Cosmic Demon

Chapter 76: Twenty-one, the Palace of Thought (First Update!)

Textbooks?

Cheng Ze put down the meat saw in his hand. The eastern suburbs of Dangyang had experienced great development in the past 30 years and were now in full swing and thriving.

Especially schools that enroll children of military dependents, senior employees, and front-line personnel.

All parties invested a lot of resources, from the Tai'an Education Commission to the Hengzhou Martial Arts Association, all made great efforts.

The older generation in Jiuchang Street often talk about this past event.

"Village Chief Qin is quite resourceful. After the textbooks were lost, the inspection department went all out to dig deep, but they only recovered less than one-third of them. They almost turned the eastern suburbs of Dangyang upside down."

Cheng Ze took out a cigarette, put it into Luo Ji's mouth, and lit it for him:
“Even the Inspection Department couldn’t find it, but Qin Renying did. She is indeed a local boss in Yancheng.

It is said that in Yancheng, even the district mayor has to look at the face of the Qin family boss and has to stand up and toast at social gatherings.

Brother Ji, do you know which textbook it is? I remember that among the textbooks that have not been collected, there is one SSS-level, two A-level, and seven or eight B-level."

The SSS level is naturally the legendary countless versions of He Lan Zen's inheritance, the "Void Meditation Method".

Those two A-level books, "Blade of Panic" and "Record of the Gods", also have great origins.

It is the last afterglow of the first generation of top ten.

After this, it will be difficult to have the old martial arts tradition included in the official textbooks by the Wushu Association.

The smell of tobacco was like a tranquilizer, allowing Rocky, who was extremely frightened, to regain some of his spirit. He licked his lips:

"I don't know what level it is exactly. One time, after giving an acupuncture treatment, Brother Hao was boxing with his brothers to warm up and he said casually, 'No matter how noble that old guy Chen Ruofu is, he has to accept this gift.'"

So confident?

It seems like a very important gift.

After all, Chen Lin controls half of the world, and it is clear who is in charge and who has the final say in the urban circle.

He was able to impress Chen Ruofu, the "big brother" of the inspection headquarters.

It must not be inferior stuff.

Cheng Ze narrowed his eyes and asked again:

"Why was such an important thing mixed with medicines and sent here?"

Rocky tried to recall the details:

"The container that seals the contraband is very special. The higher the level of the original teaching material, the stronger the residual spiritual fluctuations.

Brother Hao said that there is something called an 'iron curtain' in the urban area, which is a defense mechanism and cannot be easily removed.

We need to deal with it first..."

Cheng Ze seemed to be thinking about something.

He learned the term "Iron Curtain" from those "friends" he met by chance.

The description is relatively abstract, an invisible defense system developed by the Teikyo Research Institute.

It is said to be the essential main framework for large-scale land development.

"Defense? Against whom?"

Cheng Ze was very surprised when he heard it for the first time.

Hengzhou Xinxing is peaceful and calm. Apart from occasional natural disasters, there are almost no nihilistic cultists, liberal rebels, and ancient Anchinaist chaos elements.

"Very good, Brother Ji, you successfully bought your own life."

After finishing the cigarette, Cheng Ze patted Rocky's face, which was covered with sweat and grease, and sealed his and Qin Zhijie's mouths again.

Then inject a few more nutrients to maintain basic vital signs and anesthetics to keep him asleep.

Every once in a while, Cheng Ze would come down to get an injection of muscle relaxant.

"Jiusong Port, abandoned dock No. 5..."

He returned to the room and looked out the window at the slightly pale morning sky.

“What an unexpected bonus.”

……

……

[Progress: 0.020%]

By the time Qin Shi completely absorbed the fourth-level energy liquid that was divided into twelve parts and injected into his body, it was already pitch black outside the dormitory. Occasionally, there could be the sounds of some kids making noises, or the magical music of middle-aged women dancing in the square.

“It’s such an unprecedented joy and comfort!”

He closed his eyes and felt the "seed of life" three inches below his navel. When he looked inward, it looked like a cocoon of light, sparkling and shimmering.

