Infinite Cultivator: Reborn with My Cheat System

Chapter 3: The Overwritten Code

"Not to mention the rumors from the outer villages." Xia stammered and gripped her knees. Her voice barely carried over the clanking wooden wheels of the cart. "The survivors are flooding into the lower districts tonight."

"What kind of rumors?" He leaned his head against the vibrating sideboards and watched her face pale in the dim moonlight.

"Evil spirits are slaughtering mortals in the farming settlements." She swallowed hard. "Whole families are vanishing in the night. The Capital magistrates are terrified the blight will reach the inner walls. They paid the Azure Sect a fortune in spirit stones to exterminate the threat."

He processed the political logic of the cultivation world. "So the early recruitment trial is not a blessing or a chance for the younger generation to prove themselves. It is a military draft."

"They need fresh bodies." Xia nodded and pulled her knees tight against her chest. "The sect needs common disciples to throw at the rogue spirits while the elders prepare the defensive arrays. Lu Feng wants to join early so the sect assigns him an officer position instead of placing him on the front lines as fodder."

The brutal reality of this realm settled into his mind. Power dictated survival while weakness guaranteed a shallow grave. He lacked wealth and spiritual roots but he possessed an unprecedented advantage. He just needed the proper catalyst to activate it.

Xia reached into the folds of her tunic and retrieved a small object. She kept her hands cupped together as if she were holding a fragile bird.

"I took this from the pavilion desk while Lady Mei was shouting at the servants." Xia extended her hands and offered him the object. "I know Lu Feng wanted it. I thought we could sell the northern apothecary to a rival merchant guild for travel funds."

He looked down at her open palms. A rectangular piece of dark green jade rested on her callused skin. Intricate characters were etched into the polished surface. He reached out and grabbed the cold stone.

A piercing mechanical chime echoed inside his skull. The translucent blue interface hovering in his peripheral vision flashed crimson.

[Foreign Data Packet Detected]

[Analyzing Encrypted Signature]

[Warning: Local spiritual residue is masking the core file]

[Initiating Decryption Sequence]

He stared at the floating text. The jade warmed against his palm. A pulse of green light washed over the characters carved into the stone. The system recognized the item as something far more valuable than a simple land deed.

He dug through the fragmented memories of the original Lu Chen. His mother always kept this pendant close to her chest. She insisted it was her final financial safety net for him. He realized the sheer brilliance of her deception. She knew Lady Mei would confiscate any martial resources meant for him. She disguised a cultivation method as a boring property contract.

[Decryption Successful] [Item Identified: Iron Bone Breathing Technique] [Classification: Mortal Tier Martial Manual] [Error: Host lacks required spiritual roots for initialization]

The crimson text flickered and shifted back to the familiar calming blue of his proprietary software.

[Bypassing Local Reality Constraints] [Verifying Administrator Credentials] [Welcome Lu Chen]

[Granting Root Access: Three Bypass Tokens Awarded]

"Young Master?" Xia whispered and leaned forward. "Your eyes are glowing."

"I am fine." He kept his gaze locked on the digital interface. The cheat engine he designed to break virtual economies was adapting to a physical reality. The system recognized his lack of spiritual talent as a simple coding error and offered an immediate patch.

[Skill Awarded: Iron Bone Breathing Technique]

[Upgrade: Yes/No]

He allocated the first bypass token to initiate the skill. He allocated the second token to upgrade the technique to Level One. He allocated the third token to push the skill to Level Two.

[Executing Override Sequence]

[Warning: Biological vessel modification required]

[Brace for structural realignment]

He did not have time to prepare for the physical toll. A wave of heat exploded inside him. It felt like someone poured boiling water directly over his heart. He gasped and arched his back against the rough wooden floorboards of the cart.

"Stop the cart." Xia screamed and grabbed his shoulders. "Old Ma, please stop."

The heat turned into absolute agony. The system bypassed the natural ten year meditation cycle required to master the Iron Bone technique. It forced his body to adapt to the new data in seconds. He felt his fractured ribs snap into place with a sickening pop. The dull ache in his skull vanished as his bruised brain tissue regenerated.

