The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

The caravan camp was curled up in the folds of the Qilian Mountains late at night, and the vines hanging from the cave entrance rustled in the north wind.

The leader of the Hu merchants, Anmo Ke, walked in front carrying a bronze lantern, his boots crushing the condensed frost flowers, and the firelight dragged a distorted giant shadow on the rock wall.

Zhao Sanlang wrapped himself tightly in his ragged sheepskin coat, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the broken top of the bronze crossbow. The surface of this relic brought out from the mine was covered with copper rust, and the metal, which should have been cold, was strangely warm, as if it had absorbed the blood of a living person while soaking in the underground channel.

"The fire pit built with cold marrow stone can drive away evil spirits." Anmo Ke threw off his wolfskin cloak, revealing the scimitar inlaid with rubies at his waist. "When the caravans are doing business in Mobei, they are most afraid of encountering groups of snow hounds."

There was a rustling sound coming from deep in the cave. Seven or eight Hu merchants wrapped in yak felt were roasting frozen jerky. The wolf-tooth amulets hanging around their necks seemed to be glowing.

The bonfire flickered in Anmoke's sunken eye sockets, making the turquoise earring on Hu Shang's left earlobe flicker, just like the ghost fire that appeared and disappeared in the mine.

"My little brother, your face looks green. Why don't you try some camel milk wine from the Western Regions? There are people who will help redeem your wife and children. Don't worry too much." Anmoke threw over a leather bag with silver edges. The surface of the cowhide was branded with the caravan's unique six-pointed star mark.

As the wine slid down his throat, Zhao Sanlang suddenly felt the crossbow in his arms vibrate slightly, as if a living creature was moving between the bronze components.

He turned his back to add more firewood, and the firelight coated the surface of the crossbow with a layer of orange-red. The already blurred cloud-lightning patterns began to grow on their own, and the edges of the rusted arrow grooves showed a faint blue luster when the metal was recast.

As he stared at the scale line at Wangshan, the etched diamond pattern suddenly twisted into small seal characters——

[Spirit seed resonance frequency detected]

[Synchronizing the host's biological rhythm. 5%37%89%]

The line of handwriting was like ink dripping into water, spreading across his retina.

The flickering light and shadow of the bonfire penetrated the skin, revealing a neural network of metal threads interwoven under the skin. Zhao Sanlang's hand trembled, and the wine bag smashed against the bluestone, and the milky white wine rose into a three-foot-high green flame in the fire.

"Be careful." Anmo Ke wiped the scimitar without changing his movements. "The secret medicinal wine of the caravan can burn through iron armor."

"Illusion?" This thought immediately flashed through Zhao Sanlang's mind. His Adam's apple rolled and cold sweat slid down his spine into the waistband of his pants. The words he should have asked were ultimately not uttered.

Although the other party was most likely a cultivator above the fifth level of divine consciousness, such a strange scene still did not seem like something he had secretly done.

The twisted seal characters began to split and multiply, like countless black ants crawling all over the field of vision. When Zhao Sanlang closed his eyes and regulated his breathing in the unique way of miners, thousands of star rays suddenly exploded from the depths of his consciousness.

[Synchronization completed]

[System version: Qinghuang·β]

[Loading the initial interface]

The broken crossbow has now been restored to its original state, with silver spots of light floating on the bronze surface like a star map. The gap in the arrow groove has been filled with creeping metal, the Wangshan scale line has automatically adjusted to the twenty-eight constellations, and even the trigger spring has glowed with the unique cold light of meteorite iron.

Anmo Ke's scimitar suddenly came out of its sheath half an inch: "What do you have in your arms?"

"No... it's just an old injury." Zhao Sanlang held down the crazy jumping crossbow, as if tree roots were growing under his skin. When he opened his eyes again, the bonfire showed a spectrum-like layered structure, and Anmo Ke was surrounded by seven layers of spiritual aura of varying depths.

