Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Dongfang Weiwo accepted the mission.

[New Player Quest: First Summon]

[Completed a Black Iron-level summon]

[Reward: 500 Energy Points]

[Time Limit: Three Days]

He thought it would be quite troublesome.

Where do summoning cards come from?

Before I finished my soup, a new notification popped up on the screen.

[Hidden Check-in Location: Eastern Mansion - Hidden Martial Pavilion]

[Wait on the first floor for an incense stick to burn]

[Reward: Black Iron Summoning Card x1, 100 Energy Points]

Dongfang Weiwo was stunned for a moment.

Checking in?

He knew this well. It was a game from his past life; he just checked in.

accept.

The Hidden Martial Pavilion is located in the northwest corner of the mansion.

A place to store martial arts techniques and combat skills.

Clan rule: Direct descendants who have reached the age of ten may enter the first floor and choose an introductory cultivation method.

He was exactly ten years old.

Early the next morning.

After passing through numerous corridors, we arrived at the Hidden Martial Pavilion.

A three-story ancient building.

Dark brown sacred wood, with flying eaves and brackets.

The surrounding area was protected by array formations, with occasional flashes of spiritual light.

The man guarding the pavilion was an elderly man with white hair, surnamed Zhou.

No one knows how many years he guarded it.

All that is known is that Dongfang Wudi came to choose martial arts techniques when he was young, and he was already the one guarding the pavilion.

Old Zhou sat on a bamboo chair by the door.

He held a yellowed ancient book without even lifting his eyelids.

"Direct descendants, upon reaching the age of ten, may enter the first floor. Two hours. Choose only one subject, and are not allowed to copy anything or take anything out."

His voice was hoarse, as if he had recited it countless times.

Dongfang Weiwo bowed and said, "Thank you, Elder Zhou."

Old Zhou waved his hand.

Step inside.

The first floor was bigger than he had expected.

Dozens of rows of tall bookshelves, all filled with cultivation techniques.

The most basic body-refining techniques. The more advanced ones are on the second or third floor, beyond his reach.

He didn't rush to open the book.

As required by the check-in instructions, I found a corner to sit down.

A stick of incense burned, and it was over quickly.

[Ding—Check-in complete]

[Black Iron Summoning Card x1, Energy Points x100]

[New Player Quest Update: You have obtained a Summoning Card. Use it?]

He stared at the dark black card in his inventory.

My heart is racing.

Black Iron Summoning Card.

Summon a powerful being from all the heavens and myriad realms.

It has 100% loyalty, retains memories of its past life, and can cultivate on its own.

The temptation was too great.

The finger hovered above the light screen for a full three breaths.

Take it back.

No.

It cannot be used here.

He took a deep breath.

I glanced at the doorway—Old Zhou was still reading, not even looking up.

But he had no doubt:

If there is the slightest abnormal fluctuation in the building, the seemingly dying old man will instantly appear in front of him.

Not to mention his father.

Grandmaster.

Within a radius of dozens of miles, no fluctuation of spiritual energy in the world could escape his perception.

A person suddenly appears out of thin air?

Spatial fluctuations, an unfamiliar aura—instantly alarmed.

How will we explain that then?

A system in my head? Am I a time traveler?

The scene he could imagine:

Treated as a possessed demon, the elders surrounded them and interrogated them by searching their souls.

Even his mother, being a princess, couldn't protect him.

No matter how overpowered a cheat system is, you can only use it if you're alive.

After figuring it out, he put the black iron card back into the deepest part of his inventory.

Not urgent.

She's only ten years old.

There's plenty of time.

It was the evening of the third day after I returned from Zangwu Pavilion.

He was sitting under the old locust tree in the courtyard, flipping through "The Geography of Dongzhou".

There was a sudden knock on the courtyard gate.

Not the mother.

She was not a maid.

It's the eldest brother—Dongfang Lingyun.

Twenty years old. Tall and straight, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

He was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, with a long sword hanging at his waist that he never parted with.

He has reached the peak of the acquired divine power realm, just one step away from the innate realm.

He possesses a calm and composed demeanor, making him a standout among his peers.

He stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding a vermilion wooden box in his hand.

His expression was indifferent.

"Big brother?" He put down his book and stood up.

Dongfang Lingyun looked at him, his gaze pausing slightly.

The ten-year-old boy wore a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns, and dark gold patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar—standard attire for the direct line.

His face was youthful, but his eyes were much calmer than those of his peers.

