The joy of surviving the disaster gradually ebbed. Lin Xuan sprawled on the thick layer of fallen leaves, feeling his heart still beating strongly. Sunlight filtered through the dense woods, casting mottled shadows across his youthful face.
"I'm alive... I really made it..." he murmured, unable to suppress the grin tugging at his lips. If he weren't still covered in dirt and grass, and if his backside didn't still ache, he might have thought that harrowing scene had been nothing but a nightmare.
[Tsk. Host, mind your image.] The system's mocking voice crackled with static at just the right moment. [It was nothing more than a trivial strategic retreat. Don't get carried away. According to my scan, the danger level in your current area has only dropped from "certain death" to "high risk."]
Lin Xuan was in a good mood and couldn't be bothered to argue with the sharp-tongued system. He rolled upright and began carefully checking his condition.
The system's [State Refresh] really was miraculous. The exhaustion and terror he'd felt while facing off against the Unicorn Viper had vanished completely. Now he felt full of energy and strength. More importantly, he had gained a new understanding of how to use the Breath Concealment Technique, and the [Minor Universe Shifting Talisman]—his ultimate lifesaving measure—was in the system space.
"System, show me the main rewards from the beginner's gift pack," Lin Xuan thought. He'd learned what they were in the heat of the moment, but only now had the chance to properly "inspect" them.
[The main rewards have been delivered to the host's sea of consciousness and system space. Please examine them yourself.] The system's reply was brief.
Lin Xuan took a deep breath and focused his mind. The first thing he "looked" at was the cultivation technique called Nine Revolutions Profound Technique.
The instant his consciousness sank into it, an ocean of information surged toward him! It wasn't mere text, but countless abstruse diagrams, Dao Charms, and a profound intent that pointed straight to the source of power. Its opening summary read: "Nine revolutions of the Profound Technique, each a realm unto itself. Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit to Void, Refining Void to Conforming to the Dao... Break through all techniques with strength, attain sainthood through the flesh, emulate Pangu, and prove the Primordial Chaos..."
Each character weighed a thousand catties and radiated an ancient, boundless aura. Just trying to understand the introductory method for the first "revolution" left Lin Xuan dizzy, as if his entire soul were about to be sucked into a vortex of power. The technique was so vast and profound that it was far beyond anything he'd imagined. It wasn't just about absorbing spiritual energy to strengthen the body; it involved transforming and evolving one's bloodline, acupoints, and even the deepest layers of one's cells.
"This... is the technique of the great Pangu?" Lin Xuan was shaken to the core. He even wondered whether his mortal body could really master this heaven-defying technique. No wonder the system's note had said it was "a little hard to cultivate."
[The Nine Revolutions Profound Technique is the foremost body-tempering technique in the Primordial World. Before the Dao Ancestor Hongjun lectured at Zixiao Palace, it was a closely guarded secret.] The system's voice carried a faint trace of reminiscence. [Obtaining this technique is already a heaven-defying opportunity. Whether you can master it depends on your fortune. A friendly reminder: the cultivation process may involve "a little" pain.]
Lin Xuan ignored the system's typically understated "a little pain." He withdrew his consciousness from the technique and turned his attention to the Chaos Bead (incomplete), which seemed to share a faint connection with his soul.
The bead was only about the size of his thumb. It was a murky gray, with fine cracks all over its surface, as if it might shatter at any moment. It floated inconspicuously in a corner of his sea of consciousness. Yet when Lin Xuan touched it with his thoughts, he could sense the existence of a "space."
It was a hazy gray space of about ten cubic meters, empty and seemingly untouched by time. This was the Mustard Seed Space. Information about its ability to "Conceal the Secrets of Heaven" flowed into his mind as well: for now, it could only passively emit a faint aura, confusing the senses and divinations of beings below the Golden Immortal level. If actively triggered, it would be somewhat more effective, but the cost was immense, and its effects on more powerful beings were unknown.