[Personal attributes loaded]

A translucent jade slip shadow unfolded in his head, and the ink moved and reorganized like tadpoles:
【Name: Zhao Sanjian】

【Sex: Male】

[Bone age: 29 years and 7 months]

[Race: Homo sapiens (subspecies adapted to the aura environment)]

[Special physique: Spiritual implant recipient (fusion rate 65%, Spiritual axis model: Tiangong·Type )]

[Cultivation level: None]

[Kung Fu inheritance: None]

[Skills: Primary Weapon Maintenance (Incomplete), Basic Mineral Vein Identification (Experience-based), Crossbow Modification (Beginner), Basic Archery (Proficient)...]

[System authority: Primary operation interface (programmable)]

[Database: Unlocked (need to import initial data pack)]

[Host first access detected]

[Newbie gift pack waiting to be claimed] [Log column updated]

"You look so ugly, have you been infected with miasma?" Anmo Ke suddenly reached out and pressed his shoulder well acupoint, his knuckles secretly pressing the Sanyinjiao acupoint. This action reminded Zhao Sanlang of the method used by the doctors in the mines to perform autopsies - those prisoners who died due to ration deductions would always be checked to see if they had hidden ore.

The crossbow vibrated violently in his palm, and Zhao Sanlang suddenly retracted his hand and stepped back.

Anmo Ke's pupils suddenly shrank into a line, and the scimitar that slipped from his sleeve reflected a cold light like a glacier flowing back. But the expected killing move did not come - Hu Shang just cut off half of the sheep's lung as if nothing had happened, as if the previous test was just an illusion.

[External threats detected, it is recommended to open the novice gift package]

The system prompt sounded like a sound of metal and stone, and vibrated in Zhao Sanlang's head. He suppressed the surging blood and qi. The system interface in his mind was flashing the [Newbie Gift Pack] option. He moved his mind slightly, and the jade slip immediately opened a new page:
[Optional initial exercises]

"Flying Star Arrow" (Rating: Xuan-level mid-level)
Includes: Archery Essentials/Qi Guidance/Strength Micro-manipulation
(Note: This skill needs to be used with a standard military crossbow. Do you want to consume the free computing power to import the "Flying Star Arrow" and load the neural memory module?)
Zhao Sanlang locked onto the option with the same concentration as a miner polishing a rock layer, gritted his teeth and selected confirmation. In an instant, it seemed as if a meteor pierced through his head, and a massive amount of information flowed down his spinal cord. The seven main stars dragged light traces to form the trajectory of an arrow, and the remaining images on the retina turned into a three-dimensional projection.

When his heart was shocked and he randomly focused his attention on Tianshu Star, the muscles in his left arm suddenly trembled uncontrollably. This was the bioelectric current forcibly activating the dormant motor neurons, as if countless silver needles were moving between the muscle fibers.

"This is... muscle memory recording?"

Zhao Sanlang was surprised to find that he was automatically adjusting his crossbow holding posture. The system converted the trajectory of the stars into thirteen angles of force, and the bending amplitude of each joint was accurate to the millimeter. When he subconsciously simulated the action of pulling the string, the free heaven and earth energy in the cave condensed into a translucent arrow in the void.

"Boy, you..."

[Do you want to start the teaching mode? ] [Note: The current available computing power is 1.3 times/second]

As soon as he acquiesced, the water drops dripping from the cracks in the rocks suddenly hovered in the air, and dozens of golden dotted lines jumped out in Zhao Sanlang's vision. These lines accurately marked Anmoko's throat, the frequency of the swaying campfire, and even the trajectory of the flapping wings of the night owl three meters outside the cave.

"Qi flows through the sky, and thoughts flow through Shao Shang."

The strange mechanical female voice resonated directly in his skull, and Zhao Sanlang uncontrollably put his fingers together to form arrows. The bonfire was suddenly flattened by an invisible force, and thirteen sparks automatically arranged into a Big Dipper formation, shooting out as his fingertips trembled slightly!

