Who are you calling a stable boy?!

Zheng Jing winked and made faces at the panel.

"...Even Old Ma knows to give them a little something to taste first."

Receiving no response, Zheng Jing muttered something and shut down the [Heavenly Martial Furnace].

He simply couldn't produce a single piece of firewood.

According to the beginner's guide, the [Heavenly Martial Furnace] is not picky about fuel; it can burn rare treasures, elixirs, and divine weapons.

Of course, if none of these can be found, there is one more thing that Zheng Qi can easily obtain: firewood.

That's experience points.

It is said that the courtyard can conceptualize the growth that players gain in various actions such as combat and quests as experience points, allowing players to directly spend these experience points to improve their job level or perform other types of self-enhancement when needed.

Clearly, Zheng Jing's panel also retains this function.

However, the experience points column only shows a big zero, fully demonstrating Zheng Jing's lack of money as a newbie.

As for the core of martial arts, Zheng Jing didn't have a single book on it.

I don’t know if it’s because he’s not skilled enough, but none of the skills he’s learned from childhood to university are listed in the martial arts section of this panel.

However, as long as Zheng Jing is in the mall—that is, the courtyard exchange—he can find various martial arts techniques from other players in the multiverse that are listed for sale. With the courtyard's certification, the authenticity of these items is guaranteed.

The only problem is that even a white-quality martial arts manual called "Mortal Bone" requires at least 50 Courtyard Flower Coins.

The so-called Courtyard Flower Coins, or Courtyard Flower Coins for short, are an internal universal currency issued and managed by the Courtyard. Courtyard Flower Coins can be used to purchase items in the exchange or as rewards for issuing various commissions to players.

Naturally, Zheng Jing, being a newbie, didn't have a single courtyard flower coin to use.

However, on the exchange's interface, Zheng Jing spotted a yard-certified loan service called Gardener Bee...

You can't click it! ...

Zheng Jing immediately closed the exchange interface. Penniless, he pressed his left hand against his right hand, skipped the item exchange option, and went straight to the dungeon.

The instance now has only one function: it allows Zheng Jing to randomly enter a plane that matches his current level and has the potential to condense instance cards.

This copy card is a product of the courtyard simulating certain time and space that Zheng Jing experienced, based on certain conditions. By inserting this card into the card slot in the copy interface, the courtyard can construct a new copy.

As the holder of this copy, Zheng Jing can obtain the benefits brought by the copy through various means.

To use a metaphor, it's like the courtyard granting Zheng Jing a license to set up a server and operate a business.

Therefore, if Zheng Jing wants to generate revenue now, there is no doubt that the dungeon function is a shortcut.

Of course, this wasn't because he browsed the exchange's commission list and found that the commissions a LV1 monk could accept were all boring things like finding cats or cleaning up lab trash...

He's not some E-rank Armed Detective or Konoha Genin; it's too early for him to join the Yorozuya, which is run by people with dead fish eyes and a sweet tooth!

"Spacetime flow... Oh? It's projected in, that's good."

After reviewing the precautions for the dungeon function, Zheng Jing couldn't help but sigh.

After entering a new dimension using the random dungeon function, the flow of time often differs between different dimensions. The courtyard will try its best to assist players in this regard, but players, namely Zheng Jing, still need to reserve sufficient adventure time themselves.

Furthermore, since Zheng Jing is only LV1, the courtyard will provide the [Projection] function for all players with a comprehensive professional level below LV5, including LV5, allowing players to enter other planes for adventures without their own physical body, but through a personal projection created by the courtyard.

What? This is much better than those rotten eggs from next door!

He just got back from the hospital and told his buddies he wanted to rest, figuring no one would be coming to the temple to see him again...

What are you waiting for?

Sprint! Sprint! Charge! Charge!

rush--

For Zheng Jing, everything changed as if it happened in the blink of an eye.

Just a moment ago, he confirmed that he had entered a random dimension through projection. The moment he opened his eyes, the scenery in front of him changed from his old temple to a dark room.

Zheng Jing subconsciously touched the wooden floor under his buttocks, which felt like it was covered with a layer of straw mat.

Where did this come from?

Who turned off the lights?

Just as Zheng Jing was about to get up and look around to see what was going on, the sliding wooden door of the room was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

"Huh? There's still one alive? And a young one at that."

Zheng Jing looked up in the direction of the voice.

In the corridor outside the room, the dim candlelight illuminated the figure speaking.

With two horns on its head, a ferocious face, and its body covered in large and small scarlet patches, this creature, which looked anything but benevolent, grinned at Zheng Jing, revealing its sharp teeth and a mouthful of warm, bloody flesh.

"Hehe, this time I'm going to chew carefully and eat slowly—"

Before he could finish speaking, the ghostly thing used its night vision to see the smile on Zheng Jing's face.

Is that person laughing?

At this very moment?

Before the thing could think any further, a furious voice rang out from the darkness.

"—Then come and eat your Grandpa Zheng's Happy Iron Fist first, you damn bastard!!"

Chapter 3: DOMO, Desu the Monster Slayer

Seeing Zheng Jing striding towards him, the cannibalistic demon's smile, which had just frozen due to confusion, immediately brightened again.

He has been a ghost for quite some time now. At first, he only dared to sneak around and eat drunkards who were alone on the street. Now, he even dares to rush into this house to find food. During this time, he has also encountered some fools who tried to rebel against him.

And whenever he encounters such fools, he becomes even more certain that he possesses a power that these mortals absolutely cannot resist!

