Starting from the world of martial arts in the Condor Heroes, practicing martial arts across the hea

Jiangnan groggily turned over, only to feel something uncomfortable and damp beneath her. She sat up with a start and found herself surrounded by desolate mountains and wilderness, with no sign of human habitation.

A clear stream gurgles by in the distance, pink, yellow, and purple wildflowers bloom freely, butterflies dance in the morning light, and the distant forests stand silently like soldiers...

A mountain breeze swept by, and Jiangnan, who was covered in a cold sweat, came back to her senses. She hugged her shoulders, shrank her body, quickly stood up, did some chest-expanding exercises, kicked her legs, and moved her body around. After feeling less cold, she walked to the bluestone by the stream and sat down cross-legged.

Jiangnan straightened his back, staring blankly at the stream before him, thinking to himself, "Wasn't I sleeping in my own bedroom?! How did I end up in the wilderness, and in the mountains, in the blink of an eye?!"

"Whether someone is joking or I really have traveled through time, I have to survive first. Only if I survive will I have a chance to care about these things; otherwise, everything will be lost."

After racking his brains without success, Jiangnan began to walk in the direction the stream was flowing. He hadn't worn shoes to bed, and he didn't know how to weave straw sandals, so he had no choice but to walk barefoot. Fearing that there might be poisonous insects or snakes in the grass, Jiangnan picked up a thick branch and carefully walked while using the branch to tap the grass in front of him.

Jiangnan had been walking for an unknown amount of time. He only knew that when he started walking, the sun hadn't even risen yet, but now it was high in the sky, yet Jiangnan still hadn't left the mountains. Jiangnan felt exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. He glanced at the stream, but dared not drink, fearing that drinking untreated water would upset his stomach—that would be terrible!

But Jiangnan couldn't care less now. She could endure the fatigue and hunger, but not the thirst, especially since there was a water source nearby. Reaching a gentle stream, she squatted down and washed her hands with the water. The coolness of the water felt refreshing against her skin. She scooped up some water with both hands, rinsed her mouth, moistened her lips, and mentally prepared herself before taking a sip. She took a few deep breaths and swallowed the water in small sips. Jiangnan felt a cool stream flow down her esophagus, into her stomach, and a refreshing coolness spread through her heart and lungs—it felt wonderful!

He dared not drink too much cold water. Once he felt that his thirst was under control, he set off again, slowly walking along the stream.

He didn't know how far he had walked, but Jiang Nan estimated it to be more than ten kilometers. The sun was already starting to set, and Jiang Nan was thankful that it hadn't rained all day; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to withstand the rain in his pajamas. Suddenly, he heard the sound of bells coming from afar. He stopped and carefully tried to discern the direction from which the sound was coming.

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He followed the sound slowly and steadily. As the saying goes, "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," it wasn't until the sun set, the light gradually disappeared, and the morning star lit up on the horizon that he finally arrived at the source of the bell sound... a place that he couldn't tell if it was a temple or a Taoist temple.

Standing in front of the door, I knocked hard and waited for a while. Then I heard footsteps coming from inside, and it seemed like there was more than one person. I heard the door bolt rattle, and then the door opened a crack. The light from the lantern shone through the crack, illuminating the figures of several Taoist boys inside.

Jiangnan was a little curious. Why were lanterns used here? Was it part of a retro-style tourist attraction, or had he really traveled back in time? These thoughts flashed through his mind. Jiangnan didn't dwell on them, and not daring to be impolite, he quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, fellow Daoists! I am Jiangnan. I got lost in these mountains and only found this place after walking for a whole day. Now it's getting dark, and I have nowhere to go. May I ask if I could stay the night?"

The young Taoist priests opposite him listened to Jiang Nan's self-introduction and looked him up and down. They saw that his hair was as short as that of a monk who had just left the monastic life. He wore a long robe made of an unknown fabric that was as smooth as silk, which looked like something that ordinary people could not afford. His skin was fair, his palms had no calluses, and he was barefoot, which was probably the rule of ascetic monks traveling around. His breathing was heavy and his feet seemed to have no footing, so he did not look like someone who practiced martial arts.

After a moment of silence, one of the young Taoist disciples returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, layman! Please follow me! I will lead you inside to rest first. As for whether you can stay overnight, we will need to consult the Master."

Jiangnan was completely confused, but he understood that they had allowed him to stay the night, and he was immediately overjoyed. Unfortunately, he was too tired and hungry, otherwise he would have cheered. Luckily, he didn't do anything rash, otherwise, these young Taoist disciples would have definitely kicked him out; after all, no one dared to let a madman into a Taoist temple at night!