"laugh--"

The sparks burned seven-inch-deep holes in the rock wall, and the arrangement of the holes was exactly the same as the star map on the surface of the crossbow. Anmoko finally put down his scimitar, and his sheep-fat beard curled up slightly: "You people in the Central Plains call this... enlightenment?"

Zhao Sanlang's throat tightened, and a new prompt popped up on his retina: [Do you want to conduct Qi guidance? ]

He instinctively said the word to confirm, but found that his consciousness was dragged into a strange state of introspection. He "saw" star-sand-like particles flowing in each of his meridians. These light spots suddenly accelerated when passing through the Shenque point and condensed into a walnut-sized cyclone at the Dantian.

"Adjust the breathing rate to 4.5 seconds per breath, and sink the Tanzhong point three inches."

When the female voice sounded again, Zhao Sanlang found that his breathing rhythm adjusted automatically. The frequency of the bonfire suddenly became extremely slow. He could see the whole process of each spark from birth to annihilation, and even predict the direction of the next spark.

Anmoko's hand suddenly stopped while he was adding wood to the fire, and the dead branch strangely caught fire half a foot away from the charcoal fire. Hu Shang's dark brown pupils reflected the light silver halo flowing around Zhao Sanlang's body - that was a sign that the spirit seed system was reconstructing the host's meridians and the vital energy was pouring in.

[Primary Qi sense has been activated, current true energy reserve: 0.7 Lingzhu]

[It is recommended to introduce the Flying Star Arrow Method]

Zhao Sanlang felt a nebula spinning in his dantian, and every breath created a tiny vortex. As the number of breath circulations increased, the meridians that had been dry for years felt a sharp pain like ice breaking.

He clenched his back teeth tightly, watching the [Cultivation Level] on the attribute panel gradually blur from "None" to "Qi Sensing Stage", and soon jumped from "Qi Sensing Stage" to "First Level of Profound Understanding".

A hot vortex suddenly rose up in the Dantian, as if some kind of energy between liquid and gas was surging up along the Ren Mai.

When he subconsciously swung his arms to imitate the trajectory of Mars on the rock wall, air arrows burst out, and the stalactites with bearing points marked five feet away suddenly "cracked" and cracked into spider web patterns.

"Not bad... The ascetics I met in Persia in recent years could only break the clay pot after meditating for three months." Anmoke threw a new wine bag over, then stood up and walked towards the cave entrance. The crisp sound of his cowhide boots crushing dead branches woke Zhao Sanlang from his trance.

"Little brother, it's time to get going."

The leader of the caravan looked up at the starry sky covered by dark clouds, raised his right hand, and tapped the gold ring on his right earlobe with his thumb. The howling cold wind outside the cave suddenly weakened by seven points: "There will be rain and snow at 3:30 pm. We have to cross Wolf Leaping Gorge before 5:00 pm... We will discuss your question on the way." Zhao Sanlang's hand trembled slightly as he took the wine bag, and prompts kept flashing in the corner of his retina:
[Muscle memory recording completed]

[Motor nerve coordination improved by 27%]

[Moving target training is recommended]

Suddenly, a snowy owl cried outside the cave. Zhao Sanlang turned his head and his vision automatically locked onto the swaying shadows of trees seventy steps away. Some intuition beyond the five senses told him that there were three snow rabbits hiding there, and he could even "see" pine cones buried under the snow.

Almost at the same time, he panted and checked the system, and found that the skill column had been updated:
[Skill: Flying Star Arrow·Remnant (Mastery 5.2%)]

[Special state: Spiritual power infusion (37 seconds remaining, gain rate 4160%)]

Just as I was about to ask, a red warning suddenly popped up in front of me:
[Aura fluctuations detected]

[There is a lower-level sixth realm cultivator 14 feet to the southeast, probability of hidden cultivation: %]

The bonfire went out without warning. Outside the cave came the uneasy neighing of horses, and the caravan warriors on duty drew their swords and knives.