Becoming a ghost is really awesome...

The power of the demon transformed him from a weakling who could be bossed around by anyone into a powerful figure feared even by the most vicious thugs and hooligans of the past!

What he enjoys most now is seeing these guys who used to bully others because of their height and strength, howling and begging for mercy under his immense power!

—Yes, just like the guy in front of you!

Seeing Zheng Jing approaching with a raised fist, and seeing Zheng Jing's fearless face, the man-eating demon decided to use the old method to deal with Zheng Jing.

First, take the punch head-on without dodging or blocking, and then start taking the hit from the arm that struck him!

what!

Facing Zheng Jing's leaping right fist, he couldn't help but want to see that face contorted with terror—

"Oh!"

"Crack!"

First came a muffled thud, followed by a sharp crack.

Looking at his right fist and then at the large hole in the wooden wall of the corridor, which had been smashed by the cannibalistic demon, Zheng Jing couldn't help but show a hint of admiration on his face.

His right hand has been incredibly strong since he was a child, so strong that even his mother didn't believe it, so he rarely hits people.

Because he might injure someone.

Zheng Jing never expected that one day someone would actually dare to take a punch from him without doing anything.

Oh no, the other person doesn't even look human.

That's fine.

"cough!"

(How...how could such a bizarre thing happen?!)

Clutching his stomach, the demon felt as if a fire was burning his internal organs. This long-lost, intense pain even reminded him of the time when he was still human and was kicked around by thugs.

How can a person possibly hurt a ghost with their bare hands?!

It still hurts so much?!

"Who...who are you?!"

Looking up, he saw Zheng Jing walking out of the big hole he had smashed. The evil spirit lying on the street immediately got up and questioned Zheng Jing.

Zheng Jing did not respond immediately.

He stepped onto the street and looked around.

Under the cover of night, one can only discern the street scene, which doesn't look like a modern society, by the light of the moon overhead.

Zheng Jing pondered that the last time he saw this kind of set was when he watched "Lion with Cubs".

Is this a random job that sends him to the Edo period?

"Hey!!"

To the demon, Zheng Jing's nonchalance at this moment was clearly more unbearable than the pain inflicted by that punch.

Upon hearing the demon's angry roar, Zheng Jing seemed to snap out of his daze, turning his gaze back to the somewhat hunched and short demon before him.

“DOMO”.

Randomly, Zheng Jing clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to the short, evil spirit.

"Desu the Monster Slayer"

"Demon... Monster Slayer?"

The demon froze on the spot, instinctively searching its already meager mind for information about the name.

Looking behind him, deeply regretting the lack of a spectacular explosion, Zheng Jing clicked his tongue, slumped his shoulders, and the serious aura he had exuded just a second ago instantly dissipated.

"You may not recognize your grandfather, but if you don't know my methods, you're in for a lot of trouble."

Upon hearing this, the evil spirit trembled, and the pain in its belly, which had just subsided, seemed to surge back up to its head.

He unconsciously took a step back.

"Who...who are you?!"

"Good question, good boy, stand firm and listen! Your grandpa here: I've had supernatural powers since childhood, changing with the wind to show my heroism. I've cultivated my nature and endured the days and months, escaping the cycle of reincarnation to save my life."

With a sincere heart, I once visited the Daoist temple and gathered medicinal herbs on Lingtai Mountain.

There lives an old immortal on that mountain, who is 108,000 years old.

Old Sun bowed to him as his master and pointed out the path to immortality to me.

He said that he had elixirs inside his body, and that any external efforts would be in vain.

Having received the Great Celestial Immortal Technique, it is truly difficult to endure without a solid foundation. Reflect your inner light, sit in tranquility, and the sun and moon, the trigrams Kan and Li, will interact within your body.

By freeing oneself from all desires and purifying the six senses, one's body becomes strong and secure.

Rejuvenation is easy to achieve, and the path to transcendence is not far off.

After three years of perfect health, he attained an immortal body, unlike ordinary people who suffer torment.

Playing games on ten continents and three islands, wandering to the ends of the earth.

He deserves to be over three hundred years old, unable to ascend to the heavens. Only by subduing dragons in the sea can one obtain the Golden Cudgel.

The leader stands before Flower Fruit Mountain, while a horde of demons gathers in the Water Curtain Cave.

The Jade Emperor issued a decree, bestowing upon me the title of Supreme Rank, Equal to Heaven.

He caused several disturbances in the Lingxiao Palace and stole peaches from the Queen Mother of the West on several occasions.

Ten thousand heavenly soldiers came to subdue me, their ranks densely packed with spears and swords.

The Heavenly King was defeated and returned to the mortal realm, while Nezha, wounded, led his troops in retreat. The Manifestation Saint, with his transformative abilities, forced Sun Wukong to gamble and win.

The Taoist Ancestor Guanyin and the Jade Emperor watched the demons being subdued from the South Heavenly Gate.

But Laozi helped me, and Erlang captured me and took me to the Heavenly Court.

He bound himself to the demon-slaying pillar and ordered the divine soldiers to behead him.

It cannot be broken by a knife or a hammer, and it can be burned by lightning or fire.

Old Sun actually had methods and was completely unafraid of the slightest thing. He was sent to Laozi's furnace to be refined, slowly simmered by the Six Ding Divine Fire.

As the furnace was opened at full speed, I jumped out, holding an iron rod, and ran around in the sky.

It roams freely with no obstruction, causing chaos throughout the thirty-three heavens.