Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 106 Mystical Divination, and Cooperation with Daisy

He stopped writing and stopped blindly copying. Instead, he began to carefully observe the direction of the text, ponder the logic behind its force, and then replicate it with his own understanding.

Time flew by as I focused intensely on the task at hand.

Soon, the one-hour deadline was up.

The old man's hoarse voice rang out precisely on time: "It's time. Go out."

Xilun closed his notebook, rubbed his throbbing temples, and glanced at the results on the paper.

After an hour of intense pressure, he still couldn't memorize even a tenth of the entire stone inscription.

Xilun felt an inexplicable headache.

Even though it's just a transitional breathing technique applicable to the baptismal stage, the knowledge system it carries is already so intricate and complex. The steepness of this extraordinary path far exceeds his imagination.

After leaving the oppressive room on the fourth floor, Xiren did not return directly to the hotel.

He went up the stairs and went straight to the library that was open to the public in the corner of the first floor.

It was already late at night, but the gaslights in the library were still dutifully lit.

Xilun went inside, found a quiet corner to sit down, took out the notes he had made in class and the booklet he had just copied, and began to forcibly translate them using his extremely limited knowledge of occultism.

He frowned as he looked at the page in the notebook that contained only two or three hundred incomplete characters.

The entire stone inscription of "The Great Whale Guiding Technique" contains at least three thousand such complex characters.

He bit his pen, trying to translate, racking his brains, but in the end he could only manage to cobble together a few isolated words on the paper: injection, simulation, resonance, harmony, breathing, tide —

They were all extremely abstract fragments, impossible to string together into sentences, let alone deeply understand the flow of Qi and blood within them.

Moreover, looking at what he had written down, he had a strong intuition that it was completely different from the profound meaning that the mysterious stone carving was originally meant to convey.

If you cultivate according to this incomplete understanding, the result will definitely be that you will be blown into pieces by your own rampaging blood and qi.

"Clatter".

A soft but extremely abrupt sound instantly interrupted Xilun's chaotic thoughts.

He looked down alertly.

On the empty stool behind him, a pair of exquisitely crafted brown fur boots stepped on it without any hesitation.

Above the boots were slender calves tightly encased in thick, high-quality black stockings.

Following the calf upwards, at the edge of the skirt, a patch of snow-white thigh skin was exposed to the air, gleaming with a breathtakingly delicate luster under the light.

Xilun's gaze lingered on that patch of snow-white for an extremely brief moment, then, with just the right amount of lingering reluctance, he slowly raised his head.

Daisy was standing behind him, arms crossed, glancing at him with an extremely condescending air.

Her deep blue eyes held an undisguised mockery as she looked at the booklet that Xilun had opened and gave a cold snort.

"If your translations were publicized, it would be enough to bring shame upon me in the education field!"

Xilun remained expressionless, glanced down at his notes, and calmly replied, "These are the characters about breathing techniques that I just tried to replicate from that mysterious stone carving on the fourth floor."

After saying that, he added, "It seems there's a slight error."

Upon hearing this, Daisy shook her head, utterly speechless.

"Not only did you not understand it, you didn't even copy it correctly."

She leaned down, and a delicate fragrance instantly filled Xilun's nostrils.

She extended a slender, pale finger and pointed mercilessly at one of the lines in Xilun's notebook.

"Look carefully, this character doesn't mean 'tide' as you translated it, but rather 'rhythm'."

She corrected me like a stern mentor: "In the context of ancient mysticism, this character has many extended meanings. However, if you have a little common sense and connect it with the imagery in the surrounding murals, it should be accurately translated as—the undulating rhythm of waves, used to simulate the rhythm of breathing."

After saying that, Daisy straightened up, put her hands on her hips, and said in an extremely serious tone, "If you translate it like this, you are very likely to make fatal mistakes in your understanding."

"Because your occult system isn't even at the beginner level yet; it hasn't even passed the initial stage!"

Xilun blinked, a hint of understanding flashing in his deep, unfathomable eyes.

