Exploration

Since the Primordial World had first been opened, it had continued to expand.

For countless millions of years, none knew how high the heavens were, how thick the earth was, where its boundaries lay, or how vast its reaches stretched!

After the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, the Primordial World shattered and split into the four great continents.

They were the Divine Continent of East Victory, the Continent of West Ox Congratulations, the Continent of Southern Jambudvipa, and the Continent of Northern Kuru.

Beyond the four great continents lay the boundless Four Seas.

Above were the Nine Heavens; below were the Nine Netherworlds.

Beyond the four great continents and the Four Seas was endless void. Within that void were countless greater worlds and lesser worlds, like stars surrounding the moon, revolving around the Primordial World's core—the four great continents and the Four Seas.

Beyond the domains, the starry sky shone brilliantly. Among the heavens' myriad stars, immeasurable living beings were born!

"Primordial World" had been open for three thousand eight hundred years.

Even now, players' footprints remained confined to only small areas. Not to mention players born in the infinitely vast four great continents—even on an unremarkable small island in the East Sea, one could forget about leaving without Mahayana cultivation.

Most players spent their entire lives wandering around their birthplace, unable to break free from the cage.

Lu Qingfeng had been born on an isolated continent beyond the Continent of Northern Kuru, countless hundreds of millions of li away from the Earth Immortal Realm where the four great continents lay.

It was said that a player on this continent had once cultivated to the Mahayana Realm. Believing Tribulation Transcendence hopeless, he had attempted to cross the void and head to the Continent of Northern Kuru in search of opportunities, only to lose himself in the endless void and perish forever!

"Heavenly Fox Realm—Hundred Savage Mountain Archipelago—Seven Swords Mountains—Elephant King City—Black Sand Town."

"My current location is Black Sand Town, something like a newbie village."

Lu Qingfeng strolled around Black Sand Town twice and gathered quite a bit of information.

Black Sand Town belonged to Elephant King City, and Elephant King City was one of the twelve hundred cities amid the eight hundred peaks of the Seven Swords Mountains, ruled by the seven great sword sects.

Yet such enormous Seven Swords Mountains were merely a corner of an inconspicuous island within the Hundred Savage Mountain Archipelago!

"Could such a massive map really be a game created by the Human Federation?"

Lu Qingfeng could not help but doubt it!

Such doubts were clearly meaningless. Elephant King City, the Seven Swords Mountains, and the Hundred Savage Mountain Archipelago had nothing to do with Lu Qingfeng at present. He continued walking, familiarizing himself with Black Sand Town.

Newbies made up the overwhelming majority in Black Sand Town, and guilds of every size could be found there.

Among them were dozens of established guilds that had nearly reached the standard of founding sects. Some had simply been sponsored and established by sects from Myriad Forms City and the areas surrounding Black Sand Town, specifically to recruit and select talented disciples!

"Heavenly Lake Guild is recruiting! Level 10 or above required, along with mastery of one combat spell or martial skill!"

"Imperial City Guild sincerely invites experts to join! Level 21 or above required, with any combat spell cultivated to the third layer!"

"Sword Immortal Guild recruiting! Level 10 or above required!"

As he passed through Guild Plaza, Lu Qingfeng saw a surging sea of people.

Numerous guilds continuously screened and recruited newcomers, while countless newcomers selected guilds suited to themselves.

"In 'Primordial World,' natives, players, and players' descendants in the game had long become thoroughly mixed together, impossible to distinguish on the surface. Black Sand Town was no exception."

"Yet the Human Federation had an enormous population base. At every moment, teenagers turned sixteen and became eligible to join 'Primordial World' as newbie players."

"These newbie players could accept missions from shops and government offices, or join major guilds to obtain starting resources."

Lu Qingfeng wandered through Black Sand Town for most of the day before barely becoming familiar with half of the western district. To explore all of Black Sand Town would take at least three to five days.

Black Sand Town was called a town, but its territory was far from small.

The urban area alone stretched forty to fifty li in both directions. The town had a permanent population exceeding two hundred thousand; including the villages around Black Sand Town, its total population was at least five hundred thousand.

