Only Got My Martial Arts Modifier in My Old Age

"Sigh. Sixty years... gone in the blink of an eye."

A long, drawn-out sigh echoed through the old estate’s courtyard, a deep space planted with a few gnarled, ancient pines.

Beside a stone table sat an old man with hair as white as snow and a short, frosted beard. He wore a long robe of high-quality, cloud-patterned silk, and his deeply wrinkled face was set with a pair of cloudy eyes.

The Rosewood Walking Stick in his hand was exquisitely carved, polished to a warm sheen from years of handling.

He was Lu Yun, the Patriarch of the Lu Family in Yun Port City. He also held a secret known to no one else: he was not from this world.

Sixty years ago, Lu Yun had been pulling an all-nighter gaming at an internet cafe. One moment he closed his eyes, and the next, he opened them to find himself here.

The world looked similar to the "Republic Era" he remembered, yet it was profoundly different in every way.

Due to the sturdy ships and powerful cannons of the Western Countries, as well as an indescribable "mysterious power," the Yin Dynasty had been unable to resist. Thirty years ago, the nation’s gates were forced open, the imperial system ended, and the Daxia New Country was founded.

And Lu Yun had, by sheer coincidence, earned the title of Martial Scholar the year before the dynasty’s collapse.

Fortunately, amidst the chaos as the Yin Dynasty’s dragon banners fell, he used a bit of luck and his remaining official connections to secure the empty title of "Yun Port City Harbor Guard General."

Relying on his martial skill, which had long since reached the Peak of Anjin, his outdated title of Martial Scholar, and the old official’s cap of the "Yun Port City Harbor Guard General," he had managed to succeed.

In Yun Port City—a melting pot of Chinese and Western influences known as the "Ten-Mile Foreign Concession"—he carved out a massive family fortune.

The gilded sign of the "Lu Family Import-Export Trading Company" hung at the most bustling intersection near the Yun Port City Pier district.

On the surface, the Lu Family owned five large ships, with a constant flow of tea and silk traveling to and from the new capital of Daxia in the north.

In the shadows, some "old artifacts" not meant for public display also circulated through secret channels under Lu Yun’s control.

His peers in the major merchant guilds of Yun Port City all had to address him respectfully as "Lord Lu" whenever they met.

Half of this respect came from the fact that Lu Yun’s business was stable and reliable. The other half stemmed from the lingering halo of his former-dynasty title as Harbor Guard General.

On these piers, a tangled web of foreigners, gangs, and new and old powers, the lingering authority of the old dynasty still held sway. Sometimes, that old "tiger skin" was more effective at suppressing restless hearts than the clinking of brand-new silver dollars.

But none of that was important. What truly made Lu Yun’s heart heavy with frustration was something else.

When he had first transmigrated to this world, he had shown extraordinary talent for martial arts. In just thirty years, he went from a rootless peasant to passing the martial examinations and earning the title of Martial Scholar.

Reaching the Peak of Anjin within thirty years was considered an upper-tier achievement, even among all the Martial Scholars of the Yin Dynasty’s history.

Back then, Lu Yun had believed the path ahead was wide open. He had hoped to glimpse the next realm and become a Grandmaster of Huajin.

Who would have thought that a full thirty years would pass in a flash, and he would still be unable to cross that threshold?

The Heart-Breaking Fist, a technique he had paid a fortune for in his youth from a mysterious old man, had long since been practiced to perfection.

Yet the Huajin Realm remained like an insurmountable chasm before him. No matter how much Lu Yun struggled, he could not cross it.

’Forget it. Living to my age in a world like this is a win in itself.’

Lu Yun lifted the teacup from the stone table and slowly sipped the fine, clear tea. Now, old and frail, his meridians were sluggish. At most, he could only exert the strength of the early stages of Anjin.

As for the illusory Huajin Realm, it had become an unnecessary fantasy.

As he was lost in thought, two young maids walked softly into the courtyard. One carried a bowl and chopsticks, while the other held a clay pot, slightly scorched from the fire.

