Chapter 1: Young Master, Please Return to the Capital!

(Brain Resting Area)

"Young Master Ji, please come with us back to the capital!"

In the small courtyard outside a shabby thatched hut, a dense group of cavalry knelt on one knee, cupping their fists in salute to Ji Huo, their heads bowed as they shouted loudly.

Ji Huo stood there, holding a vegetable basin filled with cheap greens he’d bought that morning, utterly bewildered.

"Wow, little Ji turns out to be from a big family in the capital."

"I always said the boy was clever, not like ordinary folks—turns out he's from the capital."

"Old Madam Wang tried to arrange a marriage for him, but Old Cui from the next village was unwilling to marry off his daughter to him. Now that he's made it, I guess Cuihua's not good enough for him anymore."

"What a stroke of fortune!"

The commotion of the cavalry was impossible to ignore—dozens of men, all in black armor, crowded into this slum, and soon the whole neighborhood was well aware.

Ji Huo blinked, looked down at his patched, ragged clothes, then at Zhou Dynasty’s splendid armor before him—just one suit of that would cost a hundred taels of silver.

"Are you sure you’re looking for me?" Ji Huo ventured cautiously.

The middle-aged officer in front saluted and said, "Young Master Ji, there’s no mistake—it’s you. Don’t dawdle, get in the carriage!"

He waved his hand. "Men! Escort Young Master Ji into the carriage!"

The kneeling soldiers wasted no time, grabbing Ji Huo by the arm and shoving him into the carriage.

"Hey! Wait! My vegetables from this morning!"

"Those are cheap goods, best left behind!"

"I haven’t eaten yet!"

"Someone! Pack some food for Young Master Ji for the journey! I’ve heard the bean curd in Western Sichuan is excellent—serve it to the young master!"

"My luggage isn’t packed!"

"Men! Pack up everything from this house and take it along!"

Ji Huo was startled and hurriedly shouted, "No need! It’s just a bunch of junk, not worth the trouble."

The officer grinned. "Anything else the young master wishes to instruct?"

Ji Huo held back for a long while, then finally said, "Make the bean curd spicy."

"Men! Spicy bean curd! Give a portion to the brothers as well—put it on my tab!"

And so, the whole group set out in a flurry for the capital, coming and going in less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

Along the way, after repeatedly confirming, Ji Huo finally understood—he was the long-lost youngest son of Ji Xiaoxiong, the Zhou Dynasty’s foremost general, missing for sixteen years and now being brought back to the capital to reunite with his family.

But...

Ji Huo’s face was expressionless. I’ve struggled for sixteen years, finally building a modest foundation, and now you tell me I’m actually the son of a great general—a military scion—and never needed to work so hard?

So all my years of effort were for nothing?

Is it too late to lie flat and take it easy now?

When he’d first crossed into this world, he vaguely remembered being a wealthy family’s child, only to be hunted by enemies. An old servant had carried him through the snow for days to escape pursuit.

The old servant died within a few years, never telling him which family he belonged to. All that was left was a jade pendant inscribed with "Huo." So I really am Ji Xiaoxiong’s son?

Ji Xiaoxiong, the Zhou Dynasty’s grandmaster, famed for his "Thunderous Bear Fist," expanded Zhou’s territory for over a decade, making neighboring states weep and wail—he was reputedly the greatest martial artist in the land.

In this world, martial artists are ranked from ninth to first grade, above which is grandmaster, and beyond that—no one knows.

A grandmaster, it’s said, can alter the heavens with a move, destroy cities and break fortresses—a walking natural disaster.

It’s also rumored he had a sole heir, frail and sickly since birth, renowned for virtue in the Zhou Dynasty. Though never holding office, he was well-respected among the common folk.

Now, Ji Huo was to become Ji Xiaoxiong’s youngest son.

This world revered martial arts, though there were other professions, such as sorcerers. The Zhou Dynasty’s national advisor was a sorcerer said to control wind and rain, read stars, and divine fortunes.

"What kind of absurdity is this!"

Ji Huo only felt a headache coming on. These people had come so suddenly, he hadn’t even had time to make arrangements. If those little rascals found out he’d been whisked away, who knew what trouble they’d stir up.

Never mind—they’ll probably find me eventually.

As noon approached, Ji Huo silently recited in his mind:

"System."

"Ding!"

[Name: Ji Huo]

[Points: 31]

[Training Value: 1,378,632]

[Martial Arts: Golden Snake Hand (Mystic Grade, Lower, Grandmastery), Pagoda Palm (Yellow Grade, Upper, Grandmastery), Iron Shirt (Yellow Grade, Middle, Grandmastery), Spirit Snake Staff (Common Grade, Upper, Grandmastery), Cloud-Catching Hand (Common Grade, Lower, Grandmastery), Monument-Smashing Palm (Mystic Grade, Middle, Grandmastery), Shattering Step Punch (Common Grade, Middle, Grandmastery), Luo Yun Spear (Common Grade, Middle, Grandmastery)...]

In addition, there were the options: [Lottery], [Inventory], and [Tasks].

In [Tasks], there was only one:

[All Rivers Flow to the Sea: Learn a hundred schools of martial arts, each to grandmastery (87/100)]

The system occasionally issued tasks, and Ji Huo had completed all prior ones, earning decent rewards. But this martial path quest—mastering the specialties of a hundred schools to grandmaster—was daunting.

For a normal person, to bring even a low-grade martial art to grandmastery in two or three decades was a mark of genius, enough to make a name in the martial world.

Martial arts were ranked: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Heaven-grade techniques were legendary—even Ji Xiaoxiong’s "Thunderous Bear Fist" was merely mid-Earth grade. Most others were Common grade; possessing even one graded art could found a small sect.

That was why Ji Huo’s underlings had spent ages gathering martial arts, yet still hadn’t completed the hundred schools—these were deep secrets, not easily handed over.

Besides, sect extermination couldn’t be done too often.

Furthermore, the system was picky. Techniques not even qualifying as Common grade weren’t accepted; they couldn’t be used to pad the numbers.

Otherwise, in this martial-obsessed Zhou, any old man at the village gate could show off a trick or two, and with enough mingling, you could learn them all.

"This is the happiest kind of frustration," Ji Huo shook his head.

Whereas ordinary people would spend decades to reach grandmastery in a single art, he could learn them with a clap of the hands, and with enough training value, achieve instant grandmastery as if paying cash.

Yet the arts anyone could pick up were now nowhere to be found, no matter how he searched.

Looking at the refreshed daily lottery draw, Ji Huo tapped the virtual screen.

A spinning wheel appeared in midair, with bold characters at the top: "Fair to All! Guaranteed Win!"

[Congratulations! Reward: Strength +2!]

He remained unmoved—he’d grown numb to these rewards, much like promotional giveaways.

Attributes were hidden; you couldn’t see the actual numbers. A normal adult should have 10 points. After so many years, Ji Huo could no longer be bothered to calculate his own stats.

The system provided one free lottery draw per day, plus a ten-draw bonus at the start of each month. Further draws required spending points, earned by killing or completing tasks.

He rubbed his hands together. Now came the main event—it was the start of the month, which meant a free ten-draw.

"I want to draw ten times!" he muttered fiercely.

The wheel spun rapidly.

[Congratulations! Rewards: Flower +1, Flower +1, Stamina +1, Strength +2, Flower +1, Flower +2, Soaring Dragon Cloud-Stepping Technique (Mystic Grade, Middle), Training Value +213, Training Value +50, Flower +1]

What a windfall!

The system had actually given him a martial art!