The Crimson Flame Fierce Bird's gaze swept across the rock crevice where Chen Beixuan was hiding like two red-hot branding irons. In that instant, Xuanwei felt as though the very origin of his immortal qi was about to ignite. Utter terror seized every thought he had. Time seemed to stretch infinitely, each "instant" becoming an ordeal on the edge of a blade.
He could "hear" the scorching tempest whipped up by the fierce bird's wings, sending the ancient trees below swaying wildly and making the rocks crackle under the heat. The dense fire baleful qi had nearly solidified, pressing down on him until even his thoughts were close to freezing.
[Emergency evasion plan generating... Analyzing environment... Calculating optimal route...]
The system's prompt was more urgent than ever. Complex streams of data flashed through his consciousness, outlining a three-dimensional model of the surroundings and the Crimson Flame Fierce Bird's energy radiation range.
Run? Where could he run? Speed, strength, realm... he was utterly crushed in every aspect! Any direct movement beneath the perception of such an existence would be no different from a torch in the night!
Just as the fierce bird's gaze seemed to lock onto the rock crevice, as it slightly adjusted the angle of its dive and the flames around its talons suddenly flared, on the verge of unleashing a thunderous strike—
[Plan confirmed! Executing "Mimicry: Deathly Stillness"!]
The system's cold voice carried a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve. The next moment, Xuanwei felt control over his immortal qi body being stripped away in an instant! No, it was not stripped away—it had been forcibly taken over by a more efficient, more precise force.
He "saw" his immortal qi body rapidly contract and compress in a way beyond his comprehension! Every trace of spiritual radiance, every energy fluctuation, even the faint fluctuations of consciousness he emitted, were forcibly shoved back into the deepest part of his core. The originally milky-white, radiant immortal qi became dim and muddled in an instant, like an ordinary clump of mountain miasma about to disperse, utterly lifeless.
Not only that, the system frantically drew upon the energy he had painstakingly accumulated, simulating the Deathly Stillness Dao Rhyme of spiritual qi being completely annihilated after being scorched by blazing heat. It coated the surface of his immortal qi body. This Dao Rhyme blended perfectly with the chaotic surroundings polluted by the Crimson Flame Fierce Bird's aura.
All of it happened in the blink of an eye!
"Screech—!"
The Crimson Flame Fierce Bird let out a shrill cry tinged with confusion. Its sharp gaze lingered for a moment over the now "deathly still" entrance to the rock crevice. In its perception, the abnormally pure spiritual fluctuation that had flashed past moments ago had suddenly vanished, replaced by a worthless remnant of turbid qi "scorched" by its own aura.
Was it an illusion? Or had that faint glimmer of spirituality been too weak and directly scattered by its fire baleful qi?
To an existence like it, such an insignificant "impurity" was not even fit to serve as a snack between its teeth. Its target lay farther away: stronger spirits and spiritual vein nodes that had become active because of the Dao Rhyme.
The fierce bird no longer lingered. With a fierce beat of its wings, it swept up monstrous heat waves and transformed into a crimson meteor, pouncing toward another valley of Kunlun Mountain where the spiritual qi was denser. The terrifying pressure receded like a tide, leaving behind only scorched ground and lingering waves of searing heat in the air.
Deep within the rock crevice, Xuanwei remained in his "deathly still" state, not daring to move.
Only after the fierce bird's aura had completely vanished beyond the edge of his perception, and a long, long time had passed, did the system slowly relinquish control.
"Puh—"
An intangible sensation of "vomiting blood" struck him on the level of consciousness. Xuanwei felt as though more than half of his awareness had been drained away, leaving him so weak he was nearly dispersing. What hurt him even more was the energy level display in his field of vision—
[Energy Level: 0.11%]
It had dropped straight from 0.5% back to 0.11%! To simulate that perfect state of "deathly stillness," the system had nearly squeezed dry all of his reserves!
The weakness of surviving a disaster, mixed with the frustration brought by such an enormous loss, nearly drowned him. Like a true clump of turbid qi on the verge of dissipating, he lay limp against the cold rock, unable to even muster the desire to absorb spiritual qi.
It was over, all over... All those days of effort, gone in a single stroke.
"System... was this... the optimal plan?" he asked with difficulty in his mind, bitterness beyond words in his voice.
[Reply: Yes. Under an absolute gap in power, concealment and deception are the only paths to survival. Energy can be accumulated again; if spiritual consciousness disperses, everything ends. This plan had a 67.4% success rate, higher than any other option.]
The system's answer remained cold, rational, and utterly emotionless. Yet the fact it stated was like a hammer, shattering Xuanwei's last trace of wishful thinking and resentment toward fate.
It was right.
If the system had not made its decision so swiftly, sacrificing energy to simulate "deathly stillness," he would already have become an insignificant wisp of nourishment in that fierce bird's stomach. Staying alive was already the greatest stroke of luck.
The lost energy could simply be earned back!
A fierce, unyielding resolve surged up from the depths of his consciousness. He was someone who had died once, someone who had crawled out of the "workhorse" hell of modern society. Compared with the despairing ICU and endless overtime, his current predicament still... held hope!
He pulled himself together and began circulating the Basic Spiritual Qi Breathing Technique. Yet perhaps because he had been too badly frightened, or perhaps because the drastic drop in energy had damaged his origin, he found that his breathing efficiency had become extremely poor. Spiritual qi was difficult to convert effectively after entering his body, and his thoughts were even harder to focus.
No. He could not go on like this.
He forced himself to stop the futile breathing exercise and quieted his consciousness. He began to recall every detail of how the system had controlled his body to perform "mimicry" in that life-or-death instant.