Steam curled up from the pot, carrying the rich aroma of ginseng.

"Master, the Centennial Ginseng Chicken Soup is ready."

"Mm, just put it down. I’ll serve myself."

In his twilight years, Lu Yun had no choice but to rely on such precious tonics to barely nourish his decaying body.

Fortunately, he had built this family fortune in his younger years. Otherwise, this single bowl of tonic soup would have cost an ordinary family many years of hard work.

Just like any other day, Lu Yun slowly ladled a bowl of the ginseng soup, blew on it a few times to cool it, and drank it down.

A warm current rose from his stomach and spread to his limbs. He had just set the bowl down and was about to ladle another when...

Lu Yun’s movements froze abruptly. CLATTER! The porcelain bowl slipped from his hand and shattered on the stone table.

The next moment, Lu Yun leaped up from the stone stool, his eyes wide and his entire body tensed.

In the empty space visible only to him, a panel shimmering with an ethereal blue light appeared without any warning.

[Extreme Blue Martial Arts Modifier]

Name: Lu Yun

Sex: Male

Realm: Peak of Anjin

Cultivation Technique: Heart-Breaking Fist - Perfected (Modifiable)

Modification Value: 1

...

’Heart-Breaking Fist - Perfected (Modifiable)?’

As a Martial Scholar, Lu Yun actually knew a bit of all eighteen classical martial arts.

But Heart-Breaking Fist was his core martial art. He didn’t know why it was the only one displayed.

However, the bizarre scene had already made Lu Yun’s breath catch in his throat.

After sixty years of weathering storms and floating through life, he was long past the age of being easily startled. Yet, at this moment, Lu Yun lost his composure.

This world had always had tales of ghosts, spirits, and demons that took human form. In his twenties, he had personally encountered one of those ominous, "unclean things." If not for a wandering expert who had intervened to save him, he would have kicked the bucket long ago.

Immediately after, Lu Yun tore his attention away from the blue screen and whipped his head around, scanning his surroundings.

The courtyard was silent under the bright daylight. Besides himself, there was no one else.

’This isn’t an illusion. Could it be...?’

A nearly forgotten thought flashed through his mind. Lu Yun stared blankly at the ethereal blue screen.

After a long moment, his aged body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Lu Yun, who had navigated the decades spanning the former dynasty and the new Daxia, who was accustomed to all manner of turmoil—at this moment, tears streamed from his cloudy eyes.

"Finally..." he murmured. "I’ve finally lived to see this day. Big Brother... you’ve finally appeared..."

"I’ve waited until my halls are filled with children and grandchildren, waited until my hair turned gray... Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you these past sixty years?"

The "guaranteed perk" of countless transmigrator predecessors—the golden finger—it had finally arrived.

Quickly, Lu Yun forced himself to calm down. Forgetting his cane, he hurried into the main room and shut the door behind him.

The room was dim, with only a few slivers of daylight leaking through the cracks in the window. Lu Yun sat down on the edge of the bed, his gaze locked on the shimmering blue screen that still floated before him.

’Modifiable?’

’Modification Value: 1...’

’What in the world is this for... Ah, forget it. Only one way to find out.’ With that, Lu Yun awkwardly focused his thoughts and gave his silent consent.

In an instant, ripples spread across the blue screen’s panel.

[Modification Value: 1 → 0]

Immediately after, the text in the Cultivation Technique section fluctuated and rearranged itself, as an indescribable power surged into his decaying body.

But the changes were far from over. A moment later, a brand new set of moves, a Heart Method, and key insights on channeling force were clearly branded into Lu Yun’s mind, as if they were familiar memories.

Mountain-Breaking Inch Force Fist: Use the Dantian’s breathing to circulate internal energy, guiding it along the three yin and three yang meridians of the arm, and finally concentrating it within a three-inch zone at the peak of the fist.

When striking, the internal energy erupts suddenly. The Fist Force may seem to travel a short distance, but it is like a clap of thunder, capable of penetrating armor to injure the organs, damaging a person’s viscera unseen.