Anmo Ke shook his head, took out a sheepskin scroll from his bosom, cut his palm with a scimitar, and scribbled some cuneiform characters, making the blood-red spell glow: "If you don't want to die, hold your breath."

Strange entries began to pop up on Zhao Sanlang's system interface:
[Temporary skill: Breathing Technique (remaining number of uses 1/1)]

[Danger Source Analysis: Elder of Qiyun Mountain Blood Refining Sect (matching degree of skill characteristics 69%)]

In the distance, blood-red mist rose from the snow forest, and all the pine needles withered wherever they passed. Anmoko bit his tongue and flicked the blood droplets onto the ruby ​​inlaid on the scimitar. The blade suddenly appeared densely packed with Sak runes, as if there was a beast soul roaring inside.

"Follow closely, this road leads directly to the Blackwater River."

He kicked open the secret door at the bottom of the cave, and the rusted bronze hinges made a teeth-grinding creaking sound. "Everyone, take the Qi-Hiding Powder. The enemy doesn't seem to be too strong. We will be at our home ground soon."

Zhao Sanlang took the black pill and jumped into the secret passage. Suddenly, the system sent a new prompt:
【Real-time task activation】

[Surviving for twelve hours can unlock the second level of "Flying Star Arrow" and the first chapter of "The Root of Wisdom of Controlling All Laws"]

……

The moonlight splashed on the glaciers on the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, reflecting the cold light like thousands of sharp swords.

Thousands of miles away in the main hall of Zhanghuatai, a tiny light dot lit up on the star map floating in front of Zhao Qing, marked with "Experimental system, number C-27".

"With the liquid metal sword pellet as the carrier, the sword scripture program and the new spirit seed as the auxiliary, and connected to the external computing network, this cultivation system should have an extremely good effect on the vast majority of ordinary people and those who have just embarked on the path of cultivation. It can also be used as part of the layout..."

"However, unlike the conventional lead-mercury sword pill, this separate system model needs to be integrated into the body, so the toxicity must be removed and imported gallium-indium-tin alloy is used instead. The refining cost has increased significantly, and without the support of the joint network, it is difficult to share intelligence, and the single computing power requirements have also increased many times."

"The guidance and teaching of this kind of 'system' is far from as gentle as in many novels. After all, the way it transmits information to the host is actually to call upon a distilled version of the 'Five Elements Burial Heart Sword' and directly insert metal filaments into the nerves and veins, releasing vital energy and electrical signals nearby to stimulate them."

"This method obviously requires the host to have extremely outstanding endurance and mental willpower to survive the initial synchronization and transformation stages, and not give up in the subsequent learning process because of the pain of being bitten by thousands of ants. This alone is enough to eliminate 99% of mediocre people..."

"Moreover, according to the current technical level, it is still impossible to truly improve the key understanding. The main function of this system is actually to improve the user's practice and learning efficiency and assist in combat through efficient resource management and targeted training plans."

"Perhaps, within the scope of the sword world, such problems can be solved, and certain neurological drugs can improve the physiological state of the system's acupuncture and threading, but judging from the data sent back so far, more optimization is needed before promotion."

"Considering that the system's effect will decrease with higher cultivation levels, it is difficult to ensure that the 'host' can be cultivated to the fifth level or above. Even the combat effectiveness may not be comparable to that of a Dan-Herg Gold Man of the same cost. The best solution should be to develop the driver of the 'Manned Talisman Device'..."

"Top-level craftsmen and pharmacists are also the preferred choices. Those below the seventh realm do not specialize in body training, and their vitality is at most similar to that of the fourth and fifth realm beasts. With a special talisman weapon to launch a surprise attack, or a strange poison to attack secretly, there may be a chance to kill them by crossing several levels..."

She flicked her fingers and popped out a few crystal bubbles, thinking deeply. The bubbles rose and fell in the hall, oscillating rhythmically inside. The recorded audio was converted through the Lingxi Jade Talisman and turned into the sound of a radio broadcast, entering the ears of many listeners thousands of miles away.

