Dream Butterfly

After so many years in this world, Xu Yang had long since figured out his Golden Finger.

Developing a skill was simple. One word—do!

As long as he persisted and kept doing something day after day, year after year, even the most trivial task could become a skill, generate traits, and gain the power to turn decay into magic.

But this "doing" had requirements. He had to complete every step of an action for it to count as having "done" it. Only through such accumulated effort could he develop a skill.

Take breathing as an example. He had to complete both "exhaling" and "inhaling" for it to count as one breath.

So only "doing" could develop skills. There was no such thing as "not doing" also counting as doing.

What did "not doing" mean?

Still using breathing as an example: breathing could generate a skill, so could not breathing also generate one?

What about opposite acts of "not doing," like not eating, not drinking, not sleeping, or not cultivating? Could they generate skills?

Clearly not.

Xu Yang could be certain of that. In order to conceal his unusually vigorous blood and vitality, he had never married all these years. He had even spread a rumor about himself, claiming that his manhood had been injured. Thus, he neither took a wife nor had children, and he had not even visited those cheap back-alley prostitutes once.

Yet after all these decades, he had never developed any skill like "not whoring."

He did not even have a skill like "abstinence."

Therefore, Xu Yang was certain that "not doing" could not be developed into a skill.

He had to genuinely do something and finish it. Only after accumulating enough repetitions could it solidify into a skill on the Attribute Panel.

And this "doing" had standards as well. It was not enough for him to subjectively believe that he had done something for it to count.

Take martial arts, for example. Back when his memories had just returned, Xu Yang had considered using knowledge from before his transmigration together with the Attribute Panel. He had tried things like Tai Chi, Military Boxing, and Broadcast Exercises, hoping to develop some martial arts skills.

The result was nothing.

Xu Yang guessed that the reason was probably that his movements lacked any coherent system. In the system's judgment, he was not practicing any fist technique at all, merely flailing his limbs around. Naturally, it could not generate a "fist technique" skill. At most, it might produce something like "waving arms" or "exercise."

Although exercise could also improve combat power, it took too much time and was inefficient. It was far less practical than secretly swinging a blade at night, so he simply gave up and chose blade practice instead, developing the skill Hacking.

But Hacking alone was clearly not enough. Xu Yang needed greater combat power, such as learning a proper martial art.

But Xu Yang could not get his hands on any martial arts manuals right now!

With no other choice, he could only settle for second best and continue doing things that possessed offensive and lethal power. Throwing stones, for instance, could generate Flying Stone.

Following that line of thought, throwing knives, swords, or fish spears could also possess some offensive and killing power.

But whether that would be enough to deal with a Martial Artist, Xu Yang was not sure.

Through observation and experimentation, he had confirmed that the skills and traits generated by the Attribute Panel truly possessed the power to turn decay into magic. Some could even be called spells or divine abilities, already surpassing the bounds of the mundane world.

Take Flying Stone as an example. If Xu Yang's Flying Stone skill could generate a trait called "Never Miss," then his stones would never miss. They would hit their target one hundred percent of the time. Even if the opponent used peerless movement techniques, flew through the sky, or burrowed into the earth, they still could not evade his "Never Miss" stones.

But guaranteed hits were one matter. The damage caused after hitting was another. That still depended on the effects of the skill traits.

Thus, Xu Yang was uncertain. He did not know whether he could develop skills and traits with enough destructive power to deal with the various dangers and threats ahead.

After thinking for half the day, he still could not come up with any practical plan.

But Xu Yang was not anxious. Decades of enduring and lying low had greatly tempered his patience. Though the current situation was somewhat troublesome, it had not yet become a true life-and-death crisis. Naturally, it could not throw him into disorder.

If he could not think of a solution, then he would leave it alone. When the cart reached the mountain, there would be a road; when the boat reached the bridge, it would straighten itself. There would always be a way.

With that mindset, Xu Yang happily finished another pot of River Delicacy Porridge, then lay down to sleep fully clothed.

