... Pain.
A deep, gnawing pain throbbed through my entire body.
I had expected the Body Strengthening Pill to work immediately, but instead, it took hours... I had spent the entire night alternating between convulsions, cold sweats, and muscle spasms..
By the time the first light of dawn seeped through the cracks in the wooden walls, I was exhausted.
But something had changed.
I could feel it.
Lying on the cold dirt floor, I flexed my fingers, testing my grip. My limbs still felt weak, but they weren't as frail as before. The soreness in my muscles wasn't just pain... it was growth.
I slowly pushed myself up, gritting my teeth against the stiffness in my joints. My breathing was steadier, my heartbeat stronger.
It wasn't a miracle cure, but for the first time since waking up in this body, I didn't feel like a walking corpse.
I took a deep breath and looked at my hands. Callouses were forming.... something Lu Tian never had in the original story.
I smirked.
"Looks like I'm already different from the original timeline."
That meant the future wasn't set in stone.
I could change things.
I would change things.
But taking one pill wasn't enough to transform me into a martial artist. If I wanted to survive in this world, I needed more than just a slightly improved body... I needed a plan.
...
Step One: Strengthen My Body
Martial artists in this world weren't just strong.... they were monsters.
Even the weakest outer sect disciples of the Azure Sky Sect could split a tree with a punch, and I was still struggling to walk without feeling lightheaded.
I needed to train my body, starting with the basics.
My best option? Body Tempering.
Body Tempering was the first stage of martial arts training.... building a body capable of handling Qi cultivation. Without it, I couldn't even begin learning techniques, let alone survive a fight.
I had to make my body as strong as possible.... not just physically, but structurally.
And I knew exactly where to start.
...
Step Two: Obtain Martial Techniques
Even if I had a perfect body, it meant nothing without actual martial arts techniques.
The problem?
I had none.
No sect would waste their time training someone who had been disgraced and cast out. And unlike some overpowered protagonists, I didn't have a hidden master, a secret inheritance, or a divine system handing me techniques.
But I had something just as good..... knowledge.
I had created this world.
I knew about hidden martial manuals, secret training methods, and loopholes in sect rules that I could exploit.
But to get stronger, I needed ressources,a lot of ressources.... and that meant I needed money.
...
Step Three: Earn Money
I glanced around my hut.... There is nothing really.
Who am i even kidding?....Of course this damn place would have nothing in it.
Even if I wanted to train all day, my body needed nourishment. Martial artists consumed twice as much food as normal people to sustain their training, and I was already starving.
I needed a source of income, and fast.
But how?
I smirked as an idea formed in my mind.
I wasn't just a martial artist now... I was still Lu Xuan Ming , a designer.
And in this world, most martial artists were too obsessed with strength to care about aesthetics..... their robes were crude, their sect banners were outdated, and their weapon designs were inefficient.
They needed someone with a creative mind.
They needed me.
A plan took shape in my head.
First, I would fix my body. Then, I would use my design skills to make money. With that money, I would buy food, medicine, and, if possible, a martial arts manual.
I wasn't going to be the same pitiful Lu Tian who died early in the original novel .
I was going to be something new.
And it all started today.
.....
Morning Training Begins
I stumbled out of my hut, blinking as the morning sun hit my face. The Heavenly Serpent Sect's outer sect was a vast, sprawling compound filled with hundreds of low-ranked disciples, most of whom were given the bare minimum of resources.
I wasn't even considered a disciple anymore.....I was an outcast, someone the sect didn't care about.
That meant I could train in peace.
... Nice.
I walked toward the forest behind the outer sect, a secluded area where nobody would bother me.
Once there, I took a deep breath and got to work.
I started with simple bodyweight exercises... push-ups, squats, and stretches... basic movements that would rebuild my muscles. My limbs ached with every motion, but I pushed through.
If I couldn't even handle this, I had no right to survive in this world.
An hour passed.
Then two.
By the time I collapsed onto the dirt, I was drenched in sweat, my entire body trembling from exhaustion.
But I felt alive.
Panting, I stared up at the blue sky, a triumphant grin on my face.
"This is just the beginning."
And it was.
Because from this moment on... I was taking control of my fate.