"At the start of 'Primordial World,' having an experienced senior to lead the way is one thing. But when starting alone, leaving the city to kill monsters and level up is the worst choice. Most players choose to join a guild, or become apprentices at a weapon-refining workshop, alchemy workshop, or talisman-refining workshop."

"This approach not only grants initial basic cultivation techniques, but also earns a certain amount of cultivation resources and lets one master a secondary profession. With so many benefits, it is naturally the first choice."

Lu Qingfeng arrived before an alchemy workshop named Dustless.

Dustless Alchemy Workshop was not large. A notice was posted outside its entrance—

"Dustless Alchemy Workshop is recruiting apprentices. After players sign a contract, they will receive one basic cultivation technique, one basic alchemy art, five Yellow Dragon Pills, and five Grain-Repelling Pills free of charge. One month after signing the contract, players must process at least ten portions of basic medicinal ingredients for the alchemy workshop each day, for one year."

The standards used by the major alchemy workshops and weapon-refining workshops of Black Sand Town to recruit apprentices were much the same. They had been specially prepared for newbie players like Lu Qingfeng.

Put plainly, they were "poverty alleviation projects."

Standing before the notice, Lu Qingfeng signed a contract with Dustless Alchemy Workshop without even meeting a single person in charge.

Once the contract had been signed, the noticeboard flashed with light. Two booklets, two jade bottles, and a Bluestone Command Talisman flew out and landed in Lu Qingfeng's hands.

Several newbies stood beside Lu Qingfeng, just like him, and every one of them received the same things.

Cultivation Technique: Blazing Sun Scripture

Grade: Basic, nine layers in total

Cultivation Requirements: None

Cultivation Technique Traits: None

...

Manual: Elementary Guide to Alchemy

Grade: Basic

Description: A basic alchemy handbook recording the processing methods for forty-six medicinal ingredients

...

Pill: Yellow Dragon Pill

Grade: Low

Description: A cultivation pill for the Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath Realm; can slightly strengthen inner breath

...

Pill: Grain-Repelling Pill

Grade: Low

Description: When consumed at the Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath Realm, it allows one to go without food for six days

...

Equipment: Bluestone Talisman

Grade: Low

Description: Can house newbie players for one year; contains a simple medicinal ingredient processing table; bound, owned by Dustless Alchemy Workshop, non-tradable, and automatically reclaimed after one year

...

"Just when I was worrying about having nowhere to cultivate."

Lu Qingfeng examined the Bluestone Talisman. With it, he would at least not need to worry about a place to live or cultivate during his first year in the game.

Unfortunately, the Bluestone Talisman could not be used outside Black Sand Town and would be reclaimed by the alchemy workshop after a year. Otherwise, it would have been an essential item for traveling and living away from home.

Putting away the Bluestone Talisman, Lu Qingfeng took out the "Blazing Sun Scripture" and "Elementary Guide to Alchemy."

Both were basic grade.

According to the introduction to cultivation technique grades, basic cultivation techniques could at most be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The "Blazing Sun Scripture" freely provided by Dustless Alchemy Workshop was even trash among basic cultivation techniques, capable only of reaching the peak of the Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath Realm.

"The Later-Heaven Realm is divided into the Embryonic Breath Realm and the True Qi Realm. Only by breaking through the True Qi Realm can one advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm. That is still far too distant for me. For now, the 'Blazing Sun Scripture' is suitable enough."

Lu Qingfeng held the "Blazing Sun Scripture" between his hands and clapped them together. A flood of information poured into his mind, branded there as an eternal memory. Then Lu Qingfeng clapped the "Elementary Guide to Alchemy" between his hands as well, and dozens of methods and essentials for processing medicinal ingredients filled his mind.

Name: Lu Qingfeng

Race: Human

Faction: None

Title: None

Cultivation: None

Level: Level 0 (0/1)

Lifespan: 16/68

Root Bone: 1

Merit: Unknown

Karmic Sin: Unknown

Cultivation Techniques: Yellow Court Scripture, first layer (not initiated) Traits: Evolving Method (first layer); Dominion over All Arts (first layer); Karmic Sin Elimination (first layer); Blazing Sun Scripture, first layer (not initiated);

Spells: None

Divine Abilities: None

Equipment: None

Alchemy: "Elementary Guide to Alchemy" (not initiated)

...

