Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

Su Mu was stunned.

Immediately, an overwhelming sense of joy surged into my heart!

Adopting a godson can actually trigger the "Many Children, Many Blessings" system's reward? This rule... is far too perfect for his current predicament!

This is more than just a reward. It is clearly the first lifeline that fate has thrown to him in his desperate situation, a ray of light suddenly appearing in the darkest night!

hope!

He truly felt something called "hope," which began to beat passionately in his chest once more.

"Thank you... thank you, godfather, for granting my request!" Cheng Ping'an was overjoyed and kowtowed several times, his little face full of gratitude and filial piety.

"Alright, my son, get up quickly." Su Mu helped him up with his own hands and gently patted his thin shoulder. "Now that you are alright, go to the Imperial Kitchen and collect our daily necessities as usual."

"Yes, Godfather!" Cheng Ping'an nodded vigorously, turned around and ran away, his steps much lighter.

Watching the child's figure disappear beyond the courtyard gate, Su Mu took a deep breath and silently recited in his heart:

"System, does adopting a godson count as having 'many children'?"

【A godson is still a son!】 (System notification sound is cold and certain)

(Immediately following, a subtle note appears: [Note: If one can have a biological descendant, the rewards will be even greater, and a deep bond feedback will be activated.])

Biological bloodline?

Su Mu subconsciously lowered his gaze, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, a mixture of self-mockery and bitterness, but the flames in his eyes burned even brighter.

[Friendly Reminder: After the host's biological offspring embarks on the path of cultivation, a portion of their cultivation achievements can be fed back to the host proportionally, accelerating the host's cultivation advancement.]

"Good! Very good!" Su Mu almost laughed out loud. This system was simply a ladder to heaven tailor-made for him!

He suppressed his excitement and immediately brought up the semi-transparent system panel. His fingers trembled slightly as he clicked on the flashing "Storage Space" icon.

The previously empty space has been filled with four new items that emit a faint glow:

One hundred Spirit Essence Pills!

Ten Body Tempering Pills!

A profound and ancient classic – the Imperial Supreme Body Technique!

A leather-bound manual—"The Vajra Palm"!

Su Mu's breathing suddenly became heavy.

My darling! These are the treasures he desires most right now!

The Spirit Flower Pill, a low-grade Xuan-level pill, contains pure and gentle spiritual energy from heaven and earth, making it an excellent resource for assisting cultivation and strengthening inner energy!

The Body Tempering Pill, a Yellow-Rank elixir, can cleanse the marrow and strengthen the bones and muscles, laying a solid foundation for martial arts!

The name "Huangji Bati Gong" alone exudes a majestic and domineering aura, captivating all who behold it.

The Vajra Palm, on the other hand, is a powerful and unparalleled mid-level martial art, perfectly suited for someone like him who needs to quickly build up his combat strength.

In the Tianyuan Continent, cultivation techniques, martial arts skills, elixirs, and magical treasures are uniformly divided into four major grades: "Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow," each further subdivided into low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. The previously obtained wicked "Joyful Union and Nourishment Technique" was actually a mid-grade Earth-rank manual, demonstrating the extraordinary quality of anything produced by the system.

"The system truly understands me! Knowing that the evil practice of 'dual cultivation' is incompatible with my temperament, it sent me this upright and righteous 'Imperial Supreme Body Technique'!"

"With such divine power, what is there to fear about the long road ahead!"

"These one hundred Spirit Essence Pills are enough to support my breakthrough to the Innate Realm!"

Su Mu's heart surged with emotion. In the Tianyuan Continent, where martial prowess reigns supreme, personal cultivation is the key to breaking free from all shackles and mastering one's own destiny!

The martial arts realms, from lowest to highest, are: Qi Induction, Acquired, Innate, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, and even the legendary Martial God! The Martial God is a legend of a thousand years, and even Great Grandmasters are few and far between. Su Mu quickly browsed the general outline of the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique" and learned that above the Great Grandmaster is the realm of "True Martial," and between True Martial and Martial God, there are several insurmountable chasms. Because the True Martial realm is beyond the reach of ordinary people, it is generally believed that those above the Grandmaster realm are close to being gods on earth.

His gaze was fixed on the inconspicuous small print annotation at the beginning of the cultivation technique:

"The Imperial Body, forged with dragon energy as its fuel, is an indestructible physique. Upon reaching the Grandmaster level, one can draw upon this energy to reshape the body, mending imperfections and restoring its perfection..."

"Upon reaching the Grandmaster level... one can guide Qi to reshape... mend imperfections... restore perfection?!"

Su Mu's heart pounded wildly as if struck by a heavy hammer, the sound of his blood rushing through his ears deafening.

"Does this mean... if I cultivate to the Grandmaster level, I can... I can become a complete man again?"

After the initial euphoria, a lingering doubt arose in my mind.

"Wait, 'reconstruction,' 'filling in the gaps'... does it mean making my missing parts grow back, or... just getting a completely new body?"

"Please, please don't let it be the latter!"

Su Mu prayed silently in his heart, his prayers even bordering on pleading. No matter what, he was determined to take back what he had lost and truly become "whole" again!

"Godfather..."

A choked cry pulled him back to reality from his intense emotional turmoil.

Cheng Ping'an, carrying two shriveled burlap sacks, walked slowly into the courtyard with his head down, his small figure filled with grievance.

"What's wrong?" Su Mu's brows furrowed instantly.

Cheng Pingan timidly raised his face—a red and swollen handprint was clearly visible on his left cheek, and a crack at the corner of his mouth, with a trace of blood already congealed.

Clearly, he had been beaten.

"N-nothing..." Cheng Ping'an shook his head subconsciously, his eyes darting away.

"You've only just acknowledged me as your father, and you already want to deceive me?" Su Mu's voice deepened, carrying an undeniable authority.

Cheng Ping'an sensed displeasure in the tone and his body trembled slightly.

"To be honest," Su Mu said, emphasizing his words.

"It's really nothing, Godfather..." the child tried to cover it up.

"If you continue to hide it, then you don't need to call me godfather anymore." Su Mu turned around, his voice icy.

"Godfather! No..." Cheng Ping'an panicked and immediately knelt down. "I'll talk, I'll talk! Just now I went to the Imperial Kitchen to collect my allowance, and Eunuch Yang Mao... gave me a portion that was far from enough. I... I just quietly asked why it was being reduced, and he... he slapped me and called me a 'sinful slave brat,' telling me to take this junk and get out, take it or leave it..."

"It really is him, Yang Mao." A cold glint flashed in Su Mu's eyes, and the corners of his mouth pursed into a cold line.

"Godfather, we are both criminals now, so it's only natural that we suffer some bullying. Please don't take it to heart. Ping An isn't in pain..." Cheng Ping An was afraid of causing trouble for his newly recognized godfather, so he quickly comforted him in a low voice. He knew that his godfather had once been a favorite of Consort De and had a very high opinion of himself. He was afraid that his godfather would not be able to swallow this insult and would suffer the consequences.

"You know how to be patient and consider the bigger picture, which makes your father very proud."

Su Mu patted his head, his tone softening.

But as gratifying as I am—

He remembered that slap!

Retribution may be delayed, but it will come eventually. Our strength is not yet fully recovered; a rash conflict would only bring humiliation. But we will settle this score with Yang Mao sooner or later!

Cheng Ping'an brought back extremely meager supplies: a small half-bag of coarse, blackened mixed grain flour and a few small, thin sweet potatoes. Fortunately, he had some pickled vegetable scraps stored in the small kitchen.