Upon returning home, Mother was already gone. I knew she must have been delivering medicinal herbs to the Ye family manor and wouldn't be back for lunch. I lifted the mesh food cover on the dining table; beneath it sat steaming hot dishes, clearly indicating Mother had only just stepped out. These were specially set aside for me.

Having trained all morning, my stomach was already growling fiercely. I immediately dropped my guard and devoured the meal.

Ten minutes later, the food on the table was completely swept clean by my efforts. After washing the dishes and bowls, I hurried back into Mother's room. I was determined to drag out the chest where Father hid his swords and give it a thorough search, even if it meant enduring a severe scolding from Mother. Truthfully, the iron sword I used that morning felt too heavy for my one-handed swordsmanship; I had long desired a lighter blade.

It took considerable effort to drag the chest out, and then I opened it. Inside lay five weapons: the Half-Moon Eight Desolations Saber, the Horse-Slaying Blade, the Ling Feng Sword, and the Asura. My eyes immediately settled on the Ling Feng. Its slender, delicate blade and sharp edge made it the perfect weapon for me; holding Ling Feng in one hand, I felt no burden of weight whatsoever. Yes, this is the one. After carefully placing the iron sword I'd used for practice back into the chest, I shoved the box beneath Mother's bed again. I tried my best to put everything back exactly as it was; if Mother didn't notice, that would be best—at least I could avoid a harsh lecture. Although Mother’s way of scolding differed from ordinary people—she would simply stare intensely with those beautiful eyes—the resulting look of profound disappointment was something most people couldn't endure.

I made up my mind: the afternoon would be dedicated to practicing the coordination between my footwork and sword techniques. My goal was to simultaneously engage six scarecrows and still retreat unscathed. In fact, through this morning’s practical combat, I had grasped the essence of what they called "monster grinding and leveling up"—it was fundamentally psychological training. As practical experience accumulated, strength would naturally improve. This change was internal, invisible, yet it yielded significant results. I was certain that one morning of real combat provided more experience than the entire previous month of lawn drills. Now I could confidently say that, provided my stamina held, even four of the "Fatty Luos" might not be my match. This was the fundamental difference between real field combat and paired drills on the lawn, and simultaneously, it was the most effective path for me to enhance my strength. Of course, this wasn't a complete dismissal of the lawn practice’s value; rather, to me, the lawn drills were more about theoretical indoctrination, whereas fieldwork was about applying that theory in practice. Both were indispensable. And if I could integrate my Western fencing attack methods into this, the results achieved would be even more astonishing.

In truth, the Ye family had long since formulated a systematic summary of this concept. Generally, after receiving theoretical training on the lawn, children were permitted to participate in field combat upon reaching the age of thirteen. This precaution was taken for the sake of the children's safety; throwing them into real combat too early meant their psychology and stamina were not yet capable of bearing the strain. Theoretically, once basic swordsmanship was mastered, one could defeat scarecrows or Rake Cats. However, this was strictly theoretical. In reality, when facing an opponent, children inevitably experienced nervousness, fear, and anxiety. Under these negative mental states, almost no one could perform at their normal level. This had been confirmed by years of past training sessions: premature engagement in real combat only instilled terrifying psychological shadows in children, and if they couldn't overcome this mental hurdle, the child was essentially ruined. Consequently, years ago, the aristocratic families had abandoned this training method. In fact, based on years of accumulated data, the most suitable age for children to enter real combat was after thirteen—corresponding to the adolescent phase promoted in modern times. During this period, due to growth hormones, the temperaments of both boys and girls often entered a state of intense, dynamic fluctuation, which, if guided correctly, could transform into a psychological advantage for defeating enemies.

During this phase, boys often admired violence and enjoyed fighting, attitudes highly beneficial for actual combat. However, in the past, due to my insufficient strength and the ill-timed nature of my martial arts practice, Feng had always forbidden me from engaging in field combat. But after three months of rigorous training, my physical strength had increased substantially, leading me to decide to enter a state of real combat readiness.

Of course, for me, with a mental age of twenty-two, any form of negative psychological influence was entirely nonexistent, making early entry into practical combat highly advantageous for me. Furthermore, I was confident that with increasing age and proper training, my strength would continue to grow—though I certainly didn't expect to attain the grotesque physique of someone like Galo.

It took me over half an hour to return to the clearing where I had practiced my swordplay that morning. Hmph! Quite a few scarecrows here. After careful discernment, I chose a cluster relatively close to the others—four scarecrows positioned quite near each other—as my practice targets. I decided not to kill them today; instead, I would play hide-and-seek with them, focusing purely on training my Western footwork. Smiling with a hint of wicked anticipation, I slowly advanced toward them.

Soon, upon reaching a certain proximity, the four scarecrows simultaneously launched an attack.

