Swift Shadow Rabbit

Ling Tian stared in disbelief, wondering when his father had become so "kind." Could it be another scheme? Ling Yun had put him through so much over the past few years that he was thoroughly wary of him. After turning it over in his mind without finding an answer, he gave up and went to his bedroom.

When he returned to his bedroom, he found a pile of books. He glanced through them: Introduction to Cultivation, The Complete Guide to Formations, Essentials of Alchemy, Qin Xiao Music Score, Fundamentals of Weapon Refining, Yao Beast Miscellaneous Talk, The Differences Between Demonic Buddhists and Dao Cultivators, The Pleasures of Chess, and so on. They covered all sorts of subjects.

Ling Tian saw that the words in the books were handwritten, the brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes. One look told him that Ling Yun had written them himself. Apparently, Ling Yun had copied them from jade slips, since Ling Tian hadn't yet cultivated spiritual awareness and couldn't read directly from a jade slip. He had copied them especially to make them easier for Ling Tian to read.

At the thought, warmth filled Ling Tian's heart. He knew his father did care for him. His father was strict about cultivation only because he wanted to lay a solid foundation for him and carve him into a piece of fine jade.

He casually picked up Introduction to Cultivation and began reading. Ling Tian couldn't cultivate Dao arts or spiritual energy, so he had always yearned for such things. He flipped through the pages at random, but in moments the contents had drawn him in completely, and he couldn't tear himself away.

The book wasn't very thick, only a little over two hundred pages. Ling Tian read it carefully and finished it in just one hour, memorizing everything.

The book gave a general introduction to the stages before the Golden Core Realm, along with some cultivation methods and things to keep in mind.

Cultivation began with opening the sea of qi in the dantian, which would later evolve into the Violet Palace. After opening the sea of qi came the three stages of Qi Refining, Qi Condensation, and Qi Solidification.

Each of these three stages was divided into thirty-six levels, for a total of one hundred and eight. Once someone reached the thirty-sixth level of the Qi Solidification Stage, they could attempt to form a Golden Core. Successfully forming one marked their entry through the true gateway to cultivation.

Ling Tian followed the instructions in the book, sat cross-legged, and formed a hand seal, wanting to see if he could open the sea of qi in his dantian. He focused his mind on sensing the spiritual energy around him. After a moment, he felt that the air was filled with countless tiny particles of energy. He then used his mind to guide them toward his body.

Thanks to all those years of "cultivation," Ling Tian's mental strength was formidable. According to Ling Yun, if measured by the standards of cultivating Dao arts and spiritual energy, Ling Tian's Mental Cultivation should already have reached the Qi Condensation Stage. This was astonishing. Ordinary people only reached that level after cultivating for more than ten, or even twenty, years. He had reached it in just a few years, without even practicing Dao arts.

Relying on his powerful mind, Ling Tian drew all the tiny particles of energy swiftly toward his body, and in moments he had absorbed them. Then, following the instructions in the book, he tried to guide the particles along a set course through his meridians.

But strangely, the moment those tiny particles entered his body, they slipped out of his control. An inexplicable energy within him swiftly devoured them, and they stopped obeying him. No matter what he did, they wouldn't follow the route he intended.

He tried again and again, but even after Ling Tian's mind could no longer take it and he fainted, he still hadn't succeeded. His body had never completed its first circulation, let alone opened the sea of qi.

The next day, Ling Tian slowly woke up, his head splitting with pain. Clearly, yesterday's attempt had drained his mental strength. It had taken a full night's rest for him to recover somewhat.

"Could it really be that my meridians are blocked? Otherwise, why wouldn't the energy particles obey me and travel through my meridians?" Ling Tian wondered. He then remembered the test of his Innate Attribute back at Qingyun Peak. Green Cloud Master had said that he had some kind of Congenital Meridian Blockage.

He had wanted to try again, but then he remembered that he was supposed to go out with his mother today. Judging by the sound of it, this "playing" probably wouldn't be so easy. After thinking it over, he decided to give up and try again when he got back that night.

Ling Tian left his bedroom and went out into the courtyard, where he saw that Ling Yun and Humei had arrived some time ago. Ling Yun wore a sly grin. He must have known Ling Tian would try cultivating, and copied that book for him on purpose.

"Good morning, Father and Mother," Ling Tian said, bowing.

"Good morning, Tian'er. Did you sleep well last night?" Ling Yun asked. There was a hint of a grin in his expression, no matter how Ling Tian looked at it.

"Just fine, just fine," Ling Tian answered hurriedly. He was clever, too, and knew exactly why his father had that sly smile on his face.

"Good. Since you slept well, you can go play with your mother today," Ling Yun said, secretly laughing to himself.

"Yes," Ling Tian replied respectfully.

So Humei took Ling Tian away, leaving only Ling Yun's hearty laughter behind.