He showed no anger at being exposed; instead, he nodded quite calmly.

"You're right." Celen closed his notebook and said frankly, "I originally planned to try it out on my own, learning and translating at the same time."

"But now I truly realize that in extraordinary fields, having a little knowledge is more likely to cause irreparable misunderstandings than having no knowledge at all."

Seeing his humble and receptive attitude, Daisy felt much better.

She pulled out a chair next to her and sat down, elegantly crossing her long legs. Suddenly, she asked with some curiosity, "You just said that the mysterious stone carvings on the fourth floor actually record breathing techniques?"

Xilun paused slightly, then asked, "You know there are mysterious stone carvings in this building, but you didn't know they specifically record breathing techniques?"

"What's so strange about that?" Daisy curled her lip, her tone carrying a touch of aristocratic nonchalance. "In my family's treasury, there are a few extremely ancient and mysterious stone carvings. But those carvings either record mysterious tales from the hidden era or long-lost mysterious techniques. I've never seen any record of such a crude breathing method."

Xilun stroked his chin thoughtfully.

It seems that the branches of mysticism are like a towering tree, extremely complex and numerous.

It not only has a combat and breathing system that focuses on physical strength and blood circulation, but also many other mysterious and unpredictable methods.

Seeing Xilun's thoughtful expression, Daisy raised her chin slightly, her tone carrying an undisguised pride.

"I have already mastered several extremely obscure and mysterious techniques."

She stretched out her hand and made a gesture in the air, "Like a guiding spell. If I get lost in the wilderness or among ruins, I can use my spiritual energy, along with a crystal or a special mithril staff, to directly divine an absolutely correct path."

Xilun's pupils contracted slightly. This was a supernatural technique that completely defied the laws of physics, and it was practically a divine skill for exploring unknown areas.

"Amazing." Xilun exclaimed sincerely, his tone unusually tinged with emotion.

Seeing that the guy in front of her, who was usually as cold and hard as a rock and never gave her any attention, finally showed an expression that wasn't indifferent or aloof, Daisy's mood instantly improved.

She couldn't help but smile, revealing two extremely cute little tiger teeth.

She remembered very clearly how, on her first trip to the countryside, she had made a very embarrassing situation in front of this guy due to an unexpected incident.

She also remembered that she had made an extremely rare decision to lower herself and ask all the students to attend the banquet on her birthday, but this clueless jerk dared to skip it in public and didn't even show up!

Now, seeing him struggling with obscure knowledge and having to ask her for help, Daisy finally felt a long-lost sense of triumph, as if she had won a victory.

However, this sense of triumph did not last long.

The surprise in Xilun's eyes lasted for less than two seconds before he quickly concealed it, and his expression returned to its usual calm and serene state.

He pondered for a moment, looked directly into Daisy's eyes, and asked the most crucial question.

"At my current pace, how long do you think it would take me to fully and correctly understand the three-thousand-word inscription on the fourth floor?"

Daisy's smile faded, and her gaze returned to the notebook, looking at the two or three hundred distorted and incomplete characters.

She tapped her fingers lightly on the table, quickly assessing Xilun's cognitive level in her mind.

"If you're just stuck at your current level of guesswork—"

She gave a harsh answer: "You'll probably need to work tirelessly for two or three months to figure out most of the logic behind it."

Seeing Xilun's slightly furrowed brows, Daisy changed the subject.

"Of course, if you really need this technique urgently, you can spend a lot of money to hire a scholar who is proficient in ancient mysticism."

"He can take care of translating those obscure words for you, word by word."

“However,” Daisy emphasized, “you must understand that those ancient texts themselves have multiple meanings, like codes, and require extraordinary ideas to decipher.”

"Now that you have successfully ascended to the first level of baptism, you must have your own unique understanding of the circulation of Qi and blood. You need to take the superficial text translated by scholars and, through your own perception and understanding, reconstruct and deepen your understanding in your mind."

At this point, Daisy looked at Xilen with an extremely serious expression.

