Escape to Safety

A sharp claw pierced his heart, then slowly pulled back out.

The heart was still fresh, twitching mechanically now and then.

That claw was familiar. Mo Jingxian had seen it on Kashima Chuwa.

He had even fought against it. He couldn't mistake it: it was the claw formed after "Satori" transformed.

This one was just a little smaller, with bone a much paler white. There was no mistaking it.

Long Yunzhi's expression froze. He lowered his head in disbelief.

For the first time, he saw his own heart.

Mo Jingxian had never seen so many emotions cross someone's face. They all played out in the briefest moment.

Confusion, resentment, bewilderment, and, at the very end, even the faintest trace of relief.

Long Yunzhi was dead.

He had died at Muku's hands.

The child Long Yunzhi had repeatedly used to threaten Mui.

Long Yunzhi hadn't even had time to say a word. His mouth was still open.

The world's countless schemes intertwined, and he, too, had been unable to escape the crucible.

Long Yunzhi's death had come so casually, wholly unworthy of his ambition.

"Father, I'm sorry! I..."

Muku clutched the heart in his hands. Like a child who had done something wrong, the first thing he thought to do was—

beg his father for forgiveness.

"Don't blame yourself. This is your power. It isn't a monster."

Right before Mo Jingxian, a scene of fatherly love and filial devotion suddenly unfolded. The abrupt change of scene caught him off guard.

There were still secrets he knew nothing about, but he no longer cared to learn them.

The ending was clear: Mui and his son had come out on top.

Long Yunzhi had prided himself on his intelligence and far-reaching plans, but he had never escaped the grand design Mui had laid out for him.

So the outcome had long been decided.

"Satori" was unique. That much was true.

That child, Muku... had already become the real "Satori."

Mo Jingxian had been keeping part of his attention on the panel all along.

The moment Long Yunzhi fell, the final rule naturally entered his body.

The rules were now complete.

The name displayed on the panel changed from Mo Jingxian to "Pseudo-Satori."

Now everything that had happened before made sense.

Mui had been using the Box of Ultimate Bliss to raise "Satori," while also getting Long Yunzhi killed in the process.

As for why he still hadn't acted against Mo Jingxian, he probably thought there was no need.

At that moment, Mo Jingxian felt an urge to submit.

If Muku weren't so young and still waiting to become a true "Satori," Mo Jingxian might already have been kneeling at his feet.

"Satori" possessed rule-like dominion over all "Pseudo-Satori."

Mo Jingxian placed the "Pseudo-Satori" rule on the Balance of Fate.

Once it entered his body, it was his, right? Nothing wrong with that.

At least, that was how he saw it.

The Balance of Fate was accommodating. It accepted the fragment of the rule and gave him an equivalent in return.

"Talent: Wind Element Mastery (Beginner), passive: 'Vitality' and 'Spirit' attributes increased by 10 points."

If he remembered correctly, the first trade had given him only 10 points in the "Vitality" attribute.

From the looks of it, this trade had yielded something of greater quality than the Sharingan.

Through three trades, he had gradually figured out the Balance of Fate's pricing.

Broadly speaking: rules > permissions > applications.

All these trades took place in his consciousness. Outside, his body began transforming into a "Pseudo-Satori."

His legs slowly grew longer, and his feet were on the verge of turning into bird's claws.

There was no time to waste, so he accepted the "Exchange" option.

The instant his consciousness settled on it, the rule power inside his body vanished into thin air.

Mo Jingxian suddenly felt free, as if he could roam the heavens and earth. His nearly depleted Chakra visibly replenished.

His body recovered rapidly, while his spiritual power overflowed from its confined pool and continued to break through its limits.

He felt better than ever. In no time, he had returned to peak condition.

It wasn't just him who changed.

As soon as the rule was extracted, Long Yunzhi's corpse returned to human form.

All traces of "Pseudo-Satori" were completely erased, as if it had never existed in the world.

Mui noticed the change, too, and rushed toward him in disbelief.

"What did you do?"

His opponent's bewilderment seemed genuine. Mo Jingxian had leapt out of the game—and on his way out, he had flipped the board over.

The space inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss began to shake violently, flipping upside down.

Mo Jingxian and the others were like bugs trapped in a jar, unable to tell up from down or left from right.

When his feet touched the ground and he felt solid earth beneath them, he realized he was back at the underground altar where it had all begun.

Everything inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss had been spat out.

He was the first to recover. Seeing Mui still dazed, he grabbed Long Yunzhi's corpse and rushed out the door.

Mo Jingxian's sudden movement jolted Mui back to his senses.

The hall's floor was covered with bodies, the blood still fresh. Nothing had changed since they went inside.

Mui quickly searched the area, but couldn't find his son.

He stared at the Box of Ultimate Bliss atop the altar, stunned. A growing sense of dread settled in his heart.

The sun was warm, and the breeze was gentle. Vast stretches of grassland extended all the way to the horizon.

After escaping Hozuki Castle, Mo Jingxian had traveled a long way, running more than a hundred li without stopping.

Mui was probably still dealing with the mess. He wouldn't have time to come after him anytime soon.

Besides, Mo Jingxian had never revealed his identity. For now, he should be safe.

Mo Jingxian checked his bearings. He should be nearing the border of the Land of Rain.

There was no rush to retrieve the confidential documents. He should take stock of what he had gained first.

