"Run!"
Without another word, Fang Qing spun around and ran.
When an individual possessed no supernatural power, the difference between strength and weakness was obvious: the thin could not beat the strong, the bare-handed could not beat those with blades, and one person could not beat a crowd.
What was more, he knew perfectly well how much he was worth.
In his previous life, he had been nothing but a weakling who had never learned how to fight. Who did he think he could take on?
After running some distance, Fang Qing discovered in despair that his pursuers seemed to be getting closer and closer.
"Damn it, this body is too weak."
"Fuck, somebody save me..."
"Did Old Uncle specifically bring me along just to use me as a human shield?"
Fang Qing felt that today might be the day he met his end.
"Sure enough... even after transmigrating, a loser is still a loser."
Bitterness filled his heart. Suddenly, his foot caught on something, his vision went black, and he tumbled into a roadside ditch.
"This time, I'm really dead..."
Listening to the shouts drawing ever nearer, Fang Qing fell into despair. Just then, he suddenly sensed a pearl within his mind.
"This... this is..."
His heart stirred, and his figure vanished in an instant.
A moment later, a group of fierce-looking men came rushing after him, carrying spears and other weapons, their torches sweeping wildly about. "Where is he? How did he disappear?"
Splash!
The Great Sun hung high overhead, and the wind carried a faint fishy tang.
The sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Fang Qing floated on its surface with both hands pressed tightly against his trouser legs and his head tilted back, not daring to move in the slightest.
Yes, he could not swim...
When he had suddenly appeared in the seawater, he had nearly been frightened to death.
Fortunately, he remembered a drowning self-rescue guide he had read. By maintaining this position and staying still, he could keep his nose above the surface and avoid drowning immediately.
Since he would not drown anytime soon, Fang Qing did not panic. He lay there first and began studying his cheat.
Closing his eyes, he saw a strange pearl.
The pearl was chaos-colored and shone in every direction. A hazy glow wreathed its surface, faintly giving one the sense of the cosmos and starry river being opened.
The clear and turbid within the pearl shifted without rest, as though there were a doorway inside.
"Dao-Born Pearl?"
A stream of information arrived, allowing Fang Qing to understand the name and functions of his cheat.
"Isn't this the pearl I casually bought online before transmigrating? It even came with a bracelet..."
Understanding dawned on Fang Qing. This Dao-Born Pearl possessed three major functions.
The first was "Revert to Root, Return to Origin." This pearl had been born before Heaven and Earth, and could refine all energy back into the most fundamental Origin Qi. This Origin Qi could then transform into countless things, making it exceptionally wondrous.
"In the terms of wuxia, it can turn every kind of foreign inner qi into source qi, then imitate martial arts and cultivation methods from all under heaven? But I don't know a single martial art..."
To imitate any inner qi, spiritual power, or the like, he naturally first needed to obtain the corresponding method.
Fang Qing shook his head. "The second major function is the 'transmigration' that brought me out of danger. It could also be called 'Omnipresence,' but for now, I can only travel back and forth between this body of water and the place where I came through with the anchor point... So I've gained a teleportation gate?"
"As for the third major function, it is the Dao-Born Pearl's ability to shield against Heavenly Secrets calculations, divinations, and the like... It is called 'As If in the Calculation'!"
So-called "As If in the Calculation" meant that the Dao-Born Pearl could weave him a layer of false fate and identity information, blending into the dust and harmonizing with the light, thereby deceiving divinations.
If he were merely "outside the calculation," it would be fine if he were an inanimate object. But as its owner, Fang Qing would inevitably become an information black hole. It might not be apparent at first, but after numerous interactions with cultivators, he would sooner or later expose himself amid a pile of anomalous data.
This "As If in the Calculation" was different. The false destiny it wove would give diviners a "reasonable explanation."
"Good! With such a divine object, my immortal path will have sufficient protection!"
Fang Qing opened his eyes, his expression invigorated, only to see several seagulls fly over his head.
He paid them no mind and began trying to paddle, learning how to swim as he surveyed his surroundings. "The water is salty. Could this be the sea? I wonder whether there are any islands nearby, or whether any ships will pass by?"
As for dangers such as sharks or exhaustion? Fang Qing was not too worried. He could return to that little ditch where he had fallen at any moment.
Half a day later.
Fang Xing began to feel tired. He glanced at the sun's direction and narrowed his eyes, then his expression abruptly changed.
In the distance, trident-like ripples suddenly appeared on the previously calm sea, and gray dorsal fins could faintly be seen.
Several enormous shadows beneath the water were rapidly approaching.
"Bad luck. Bail."
Fang Qing's mind stirred, and his figure vanished in an instant.
Boom!
In a daze, Fang Qing seemed to see the birth and destruction of the cosmos, the opening of worlds...
Boundless currents of chaotic qi churned, clouds steamed and rosy mists rose. The Dao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three, and Three gave birth to all things...
Flowers, birds, insects, fish, and all the myriad faces of humankind...
"So this is... what Omnipresence feels like?"
The Dao-Born Pearl appeared before Fang Qing's eyes again. Clear and turbid qi faintly churned within it, like a gateway.
Ancient Shu Land.
Mountain ditch.
The dawn light was faint.
With a flash of light, Fang Qing's figure emerged. Those refugees had naturally departed long ago.
"Whew... holding on for half a day wasn't in vain."
Fang Qing looked at the sky and estimated inwardly, "The flow of time in both worlds should be about the same?"
Looking at his soaked clothes, he could not help but smile bitterly. He found an open patch of ground and began building a fire to dry them.
After all, this was ancient times. Catching a chill and falling ill was no joke. He had only just seen quite a few clansmen die from sickness.
"Hm?"
