Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 1

The Great Xia Dynasty!

From the Chronicles of Liusha County:
During the Tianqi era, the entire population of Huangshan Village vanished overnight under mysterious circumstances. The only traces left behind were massive claw marks, as though some beast had ravaged the place.

The local magistrate concluded the case within a single day, declaring that the villagers had fallen prey to wild beasts from the mountains.

From the Chronicles of Yunze County:
During the Tianqi era, Jinlin Township was struck by a catastrophic storm and devastating floods.

Witnesses claimed to have seen a colossal, dragon-like creature soaring through the skies, summoning clouds and rain with its very presence.

Once the floodwaters receded, the local magistrate reported it as a simple case of breached riverbanks to the higher authorities.

From the Chronicles of Lanshan County:
During the Tianqi era, a prominent family in the county met a gruesome end overnight.

Men, women, and children alike were found dead, their bodies exuding an eerie chill, their skin pallid and gray, their eyes wide with terror.

The local magistrate hastily dismissed it as the work of ruthless bandits, even going so far as to issue a bounty for the notorious Blackwind Mountain outlaws.

……

Inside a spacious, well-lit room, an exquisitely carved sandalwood desk stood prominently.

Seated before it was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with an air of quiet strength. His handsome yet resolute features were framed by jet-black hair, and he wore a finely tailored black robe.

The desk in front of him was strewn with books, and in his hands was a weathered, yellowed volume, which he studied with a grave expression.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The sound of turning pages grew increasingly rapid until, with a soft thud, he set the book down.

“Sigh… I never imagined such things existed in this world.”

The supernatural?

The bizarre?

Monsters and demons?

The young man’s name was Lu Xuan, and he harbored a secret—he was not of this world.

Twenty years ago, he had been an overworked office drone on Earth, grinding away under the tyranny of the 996 work schedule. One night, after yet another late shift, he suddenly lost consciousness—only to wake up as a newborn in this world.

Well-versed in countless web novels, Lu Xuan didn’t need to think hard to realize: he had transmigrated.

And like countless protagonists before him, he came equipped with a system. In his mind’s eye, he could see an attribute panel:

Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Blood Refinement (Perfected)
Cultivation Art: Blazing Saber Technique 9/9 (Mastered)
Attribute Points: 1

The Blazing Saber Technique was a martial art Lu Xuan had stumbled upon in his family’s archives.

From childhood, he had devoted himself to mastering it—and now, he had reached its pinnacle.

The system’s function was simple: with enough attribute points, he could instantly elevate any martial technique, unlocking its deepest secrets in moments.

As for how to obtain these points? That was something he had discovered by accident after consuming potent medicinal herbs.

Any nourishing substance—whether rare herbs or the flesh of fierce beasts—could grant him points.

Yes, this was a world where martial arts existed. Ordinary people could train their bodies to superhuman levels.

Ancient texts spoke of legendary warriors capable of shattering mountains, chasing the sun and moon, and even parting rivers with a single strike.

Whether such feats were real, Lu Xuan didn’t know.

But as he was now, he could effortlessly smash a meter-tall boulder with his bare hands.

At the Blood Refinement realm, his skin was like steel, his bones like tempered metal, and his vitality burned like an unquenchable flame.

From what he understood, the martial hierarchy of this world was as follows:

• Skin Refinement

• Flesh Refinement

• Bone Refinement

• Marrow Refinement

• Blood Refinement

Each stage was further divided into: Novice, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, Perfected.

Only after mastering all five realms could a martial artist awaken a mysterious energy within, granting them unimaginable power.

This was known as the Internal Breath Realm.

In all his twenty years, Lu Xuan had never met such a figure.

Rumors claimed that these legendary experts only resided in the prefectural cities.

But Lu Xuan was confident that, with his system, he would one day reach that realm.

At just twenty years old, he was already at the peak of Blood Refinement.

If word of this spread, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar.

As far as he knew, the strongest martial artist in Qingyun County was Chief Constable Chen Shi—a Bone Refinement expert who had spent decades honing his skills.

Yet here Lu Xuan was, at the cusp of the Internal Breath Realm in just twenty years.

It was unheard of.

Which was why he had long concealed his true strength, publicly claiming to be only at the Skin Refinement stage.

But now, his expression darkened.

He had planned to lay low, steadily growing stronger until he was invincible.

With his system, it was only a matter of time.

Yet now, he had discovered that this world harbored something else—supernatural forces.

The county records he had read were no ordinary accounts.

And worse… he had already encountered these horrors firsthand.

Two days ago, his father, Lu Jiahe, had traveled with a group of apprentices to procure herbs from the surrounding villages.

After staying overnight in a small hamlet in Ping’an Township, several of them awoke… changed.

Their faces were deathly pale, twisted in agony as they clawed madly at their own bodies—

—raking bloody gashes into their flesh without even flinching.

Terrified, Lu Jiahe had ordered them bound and rushed back to the county town, abandoning the herb-gathering mission entirely.

Upon returning, he immediately sealed the estate, forbidding anyone from speaking of the incident or approaching the afflicted.

As the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Xuan had been informed—and had gone to see the victims himself.

Even with his two lifetimes of experience, their condition made his stomach churn.

Their upper bodies were shredded, skin flayed open by their own hands, fingers bent at unnatural angles.

Yet even now, they struggled against their restraints, their limbs twitching with manic energy.

Among them was Lu Xuan’s own cousin, the son of his father’s younger brother.

No wonder his father had returned in such a panic, his face ashen.

What had they encountered?

Deep down, Lu Xuan already had an answer.

His mind conjured images of things best left unspoken—

—things beyond the natural order.

What else could reduce men to such twisted, frenzied states?

……

Knock, knock, knock.

A sharp rapping at the door snapped Lu Xuan from his thoughts.

“Young Master, the master of the house requests your presence in the rear courtyard. It’s urgent.”

“The rear courtyard?”

Lu Xuan immediately understood.

That area had been cordoned off by his father to quarantine the afflicted.

No one was permitted entry without explicit permission—except for Lu Xuan.

Since returning, his father had scarcely left the courtyard, spending every waking moment there.

Truth be told, Lu Xuan had been uneasy about leaving him alone there.

There was something about those victims…

Something that filled him with dread.