My younger brother was quiet from a young age, but he started talking at three and could read at five.

Everyone in the clan knew that the second young master was mediocre.

But Dongfang Lingyun always felt that there was something unfathomable hidden in his younger brother's eyes.

But he was too lazy to think about it further.

"My father asked me to bring this."

The wooden box was handed over in a flat tone, as if it were something insignificant.

Dongfang Weiwo accepted it.

Extremely heavy.

It is one foot square and weighs as much as a piece of refined iron of the same size.

"This is……"

"The Dragon Body Refining Technique"

When Dongfang Lingyun said this, his tone was unusually solemn.

"The most core body-refining technique of the Dongfang family is not passed on to anyone other than the direct descendants."

Open the wooden box.

Bright yellow silk lining.

On it lay a dark gold ancient scroll, cool to the touch like jade, yet exceptionally supple.

The cover features five ancient seal characters: "The Dragon Body Refining Technique".

Turn to the first page.

"The dragon is the overlord of the water, with the strength to overturn rivers and seas, and the body to shake mountains and shatter peaks. I observed the dragon's form and comprehended this method of body refinement... When it is perfected, the body is like a dragon, the blood and qi are like a dragon, a single punch can shatter mountains, and a single rage can terrify ten thousand beasts. This technique is divided into nine levels, corresponding to the nine realms of martial arts, the highest being the Grandmaster."

He turned the pages one by one.

The more I look at it, the more alarmed I become.

The "Dragon Body Refining Technique" is not simply about tempering muscles and bones.

It simulates the physical structure of a dragon and reshapes the physical body.

Muscle building phase – Adjusting the direction of muscle growth according to the muscle texture of the dragon.

Tendon training – The human body’s tendons are divided into nine “dragon tendons”, and each time one tendon is trained, it is a transformation.

Bone tempering—the entire skeleton is tempered into "dragon bones," which are harder than refined iron but retain flexibility, combining strength and gentleness.

According to the records of the exercise:

Once the first level is mastered, one will possess immense strength.

The second layer weighs three thousand catties.

The third layer possesses immense strength, equivalent to ten thousand jin.

The ninth-level Grandmaster possesses a strength of one million jin (approximately 500 catties). A single punch can shatter a mountain.

The cost was also staggering.

It requires a large amount of external resources—body-tempering pills, spirit beast essence blood, and spiritual essences of heaven and earth.

Dongfang Weiwo raised his head: "Father...why did you give me this?"

Dongfang Lingyun leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

His tone was casual, yet it carried a hint of complexity that he himself was unaware of.

"Father said he has examined your physical constitution. You may not be exceptionally gifted, but you are solid and steady. The 'Dragon Body Refining Technique' does not value comprehension, but only perseverance. The key is whether you can endure this hardship."

He paused for a moment.

He added, "By the way, Father also asked me to tell you—'This technique is extremely slow to learn, but once you master the first level, the path ahead is actually wider than other techniques. Don't rush, just proceed steadily.'"

No need to rush, just walk steadily.

He closed the wooden box: "Thank you, brother."

Dongfang Lingyun waved his hand and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

Without turning his head, he said, "The body-tempering herbs and demon beast blood you need will be delivered to your courtyard every month. That's what Father instructed. Just focus on your cultivation."

After saying that, he strode away, his figure quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

I, the only one from the East, stood still.

He looked down at the wooden box in his hand.

"The Dragon Body Refining Technique"

In the online novels he read in his previous life, this kind of late-game power-up technique was a standard feature of the protagonist.

It's slow in the early stages, consumes a lot of resources, and makes you a laughingstock.

He accumulated experience and then unleashed it, taking down his opponent with a single punch.

Unexpectedly, he also embarked on this path in reality.

And it wasn't his choice. It was his father, the Grandmaster, who chose it for him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Did his father give him this training method because he thought he was mediocre but had decent perseverance and was suited for slow training?

Or did that grandmaster already see through something but simply choose not to reveal it?

He thought about it.

The former is more likely.

After all, he had been mediocre for the past ten years—he started speaking at three and could read at five; he didn't seem like a genius at all.

His father gave him the "Dragon Body Refining Technique" mostly out of practical considerations: if he didn't have enough talent, he should take the path of strength. As long as he was willing to endure hardship, his future wouldn't be too bad.

In any case, this technique is indeed suitable for him.

With the system at his disposal, what he needs is precisely a path that is wide and stable enough.

From that day on, cultivation officially entered the right track.