Chapter 34: The Three-Year Promise Has Arrived…

Another two years passed.

Fang Han’s Beiming Divine Skill became ever more refined and pure.

His reservoir of Beiming True Qi gradually filled and strengthened.

Not fast, but neither slow—it grew at a steady, measured pace.

He also successfully mastered Lingbo Weibu. His movements—whether dodging, shifting, or gliding—became astonishingly swift and agile, flowing with an ethereal grace. Every step and action now far surpassed what he’d once been capable of.

Moreover, since this technique generated a strand of internal energy with every completed cycle, Fang Han leveraged this to further strengthen his qi.

As for Wind-Following Sword Technique and Taizu Long Fist, Fang Han didn’t neglect them either—he continued to train in those regularly.

Every time he practiced these external martial techniques, he could sense that, when powered by Beiming True Qi, their might far exceeded what he previously achieved.

In addition, he also practiced several external martial arts from the Medicine King Manor, passed on to him by Cheng Lingsu, especially hidden weapon techniques.

He gained considerable proficiency in them, compensating for his earlier weaknesses.

These were his gains in martial arts. In medicine, he studied daily under Cheng Lingsu’s guidance—reading the Lingshu, Suwen, Classic of Acupuncture, and even the Divine Scripture of the Medicine King. Bit by bit, he internalized, comprehended, and mastered the material, steadily improving his medical ability.

Unfortunately, compared to Cheng Lingsu, he still lagged far behind.

Because…

Even as Fang Han improved in medicine, did Cheng Lingsu remain stagnant?

Of course not.

Her medical skills had also become increasingly exquisite over these two years.

Recently, she had successfully cultivated one of the deadliest poisons in the world—

Seven-Heart Begonia (Qī Xīn Hǎi Táng, 七心海棠)!

It was colorless, tasteless, and completely undetectable!

This stuff was unimaginably poisonous—even someone with deep internal force, if touched by the slightest trace, would instantly stiffen and die from the toxin.

Thankfully, as long as one didn’t damage the stem, roots, or flowers of the Seven-Heart Begonia, the toxin wouldn’t be released. Otherwise, just looking at it made Fang Han nervous.

Alright—truthfully, he had always kept a respectful distance from this most poisonous of plants.

He was terrified that one slip-up could prematurely end the simulation…

Because of this, Cheng Lingsu initially misunderstood him, thinking Fang Han was repulsed.

She was wholly devoted to Fang Han now, and the moment she saw his reaction, panic hit her like a child who’d done something wrong. She tearfully promised Fang Han she’d stop tending to poisonous herbs and would even destroy the newly cultivated Seven-Heart Begonia.

It was a close call, but Fang Han stopped her in time.

He wasn’t afraid because he hated the Seven-Heart Begonia, nor did he blame Cheng Lingsu.

He was simply afraid of accidental exposure—nothing more.

He remembered how, in the original novel, Hu Fei secretly disliked Cheng Lingsu for constantly dealing with poisonous substances, even though he never said it out loud. As a transmigrator, Fang Han naturally had no such prejudice—and he certainly wouldn’t make that same mistake.

Besides, how could he not trust his wife?

And beyond that…

Seven-Heart Begonia was amazing!

This thing would play a huge role in his plans!

How could he possibly destroy it so easily?

After Fang Han explained everything, Cheng Lingsu finally relaxed. Still, she chose to plant the Seven-Heart Begonia even farther away, even though it was already quite far to begin with.

One day.

Fang Han finished circulating his internal energy, and his eyes lit up slightly.

Feeling the steady growth of Beiming True Qi in his dantian, the corners of his lips lifted in a faint smile.

“With this foundation, it’s time for the next step…”

Cultivating Beiming Divine Skill through personal training alone wasn’t impossible—

—but doing so would forfeit its greatest strength:

Absorbing others’ internal energy for one’s use!

That was the part Fang Han valued most.

His natural aptitude was honestly average.

His cultivation of Beiming Divine Skill had been slow and difficult.

If he relied solely on his training, he could very well spend a lifetime without ever reaching the heights of internal mastery.

Therefore, from the very beginning, he planned to rely on Beiming Divine Skill to absorb the internal energy of others and strengthen himself quickly!

As for whether there were any hidden dangers in doing so?

Fang Han didn’t care.

First of all, whether such risks existed was debatable.

Second, he was still inside the life simulation. Even if something went wrong, worst case—he’d just return to reality.

What was there to be afraid of?

Most importantly, this simulation was one he had planned and prepared for.

He would rely on Beiming Divine Skill to quickly grow powerful—only then would he have the strength to compete for other fortuitous encounters.

Power was the foundation.

In his first simulation, he missed out on many great opportunities—not only because he was cautious and valued his life, but also because he simply wasn’t strong enough.

That might’ve been the biggest reason.

This time, no matter what, he had to lay a solid foundation before chasing anything else.

If he could build up deep and powerful internal energy, then no matter what he wanted to seize, it would be twice as effective with half the effort.

“To absorb internal energy… there’s just the right place nearby.”

Fang Han glanced toward the cliff above the secluded valley, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

The Wuliang Sword Sect!

The three-year promise has arrived. I, Fang Han—

Cough cough! Never mind, let’s not play that overused meme.1

Fang Han stretched out, then stood up.

He walked over to the vegetable garden Cheng Lingsu was tending nearby and picked a few things.

After the two of them prepared and ate lunch, they started chatting.

Fang Han shared his plan to leave.

Cheng Lingsu, upon hearing this, glanced around at the stone chamber’s furnishings, her eyes filled with a trace of reluctance.

These two or three years here had been her most peaceful and joyful days.

Deep down, she couldn’t deny the thought of wanting this to last forever.

She hoped to live out the rest of her days in seclusion with Fang Han.

But she also knew—

If Fang Han had made up his mind, how could she stop him?

“Brother Fang, wherever you go, Lingsu will go too.”

Her clear voice carried a tone of unwavering resolve.

Fang Han could tell the girl was reluctant to part with their current life, but if his heart longed for something, he had to go out and pursue it.

Those divine skills and miraculous opportunities!

This was, after all, still just a simulation. No matter how real it felt, he couldn’t become immersed in it.

Reality was the true world.

Holding Cheng Lingsu in his arms, Fang Han whispered:

“Lingsu, with those words, you’ve given me more peace than anything else ever could.”

Cheng Lingsu smiled softly and nestled gently into his embrace.

Neither of them spoke again.

Yet somehow, they both felt inexplicably calm.

Suddenly…

Jiang-ANG! Jiang-ANG!

A strange cry pierced the air!

Footnotes:

1. 1. 1. 1. 三年之期已到 (sān nián zhī qī yǐ dào)– “The three-year promise has arrived.” A classic martial arts cliché referring to a long-awaited duel or revenge, famously used in Battle Through the Heavens and other stories. Fang Han humorously breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging it’s an overused trope (a “meme”). ↩ [https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/svg/21a9.svg]