Chapter 2: Heaven Rewards Diligence

When Jiang Yan woke up, he found himself in an unknown white space.

There was nothing around him, and everything was unfamiliar. He was certain he had never been to this place before.

“Was I kidnapped?”

That was Jiang Yan’s first reaction.

[Welcome to the Divine Martial Space, respected Mr. Jiang Yan. You will become the sole master of the Divine Martial Space.]

“Divine Martial Space? Did I get a cheat?”

Jiang Yan exclaimed in shock, never expecting the Golden Finger he had waited eighteen years for to arrive so belatedly.

When he had first transmigrated, Jiang Yan had indeed fantasized about obtaining a powerful Golden Finger, then soaring to greatness with unstoppable momentum, dominating everything in his path.

But after repeated setbacks, he gradually realized: Damn it, turns out I’m just an ordinary person!

Now, the Golden Finger he had long given up hope for suddenly appeared, truly shocking Jiang Yan.

Just as Jiang Yan was immersed in the joy of obtaining the Golden Finger, a Light Screen suddenly appeared before him.

[Please choose your Destined Trait]

[Child of Nature]: You possess a natural, powerful affinity for natural elements. Your comprehension of elemental Qi is enhanced by 2000%.

[Lord of Myriad Weapons]: You excel in studying all kinds of weapons. Any weapon in your hands will unleash its ultimate power. Perhaps you are the legendary master of weapons.

[Whale Swallow Tiger Devour]: Your cultivation speed increases by 1000%, allowing you to quickly absorb various cultivation resources.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]: Any effort you make will yield rewards.

Four Traits hovered in the Void. Jiang Yan read them carefully, weighing the pros and cons of each.

All four Traits were incredibly Heaven-Defying. Jiang Yan first eliminated [Lord of Myriad Weapons], which seemed lofty and impressive.

Why? Because Jiang Yan currently had no need to master any powerful weapons. What he lacked was cultivation! Realm!

Without solid cultivation to support him, what use was being skilled with weapons, no matter how impressive?

After eliminating [Lord of Myriad Weapons], Jiang Yan continued scanning the other Traits.

“[Whale Swallow Tiger Devour] and [Child of Nature] don’t seem very useful either.”

[Child of Nature] emphasized the absorption of elements between heaven and earth, with elemental Qi naturally being part of that. A 2000% boost meant a twentyfold increase in speed.

Twentyfold—Jiang Yan couldn’t imagine how fast his cultivation speed would be then. Becoming a high-level Martial Artist would be no problem at all.

Jiang Yan stroked his chin, weighing the options in his mind.

“Although [Child of Nature] and [Whale Swallow Tiger Devour] can accelerate cultivation speed, they are only multipliers based on my own speed. But my baseline is too low; even increasing it dozens of times probably wouldn’t make much difference. At best, I might only rival some Blue Star Prodigies.”

Jiang Yan was well aware of just how slow his cultivation speed was. To put it plainly, he had started cultivating in his first year of high school, and now, three years later, his cultivation was still stuck at the pitiful Middle Stage of Body Tempering.

The further one progressed in the Martial Way, the harder it became to Breakthrough, often encountering one Bottleneck after another. Focusing solely on cultivation speed indeed had its limitations.

He turned his gaze to the final Trait.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]: Any effort you make will yield rewards.

Simple words contained a wealth of information.

Any effort will yield rewards…

The fewer the words, the bigger the implications.

What kind of person was Jiang Yan?

In his previous life, during his second attempt at the postgraduate entrance exam, his dorm mates called him the Ultimate Grind King.

King of Glory, all free skins obtained without spending a dime, using daily accumulated points to draw a Glory Crystal.

36 hours non-stop clearing “Black Myth”…

These feats are too numerous to list.

Having transmigrated, he walked the edge of death nine times, all for a chance at Aperture Opening.

Jiang Yan, the ultimate grind king, had no talent for anything, yet possessed an unwavering determination.

“If all my efforts will yield rewards…”

Jiang Yan murmured, a glint of resolve and determination flashing in his eyes as his gaze swept over all the Traits, finally settling firmly on [Heaven Rewards Diligence].

“Select.”

As the word fell, a virtual panel appeared before Jiang Yan.

[Host]: Jiang Yan

[Realm]: Body Tempering Middle Stage

[Martial Skills]: (Unranked) “Basic Saber Technique” – Mastery

(Yellow Grade Low) “Wild Bull Strength” – Control

[Traits]: Heaven Rewards Diligence

System Log: You have chosen [Heaven Rewards Diligence] as your Destined Trait.

