Chapter Ten: The Mysterious Space

Cao Yun awoke shortly after, finding himself in a bizarre space. Everything around him was a hazy gray; there were no sun, moon, or stars, no mountains or forests, only a desolate and profound silence. Instinctively, he rolled to his side and sprang to his feet, staring in astonishment at the surreal scene before him.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain struck his brain, and a flood of memories—none of them his own—rushed into his mind like a tidal wave. He struggled to maintain his consciousness, but in the end, he succumbed and lost consciousness once more.

This time, he dreamt a long dream, one that felt as though it spanned forty years. In the dream, he became Zhang Jin, a male disciple of the Qingshan Sect.

Zhang Jin was born into the Zhang family, the premier cultivation clan of the Eastern Zheng Kingdom. However, because his aptitude was merely that of a "pseudo-spirit root," he was sent to the Qingshan Sect to serve as a menial disciple. Zhang Jin’s potential was mediocre; he was destined to linger at the first or second level of Qi Refining for the rest of his life.

Yet, during a mission outside the sect, he stumbled upon a "Hundred-Forged Flower" at an apothecary. Fearing that revealing it would bring a lethal disaster upon him given his low status, he chose to consume the rare treasure raw. While the medicinal efficacy was far lower than if it had been refined into a pill, it was a risk he had to take. To his surprise, he miraculously jumped from the first level to the fourth level of Qi Refining. At twenty-five, with his cultivation surging, he was no longer content to remain a menial disciple. He endured for three more years, secured third place in the menial disciple tournament, and ascended to the outer sect of the Qingshan Sect.

After becoming an outer sect disciple, Zhang Jin frequently visited that apothecary, hoping to replicate his stroke of luck. It was, however, a fleeting encounter; he never found such a treasure again. Consequently, he settled into a routine of diligent cultivation in the outer sect. Over a decade passed, during which Zhang Jin married a mortal woman and had a daughter named Zhang Xiu'er. Zhang Xiu'er was remarkably bright, possessing a superior talent for cultivation with fire, wood, and water spirit roots. At the age of ten, she was recruited into the inner sect of the Qingshan Sect. With her entry into the inner sect, Zhang Jin’s status rose accordingly. Leveraging this connection, he secured a lucrative five-year garrison post in the Qin Kingdom.

When Cao Yun woke from this long dream, he found himself still in that gray, hazy space. His mind remained restless, lingering in Zhang Jin’s memories for a long time. Suddenly, a flash of clarity hit his brow, and Cao Yun jolted awake. He realized he was drenched in cold sweat. "That was close," he thought to himself. "I nearly lost myself entirely in Zhang Jin’s life."

"The path of cultivation is truly sinister," Cao Yun sighed.

Once he regained his composure, he began to carefully survey the mysterious space. It was a realm of endless desolation and silence, with no boundaries to follow and no terrain to distinguish, as if he were suspended in an infinite chaos. He attempted to explore the space, but failed to find any exit or anomaly, eventually forced to abandon the futile endeavor.

In the distance, the corpse of Zhang Jin lay quietly. According to Zhang Jin’s memories, while the demonic cultivators of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect had plundered his spirit stones and magic tools, they had dismissed his storage bag and tossed it aside. If Zhang Jin’s memory served him correctly, the bag should still contain the blood of nine demonic beasts and some butchered cuts of meat.

Since there was no way out of this bizarre space, Cao Yun decided to settle down and cultivate. This time, he chose not the "Biyang Technique" taught by Elder Ghost, but the "Essence-Increasing Technique" that Zhang Jin had practiced. It was not more powerful, but Zhang Jin’s memory provided a complete guide from the first to the tenth level. More importantly, it had no specific requirements for spirit roots; any attribute could be cultivated. The benefit of this technique was its suitability for those with messy spirit roots, and its speed exceeded that of standard elemental techniques. Its drawback was equally clear: the spiritual energy within the body would be too chaotic, putting him at a disadvantage in combat.

