High-level martial arts: Start with a grueling grind for the Golden Bell Shield.

"Family members are one's closest relatives..."

"Enjoy the joys of family life, and achieve the beauty of family harmony..."

Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so why shouldn't humans...?

"Blood is the bond of kinship, and the heart is the medium of medicine; the affection between the closest of relatives can yield the benefits of health and longevity..."

"For the first level, one must take the five internal organs of the child, boil them in water, and eat one child to gain fifty years of life, eat two children to gain a hundred years of life, and the more children one has, the longer one's life will be. The cycle of heaven continues, and one can borrow life to extend one's life, with no upper limit..."

"The eccentric scholar Yang Wansui commented: It is only permissible to eat one's own child; eating one's own daughter is ineffective."

"The second level involves taking your five internal organs. Remember, you must be martial; training your skin, your flesh, and your bones is acceptable, but anything beyond that is not advisable..."

"Boil the five internal organs using the method of bridging the Budan decoction, then cook them in hot oil, and drink it within thirty breaths."

"Eating one seed can replenish ten years' worth of vital energy and twenty years' worth of lifespan; the more one eats, the more one gains. This is the natural order and principle, with no upper limit..."

"The three-layered formula requires the heart and blood of a child within 100 days of birth, and the nighttime semen of a 15-year-old child. The five organs of the child are the main components. It must be sun-dried for 30 days, cooked for 30 days, and exposed to the wind for 30 days. After sitting quietly for 10 days, it can be consumed. It can increase lifespan by 200 years, increase qi and blood by 200 years, increase comprehension, increase fortune, and increase destiny..."

"The eccentric Yang Wansui's annotation: The first level is easy, the second is difficult, the third is like ascending to heaven, yet, I am the Heavenly Venerable!"

Upon seeing this, Chen Hongyu abruptly closed the book.

But the words in the book seem to have a magical power, imprinted in my mind, and I can't shake them off.

The more you try to forget, the clearer you remember.

The book not only includes textual explanations but also pictures and medication guidelines.

Chen Hongyu's heart was pounding.

"Impossible, impossible! This must be something that monk used to bewitch my father. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could my father possibly eat the four of us brothers?"

Chen Hongyu put the Tianlun Health Preservation Exercise back in its original place, but after standing up, he felt dizzy.

One reason was that I spent too much time hunched over reading by the couch, and the other was that I was deeply moved by the words in the book.

He almost fell, and quickly grabbed the table for support.

A piece of calligraphy came into view.

"I joined the army at sixteen, and was expelled at twenty for violating discipline. Three days later, I stabbed my superior to death and returned home to kill all my relatives."

"When I woke up, I realized that I had fallen into a demonic state. I could not go home, so I could only become an outlaw and set the mountain on fire."

"For twenty years, I burned the mountain, taking pleasure in killing. When the chief leader died, the mountain stronghold fell into infighting. I stepped forward, killed all the leaders, and took the top seat in the stronghold."

"But when he fought with others, he was poisoned and would die within three months. When he jumped off a cliff after the fire, he was stopped by the holy monk Ding'e."

"The holy monk possesses wondrous and profound skills, and his supernatural powers are unmatched. He cured the poison in my body with a mere wave of his hand. He did not offer thanks, but instead said that my life was nearing its end. This was due to my impending death, not something I could do."

"I did not believe it. Three years later, I was as old as a withered old man. I sought out the holy monk to ask about the method of prolonging life. He gave me the Heavenly Family Nourishing Life Exercise and bestowed upon me two pills for giving birth to a child."

"I went down the mountain, married and had children. My wife gave birth to two daughters, but their fates were unknown. I killed her."

"Afterwards, he moved to another city, married, and had two sons in three years. After a hundred days, he took out their internal organs and cooked them, thus prolonging his life by a hundred years."

"I moved to another city, married two wives and had four sons in five years. I took out his internal organs and cooked them, but my lifespan did not increase. Instead, I entered the level of the five internal organs."

"Now I have been in Jinshan Prefecture for more than 30 years. I have taken three wives and had four sons. The eldest son is incompetent, the second son is strong and has already entered the skin refining stage, the third son is clumsy and may be able to enter the skin refining stage in another three to five years, and the fourth son is unruly and will be the first to enter the skin refining stage."