"Thank you so much! I'm really grateful for your help, young masters!"

Two young Taoist boys led Jiangnan to the inn, one after the other. Along the way, Jiangnan chatted with the two boys and learned that one of them was named Zhiping and the other Zhiqing, and that they had both grown up in Taoist temples.

"Young monks, do you have any vegetarian food? If there's no hot food, dry rations will do, and hot water would be even better! To be honest, I've been walking all day without eating a single grain of rice. I only had a sip of stream water at noon, and I'm quite hungry."

Jiangnan hesitated and felt embarrassed as he spoke, but he was too hungry and tired. As a modern person, he had never suffered like this before, so he had no choice but to shamelessly beg for food from the two Taoist boys who were shorter than him.

The two young Taoist boys didn't say much, perhaps expecting this, only saying they would bring him some food and hot water soon. Jiang Nan thanked them repeatedly.

As they were talking, the young Taoist priest in front stopped and said calmly, "Layman, we've arrived at your room. Please rest here tonight."

After speaking, he turned and left without waiting for Jiang Nan's reply. Jiang Nan pushed open the door and entered the guesthouse. In the daylight, the room was small, with only a wooden bed and a rolled-up blanket on it. Near the door was a low table with an oil lamp on it, and nothing else. Jiang Nan placed the wooden stick by the door, walked to the wooden bed, leaned against the wall, and slowly sat down to relax his legs. At this moment, the young Taoist named Zhi Ping entered with a pot of water and two steamed buns. He placed the pot and buns on the low table, said, "Please enjoy, layman!" and then left. Jiang Nan quickly got up to thank him, closed the door tightly, and secured it with the wooden stick. He picked up the buns and ate them in small bites with the water. Jiang Nan dared not eat too quickly, for fear that his stomach would not be able to handle it.

After a hearty dinner, Jiangnan relaxed completely. He lay on his right side on the wooden bed, covered himself with a blanket, and began to breathe deeply using the "Hibernating Dragon Sleeping Elixir" technique, focusing his mind inward. At first, Jiangnan's mind would wander, but as time went on, he gradually fell asleep and slept soundly until dawn!

The next morning, Jiangnan woke up and slowly moved his body, only to find that his whole body was sore, especially his legs and feet. His feet felt burning, which was probably a side effect of walking barefoot for the first time.

Jiang Nan moved the wooden stick aside, opened the door, and began practicing the Eight-Section Brocade exercise in the morning light outside, warming his body, improving his blood circulation, and invigorating his spirit. After about fifteen minutes, when Jiang Nan finished a set of the Eight-Section Brocade, a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes: [Eight-Section Brocade Proficiency +1]

Jiang Nan was stunned: This is a cheat system? I got a cheat system?!

I silently said "open system" in my mind, but there was no response; I silently said "open panel" and opened the proficiency panel, and a light blue panel appeared in front of me.

[Host: Jiangnan]

[Talent: Diligence Pays Off]

【功法：八段锦Lv1（1/100）蛰龙睡丹功Lv1（10/100）】

[Skills: None]

Jiang Nan carefully examined the panel and thought that the "Dragon Sleeping Pill Technique" must have been prompted after he fell asleep last night, and that he could upgrade it in nine more days. He also noticed that if he stared at the talent options on the panel for a while, the interpretation of "Heaven rewards diligence" would appear.

Heaven rewards diligence: hard work leads to progress; once you have a certificate, it is forever valid, and you will never regress.

Jiang Nan was thrilled. This way, he would have the confidence and methods to face any situation with composure!

After stretching my arms and legs in place and assuming a horse stance, I saw the message "[Horse Stance Proficiency +1]" appear in front of me after about 5 minutes. I then stood in the Xingyi Quan San Ti Shi stance for a while until the message "[San Ti Shi Proficiency +2]" appeared in front of me. My thighs were sore, so I stopped.

At this moment, the sky was bright and the sun had already risen. The sound of bells and drums could be heard from inside the temple, the Taoist chants were faint and calming, bringing peace to the mind and spirit.

Jiangnan, unaware of his surroundings and being a guest, dared not wander aimlessly. He simply listened to the distant chanting of Taoist priests performing their morning prayers in the open space outside the guesthouse. Recalling the Taoist Six-Character Mantra, he synchronized his breathing with the chanting, inhaling and exhaling six times, expelling the old and taking in the new, until the chanting ceased and the words "[Taoist Six-Character Mantra Proficiency +10]" appeared before his eyes.

