In the dense part of the forest, a cheerful humming could be heard as a ten-year-old boy delightedly amused himself beside a paralyzed demonic snake.

"Hey, little snake, why don't you hiss once more?" Niu Chang teased, spreading his qi deeper into the snake's body to humiliate it.

He grew excited upon discovering that the demonic snake was actually female, allowing his childish nature to surface. He reasoned with himself, ‘Although it's a demonic snake and unable to transform into a human, it's still a female! Shouldn't I treat every female equally to avoid being a hypocrite with double standards? How can the great me be that kind of person? So, for my own good, I should humiliate this snake to my heart's content. Kuahaha!”

With his internal monologue justifying his questionable actions, Niu Chang couldn't contain his laughter.

The weak demonic snake tried its best not to be agitated by the boy's crazy taunts. Even with its limited spiritual wisdom, it understood that Niu Chang's behavior was abnormal.

Receiving no response, Niu Chang decided to delve deeper into the snake's body, targeting its vital parts to stimulate its emotions.

Helplessly succumbing to Niu Chang's relentless teasing, the demonic snake opened its mouth and hissed. If it could speak, it would have said, "There, are you happy now? Hiss! Hiss! I'll give you plenty of hisses. Can you stop scanning my body now?" Rolling its eyes, the demonic snake expressed its annoyance with its limited spiritual wisdom.

Observing the snake's eye roll, Niu Chang burst out laughing. "Haha, I never knew a demonic snake could understand eye-rolling."

Having had his fill, Niu Chang withdrew most of his qi from tormenting the paralyzed snake and focused on his studies.

He still had the buff from the system, but he couldn't fully comprehend its effects. Instead, he directed his attention to studying the inner structure of the demonic snake's cultivation level.

‘Hmm... From what I see, this demonic snake's cultivation is clearly on a different level. The qi inside its body is no longer like air in a balloon but more like a skeletal or blood vessel structure. Is it due to the demon cultivation method or a higher level of cultivation?’ Niu Chang pondered, testing his thoughts to confirm his conclusions.

After a while, he reached a conclusion. ‘The classic cultivation stages in stories start from qi refinement, then foundation building, and golden core. From there, variations are introduced. But based on what I see, this demonic snake's qi has undergone a qualitative change. It has transitioned from unregulated circulation to proper circulation without conscious control, which can be seen as a foundation.’

Niu Chang delved further into his thoughts, questioning the naming conventions of the stages. ‘So, does that mean the third-rate to peak stage represents qi refinement, while master corresponds to foundation building? The grandiose names suggest this, but why complicate things? Why not be straightforward?’

While he solved one question, another arose, making Niu Chang realize that his musings could continue endlessly. Not willing to waste his time, he considered the excellent location he was in. If any wandering expert passed by, they would be curious and potentially lead to conflicts. Thus, he decided to temporarily put aside his inquiries.

Stepping away from the snake, Niu Chang examined his broken body, a half-human form without the lower part. He chose to prioritize fixing his body first.

Closing his eyes to enhance his focus, he activated Verdant Will, allowing the verdant green qi to heal his body. Although his proficiency was low and the proper qi cultivation method was missing, Niu Chang's first level of the Impossible Idea and abundant qi made the process relatively easy.

While he wanted to gather more data about his physical body, he also aimed to increase his proficiency in both Verdant Tree Under the Bright Sky and Verdant Will. However, uneasiness in his heart made him realize he could only choose one.

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"There should be priorities in everything. If not now, I can still work on it in the future, but my life comes first," Niu Chang determined, his mind immersed in the towering verdant tree, symbolizing the will to survive. A soft green light, akin to an aurora in the night sky, radiated around the tree, embodying the essence of Verdant Will.

Amidst his contemplation, Niu Chang discovered the true essence of learning a martial skill. "In the end, it's not about how you move your body or anything else; it's about energy manipulation. No matter how one trains their body in foundation and movement, the human body has its limitations. But what about qi? It's an energy that can be semi-omnipotent as long as the quantity is sufficient. The key lies in the user's control. Even with a small amount, if you have enough control, qi can unleash its true power."

Delving further into his thoughts, Niu Chang questioned the concept of dao. He acknowledged that if he asked the people in this world, they would provide abstract and grandiose answers about the nature of dao. However, he believed the answer was simple. "Qi is like a genie in a magic lamp that can grant any wish when encountered. Similarly, cultivation levels are no different. Both have prerequisites, and once fulfilled, any wish can come true. This is 'the' dao!"

Engrossed in his contemplation of dao, Niu Chang unknowingly accelerated his recovery. The verdant qi surrounding him exhibited various mutations, reflecting his ponderings.

When he considered Verdant Will as the tree's will, the verdant qi transformed, resembling the aurora light around the towering tree in his mind.

When he regarded Verdant Will as the tree's resilient nature, the verdant qi changed, becoming flexible yet strong, with a lighter shade.

These phenomena occurred repeatedly, some only once while others recurred frequently.

Upon opening his eyes, Niu Chang noticed the demonic snake staring at him in astonishment. Realizing what the snake was thinking, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"What? Do you also want to experience my healing technique?" Niu Chang playfully teased the snake, revealing his perverted intentions through his eyes.

The demonic snake, once terrifying enough to make ordinary mortals flee in terror, hesitated. Its vertical pupils stared intently at Niu Chang, who had already fully healed himself.

Ultimately, the demonic snake turned its head away.

The cheeky smile vanished from Niu Chang's face, and his interest waned. "How should I put it? Is it just the beastly instinct of an animal?"

While Niu Chang had some plans for the demonic snake, he decided to observe its behavior further before taking action. But now, he has made up his mind.

Feeling the cold ground against his naked bottom, Niu Chang stood up and approached the demonic snake. Enhancing his physical body with qi, he firmly grasped the snake's tail and slowly moved toward Shen Sanhua's corpse.

The demonic snake struggled but was unable to rebel due to its spinal injuries, which Niu Chang had purposely aggravated. It was now nothing more than a long, black noodle.

Exhaling a sigh, Niu Chang finally reached the corpse and released the demonic snake's tail. He began examining the remains, Niu Chang couldn't help but think, "What kind of monster would attack a woman's chest in such a grotesque manner that it's unrecognizable?"

Niu Chang couldn't help but feel sorry for the corpse, as it had been grotesquely attacked in the chest area, making it unrecognizable. Ignoring the small voice of conscience and reason in the back of his mind, he decided to heal the corpse.

Curious to know whether this world truly adhered to the concept of heavenly dao, Niu Chang allowed the verdant green qi to flow from his right hand and began the healing process.

As he focused on healing, Niu Chang had missed the visual effects of his Verdant Will before. Now, as he witnessed it, a smile spread across his face.

The right hand emitted the soothing verdant green qi, it entered the open wounds, gently attaching itself to the remaining tissues. Working its magic, the qi reassembled and restored the damaged parts, gradually closing the wounds and bringing the corpse back to its former state.

As the corpse was restored to its living state, Niu Chang couldn't help but entertain the idea of exploiting a loophole if Shen Shanhua were to actually resurrect.

‘If she truly comes back to life, wouldn't that mean I could continuously spawn camping her to collect karma points?’

A mischievous smile played on Niu Chang's lips as he expedited the healing process. He wasn't one that liked to be suppressed, so what was wrong with gaining power early on without exciting adventure and various adversaries?

‘Author's plans? Pre-determined plot? What are those anyway? I don't live in such a ridiculous story, after all. Even if I did, I wouldn't be controlled by it. But still, will she truly come back to life?’