From mortal to the Body Refining Realm, this was an advancement in martial cultivation.

The number of traits Chen Yi could equip, along with the probability of obtaining traits of each quality, had also increased!

[Name: Chen Yi]

[Realm: Body Refining Stage Three]

[Technique: Fierce Bull Strength (Low-Grade, Novice)]

[Equipped Traits (3/5): Simulator [Mythic], Developed Deltoids [White], Hunger Resistance [White]]

[Acquired Traits (80): Serious Punch [Green], Effort Guarantees Reward [Green], Luckier with Age [Green], Low-Grade Bone Structure [Green]...]

[Current Trait Quality Probabilities:]

[White Common 89%, Green Rare 9%, Purple Epic 1%, Gold Legendary 0.99%, Prismatic Mythic 0.01%]

A whole bunch of new traits appeared at once.

At first glance, the white traits, which made up the majority, seemed pretty useless.

And honestly, they mostly were.

But at least they were unique effects that might come in handy under specific circumstances.

Chen Yi could now equip five traits.

He sorted the traits by quality.

Then, he equipped the five traits: "Simulator", "Low-Grade Bone Structure", "Serious Punch", "Effort Guarantees Reward", and "Superbeast's Pain Threshold".

Chen Yi was now very eager to know how to start the next simulation. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

With a thought, the Simulator trait displayed a text prompt for him.

[Simulation on cooldown, remaining: one year.]

[You can choose to complete the following guidance quest to directly obtain a simulation opportunity.]

[Guidance Quest: If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them!]

[Reveal your martial cultivation and infiltrate the Black Stone Gang to find an opportunity to escape!]

[Rewards:]

[1. Simulation Count +1;]

[2. Premium Trait Draw *1 (Premium traits are not necessarily high quality, but they definitely have positive effects);]

[3. Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact - Flame Iron Greatsword.]

"The Mythic trait really is a cheat. Getting a new simulation comes with some extra rewards on the side."

The cooldown was too long; Chen Yi didn't want to wait.

Besides, the content of the guidance quest aligned perfectly with his current situation.

There were martial practitioners within the Black Stone Gang too.

If he tried to escape by jumping into the river right now, those practitioners could chase him by boat, and Chen Yi wasn't sure he could get away.

Unless he sacrificed Da Chun again.

Moreover, Chen Yi had already decided to take Da Chun with him when he left.

This guy was his lifesaver.

Counting what happened in the simulation, he'd saved him twice now.

Abandoning him would be far too cold-blooded.

"Pretend to join the Black Stone Gang, then find the right moment to leave with Da Chun. That's the plan!"

Having made up his mind, Chen Yi decided to act immediately.

"Smash!!"

He flung the dirty bowl containing watery porridge in his hand onto the ground.

"Damn it! Steamed buns and watery porridge every single day! And we still can't even eat our fill! A scholar couldn't survive on this, let alone us laborers!"

Chen Yi complained loudly.

The fellow workers around him were stunned, their eyes wide as saucers.

"Is Chen Yi crazy?"

"Does he want to be whipped to death?"

"Maybe he likes being whipped and is looking for trouble on purpose?"

"Oh... I've heard some people are that perverse."

The commotion Chen Yi caused drew the attention of the overseers.

"Chen Yi! What do you think you're doing!"

Before the words even finished, Da Chun also smashed his bowl.

"Smash!!"

"Da Chun! And what are you doing!!"

Da Chun bared his teeth in a grimace.

"I don't know what I'm doing!! But I really wanted to smash the bowl!!"

"You idiot!"

An overseer whipped Da Chun, sending him stumbling aside to cool off.

Then he strode quickly towards Chen Yi, lashing out with a fierce whip strike.

"Causing trouble, are you? Haven't had enough of the whip, huh? Asking for a beating!"

The leather whip whistled through the air.

The laborers, accustomed to being beaten, flinched instinctively at the sight of the raised whip, even though it wasn't aimed at them. Fear flashed across their faces, and their bodies shrank back involuntarily.