The healing phase ended and the enhancement phase began.

Dark veins bulged across his forearms and neck. The muscles in his back spasmed as the fibers tore apart and rebuilt themselves with inhuman density. He thrashes against the side of the wagon while a primal groan escaped his lips. His fingernails gouged deep grooves into the wooden planks.

His bones groaned under the internal pressure. The marrow inside his skeleton boiled as the martial energy flooded his system. He rolled onto his side and spat a mouthful of thick black blood onto the floor.

"Hold on." Xia pressed her hands against his chest. Tears streamed down her face. "Please do not die here. We made it out."

The agonizing pressure peaked and then vanished like a blown out candle. He collapsed onto his back and pulled a breath of cold night air into his expanded lungs. His heart hammered a steady and terrifying rhythm against his reinforced ribcage.

He blinked the sweat from his eyes and looked at his hands. The pale skin now held a subtle metallic sheen. He clenched his fists and felt an alien kinetic energy coiled tight within his muscles.

[Override Complete]

[Iron Bone Breathing Technique: Level Two]

"I am alive." He sat up and wiped the dark residue from his chin. His voice carried a new resonant depth. He felt no pain. The lingering weakness of the original owner was completely erased.

Before Xia could respond to his miraculous recovery the wagon lurched to a violent halt. The draft horse let out a panicked whinny.

"Halt the beast and step down." A gruff voice echoed from the dark street ahead.

He shifted his weight and peered over the wooden sideboards. The cart sat in the middle of a narrow alleyway choked with garbage and rotting timber. Three men blocked the path forward. They held iron swords and heavy wooden clubs.

A large man stepped into the ambient glow of the cart lantern. He wore a patchwork leather vest over a dirty grey tunic. A jagged scar ran from his left ear down to his collarbone.

He recognized the man instantly from the borrowed memories. His name was Gou. He was a local slum enforcer who ran the extortion rackets near the outer estate walls. Gou used to corner the original Lu Chen during his rare trips into the city and steal his allowance.

"Old Ma." Gou tapped a wooden club against his open palm. "You are driving very late tonight. The toll for this street just tripled."

"I have no coin Gou." Old Ma kept his hands raised and his voice trembling. "I am just moving some old supplies to the merchant square. Let an old man pass in peace."

"Do not lie to me." Gou stepped closer and peered into the back of the wagon. His eyes locked onto the two passengers. A cruel smile stretched across his scarred face. "Well look at this. The crippled young master and a pretty little maid. Taking a midnight tour of the slums?"

He did not say a word. He remained seated and analyzed the three threats. The two thugs in the back looked nervous but Gou exuded the arrogant confidence of a seasoned bully.

"The rumors say the demons are marching on the outer gates." Gou stepped up to the edge of the cart. "My brothers and I need travel funds to secure passage on the riverboats tomorrow. The Lu family is practically royalty. I know you have silver hidden in those fancy silk robes."

"We have nothing." Xia pushed herself in front of him. She tried to use her small frame as a shield. "Lady Mei exiled him. He does not have a single copper."

"I will be the judge of that." Gou sneered and leaned over the wooden siding. "If the cripple is broke then I will just take the maid. The pleasure houses on the river will pay two silver pieces for a fresh face."

Gou reached his thick hand forward to grab Xia by the collar.

Chen did not think about his lack of martial arts training. He relied on pure modern instinct and the power humming in his veins.

His right hand shot forward like a coiled snake. He bypassed the enforcer's clumsy reach and clamped his fingers around Gou's wrist.

Gou stopped laughing. The bully tried to yank his arm back but he could not move an inch. It was like his wrist was bolted to a solid anvil.

He looked up at the scarred enforcer. He felt the Level Two Iron Bone energy surge from his core down through his arm. The structural density of his grip defied human limitations.

"You should have let the cart pass." He squeezed his fingers together.