The moment Liam Ardent completed the mastery of the Eagle–Serpent Life-and-Death Grapple, he made a show of leafing through the manual as if only skimming its contents. After a casual glance, he tossed the scroll back to Xander Farrow and began treating his injuries without another word.
The sight was all it took for the rest to act. Those who had martial manuals in their possession hurried to offer them, while the empty-handed scrambled for brush, ink, and paper to begin transcribing their sect's techniques from memory.
There were fourteen in total—disciples of the Huashan Sect, Kongtong Sect, Beggar Clan, and the Divine Fist Sect. Liam had harbored a quiet hope that among them might be someone with mastery of the Kongtong Sect's Seven Wounds Fist or the Beggar Clan's Dragon-Subduing Palms. But, to his disappointment, not a single one of these so-called martial wanderers possessed them.
Manual after manual passed through Liam's hands. Each time, he swiftly returned it, taking care to appear disinterested. Yet in truth, with the Infinite Upgrade System absorbing the contents instantly, every technique became part of his growing arsenal. And for each patient he healed, his strength swelled further.
By the ninth patient, a familiar chime echoed within his mind.
System Chimes -
[Achievement Completed]
[Title Unlocked: Master of the Healing Grove]
[Reward: High-Grade Experience Pill ×2]
Liam kept his expression placid, finishing the treatments for the remaining wounded before turning his focus inward.
The results were considerable—one golden-grade manual, the rest silver-grade, though several overlapped. Even so, his experience and internal energy had surged.
In his storage, he still had three mid-grade experience pills and the two high-grade pills just earned.
A mid-grade pill would yield 1,000 experience; a high-grade, 5,000. Without hesitation, he consumed them all.
System Chimes -
[Experience +3,000]
[Experience +10,000]
[Level Progress Increased]
The translucent panel unfolded before his eyes:
System Update – Status Panel
Name: Liam Ardent
Sex: Male
Age: 15
Level: 7
Constitution: 136 (Insight and recovery speed increased by 13.6×)
Internal Energy: 18,300 (Second-Rate Expert Peak)
Experience: 11,200 / 64,000
Storage: Growth Gift Pack (Locked) ×1, "Skyblade Experience " Trial Card ×1
His internal energy had risen sharply—not only from cultivating the manuals but also from the act of saving lives. Yet the road to becoming a First-Rate Expert remained a steep climb. Those of the first rank were the elders and sect leaders of the martial world, most of them figures with decades of cultivation. Surpassing them would require more than ambition—it would demand a series of leaps forward.
By now, Galen ashford, Xander Farrow, and the others had recovered enough to stand and work. They began constructing crude thatched huts in the valley to house themselves while they continued their recuperation.
As the sun sank below the ridges, Liam returned to his own hut. He had scarcely stepped inside when Isla Drake slipped in right after him.
"Little sister Isla…?" Liam's brows lifted, surprised.
She pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh… Mother's asleep in the next room."
Her fragrance was light yet intoxicating, and her eyes shone in the lamplight. Heat stirred within him like a wave breaking loose.
Isla sensed his reaction immediately, her cheeks flushing. Her voice dropped to a whisper no louder than a breath.
"Brother Liam… let me stay with you tonight."
Liam's breath deepened, his gaze sharpening. "Very well," he murmured with a faintly wicked smile. "Let's see how you handle me tonight."
"Not too loud," she warned softly, glancing toward the wall. "Mother mustn't wake."
They moved together in the narrow space, shadows merging beneath the dim light. Her quiet sighs filled the night, and somewhere between restraint and abandon, the girl bloomed.
Next door, Lady Moira Drake lay awake, the faint rustle of movement reaching her ears. She had known the instant her daughter slipped away, yet something kept her from intervening. The sounds painted pictures in her mind she had no wish to admit, leaving her cheeks warm and her body restless.
By the time the moon had crossed its highest arc, Isla returned quietly to her mother's side and fell into deep sleep.
Over the next few days, Liam spent his daylight hours tending to Lady Moira's recovery and overseeing the wounded disciples' convalescence. Isla accompanied him at every turn, acting as his assistant by day and slipping into his hut at night. Her attachment to him only deepened.
On the morning of the fourth day, Liam emerged to find Lady Moira leaning against the doorframe, her face pale.
"Liam… something feels wrong. I woke this morning feeling heavy inside, my spirit dim… as if something is pressing on me."
He stepped closer, eyes narrowing. Faint threads of gray-green qi coiled along her cheeks—a telltale sign.
Poison.
His mind flashed to a single name.
So… the Poison Mistress herself has arrived. Ashley of the Thousand Venoms.
Glossary – Chapter 9
Master of the Healing Grove (Achievement) – Earned by curing ten martial world figures. Rewards: High-Grade Experience Pill ×2.
High-Grade Experience Pill – Grants 5,000 EXP upon use.
Ashley of the Thousand Venoms – Renowned poison master; feared for her lethal medicinal toxins.
Eagle–Serpent Life-and-Death Grapple – Golden-grade Huashan Sect technique combining joint locks and vicious strikes.
Liam Ardent – Protagonist; Butterfly Valley's acting master and wielder of the Infinite Upgrade System.
Isla Drake – Daughter of Lady Moira Drake and Victor Drake; attached to Liam.
This story is inspired from various Wuxia novels ,so if you find any similarities please dont mind . and if you think this is boring wait till the Dual cultivation starts ,Thank you .
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T/N :
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