While sorting through his things, Fang Xing touched the Immortal Calendar against his chest and could not help crying out in misery.
When he opened it, he saw that the already incomplete calendar had been soaked for half a day and was mostly ruined. Only some blurred writing remained, barely discernible.
"First month, [Emptiness Sun] presides over the year... third day, dark stars fill the sky; avoid drawing talismans and refining pills..."
"Third month, [Tail Fire], eighth month, [Ghost Metal]?"
Fang Qing organized the readable information, then sighed again. "How come soaking it didn't reveal any secret writing or hidden layers? And they said the ancients never deceived us? The ancients were just deceiving me..."
The few clearly visible [Year Guardians], however, gave him a much deeper understanding of this world.
"It seems... these great powers are closely tied to humanity's daily production and sacrificial rites, even the courses of mountains and rivers, the movement of sun, moon, and stars, and the changes of nature and all things? That is why they are recorded. What kind of power is that?"
"And it seems to have some connection with ancient knowledge I learned... the Twenty-Eight Constellations? Or the twelve zodiac animals?"
"Alas... it is a pity that I cannot even enter the gate of cultivation now. How could I possibly know the secrets within?"
After thinking for a while, Fang Qing began to consider his future.
"Right now, I am far too weak..."
Possessing a great treasure without the strength to protect it was like a child holding gold in a bustling market.
"I definitely can't return to that large refugee party... Going alone to a county seat or prefectural city? There are too many people and too many watchful eyes. It won't be convenient for transmigration, and if anyone sees me, I'm finished..."
"So... why not stay in the wilderness for a while, explore the world over there, and strive to gain at least some means of self-protection first?"
"Anyway, that side is the sea. Where there is seawater, there is salt, so supplies won't be a problem. It'll be wilderness survival, then?"
"I also need to build a raft first. I can't keep soaking in seawater, and I should learn to swim while I'm at it."
Fang Qing gritted his teeth, then froze. "I seem to have forgotten someone... Forget it, Old Uncle, seek your own fortune. If something happens to you, I'll definitely avenge you. I won't just change my surname and sever our kinship..."
Three days later.
Outside a cave.
The fragrance of roasted meat filled the air. Several grilled fish were skewered on branches above the fire.
Fang Qing turned them from time to time, sprinkling on white salt.
A moment later, he opened his mouth wide and took a bite, frowning. "It's a little burnt... There aren't any other seasonings either, so it tastes pretty ordinary... At this level, it can't compare to the grilled fish from any roadside stall in my previous life. Sigh..."
After forcibly filling his stomach, he returned to the cave, blocked the entrance, and with a thought, Heaven and Earth spun around him.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived upon a wooden raft.
Moisture still clung faintly to the raft, while the dark clouds overhead gradually dispersed. It had clearly just gone through a storm.
"The sea truly changes without warning. Good thing my little friendship raft didn't flip over."
Fang Qing contentedly tapped his raft, then drifted along with the waves.
He gazed into the distance. At the point where sea and sky met, his expression was somewhat anxious. "I thought too highly of myself. I thought watching a few seasons of wilderness survival would make me a wilderness lord... In the end, I couldn't stand being a savage for even a few days. I'll wait another two days! If I still don't see any hope after two days, I'll first go check out a nearby city..."
Perhaps Heaven had not treated him too badly after all. Half an hour later, Fang Qing stared at the black line appearing in the distance, and delight appeared on his face. "An island?!"
Jade Island.
In the waters near its edge, Old Man Cha was taking his granddaughter Zhu'er out to sea in their little boat.
The sea was dangerous. Venturing too far out meant possibly encountering demon beasts. His family could not afford a great ship capable of cleaving waves, and their so-called little boat was really nothing more than a small sampan. They only dared drift about the waters close to the island; sailing even a little farther could lead to boat and people perishing alike.
As Old Man Cha tended the fishing nets, he instructed his granddaughter, "There isn't much grain left at home. Catch more sea grain later... This time, this old man even brought along our ancestral Red Dragon Wood fishing rod. Perhaps we might catch a Treasure Fish..."
Watching his granddaughter, only around ten years old, busy at work, hope filled his heart. "In a little over three months, it will be time for the Azure Sea Sect to test aptitudes. Perhaps Zhu'er truly has an immortal affinity... Even if she does not, eating a Treasure Fish can still establish her foundation in qi and blood, letting her become a martial master or strongman..."
The islands of the overseas cultivation world were sparse, and their produce was meager. Cultivators naturally had Spirit Rice supplied to them, but ordinary people could only live off the sea.
Fortunately, ordinary people were the foundation of cultivators. Given enough of them, exceptional talents in the Dao would always emerge among them. Thus, great spiritual plant masters specifically cultivated special seaweed and marine grasses. Once fishermen caught and dried them, they became grain.
Old Man Cha's children had died young, leaving him only one granddaughter. He treasured her more than anything, and his greatest wish now was to pave a good road for her.
Just then, Old Man Cha, who was preparing to cast his line, suddenly rubbed his eyes. He seemed to see something drifting over the sea.
Only when it drew close did he discover that it was a youth clinging to a wooden board.
"Was he... shipwrecked?"
Old Man Cha hurriedly steered the boat closer and examined him carefully. Seeing the coarse hemp clothes on the youth, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Boy, are you still alive?"
Fang Qing had abandoned his raft as soon as he saw the island, clutching a wooden board as he floundered about. Sure enough, it was not long before he saw a fishing boat approach, and the old man aboard shouted at him.
"Hm?"
He blinked, discovering that he could actually understand a few words.
Coming to another world, language barriers should have been the norm. Yet he found that the old man's speech was somewhat similar to the Ba language.
"Could it be..."
Fang Qing's heart stirred, and he shouted back, "Still breathing!"
Before you continue