"Recently, the holy monk Ding E's disciple Fan Li came to seek help. I ordered my second and fourth sons to give him the tokens, but he refused. Fan Li then made a move, but was defeated by a sparring partner. I then ordered my third son to sneak into the prison at night to steal the tokens from my two sons, but they were abducted halfway there. I was furious and indignant."

"I had no choice but to change my appearance and go to the black market to buy it for a large sum of money. I was overjoyed to find something I wanted."

That concludes the text.

But in the scorching heat of the summer night, Chen Hongyu felt his hands and feet turn cold and his heart grow cold.

"Finished watching?"

Sudden.

A voice sounded from behind.

Chen Hongyu's body trembled. The voice was extremely familiar. Even without turning around, he knew who it was.

"I write down my experiences over the past hundred years every day, because I'm afraid that over time I'll forget who I am."

Chen Dingkun's voice drifted over.

Chen Hongyu didn't dare to move at all.

His heart was pounding uncontrollably, as if it would jump out of his throat at any moment.

"In this life, there is no turning back. If you take one wrong step, you can only take one wrong step after another."

"If I hadn't been driven mad by Shangguan back then, I wouldn't have killed him, much less my parents, brothers, and sisters."

"So much so that later he climbed the Fire Mountain and killed people for fun all day long. Boss, do you understand? It's like... you don't know why you're alive at all. You live a muddled life every day, with no way forward, no hope, and no future."

"It wasn't until I met Master Ding'e, who guided me to join the Rebirth Cult, that I realized that even my wretched life could change the world."

"But my cultivation level is too low now, I can't help the master at all, and I can't change the world, alas..."

Chen Dingkun sighed and gently placed his hand on Chen Hongyu's shoulder.

Chen Hongyu's body trembled and stiffened.

"Actually, you are my most valued son. I was planning to devour the second, third, and fourth sons, but you are different."

"Your personality is very similar to my older brother's—generous and kind. Even though you've only been helping me manage the business for less than three years, many people already recognize you and consider you their successor."

"My original plan was to eat the second brother and the others, then put on a show to spare your life so you could live a life of wealth and luxury in place of my eldest brother, but..."

"It's not possible now, eldest son. Let Dad see you off one last time."

Chen Dingkun's hand moved down Chen Hongyu's shoulder and gripped his neck.

Difficulty breathing.

His face turned red.

He opened his mouth wide, but not a single breath of air entered.

Chen Hongyu saw the scene of talking with his second and fourth sons in the afternoon, and he saw the grief of the whole family when his mother passed away. Finally.

Chen Hongyu turned his head with difficulty and called out in Chen Dingkun's direction, "Dad."

Throughout the entire ordeal, Chen Hongyu did not struggle.

He still harbored illusions about Chen Dingkun.

He believes that Chen Dingkun is the father figure in his heart.

Not the demon written on paper or described by mouth.

But he was wrong, and the price he paid was his own life.

Chen Dingkun sighed, "Ugh, this is really troublesome. I have to figure out how to deal with this again. Oh well, let's just leave it for now and deal with it after the third brother has mastered the art of skin refining."

Chen Dingkun shook his head, squatted down, closed Chen Hongyu's eyes, and a jade ring in his hand emitted a wave, causing Chen Hongyu's body to disappear.

Chen Dingkun remained expressionless, burned the paper on the table with his self-narration written on it, then went to the bedside, picked up the book of Tianlun Health Preservation Exercises, and remained silent for a long time.

Under the cover of night, Chen Dingkun's figure left the Chen residence like a raccoon dog, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

His figure moved extremely fast; many people who didn't return home at night could only see a shadow on the rooftop.

After running for a long time, Chen Dingkun finally settled down in a large courtyard.

Inside and outside the courtyard lay hundreds of disheveled, rough men, still drinking and playing drinking games even in the dead of night.

Chen Dingkun found a man and went to a secluded place to give him a few instructions. The man nodded, went into the courtyard, called over a dozen men who were still awake, dressed them up, and headed out of the city.

They left the city gates as soon as it was light.

The sun shines on the earth, and a new day has finally arrived.