My Cultivation Techniques Upgrade Automatically

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Can It Be Stronger Than My Cheat?

BANG! BANG! BANG!

On the reddish-brown earth, Liu Linshan lay prone in a wretched state, his large fists slamming into the ground. The dull thuds echoed across the yellow soil, kicking up clouds of dust.

He was venting the bitterness in his heart.

”Beasts! Animals! You traitorous beasts who’ve betrayed your own master!”

”You’re worse than pigs and dogs!”

He glared with immense hatred at the two figures dragging his daughter away. The fury in his eyes was almost palpable, yet he was utterly helpless.

Liu Linshan could never have imagined it. The two apprentices he had protected with his life through countless dangers, whom he had brought along on this long and arduous journey with his family, had chosen to betray him without a moment’s hesitation the instant he was grievously injured.

Not only had they stolen his food and medicine, but they had also abducted his daughter, completely disregarding their past bond as master and apprentices. They left him alone to die in this desolate place.

As his daughter’s figure grew more distant and her cries for help faded, the bitterness in Liu Linshan’s eyes gradually gave way to despair.

”HUFF! HUFF!”

Unwilling to give up, he gasped for breath and struggled to his feet with all his might, determined to rescue his daughter with the blade in his hand.

But for someone so heavily injured, it was a futile effort.

Mustering all his strength, he not only failed to stand but also aggravated the wound on his abdomen. Fresh, red blood immediately seeped through the simple burlap bandage.

Droplets of blood trickled down the cloth, staining the ground red.

His arms gave out, and he collapsed limply into the pool of his own blood. He was a miserable sight, looking no different from a corpse.

Fortunately, the group of refugees ahead of him was relatively well-off. They had prepared enough dry rations before fleeing the famine and had not yet lost their humanity.

Otherwise, with the thick scent of blood clinging to him, Liu Linshan would have inevitably been carved up and eaten.

Knowing his time was short and that he couldn’t save his daughter, Liu Linshan could only stare blankly as her figure was about to disappear in the distance.

Due to excessive blood loss, his vision began to white out, and his strength was draining away bit by bit.

Liu Linshan’s head gradually drooped, his eyelids fluttering shut.

But just then, WHOOSH—

Liu Linshan heard a gust of wind. In his daze, something came to a stop in front of him.

He looked up dazedly and saw a dark figure looming over him.

The silhouette blocked the heat of the setting sun, bringing a hint of coolness.

It allowed Liu Linshan to regain a sliver of clarity.

But before Liu Linshan could figure out what was happening, a hoarse voice came from the silhouette:

”Old master, do you have any Martial Arts or Cultivation Techniques on you?”

”If you do, perhaps you could give them to me. In exchange...”

”Tch!”

Before the person could finish speaking, a disdainful scoff escaped the dying Liu Linshan’s throat.

From those few words, he knew the newcomer was just another petty thief, looking to take advantage of his misfortune and steal his Martial Arts.

Perhaps the other party wanted to give him a shred of dignity, asking for it instead of immediately taking it by force.

He looked up to size up the newcomer and saw a thin figure with a sallow face and sunken eyes. He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.

But his eyes were exceptionally bright, and he didn’t look like a villain.

’Heh, I misjudged the apprentices I raised for years, and now I think this kid trying to steal my Martial Arts isn’t a villain?’

Liu Linshan laughed at himself inwardly. Without another word, he painstakingly pulled a tattered, gray-covered booklet from his chest and tossed it over.

It was the most useless thing to have while fleeing a famine; it could neither be eaten nor drunk.

Moreover, no one would practice martial arts at a time like this, when preserving every bit of energy was crucial for survival.

Only he, out of nostalgia for the Martial Arts he had practiced for half his life, would carry it with him.

”Take it, just take it.”

Then, he waved his hand impatiently, motioning for the young man to get out of his way.

His daughter was about to be violated, and death would inevitably follow.

He himself was grievously injured and powerless to save her.

All he had left was the desire to die.

Staring dumbly in the direction his daughter had disappeared, the sliver of clarity Liu Linshan had regained began to fade, and his eyes grew vacant once more.

But soon, a ripple of emotion disturbed his clouded gaze.

An expression of disbelief crept across his face.

He saw the young man who had just asked for his Martial Arts bend down, pick up the steel saber lying on the ground, and start walking into the distance.

And he wasn’t heading south, the direction of the fleeing refugees. He was heading precisely in the direction his daughter had been taken!

”He’s going to save Wei!”

Watching the thin figure walk away, Liu Linshan’s heart trembled, and a glimmer of light flashed in his vacant eyes.

But in the next instant, the light in his eyes dimmed again.

”But... can he really save her?”

Liu Linshan pondered.

From their brief eye contact, he knew the young man was also a martial arts practitioner.

But judging by the glint in his eyes, he had probably only just stepped onto the path of Martial Arts. At best, he was a Martial Artist at the second or third layer of the Body Tempering Realm—hardly enough to make a difference.

