Stealing Heaven's Secret

Three months later.

Midsummer.

The blazing sun was like fire, scorching the earth. Across the boundless Black Stone Desert, heat waves rolled like stormy seas.

The pockmarked basin of the Red Fire Mine!

High walls surrounded it, security was tight, and the ground was densely packed with honeycomb-like black mine shafts.

The mine slaves were barely clothed. Enduring the blazing sun and the overseers' whips without any protective measures, they scurried in and out like rats, digging and hauling raw Red Fire Stone.

Deep within one mine tunnel, inside a hidden underground cavern.

It was dry and dim, steeped in ancient solitude.

Within a cavern spanning fifty zhang.

The only source of light was the fist-sized strange stones embedded throughout the walls, their hazy crimson glow like cascading blood, making the entire cavern resemble a rakshasa demon hall.

At the center of the cavern was an Earth Abyss several zhang wide, sheer and vertical without any slope, its depths hidden in darkness. Any ordinary person who leaned over to look would have their heart pound and their legs turn to jelly.

Exhale!

Inhale!

Heavy breathing, like rolling thunder and imbued with a wondrous rhythm, suddenly rang out in the cavern, shattering the long-standing silence.

Before the bottomless abyss!

Wu Dao braced his right fist against the ground, one hand behind his back, facing the abyss. His tiger-like eyes stared straight into the darkness that seemed capable of swallowing all things. His body was as straight as a great spear as he rapidly performed one-armed handstand push-ups in a manner terrifying enough to kill anyone afraid of heights.

Within the crimson, blood-like gloom.

The gaunt, withered body from three months ago was now covered in even, rock-hard muscle. It was not especially bulky, yet it was vigorous and lean, like a black panther in the forest.

As his right arm lowered and rose.

The wire-twisted muscles all over his body continuously bulged and tightened, dragons and serpents rising from the land, displaying the most primal and pure beauty of savagery.

As the heavy breathing grew increasingly rhythmic.

Wu Dao completely entered the zone. His rising and falling quickened, veins sprang up over his body, and his heart pounded like a great drum. His internal and external organs vibrated to the rhythm of his breathing as though motors had been installed within them.

Exhale—

Inhale—

After another dozen or so repetitions.

Wu Dao's face was twisted like a demon's, no longer looking human in the slightest.

The endurance of his bones, internal organs, and muscle fibers was gradually approaching its limit. The frequency of his body's vibrations began to weaken, and even his straight body slowly showed signs of falling toward the abyss below.

If he fell.

What awaited him would certainly be total destruction, with no chance of redemption!

At such a moment, teetering on death's edge.

Not only did his bodily tissues have to endure terrifying pressure, but his mental will was also subjected to immense torment.

Yet even in the face of a situation where he could meet a bitter end at any moment.

Wu Dao showed not the slightest fear or hesitation. He only clenched his teeth tightly. There was an eerie clarity in his pupils, as though the life or death of this body had nothing to do with him. He was terrifyingly calm!

Forty-one, forty-two...

The target drew ever closer.

Wu Dao's movements grew slower and slower. His blood vessels, tendons, and muscles swelled and reddened from the vibrations as if boiled. It seemed that at the next instant, he would explode into a pool of flesh and blood.

Fifty!

Boom!

Using his last shred of strength to control the direction of his fall, Wu Dao's heavy body smashed hard onto the edge of the Earth Abyss, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Huff, huff, huff~

Rapid, greedy breaths sounded from the cold, filthy mud.

Wu Dao's swollen, reddened muscles gradually returned to their normal color, and his drum-like heart slowly calmed as well. His tiger eyes narrowed slightly, as though waiting for something.

A few seconds later.

The spring breeze rose.

Ice and snow melted; after bitterness came sweetness.

Streams of warmth surged from the depths of his sore, burning, agonized body. They rapidly healed his internal organs, tendons, and bones, rebuilt torn muscle fibers, and made him feel as comfortable as if he had returned to the womb.

Unfortunately.

The process did not last long.

A few seconds later, the marvelous warm currents were completely drained away. His body, which had shown faint signs of rebirth and transformation, unwillingly fell back to its original state.

Wu Dao had apparently expected this. No disappointment showed on his face. With a thought, a crude data panel appeared in his mind—

[Physique: Expert Realm (Mastery)]

[Supernatural: Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique (35% Potential Liberation)]

[Evolution Point: None.]

His consciousness focused on the 35% progress, which had not moved for a month. Wu Dao unwillingly licked his dry lips after the intense exercise, a trace of helplessness appearing in his eyes.

Although the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique could hypnotize the brain, unlock the human body's protective mechanisms, and enable one to attain the perfect states of "subduing one's own heart" and Unity of Heaven and Man.

In that state, a person's mind and body could ignore the threat of death and carry out all manner of extreme, perilous exercises beyond human limits without resistance, stimulating and developing the body's dormant potential.

But the core of Stealing Heaven's Secret was the "Myriad Healing Fluid" generated when the body's cells and internal and external organs vibrated at a special breathing frequency during Extreme Training.

This miraculous substance, named by Wu Dao, could rapidly repair bodily tissues damaged after intense training.

It rapidly rebuilt muscle fibers, strengthened cells, forged iron into steel, pushed the human body beyond its limits, and brought an overall sublimation and transformation of physical qualities in a short time.

As for the source of the Myriad Healing Fluid.

It was not meditation, nor breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, or the essences of sun and moon, but the food the human body consumed every day.

Yes, food.

The higher the nutritional value of the food, the higher the quality and greater the quantity of Myriad Healing Fluid produced.

Simply put!

The further one's Potential Liberation progressed and the stronger one's physique became, the higher the quality of food required!

