Divisions of Realms

"Looks like that's sorted," Shen Bai said, his voice ringing out on the street and snapping the woman in yellow out of her daze.

She recovered, looking a little hesitant, but then gritted her teeth and said, "His arms, which he was cultivating, are completely gone now. He won't go mad again."

"Will he continue cultivating after this?" Shen Bai asked.

The woman in yellow shook her head. "After something like this, even if you gave him ten thousand times the courage, he wouldn't dare to cultivate again."

Shen Bai turned to look and saw that the thin man, apart from his pale face, seemed otherwise normal. There was no blood flowing from where his arms had been severed.

Just then, the thin man stirred, showing signs of gradually waking up.

Shen Bai thought for a moment, then took some silver coins from his pocket and handed them to Yaya.

Yaya looked at the money in her hand, her face filled with alarm.

"When your father wakes up, take him and leave Ascending Cloud County. Start a small business," Shen Bai said.

Even without hands, the situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty meant that many children could distinguish right from wrong and learn how to live at a young age.

When the thin man woke up, he could at least go somewhere else and set up a small stall to make a living.

Yaya clutched the money bag tightly, then suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai was slightly taken aback.

To be honest, this was the first time anyone had kowtowed to him, especially a little girl of five or six.

"Even though Yaya is small, she knows you're not a bad person. You helped Yaya save her father and gave us money. If Yaya can meet you again when she grows up, she'll be willing to be a cow or a horse for you."

Shen Bai came back to his senses, helped Yaya up, and said, "You're a truly sensible child."

Having transmigrated, Shen Bai didn't see himself as some kind of savior.

But this child in front of him reminded him of his previous life.

Back then, without parents, he had been just as resolute as this little girl.

So, Shen Bai gave the silver to Yaya, considering it a final farewell to his past life.

Shen Bai patted Yaya's head, said no more, and turned to look at the woman in yellow.

"Can you still walk?"

The woman in yellow held her hand to her lower abdomen. "I can barely walk, as long as I don't move too strenuously."

"Follow me."

Shen Bai walked forward.

The woman in yellow looked at Shen Bai's back, hesitated slightly, then limped along behind him.

On a deserted, secluded street.

Shen Bai found a rock, and he and the woman in yellow sat down together.

"Name, origin, purpose."

Shen Bai's words were simple, and his purpose was equally simple.

Since he had intervened, it was only natural to get some useful information.

The woman in yellow bit her lower lip, then took a deep breath and said, "Cheng Shuang."

"A disciple of the Five Immortals Sect of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"I'm here on a mission from the sect to capture a traitor."

The Five Immortals Sect?

Shen Bai rubbed his chin. "What's their relationship with the Five Hearts Sect? Wait, Five Immortals, Five Hearts… Could it be that the so-called leader of the Five Hearts Sect is your traitor?"

With just a little thought, Shen Bai figured out the crucial point.

Cheng Shuang was slightly stunned. "You don't know about the Five Immortals Sect? We're a well-known power in Maple Forest Province."

She couldn't quite understand how this person, whose strength was so unfathomable, wouldn't know the ways of the martial world.

"Elaborate," Shen Bai said. "Be as detailed as possible."

He knew nothing.

He had only encountered the other side of the world a few days ago. He was, to put it mildly, a complete novice in all aspects, except for being quite capable in a fight.

Since Cheng Shuang was here, Shen Bai could ask her for details.

Cheng Shuang thought for a moment and said, "The Five Immortals Sect focuses on borrowing the power of the Five Immortals: Fox, Weasel, Hedgehog, Snake, and Rat. We're considered a legitimate power in Maple Forest Province."

"But not long ago, a traitor escaped from the Five Immortals Sect and transformed the sect's cultivation method into a wicked technique."

"He no longer relies on the power of the Five Immortals but cultivates the head and four limbs, calling it the Five Hearts."

"Every so often, his four limbs and head will wither, so he needs to connect with others who also cultivate the Five Hearts Technique."

"The Five Hearts Sect, in reality, was a means for him to prolong his own life."

Cheng Shuang stopped there, not elaborating further.

Shen Bai had already grasped the general idea and thought to himself, "Why does it feel like the Five Immortals Sect's cultivation isn't any more righteous than the Five Hearts Sect's?"

Shen Bai actually had some understanding of what the Five Immortals – Fox, Weasel, Hedgehog, Snake, Rat – specifically were. After all, he'd been there for three months, and he'd heard some curious folk tales.

These Five Immortals were, respectively, the fox, the weasel, the hedgehog, the snake, and the rat.

Borrowing the power of these Five Immortals felt very strange and intriguing to Shen Bai.

Of course, besides that, there was also the Five Hearts Sect.

Cultivating a limb would cause it to detach from the body. If it were the head, like with Old Master Qian, death would likely be instantaneous.

"Are there any leads?" Shen Bai asked.

Cheng Shuang shook her head. "I'm new to the sect, an unfamiliar face, which is why I was sent here to avoid alerting the enemy. Currently, I haven't found any leads."

Shen Bai hummed in acknowledgment.

Cheng Shuang then asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"

She was very curious now because Shen Bai genuinely seemed quite clueless, yet his strength was exceptionally formidable, which intrigued Cheng Shuang.

Shen Bai glanced at Cheng Shuang and said, "Ask what you should ask, and don't ask what you shouldn't."

The corner of Cheng Shuang's mouth twitched slightly.

You can't play like that.

You ask me, I answer.

I ask you, and you refuse to say.

If your strength wasn't so overwhelming, I'd definitely ask a few times if that's fair.

"What is your current cultivation level?" Shen Bai asked again.

Cheng Shuang composed herself and replied, "I am currently in the Dao Repository Realm."

"What is the Dao Repository Realm?" Shen Bai asked again.

Since he was already asking, he might as well get a clear understanding.

Now that he had started, Shen Bai naturally had no intention of holding back.

Cheng Shuang was stunned once more.

She suddenly realized that Shen Bai truly seemed to know nothing.

After much hesitation, Cheng Shuang finally asked, "Are you... perhaps raised by some master who only taught you skills but not the basics?"

There were many strange people in this world, and indeed, some were like that. A martial uncle in the Five Immortals Sect had such a quirk, which was why Cheng Shuang made this guess.

Shen Bai nodded. "That's precisely it."

Since the other person had already guessed, he simply went along with it.

Cheng Shuang thought for a moment, then pointed to her Dantian. "The Dao Repository Realm is the first stage for cultivators. This place is a treasure for us, which is why it's called the Dao Repository."

"The special energy cultivated is called Qi. When the Qi fills the Dantian, that's the peak of the Dao Repository Realm."

"After that, comes the Three Treasures Realm."

Cheng Shuang paused slightly at this point.

Shen Bai's eyes showed increasing interest.

This realm was vastly different from the novels he had read in his previous life, piquing his curiosity.

Cheng Shuang, feeling helpless, could only continue.

"The so-called Three Treasures are Essence, Qi, and Spirit."