Whoosh! A terrifying force swept past, whistling around me.

So fast! I dodge! Whoosh! Missing my nose by a hair's breadth, Scarecrow Number One's strike went wide. The only reason I numbered them was purely for easier differentiation of their attacks and positions.

Almost at the same instant, Scarecrow Number Two’s arm swung toward my lower back! I retreat! I fall back again. Having gained some insight from this morning's fighting, I realized that when facing an enemy, maintaining a calm, collected mindset and carefully observing their movements made it surprisingly easy to see through their attacks. At this very moment, I was exactly like that. Although the four scarecrows’ attacks were relentless, like a fierce storm, with the shift in my mindset, I felt no fear, only dodging their assaults again and again.

From a distance, the passing merchants and wanderers only saw a peculiar youth agilely evading the relentless pursuit of four scarecrows. They found it strange, and some even stopped deliberately to see what the little fellow was trying to achieve. Regrettably, after an hour passed, the youth finally dispatched the scarecrows with a few swift thrusts, collapsing on the ground, gasping desperately for air.

"Big Brother, that guy is such trash. It took him so long to kill those scarecrows!" A boy about the same age as Xiao Man said with undisguised disdain.

"Perhaps so!" The young warrior gazed doubtfully at the exhausted youth in the distance. "But those final four thrusts were quite impressive!"

Over here, feeling utterly spent, I could only gasp desperately for air. Phew! Insufficient stamina is still my biggest weakness! But surviving an hour under the frenzied assault of four scarecrows was no small feat.

After a brief rest, my strength returned somewhat, and I decided to increase the number of scarecrows I dodged to five.

The entire afternoon was spent playing tag with the scarecrows, fighting them off until my stamina neared its limit, then dispatching them, resting, and starting anew. By the end, I could actually endure forty minutes under the attack of eight scarecrows without being struck—two more than my original plan. I was inwardly astonished by my own adaptability.

After another rest, I decided to unleash the killing blow and charged toward the densest group of scarecrows. Almost simultaneously, nearly fifty scarecrows launched a furious attack toward me. However, having long since familiarized myself with their attack patterns, I moved without any hesitation. Under the precise control of my agile footwork and movement techniques, I skillfully slipped between the scarecrows, always striking precisely at the moment their throats were exposed. Although there were many scarecrows, only about seven or eight could attack me at once. And dealing with seven or eight simultaneous assaults was now second nature. This meant that no matter how numerous the scarecrows, they couldn't harm me, as long as I killed them before my stamina gave out. Danger was nonexistent.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Coordinating my footwork and movements, every thrust brought forth a cluster of flames. I knew that at this moment, no matter how many scarecrows there were, they could not inflict harm upon me.

In a mere five minutes, all fifty scarecrows were wiped out. I understood that my requirement for footwork mastery had been met; further practice here would be meaningless.

Seeing the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon, I decided to head home first.

Indeed, as a member of the Ye family, my current life was quite leisurely. Perhaps out of consideration for my mother and me, the Family Head had yet to assign me any specific duties. He stated he would arrange a suitable position for me only when I turned eighteen, allowing me these two years to focus solely on strengthening myself. I was genuinely grateful for the Family Head’s special consideration. Apart from the mandatory daily morning drill, I was essentially free.

After dinner, as was customary, Chen Feng arrived at my house. This had become a routine; for years, Chen Feng followed this pattern—a short visit, followed by patrols around the village perimeter. As the village's bravest and strongest retainer, Chen Feng bore greater responsibility than ordinary people, and protecting the villagers was a primary part of that duty. The village patrol team was divided into three squads, primarily responsible for village security, with guards always patrolling the outskirts, day and night.

On the Fama Continent, the struggle between humans and Beastmen, or Half-Beastmen, never ceased; even conflicts among humans were intricately complex. South of Ginkgo Village lay the great city of Bizi; to the west was the sea leading to the Demon Sealing Continent; to the north was the Woma Forest; and to the east, the Viper Valley. Yet, both the Viper Valley in the east and the Woma Forest in the north were occupied by fearsome Beastman tribes. Moreover, the sea to the west was often visited by pirates who landed to burn, slaughter, and pillage, committing every evil imaginable. Furthermore, within the Bizi territory, numerous deeply hidden bandit groups lay in wait to strike. In short, the entire Fama Continent was a chaotic world governed by the law of the jungle—the weak preyed upon the strong. Living in such disorder, it was extremely difficult to survive without sufficiently immense strength. Even possessing great power offered no guarantee; relaxing vigilance even slightly could lead to catastrophic consequences.