"Mother, how are we going to train today?" Ling Tian asked curiously after they left the courtyard. He knew Humei couldn't bear to demand that he train the way Ling Yun did.

"Chirp, chirp," Humei chirped, her fox eyes brimming with amusement.

"We're not training, just playing?" Ling Tian stared in disbelief. His mother's approach to his training was worlds apart from his father's.

Humei said nothing, only looked at Ling Tian. Her expression left no room for doubt.

Ling Tian was full of suspicion, but Humei wouldn't say anything, so he had no choice but to follow her.

Humei moved quickly, and Ling Tian had to jog just to keep up. They walked for a quarter of an hour before she finally stopped.

"Mother, what are we doing now?" Ling Tian asked, at a loss as he saw that Humei had led him to a grove of lush, verdant trees.

"Chirp, chirp." Humei looked at a few gray rabbits among the trees and chirped.

"Catch rabbits? Mother, we really are playing! Hehe, I knew you were the best!" Ling Tian exclaimed delightedly, unable to resist giving Humei a few kisses.

Humei's tender expression deepened, though a hint of slyness gleamed in her eyes. She chirped a few times.

"Today's task is to catch ten rabbits? That's too easy! Mother, I'm off!" Ling Tian said, then headed into the grove. When he ran along the ancient road, he often climbed trees and leaped around with his monkey friends. He considered himself nimble, so catching a few rabbits should be simple.

What Ling Tian didn't know was that behind him, the slyness in Humei's eyes had only deepened.

Ling Tian charged toward the rabbits in the grove, swooping at them like an eagle diving from the sky, swift as the wind and fierce as fire. He was astonishingly fast. But to his surprise, there was a hint of disdain in the rabbits' eyes.

Ling Tian was furious. He'd actually been looked down on by a bunch of little rabbits! He kicked off hard with both legs and curled his hands into eagle claws, pushing his speed up another notch. Just as his hands were about to grab a rabbit, a streak of gray flashed past. Before Ling Tian could react, the rabbits had all escaped.

"Caught you! Got you!" Ling Tian cried excitedly, apparently not realizing what had happened.

"Huh? Where's the rabbit? I clearly caught it." Ling Tian stared at his hands in confusion. He had definitely caught a "rabbit" just now.

"Could it be that what I caught was only the rabbit's afterimage? Then how fast must these rabbits be?" Ling Tian had heard Ling Yun say that once someone reached a certain speed, they could leave afterimages, but that required incredible speed.

"Chirp, chirp." Humei gave a soft chirp, her smile growing wider.

"So it really was an afterimage. Looks like I underestimated these rabbits." Ling Tian muttered to himself, then reached for a few nearby rabbits.

Though Ling Tian was better prepared this time, the same thing happened. His hands still caught only afterimages. Unwilling to give up, he tried a few more times, but the result didn't change.

"Huh? How can this be?" Ling Tian was starting to get annoyed.

Most infuriating of all, the rabbits didn't even run far. They hopped all around him, and one even winked at him, taunting him outright.

"Just you wait, you stinking rabbit. When I catch you, you'll be sorry." Ling Tian's little face flushed. A rabbit had actually mocked him. Who could stand for that?

With that, he lunged for the rabbits again, moving even faster and with even greater force.

Crack!

Ling Tian went too hard and couldn't stop in time. He crashed straight into a small tree, snapping its branches and breaking its trunk. The impact left him seeing stars. He swayed to his feet, his little face redder than ever, clearly mortified and furious.

"Chirp, chirp!" Humei was so delighted she covered her mouth with both hands. She knew that with Ling Tian's body, he'd be fine even if he hit a rock, let alone a small tree.

"Mother, you're laughing at me too." Ling Tian stuck out his lower lip, his little face full of displeasure.

"Chirp, chirp!" Humei narrowed her fox eyes and jumped onto Ling Tian's shoulder, clearly trying to explain that she wasn't laughing at him.

But with her fox eyes narrowed like that, her explanation was utterly unconvincing.

"What kind of rabbits are these? How can they be so fast? And how can they still be so nimble at that speed? It's incredible." Ling Tian glanced at Humei, who was smiling at him, and could only sigh helplessly. He changed the subject, lowered his head in thought, and began muttering to himself.

"Chirp, chirp!" Seeing Ling Tian lost in thought, Humei stopped teasing him and chirped.

"Swift Shadow Rabbits? That certainly suits them." Ling Tian's expression turned serious as he listened to Humei. Clearly, he was thinking about how to catch the rabbits and get his revenge.

He was furious. He had Humei hop down from his shoulder and tried to catch the Swift Shadow Rabbits again. As expected, the attempt ended in failure.

"I'm not as fast as the Swift Shadow Rabbits, and I'm not as nimble. On top of that, we're in a forest full of trees and grass, so they have the home-field advantage. What am I supposed to do?" Ling Tian began weighing the Swift Shadow Rabbits' strengths, only to realize that he didn't seem to have any advantages he could use.

