Manifestation of All Laws

"System, exchange 20,000 Merit Points for Awakening Time!"

"Exchange successful. Awakening Time countdown: 20, 19, 18..."

The moment Awakening Time began, the scene before Shen Zhui's eyes turned illusory, as if he were no longer trapped in a cell but adrift in a hazy, chaotic space.

He felt an indescribable relaxation, as though all worries had dissolved. His mind went blank, and he instinctively dropped the straw in his hand.

This ethereal sensation was completely different from Enlightenment Time.

Enlightenment Time was like a drowning man suddenly learning to lift his head above the water.

Awakening Time, however, was an invisible, overwhelming force that pulled the entire person out of the water, breaking free from the sea of suffering.

"Buzz~"

A faint hum echoed in his mind. In that hazy space, a figure suddenly appeared.

The figure looked exactly like Shen Zhui, but radiated a sense of vitality.

He held an iron ruler and wore silver armor, as if he were an independent entity, yet somehow intricately connected to the original body.

Enlightenment Time revealed one's flaws, exposing the shortcomings within.

Awakening Time, Manifestation of All Laws, pointed the way forward.

A Shen Zhui who had mastered the 'Unity of Heaven and Man' Ruler Technique began to demonstrate before him.

"Nine Layers of Iron Ruler" consisted of eighteen forms, with six core techniques—thrust, stab, chop, smash, pierce, and lift—each with three variations.

Every move could be combined and executed in countless ways, with endless possibilities.

After three years of hard training, Shen Zhui knew these eighteen forms by heart. But watching this virtual version of himself perform them felt entirely different.

This was a teacher who shared the same body, realm, and movement, yet had perfected the Ruler Technique.

Unlike real-world instruction from others, in this virtual space, every move and action felt as if he himself were performing them.

Awakening Time gave him two perspectives: one where he practiced in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, imprinting every movement into his mind.

The other allowed him to observe and summarize from an outsider's viewpoint.

Cross-referencing the two, Shen Zhui quickly understood the path to Unity of Heaven and Man!

In the cell, Shen Zhui stood still with his eyes closed, motionless like a statue.

If anyone had been in the same room, they would have noticed that even his heartbeat and breathing had become incredibly rhythmic.

Yet Shen Zhui felt as though he had spent an eternity in that illusory space, though in reality, only a single breath had passed.

When he opened his eyes, vitality surged. His heartbeat and breathing spiked like a volcanic eruption. His entire being unified spirit and energy, reaching a peak state in an instant!

"Hoo~"

He picked up a straw and began to move within the cell.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

Shadows flickered into existence. The straw seemed to merge with him, its light causing his shadow on the wall to blur into a single mass.

With Shen Zhui at the center, wherever the straw swept, everything was shrouded in phantom shadows.

This was the unique 'Momentum' of a Major Accomplishment Realm technique.

But now, with Awakening Time, his movements were entirely different from before.

In the past, when he practiced, the weapon was a lifeless object, offering no special sensation. But now, Shen Zhui felt as though the weapon in his hand had come alive.

A subtle yet profound force seemed to touch his weapon with a unique rhythm, resonating with his every move.

What was the Power of Heaven and Earth? It was the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy!

Everything in the world, with every action, caused ripples in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

But Houtian Martial Artists were too weak to detect it, let alone harness it.

In contrast, Xiantian Masters stored Xiantian Spiritual Energy in their dantian, giving them a source to guide them. They could easily draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth, absorbing and storing it.

This was the fundamental gap between the Houtian and Xiantian realms.

Previously, when Shen Zhui's technique reached Major Accomplishment, the Momentum of his iron ruler's phantom shadows was fierce, domineering, and murderous.

It looked powerful, but it was like a child banging on eighteen different instruments at once—loud and chaotic, yet utterly disordered.

But now, as Shen Zhui sensed the changes in his weapon, reflecting the scene from the virtual space, he began to grasp a hint of rhythm.

He slowly controlled the changes in Momentum, organizing the chaotic notes into a simple melody.

As the melody formed, the mysterious experience deepened, as if a barrier had been broken through. At the same time, the invisible force became clearer.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

Earlier, when Shen Zhui practiced the Ruler Technique, the narrow cell was filled with flying weeds and swirling dust.

But as he adjusted again and again, gradually touching the threshold of 'Unity of Heaven and Man,' everything changed completely!

Driven by the invisible force, the weeds no longer flew in disorder. The dust strangely formed a small tornado, circling around Shen Zhui.

Immersed in this wondrous state, Shen Zhui was completely unaware of these changes, simply following the exhilarating sensation and striving to make the notes more melodious.

