Ever since transmigrating and inheriting everything in this body, his proficiency had only ever grown on the condition of success.
As a result, he had never even considered the possibility that proficiency could increase upon failure.
Yet when he thought about it carefully, why shouldn't failure grant proficiency?
Success was never achieved in a single stroke; it was built upon failure after failure.
Even if the experience gained from failure was minuscule, wasn't that tiny bit of experience a kind of success in itself?
It was just like learning to drive. A novice certainly couldn't pull off a gutter run around a hairpin turn.
Yet a successful hill start, a successful parallel park, a successful burst of acceleration in a straight line—weren't those each small successes in their own right?
It was precisely through accumulating these tiny triumphs that one eventually became a seasoned city driver slipping through traffic, or the drift god of Mount Akina.
Furthermore, there was another point!
It wasn't as if he had never had a complete success!
He had!
The system's achievement points had brought him straight to Entry rank, which practically meant he already had the experience of one successful execution under his belt.
Why was it that only sects and immortal cultivation clans could afford to foster orthodox alchemists, while rogue alchemists were few and far between?
The reason was quite simple: the initial investment was simply too staggering.
It was so immense that an alchemy apprentice would face continuous failure, unable to see even a glimmer of success. Under such a crushing upfront cost, rogue cultivators could only back away in despair.
Sects and clans, however, were different. They possessed sufficient wealth to absorb those relentless early failures.
And as long as an apprentice succeeded even once, he had acquired the experience of success; replicating it thereafter was only natural.
That was why the successful stayed perpetually successful.
In truth, Luo Chen also had a backing force nurturing him, allowing him to bypass the grueling early investment phase of constant failure and step straight into Entry rank!
Moreover, this system was far more formidable than any sect or clan.
Some people were genuinely devoid of talent, but as long as Luo Chen stepped through the threshold, he was treated as having talent.
Of course, stepping through that threshold relied on the achievement points granted whenever a skill's proficiency broke through to a new rank.
In other words:
"All my success comes entirely from my own hard work!"
Upon realizing that his proficiency was on the rise, Luo Chen's mood—which had already mostly recovered—brightened considerably.
He was even so pumped up that he let out a few hearty howls!
Still, having realized just yesterday that haste makes waste, he was well aware that this excited state of mind was hardly suited for diving straight back into refining pills.
So today, he decided to do something else to change up his routine.
What would he do?
Practice martial arts!
To be precise, practice a lightness skill.
He knew his own limitations: his cultivation realm was low, his mana was meager, and the low-grade flying sword in his possession was purely for show. He hadn't even learned the Traction Art, meaning he could only swing the flying sword by hand like a common blade.
When the original host had ventured into the mountains back then, he had merely stayed on the outermost perimeter, helping others haul demon beast meat back to the city.
Under such circumstances, what was the most effective way to maximize his chances of survival?
The answer, naturally, was to be able to run!
Logically speaking, the most suitable escape methods for a Qi Refinement cultivator were Divine Striding Talismans, briefly flying via magical artifacts, or at the very least, the Wind Riding Art.
Unfortunately, Divine Striding Talismans were ridiculously expensive and nearly impossible for an ordinary person to buy.
Magical artifacts required the Traction Art to coordinate, and their flight was often even less effective than the Wind Riding Art.
As for a common spell like the Wind Riding Art, the old Luo Chen hadn't been able to afford that either.
A single manual cost several dozen low-grade spirit stones.
Therefore, he could only set his sights on mundane martial lightness skills.
Though it was merely mortal-grade martial arts, that didn't make it useless; at the very least, it required no spiritual energy.
Luo Chen had very little spiritual energy to begin with. Low-tier rogue cultivators were all roughly the same in that regard, often forced to stand like rooted posts when casting spells in battle.
Thus, a mundane lightness skill that consumed zero spiritual energy definitely had its place!
Sitting by the front door, he spread open a lightness skill manual purchased from the marketplace for ten taels of gold.
*Carefree Wandering.*
A mighty name indeed!
The opening lines sounded equally grand: *"Mount the normalcy of heaven and earth, ride the transformations of the six energies, and wander through the infinite!"*
Naturally, that was merely the grand fantasy of its creator.
After reading it carefully several times, Luo Chen tried to get a handle on it—or rather, a footing on it!
This was not a combat-oriented lightness technique relying on bizarre footwork. Instead, it focused on borrowing momentum, dissipating force, adjusting posture at high speeds, and synchronizing with rhythmic breathing to achieve swift, long-distance travel.
When he first started, Luo Chen found it quite awkward.
All that talk of borrowing and deflecting force sounded so mystical. Just how was he supposed to "ride the six energies"?
Yet after running around the plains across the creek for the entire morning, he actually gained some genuine insight.
*When the wind is strong, adjust your posture and turn with the wind; never run against it.*
*If there are tree branches or high knolls, leap by borrowing their momentum. Upon landing, either soften the impact to touch down lightly, or use the rebound to accelerate forward.*
*The breathing rhythm cannot waver, and the mindset must remain calm. Even if it is not true carefree wandering, one must hold firm to one's heart and give everything.*
"Heh, I've got to say, this lightness skill actually feels pretty legit."
At lunchtime, Luo Chen took a glance at his proficiency panel.
Under the skills column, a new entry had appeared:
[Carefree Wandering Entry: 13/100]
"I've entered the threshold, and the proficiency is rising fast!"
"Cultivating immortality crawls like a turtle, while martial arts soars like a roc! Turns out I'm a one-in-ten-thousand martial genius!"
Cradling his large bowl, Luo Chen chuckled foolishly.
It was a pity martial arts couldn't grant longevity; otherwise, he wouldn't mind striving to become a Martial Saint just for fun.
Practicing Carefree Wandering for another half day in the afternoon, Luo Chen grew increasingly adept, and his proficiency shot up rapidly.
Resting for a bit, he pondered the reason and ultimately credited his current physical constitution.
Eating spirit rice and demon beast meat every day, while circulating the Eternal Spring Art to breathe in spiritual qi—under such nourishment, even a pig would have turned into a demon pig.
With a stronger body, wouldn't his mastery over his physical form naturally improve?
It was just like the basketball superstars in his previous world. Did anyone think they became stars on technique alone? No, they had to possess a body brimming with innate physical gifts first.
Even a superstar considered the "least naturally gifted" was physically superior to ordinary professional players.
His body was already robust enough. Picking up a manual to train his physique wasn't exceeding his limits; it was simply unleashing the physical potential he already possessed.
Toward dusk, Luo Chen soaked in the three-foot-deep creek, digging up a heap of yellow clay from beneath the water.
Relying on his memory, he sculpted a clay figurine.
With eyes like phoenix slits and eyebrows like recumbent silkworms, the figure looked handsome and imposing. Even an art student would have had to praise his craftsmanship.
"Lord Guan, just you wait. Tonight I'll stick a beard on you and carve you a Green Dragon Crescent Blade!"
While he was muttering to himself, several beast roars echoed from the mountain forest miles away across the plain.
Immediately after, several streaks of escape light swooshed out from the woods.
Luo Chen quickly rose in vigilance, hurried back into his house, picked up his dharma sword, and shut the door tight.
Across the creek on the plains, those streaks of escape light had already landed among the wild grass, gazing far off into the depths of the great mountains.
Chapter 7