As Qing Chen listened to Li Shutong recount the knights' legacy, he could imagine how many thorns their predecessors had cut through to forge a new path.
Because the ocean environment could no longer allow them to complete all eight Life and Death Trials, they had to find another way themselves.
He asked, "What is the relationship between the Breathing Technique and Endorphin? Why can using the Breathing Technique as support unlock the Gene Lock early?"
"Because the Breathing Technique lets you secrete Endorphin the moment you feel pain. It is itself a technique for controlling your body. If you use the Breathing Technique to train your body, you can cover in three months the ground others need years to cover," Li Shutong replied. "So when you complete a Life and Death Trial entirely with the Breathing Technique, the Endorphin in your body will be far above normal levels."
"Does it have any other effects?" Qing Chen asked.
"Once you complete your first Life and Death Trial, I'll tell you what else it does. There is no point in knowing now," Li Shutong said.
"Can't Endorphin be injected directly?" Qing Chen asked. Given the Inner World's technological level, he believed they could probably extract and inject Endorphin without side effects.
Li Shutong smiled. "This is an era where even love can be fabricated with phenethylamine chips. But you must understand that anything reliant on external help is useless to us. One of our predecessors tried injecting Endorphin directly without using the Breathing Technique, but even after passing a Life and Death Trial, he did not unlock his Gene Lock."
"We can understand the principles of Endorphin, but we still cannot understand the Gene Lock. Even today, the secret of the Gene Lock remains sacred and untouchable to knights."
"We can only use the clumsiest method and adhere to the rules of the old era. That is why I said this is the longest path among all the shortcuts in the world. And there is only one road to the divine throne: painful cultivation."
"Alright, I'll remember that," Qing Chen said. "Then what will happen if I use the Breathing Technique to complete all eight Life and Death Trials?"
"That question has no meaning." Li Shutong shook his head.
"It does," Qing Chen said as he looked at him. "Because the oceans of the Outer World... do not have Forbidden Zones."
For the first time, he saw astonishment on Li Shutong's face. Li Shutong had always seemed to have everything under control, as though nothing concerned him.
But upon hearing those words, his composure clearly wavered.
"That's right. There have never been Transcendents where you are, so how could there be Forbidden Zones?" Li Shutong said blankly. "So you can pass all the Life and Death Trials in another world."
"What exactly are Forbidden Zones and Forbidden Items?" Qing Chen finally asked.
Seeing that his boss was lost in thought, Ye Wan explained in his place, "Forbidden Items and Forbidden Zones both originate from the same kind of existence: Transcendents."
"Transcendents?" Qing Chen asked.
"That's right," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "When a Transcendent dies unexpectedly, his abnormal and powerful blood flows into the earth, nourishing the living things there: ants, centipedes, scorpions, any kind of insect. It also nourishes the plants growing there, even microorganisms. Thus, the creatures in those places of death evolve, and those places become Forbidden Zones."
"The Inner World's oceans are so terrifying because, according to Kashima Corporation's investigation, they suspect that a whale that had evolved beyond its species once grew old and died of illness. Its flesh, blood, and bones then nourished the entire ocean."
"How did they investigate that?" Qing Chen asked.
"Kashima built an unmanned submersible to explore the ocean and see whether it was possible to sail far away in search of a new continent. Before the submersible was destroyed by marine life, it photographed an enormous whale skeleton on the seafloor," Lin Xiaoxiao explained. "That was classified material from centuries ago, only declassified decades ago."
Qing Chen asked curiously, "How big was that whale skeleton?"
"Uh..." Lin Xiaoxiao was at a loss for words. "Fucking huge?"
"Speak properly." Qing Chen's face darkened.
"The unmanned submersible filmed it from over three hundred meters away with a wide-angle lens, yet it still could not fit even its skull fully into the frame," Lin Xiaoxiao said.
Qing Chen sighed. "That really was fucking huge."
From then on, humans on land never again entertained the thought of going to sea.
"Then what are Forbidden Items?" Qing Chen asked.
"Forbidden Items are the mutated forms that a Transcendent's abilities take after his death, anywhere from a little over a decade to a hundred years later," Lin Xiaoxiao explained.
"Can you give me a few examples?" Qing Chen asked.
"Some Forbidden Items are direct manifestations of a Transcendent's abilities in life. For example, in the wilderness near City No. 16, a black six-car Steam Train has always been running across the wasteland. Few people know where it is headed. It occasionally stops. If you toss a gold coin through the window into the first car, it will take you anywhere, never stopping before it reaches its destination."
"Gold coins..."
"Yes. The first car is filled with gold coins. Many organizations like using it to smuggle goods, although finding it is not easy."
"What if someone steals its gold coins?" Qing Chen asked.
"It will seal the car and trap you inside until you die, which is why the last car is filled with skeletons," Lin Xiaoxiao said cheerfully. "So if you ever encounter it, never steal its gold coins."
Qing Chen nodded.
"Some Forbidden Items have nothing to do with a Transcendent's abilities. They may even be mysterious creatures with infinite life," Lin Xiaoxiao continued. "If you have a way to contain one, it may serve you."
"What if there is no way to contain it?"
"Then it will be extremely dangerous."
At that moment, Li Shutong seemed to have figured something out. Rising to his feet, he said, "When facing Forbidden Items, we are like hunters in a forest. We hold a longsword, know there are ferocious beasts in the forest, and understand that those beasts differ from one another. We have learned to classify them and gained experience in dealing with them. We know which beasts can be fought and which must be avoided. But now there are more and more beasts, so hunters specially tasked with dealing with them became necessary. Thus, the Tribunal of Taboos emerged. They are enemies not only of the beasts, but also of those who raise them."
"They not only contain Forbidden Items, but also contain Transcendents who might produce Forbidden Items, because they do not want the beasts to one day become numerous enough to destroy humanity."
Qing Chen fell into thought after hearing this.
Li Shutong looked at him. "Starting today, Ye Wan will teach you combat techniques, train your physical fitness, and teach you techniques for the eight challenges. I envy you for being born in the Outer World, but that is not important. What matters is that perhaps you can change an era. Begin. I cannot wait to see that day."
With that, Li Shutong left.
Prison No. 18 was gloomy in the darkness of night, yet Qing Chen suddenly felt that compared to the bright sunlight of the Outer World, he truly preferred this place.
Though he was in prison, he felt hope and freedom.
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Thanks to Yougushidejiu, Wobushiyinguanga, and Baobao for becoming this book's Alliance Leaders. Generous bosses—may you have fortunes as vast as the Eastern Sea and lives as long as the Southern Mountains!
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