Our Ginkgo Village was undoubtedly the most desirable target for any ill-intentioned bandit group or Beastman tribe. Under the Family Head's leadership, the prosperity of Ginkgo Village was renowned far and wide. However, the defense force of Ginkgo Village was equally formidable, causing all bandit factions and Beastman tribes to hesitate. In the past, many Beastman tribes and bandit groups had attempted to attack Ginkgo Village but were ruthlessly annihilated by the defense force. Over time, no one dared to harbor further ambitions against the village, but the defense force dared not relax their vigilance for a moment. Patrols were stationed and maintained around the village perimeter day and night.

Chen Feng was the captain of the first of the three squads, commanding over two hundred men. There were also the second and third squads, captained by Jatu and Jia Ni, respectively. Their strength was comparable to Feng’s, and both were accomplished disciples taught by my father.

"I haven't seen a trace of you all day!" Clearly, Chen Feng was perplexed by my sudden disappearance.

"Mm." I nodded. I knew Chen Feng genuinely cared for me; anyone else wouldn't have noticed my day-long absence. "I went to the southern wilderness to practice on the scarecrows," I explained. I had no intention of hiding anything; in fact, I felt it was entirely unnecessary.

"Is that so?" Chen Feng sounded quite surprised, perhaps taken aback by my audacious action. "Starting practical combat now is too dangerous, and with your strength, defeating the scarecrows will be difficult!"

"Don't underestimate me!" I replied, slightly irritated. "I killed nearly seventy scarecrows this entire afternoon!"

"That's impossible!" Chen Feng exclaimed, genuinely shocked. "You're bragging!" Clearly, he didn't believe my claim.

"It's true!" I countered. "If you don't believe me, come with me to the southern wilderness tomorrow, and I’ll show you my ability!"

"Chen Feng! Time to go!" Just as Chen Feng was about to press further, the voice of his deputy captain, Chen Zhen, called from outside the door.

"I'm coming!" Chen Feng answered, then turned to me with a stern expression. "You know I despise liars. Tell me the truth now, and you can still redeem yourself!"

"Hmph!" Very displeased, I turned my head away.

"Tomorrow! Prove your strength to me," Chen Feng said before quickly exiting.

"What's the big deal? He's just taller than me," I muttered internally.

The footsteps outside gradually faded away, and I settled my thoughts. However, I was still somewhat surprised by the exchange; it felt overly childish. Yet, I felt no inappropriateness in it. Moreover, I had no intention of suppressing my emotions. It seemed the imprint of the original soul residing in this body could not be erased, causing my personality to increasingly resemble a child's. But I enjoyed this feeling—being cared for, being valued, being allowed to get angry or act spoiled. What could be more satisfying than this current life? Perhaps this had something to do with my previous life's background.

Closing the courtyard gate, I let out a soft sigh as the red moon began to ascend in the sky. Truthfully, whenever I looked up at the moon, I was easily reminded of my former self. I still couldn't make sense of how I ended up in this world, nor could I stop worrying about the body of my other self back there. I once hypothesized that perhaps my soul had swapped with this child, Xiao Man, due to some extraordinary reason, but later details of daily life contradicted this theory. For instance, I could intimately feel Mother's concern, and upon seeing her, I instantly recognized her as my mother. Furthermore, I noticed my own childishness intensifying, developing a strong dependency on Mother and Chen Feng. Rationally, this was utterly inexplicable, yet it happened naturally. This body also seemed prone to tears, whether from joy or sorrow. It suggested the body's original soul was someone very emotional and simple-minded, and that personality trait had somehow persisted within this vessel. Additionally, I could understand Mother's gaze and the strange sign language. From these details, it seemed the original soul of this body still lingered in some corner, or perhaps my soul and his had merged, with my soul primarily dictating the overall mindset. But what caused all this? I simply couldn't fathom it.

My urgency regarding that mysterious ruin grew more intense.

On this world, there were no electric lights at night. After darkness fell, adults and children alike went to bed early unless something pressing required their attention. Mother was the same. Perhaps exhausted from her day's work, the light in her room had long been extinguished.

I sat listlessly in the courtyard, staring blankly at the stars. The moon tonight was bright, round, and red—a phenomenon that only occurred during the entire thirty days of August. This period was known as the Crimson Moon season. Theories abounded regarding its cause, with no definitive explanation. Personally, however, I believed it must be some kind of special astronomical event. Having received a modern, high-level education, I found it difficult to accept explanations involving gods, demons, or ghosts. Even though the incredible phenomenon of soul transmigration had happened to me, I still insisted it must be a natural phenomenon I couldn't yet comprehend, not the work of deities or monsters. I was a firm atheist; I tried to analyze the origin of every strange occurrence from a scientific perspective, rather than vaguely attributing it to divine or demonic interference. In my view, so-called gods and demons were merely synonyms appended by humans to things they couldn't understand and refused to investigate the essence of.