What’s more, the circumstances were dire. After fleeing hundreds of miles, even an iron man would have lost a few layers of rust.

Let alone a Martial Artist at the third layer of the Body Tempering Realm, who was far from being an iron man.

The boy’s Qi Power was likely down to ten or twenty percent of its peak, and that was being generous.

Liu Linshan then thought of his two apprentices. They were genuine Fifth Layer Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists who had spent seven or eight years practicing stances, boxing, and running up mountains.

Although they hadn’t eaten their fill while fleeing the famine, they had never gone hungry.

Even if he weren’t injured, at the Sixth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm, it would still take him some effort to deal with those two. What hope did this boy at the second or third layer have?

This trip would be a one-way ticket to death! Playing the hero would cost him his life!

Watching the young man walk away, Liu Linshan endured the excruciating pain of his wound tearing open and hurriedly shouted:

”Kid, come back! Don’t try to be a hero! Those two animals are Fifth Layer Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists! You’re no match for them!”

He wanted to stop the boy from seeking his own death, and he didn’t want to drag an innocent person down with him.

But despite his desperate shouts, the figure ahead seemed not to hear him, simply continuing to walk forward on his own.

He was even muttering to himself:

”Fifth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm... Is that supposed to be impressive?”

The young man who had asked for the Martial Arts was, of course, Wu Chen, who had witnessed the entire event from the side.

And just as he had thought, Liu Linshan did indeed have a Martial Arts Manual on him, allowing him to successfully obtain a Martial Arts technique.

Hearing Liu Linshan’s trembling voice behind him, Wu Chen muttered dismissively and then chuckled, saying:

”The Fifth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm is pretty strong.”

”But no matter how strong it is, can it be stronger than my cheat system?”

He paid it no mind and turned his attention back to the thin Martial Arts Manual in his hand.

After flipping through a few pages, Wu Chen had a basic understanding of the Martial Arts in his hands:

”Spiritual Snake Step, a leg technique. It’s a type of Body Technique.”

He quickly skimmed through the contents, and in no time, he had finished reading the thin manual.

And just as he expected, on the system panel that had been silent for days, familiar numbers began to flash again:

[Spiritual Snake Step Entry-Level Proficiency +1]

[Spiritual Snake Step Entry-Level Proficiency +1]

[...]

[Spiritual Snake Step Entry-Level (50/50)]→[Spiritual Snake Step Minor Achievement (0/100)]

Body Tempering Realm Third Layer → Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer

In the span of just a few dozen breaths, he had mastered the entry-level of the Spiritual Snake Step—a technique that would take others half a year of practicing stances, running up mountains, and enduring untold hardships.

For Wu Chen, it was already hurtling straight toward the Minor Achievement stage.

Mastering the entry-level of the Spiritual Snake Step was immediately followed by a breakthrough in Wu Chen’s realm.

A warm current flowed through Wu Chen’s body, nourishing his frame, which had been depleted by days and nights of travel. In a short while, his stamina was mostly restored.

As his stamina returned to its peak, Wu Chen felt his steps become light. With a gentle tap of his toes, the wind whistled past his ears, and he covered a distance of several yards in just two or three steps.

After a few more breaths and leaps, the two figures dragging the young woman appeared before his eyes. Her pleading voice reached him as well:

”Senior Brother Zhang, I beg you, please have mercy and let me go...”

”My father is grievously injured right now. He’ll die without me to take care of him...”

”...”

Her desperate pleas had no effect.

The young man she called Senior Brother Zhang turned his head and sneered viciously:

”Forget about that old bag of bones. From now on, you just need to take good care of me and my brother. Once we get out of this godforsaken place, I promise you’ll be living the good life!”

The young woman had no choice but to turn to the other man and continue pleading, ”Senior Brother Zhao, for old times’ sake...”

”Hmph! Old times! You have the nerve to bring up old times!”

At her words, Zhao Shi snorted coldly, his eyes filled with ridicule:

”He taught us a few third-rate moves and then worked us like cattle for all these years! He has only himself to blame for ending up like this!”

”As that old bastard’s daughter, you ought to let my brother and me have some fun!”

What followed was a torrent of vulgar insults directed at the young woman.

Every single word of this exchange reached the ears of Wu Chen, who was following not far behind, allowing him to grasp the gist of the situation.

These two villains had clearly mistaken the hardships their master put them through to temper their bodies for abuse.

Wu Chen shook his head but didn’t rush to intervene.

He was quietly waiting for the system panel to finish allocating points.

In just a little while, his Spiritual Snake Step, which was already at Minor Achievement, would reach Great Success. He would then possess the strength of the Sixth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm and could easily overpower the two of them.

He would have a much better chance of rescuing the young woman if he acted then.

Fortunately, the two men ahead seemed to have some sense of shame, knowing they needed to find a secluded spot for what they were planning. They were heading toward a patch of weeds about a hundred paces away.

This, in turn, gave Wu Chen ample time.