Every time the Qi circulates and moves through the Qi meridians, this seed will release an incomparably rich vitality to nourish the flesh and blood, and moisturize the mortal body, making this young body increasingly close to perfection.

It seemed as if +1, +1 was popping up on my head all the time, and I felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction from gaining experience by idling.

"No wonder twenty points is called a critical point. Is it because if you break through this critical value, you can achieve a change and evolution from the inside out?"

Qin Shi thought that the teaching content of Xinyi Middle School’s Hongzhi class did not include this in-depth knowledge on vitality development.

"As the old saying goes, what you learn from books is shallow, and you have to practice it to know it. But I didn't even have the chance to learn it from books before, thanks to Uncle Zhou for introducing Lao Liang!"

He has a divergent mindset. If he were to enter the finals of the Star Cup in the future and be interviewed by major media, and Uncle Zhou recommended Lao Liang to him, it could be said that this was the moment when the gears of fate began to turn!
"When you wake up, there is a box of nutritional paste on the table. Eat some to fill your stomach."

Lao Liang, who was bent over the desk writing something, turned his head to look at Qin Shi who was grinning foolishly, and couldn't help but worry.

Could it be that my own disciple has become confused? In the old era, many theories and cognitions in the martial arts world were not mature enough, and one could only continue to make mistakes through trial and error. Especially on the road to breaking limits, there were countless bones piled up like mountains.

Among them, there are many unlucky people who took high-energy substances without the guidance of a famous teacher, and then suffered from constant fever and burned brains.

"Master Liang, how do we cultivate the seeds of life?"

Qin Shi asked sincerely.

"Eating well, drinking well and sleeping well are the basic conditions."

Lao Liang put down his pen and said in a serious tone:

“All that’s left is to find ways to eat better, drink better, and sleep better.

Of course, this is the normal way. As you know, we in the old martial arts school don’t like to take the ordinary path.”

"Can life seeds be grown quickly?"

Qin Shi, who had always wanted to be a speedrunner, had his eyes sparkling and couldn't wait to rub his hands:

"Master Liang, please explain in detail." Old Liang picked up the "teaching plan" he had just written and turned to face Qin Shi:
"Ancient sages have written in their classics that there are five thieves in the sky, and those who see them will prosper. The five thieves are in the heart, and they are carried out in the sky. The universe is in the hands, and all things are born in the body.

The first generation of Wushen Yan Haishan once regarded it as the foundation of "martial arts". All things are thieves of heaven and earth, and people are thieves of all things. They steal from each other and support each other.

Therefore, the old martial arts school has a long-lasting tradition called "stealing the secrets of heaven."

Stealing the secret?
Qin Shi's eyes showed great interest.

"The older generation has said that there is great terror between life and death. Keep yourself on edge and on the brink of life and death at all times, and your heart and mind will be tempered repeatedly and sublimated."

Old Liang's eyes wrinkled and he smiled:
"I asked my master, and he said that some people have indeed done this, but most of them are unconventional practitioners without any proper master. They go to the mountains and forests to practice on icy cliffs, or sit on the rooftops dozens of stories high to get some fresh air. If one out of a hundred survives, it's considered a good thing.

It is not easy for the old martial arts school to raise a good seedling. If you really use this method, the incense will be cut off within three or five generations."

Qin Shi couldn't help but smile. He had seen this method, which was similar to asceticism, in extracurricular reading materials on traditional martial arts.

"But that doesn't mean the method of stealing the secrets of heaven is wrong. It is the path of transformation for geniuses, not a shortcut to success for mediocre people. Only when your mind is strong and stable enough can you be qualified to steal the secrets of heaven and understand life and death. Otherwise, it's like a child swinging a sledgehammer and crushing himself to death."

Lao Liang spoke in a calm tone, then suddenly looked at Qin Shi, and suddenly, he shouted:

"Look directly at me!"

Qin Shi, who was listening to the class attentively, was caught off guard. His eyes seemed to be drawn to meet Lao Liang's eyes. Then he saw two fingers suddenly poking at him. They were as sharp as the edge of a sword. Before they touched his skin, he felt a stinging pain as if being cut.

To die!

