Zhang Yong's Perspective :
The next morning
I was walking together with Su Ming and the others toward the cultivation caves in the rear area of the peak.
"You don't have to come with me, you know," I said with a smile, though I felt a bit of happiness because of it.
"Of course we have to come. Who else would seal the cave entrance for you if we didn't?" Liu Yan said with a grin, clearly trying to tease me… at least I think so.
Wang Fei laughed lightly. "Don't listen to Liu Yan. The truth is, she's just a little worried about you."
"Wh-Wang Fei, don't talk as if you know what I'm feeling!" She couldn't help but grumble at Wang Fei's words.
"Anyway, Zhang Yong, I've prepared some meals for you inside. You don't have internal energy to stave off hunger, so I put some in there for you." Wang Fei smiled warmly at me.
A wave of warmth flooded my heart despite the cold morning air. "Thank you, all of you," I said, my voice lower than usual, trying to hide the emotion in it.
Su Ming punched my shoulder lightly. "Don't start with the thanks. This is the least we can do for our comrade who's about to disappear for months."
"Exactly!" Qing Feng added, holding a spatial bag in his hand. "We also put in some basic technique manuals for you, so you won't feel the urge to come out too early."
Liu Yan rolled her eyes. "That was Qing Feng's suggestion. As for me, I put in some talisman manuscripts that might be useful to you."
As we approached the cave entrance, I felt a strange heaviness in my chest.
This seclusion would be different from before. This time, it would be longer, but surely the benefits would be fruitful.
We stopped in front the massive stone door of the cave. I approached the boulder and pushed it aside, revealing the entrance.
I entered the chamber and looked around. The place was simple but clean, with a new meditation mat in the center.
"The food is enough for a year , you don't have spiritual energy to refresh your body and stop hunger so you have to eat " Wang Fei said as she handed me the spatial bag. "Though I don't think you'll stay there that entire time."
I stood before them for a moment, trying to find the right words. But all I could manage was, "I'll do my utmost to become stronger. Perhaps then I'll stop troubling you all."
Su Ming smiled and nodded. "Of course you will. And when you come out, I'll make sure to defeat you."
Everyone laughed, myself included. Then, with a final nod, they filed out one by one, letting the door close slowly behind them.
All I heard was the sound of the boulder rolling shut, sealing the entrance… and then silence.
I stood there for a while, then closed my eyes and began to organize my thoughts.
"Alright, now I'll begin step by step. First…"
I turned my palm over, and a red rocky ball appeared in my hand.
This was the stone I had purchased at the Pride Auction some time ago.
Without hesitation, I crushed it in my hand, revealing a red seed inside.
"Seed of Fire," I muttered, a part of me unable to believe that such a seed had appeared in that simple auction.
Then I placed the seed in my mouth.
(Seed of Fire successfully absorbed. Current Yggdrasil puzzle pieces: {2/7})
(Now, wherever the Law of Fire exists, the host's power will increase accordingly.)
I looked at the window before me and smiled. "This is good. I'll have to search for the other seeds later."
Then I turned my palm over again, and a black steel tablet appeared within it. This was the piece I had bought from the same auction.
Immediately, I felt the Vial of Heaven's Source tremble within my soul.
I summoned it at once. It was shaking violently, dripping pinkish water droplets onto the tablet.
The pinkish water droplets from the Vial of Heaven's Source flowed across the surface of the black steel tablet, and something strange began to happen.
The tablet's outer layer started to melt like snow under the sun, revealing an ancient inscription hidden beneath.
"AAAAAH!" Ling Xi's scream nearly deafened me.
"Ling Xi, can't you calm down? Tell me what's going on," I could only express my frustration inwardly. If she didn't have a good reason… never mind, it's not like I could punish her anyway.
"It's Heaven's Steel! This thing can store techniques—and only high-level techniques at that. You've hit the jackpot!" Ling Xi couldn't hide her excitement.
I stared at the steel tablet as it began to transform before my eyes.
The ancient inscriptions that appeared were astonishingly complex, their golden lines radiating a faint light in the dim cave chamber.
"High-level techniques…?" I whispered as I cautiously reached out to touch the surface. Suddenly, a powerful flash emanated from the tablet, and I felt a wave of information flow directly into my mind.
"Cycle of Life and Death?" I muttered the technique's name without any prior knowledge.
