Little Leaf carefully cradled a brocade box as though it were the most precious treasure in the world. Lin Feng accepted it with equal solemnity.
Still, he couldn't help wondering—why could a mere maid get her hands on something this important? Weren't secret martial manuals supposed to be locked away tighter than a miser's coin purse?
Seeing his puzzled look, Little Leaf's eyes reddened and her voice choked. "Right before the Great General passed away, he personally handed me the key to the hidden vault. He said, 'If Feng'er ever wants to train, give these to him. If ten years pass and he still hasn't asked… throw them away.'"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She had grown up in the Lin household; of course she wanted to see the family rise again.
Lin Feng stood, patted her back gently, and said with rare seriousness, "I won't let Father down. Whatever belongs to the Lin family—I'll hold it up."
In his heart he added: No power, no backing—how am I supposed to get top-tier girls? In my last life all the beauties ended up with rich or powerful guys. The good cabbage always got eaten by pigs.
No matter the era, Lin Feng's thinking was brutally pragmatic. In his previous world, didn't big-shot directors sleep with whichever starlet they wanted?
Little Leaf wiped her tears, beaming through them. "The General's spirit in heaven will finally rest in peace knowing Young Master is determined to train and serve the nation!"
"Yeah, yeah. You've been running around all night—go get some sleep."
Only after she bowed and left did Lin Feng mutter under his breath, "Serve the nation, my ass. I just don't want to get beaten up again. And when I heroically save a beauty, I'd prefer not to be the one carried away on a stretcher."
If Lin Tianhe and Lin Zhennan could hear him now, they'd probably claw their way out of their graves and strangle him on the spot.
The supreme battle-qi inheritance of the empire's number-one military clan, Tiger's Roar, reduced to a pick-up artist's cheat code. If active-duty generals heard this, they'd bury the little bastard alive.
Once alone, Lin Feng clutched his waistband like a coward afraid of ghosts, then solemnly opened the brocade box.
"Come on, babies, my entire future in this world is riding on you. Don't let me down."
Inside were only three books, covers made of ancient sheepskin, yellowed with age.
He picked up the first. The moment he opened it, a folded sheet slipped out.
Lin Feng retrieved it. The handwriting was slightly different from modern script, but nothing a former medical-student genius couldn't read.
"Feng'er,
By the time you read this letter, your father will already be gone.
As long as you are willing to train, I believe my son can succeed in anything—scholarship or martial arts.
Because you are a man of the Lin family.
Because you are the son of Lin Zhennan."
Lin Feng stared at the paper for a long moment, then whispered, "I may not be your real son, but I read your letter. I'll make sure the Lin family doesn't die out."
For once, he was dead serious.
Then he flipped open the sheepskin manual, and his true colors immediately resurfaced.
"Heh heh heh… With a divine technique like this, my girl-hunting career is secured! Last life I had no money, no power, no women. This time I'm not letting a heaven-sent opportunity slip away!"
The very first page explained the cultivation tiers of this world.
There were two main paths: battle-qi and magic.
Battle-qi focused on tempering the body: nurturing qi, opening meridians, forging flesh, refining bones, strengthening marrow, and finally transforming into a divine vessel that could absorb heaven-and-earth spiritual energy. The tiers were: Battle Soldier → Battle General → Battle King → Battle Emperor → Battle Sovereign → and the mythical Battle God.
Battle skills were ranked Yellow, Mysterious, Earth, and Heaven—each tier divided into low, middle, and high grade. The Lin family's Tiger's Roar was Earth-grade, mid-rank—an extremely rare inheritance.
Magic, on the other hand, trained mental strength to commune with elemental forces and unleash devastating attacks. The stronger the spirit, the faster and more powerful the spells. Tiers: Magic Apprentice → Magus → Great Mage → Mage Lord → Mage Saint → the transcendent Archmage.
Spells were divided into twelve levels. An Apprentice could cast 1st- and 2nd-level spells, a Magus 3rd and 4th, a Great Mage 5th and 6th… A Mage Saint commanding 9th- or 10th-level spells could raze cities. An Archmage's 11th- or 12th-level spells belonged only to legend.
Battle-qi could be trained by anyone with perseverance. Magic required innate talent—one in a hundred at best.
Lin Feng set the battle-qi manual aside and picked up the second book. It looked brand-new, barely touched. No surprise—this one was about magic. The Lin family had always focused exclusively on battle-qi; no one bothered with the magic manual.
The third book