If you can't beat them, join them—but give them a good beating first

Advancing from a mortal to the Body Tempering Realm marked a true elevation in his martial cultivation.

The number of Affixes Chen Yi could equip, as well as the drop rates for Affixes of various qualities, had increased accordingly!

[Name: Chen Yi]

[Realm: Body Tempering - Stage 3]

[Technique: Wild Bull Force (Low-Tier, Beginner)]

[Equipped Affixes (3/5): Simulator [Prismatic], Well-Developed Deltoids [White], Hunger Resistance [White]]

[Acquired Affixes (80): Serious Punch [Green], Hard Work Pays Off [Green], Luckier with Age [Green], Low-Tier Root Bone [Green]...]

[Current Affix Quality Probabilities:]

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

He had gained a whole heap of Affixes in one breath.

At first glance, the White Affixes that occupied the majority seemed useless.

In reality, they were indeed useless.

But at the very least, they were unique effects. In certain specific situations, they might just come in handy.

Chen Yi could now equip five Affixes.

He sorted the Affixes by quality.

Then, he equipped the following five: "Simulator," "Low-Tier Root Bone," "Serious Punch," "Hard Work Pays Off," and "Super Beast Pain Perception."

Chen Yi was eager to know how to start the next simulation.

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

[Simulation Cooldown active. Time remaining: One Year.]

[You may choose to complete the following Guide Mission to immediately obtain a simulation opportunity.]

[Guide Mission: 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. Boutique Affix Draw x1 (The quality of a Boutique Affix is not necessarily high, but it is guaranteed to have a positive effect);]

[3. Low-Tier Spirit Weapon: Flame Iron Heavy Sword.]

"The Mythic Affix really is a cheat code; I can even get rewards while unlocking a new simulation."

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

Besides, the content of the Guide Mission fit his current situation perfectly.

There were martial artists in the Black Stone Gang as well.

If he were to jump into the river and flee right now, those martial artists would chase him by boat, and he might not be able to escape.

Unless he sacrificed Da Chun again.

However, Chen Yi had already decided to take Da Chun with him.

This was his savior.

Counting the events in the simulation, Da Chun had saved him twice.

To abandon him regardless of the consequences would be too cold-blooded.

"I'll pretend to join the Black Stone Gang, find the right moment, and take Da Chun with me. That's the plan!"

Thinking this, Chen Yi acted immediately.

*Clatter!!*

He backhanded the dirty bowl containing thin gruel onto the ground.

"Damn it! Steamed buns and gruel every single day! We can't even get full! A scholar couldn't survive on this, let alone us coolies!"

Chen Yi vented his complaints loudly.

The surrounding coworkers were stunned, their eyes widening into circles.

"Has Chen Yi gone mad?"

"Does he want to be whipped to death?"

"Does he like getting whipped and is looking for trouble on purpose?"

"Oh... I've heard some people are perverted like that."

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

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

Before the voice faded, Da Chun smashed his bowl too.

*Clatter!!*

"Da Chun! What do *you* think you're doing!!"

Da Chun grinned, baring his teeth.

"I don't know what I want to do!! But I just really wanted to smash a bowl!!"

"You idiot!"

The overseer whipped Da Chun aside to cool off.

Then he walked quickly toward Chen Yi, lashing out fiercely.

"Causing trouble! I see you haven't tasted enough of the whip! Asking for a beating!"

The leather whip whistled through the air.

The coolies were usually terrified of beatings. Seeing the whip raised, even if it wasn't aimed at them, fear surfaced on their faces as they instinctively dodged backward.

In contrast, Chen Yi, the target, did not dodge or evade. He stared straight at the bully who preyed on the weak.

Supervising a group of starving coolies didn't require martial artists.

These whip-wielding overseers were just hooligans with a bit of strength.

*Snap!!*

Chen Yi raised his hand and steadily grabbed the incoming whip.

The overseer assumed Chen Yi had just gotten lucky—a blind cat meeting a dead mouse.

He tried to pull the whip back, only to shockingly discover it had been yanked away by Chen Yi.

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

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

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

Everyone on the dock snapped awake, looking toward the commotion.

"Rebel? Do you deserve to use that word to describe yourself? Do you really think you're a local emperor?!"

Chen Yi showed no mercy. With the strength of a Body Tempering Stage 3 martial artist, he lashed the whip across the overseer's body.

The man's flesh split open instantly, the wound deep enough to expose bone!

"Pfft!!"

The force of the whip penetrated his torso, damaging his internal organs. The overseer vomited blood as he was sent flying, crashing into the turbulent Qing River.

Seeing this, the other overseers immediately surrounded him.

"Chen Yi! You dare hit an overseer? You have a death wish! Grab him!"

These people were all mortals.

They only had the advantage of numbers.

When their whips landed on Chen Yi, he didn't feel much pain.

On one hand, his Blood Qi was high, and his physical body was stronger than a mortal's.

On the other hand, he had the "Super Beast Pain Perception" Affix, which weakened the sensation of pain.

Chen Yi charged into their encirclement. No one could stop him!

Using the whip as a rope, he strangled an overseer's neck and threw him into the river with an over-the-shoulder throw.

Immediately after, he executed a sliding tackle, knocking down three or four men. He used the whip to bind them together and tossed the bundle into the river!

The remaining overseer saw this, his hands trembling.

"You... your skills are this good?"

Actually, there was no skill involved.

It was purely high stats!

Fast enough!

Strong enough!

Hard enough!

Fighting against many was a piece of cake.

Especially since the overseers only had whips, not bladed weapons like swords or sabers.

Chen Yi stomped violently on the floorboard, causing the other end to tilt up.

The last overseer was launched into the air like he was on a seesaw, then fell wretchedly into the river.

The crowd of coolies was completely dumbfounded, their mouths wide enough to swallow an egg.

The overseers, who usually beat them until they cried for their parents, had been knocked into the water by Chen Yi alone in the blink of an eye!

Now they were all flailing in the river, screaming for help!

Foreman Wang Qiang looked at the group of overseers in the water and sneered.

"Alright, Chen Yi. So you have a few tricks up your sleeve. If I don't make you suffer a bit today, I'm afraid you won't submit to discipline!"

He was a martial artist.

However, Chen Yi knew he was only at Body Tempering Stage 1.

In the Body Tempering Realm, for every stage increased, one's Blood Qi was double that of the previous stage.

Even if Wang Qiang knew martial arts techniques, how much power could a Stage 1 Body Tempering cultivator exert?

Low-level battles were just stat checks; fancy moves were useless!

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

These things could easily break bones if they hit a person.

Wang Qiang thought that as a martial artist, dealing with a frail, weak coolie would be a walk in the park.

However, the moment the fight started, that pair of small hammers had already fallen into Chen Yi's hands.

"What is going on..."

He hadn't even clearly seen what just happened!

Looking at Chen Yi, who was standing merely inches away, gripping the twin hammers and wearing a faint half-smile...

Wang Qiang panicked!