Bang!
Taking advantage of the thick night, Li Changsheng carried the bedboard up to Bald Peak, where he had been that morning.
Soul Guidance Lamps illuminated the mountain peak. More accurately, they were stone pillars modeled after streetlamps, installed when Soul Tools had first begun to gain popularity.
Li Changsheng found a dug-out pit, tossed the bedboard onto the ground, then planted the Night-Startling Spear beside it.
The moment it left Li Changsheng's hand, the Night-Startling Spear seemed to weigh a thousand jun. The hard rock was easily smashed into a deep pit, and the entire mountain seemed to tremble faintly. Its might was even greater than before.
The chilling Night-Startling Spear stood embedded there, cutting through the cool night breeze.
By the faint light of the Soul Guidance Lamp atop the peak, Li Changsheng carefully examined the bedboard.
It was made of ordinary wooden planks, just a little thicker than usual. After enduring the passage of time, it had somehow taken on an air of antiquity.
"There really is something here!"
On the back of the bedboard, Li Changsheng spotted faint characters carved into the wood.
He recognized the writing. It was the script commonly used across the Douluo Continent.
The characters on the plank had grown somewhat blurred, but he could still make them out with care.
"The Tang Sect Rules!"
"The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record!"
"Internal Cultivation Method—Mysterious Heaven Skill!"
"Movement Method—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"
"Hand Training Method—Mysterious Jade Hand!"
"Eye Training Method—Purple Demon Eye!"
"Grappling Method—Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon!"
"Hidden Weapon Method—Hundred Hidden Weapon Solutions!"
The carved characters were tiny, like mosquitoes and flies. After he cleaned away the thick layer of dust, every character etched into the entire bedboard came into view.
Everything was recorded clearly, from the names to how to cultivate the techniques and circulate them.
Li Changsheng's breathing grew heavier, but then his expression dimmed a little.
This was indeed a legacy, but it was obscure and unfathomably profound to read, giving him the impression of classical Chinese.
Take the Mysterious Heaven Skill, for example. It showed how to circulate and coordinate the various meridians, laid out in complex writing. Even if he understood the text, trying to cultivate it without guidance could send his energy into deviation. And that was nothing compared to the even more profound footwork and eye techniques. One wrong move, and he could end up crippled—with nowhere to go and cry about it.
After skimming through it, Li Changsheng crouched to one side, propped his face on his hand, and wore an increasingly bitter expression.
"With this damn thing, even if someone handed it to you, you wouldn't be able to master it. It talks about opening the extraordinary meridians, guiding energy through the acupoints and central channels, and even age restrictions. I'm the right age, sure, but how am I supposed to cultivate it? I remember Tang San cultivated for six years before reaching Innate Full Soul Power. I'm supposed to master it in half a month?"
Li Changsheng remembered that Tang San had hit a bottleneck in the Mysterious Heaven Skill shortly before his Martial Soul Awakening. Tang San had been six years old then, which meant he'd spent several years cultivating before achieving Innate Full Soul Power.
"By rights, Tang San's Martial Soul was so powerful that Innate Full Soul Power should've been perfectly normal. But he only reached it by cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Thinking about it, his talent wasn't all that amazing. Looks like hard work does count for something." Li Changsheng muttered.
"How should I cultivate it? I have half a month to reach Innate Full Soul Power—in other words, the first layer of the Mysterious Heaven Skill."
<Answer. The Mysterious Heaven Skill is a top-tier cultivation method. To master it quickly, you will need to put in a certain amount of effort.>
What?
Was I hearing things?
The cold, mechanical voice that suddenly rang out in his mind startled Li Changsheng, who was still crouching.
<Answer. You are not hearing things. This is the limited skill [God of Wisdom]. It can answer any questions within its scope.>
A limited skill?
What was going on?
Wasn't it the Myriad Worlds Sign-in System?
Why did it have so many strange and unusual skills?
Li Changsheng was baffled.
The first skill he'd obtained was Longevity. It let him live a little longer, so even if he kept lazing around, he could go on living. That alone was outrageous enough.
And now there was [God of Wisdom]?
It could answer his questions within its scope?
"Then answer this: what do I need to do to beat Tang San in a fistfight?" Li Changsheng asked, his tone teasing.
<Answer. Based on the difference in strength, it is impossible. Searching for a way to become stronger.>
<1: Awaken your Martial Soul. Build your strength step by step over fifteen years. Chance of defeating Tang San: 72%.>
<2: Truly master the Night-Startling Spear. Chance of defeating Tang San: 100%.>
"There really is a way? Though that's not much more helpful than saying nothing." After hearing God of Wisdom's answer, Li Changsheng turned his gaze to the Night-Startling Divine Spear beside him, his expression thoughtful.
"So I haven't truly mastered the Night-Startling Divine Spear yet? But isn't its power already a little too much?"
When Li Changsheng had just killed Zhao Hai, all he'd done was thrust once.
That single thrust had drained every last bit of strength from his body. If his willpower hadn't been a little stronger, he would've dropped to his knees on the spot after making that thrust.
<Answer. The Night-Startling Divine Spear is a divine weapon from myth. Forged from a meteorite from beyond the heavens, it slays demons and immortals and eternally suppresses the world. Given your current condition, you cannot unleash even one ten-thousandth of its power. It is estimated that after your Martial Soul Awakening, you will most likely be able to unleash one ten-thousandth of its power.>
The cold, mechanical voice rang out in Li Changsheng's mind, calm and steady.
After hearing this, Li Changsheng's expression grew serious.