According to what was described… I can't believe this!
"This technique, after merging the Essence of Life and the Essence of Death within, allows the body and soul to return to life," Ling Xi couldn't help but read aloud in shock.
The expressions of the others were no less stunned.
"Wait, return to life? Doesn't that sound like…?" Bing Di couldn't finish, as if afraid to speak it aloud.
"Extra lives," Murasama completed, equally shocked. "Wait, there's more."
According to what was written in the technique, it granted three chances to return from death, but the probabilities were divided among the Three Realms:
Heaven, Earth, and Hell.
There was one chance that the cycle would lead to Heaven—in that case, the person would return to life without problem (cost/consequence).
There were two chances that the person would enter Hell. There, they would have to climb from the depths of Hell to return to life. If they failed, they would remain there forever, their death becoming eternal, never to return.
"This is madness. Pure madness. Not to mention having to find the Essence of Life and Essence of Death—if I die three times, I'll have to go to Hell twice?" I couldn't help but grumble.
"Actually, what is meant by 'essence' is nothing more than a condensation of the Law of Life and the Law of Death. The Essence of Life can be produced in the Qi Spring, but the Essence of Death is the problem," Murasama explained calmly, staring at the golden words.
I placed the tablet into my storage and sighed. "This technique isn't a priority right now. I can think about it later. For now, let's take a look at the sound technique the Thief King gave us."
I took out the scroll the Thief King had given me from my storage, my eyes examining the name written on it.
Sound Technique – White Tiger's Roar
A sound technique that relied on mental energy rather than spiritual energy. This could be very useful for long-range attacks.
"White Tiger's Roar," I whispered to myself as I read the explanation. "A sound attack that targets the mind directly, bypassing all physical defenses…"
Ling Xi suddenly appeared beside me, her wide eyes studying the technique. "I truly have to commend this Thief King. He modified it in a good way. I thought he might try something to harm you as revenge, but it seems things are fine."
I nodded, impressed by the theoretical intricacies of the technique. "But it requires precise control over mental energy. A small mistake could backfire on the user."
"Exactly," Ling Xi said, moving closer to the scroll. "But with your mental strength and your training in the Eternal Dream, you should be able to master it."
I sat down on the mat, placing the scroll before me. "Alright, let's begin."
That said, when I thought about it, this was the first time I had tried to learn a technique from a scroll. I wasn't really accustomed to this method of learning.
In the end, it took me only two weeks to master the basic level of this technique.
Sound Technique – White Tiger's Roar
An invisible sound wave erupted from my mouth, but it made no audible sound. Instead, I felt a ripple in the air, and then the target rock ten meters away exploded into fine dust.
The cave shook rhythmically with each roar I unleashed. The rocky walls were now covered with a web of fine cracks, and small rock fragments fell from the ceiling from time to time.
(Host has acquired an intermediate-level skill.)
(White Tiger's Roar lvl1)
It seemed that only upon mastering the basic level of a technique would it be recorded in the system, allowing me to upgrade it later.
Speaking of the system, I looked at the mission completion window for Wu Ruoxian, which I hadn't paid much attention to before due to being busy.
(Host has received:)
(High-grade Zen Defense)
(Rare Upgrade Card)
I smiled at these rewards. But Zen Defense? I would have preferred Flash Step—that technique had caused me some trouble before.
Perhaps if Wu Ruoxian's dantian hadn't been shattered, I would have been the one dead back then, without a doubt.
Then I looked at my skills window, focusing on the two newest skills I had acquired. One was Great Smash, and the other was Paths of Reincarnation.
I decided to leave Paths of Reincarnation for later and turned my attention toward Great Smash.
(Great Smash)
(Its method is based on the Eight Trigrams of Creation and Destruction. Created to be the strongest defense and the strongest offense. Break harmony, break the world. When all directions are sealed, all you have is make your own path , even heaven won't dare sealing it)
"..."
I was at a loss for words for a moment, and this was generally for two reasons.
First, the description of this skill felt like something out of a game—they give you a weapon with a fancy name and tell you to eliminate anyone who stands before you.
And the second reason was… the Eight Trigrams?!
He clearly meant the eight directions. What was surprising was that my foundational cultivation technique, the Five Elements Technique, was actually an extension of this in the chinese culture
Now I had the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, as well as the Cycle of Life and Death that sent me across the Three Realms.
