At dawn, Yun Shou slowly opened his eyes.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You've grown another year older. Foundation +1%. Current boost: +14%.]
A warm current surged through his body. The boy instantly felt invigorated, his whole body lighter, as though brimming with new strength.
This was the cheat he had carried with him since crossing over to this world—the Foundation Booster. Its effect, so far, was simple: it made his body healthier and stronger.
And yet…
"Heaven, if you're going to give me a cheat, couldn't you at least pair it with a good family background?"
Yun Shou looked up at the sky in exasperation.
Yes, the cheat was powerful. No doubt about that. For the martial wanderers of the jianghu, for the grandmasters who shook the world—even a 1% increase in foundation was worth bankrupting their clans for.
But Yun Shou… was just the son of a fisherman.
The family had nothing but a single boat—and that had been capsized in a storm when he was twelve. His parents went down with it. Only by clinging to a piece of driftwood did he survive, floating a day and a half before other fishermen happened upon him.
After being soaked in water so long, his vitality was severely damaged. Combined with a lifetime of hunger, even with a 14% boost in his foundation, he was still weaker than the pampered children of wealthy households.
Two years after his parents' death, he had signed a contract of servitude with the Qinghe Gang, who controlled all river trade around Azure Lake. Twenty years of his life were sold to them. Only with their protection, and the support of a few fellow fishermen, had he managed to live this long.
Otherwise, he would have starved long ago.
"Another day of fishing." Yun Shou looked at the vast expanse before him. Azure Lake, famed to stretch over eight hundred li, was as boundless as the sea itself.
"Damn Qinghe Gang, using child labor," he muttered under his breath. Still, the sky was clear today—at least there would be no storms.
"Xiao Shou, be careful out there," a middle-aged fisherman beside him said with concern.
Yun Shou nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Ji."
It was Uncle Ji who had taken him fishing after the contract was signed, teaching him the ropes. Without that guidance, Yun Shou would never have survived his first year.
Stepping onto his small boat, he bent down to untie the mooring rope.
Then his mind jolted violently.
A line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Ding! The Broken-Body Simulator has been installed.]
Yun Shou: "…???"
[This simulator may be used once per day. Each activation consumes 1% of your foundation's vitality. Hence the name: Broken-Body Simulator.]
Yun Shou: "…So for me, that means once a year?"
[After each simulation, you may choose one of the following to inherit:]
Martial cultivation
Detailed memory
Bzzz… data fluctuation detected. Updating…
The system stuttered, nearly giving Yun Shou a heart attack. But soon, the prompts returned, slightly altered:
[After each simulation, you may choose one of the following to inherit:]
Detailed memory (complete, excluding martial arts techniques)
Martial cultivation (including techniques, muscle memory, etc.)
Increased foundation