"Chirp, chirp!" Seeing that Ling Tian was at a loss, Humei prompted him from the side.

"Take off the Black Gold Cold Silkworm Clothes? Hmm, I've worn them so long I really did forget."

Ling Tian had never taken off the Black Gold Cold Silkworm Clothes since putting them on. They had become like a part of his body, so it was only natural that he wouldn't think of removing them. He set about taking them off and tossed them aside. When the clothes hit the ground, they landed with a heavy thud, leaving a small dent in the earth.

"Ah, it feels so good to take these clothes off!" Ling Tian suddenly felt lighter, and the comfort made him let out a long breath.

He didn't hurry to chase the Swift Shadow Rabbits. He just stretched his arms, kicked his legs, and twisted his head from side to side. His bones immediately creaked and ground against one another as he adjusted to his suddenly light and agile body.

"My body feels so much lighter. My speed should be more than twice as fast now." It took about ten minutes for Ling Tian to get used to it. Only then did he stop and turn toward the rabbits, his expression growing unfriendly.

As if sensing the change in Ling Tian, the rabbits stopped playing around, their expressions turning serious as they put aside their contempt. Clearly, the Swift Shadow Rabbits had been teasing Ling Tian before and hadn't taken him seriously at all.

Whoosh!

Ling Tian shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, moving so fast the air whistled around him. He locked onto the Swift Shadow Rabbit that had mocked him and pounced. An afterimage slowly faded behind him as he sped away.

"Let's see you escape now, heh heh." Ling Tian's little face was full of Killing Intent.

Bam!

Ling Tian couldn't stop in time and crashed into yet another tree, snapping it in half. The Swift Shadow Rabbit had already fled far away.

"Ow, that hurts!"

This time Ling Tian had been moving even faster, so he hit the tree even harder. Even with his tough body, he couldn't help crying out in pain again and again.

Humei stopped standing by and leaped over to gently stroke Ling Tian, her face full of worry and concern.

"Hehe, Mother, don't worry. I'm fine." Ling Tian sprang to his feet with a kip-up and even jumped a few times to show Humei he was all right.

"Chirp, chirp!" Seeing that Ling Tian was fine, Humei chirped a few times.

"That's right. I'm fast enough now, but I just took off the Black Gold Cold Silkworm Clothes, so I still can't control my body properly. And I'm not as nimble as the Swift Shadow Rabbits." Ling Tian seemed to be replying to Humei, though he also sounded as if he were talking to himself. A trace of dejection showed on his face.

"I'd better get used to my sudden burst of speed in this grove first." Ling Tian's dejected expression vanished, replaced by determination.

"Mother, you go back first. I'll be fine on my own." Ling Tian didn't want Humei to worry about him.

"Chirp, chirp!" Humei seemed to understand his determination and good intentions. She hesitated as if she had something to say, but seeing how resolute Ling Tian looked, she had no choice but to head back. Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind him.

"Yes, I know, Mother. I'll be back before dark," Ling Tian said, watching Humei leave.

"Looks like I'll have to play with you little rabbits properly today, heh heh." Once Humei was gone, Ling Tian's little face changed, and he deliberately put on a murderous expression.

"Chirp, chirp!" The Swift Shadow Rabbits weren't intimidated in the slightest. They chirped at him, looking thoroughly amused. Clearly, they knew Ling Tian couldn't do anything to them.

"Hmph, you..." Before he could finish, Ling Tian lunged forward, trying to catch the Swift Shadow Rabbits that had been mocking him by surprise.

"Chirp." The Swift Shadow Rabbits were ready for him. They scattered in every direction and circled him from a distance.

"I'm so mad, ah..."

Ling Tian was on the verge of losing it. He pushed his speed to the limit, and quite a few more trees around him paid the price.

The sun slowly climbed into the sky, casting down countless rays of light. Ling Tian had been trying nonstop to catch the rabbits since early morning, and two hours had already passed. Even with his physique, he was starting to struggle with the exertion.

After another failed attempt, Ling Tian stopped helplessly, panting hard. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, pouring down like rain.

"Phew, looks like this isn't working," Ling Tian sighed under his breath.

"Gurgle!" Just then, his stomach rumbled. It couldn't take it anymore and had begun to revolt.

"Let's eat first. I'll figure something out after," Ling Tian said, then headed toward the trees around them. The woods there were dense and lush, so there were bound to be plenty of fruit trees.

Over the years, Ling Tian had also gained plenty of experience surviving in the wilderness. He'd learned a lot from playing with the monkeys and birds, so he knew by heart which fruits were edible and which were poisonous.

Strangely, when the rabbits saw Ling Tian going to look for fruit, they scattered too. They were probably hungry as well and had gone looking for food. It was anyone's guess whether they would come back.