Sleep (Calming, Health Preservation, Body Strengthening, Disease Prevention, Longevity)

There was no need to say much about Sleep's traits. Calming soothed the mind and nourished the soul. Health Preservation cultivated Essence and strengthened the body. Combined with effects like Body Strengthening, Disease Prevention, and Longevity, more than half of Xu Yang's robust physique had been nurtured through sleep. The other half was the result of Eating.

Eat well, sleep well, and the body would naturally be well!

Apart from strengthening the body and prolonging life, the Sleep skill had another hidden benefit: whenever he wanted to sleep, he could sleep. The moment he closed his eyes, he would drift off. He would never suffer the annoyance of insomnia.

Xu Yang slept in his clothes, his consciousness sinking into a warm ocean. In a hazy state, he saw towering buildings and Heavy traffic. It felt as though he had transmigrated back, returning to that glittering modern city and once again living the dull, monotonous nine-to-five life of an office drone.

Was it real or false? Good or bad?

Xu Yang could not tell. Half asleep and half awake, dreams and reality reversed, he sank into that surreal illusion.

After an unknown amount of time, all the scenes vanished and Returned To darkness.

Then that darkness was pierced by flickering points of light. The sounds of water, wind, and Cormorant cries, along with that familiar fishy smell, flooded his senses and called him back from slumber into reality.

Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes, propped himself up, and sat blankly for a while before summoning the Attribute Panel that only he could see.

On the panel, within the skill column, a line of text slowly formed, glimmering with golden light.

Dreaming (Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly)

Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly?

Xu Yang froze as he looked at that Four-Character Trait glowing with golden specks.

So far, Xu Yang had only developed one Four-Character Trait: Like a Fish in Water from the Swimming skill.

And a Four-Character Trait with glowing visual effects? That was a bride in a sedan chair—the first time ever!

Moreover, Dreaming was not listed under Sleep's traits. It had independently become a skill.

What did that mean?

It meant it qualified to become a skill on its own!

Its potential was immense, and its future was limitless!

It did not even need a future. It had already produced a dazzling golden Four-Character Trait.

Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly?

What effect did it have?

Xu Yang examined it closely, and his expression changed accordingly. Shock, strangeness, and delight flickered across his face in confusion.

A moment later, he glanced outside the cabin at the brightened sky. Instead of going out Fishing, he lay back down on the bedboards, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Darkness surged like a tide, and in an instant came light.

In a certain valley, beneath a cliff, amid lush green grass, lay a blood-soaked person.

He was a youth with a pale face, ragged clothes, and a body full of wounds and bloodstains. He no longer breathed. Calling him a corpse would not have been an exaggeration.

Suddenly...

The silent corpse abruptly opened his eyes, which held confusion, astonishment, bewilderment, and joy.

Then he sat up, looked at his hands and body, and raised his head toward the cliff face and vines ahead. A memory that did not belong to him suddenly surfaced, blending with his soul like milk and water.

"I am... Xu Yang?"

"No, I am Li Qingshan!"

"No, I am..."

"Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly; the butterfly dreamed of Zhuang Zhou!"

"I am Xu Yang, and I am also Li Qingshan!"

After Muttered a few words, his sense of self returned, and the chaos in his eyes gradually calmed. Xu Yang pushed himself to his feet and began surveying his surroundings.

Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly; the butterfly dreamed of Zhuang Zhou!

That was the effect of the Four-Character Trait. It allowed him to use Dream Crossing to travel to another world, becoming another person like Zhuang Zhou's butterfly dream, inheriting that person's body, memories, and life experiences.

Had he truly possessed another body, been reborn, and transmigrated into another world?

Or was this merely an ethereal dream journey woven from imagination?

Xu Yang could not say. But it did not matter. To him, whether this world was real or false, whether this life was illusion or reality, was utterly unimportant. What mattered was what benefits he could gain from it.