"After 35% Potential Liberation is where the human body truly begins to shatter its limits. But with my current diet, I simply cannot obtain enough nutrients to produce Myriad Healing Fluid!"

Wu Dao frowned slightly. Three months of black potatoes and filthy water made him nauseous just thinking about it.

The Red Fire Mine was unquestionably an illegal mine.

The mine slaves were all pitiful people whom Four Seas Gang members had deceived or forcibly abducted from all over. They had not the slightest human rights or dignity. If they were worked or beaten to death, their corpses were simply tossed into the mine tunnels. Their lives were cheaper than ants!

Under such circumstances, let alone eating well, being able to eat one's fill every day was already fortunate.

Over the past three months.

Had Wu Dao not been ruthless enough to snatch food from other mine slaves every day, let alone raising his physique to the human limit, it would have been a miracle if he had not starved to death.

However, Black Potato Slop was ultimately coarse fare, with pitifully little nutrition!

During the early stages of cultivating Stealing Heaven's Secret, Wu Dao could barely make do by relying on his abundant experience from his previous life.

But after reaching 35%, when it came time to truly break the first shackle of limits, he had to eat meat and fish every day, with a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, for the human body to produce enough Myriad Healing Fluid to break the first shackle!

Otherwise.

No matter how mature Wu Dao's theoretical knowledge was, even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice!

"If I do not truly break past my limits, my physique cannot transform. I will remain in the Mortal Realm, and the hope of escaping will be vanishingly small."

Wu Dao's gaze was dark and distant, and a greater sense of urgency rose within him.

This world was not some simple ancient-style feudal civilization.

He did not know what lay beyond, for there was too little information, and he had inherited no memories.

Just within the Red Fire Mine alone.

From Wu Dao's observations, even an ordinary whip-wielding overseer possessed a physique no weaker than his current self, who had liberated 35% of his potential and entered the Expert Realm.

Expert Realm!

Everyone in this realm possessed overall physical qualities comparable to the world-renowned strongmen, heavyweight boxing champions, and top athletes from Wu Dao's previous life, before Stealing Heaven's Secret became widespread!

The physical fitness of a mere overseer was already this absurd!

Not to mention the truly armed guards standing atop the high walls around the mine, or the higher-ups controlling the Red Fire Mine!

Seeing the whole from a single part!

The terrifying scale of supernatural power in this world was plain to see.

Because of this.

Wu Dao had long since put away his arrogance and contempt. He endured without revealing himself, only accumulating strength in secret and searching for opportunities to break the deadlock.

"Difficult, difficult, difficult! With the Red Fire Mine's guards, unless I liberate 45% of my potential and enter the Beast King Realm, gaining Tiger-Bear Strength and Leopard-Antelope Speed, I will have no chance to break the situation through force!"

Wu Dao's thoughts raced as countless plans unfolded in his mind.

At the same time.

He also focused on the strange Attribute Panel within his sea of consciousness, which had most likely given him this chance to start over.

A golden finger.

It was something he had fantasized about countless times before creating Stealing Heaven's Secret in his previous life, yet it had truly descended upon him in this life.

But how to activate it had become an unsolved problem that had kept him awake night after night for the past three months.

"Huff~ If it exists, it must have a use. Perhaps the time has simply not come?"

Wu Dao let out a long breath and stopped dwelling on it.

His experience of creating a method alone in the Dharma-ending era of his previous life had forged his self-reliant nature. If external aid existed, he would use it; if it did not, he would strengthen himself. It made no difference to him.

"Five days from now, the mine gates will open to transport raw ore out. If I can blend into the ore transport convoy, perhaps that will be an opportunity!"

His gaze sharpened. Wu Dao had already made his decision and no longer wasted energy indulging in wild imaginings.

He stood and put on a loose, filthy, foul-smelling black garment, concealing his lean, compact muscles and returning to the appearance of a frail, scrawny man.

Only then did Wu Dao begin digging out the raw Red Fire Stone embedded in the cavern walls.

Bolstered by an Expert Realm physique, he chopped with an axe and pried with a chisel. Sparks flew, and metallic clanging echoed.

In a little over ten minutes, the bamboo basket was full.

Wu Dao did not linger. He slipped out of the cavern, covered the entrance with a stone slab, then bent low and crawled through the short, dark mine tunnel toward the surface.

He had discovered the cavern by accident a few days after his rebirth. It contained a large quantity of raw Red Fire Stone, allowing him to easily complete his daily mining quota.

That was why he had been able to save so much time to secretly cultivate Stealing Heaven's Secret and strengthen himself.

Clang, clang, clang!

Clang, clang, clang!

After passing through a low side passage, the sharp, noisy sounds of iron striking stone grew loud.

Wu Dao straightened his back and looked ahead. In the broad, pitch-black mine passage, a soybean-oil lamp stood every so often, casting a dim yellow glow.

Beneath the weak light.

Mine slaves with numb expressions, thin as monkeys, used the most primitive axes, hammers, chisels, and hoes to dig like moles into the surrounding walls for Red Fire Stone hidden in the earth and rock.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the roof of a corner behind them collapsed. The miner there died on the spot without even managing a cry.

Wu Dao stopped in his tracks.

He was not the only one.

The mine tunnel, which had been filled with endless clanging, abruptly sank into an eerie deathly silence.

Then.

No panic or chaos followed.

Before and behind him.

Pairs of chilling eyes, like those of hungry wolves, stared fixedly at the unlucky man's corpse.

At this sight.

Wu Dao was reminded again of what he had experienced on the night of his rebirth.

Gulp~

The sound of swallowing saliva rang out across the darkness.

"Humans are animals in the end."

Wu Dao gave them an indifferent glance, seeing only a pack of hyenas feeding on carrion. His heart remained utterly unmoved as he strode toward the exit.