"So, even though your progress in learning combat sports is as fast as a monster, even if top scholars translate it word for word for you, you still can't possibly absorb it all without any foundational understanding."

"You need to follow me and study with utmost focus for at least twenty days to fully digest all the basic courses on biological flesh and blood and mutation chemistry."

"After laying a solid foundation, and with the assistance of scholars, it was only with difficulty that the translation and understanding of the entire stone inscription could be completed."

After listening, Xilun nodded slightly.

He did not speak immediately, but fell into an extremely long silence.

In the quiet library, only the occasional sound of pages turning in the distance could be heard.

After a long while, Xilun slowly raised his head and stared straight at Daisy, who was sitting opposite him.

That was the first time Daisy had seen his eyes so clearly from such close range.

Those were straight and calm eyes, without the slightest obsequiousness or the arrogance of someone who had suddenly gained power; they were as calm as a lake without a ripple, bathed in the gentle moonlight.

Immediately afterward, just as Daisy felt a little uneasy because of that gaze.

In those eyes, which were like the surface of a lake, it was as if a pebble had been gently tossed in, and gentle ripples spread across the originally lifeless gaze.

Siron blinked gently, looking at Daisy with a genuine smile on his lips.

"Then, can you be my assistant scholar?"

He said gently, in a negotiating tone, "As for the payment, we can discuss it."

Faced with this sudden smile and invitation, Daisy's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

She instinctively lowered her proud head, avoiding Xiren's gaze, and muttered in a very low voice that only she could hear, "Laugh—who is she laughing at? She was so cold just now—"

However, she quickly composed herself.

She raised her head again, resuming her shrewd and calculating aristocratic demeanor. After thinking carefully, she countered, "You want to hire me? What kind of compensation are you planning to offer?"

Siren mentally calculated his newly bulging wallet and answered with utmost seriousness, "If it's in pounds, I—"

"stop!"

Daisy waved him off without any politeness, her tone revealing an undisguised arrogance: "Take your pounds, I don't need your pittance."

She frowned and pondered for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had thought of something important.

"That's right, I'm currently in a secluded stronghold of my family, studying some extremely dangerous auxiliary spellcasting and divination techniques."

She lowered her voice, her tone becoming extremely serious.

"In the process of preparing the potion, I need some extremely special mutated biological materials."

"These materials are very delicate. Some of them must be fused with magic within five minutes of being picked from the mother plant, otherwise their spirituality will wither and become ineffective instantly."

"This means that I cannot purchase them by hiring mercenaries; I must personally go to those dangerous and harsh environments as a spellcaster to gather them."

Daisy looked at Xilen, a hint of expectation in her eyes: "Since you are a Baptist, your strength is decent. When the time comes, you must come with me and help me out, shielding me from any dangerous alien species that may appear."

"If you can do that, I'll work part-time as your assistant scholar and help you translate that broken stone carving."

Upon hearing this extremely risky condition, Xilun didn't even flinch.

For him, possessing absolute defense and deadly claws, facing dangerous mutated creatures was far easier than dealing with those damned ancient Victorian scripts.

He nodded with absolute certainty.

"Okay, it's a deal."

Daisy was slightly taken aback by how readily Siren agreed.

She hesitated for a very brief moment, then very solemnly used her other hand to slowly remove the black silk glove from her right hand.

She stretched out her soft, unmasked hand, which was so white it was almost transparent under the light, and hovered in mid-air.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Celen."

Xilun looked down at the fair and rosy hand that resembled a fine work of art.

He subconsciously glanced at his large, rough, calloused hand, which was covered from years of wielding weapons and practicing claw techniques.

Although the skin had a fair sheen after practicing claw techniques, the calluses had not completely disappeared.

He naturally rubbed his hands vigorously on the hem of his trench coat a few times to make sure that any sticky sweat and dust on his body were wiped away.

Then, he reached out and grasped that soft hand with great strength yet without losing his composure.

"It's a pleasure working with you!"

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