Sage’s Daily Scroll of Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Insights.
Target: None
The glowing golden words hovered in the air, frustratingly vague. Li Zhen narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the message. The Target was the key; finding something to target was priority number one. But after a sweep around the cave, there was nothing that he could target.
The cave was sparse, with only the etched circle on the floor, the mat, a rolled-up scroll, and the dying embers in the fire pit. There was also the question of how to target. Moving his gaze around did nothing for the golden words.
After wasting half an hour searching every nook and cranny, he still couldn't find anything to target. Frustration gnawed at him, but he forced himself to remain calm. With nothing much to do, he decided to check the energy that he could feel subtly thrumming around him.
He picked up the Refinement Scroll that was provided with the Qi Cave. From Li Zhen's memories, he knew this was the basic Refinement Technique given to the disciples of the Abyssal Harmony Sect. He unrolled the scroll, the parchment crackling softly, and began to read.
Refinement Techniques allowed a cultivator to convert the qi or absorbed from their surroundings to their own internal qi.
The Hundred Stars Refinement technique cycled the qi through the meridians, forming stars in the acupoints to increase the quality of the qi. His fingers traced the ancient characters, each stroke a path to a deeper understanding.
These types of words might be the work of a lunatic or a writer, but he was sure he was sensing this qi around him.
As he got a basic understanding of the scroll, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. The intricate pathways and the concept of forming stars in his acupoints fascinated him. He closed his eyes, imagining the flow of qi, feeling a gentle hum within his body.
Idly, he checked the target again, and the sight nearly made him fall to his feet in shock.
Sage’s Daily Scroll of Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Insights.
Target: Valid
The hell? Zhen muttered, rubbing his eyes as if seeing things. But the words remained the same, steady and unchanging. It had clearly been None at first, and he certainly hadn’t searched for any insights.
Was it the Refinement Scroll? That made a little sense. Both have scrolls in their name. He turned his head away from the scroll, and the words changed back.
Target: None
He hurriedly looked back at the scroll, and the message returned to Valid when he focused on the scroll. His heart pounded with excitement and curiosity.
Does that mean my abilities work on scrolls, but that still didn't explain the Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal parts? Were the scrolls divided into three categories? He didn't think so. It seemed too simplistic.
Regardless, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. So long as he played his cards right, that is. It was finally looking like something was going his way.
The golden words of the Sage’s Daily Scroll of Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Insights hovered before his eyes, their glow casting a warm light over his focused expression. Good enough.
He summoned up the burning words and… pushed for lack of a better term. It felt as if something was snapping into place and filling what was once an empty space.
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The golden words flashed and began to shift, new sentences materializing before Zhen's eyes.
Hundred Stars Refinement
The Hundred Stars Refinement is created by the Sect Master of Abyssal Harmony Sect from Opening Heaven Scripture. To create the Hundred Stars Refinement, Sect Maste—
Split the Chaos, Open the Heavens. Create the Three Thousand Dao and the Starry Sky—
His eyes widened as he read about the Opening Heaven Scripture and how the Sect Master had derived the Hundred Stars Refinement from it.
The knowledge was both enlightening and overwhelming. More complex than the Refinement scroll he read earlier. Half of it flew over his head, while the other half, which he understood, was cloaked in flowery, poetic language that seemed to complicate what might have been simple concepts.
A burning sensation traveled through him, but he ignored it, his mind too engrossed in the knowledge to pay attention to anything else. Each sentence seemed to unravel and reweave itself in his mind, creating a tapestry of information that was as beautiful as it was bewildering.
As soon as he finished reading, the golden words disintegrated and reverted to the previous message. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He couldn't remember half of what he read, but he was sure there were some changes.
Sage’s Daily Scroll of Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Insights.
Target Available In 16:42:33
Well… it was different, at least. He supposed it was his fault for assuming it would show him a user manual or something more straightforward after using the ability.
The timer in the golden words continued to tick down. He glanced at it, noting that he had less than seventeen hours until the next revelation. The passage of time both surprised and frustrated him.
He had spent a third of the day deciphering some esoteric knowledge that felt more like an abstract poem than practical guidance.
He felt like he had just experienced the so-called Enlightenment that cultivators referred to, and it was not to his liking.
Suddenly, a wave of weakness washed over him. His legs wobbled, and he nearly fell to his knees. A hollow, empty sensation spread through his body, draining his strength. His vision blurred, and his head felt light, as if he were about to faint.
What's happening? he whispered, panic creeping into his voice. He had expected to feel invigorated, but instead, he felt as though the energy had been sucked out of him.
He stumbled to the mat, collapsing onto it as he tried to focus on his breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The weakness persisted, gnawing at him from the inside. He closed his eyes, attempting to center himself and understand what was happening.
From the memories of Li Zhen, he knew that overexertion in cultivation could lead to a depletion of one's qi, leaving a person feeling hollow and weak. It was a common mistake among novice cultivators, pushing themselves too hard without adequate preparation or rest.
Was this weakness the price he had to pay for activating his ability? He wasn't sure, but it felt like it was only half right. The energy drain seemed too severe for just accessing knowledge. Perhaps there was more to the cost of using the Sage’s Daily Scroll than he initially realized.
After steadying himself, he tried to work out what he had learned, his mind racing as he replayed the events in his head.
Sage’s Daily Scroll of Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Insights was a pain in the ass to parse out the meaning of at first, but he felt he had a good idea of it after actually using the power.
The Daily Scroll contained information about whatever was set as a Target, and he had to concentrate his mind to set a target. The new information would contain insights related to the target.
However, he could feel the understanding slipping away, as if the knowledge was too advanced for him to fully grasp. There was a reason why the Hundred Stars Refinement was used as a basic refinement method by disciples of the Abyssal Harmony Sect. Maybe the knowledge of Opening Heaven Scripture was too esoteric for his mind.
The word Daily was the issue. That was way too slow, but Zhen knew that it was just his inner laziness talking. Even getting some aid in this situation was heaven sent.
Would it only work on scrolls? He didn't think so. The term Scroll must refer to the golden words flashing in front of his eyes. He would have to wait for sixteen hours to check it out.
Now, Zhen had a basic understanding of the mysterious energy he’d been feeling inside him since he woke up in this world. The memories helped him know what qi is, but after reading the golden text, he felt that his senses were more responsive to it as his understanding had taken a qualitative leap.
Qi.
With his new experience, he gained a new understanding of fanciful tales of cultivators throwing fire from their hands and breaking rocks with a flick of a finger. All of it, from those supernatural phenomena to his newfound super strength, were powered by qi. Naturally, after hearing all that, his first thought was to experiment.