In contrast, Chen Yi, the target, didn't dodge or evade. His gaze was fixed intently on the bully.

Supervising a bunch of half-starved laborers didn't require martial practitioners.

These whip-wielding overseers were just slightly stronger local thugs.

"Snap!!"

Chen Yi raised a hand and firmly caught the oncoming whip.

The overseer thought Chen Yi had just gotten lucky, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

He tried to yank the whip back, only to discover with shock that Chen Yi had already wrested it from his grasp.

"Give me back the whip! Are you trying to rebel?!"

Chen Yi sneered and cracked the whip against the ground. The force behind it was clearly much greater than the overseer's!

The sound of the leather striking the wooden planks pierced their eardrums, and the sturdy dock boards shattered on the spot!

Everyone on the dock snapped to attention, looking over.

"Rebel? You dare use that word to describe yourself? Do you really think you're some local tyrant?!"

Without mercy, Chen Yi, using the strength of a Body Refining Stage Three martial practitioner, brought the whip down on the overseer.

The man's skin split open instantly, the wound so deep the bone was visible!

"Pfft!!"

The force of the whip penetrated his torso, injuring his internal organs. The overseer was sent flying, vomiting blood, before crashing into the rushing waters of the Qing River.

Seeing this, the other overseers immediately surrounded Chen Yi.

"Chen Yi! You dare strike an overseer? Have a death wish? Grab him!"

These men were all ordinary mortals.

They just had numbers on their side.

Their whips lashed against Chen Yi's body, but he barely felt the pain.

On one hand, his Vitality Energy was high, and his physical toughness surpassed that of mortals.

On the other hand, he had the "Superbeast's Pain Threshold" trait, which dulled the sensation of pain.

Chen Yi charged forward, ignoring their combined assault. No one could stop him!

He used the whip as a rope, looped it around an overseer's neck, and threw him into the river with a shoulder throw.

Immediately after, he executed a slide tackle, tripping three or four men, then used the whip as a rope again to bind them together before tossing the whole bundle into the river!

The last remaining overseer saw this, his hands trembling.

"You... you're that skilled?"

What skill was there, really?

It was purely a matter of superior stats!

Fast enough!

Strong enough!

Tough enough!

Taking on multiple opponents was a piece of cake!

Especially since the overseers' weapons were just whips, not bladed weapons like swords or knives.

Chen Yi stomped hard on one end of a loose floorboard, causing the other end to flip up.

This last overseer was launched into the air like he was on a seesaw, then landed clumsily in the river.

The group of laborers was utterly dumbfounded, their mouths agape wide enough to swallow an egg.

The overseers who usually beat them until they cried for their mothers had been single-handedly dispatched by Chen Yi, tossed into the water one after another with almost casual ease!

Now they were all floundering in the river, yelling for help!

Foreman Wang Qiang glanced at the overseers floundering in the water and let out a cold laugh.

"Well, well, Chen Yi. So you've got some skills after all. If I don't teach you a harsh lesson today, you'll never submit to discipline!"

He was a martial practitioner.

But Chen Yi knew he was only at Body Refining Stage One.

With each stage advancement within the Body Refining Realm, Vitality Energy doubled compared to the previous stage.

Even if Wang Qiang knew some martial arts, how much power could he possibly exert at just Body Refining Stage One?

Low-level fights were all about comparing stats. All those fancy moves were useless!

Wang Qiang swapped his whip for a pair of small hammers.

These things could easily break bones if they hit someone.

Wang Qiang, thinking himself a martial practitioner, assumed dealing with a weak, malnourished laborer would be a breeze.

But as soon as the fight started, that pair of hammers ended up in Chen Yi's hands.

"What's going on..."

He hadn't even seen clearly what happened!

Staring at Chen Yi, who was now right in front of him, holding both hammers with a faint, mocking smile on his face.

Wang Qiang panicked!