Chaotic World Book

The night was bitterly cold.

Fresh from a medicine bath, Zhao Changhe stood behind the house, looking up at the sky.

There was no moon tonight, and the clouds were getting thicker, with fine snowflakes beginning to fall. It looked like there would be heavy snow late into the night.

He realized that he hadn't been in this world for even two months, yet he was getting more and more accustomed to it... accustomed to the wooden huts without heating, to telling time and weather by the sky, to martial arts training, and to the ancient terminology and rules of the Demon Path.

He was even getting used to the inexplicable "server-wide announcements" appearing in the sky.

Images from his former life flashed through his mind less and less frequently, and Zhao Changhe himself found it difficult to discern whether his current obsession with cultivation was for the sake of returning, or for standing out in this chaotic world.

In any case, what swirled most in his mind now was cultivation, and Luo Qi... and occasionally, fleeting thoughts of Yue Hongling.

If it were not for Yue Hongling being his first glimpse of Worldly Society... Zhao Changhe doubted whether he would have become a lawless bandit by now, but because she was there before him, Zhao Changhe restrained his increasingly strong bandit tendencies, unwilling to abandon his last bit of conscience.

Otherwise, upon reencountering each other in Worldly Society, he didn't know what he would call her, nor would he be able to meet her as frankly as before.

Or perhaps it had nothing to do with Yue Hongling at all...

Maybe he just didn't want to personally destroy the beauty of Worldly Society that existed in his dreams... Yue Hongling was merely the Worldly Society he had imagined since childhood, materialized before his eyes.

"Ka-Ching!" Zhao Changhe unsheathed the steel saber he just won.

The medicine bath was over, and it was now time for saber practice. There was no time for sentimental musings of a Wenqing—enough was enough.

This new saber needed to be familiarized with and mastered anew; understanding all its features was the only way to truly extend "the hand through the saber." He could no longer carelessly grab a saber and swing it around as in dreams past...

This newly won fine steel saber, unlike the exaggerated Big Broadswords of his dreams, was a standard thick-bladed saber, its back nearly one centimeter thick. The blade was quite heavy, weighing just over ten pounds, which was extremely well-suited for Zhao Changhe's current strength. The lightweight sabers of two or three pounds would tremble with a mere shake, lacking any force when chopping; they were simply unfit for him.

Especially since the Blood Evil Saber Technique demanded broad and powerful strokes, and such heavy sabers were needed to bring out the best of it. Sadly, such sabers were often very expensive and outside his former means.

The material and forging techniques of the current saber were beyond Zhao Changhe's expertise, but he could clearly sense the Evil Qi and sharpness that were leagues beyond the broken knife. Such a good saber might cost dozens of silver—knowing that the total wealth of his entire village was only three hundred silver, enough to feed the villagers for quite a while.

Zhao Changhe fondled the saber lovingly, finding the sensation even more pleasurable than playing with Luo Qi's jade rabbit.

A good weapon was indeed a Martial Artist's life.

"Swish, swish, swish!" The gleam of the saber flashed through the night, taking the place of the moonlight.

As the snowfall grew heavier, everyone in the village sought shelter indoors, and all was silent except for the howling saber sounds behind the Village Chief's house, mingling with the mournful north wind; it was hard to tell which was more piercing.

Those who admired geniuses at the Squad Leader's Court during the day might realize there's no such thing as a genius...

Only Xia Chichi knew that it was someone else's rest time when he was practicing his saber.

There was something different about today's practice...

"Whoosh!" Amid the snow, a figure soared into the air, planting feet on a trunk, stirring up flurries of falling snow, then leveraging the force to glide to another branch.

"Crack," with that, a branch three meters high at the very top of the tree was cut off by the saber.

The figure passed the falling branch and landed lightly back on the ground.

Zhao Changhe exhaled, turning back with a joyful expression: "Qinggong is indeed interesting. This round, I've finally got some tricks up my sleeve... This haul is quite substantial... Should I promote Fang Buping to transport squad leader next time?"

Flying Blood Traceless was one of the more advanced Qinggong techniques within the Blood God Sect... The only reason such a good technique was given wasn't because Fang Buping was generous; the man had his cunning plans—since it was a technique that required decent Inner Strength, Fang Buping was eager for Zhao Changhe to experience the frustration of witnessing a stunning beauty only to find himself impotent.

However, Zhao Changhe was far from impotent; on the contrary, he was robust. His Inner Strength had reached a level of proficiency, and even if he didn't count the First Layer of the Mystical Gate, he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

...

To this day, Zhao Changhe still didn't know the name of the cultivation technique passed down by Xia Longyuan, so he temporarily called it the Xia Family's mental method.

This technique, too, could be practiced while lying down or even standing, without the need for the double full lotus position and facing the heavens, characteristic of the Mystic Sect's methods... but it equally required concentration and tranquility, quiet introspection and guiding, for a runaway True Qi could indeed be lethal.

As for cultivating while asleep like Luo Qi, it seemed this particular method wasn't appropriate, but deeply engrossed in practice, it might naturally replace the need for sleep, which would be just as well.

It was all about saving time... there were just too many things to practice, he wished he could split a day in two.

Zhao Changhe lay quietly in bed, introspecting carefully, his mind involuntarily flashing through the time when Luo Qi lay in bed watching him practice his saber.