Jiangnan didn't know where to go in the Taoist temple, and his whole body ached so much that he didn't want to move much. So he returned to the inn, folded up his bedding and put it on the wooden bed as a pillow. He leaned his head against the bed and lay down on it.

"Phew..." Jiang Nan let out a long breath. He hadn't done his morning exercise in a long time. Today's exercise was only sustained by the timely feedback from the panel, which showed his proficiency. Otherwise, he would have already lay down to rest!

If it weren't for the pressure of survival, he couldn't have imagined that he could walk for so long, walk such a long distance, and not eat, drink, or rest for a whole day. It's something that ordinary modern office workers wouldn't dare to think about, let alone consider.

After resting for a while, a young Taoist brought vegetarian food in a food box. Jiangnan thanked the young Taoist but didn't rush to eat. He first asked the young Taoist where the nearest city was and how long it would take to get there. The young Taoist's answer startled him: it would take three days to get to the nearest city on horseback.

Jiangnan is somewhat unsure whether this is still a modern society. The fact that people here wear Taoist robes and have long hair can be explained by the requirements of the scenic spot's ancient-style program, but the fact that they subconsciously use horseback riding to calculate distances is hard to explain.

Jiangnan tentatively asked the child, "What is the reign title this year?"

The young Taoist priest instinctively answered, "The Kai Xi Year."

Oh no! This young Taoist actually answered correctly! Although we don't know which dynasty or emperor's reign title "Kai Xi Nian" refers to, the fact that the young Taoist could subconsciously give the answer means he's no longer on Earth. It's not a joke, nor is he kidnapped; he's simply transmigrated, and in another world at that! The only advantage is that he doesn't have to live with someone else's face and identity, preventing him from eventually becoming confused about whether he's still himself. But there are also disadvantages: his origins are unknown, which arouses suspicion. However, the benefits outweigh the harms; he can simply tell outsiders he has amnesia.

Coming to his senses, Jiang Nan considered how to survive before he fully developed. He looked at the young Taoist priest in front of him and asked, "Young Taoist priest, what are the requirements for staying at the temple? I would like to rest and recuperate here for a while. Would you mind informing the elders of the temple?"

The young Taoist returned the greeting and said, "After you have breakfast, a numbered person will come to register you."

Jiangnan quickly expressed his gratitude.

After seeing the young Taoist off, Jiang Nan returned to his room and quickly ate breakfast. He had been exercising all morning and was quite hungry; he had only been preoccupied with whether he was in modern or ancient times, otherwise he would have eaten much earlier.

After breakfast, a greeter came to register me. Jiangnan was worried that they might ask about Buddhist scriptures or require me to show my ordination certificate or ID card, but to her surprise, none of that was needed! The greeter only recorded my name and how long I would be staying, and didn't ask anything else, not even my place of origin.

"Master, could you perhaps arrange some work for me? Consider it payment for my lodging and meals! Otherwise, I'd feel bad eating and drinking here for free!"

The Taoist priest who was greeting guests looked up and sized up Jiang Nan, and said, "Then go to the medicine hall and get a job gathering herbs!" The Taoist priest who was greeting guests pointed out the way and was about to leave.

Jiang Nan quickly stepped forward and asked, "Daoist Master, may I participate in your morning classes?" Jiang Nan also wanted to learn more knowledge and make the most of his talent for diligence, so that he could have a secure future in this world.

The welcoming Taoist priest glanced at him in surprise, perhaps not expecting a monk to want to participate in the Taoist morning prayers. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright. But don't disturb others from their morning prayers."

"Of course not...of course not..." Jiang Nan said happily.

Following the directions of the welcoming Taoist priest, Jiang Nan found the medicine hall, accepted the task of gathering herbs, and received a basket, a wooden hoe, and a booklet introducing medicinal herbs. Back at the inn, Jiang Nan opened the booklet and carefully read through it from beginning to end. He discovered it was a book that briefly introduced dozens of common medicinal herbs in the area; by following the descriptions, he could gather the herbs he needed. [Common Herb Proficiency +1]

Jiangnan opened the panel and found skills appearing in the skill bar.

[Skill: Common Herbs Lv1 (1/100)]

It's not the reaction that's scary, it's the lack of reaction; no knowledge is useless, you never know when you might need it!

