Chapter 151: Scenery

"System update?"

Hearing the prompt echo in his mind, Ning Xiu paused briefly. If this were one of the games he used to play, it would signify a version update.

This immediately sparked a sense of unease in his heart. Based on his past experience, whenever a game required an update, it meant the gaming company was about to find new ways to extort money from the players.

"At a critical juncture like this, please don't let any more trouble happen," Ning Xiu muttered under his breath.

Fortunately, the update did not take very long. The exact moment the system finished updating, Ning Xiu opened the interface to inspect it thoroughly.

He was terrified that some unexpected bug or twist might arise from this update, so he naturally needed to confirm everything with his own eyes.

Yet, upon looking, Ning Xiu instantly let out a sigh of relief!

The most significant change brought by this system update turned out to be the martial arts interface!

Ning Xiu discovered that the recently learned Purple Moon Art was now clearly listed on the martial arts interface. Furthermore, the previously generalized category of martial arts had been subdivided once again into internal cultivation arts and combat techniques.

For instance, foundational arts he had mastered like the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Golden Bell Shield were classified by the system as internal cultivation arts, while moves such as the Blood Knife Technique and the Thirteen Swords of Mortal Doom were categorized as combat techniques.

Whether it was an internal art or a combat technique, each now featured a new set of annotations alongside their corresponding star ratings.

Taking a glance, Ning Xiu found that basically all martial arts and techniques rated three stars and below (including three stars) were classified by the system as Mortal Grade. There were exceptions, of course; the Sunflower Codex, which he had tossed into a dusty corner of his inventory, was judged by the system to be a Mortal-Transcending grade art, along with the Little Li Flying Dagger.

Of course, these were merely minor, superficial adjustments. If the system had not done what came next, this would have amounted to nothing more than a change in nomenclature.

The system had directly altered the very essence of the martial arts—or rather, the "Martial God" system had caused the martial arts it produced to completely harmonize with the laws of this world.

All the martial arts Ning Xiu had previously learned had been completely reset. Looking at the string of ingot numbers on the main system interface, Ning Xiu was utterly stunned.

When he re-allocated points to raise the realm of his Golden Bell Shield, he noticed that it came with several additional, auxiliary changes compared to before.

He found that both his vision and hearing had become exceptionally sharp.

The cultivation realm indicated by the system was the Fifth Heaven of the Mortal-Transcending Realm.

In truth, Ning Xiu had already possessed the combat power of the Fifth Heaven; it was simply that his previous cultivation system had been incompatible with the laws of this world, leading others to mistakenly believe he was still in the mortal realm.

This explained why his combat prowess had been so astonishing even when he was apparently stuck in the mortal realm.

Feeling and adapting to the novel changes within his own body...

Ning Xiu couldn't help but marvel at the might of the system. It seemed he would no longer need to rack his brains searching for ancient cultivation arts; he could simply recharge funds and pay-to-win directly.

Things had once again become wonderfully simple and brutal.

The Mortal-Transcending Realm consisted of nine heavens: the first three heavens trained the skeletal frame, while the final six heavens represented the six sensory faculties of the human body.

The Golden Bell Shield was a unique art; its first nine tiers were entirely dedicated to refining the skeletal frame, and only upon reaching the tenth tier, where one returned to simplicity and naturalness, did the cultivation of the six senses begin.

...

This was the third day since Lin Zhengyi had arrived at the Chaos Hills. With his own eyes, he had witnessed those scoundrels torture yet another poor slave to death before tossing the corpse into the Stone River.

The Stone River was not a real river; in this deathly desert, where could one possibly find a river?

The Stone River was actually just a massive trench on the outskirts of the Chaos Hills. Because the human traffickers invariably chose to discard the corpses of dead slaves here, over time, the trench became piled high with all manner of bodies. Consequently, it was mockingly dubbed the Corpse River by the locals of the Chaos Hills, which gradually evolved into its current name, the Stone River.

Peering through the iron-barred window, Lin Zhengyi stared blankly outside as a blood-stained corpse was casually flung into the Stone River.

A human life caused nothing more than a crisp, splashing sound, and apart from that, it did not cause the slightest ripple.

This was never a river to begin with.

...

For Lin Zhengyi, who had originally lived in a wealthy and privileged household, the cruelty of the world was something entirely beyond his comprehension.

However, after he was unluckily captured and reduced to a slave, he truly understood the utter worthlessness of human life. This world was far more terrifying and dreadful than he had ever imagined.

During the journey under armed guard, he had witnessed all manner of inhumane atrocities committed by these slave traffickers.

He had seen with his own eyes how a woman captured along with him chose to commit suicide, unable to bear the relentless torture any longer.

In truth, this was not something the slave traffickers wished to see; women were considered valuable commodities, and they generally preferred not to kill them. They simply had not anticipated that the woman would possess such a fierce and unyielding spirit.

Lin Zhengyi, however, had not been so fortunate. In the eyes of these slave traffickers, a strapping fellow like him would likely only be sold off for heavy labor, fetching a rather mediocre price at best.

Fortunately, Lin Zhengyi possessed a modest foundation in martial arts, which made him worth a little more in their eyes.

"What are you staring at?!"

A burly man wielding a whip lashed out fiercely toward Lin Zhengyi. With a sharp crack, the long whip struck the iron bars viciously, the tail of the whip lashing directly across Lin Zhengyi's cheek.

Fresh, crimson blood instantly seeped out across Lin Zhengyi's relatively handsome face.

Upon closer inspection, one would realize that it wasn't just his face; beneath his tattered garments, his entire body was already covered in scars—some purplish-blue and scabbed over from days ago, others fresh and still unhealed.

"Get back in there! Look at me again and I'll whip you to death!"

The burly man shouted angrily into the cage.

Far from offering any resistance, Lin Zhengyi didn't even dare to utter a single sound. He curled up in a corner of the cage, lowering his head and remaining silent just like all the other slaves.

After so many days of a slave's life, he had completely adapted to the shift in his identity.

He was no longer the pampered young master who merely had to reach out to receive clothes or open his mouth to be fed.

Having endured several rounds of beatings, he had learned to be very obedient. He knew that if he had dared to talk back or resist just now—or even if he had merely glared at the man—the consequence would be a full day of endless torture.

When it came to torturing people, these slave traffickers seemed to possess an innate talent.

Being denied food and water was merely the most elementary of tactics.

Physical beatings were only bodily torment; if one happened to encounter a truly perverted sadist, the psychological scars inflicted could haunt a person for the rest of their lives.

Looking at these devilish slave traffickers and comparing them to his own past tyranny as a wealthy young master, his previous behavior was nothing more than a dwarf standing before a giant.

He had struck servants and footmen when he was angry, and he had bullied and teased maidservants as well.

Yet, all of that still fell well within the boundaries of humanity.

Lin Zhengyi cast one final glance at the sky outside the cage, his eyes hollow and devoid of light, his face etched with helplessness and despair.

Yet, he failed to notice that while he was gazing at the scenery outside the cage, someone else was watching him.