This is the news channel hosted by Zhao Qing, who analyzed some of the major and minor events that happened tonight with great interest:
For example, the number of Qin troops stationed at Wushan Pass increased to 1,400. Several fifth-level warriors tried to control their flying swords and accelerated them into the air at an altitude of 20,000 meters, risking the possibility of being difficult to retrieve them. They hoped that although they were out of the range of divine perception, they would happen to hit the circling sky kites of the Chu army. However, they all failed.
That same night, three groups of Qin and Qi spies lurking in the Great Chu Dynasty were dispatched separately, using powerful talismans to attack and destroy the twenty-four Sky Kite aircraft parked at the airport. However, they did not expect that the pilots of these fighter planes included dozens of sixth realms and more than fifty fifth realms, as well as the defense of the seventh realm masters, and all of them were annihilated;
That evening, the Great Qin Household Department completed the first round of comprehensive surveys and statistics on the practitioners of the "Health Preservation and Body Training Technique" for the Changling residents, and confirmed that there were more than 3,700 people who had developed a sense of breathing, and among them, two had already entered the realm of Tongxuan - but both were assisted by elixirs;
Ji Tianxue of the Great Chu Divine Craftsman Workshop has preliminarily completed the design of a self-developed manned spacecraft, with an estimated carrying capacity of 260 tons. The Fengming magic array of the Yingdu Palace directly provides energy for the first stage of ascent. Theoretically, it can carry 15 people. Relevant institutions have now begun recruiting "volunteers";

Greenhouse-style "Baoling" planting has begun a pilot project in thousands of acres of fields, with good results; Dragon King brand cola and Sprite have officially been put into production and sales, with the guide price temporarily set at 5 cents per can, and have been sought after by countless people...

"C-27's mental state is very stable, even a little numb. He did not show much surprise at the emergence of the 'system'. He just instinctively chose to accept it and began to try to take advantage of this sudden 'opportunity'. This kind of calmness and adaptability is quite rare."

"The long years of working underground and serving hard labor not only honed his strong will, but also gave him a keen intuition about danger and opportunity. A typical pragmatist is undoubtedly the most suitable character for this era."

"I don't know how far this person can go in the future."

Zhao Qing tapped the armrest with her fingers, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes. This C-27 is indeed a talent, and perhaps he can really become an important chess piece in her plan.

Then, as her mind moved slightly, the bronze chimes in the main hall began to play by themselves. Amid the clear music, the star map in front of Zhao Qing began to slowly rotate, projecting more light and shadows. They were many system test subjects similar to the "Bing-27" that she was paying attention to at this time.

Some were sitting cross-legged on a cushion, using the guidance of the system to accelerate the intake and exhalation of the heaven and earth's vital energy; some were fighting a life-and-death battle with ferocious monsters in the dark forest; and some were immersed in the vast sea of ​​classics, absorbing knowledge rapidly...

The figures of these practitioners are all blurry, and one can barely make out their human forms, but above their heads, there are lines of constantly jumping text and data, as well as bright or dim light spots, representing the real-time status of each test subject.

Zhao Qing looked at them one by one, and occasionally reached out to adjust the trajectory of a light or shadow, or fill in new parameters into a data column.

Every time she made such a move, several streams of light would fly out from the star map, penetrate through layers of clouds and mist, and accurately penetrate into the body of a certain experimenter.

……

【System Update】

[The log column has been unlocked: "Newcomer's Guide", "System Operation Manual", "On the Necessity of Self-cultivation for Practitioners"]

[Database has been unlocked: "Basic Mineralogy", "Elementary Refining Techniques", "Introduction to Talismans", "Spiritual Plant Identification Atlas"]

The smell of rotten soil mixed with the fishy smell of iron in the secret passage rushed straight into Zhao Sanlang's nose. He staggered and held onto the slippery rock wall.