Jiang Nan tried to skim through it, but the panel didn't change. Having no other option, Jiang Nan had to read the book carefully. He read all day, and when his eyes got tired, he would go outside to do horse stance and three-body postures to recover before continuing. He read until the afternoon of the next day, when the sun was about to set. [Skill: Common Herbs Lv1 (100/100) → Lv2 (1/200)]

Suddenly, knowledge of the herbs recorded in the booklet flooded his mind: Polygonatum, the rhizome of which is sweet and neutral in nature, grows in shady slopes and rock crevices in sparse forests; Asarum, the whole plant is used medicinally, is pungent and warm in nature, has heart-shaped leaves and bell-shaped dark purple flowers, has an extremely pungent aroma, and grows in damp places; Honeysuckle, the flower buds of which are used medicinally, is sweet and cold in nature, has a hollow stem, bi-colored lips-shaped flowers, a strong fragrance, grows in sunny places, and is drought-tolerant and sun-loving; Salvia miltiorrhiza... Paris polyphylla... Scutellaria baicalensis... Artemisia argyi... Artemisia argyi... Artemisia argyi... Artemisia argyi... The illustrations and descriptions appeared in his mind without any errors or changes. Without having to look at it again, Jiang Nan could feel that he had memorized the entire book, although his understanding of herbs was still somewhat superficial.

Upon rereading the book, Jiang Nan discovered that the efficiency of gaining experience had greatly decreased; he could only gain one increase in proficiency every two readings. He put the book down, stopped reading, went to the dining hall for dinner, fetched a kettle of hot water, and went to bed early to conserve his energy!

The next morning, after practicing for a while, Jiang Nan heard the sound of chanting. He followed the sound to the Sanqing Hall and listened to the Taoist priests chanting. He silently recited the scriptures he heard in his heart. Soon, the image of "[Chanting Proficiency +1]" appeared in front of him. Jiang Nan was happy, but he did not show it on his face and continued to chant with the Taoist priests.

At the end of the morning class, [Skill: ...Chanting Lv1 (15/100)]

After having breakfast at the canteen, Jiangnan went into the mountains to gather herbs, leaning on a wooden stick. He was still wearing the same clothes and was barefoot... Jiangnan was too shy to ask the Taoist priests in the temple to borrow another set of clothes.

Six days passed, and Jiangnan lived a regular life, busy going back and forth between the inn, the dining hall, the Sanqing Hall, the medicine hall, and the nearby mountains and fields. During this time, he picked some cattails and jute in the mountains and made a pair of straw sandals by himself, which he wore as a makeshift shoe. He gained a shoemaking skill in his skill bar. Each time he picked herbs, he also deepened his knowledge of herbs and gained a herb-gathering skill.

【技能：常见药草Lv2（100/200）採药Lv1（90/100）诵经Lv1（90/100）製鞋Lv1（5/100）】

Within a week, Jiangnan had already gotten used to life in the Taoist temple.

今日採摘十株草药后，【採药Lv1（100/100）→Lv2（1/200）】，各种针对不同草药、不同季节採摘的方法如醍醐灌顶般于脑海中闪过……

第二天早课结束后，【诵经Lv1（100/100）→Lv2（1/200）】，早课所诵的经文如澄清韵、吊挂、道家八大神咒、太上老君常说清静经、太上洞玄灵宝升玄消灾护命妙经、高上玉皇心印妙经、各个道教神明宝号及三皈依，如同过目不忘般记在脑中。

Only then did Jiangnan feel a little relieved, no longer worried about being exposed and driven out of the Taoist temple.

After morning prayers, Jiang Nan ate breakfast in the dining hall and then chatted with a Taoist priest who was on duty but had nothing to do. Although they weren't close over the past few days, they had become acquainted. He talked to the priest about all sorts of things and learned from him that it was the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Taoist temple was called the Quanzhen Sect Chongyang Palace, located in the Zhongnan Mountains at the border of the Song and Jin Dynasties.

Jiangnan then chatted with him about the Taoist patriarch, Chen Tuan, from the Northern Song Dynasty, boasting about how extraordinary Chen Tuan was, how he won Mount Hua from Zhao Kuangyin, and how he could sleep like an immortal for many years and still be full of energy... Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest mentioned how powerful Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Quanzhen School, was, who practiced martial arts in middle age, won first place in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, and was known in the martial arts world as the Central Divine...

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan was startled: "Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine... doesn't that mean there are four other masters: Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic; Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison; Yideng, the Southern Emperor; and Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar! Is this the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes?"