Cao Yun took a deep breath and began to circulate the Essence-Increasing Technique. He practiced with singular focus, refusing to stop until his meridians reached their limit. Time seemed to lose its meaning. He cultivated day after day until the beast meat in the storage bag was almost gone. By then, his cultivation had successfully broken through to the first level of Qi Refining.

Furthermore, since entering this space, the gauntlet on his hand had stopped draining his spiritual energy, and the "Heart-Shattering Technique" had not flared up once. Cao Yun now understood the nature of the gauntlet: it was a low-grade magic tool, and it had been stuck to his hand only because his own spiritual energy was insufficient to release it.

Magic tools were categorized into five grades: low, initial, middle, high, and supreme. Low-grade tools usually possessed only one or two inscribed formation patterns and were barely beyond the category of mortal objects, providing only a slight boost in strength, like his gauntlet. Initial-grade tools contained five or more patterns, allowing for techniques like Flying Sword or even flight, provided the cultivator reached the third level of Qi Refining and could project their consciousness. Middle-grade tools required over twelve patterns and carried immense power along with special functions. As for high-grade and supreme tools, they were rare treasures owned only by Foundation Establishment cultivators, possessing unimaginable might.

Once Cao Yun reached the first level of Qi Refining, a simple circulation of energy allowed the gauntlet to slide off his hand effortlessly. He flexed his fingers, feeling a sense of relief, and stored the gauntlet in his bag following Zhang Jin’s method before returning to his practice.

Progress in the Essence-Increasing Technique slowed significantly. Cao Yun shifted his focus to the elemental spells recorded in Zhang Jin’s memories, such as the Golden Light Shield, Fireball Technique, Wind-Riding Technique, and Wind Blade. Remarkably, he mastered these with ease, as if they were second nature to him. He could not help but wonder if this was due to the integration of Zhang Jin’s memories.

As time passed, the food in the storage bag was exhausted, leaving only nine beast hides. Cao Yun was forced to use a short blade to scrape off the remaining fat from the hides to stave off hunger. According to Zhang Jin’s memories, cultivators below the fifth level of Qi Refining could not achieve "Inedia"—the ability to abstain from food—though cultivation helped reduce the need for it.

Cao Yun had to stop practicing spells and focus solely on his cultivation technique to suppress his hunger. However, he soon hit a bottleneck; no matter how he practiced, his cultivation would not advance, and the hunger remained. Realizing this was futile, he immersed himself in the vast ocean of Zhang Jin’s memories.

In those long memories, cultivators were beings who had transcended the mortal realm, enjoying lifespans far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even a novice at the Qi Refining stage could easily live for a hundred and fifty or sixty years, while mortals struggled through life and disease in a mere sixty or seventy. Cultivators were different; their bodies were robust and nearly immune to illness. From their perspective, they could witness the rise and fall of families, looking down upon the changing world.

When a Qi Refining cultivator broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, their lifespan became truly staggering—at least three hundred and fifty to four hundred and fifty years, more than six times that of a mortal. At this stage, they could witness the rise and fall of dynasties. As for the legendary Golden Core cultivators, their lifespans reached an astonishing eight hundred to over a thousand years. Whether these figures were exact, Zhang Jin did not know; such beings were far beyond the reach of a small fourth-level Qi Refining disciple. Ancient texts mentioned them only vaguely, leading to speculation that there might be some restriction preventing them from revealing their secrets. This only made them seem more mysterious and enviable.

Above the Golden Core was the Nascent Soul. Those who reached this stage were akin to earthly deities; they could summon wind and rain, move mountains and fill seas, and their lifespans were unimaginable.

Before long, Cao Yun had completely digested all of Zhang Jin’s memories. He stood up, determined to search for an exit once more. Yet, after so much time, he still found no way out. Tormented by despair and hunger, he would have long since collapsed had his will not been exceptionally firm. Thus, until the very last moment, he refused to give up hope.