Although I persistently tried to use physics to understand the so-called magic of this world, there were pitifully few mages in the village. The only mage was the Family Head's wife. Naturally, I couldn't ask the Family Head's wife to perform magic for my research, so after three months, I was still no closer to a breakthrough. Although I personally didn't believe magic truly existed—or that perhaps magic was merely a specific physical phenomenon—when I witnessed the Family Head's wife conjure a fireball or a lightning spell out of thin air, I was deeply shaken. I had to admit that magic indeed existed in this world, though I instinctively categorized it as a natural phenomenon beyond my current comprehension. But I absolutely refused to accept it as a blessing from the Fire God, Mora. I was a thoroughgoing atheist. However, when I discussed these ideas with Chen Feng and Mother, they were greatly alarmed and repeatedly warned me never to mention such thoughts to outsiders, lest I be sentenced to death by the Church. From then on, I stopped trying to discuss magic-related topics with them.

Yet, it was strange that my body was actually a Demon Devouring Physique, which destined me to be forever cut off from magic. Mother and Chen Feng both understood my peculiar outlook. To them, perhaps I was expressing a rebellious mindset against the gods and demons who had stripped me of the right to learn magic.

But then again, I personally held no particular interest in magic, unlike many children on the continent who, shortly after birth, had to undergo tests for magical fluctuation. If aptitude was suitable, almost everyone chose magical cultivation; warriors were merely the second path for those who failed the magical aptitude test. It could be said that if given a choice, everyone in this world would opt to cultivate magic.

As for the Taoists, strictly speaking, they are merely a branch of mages. Compared to the terrifying, destructive power of mages, the Taoists’ Dao arts appear much gentler; many of their skills are primarily oriented toward support and aid. Consequently, the Church is usually the place that produces the most Taoists. On the continent of Fama, there are two Churches, and the Beiqi Empire adheres to the Holy Word Cult. In contrast, the Moruo Cult stands opposed to the Holy Word Cult, and rumor has it that these two factions have been in long-standing opposition and conflict for over five millennia. The nations that worship the Moruo Cult are the various states on the continent of Fengmo across the sea, as well as those who also adhere to the Moruo faith. Of course, this is all intelligence I gathered over a considerable amount of time. The reason for this extensive gathering was my peculiar body, which turns out to be the so-called Demon-Devouring Physique. Regrettably, no matter how deep my knowledge of magical history runs, I am inherently incapable of using any magic whatsoever. Thus, more than a month ago, I abandoned this fruitless intelligence-gathering work. The final conclusion I reached was this: while the Demon-Devouring Physique cannot cultivate magic, conversely, magic cannot harm the Demon-Devouring Physique. I must admit, this world is quite fair in its own way. Since any hope of cultivating magic was dashed, I turned my attention to organizing the world’s Warrior skills. Based on the intelligence I collected, I analyzed that while the martial techniques of this world bear similarities to the established settings in Legend, there are numerous subtle differences upon closer inspection. Generally speaking, this world’s martial arts rely more heavily on overwhelming strength to damage opponents. Naturally, focus is not entirely absent when it comes to movement techniques, speed, and precision, but slaying foes through sheer power remains a defining characteristic of martial arts here. In my understanding, I categorize this as the Strength-Type.

Contrasting the Strength-Type is the Technique-Type. In my view, the Technique-Type relies more on speed and skill to inflict harm upon the adversary.

And then there is the third category, a synthesis of strength and technique, which I term the Comprehensive-Type. In my understanding, the Comprehensive-Type should represent the most logical and perfected path. When I discussed this topic with Feng, he admitted the validity of my viewpoint. This is because Chen Feng himself emphasizes the integrated application of both strength and technique; with his existing prowess, he can effortlessly defeat opponents of the same rank.

Naturally, in my estimation, Warrior skills merely provide an auxiliary form of energy. Take Chen Feng’s Assassination Sword Qi, for example: it is a special killing method formed by projecting powerful Dou Qi energy externally. However, this does not mean that someone who has mastered Assassination Sword Qi can defeat someone who hasn't with one hundred percent certainty. If the opponent’s fighting technique is exceptionally refined—so refined that they can evade the Assassination Sword Qi you unleash—then even the mightiest Sword Qi will be useless against them because you simply cannot land a hit. Hence, in my eyes, Assassination Sword Qi is merely one means of attack; how to utilize it depends entirely on individual mastery. This application and mastery is what I classify as technique. Initiating the appropriate skill at the opportune moment—that is the most rational approach to combat.

The goal I have set for myself is to achieve a near-perfect Comprehensive path. In other words, the road I will tread going forward will certainly involve a coexistence of strength and speed. However, given my current constitution, I lean more toward the Technique-Type for now. But I suppose that is unavoidable.