"Even incomplete, it has abilities like these. If only the Chaos Bead were whole..." Lin Xuan couldn't help yearning for it. This was a primordial treasure of chaos, one that could rival the Heaven-Opening Axe and the Jade Plate of Creation!
[The complete Chaos Bead? Host, I suggest setting a smaller goal first, like surviving a month on Buzhou Mountain.] The system mercilessly cut off his daydream.
Lin Xuan gave an awkward smile and put the thought aside. His top priority was to test the two rewards in practice.
First, he tried to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique. Following the introductory method, he struck an extremely awkward pose that nevertheless seemed to accord with a certain Dao Charm. He regulated his breathing and tried to draw in the surrounding, violent Innate Spiritual Energy.
"Hiss—!"
The instant the spiritual energy entered his body, Lin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath! This didn't feel like cultivation at all. It was more like countless red-hot needles piercing every pore before burrowing into his muscles, blood vessels, and bones! Pain surged over him like a tide, ten times more intense than during his earlier, instinctive attempt at cultivation. His body began to shudder uncontrollably, veins bulged across his forehead, and cold sweat soaked his clothes in an instant.
This wasn't cultivation. It was torture!
But he gritted his teeth and endured it through sheer will to survive. He could feel that amid the inhuman pain, a faint but incredibly pure energy was indeed being absorbed by his body, slowly strengthening its tiniest tissues. Progress was slower than a snail's pace, but the effect was real.
After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, Lin Xuan finally couldn't take any more and collapsed to the ground, drenched as if he'd just been dragged from the water. His muscles ached terribly, but a strange sense of fullness came with it. He clenched his fist and felt that his strength really had increased a little.
"This technique... is no way for a human to cultivate..." he panted.
[The Nine Revolutions Profound Technique emulates Pangu's creation of the world, so naturally you must endure the suffering of creation.] The system's voice was cold. [If you can't even bear this little hardship, you might as well find a good burial site and end it yourself, rather than suffer later.]
Lin Xuan: "..." He decided not to stoop to the level of this lousy system.
After resting for a while, he began testing the Chaos Bead's Mustard Seed Space. With a thought, the enormous leaf he'd used to drink water vanished from his hand and appeared in the hazy gray space. Another thought, and it was back in his hand. He could store and retrieve things with a thought—convenient in the extreme!
"Excellent! Now I can store food and water safely and easily!" Lin Xuan was delighted. He immediately put in some wild fruits he'd gathered nearby that looked edible, clean water from the stream, and the sharp stone he'd been using as a weapon. For him, a ten-cubic-meter space was a luxurious storeroom.
Next, he tried the Breath Concealment Technique. As he circulated the technique, his aura quickly withdrew and his presence diminished sharply. He walked over to a tree and even startled a little beast perched on a branch. It glanced uncertainly in his direction, then paid him no further attention.
"Unbelievable! It really is a divine technique tailor-made for a dirty trickster—no, a survival expert!" Lin Xuan was thoroughly pleased. Combined with the Chaos Bead's passive concealment, his chances of survival had improved greatly, as long as he didn't go looking for trouble by approaching the big creatures.
By the time he'd finished, dusk was drawing near. Lin Xuan found a tree hollow, disguised its entrance with stones and branches, and decided to spend the night there. He ate a wild fruit, drank some water, and listened warily for movement outside while maintaining the most basic breathing method of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique.
Night fell over the Primordial World once more beyond the tree hollow, and terrifying roars rang out one after another. This time, though Lin Xuan remained wary, his panic had eased, replaced by a greater sense of security.
The Chaos Bead gave him a way to store things and stay hidden; the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique gave him a path to becoming stronger; and though the system was sharp-tongued, it had come through when it mattered. Together, the three had finally given him a foothold in this danger-ridden Primordial World.
"Tomorrow..." Lin Xuan gazed into the deep darkness outside the hollow, a glint in his eyes. "I'll have to figure out exactly where I am, then keep working on that [Climb Buzhou Mountain] quest."
Only by climbing higher could he see farther—and perhaps earn better rewards from the sign-in system?
Before you continue