A Cultivator's Gambit

In a world where strength serves as both currency, acquiring anything, and weapons, providing protection, Liang Chen, a cultivator and master strategist, carefully orchestrates every move to gain strength through any means, even delving into forbidden arts. Does he have a tragic past or a reason to be this desperate to gain strength? Nope. What more reason do you need in a society where the strong rule, the mediocre serve, and the weak get crushed? This will be a tale of both wit and might.