He hadn't expected the system to give him such a powerful divine weapon after only his first sign-in. At the same time, he recalled the Myriad Worlds Sign-in System's notification and the scene when he'd taken the Night-Startling Divine Spear from the system inventory—the golden liquid dripping from the spear...
"Seizing... Seizure successful... Dispatching..."
"Damn, did it steal this from some big shot?"
Unable to help thinking this, Li Changsheng glanced at the bedboard on the ground and hurriedly asked, "You just said you can help me learn the Mysterious Heaven Skill and reach Innate Full Soul Power before my Martial Soul Awakening?"
Only then did he remember.
When he'd carried the bedboard up the mountain, the Myriad Worlds Sign-in System seemed to have issued a reward for obtaining the legacy. No doubt the reward was this skill called [God of Wisdom].
<Answer. Yes. Based on observation, when you awaken your Martial Soul, your Innate Soul Power will be level nine. Barring unexpected circumstances, you can reach Innate Full Soul Power within fifteen days. However, you will need a special method.>
At the answer, Li Changsheng couldn't help but feel surprised. His Innate Soul Power would actually be level nine? By that standard, his Martial Soul should be very powerful, right?
"What method?"
Thinking of the extra reward he'd get for reaching Innate Full Soul Power, even Li Changsheng grew eager.
The system had only given him two rewards, yet it had already granted him so many outrageous abilities. They were mostly support skills, but they could undoubtedly help Li Changsheng grow stronger quickly.
<Answer. The Night-Startling Divine Spear can absorb blood energy and convert it into pure energy to feed back to its wielder. You can use this to forcibly open the first layer of meridians for the Mysterious Heaven Skill.>
<Supplement. Night-Startling Spear blood energy stored: 1.>
The moment Li Changsheng asked, the cold voice immediately answered.
Li Changsheng stood and walked over to the Night-Startling Spear. He reached out to stroke its smooth, cold shaft, savoring God of Wisdom's words. His expression shifted with surprise. "You mean I have to kill someone?"
He wasn't an idiot, after all. He'd lived for ten thousand years.
He'd noticed as soon as he'd first touched the Night-Startling Spear that its baleful aura was terrifyingly dense, enough to seize the mind. Its touch had been so chilling that it made him shudder, as though it could freeze all the memories he'd accumulated over ten thousand years.
<Answer. Any living creature with blood can provide blood energy. Based on this world's rules, the order of blood energy is: Soul Beast > Soul Master > ordinary person without an attached Soul Ring > ordinary animal.>
Li Changsheng stroked his chin, his mind racing. "Then how much blood energy do I need to open the first layer of the Mysterious Heaven Skill?"
Answer.
Any Soul Beast, regardless of age: 1.
Soul Master: 1 Soul Elder.
Ordinary people: 10.
Ordinary animals: 100.
"Impressive. You can even calculate the exact exchange rate?"
Li Changsheng had only asked tentatively, but God of Wisdom had answered him directly, without even pausing.
"There are Soul Beasts around God Soul Village, but I only have enough strength to use the Night-Startling Spear once. There's no way I could kill a highly perceptive Soul Beast."
"A Soul Elder is out of the question too. I only managed to kill Zhao Hai, a Soul Grandmaster, because his Martial Soul had a flaw. A cautious Soul Master wouldn't be easy to kill."
"Ordinary people... no. Killing ten people would definitely draw attention. I already disguised myself as a Wind Wolf to kill Zhao Hai today, and openly snatched Tang San's old home too. Tomorrow, God Soul Village and even Spirit Soul City outside it will be on high alert. Another death is out of the question..."
Li Changsheng ruled out that option as well.
It wasn't that he cared about killing innocents. After ten thousand years, his sense of what life meant had grown somewhat blurred. All he wanted now was to become stronger as quickly as possible. As he'd said, killing ten people in God Soul Village would be a major incident, so he had to be careful.
"Then I'll kill ordinary animals. There's a slaughterhouse in Spirit Soul City. My appearance has changed, so I can work there without a problem. I can come up with plenty of excuses..."
"Awakening a Martial Soul requires a Gold Soul Coin!"
At the thought, Li Changsheng's brows gradually relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
But soon, he remembered something else and hurriedly asked God of Wisdom:
"Do I have to use the Night-Startling Spear to kill them to collect blood energy?"
Answer. Yes.
After hearing the answer, Li Changsheng froze for a moment, then asked, "Every time I swing the spear, it drains my stamina. Does that mean I'll have to rest after killing a chicken?"
Answer. In theory, yes.
Thud, thud, thud...
Li Changsheng suddenly stumbled backward a few steps. His smile vanished at once. "You've got to be kidding!"
<Answer. I am not. However, I have already devised a solution. For example, to kill a chicken, you can bind it in place and then crush it to death with the weight of the Night-Startling Spear.>
"Hm? That works?" Li Changsheng's eyes gradually lit up. He hadn't even thought of that.
"I don't need to work, then. I can just spend my money on a hundred live chickens!"
At the thought, Li Changsheng's worries vanished.
Returning to the bedboard, he asked God of Wisdom, "Can you help me memorize the techniques recorded here?"
Answer. Recording complete.
"Impressive."
Li Changsheng had nothing else to say. He could only offer a word of praise.
Then he drew the Night-Startling Spear and cut the entire bedboard and the mask into powder. After checking everything, he put the Night-Startling Spear away and left, dragging his exhausted body with him.
When he returned to the outer district of Spirit Soul City, Li Changsheng saw that many people were still heading toward Tang San's old home. He paid them no mind and went straight back to his rented room.
"It's fourteen days until Su Yuntao's descendant comes to awaken my Martial Soul."
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