Lao Liang's eyes were cold and indifferent, revealing his icy cruelty of treating life as worthless, which made Qin Shi completely believe that he would be pierced through the head and die on the spot in the next moment.

【Extrasensory Perception】!
In such a critical situation, the monument was triggered, causing Qin Shi's five senses to surge instantly. The flow of time in the surrounding world seemed to slow down, and even Lao Liang's lightning-fast sword fingers seemed to be played in slow motion frame by frame.

"My head is going to explode!"

Qin Shi's temples were throbbing. It was obvious that this experience, which was similar to "time stop", was far beyond what a mortal body could bear.

Half a second!
He only had time to move back less than two meters before everything returned to normal.

Lao Liang, who was originally sitting on a chair, stood in front of him without him noticing when, and his two fingers almost touched Qin Shi's forehead.

His eyes were full of surprise, and then turned into amazement:
"The union of body and soul is truly incredible. Even in such a disadvantageous situation where his vitality was suppressed, he still managed to break free of the shackles with his tenacious spiritual will!"

Even with 50 points of vitality, he couldn't dodge this finger that contained the assassination fist technique.

But Qin Shi dodged and completed the action.

It's not easy.

When a normal person encounters danger, their brain often goes blank, they are so scared that they freeze in place and lose the ability to move.

Trained fighters and martial artists have stronger psychological qualities and are able to concentrate and respond to situations better.

The courage and character that his disciple just displayed has surpassed many masters with 50 points of vitality.

"Huhuhu..."

Qin Shi didn't say anything, but in just a moment he was sweating profusely and his face turned pale.

His eyes were blank and a little empty, and it took a while for them to recover.

"It's like going back from the gates of hell."

Qin Shi finally understood the true meaning of lingering fear.

Just a moment ago, he seemed to have brushed past a large truck, or bullets were bouncing over his head.

The thrill and horror of having one's life ended at any time stimulates the body crazily.

Blood rushes to the brain, and the five senses become amplified and extremely sharp.

The mortal body seems to have opened some shackles, entering a whole new world and touching the true essence of things.

"How is it? Does the secret of stealing the sky work?"

Lao Liang put away his fingers and sat back down with his limping leg.

Qin Shi remained silent. He closed his eyes and looked inward. The seed of life that was as big as a fingernail actually grew a little bit stronger. Although it was very subtle, it was indeed growing.

[Progress: 0.021%]

In less than two seconds, vitality increased a little again.

"It is precisely because of the existence of the Heaven Stealer that the old martial arts school likes to seek out strong enemies as whetstones to sharpen themselves. If they succeed, they will turn into dragons, and if they fail, they will die."

Lao Liang sighed:

"My master died just like that. But for him, dying before a strong opponent in this life might be better than dying in bed."

Qin Shi took a deep breath, evened his breath, and freed his mind from the tension.

"Master Liang, how about... we try it a few more times? I think this method is quite effective!"

Lao Liang shook his head:

"It will work only this time. If you want to try it again, you have to face a life-and-death battle where you can be beaten half to death and your life can be in danger."

It was a pity in Qin Shi that it was a rare opportunity to gain more vitality after being on the verge of death.

【Disasters are always one step behind me (1/3)】

The retina scanned the text information, and the mission of avoiding three dangers was also partially accomplished.

……

……

After returning from Lao Liang, Qin Shi couldn't wait to wash up and lie down on the bed.

Early to bed and early to rise, open your eyes tomorrow.

He can upgrade [Deep Sleep] to a high level.

The next day, early in the morning.

[Intermediate Achievement-Deep Sleep (30/30)]

【Advanced Success】

[Advanced Achievement-Deep Sleep]

[Deep sleep: It’s great to be young, you can fall asleep as soon as you lie down. Any organism’s growth stage cannot be separated from adequate rest, let alone you, a still developing embryo seed. ]

[Features: You will no longer face the trouble of insomnia, and you can recover more physical strength and energy through shorter sleep time, and open up the spiritual space to build a palace of thinking. ]

[Advanced route: The images of the universe, whether grand or tiny, can all become the pillars that support the mind. Discover them and then accommodate them.]

(End of this chapter)