Far from any settlements, he had no reason to worry about being seen. So he simply sat down to rest for a while.

He opened the panel and took a look.

[Host: Mo Jingxian]

[Vitality: 43]

[Spirit: 27]

[Skills: Nintaijutsu, Water Dragon Technique, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, Principles of Sealing Jutsu, Water Style: Fire-State Seal]

[Talents: Water Element Mastery (Intermediate), Wind Element Mastery (Beginner)]

[Available for trade: luck, soul, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, Water Style: Fire-State Seal]

[Reputation: 671]

His personal stats had increased noticeably, especially the "Vitality" stat, which was nearing the threshold for a High Ninja.

He had gained Wind Element Mastery as a talent. That gave him more options and variety when fighting enemies.

This whole affair had made Mo Jingxian realize he had one weakness: he lacked powerful attacks.

Whenever an enemy excelled at defense, he found them quite difficult to deal with. It was a real pain.

He closed the panel, tried to mobilize the Chakra in his body, and released the Ninjutsu "Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."

Before, he had needed to channel this technique through a weapon. Now he could use it with his bare hands.

The cutting wind-natured Chakra didn't hurt his palm.

With a casual wave, he sliced the tops off the wild grass, which stood about two feet high.

Grass fluttered through the air. The cut ends were as smooth as if they had been trimmed with a knife.

He drew back his hand and examined it closely.

The technique was much easier to control now. He could use his feet as well as his hands—in fact, anywhere he could channel Chakra.

He waved again. The Vacuum Blade left his palm and shot tens of meters like a flying knife.

A mark five fingers wide was left across the grassland.

Mo Jingxian stopped experimenting. He now had a clear idea of how the Wind Element affected Ninjutsu.

The first time was unfamiliar, the second was easy. With his experience cultivating the Water Element to draw on, he quickly mastered his new talent.

Next came the greatest reward from this adventure.

A jade tablet with three cracks rested in his palm.

What kind of legacy did it contain? At last, he could find out.

He once again slowly infused it with the Water Element. A hazy green glow gradually spread across the tablet.

Mo Jingxian didn't rush. He kept the flow steady, afraid he might damage the tablet if he was careless.

The process lasted about three minutes, then the tablet stopped absorbing.

The glow didn't fade. It remained in that state.

After observing it for a moment, Mo Jingxian steeled himself and pressed it against his forehead.

He didn't know if this was the right thing to do. There were no instructions, so he might as well try.

The instant the jade pendant touched his skin, information flooded into his mind.

There were no heavenly signs or trials. It all happened with ease.

Having passed on its legacy for the last time, the jade pendant shattered in an instant.

Mo Jingxian closed his eyes and tried to make sense of the information.

It wasn't language—or rather, no language could clearly express what it contained.

The feeling was uncanny. He didn't understand it, yet somehow he knew what it meant.

If he had to put it into words he could understand, "Breathing Method" was probably the closest description.

Mo Jingxian named it the "True Breathing Method." The panel soon registered the name.

He hadn't forgotten how useful Long Yunzhi's Taijutsu was. Eager to learn, he immediately began practicing.

Mo Jingxian sat cross-legged, his back straight but not stiff, his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and his whole body relaxed.

He focused his mind on the tip of his nose. As he inhaled, he guided his breath down into his lower abdomen.

As he exhaled, he drew in his lower abdomen and imagined his breath circulating through his internal organs before slowly leaving his body.

He emptied his mind of distractions, seeking to capture spiritual particles in the depths of his consciousness. He paid no count to his inhalations, but counted each exhalation from one to ten as a single breath.

The information contained a maxim: "Those who consume qi gain divine clarity and longevity."

That probably meant it increased lifespan.

Mo Jingxian followed the instructions. Controlling his breathing was simple enough. But he didn't understand how to capture spiritual particles with his mind. What were spiritual particles?

No one could answer that question.

He didn't understand, but he could experiment. The various elements probably came close to what spiritual particles meant.

If it just meant capturing elements, that was simple. He could do more than capture them—he could even chat with them.

Then Mo Jingxian discovered that only Water and Wind Elements remained inside his body.

The elements didn't just take part in forming Chakra. Some of them also merged with his body and mind.

Perhaps he could only sense those two kinds of elements. Or maybe there was some other reason.

He didn't know, but as long as it worked, that was good enough. He practiced in a muddled fashion for an hour, stopping only when his head began to throb.

When he opened his eyes again, the world seemed a little brighter. He couldn't tell if it was all in his head.

He checked himself over from head to toe. Apart from sharper hearing and clearer eyesight, he didn't seem any different.

"Maybe it just takes more time."

Mo Jingxian was sure that was it. Long Yunzhi had practiced for more than a decade before he achieved what he had.

But time was exactly what Mo Jingxian lacked. At least there were no side effects, so it was better than nothing.

He gathered his thoughts and turned his attention back to Ninjutsu.

A miniature Water Flood Dragon appeared in his palm. He controlled it through several movements, far more easily than before.

That was the benefit of improving the "Spirit" attribute: his mental strength had increased across the board.

He slowly added Wind-natured Chakra. When the two reached equilibrium, the Ninjutsu broke apart.

Mo Jingxian frowned and thought it over:

There was nothing wrong with Wind and Water combining to form Ice Release.

So why had the Ninjutsu broken apart...