vast and boundless.
"This... is this my personal storage space?"
[Ding!]
[Dimensional Storage Room: Can store any object, martial art, or creation without limit.]
Jiang Chen's eyes brightened.
Without hesitation, he carried the scrolls of the martial arts techniques he created and stored them in the Dimensional Room.
He then stored the wooden statues he carved, the ancient medicinal herbs he accidentally refined while playing with alchemy, and even the perfect artwork he casually drew with MAX-Level Painting.
Before long...
The Dimensional Storage Room was already filled with countless treasures.
That night, Jiang Chen sat in front of the dojo, looking at the stars in the sky.
"I feel like... I should be able to do something great with this system..."
"But... nah, I'm just a mortal. I should live a peaceful life."
From that day onward, Jiang Chen began living like a true "hidden master."
Writing martial arts techniques he thought were trash. Crafting legendary weapons in the backyard. Drawing ancient formations in his free time. Accidentally creating spiritual statues that could awaken souls.
All while thinking...
"I'm just an ordinary man."
In this declining village where no one paid attention to him, Jiang Chen unknowingly began building an immortal legacy.
But he remained clueless.
Thus, the legend of the "Hidden Mortal God" quietly began...
The morning sun slowly rose, casting a warm light over the abandoned dojo.
Jiang Chen stood in front of the old, broken wooden gate, arms crossed as he carefully observed the state of the building.
The wooden pillars were cracked, the walls were covered in moss, and the roof was leaking from multiple places. The training ground in the backyard was filled with weeds, and the once majestic wooden statues of martial ancestors were already rotting from the moisture.
"...What a mess," Jiang Chen muttered with a sigh.
This dojo was left behind by his deceased father, who was once a martial arts instructor. However, due to the decline of the village and the lack of disciples, the dojo had long been abandoned.
After inheriting the place, Jiang Chen initially thought of selling it, but no one was foolish enough to buy land in a dying village.
"Since I'm going to live here, I might as well fix this place up."
He rolled up his sleeves and stepped into the courtyard.
First Step: Repairing the Wooden Structure
With MAX-Level Carpentry, MAX-Level Blacksmithing, and MAX-Level Architecture, Jiang Chen's hands were already capable of creating miracles.
However, in his eyes, he was just an ordinary man doing basic repairs.
He walked to the backyard and chopped down some old trees with a rusty axe. With each swing, the massive tree trunks fell like paper. Jiang Chen thought it was because the trees were too old and rotting, completely ignoring the fact that the axe blade was already dull.
"Looks like my strength has improved a little from farming recently," Jiang Chen thought.
He dragged the logs back to the dojo and began cutting and shaping them with a simple knife.
With MAX-Level Carpentry, every cut was precise, and every wooden beam fit perfectly into the frame of the dojo.
Jiang Chen built new support pillars, replaced the broken walls, and reinforced the wooden foundation.
Using MAX-Level Blacksmithing, he even forged new iron nails and reinforced the door hinges, making the entire structure solid and sturdy.
However, in his eyes, everything seemed... "ordinary."
"Hmm... it's just basic carpentry. Anyone could do this with enough patience," Jiang Chen thought as he hammered the final nail into the wooden frame.
What he didn't know was that...
The old, decaying dojo that couldn't withstand a single storm had now turned into a fortress that not even a Divine Beast's attack could shake.
Second Step: Refining the Training Ground
After fixing the main structure, Jiang Chen turned his attention to the backyard.
The once weed-filled ground was cleared with a simple hoe.
Using MAX-Level Farming, he adjusted the soil, flattened the ground, and carved out perfect lines for planting medicinal herbs and crops.
Then, with MAX-Level Architecture, he casually built a wooden training platform in the center and added some wooden dummies for practice.
To make the area more "aesthetic," Jiang Chen even carved stone lanterns and built a small bamboo pavilion next to the pond.
"Not bad… looks simple and clean," Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction.
If any grandmaster were to see this, they'd probably cough up blood.
The wooden training platform Jiang Chen built with "basic craftsmanship" was sturdy enough to withstand the strikes of peak-stage martial saints.
The wooden dummies he casually crafted could absorb spiritual energy and refine a martial artist's foundation.
And the bamboo pavilion he built for relaxation naturally gathered spiritual qi, turning the backyard into a perfect cultivation ground.
But Jiang Chen... didn't notice any of this.
Third Step: Refining the Interior
After fixing the exterior, Jiang Chen moved inside the dojo.
The dusty wooden floor was cleaned.The broken windows were repaired.The cracked ceiling was patched.
With MAX-Level Calligraphy, he even drew ancient martial arts scriptures on the walls to make the place feel more... "cultural."
On the surface, it looked like simple decorative paintings.
In reality, those casual strokes of his brush contained ancient martial intent that could make even Nascent Soul experts kneel in enlightenment.
Final Step: Crafting a Wooden Training Machine
After finishing the repairs, Jiang Chen felt that the dojo was still missing something.
"I need a training partner…"
With that thought, he casually grabbed some leftover wood and metal parts from the backyard and started assembling a simple wooden puppet.
With MAX-Level Engineering and MAX-Level Formation Creation, Jiang Chen accidentally carved ancient runes on the puppet's core, granting it self-awareness and terrifying combat abilities.
After two hours, a fully functional wooden training machine stood before him.
"Hmm... looks pretty ordinary," Jiang Chen muttered as he patted the wooden puppet's shoulder.
At that moment, the puppet's wooden eyes suddenly flickered with faint golden light.
If not for Jiang Chen being "too mortal" to sense spiritual energy, he would have noticed that this wooden puppet had already stepped into the Earth Immortal Realm.
After Two Days of Hard Work...
Jiang Chen stood in front of the dojo, hands on his hips, satisfied with his "basic renovation."
The once broken and decaying dojo now looked completely new, simple yet elegant, clean yet powerful.
From the solid wooden gate to the backyard filled with training equipment and medicinal herbs...
From the wooden statues to the ancient murals drawn with MAX-Level Calligraphy...
And the "ordinary" wooden puppet standing in the corner, exuding a faint killing intent...
Jiang Chen nodded with satisfaction.
"Now... this feels like home."
Somewhere in the village...
A few villagers passing by saw the renovated dojo from afar and felt chills running down their spines.
"Isn't that the broken dojo of Jiang Chen's father...?"
"How... How did it suddenly turn into this?"
"Why do I feel like... that place is filled with terrifying killing intent...?"
The villagers shivered and hurriedly walked away, treating the place as some forbidden ground.
Meanwhile, inside the dojo, Jiang Chen was casually enjoying tea while sketching martial art concepts on bamboo scrolls.
In his eyes, he was just a mortal living a peaceful life.
But in reality...
The legend of the Hidden Mortal Master... quietly began.