Because he had discovered that when he controlled the 'Momentum' and played more orderly notes, this exhilarating feeling deepened.

Though he had clearly left the virtual space, he felt his mind dancing and spreading beyond the cell.

This sensation kept intensifying; his weapon was no longer just the three-foot-long grass stalk, but the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy within this entire space!

"Thump!" "Clang!"

Suddenly, dull sounds came from the railing and iron door.

At first, they were faint, but gradually grew louder.

Scratches appeared on the iron door, while the wooden railing was chipped into flying splinters.

These sounds carried a certain rhythm, waking prisoners in nearby cells.

"Where's that noise coming from?"

"What's happening?"

"Someone breaking us out?"

"How could it be a jailbreak? This is the county jail!"

"Damn bastards! Can't a man get some sleep!"

"... "

The commotion grew, waves of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy like soldiers charging on command, sweeping away all obstacles as their master willed.

As Shen Zhui's control expanded and the Power of Heaven and Earth he drew grew stronger, the prisoners in adjacent cells could barely breathe under the pressure.

"Xiantian Spiritual Energy?! My god! Is there a Xiantian Master locked up next to me?!"

"What the hell is this? Why would a Xiantian Master be jailed with us!"

"I can't... breathe... help! Help!"

This ruckus, mixed with the prisoners' boiling clamor, finally alerted the constables guarding the jail.

Hearing the noise, the constables clutched the long knives at their waists and hurried down the steps.

They banged on the iron door with torches, warning, "Quiet! Quiet! What's all the fuss?"

The constables naturally didn't think of a jailbreak. Usually, when well-fed martial artists were locked up and complained about the poor food, a few lashes would make them obedient.

But this time was different. Dozens of lashes didn't quiet the noise; instead, it spread like wildfire.

"Scarface, what's going on? Is someone really trying to break in?" a younger constable asked, growing uneasy.

"Bullshit! Don't scare yourself!" the older constable, nicknamed Scarface for the scar on his face, barked sharply.

But his heart was uneasy too. As a seventh-stage Houtian Martial Artist, he felt it more keenly than others. The pitch-black jail brought an inexplicable, oppressive force that made him tremble.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Loud crashes came from deep in the jail, as if someone was slamming the iron door, each blow hammering at their hearts, unbearably painful.

Scarface's expression changed.

"Go report to Steward Liu, and have them seal the dungeon exit."

"Yes." The young constable, already chilled with fear, hurried away.

"Damn... could some blind fool really be trying to escape?" Drawing his long knife and lighting a torch, Scarface headed toward the source of the noise.

County office, main hall.

County Magistrate Wei Wenhe was studying a map, with Wang Long, the head of the Martial Arts Department, and Zhao Hu standing beside him.

"...You're saying the Li family might have a hideout on Phoenix Mountain Ridge, a hundred li away?"

At the magistrate's question, Zhao Hu quickly replied, "It's just a guess, sir. Earlier, the department head ordered us to watch the movements of the Li and Yang Families' merchant caravans. I noticed a caravan of about a hundred people would regularly take large amounts of supplies and head to Phoenix Mountain Ridge in batches."

"When they came back to the families' territories, they'd be a new group of unfamiliar faces, but the number stayed around a hundred."

"I sent people to mingle and ask around, but these folks were tight-lipped, never saying what the supplies were. I only know they'd return with more horses and Silver Taels. To avoid alerting them, I didn't dare intercept and check, so I can't verify what they traded. It's just a guess."

Wei Wenhe didn't turn around, his whole body seeming shrouded in a haze, leaving only a tall silhouette.

He kept staring at the map, and when Zhao Hu finished, he just waved his hand.

"Mm, noted. You may go."

"Yes." Zhao Hu said respectfully.

After Zhao Hu withdrew, Wei Wenhe studied the map a while longer before turning. The haze cleared, revealing a face that looked surprisingly young.

Far from the rumored image of a dignified elder, Wei Wenhe appeared more like a delicate, handsome scholar.

"Junior Brother, what do you think?"

Wang Long pondered a moment, then said, "Phoenix Mountain Ridge is a gathering place for mountain folk to trade. Merchant caravans often go there to sell goods. It's hard to judge the truth of this."

Wei Wenhe waved his hand, about to say something, when his expression suddenly changed.

"Junior Brother, what's wrong?" Wang Long asked, noticing his shift.

Wei Wenhe's expression relaxed, and he laughed heartily. "Come, Senior Brother, let's go to the county jail. It's good news."

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