Ryan Thompson thought to himself, "So this is the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and it seems to be the early period at that. Right now, Grace Clark hasn't appeared, Jack Carter has never been heard of, and Charles Reed is probably still a studious young scholar at this time."

　　That being said, this world is dangerous—fox spirits, female ghosts, thousand-year-old tree demons, thousand-year-old centipede demons, and city gods with ghostly minions... If you're not careful, you could lose your life at any moment. For the sake of his own life, Ryan Thompson had no choice but to work hard and diligently practice his skills.

　　Blind Preacher nagged, "Disciple, I'm very pleased that you've resolved to train hard. You must know, you were born with a Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart. Just a drop of your heart's blood can grant a ghost or demon a hundred years of cultivation, and a piece of your heart can give them a thousand years. If someone were to dig out your Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart and swallow it whole, they'd probably ascend to immortality on the spot. The world is getting more and more chaotic these days, with monsters and demons appearing everywhere. If your identity is exposed, who knows how many ghosts and demons will come to eat you. Though your master has a long lifespan, I can't protect you every moment, so your own martial skills are extremely important."

　　"In that case, wouldn't it be better for me to cultivate the Dao?" Ryan Thompson asked.

　　"Your mind is unsettled, so your Daoist cultivation won't be very effective. Practicing martial arts suits you better and yields more obvious results. Your Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart attracts monsters and demons, but on the other hand, no magical powers, Daoist arts, or ghostly tricks can affect you. To ghosts and demons, you're like a cat to a mouse. They can't do anything to you; in fact, if they get within ten feet of you, they'll all turn to dust. Rather than cultivating the Dao, it's better to train in martial arts. Later, you can enter the Dao through martial prowess and progress rapidly all the same. Don't worry, your master would never harm you," Blind Preacher said.

　　"Supernatural beings can't hurt you, but there's one kind that can ignore your Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart—monsters. Monsters have physical bodies, like snake demons, tiger demons, wolf demons. Even if they can't use magical powers after becoming spirits, they can still bite you to death with their bodies. Not to mention, bandits and villains run rampant in this world. If you spend years cultivating the Dao, you might not even learn a wall-passing technique, and without any strength to defend yourself, how will you survive?"

　　"By the way, the time is just about up this month. After you finish your training, head down the mountain and return home. Twenty days of martial arts, ten days of studying, not a single day missed. With your Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart, you learn everything quickly. Your Overlord's Formation-Breaking Spear technique is already near grandmaster level, and your martial skills are almost at the innate stage, with energy flowing through your whole body. If you go out and gain some experience, you'll become the fastest martial grandmaster in a hundred years. Your future prospects are limitless."

　　After giving these earnest instructions, Blind Preacher closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

　　A martial grandmaster?

　　Ryan Thompson thought to himself, "What's the use of that? Wasn't there a martial arts expert in the Strange Tales movies named William Harper? He was so powerful he could duel swords with Jack Carter and fight to a draw, but in the end, he still died at the hands of an ordinary female ghost, drained of his essence and turned into a dried corpse."

　　So he felt that cultivating the Dao was the right path, and martial arts were just a minor pursuit.

　　But this cheap master didn't seem like the type to trick him, so martial arts it is. Becoming a martial arts expert first isn't so bad.

　　"I'll train in martial arts first, then cultivate the Dao. Once I become an innate expert, I'll seek out another Daoist master if this one won't teach me," Ryan Thompson thought to himself.

　　After holding the Tiger's Maw Gold-Swallowing Spear and practicing stance and breathing for two hours, his morning training was done.

　　"Master, I've finished today's training. I'm heading down the mountain now."

　　Ryan Thompson put away his spear and said.

　　"Go on."

　　Blind Preacher waved his hand with his eyes closed.

　　Ryan Thompson shouldered the Tiger's Maw Gold-Swallowing Spear and headed down the mountain on his own.

　　To be honest, he really didn't want to carry this big spear. It wasn't light—the shaft was made of the finest steel, and who knows where his cheap master got the spearhead from. It was heavy and sharp, able to cut through metal and jade with ease. But such a treasure of a spear was also terrifyingly heavy, already weighing seventy-two jin, comparable to the legendary Green Dragon Crescent Blade of Lord Guan. If he hadn't long since gotten used to the weight of the Tiger's Maw Gold-Swallowing Spear, and if he hadn't achieved success in martial arts, he probably wouldn't be able to carry it at all.

　　At the foot of the hill was Xiahe Village.

　　The village wasn't big, just a few dozen households, farming for generations. But that was in the past—now, almost everyone in the village was a tenant farmer for the Li family. Their land had long since been sold off to the Lis at rock-bottom prices during years of famine.

　　Evil landlords, evil land consolidation.

　　Every time, Ryan Thompson couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. After all, he was the young master of the Li family.

　　"Young master, finished your training and coming down the mountain? Heading back to the manor?"

　　As soon as he entered the village, a villager named George Foster greeted him warmly and respectfully.

　　"That's right, I'm heading home to study today. By the way, last time I brought a pile of dirty clothes down the mountain—who helped me wash them? Once they're done, send them up as soon as possible, don't delay," Ryan Thompson said.

　　George Foster replied, "The one who helped you wash your clothes last time was Widow Brooks from the village. I saw her washing clothes by the river this morning, so I reckon they'll be dry today. I'll go urge Widow Brooks right away."

　　"No rush, I'll be at the manor for ten days. Just send them up within these ten days," Ryan Thompson said.

　　"Young master is truly kindhearted."