Black Sand Town.

Inside the Bluestone Talisman.

Hungry, Lu Qingfeng swallowed a Grain-Repelling Pill and began his first cultivation session.

The "Blazing Sun Scripture" was merely the lowest-grade trash among basic cultivation techniques and consisted of nine layers. Upon cultivating the ninth layer, one could reach the ninth level of Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath.

"I wonder what grade this cultivation technique would be in the Return to Truth Sect, and whether it can compare to the Guizhen Technique."

Lu Qingfeng could not help thinking of it.

The Return to Truth Sect governed tens of thousands of people in Jiuzhai County, and its experts were praised as immortals.

But it was, after all, only a martial world sect.

Though Lu Qingfeng's cultivation technique had come from "Primordial World," it was a free gift and certainly could not be considered precious.

It was hard to say which was stronger, the "Blazing Sun Scripture" or the "Guizhen Technique."

Lu Qingfeng planned to study whether he could record the Guizhen Technique written on the tree bark onto his status panel after logging off this time.

Cultivation was more important at the moment.

In "Primordial World," there were two methods to improve cultivation and level.

The first method was cultivation.

Whether one followed the proper sequence by meditating and circulating qi, or swallowed spiritual pills and wondrous medicines, both fell under the first method.

The second was the traditional method of killing monsters and leveling up.

Everywhere in "Primordial World" were ferocious beasts left behind from the second great calamity. Killing these ferocious beasts granted experience, thereby raising cultivation and level.

The first method was safe but slow. The second was dangerous, but leveling was fast.

However, the overwhelming majority of players chose the first method early on. This was because once one died in "Primordial World," there were only two choices: reincarnate and cultivate anew, or revive.

Reincarnating and cultivating anew needed no explanation—it was equivalent to deleting one's account and starting over.

Other than the various cultivation techniques and skills learned, which remained recorded in the mind and could not be erased, cultivation would be stripped down to nothing. The various spells and divine abilities that required time to polish would also have to be rebuilt from scratch.

It was not a matter of directly generating a sixteen-year-old body for you.

Rather, one had to begin cultivating from infancy. Only after a full sixteen years could one emerge from the Rebirth Pool and begin cultivating anew.

Even a newbie would waste sixteen years upon death.

The price was enormous beyond imagination.

The lifespan of "Primordial World" players in reality also had an end. If they could not break through to a certain cultivation level and thereby increase their lifespan before their natural lifespan ran out, resulting in death in reality, then they would truly "be reincarnated."

Moreover, if one entered with one's true body and died afterward, choosing "reincarnation" meant being reborn like a native of the Primordial World, with one's memories obscured. It was no different from truly dying.

In short, if one's true body died, then death in reality meant immediate death. If one chose to enter the game with one's true body and then chose "reincarnation," it was likewise no different from death.

Only when one had not entered with one's true body, died in the game, and chose "reincarnation" was it equivalent to deleting one's account and starting over.

As for the revival option.

After a player died, whether they had logged in with their true body or not, they could choose to revive directly at the Rebirth Pool or at a revival point they had set themselves.

Besides paying a corresponding price based on their cultivation, their level would also drop by anywhere from five to fifty levels. Those were secondary; the key was that every death damaged one's foundation.

Unless one obtained spiritual pills or wondrous medicines to restore the foundation, future breakthroughs would become even more difficult.

Thus, whether to choose reincarnation or direct revival was a matter where the benevolent saw benevolence and the wise saw wisdom.

Of course, unless necessary, most players were still willing to cultivate bitterly or take pills to raise their cultivation rather than choose the exceedingly dangerous route of killing monsters to level up.

After all, whether reincarnation or revival, they only looked similar to ordinary online games. In reality, the price was far beyond what ordinary players could bear.

It was no different from losing a life.

Thus, very few chose to kill monsters and level up.

It was not advisable.

At this moment, Lu Qingfeng had no spells or divine abilities, no magical artifacts or talismans. He could only honestly sit in meditation and level up.