That extreme compression of energy, that perfect restraint of his own aura, that mysterious transformation that simulated the Dao Rhyme of the outside world... Though he had experienced it passively, the experience had been so profound that it was branded into the core of his consciousness.
"Restraint... inward contraction... deathly stillness... It is not true extinction, but the ultimate form of 'concealment'..."
He seemed to gain some understanding. Before this, he had been like an uncut jade stone. Though he knew he had to keep a low profile, he would still instinctively emit spiritual radiance and draw attention. But after this experience, he seemed to have touched upon a deeper law of survival—[Seclusion].
It was not merely about hiding one's form. One also had to hide one's aura, hide one's spiritual radiance, and even... hide one's own "sense of existence."
He tried to imitate the system's previous state. Rather than pursuing rapid absorption of spiritual qi, he used his consciousness to guide the small amount of remaining energy in his body slowly inward, compressing it while altering the form of his immortal qi body to resemble something less conspicuous, such as the texture of stone or ordinary water vapor.
The process was exceptionally difficult and demanded an extremely high degree of conscious control. He failed time and time again, then started over time and time again. His energy level still hovered around 0.11%, showing almost no growth.
But Xuanwei did not give up. He vaguely sensed that if he could master this technique of "seclusion," it would become one of the foundations for his future foothold in the Primordial World.
Just as he focused wholeheartedly on imitating the Dao of "seclusion," an unexpected blessing arrived.
Perhaps it was because his consciousness had become highly focused and his connection with his own origin had reached an unprecedented closeness; perhaps it was because he had abandoned his impatient breathing exercises and his mindset had settled into stillness; or perhaps the accumulation from listening to the Dao Rhyme of the Three Pure Ones had been ignited at this moment...
He entered an indescribably profound state.
He no longer frantically plundered spiritual qi from the outside world. Instead, he focused all his attention on the weak thread of origin immortal qi within him. He "watched" it circulate slowly, sensed the finest changes in its internal structure, and experienced the most primordial mystery of "life" belonging to "a thread of Innate Immortal Qi."
Without realizing it, what he circulated was no longer the rigid Basic Spiritual Qi Breathing Technique taught by the system. Instead, based on the characteristics of his own origin, combined with his understanding of "seclusion" and the enlightenment inspired by the Dao Rhyme of the Three Pure Ones, a completely new circulation route had spontaneously formed—one far more suited to him!
This route was more restrained, more efficient, and refined energy to a purer degree!
[Host enlightenment behavior detected... Analyzing...] [Analysis complete! Host has comprehended an exclusive passive state: "Deep Immortal Seclusion" (Beginner). Effect: Greatly reduces the host's sense of existence and energy fluctuations. Those less than one major realm above will find the host difficult to detect. While in a state of seclusion, natural energy recovery speed increases by 50%.] [Analysis complete! Host has optimized the cultivation method's circulation route... Deducing...] [Deduction complete! Basic Spiritual Qi Breathing Technique has advanced into Innate Immortal Qi Origin Method (Beginner)! Energy conversion efficiency increased by 300%; spiritual qi refinement purity increased by 200%!]
The system's prompts rang out one after another, carrying a faint trace of... approval?
Xuanwei abruptly awoke from that state of enlightenment. Feeling the changes within himself, immense ecstasy surged through his heart!
Fortune from misfortune! It truly was fortune from misfortune!
Though his energy level had yet to recover, he had gained the crucial lifesaving divine skill [Deep Immortal Seclusion], and had even optimized his basic cultivation method into the Innate Immortal Qi Origin Method, which suited him best!
He immediately tried circulating the new method while entering a state of "seclusion."
In an instant, he felt himself nearly merge with the rocks of Kunlun Mountain beneath him and the faint water vapor flowing beside him. Even if something like a Malevolent Spirit passed by now, it would likely regard him as a slightly spiritual stone and overlook him.
What delighted him even more was that, empowered by the new cultivation method, the surrounding spiritual qi that had originally been "calm" became "friendly" once more. It continuously merged into his origin in a manner far more efficient and pure than before. His energy level began steadily and clearly climbing upward!
0.12%... 0.13%... 0.15%...
At this rate, recovering to 0.5%, or even surpassing it, was just around the corner!
However, just as he immersed himself in the joy of his steadily recovering strength, a Dao Rhyme fluctuation entirely different from anything he had felt before—more concealed and far grander—entered his range of perception as silently as a pebble dropped into an ancient, deep well.
This Dao Rhyme did not come from the Three Pure Ones atop Kunlun Mountain, but from... deep within the earth vein beneath the mountain ravine where he was hiding!
It was older, more obscure, and carried an aura of wilderness, heaviness, and bearing all things. Unlike the clear, transcendent nature of the Three Pure Ones, this Dao Rhyme was closer to the "earth" itself.
At the same time, the system's cold prompt sounded again, carrying an unprecedented gravity:
[Warning! High-density, high-purity Innate Earth Element Origin fluctuations detected! Source: deep within the earth vein (suspected leakage of Innate Wutu Essence Qi).] [Warning! The fluctuation is accompanied by intense lingering baleful qi and calamity qi (suspected site where a Kirin Tribe mighty figure fell during the Dragon-Han Primordial Calamity).] [Risk Level: Extremely High! Opportunity Level: Extremely High!]
Xuanwei's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Innate Wutu Essence Qi? The place where a member of the Kirin Tribe had fallen?
His "gaze" involuntarily turned toward the darkness beneath the rock crevice, in the direction whose depths were unknown.
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