Brian Carter took on all the household chores, busying himself inside and out, creating the conditions for Lily to recover from her injuries. Three days later, the raging blizzard finally subsided, and at the same time, the girl's wounds had mostly healed, allowing her to gather her breath and strength and resume her morning exercises.

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Crisp, delicate shouts rang out on a small patch of open ground in front of the stone house. Lily's figure was agile, her fists and palms swinging. What she was practicing was called "Zimen Fist"—a low-grade yellow-rank martial art, a basic introductory boxing technique.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the morning practice ended. The girl withdrew her fists and exhaled, her chest gently rising and falling.

"Lily, haven't you learned swordsmanship?"

Brian Carter, who had been watching from the side, asked.

"No, originally Grandpa wanted me to train until I reached the third level of strength, and then take the entrance exam to become a disciple at the Sword Hall. But then something happened..."

Mentioning her grandfather, Lily's mood became a bit downcast.

Brian Carter quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Lily, could you teach me martial arts?" He felt rather embarrassed as he asked this.

Lily was taken aback, blinked, and smiled, "Of course I can."

The two sat down and began to talk. Although Lily's background wasn't particularly good, compared to Brian Carter, her knowledge was much broader. At least she had her grandfather to teach her and the conditions to learn systematically. As for Brian Carter, he had only picked up bits and pieces here and there, learning in secret.

Only by humbly seeking knowledge does one realize how vast the world is.

This world is called "Xuanhuang Continent," divided into nine regions: Huangzhou, Shenzhou, Mingzhou, Gaozhou, Yizhou, Zhongzhou, Haizhou, Huazhou, and Youzhou. Each region's territory is vast and boundless. Between the regions lie the surging, wide "continent seas."

Huangzhou was once called "Leizhou." It wasn't always so lifeless; in fact, it used to be rich in spiritual energy, prosperous and strong. But five hundred years ago, a mighty expert chose this place as a battlefield and started a fierce war.

The battle shocked heaven and earth, changing the very weather, with mountains and rivers devastated—even shattering one of Leizhou's dragon veins. The breaking of a dragon vein meant the loss of its very foundation. From then on, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth grew thinner, the land became barren, and things only got worse, turning Leizhou into Huangzhou.

After this great upheaval, all the major martial sects in the region left, migrating to other continents, and thus it became known as the "Abandoned Continent."

Thinking back to that battle, it was truly unparalleled—able to shatter a spiritual dragon vein. Just what level had those mighty experts reached to possess such earth-shaking power?

In the great world of Yanhuang, martial strength is supreme. Martial cultivation is divided into three major stages: Strength, Qi, and King. Each stage is further divided into nine minor levels, called "duan."

—It is said that above the ninth level of the King stage, there is a "Divine" stage, but this only exists in rumors, and its truth is unknown.

Previously, Brian Carter had only a fragmented and vague understanding of martial cultivation, but now, after listening to Lily, it was as if a window had opened before his eyes, allowing him to see the vast and magnificent world outside.

In this vast world, he wasn't even a frog at the bottom of a well—at best, he was an ant, unaware of the changing seasons or the expanse of the world.

The path of cultivation is like walking on thin ice, with difficulties at every step. Unless one is born with extraordinary talent or has the support of elders or a sect, it's very hard to make progress through personal effort alone. Most martial artists rely on spiritual grains and medicines to advance. If one has to struggle for daily survival, like Brian Carter, barely getting by, no matter how hard he tries, he'll never rise above his station. In his current situation, even if he spent his whole life, it would be hard to reach the third level of strength.

Unless, by some stroke of luck, he encountered a miraculous opportunity.

So, did that incident count as a stroke of luck?

Brian Carter couldn't help but think of the "Tanhua Sword Qi Manual" that had suddenly appeared in his mind—a mid-grade Xuan-rank martial art, something he would never have come into contact with otherwise.

In fact, he had some guesses about the strangeness of it all. The most likely explanation was that he had accidentally solved the Sword Hall's sword puzzle in the lecture hall, thus obtaining the sword technique's inheritance.

As for how he solved it, he had no idea.

What worried Brian Carter most now was that, as a humble servant, he had solved the Sword Hall's sword puzzle. This was no small matter. If the Sword Hall found out, wouldn't they skin him alive and tear him limb from limb?

Luckily, he ran fast!

His thinking was simple: the rules at Zhongnan Sword Hall were strict. He wasn't a disciple, yet he had solved the Sword Hall's sword puzzle—even if it was unintentional, it was still a serious overstep. If discovered, it wouldn't just mean expulsion; he could be dragged to the Sword Punishment Hall and punished, unable to beg for death.

It's said that martial sects are extremely harsh and cruel in punishing those who steal martial arts.

It's like a servant stealing something precious from the master's house—would they let you off easily?

Maybe the analogy isn't perfect, but that's how Brian Carter understood it.

"No, this secret must not be revealed."

After calming down, Brian Carter told himself this in his heart.

Of course, what he had already comprehended couldn't be returned. Since he had already grasped it, it would be a waste not to practice. Given his current unfavorable situation, if he could fully master this long-range sword technique, it would be a great help.