"Blazing Sun Scripture!"

The profound meanings of the "Blazing Sun Scripture" flowed through Lu Qingfeng's mind.

Within his body, an indescribable sensation of qi flickered in and out of existence, elusive and impossible to grasp.

In reality, according to what Lu Qingshan had learned from the Return to Truth Sect, the first step toward entering the first layer of the Guizhen Technique was to sense embryonic breath, give rise to a sensation of qi, and refine inner breath.

For those with high aptitude, this process could be completed in several days. For those with ordinary aptitude, it might take months or years. As for those with exceedingly poor aptitude, they might never capture that sensation of qi in their entire lives.

They were commonly known as "trash."

From the ages of twelve to fifteen, Lu Qingfeng had been examined every year by people sent from the Return to Truth Sect to test his cultivation aptitude. Yet he had not even qualified to become a menial disciple. He belonged to the last category.

The "Root Bone: 1" on his status panel was proof enough.

As for Lu Qingshan, he belonged to the second category, possessing ordinary talent. He could enter the path in several months or years.

After entering "Primordial World," Lu Qingfeng's aptitude did not seem to have improved.

He sat cross-legged inside the Bluestone Talisman for a full half hour, yet the sensation of qi within his body remained faintly present and faintly absent, impossible to seize.

"Looks like I can only take pills."

Helpless, Lu Qingfeng rose and moved his sore, numb body. Only after the time it took to drink a cup of tea did he continue cultivating.

This time, he took one pill from the five Yellow Dragon Pills given by Dustless Alchemy Workshop and swallowed it.

He immediately circulated the "Blazing Sun Scripture" in silence and refined the medicinal power.

The Yellow Dragon Pill's medicinal power was astonishing. The instant it entered his stomach, it transformed into a warm current that dispersed through his limbs and bones, filling him with a sensation of floating toward immortality.

Time passed.

Who knew how long later, the medicinal power faded. Lu Qingfeng slowly opened his eyes, feeling somewhat lost.

"One Yellow Dragon Pill isn't enough!"

Lu Qingfeng's aptitude was truly terrible. The Yellow Dragon Pill, hailed as a sacred medicine for cultivation in the early Embryonic Breath Realm, had actually failed to let him sense qi.

Lu Qingfeng steadied himself, got up and walked around for a while, then swallowed another pill.

The Yellow Dragon Pill entered his stomach. After an unknown amount of time, its effects faded once more, yet he still failed to grasp that hazy sense of qi.

"Again!"

Lu Qingfeng refused to be discouraged.

If he couldn't comprehend qi even with the Yellow Dragon Pills in the game, then wouldn't returning to reality mean he had no hope at all?!

The third pill!

The fourth pill!

The Yellow Dragon Pill's effects were not exaggerated after all.

After swallowing four Yellow Dragon Pills in succession, Lu Qingfeng suddenly felt as though fortune had descended upon his heart. He caught that hazy sensation of qi, and qi sensation was born. The pure medicinal power dissolved, giving rise to his first wisp of inner breath.

The inner breath turned a hundred times in an instant, devouring the medicine's power even as it stabilized itself.

Congratulations, player's cultivation has risen to the first level of the Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath Realm. Level increased to Level 1. The first layer of the "Blazing Sun Scripture" has risen to Beginner.

Lu Qingfeng opened his eyes to see a golden system notification before him.

"I leveled up."

Lu Qingfeng froze. In an instant, memories of all sorts of online games and casual games he had played in his previous life surged into his mind.

He had been reborn in this foreign world for sixteen years, surviving cautiously in the oppressive Blackwood Village. His personality had long since become silent and gloomy, while most of his memories from his previous life had been buried deep in his heart.

Now that they had suddenly been stirred up, his emotions were a tangled mess.

More importantly, with this experience of sensing qi, cultivation in reality had become possible. He now had hope of transcending the ordinary.

