Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King

Li Xian was thoroughly stuffed, not in a hurry to eat everything in one go. He lay resting in a cluster of green water plants; whenever he felt weary, he would dig out some clam meat to eat and drink. By the tenth clam, he unexpectedly found a giant clam pearl, exceptionally exquisite, radiating a silver halo.

Though delighted, Li Xian feared the pearl might attract an onslaught of giant creatures. His injuries were severe, making it extremely difficult to fend them off. Seeking prudence, he painfully decided to abandon it.

Dozens of night clams sustained him for nearly five days. Thanks to the night clams, his heart wound gradually healed, already reaching thirty percent. The fragmented heart veins slowly formed, enabling a slight circulation of blood, allowing him to climb upward.

Unaware of the passage of time in the lake, only the cold and eerie lake remained by his side. Li Xian gradually climbed upward, two zhang each day, aiming for stability, not speed. Li Xian mused, "Choosing to fight in the lake was to dive deep and escape. Choosing ’Absolute Palm Peak’ was wise since the mountain had roots which he could climb to exit the lake. It seems my decision back then was indeed sensible."

After several consecutive days of climbing, his heart wound healed by thirty percent. Though his plan was mostly successful, he still had miscalculations. He overestimated the strength of his heart veins and underestimated the difficulties in healing his heart wound. Initially, he thought that with the aid of the ’Only I have a Heart Skill,’ his heart would break but not die; then borrowing the miraculous effect of Life-saving Yang Qi, he would recover swiftly.

Little did he know that healing would be so difficult. Climbing upwards fifteen zhang, Li Xian suddenly felt a chilling sensation, discovering a colossal creature resting above him. Eighteen tentacles extended far, beyond his sight.

Li Xian exclaimed, "Such a monstrous lake creature was always hovering above me. It seemed to regard me as a tiny worm; unsure if it’s seen me but is too lazy to devour or hasn’t noticed yet. I underestimated the mystery of Dongran Lake. If this creature desires to eat me, I’m defenseless. But with it lying on the mountain wall, climbing further is challenging. The only choice is to wait quietly!"

Casting his eyes around, he saw a hidden crevice in the mountain rocks. Li Xian squeezed into the rock crevice, using it as a shield. Watching the tentacle creature each day, seeing it unmoving, he returned to the crevice to heal.

Approximately two days passed. Suddenly, the tentacle creature moved, causing turbulent currents, dislodging water plants and stone debris from the mountain wall, turning everything murky.

Once chaos settled, the creature had left. Li Xian seized the opportunity to climb, ascending over ten zhang in a single breath, crouching on the stone wall only when heart pain set in. He knew this was precisely the creature’s resting spot and dared not linger. But the lake’s Qi Power recovery was slow, relying entirely on the Jade Water Pearl for breath.

Several times he wished to climb upward, but the heart veins were too painful to bear. Li Xian assessed himself: "I can’t rush things. I’ve recuperated for long, leveraging Life-saving Yang Qi, lake’s exotic fish, and precious night clams just to barely heal thirty percent of my heart veins. If the heart wound worsens again, there’ll be no hope. Since ascending is difficult, why not explore the surroundings?"

Moving sideways, he found a giant cavern. This was the tentacle creature’s lair. Li Xian thought that if it returned, it made little difference whether he was inside or outside the cave. So he ventured into the cave to explore.

Both feet touched the ground.

The lair extended deep, with exceedingly spacious walls. From this, Li Xian judged the creature’s size, comparing silently: "It might rival that old dragon thief!" He plucked a strand of hair and planted it at the cave’s entrance.

His heart twinged faintly, sensing recovery still needed time. So he continued probing deeper. Half an hour passed when he suddenly saw faintly glowing purple halos on the cave wall. Li Xian leaned closer, discovering a cluster of insect eggs.

Li Xian sensed two Martial Arts transformations emanating. Rumors were true; Absolute Palm Peak was once inhabited by a formidable Martial Artist, whose hand was severed and lost into Dongran Lake, gradually evolving.

The artist unleashed the ’Mountain Suppressing Hand,’ where Martial Arts evolved endlessly, the hand like an ancient giant pressing down. But during the move, a Gu Master severed the hand. The Martial Arts transformation embedded within sank into the lake, growing more intense amidst divine feng shui workings.

The hand turned to stone, then rock, then peak. Thus came today’s majestic sight. Another Absolute Palm Peak exists in the realm, more grand and mysterious, not in Dongran Lake but within a powerful clan’s ancestral ground. This ’Mountain Suppressing Hand’ was devised by imitating the real Absolute Palm Peak.

Due to the ’Mountain Suppressing Hand,’ peaks emanated similar traits to the Absolute Palm Peak. And the tentacle creature dwelling within was influenced by Martial Arts evolution over time, its skin hard like mountain rock.

Endless wonders of heaven and earth.

In the cave, the insect eggs incubated some form of ’Gu Worm.’ Li Xian ventured deeper, sensing Martial Arts essence left behind, combining insight from the Setting Sun Bloodsword’s ability to peer into Yin Yang, and the investigative power from Heavy Pupil Appearance.

Vaguely he witnessed the clash of two Martial Arts forces. Li Xian, momentarily entranced, suddenly noticed a rusted sword wedged in the rock crevice. It was likely the sword used by the Martial Artist wielding ’Mountain Suppressing Hand.’

Li Xian attempted to retrieve it, scrutinizing once held. He couldn’t discern any peculiarities. Searching again, he found a ring within a deep rock crevice; however, his arm struggled to reach it, fortunately, the cave was filled with flowing water.

Li Xian manipulated the flow, letting it carry the ring out of the deep crevice. Holding it, he found the ring extraordinary, emanating a milky glow.

He slipped it onto his thumb, finding it perfectly fitting. Playing with the jade ring, Li Xian felt his spirit slightly lifted. He ruminated, "Though this sword seems entirely rusty, it is actually extraordinary. However, it’s too heavy. My injured body finds it difficult to carry. The ring, be it not ordinary, I might put to use later."

Thus, he abandoned the rusted sword and headed out. Suddenly, his right hand felt a pull, a force pulling imperceptibly. The rusted sword emitted a resonant metallic sound, autonomously returning to Li Xian’s hand.

Li Xian was both stunned and intrigued. Holding the rusted sword, he surveyed around. While knowing the sword was atypical, explaining its uniqueness or its remarkable traits was challenging. He abandoned the rusted sword again and walked out ten more steps.