According to the memories of the original owner, Li Qingshan, he came from Xiao Huang Village. He was an impoverished Mountain Household hunter. His parents had long since passed away, leaving behind a younger brother and sister. Their life was extremely difficult.

As the family's pillar, Li Qingshan not only had to diligently cultivate their few meager fields, but also frequently enter the mountains to hunt, gather, and search for medicinal herbs, all to barely support himself and his two young siblings.

But the wilderness held more than mountain treasures and wild game. It was also Full of dangers, with countless venomous snakes and fierce beasts. Every year, no one knew how many Mountain Households died because of them.

The original Li Qingshan had met with an accident. He had come here to gather a precious herb, but accidentally lost his footing on the cliff, fell heavily to the ground, and died.

Then Xu Yang had crossed over through Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly.

Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly had not only brought him here. The soul power it came with had also helped restore the internal and external injuries of this body, even replenishing much of the weakness and helplessness caused by hunger.

Soul power was the key to Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly.

Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly required the consumption of soul power. This soul power could be supplied by Xu Yang's main body, or accumulated independently by the Possession Clone after crossing over.

The clone's death would not cause the main body to die, but it would inflict a certain amount of damage upon the main body's soul.

For ordinary people, soul damage was a serious matter. At best, it caused dizziness and mental exhaustion. At worst, it could leave one foolish or insane, with the soul scattering away.

But to Xu Yang, this was not a major problem, because he possessed the skill Sleep.

Sleep's Calming trait could effectively nourish the soul. Even if the clone died and damaged his soul, he could recuperate through sleep, recover, and continue using Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly to cross over.

In other words—he was not afraid of death!

Besides that, soul power had another marvelous use.

That was...

Xu Yang (Li Qingshan)

Cultivation: None

Lifespan: 16/49

Skills: None

Looking at the empty Attribute Panel, Xu Yang said nothing. He merely willed it.

Then, in the previously empty skill column of the Attribute Panel, a line of text slowly appeared.

Eating (Chewing, Digestion, Essence, Body Strengthening, Smooth Flow)

This was the marvelous use of soul power. By consuming a certain amount of soul power, he could copy the skills of Xu Yang's main body and grant them to the clone.

Likewise, the clone could transfer skills it developed back to the main body, equivalent to having an alt account power-level for him.

It was not limited to skills. As long as he had enough soul power, he could even transmit objects between the two worlds, Exchanging what one has for what one needs.

Unfortunately, Xu Yang currently had no cultivation. The soul nurtured through Sleep was only somewhat stronger than an ordinary person's. At present, he could only "transmit" one skill over. Beyond that, I cannot continue.

This was the main body's only support. Xu Yang considered for a while before ultimately choosing the most broadly useful skill: Eating.

Why not choose Breathing?

Because Breathing was easy to develop and did not need support from the main body at all. After some time, the clone could develop it on its own.

Eating was different. According to his memories, the original Li Qingshan's living conditions had been poor. Going hungry was a common occurrence. He did not know how much time it would take to develop the Eating skill here.

Dream Crossing and a Possession Clone were the basic functions of Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly.

But Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly also possessed a special hidden effect.

That was—time flow.

There was a tremendous difference in the flow of time between the dream world and the real world. Different worlds had different rates of flow. At present, the ratio between the real world and this world was one to three hundred and sixty-five.

In other words, one year passing in the dream world where the clone resided equaled only one day passing in Xu Yang's real world.

A clone power-leveling for him, plus a time cheat?

That was Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly!

A Golden Legend, a Four-Character Trait—it truly was extraordinary!

After receiving all the information, Xu Yang glanced once more at the precious herb growing atop the cliff. Without a second thought, he picked up the scattered belongings and basket around him, turned, and left.

Climbing the mountain?

Sorry, he did not know how!

And even if he did, he would not climb it. Though this was only a clone and he had the capital to take risks without fearing death, taking risks required judgment too. How to take risks for the greatest return was something he had to consider.