Casting aside his distracting thoughts, he summoned the status panel—

Name: Lu Qingfeng

Race: Human

Alignment: None

Title: None

Cultivation: First Level of the Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath Realm

Level: Level 1 (0/5)

Inner Breath: 1/1 (Quality: Basic)

Lifespan: 16/68

Root Bone: 1

Merit: Unknown

Karma: Unknown

Techniques: First Layer of the Yellow Court Scripture (Not Initiated) Traits: Evolving Method (First Layer); Dominion over All Arts (First Layer); Karma Elimination (First Layer); First Layer of the Blazing Sun Scripture (Beginner) Can Evolve;

Arts: None

Supernatural Powers: None

Equipment: None

Alchemy: "Elementary Guide to Alchemy" (Not Initiated) Can Evolve

The status panel had not changed much.

Aside from the expected changes to his cultivation and level, there was now an Inner Breath entry. The words "Can Evolve" had also appeared after the Blazing Sun Scripture and Elementary Guide to Alchemy.

"Evolve?"

"Could it be the Evolving Method trait of the Yellow Court Scripture?"

That was Lu Qingfeng's first thought.

Without making too many guesses, Lu Qingfeng directly tapped the words "Can Evolve" after the Blazing Sun Scripture.

Consume 1 experience point to evolve the "Blazing Sun Scripture"?

Notice: The player's current level has 0 stored experience points. If evolution is performed, the player's level will fall to Level 0.

"Evolution consumes experience points. If the stored experience points are insufficient, it can even cause my level to drop."

Lu Qingfeng summarized the information, then tapped the words "Can Evolve" after the Elementary Guide to Alchemy.

Consume 1 experience point to evolve the "Elementary Guide to Alchemy"?

Notice: The player's current level has 0 stored experience points. If evolution is performed, the player's level will fall to Level 0.

The information was identical.

Lu Qingfeng thought it over and chose not to evolve anything.

Yellow Dragon Pills were greatly beneficial to cultivation in the Embryonic Breath Realm, and were rather precious in the early stages. Lu Qingfeng could not afford to waste them.

If his level fell because of evolution, firstly, he had no confidence that he could cultivate back up in a short time. Secondly, he had no more Yellow Dragon Pills to spend.

Sitting cross-legged, Lu Qingfeng continued cultivating the Blazing Sun Scripture.

He had only developed qi sensation and advanced to the first level of the Embryonic Breath Realm after taking four Yellow Dragon Pills. Most of the medicinal power still remained unrefined within him. If he did not cultivate in time, a small portion of that power would sink into the various parts of his body, becoming difficult to excavate.

The other portion would dissipate through his body and be wasted.

As he meditated and cultivated, the Yellow Dragon Pill's effects truly were not weak.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Qingfeng finally refined all the medicinal power within his body that could be unearthed.

His Level 1 experience had also reached 4 points. He would level up again soon.

"Let's use 2 experience points to test the effects of evolution."

Lu Qingfeng opened his eyes and first began evolving the Blazing Sun Scripture.

Consume 1 experience point to evolve the "Blazing Sun Scripture"?

"Yes."

Lu Qingfeng answered silently.

"Blazing Sun Scripture" evolving—

"..."

The experience point was consumed. A golden system prompt box popped up before Lu Qingfeng's eyes, and then there was nothing more. On the status panel, the words "Can Evolve" after the Blazing Sun Scripture had also become "Evolving."

"Is there not enough experience, or is the evolution simply too slow?"

Lu Qingfeng was completely baffled.

"Let's try the Elementary Guide to Alchemy instead."

Consume 1 experience point to evolve the "Elementary Guide to Alchemy"?

"Yes."

"Elementary Guide to Alchemy" evolving—

Just like the Blazing Sun Scripture, the Elementary Guide to Alchemy was stuck at "Evolving."

"This is—"

Lu Qingfeng thought for a moment, then tapped the word "Evolving." A stream of information immediately came to him—

"Blazing Sun Scripture" evolving. Required experience points: 1/10

"Elementary Guide to Alchemy" evolving. Required experience points: 1/10

"So the experience points I invested weren't enough."

Lu Qingfeng understood at once.

With that, he became curious about what the Blazing Sun Scripture and Elementary Guide to Alchemy could become after enough experience points were invested. But even if he added up every experience point he possessed, it still was not enough to complete the evolution of either one.

He could only set it aside for now and silently exit the Primordial World.