Chapter 12: Tenfold Austerity

Although Gu Shuqi had already left the martial arts training ground, the impact of his presence would likely linger for a long time to come.

On the sun-drenched grounds, the disciples who should have begun their morning drills were instead lost in their own individual meditations.

"I am the reincarnation of the Divine Monarch Dayan, now known as Zhao Guicai. The current Sovereign of Dayan is my great-great-great-grandson."

"Though my body has weakened, my peerless talent remains. As long as I work as hard as I once did, all my power shall return. I will turn the entire world feminine and take them into my harem!"

Under Fang Can’s indifferent gaze, a man before him projected himself as the reincarnated Divine Monarch, reciting these words while throwing punches.

Fang Can slowly turned his head to look in another direction.

There, a seventeen-year-old youth was also casting himself as the founding Sovereign of Dayan, though his method differed from the previous one. The boy was doing push-ups with extreme excitement, chanting rhythmically: "Overlord of Great Chu! Overlord of Great Chu! Overlord of Great Chu!"

In a corner, a youth with somewhat abstract features knelt on one knee, whispering to the empty air: "Little Fang, I have become a hall master. The Sect Leader has already agreed to our marriage. Please, just accept me... That’s great, I knew there were feelings between us..."

Nearby, a disciple who had been beaten back by Bai Feisi clutched his cheek and muttered: "Bai Feisi is the world’s number one expert at being slapped by the weak, and I am the world’s number one weakling at slapping the strong. Hehe, I even earned an extra slap!"

The entire training ground was a scene of chaotic madness, with over a thousand disciples adopting various identities. These personas ranged from reincarnated powerhouses and reborn deities to peerless geniuses, emperors, lovestruck youths, and slaves whipped by queens—a true grand exhibition of performance art.

Of course, not everyone was practicing this "Roleplay Method." Aside from Fang Can, there were others silently practicing their martial arts. Unlike the newer disciples, they had begun experimenting with this years ago, having long since integrated "spiritual victory" into their own paths of martial cultivation.

After all, the "Spiritual Victory Method" was merely a methodology, and it was difficult to keep secret. Not all disciples came from impoverished backgrounds; those with family members who practiced martial arts had often heard of similar techniques. Naturally, they did not hide this from their children, allowing these privileged disciples to gain a multi-year head start in their mental conditioning over the common ones.

Unaware of this, Fang Can quietly distanced himself from the lunatics and continued to practice the "Eighty-Eight Grottoes of the Tiger Demon" with meticulous precision.

In the distance, Yang Lie and Gu Shuqi watched the scene, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad. The quality of this batch of disciples is quite good. Perhaps within twenty years, one of them will rise to become a peer among their generation."

"Steward Gu, while the Spiritual Victory Method has excellent results in the early stages, is it not perhaps too radical?" Yang Lie asked, his tone humble.

He was, of course, aware of this method, but he had his own reasons for not teaching it to the disciples. Based on his years of observation as an instructor, while roleplay provided a massive boost to early martial progress, almost everyone became stuck at the final, ultimate leap of the Mortal Shedding stage. In recent years, the Tiger Demon Sect had been trying to move toward the righteous path and undergo an industrial transition. Thus, he had stopped teaching this method years ago, along with other unorthodox techniques. He had not expected Gu Shuqi to bring it back.

"Let them pass the early stages first before worrying about the later ones," Gu Shuqi said with a cold smile. "Recently, there has been friction with the neighboring Transformation Sect. It may not be long before this entire group is sent out to garrison the borders. Isn't it better to boost them as much as we can now?"

"Steward Gu is right," Instructor Yang said, bowing in agreement.

*'Besides,'* Gu Shuqi thought, a surge of resentment welling up, *'I had to endure the rain; why should I let these brats use an umbrella?'* When he was young and naive, he had been tricked by a senior into practicing this roleplay method. It had left his spirit fractured, causing him to be stuck at his current stage for years. This was, in a sense, a cycle of karma.

*‘Oh, right,’* Gu Shuqi glanced at Yang Lie, his eyes narrowing. *‘I remember this old man was the one who invited that senior to give the lecture back then. Now he’s acting like a saint in front of me.’*

With that thought, the corner of his mouth curled slightly. "Instructor Yang."

Yang Lie felt a chill down his spine and bowed respectfully, "Please, Steward Gu, give your orders."

"The Tiger Demon Sect is in need of talent. The Sect Leader has spoken: extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. In that case, let the cafeteria’s side dishes follow the old recipes." Gu Shuqi’s eyes grew distant. "It has been years since I tasted the Divine Enlightenment Soup. I truly miss that feeling."

By the time Gu Shuqi finished, Yang Lie’s back was drenched in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and replied, "I will follow your orders, Steward."

***

*‘Hungry again.’*

At noon, Fang Can clutched his stomach and spat out a bit of arsenic. As the "genius state" faded, he could feel the hunger tearing at his body like a wild beast. The higher the efficiency of his cultivation, the more energy it consumed, and the faster he grew hungry.

On his status panel, everything proved his hard work:

Name: Fang Can
Body: 1.3
Spirit: 1.3
Qi: 1.2

Log:
You have completed one full cycle of the "Eighty-Eight Grottoes of the Tiger Demon." Experience +78. Technique upgraded to Level 2. Alienation rate increased by 10%.

Eighty-Eight Grottoes of the Tiger Demon (Level 2): 64/2000
Flesh Alienation: 0.0953%

*‘The cheat mode is truly great. With heaven-defying comprehension, my technique progress is sixty or seventy times faster than a normal person’s,’* Fang Can thought, laughing as he clutched his dizzy, starving head.

In just one hour, his Body and Spirit had increased by 0.1, and his Qi had increased by 0.2. The only downside was that his alienation rate was slightly off—it was only about a dozen times faster than a normal person’s. According to information gathered from fellow disciples, the alienation process required sublimating one’s mortal shell and integrating the will into the body—a long, grinding task. Most people found their alienation rate far outpaced their technique progress, so they never had his particular worry.

*‘At this rate of alienation, it will take me ten years to fill my alienation state to 100%.’*

As this thought crossed his mind on the way to the cafeteria, a wave of sadness surged from the bottom of his heart: *‘Even if I practice bitterly in the genius state for one hour every day, I can only pull a ten-fold lead over those mere mortals? There must be another way to accelerate this!’*

With this thought in mind, Fang Can arrived at the cafeteria. Just as he was about to order his usual pork with lentils and rice, the lady serving the food smiled warmly and asked, "Handsome, would you like a bowl of Divine Enlightenment Soup?"