If I happened to acquire a Yin-Yang technique as well, I might say that I had perhaps stepped onto the path of Primordial Chaos.
Or the Origin of the Universe at best.
Or perhaps I was overreacting, because Primordial Chaos contained all laws and paths—something like that was theoretically impossible.
More importantly, the Great Smash technique was unexpectedly useful. Instead of relying on spiritual energy, it depended more on the mind and body. By following the path of spiritual energy in the air, all attacks would become void. However, its drawback was its preparation time—during that period, my body would be exposed to attacks. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst.
Immediately, I closed my eyes and began to meditate on this skill.
I immediately took a horse stance and struck the ground with my foot. At that moment, a circle spread on the ground around my feet, taking the shape of the Eight Trigrams , that picture was made in my mind
The energy circle that formed beneath my feet began to glow with a pale blue light, its complex lines drawing a pattern like an eight-petaled flower. Each petal represented one of the eight celestial directions.
"This… is more complicated than I expected," I whispered to myself as I tried to feel the flow of energy in the air around me.
I began to move slowly. My hand movements seemed slow because they were following the path of energy.
Each movement felt as if I were striking the void, and I sensed that something was missing.
But suddenly, I felt a sharp stab in my chest. The circle trembled, then collapsed, and the shockwave rebounded toward me with great force, throwing me to the ground.
"Ah!" A cry of pain escaped my lips as I tasted blood in my mouth. "What was that?"
This technique was certainly different from what I had trained in so far. But I had followed the technique—what was I missing?
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth as I tried to catch my breath. "How long will it take me to master this?"
Ling Xi suddenly appeared beside me, her eyes examining me with interest. "The problem isn't the training time, but your understanding of the technique itself," she said, waving her finger before my face. "Great Smash isn't just physical movements—it's a harmony between body, mind, and soul with the laws of the universe."
I raised an eyebrow. "Laws of the universe? Don't speak in riddles."
"No, I'm speaking as someone who knows how to think," she retorted angrily. "How long do you think I've lived to have witnessed so much? You're trying to force energy to bend to your will, when what's required is for you to follow its natural flow. You're trying to break it with brute force."
I sighed as I looked at her. "So I'm trying to swim against the current instead of with it."
"Exactly." Ling Xi nodded. "Try again, but this time, use your Heavenly Eyes to truly see the flow of energy around you. That method is easier."
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, my eyes were glowing with a faint light.
I began to focus. If the Heavenly Eyes could see laws, then they could certainly see spiritual energy.
Suddenly, the world around me became different. I saw a complex network of golden and blue lines threading through the air, like a three-dimensional map.
"Amazing…" I whispered as I followed the golden currents flowing like rivers through the air. "I never knew the world was so organized."
"Now, try again," Ling Xi commanded.
I took the horse stance once more, but this time my movements were more fluid. Instead of trying to direct the energy, I allowed my hands to follow the natural paths of power in the air.
Then, slowly, I realized the fundamental principles of the Five Elements Technique, but in reverse. Instead of trying to draw everything from nature, I had to shatter nature itself.
I moved my hands slowly, tracing the golden paths in the air.
I felt as if I were holding invisible threads, each movement creating a ripple in the air around me.
Suddenly, a strange feeling exploded in my chest. The blue circle beneath my feet ignited with a bright light, and the air around me began to vibrate with a strange frequency.
Smash!
The cry came from the depths of my soul without my intending it. My fist closed on the air in the direction of a nearby rock, and in that moment—
CRACK!
The rock surrounding me exploded into fine dust. There was no sound of an explosion, no shockwave—just the transformation of everything solid into fine particles in the blink of an eye.
I fell to my knees, my breath ragged. My entire body ached as if every bone in it had been broken and then reassembled.
(Basic level of Great Collapse technique mastered.)
"Finally! That part alone required ten hours of slow movement from me."
Ling Xi appeared beside me, her eyes widening in awe. "You did it… this technique… it far exceeds what I expected."
"But it's impractical!" I protested as I tried to get up. "Who is going to give me ten full hours of preparation time in a real battle?"
"That's simple. All you have to do is master it to perfection," she showed a cheeky smile.
I sighed but couldn't argue with that.
I continued to train in this skill for two full months before I was able to advance.