It felt as though she was experiencing it at that time... Unfortunately, there was no character exchange, and there was no little demoness standing at the door practicing sabre techniques for him to watch.

Less than ten days since receiving the Xia Family's mental method, Zhao Changhe was already at the brink of a breakthrough. Of course, it wasn't because he was particularly talented but rather thanks to the bit of Qi mechanism left behind by Xia Longyuan, which had saved him the process of cultivating from scratch and perceiving the Qi mechanism on his own.

Moreover, Internal and External Skills actually promote each other's growth and are easier to practice together.

The better the physique, the fewer "blockages" in the meridians and acupoints of those who practice fist and sabre techniques every day, making it easier for the True Qi to flow. It's unreasonable to think a weak and sickly person could cultivate great Internal Strength. Conversely, mysterious True Qi can also improve one's foundation, enhance strength, and promote blood circulation.

Whether Internal or External, in the end, both are about developing the human body.

So although it took more time, "cultivating both Internal and External Skills" has always been the correct path, beneficial both in the practice itself and in actual combat.

There's a saying that at the depths of practice, Internal and External become one and the same, and this notion is related to unlocking the body's Secret Treasures after breaking through the Ninth Layer Mystical Gate. Currently, Zhao Changhe wasn't yet qualified to experience this level, but he felt that although this kind of cultivation was time-consuming, the results were very good.

Just the True Qi spontaneously assisting with the Medicine Bath just now made it worthwhile.

So far, he hadn't discovered any particularly supernatural attributes, probably because his Cultivation was too superficial... Today, he could attempt to break through the Inner Mystical Gate and see if, after truly breaking through the First Layer Heaven, he could find the magic of the Internal realm?

The Inner Mystical Gate, speaking of which, was somewhat embarrassing.

Because, in a narrow sense, the "Mystical Gate" actually refers to the Huiyin acupoint... so breaking through the First Layer Mystical Gate means unblocking the Huiyin acupoint.

When directing the True Qi to pulse towards that spot, it always felt a bit like self-pleasuring... He had no idea how Luo Qi and Yue Hongling felt when they practiced... They probably weren't as frivolous as Zhao Changhe.

Breaking through the gate was actually very painful, which made it tough for many to concentrate and channel their Qi, turning it into an obstacle. But fortunately, he was working with legitimate Internal skills, and after experiencing the cleansing of the Blood Evil Skill, Zhao Changhe felt the pain was akin to a mosquito bite - hardly causing a ripple. After giving it more power and piercing through more than a dozen times, he succeeded.

Zhao Changhe clearly felt a coolness spreading from the Mystical Gate, permeating his limbs and body, even his spirit became much more alert. The former thread of Qi that contained a hint of Xia Longyuan was no longer perceivable, now completely his own cultivated Qi, warmly and tranquil circulating along the route, immense and peaceful, like a Star Map unfolding within him, with the moon in the Dantian shining over everything, and his acupoints twinkling like stars.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The room was dark with no light. His innate night vision made it hard to make out details in this pitch-darkness, but at this moment, he realized he could see very clearly.

Even the grain of the wood on the walls was distinct.

His hearing had also amplified, the sound of snow falling outside the window onto the ground should have been silent, but at that instant, it seemed he could hear the rustling noise that then settled into quiet.

"Resolution has increased," was his first reaction.

The second reaction was somewhat uneasy... Why did it feel as if the various effects that came with the Third Eye were just like the results of breaking through the Internal Mystical Gate? And after he had broken through the gate himself, it seemed he could further enhance the Third Eye's effects...

Could it be that this Third Eye was actually a gift at the level of the Mystical Gate? At what level could one see things behind themselves?

Zhao Changhe couldn't sit still any longer, he got up to rummage through the stack of books he had brought back during the day. Among them were the teachings of the Blood God Sect, which naturally also contained the Blood God Sect's perspective on the human body's Mystical Gates and Secret Treasures.

"The Secret Treasures of the human body are Divine Skills."

"Ordinary people breaking through the Mystical Gates and opening their acupoints merely achieve sharp sight and minute inspection. Only the Secret Treasures Divine Skills can see events behind oneself, reach across vast distances, perceive the joys and sorrows of the Worldly Society, and discern the principles of the Heavenly Dao. Every aspect of the world can be seen, known as the Heavenly Vision."

"We, the Blood God Sect blah blah blah..."

Zhao Changhe had no interest in reading about the rest of the boasting...

Heavenly Vision...

Previously used mainly for peeping at bathers, it seemed to belong to a Realm pursued by the Grandmasters of the Heaven, Earth, and Human List, and it could even evolve.

And he had the nerve to say that just a few days ago, he had unlocked the second position card... in reality, even the function of the first eye card hadn't been fully understood.

Zhao Changhe lay in bed, lost in thought, with no idea where his mind wandered, and he unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

That night, he dreamed.

He dreamt of the serene night sky, where a blind woman stood quietly with her eyes closed, seeming far and yet close, like a goddess of the night.

"Who would have thought... you would break through the First Layer of both Internal and External so quickly."

"I have seen you, damn it! Let me go back!"

"But do you... really still want to go back?"

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PS: Eh... This transition chapter of cultivation really doesn't have much content, but it's unavoidable, please bear with it, the word count is quite significant...