The system interface automatically switched to night vision mode in the dark. A blue-gray contour map floated on the retina, and even the centipedes crawling out of the cracks in the rocks were marked with their movement tracks.

Anmoko's wolf tooth amulet clanged against the rock wall, and he threw out three bone whistles. The whistle sound snaked along the stone wall, and phosphorescent light suddenly lit up thirty feet ahead, illuminating the silver animal head embedded in the cave ceiling. The caravan ducked in tacit agreement.

"The Wind-Sniffing Gu of the Blood Refining Sect. This thing can smell the blood of a living person from thirty miles away."

The leader of the Hu merchants suddenly turned around, stretched out his hand and crushed a blood bead, revealing three scarlet beetles that were only a fraction of the size of a grain of rice. "So it wasn't the Qin army in Longxi that sent people to hunt us down, but the frontier sects were eyeing the caravan's treasures?"

A semi-transparent analysis box popped up on Zhao Sanlang's retina: [Target analysis 79% match: Blood Refined Corpse Gu (mature form), it is recommended to use true Qi to cover the sweat glands on the body surface]

He subconsciously activated the newly formed cyclone in his dantian, and the light silver true qi seeped out through his pores, forming a thin film on the surface of his skin that was difficult to see with the naked eye. The system interface immediately refreshed the prompt: [Body odor masking efficiency 92%, duration: 1 minutes]

"Little brother, your understanding is not bad." Anmo Ke suddenly stopped, and the wolf tooth amulet hit the heart mirror on his chest with a clanging sound. He squatted down, bent his fingers and knocked seven times on a protrusion on the rock wall. The rusty bronze gear set protruded from the cracks in the stone, making the whole corridor buzz.

The caravan leaned against the rock wall skillfully, but Zhao Sanlang saw the stress point marked by the system - the dome three meters away was accumulating potential energy. When the gear meshing sound reached a certain frequency, he pounced on the protruding crystal stalagmite on the left.

Boom!

The Dragon-Breaking Stone weighing tens of thousands of pounds fell almost brushing his back, and the flying gravel brushed past Zhao Sanlang's ears. Two Hu merchant warriors who reacted a little slower were knocked to the ground by the air wave.

Anmoko raised his eyebrows, and the turquoise earring on his earlobe left a residual shadow: "I haven't used this mechanism for thirty years. I almost remembered the wrong location."

"Luck..." Before Zhao Sanlang finished his words, the system suddenly converted his voiceprint into a spectrum graph, and a red warning of [Probability of lying 87%] flashed at the edge of his vision.

He quickly changed the subject: "Is there a fork in the road ahead?"

"Three." Anmo Ke sprinkled some sulfur powder on the stone gate to block the invasion of flying poisonous insects. "The left one leads to the nest of snow hyenas, the middle one is buried with the ancient tomb of the former dynasty's soldiers, and the right one..." He deliberately dragged out the ending sound, and suddenly stabbed the tip of the knife at Zhao Sanlang's throat, "Which one do you choose, little brother?"

The chill of the blade made Zhao Sanlang's Adam's apple roll, and an analysis diagram of three paths instantly popped up on his retina: [Left channel: traces of large mammal feces detected; middle channel: metal oxide concentration exceeds the standard; right side: abnormal air humidity].

The system broke down Anmoko's micro-expressions into a spectrum of muscle tremors, and the prompt [Probability of a lie 61%] started jumping again.

"Go to the right." Zhao Sanlang's fingertips unconsciously slid across the crossbow mountain, and the direction of the stars emerging on the bronze surface was automatically calibrated to the direction of "Kui Mulang". "The sound of water seeping from the rock layer is at regular intervals, indicating that there is a hidden river ahead - the caravan needs water to transport goods."

Sparks suddenly flew from the tip of Anmoko's knife, leaving snake-shaped scorch marks on the rock wall. He put the scimitar back into the gilded sheath with his backhand, and the wolf tooth amulet made a dull sound when it hit his chest: "Good eyesight!"

...(End of chapter)