The Trait appeared on the panel, but Jiang Yan didn’t notice any difference from usual. He decided to find an opportunity to test its effects.

Just then, the Divine Martial Space stirred.

Two floating black doors appeared before Jiang Yan, rippling like water waves, their dark shells exceptionally mysterious.

Words surfaced on the doors.

Left: Study Space

Right: Battle Space

Jiang Yan nodded in understanding. “It seems this is also part of the Divine Martial Space’s functions.”

Entering the Study Space, Jiang Yan found it completely empty. But as he willed it, an alloy long saber appeared before him.

Jiang Yan was surprised. “How did it know I was thinking of this?”

With an experimental mindset, Jiang Yan shouted in his heart:

“Bring me a Rolls-Royce.”

The space remained undisturbed.

“It seems the Study Space isn’t about wish fulfillment.” Jiang Yan said regretfully, continuing his experiments.

Half an hour later, he had figured out the rules here.

Simply put, this space could only generate things related to Martial Artist training, such as weapons, armor, training dummies, and the like.

Moreover, these derivatives held no special properties; they were all common training equipment found outside.

However, Jiang Yan could adjust the thresholds of the equipment to achieve the level most suitable for him.

“With these auxiliary items, I’ll no longer have to envy those guys at the martial arts halls.”

The Martial Way had spawned many industries, and martial arts halls were one of them.

Martial arts halls possessed specialized equipment that could help Martial Artists train their Physical Bodies, teach Martial Skills, and test Combat Power.

Rumor had it that without relying on medicinal aids, Linjiang Martial Arts Hall had a 5% chance of helping ordinary Martial Artists achieve Aperture Opening, with guaranteed safety and no risk to life.

Martial arts halls in big cities were even more exaggerated. Combined with medicinal aids and other assistance, Aperture Opening was practically a toy for the rich, reaching an astonishing 30%.

The enrollment fees for martial arts halls were extremely high, costing tens of thousands of Star Coins per month—something Jiang Yan simply couldn’t afford.

After all, the world was mostly populated by the poor. Even the wealthy had a chance of failing Aperture Opening, let alone someone like Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan exited the Study Space and directly stepped into the Battle Space.

Before him appeared a crawling Fierce Beast nearly three meters tall.

“Sharp Ruler Tiger!”

Jiang Yan had good academic grades and recognized this Fierce Beast’s identity at a glance.

Above the Sharp Ruler Tiger’s head floated several words.

“Second-order Early Stage Fierce Beast: Sharp Ruler Tiger.”

“Upon slaying, wild monsters will respawn, with a certain chance of dropping Traits.”

Jiang Yan wore a troubled expression. “Is this Battle Space really this insane? I’m only at the Middle Stage of Body Tempering—how am I supposed to take on a Sharp Ruler Tiger that rivals a second-tier Blood Coagulation Martial Artist?”

【Start Battle?】(Note: Death in battle is not permanent, but the wild monster’s injuries will not reset.)

The large text before him made Jiang Yan keenly realize:

I won’t die.

The wild monster’s injuries won’t reset even if I die.

“Grind it down! I can wear it to death! I wonder if killing this beast will drop a Trait?”

Rubbing his hands together, Jiang Yan decisively chose to start the battle.

Since he wouldn’t die anyway, he might as well go all out. It would also hone his combat experience—no loss here.

As the battle began, the previously motionless Sharp Ruler Tiger suddenly regained its vitality.

Its dark pupils emitted an intimidating cold gleam, and with a furious roar, the imposing aura of the king of beasts washed over him.

Jiang Yan’s hand holding the saber trembled slightly. This was his first time facing a Fierce Beast, and claiming he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

The Sharp Ruler Tiger lay on the ground, licked its paw, and upon noticing it was just a weak human, lazily closed its eyes.

Jiang Yan: “You’ve got guts!”

With countless lives to spare, he raised his saber and charged.

Jiang Yan dashed forward swiftly and swung his saber down.

Clang!

The Alloy Long Saber struck the Sharp Ruler Tiger’s body, sending dazzling sparks flying.

No damage dealt.

Jiang Yan felt a wave of disappointment. “Still not enough?”

Just then, the System Log updated.

“You diligently swung your saber, triggering 【Heaven Rewards Diligence】, dealing minor damage. 《Basic Saber Technique》 Proficiency slightly increased. Physical Body slightly improved.”

The Sharp Ruler Tiger opened its eyes, feeling the pain on its body, its laziness turning into confusion.

It seemed to be saying: How could this weak human hurt it?

Meeting Jiang Yan’s gaze, the tiger shuddered.

“Hey, you can lose health, right?”