I've become the emperor of humanity, and only now is spiritual energy reviving?

[The Fragment of the Imperial Heavenly Netherworld Divine Art (Beginner 0/100)]

[Grade: Superior Grade D]

[Effect: Refines the mind and spirit, nourishes the essence of the spirit.]

[—To discard the dross and retain the essence, to refine the spirit and preserve the truth. The Heavenly Gods and the Underworld Gods are ancient methods, drawing upon the pure light of the nine heavens to cleanse impurities, to achieve profound understanding through meditation, and to nourish the spirit through tranquility. Alas, all have been lost, with only a single fragment remaining.]

A single page, yet its quality surpasses that of the complete Hou Tu Yang Qi Method.

The cultivation technique that was originally completely out of reach of the beginner village was unexpectedly revealed by Wang Cai.

"Luckily, I got the first page, so I don't have to collect all the hero fragments before I start training."

The morning light filled the room.

An Sheng took a deep breath and felt refreshed and clear-headed, without any of the confusion or drowsiness she usually felt when she first woke up.

He glanced at his phone, which showed 7:10, and was shocked to realize that he had only slept for a little over four hours.

Waking up early gives you plenty of energy.

In the past, An Sheng would never have imagined that these two words could be put together.

If you don't get enough sleep, being a zombie all day long is the norm.

Now, he has four more hours of free time each day that he can dedicate to being fully alert than others.

This feeling was truly the ultimate enjoyment.

Stretching, An Sheng began to absorb a large amount of obscure and difficult-to-understand memories.

The information contained in this single fragment is far greater than that in the complete Houtu Nourishing Qi Method.

There's no end in sight for the foreseeable future.

Let these memories flow and emerge on their own for now.

An Sheng tiptoed out of the room and found that her parents were not home again.

"Even with busy official duties and teaching work, things have been far too hectic lately..."

—Could it be that the Eastern Xia government has already discovered signs of the spiritual energy revival, and the state apparatus has already started operating in secret?

It's not impossible.

Based on An Sheng's understanding of Dongxia's customs, the authorities have always made countless preparations before an event actually occurs.

But it's best not to ask Dad about this for now.

If so, they must have all signed confidentiality agreements.

Without waking my sister who was secretly staying up late and still fast asleep, I went downstairs peacefully and ate eight baskets of xiaolongbao before I was only about 60% full.

If this continues, his wallet will probably be the first to give out.

But now that I'm practicing the Qi cultivation method, my physique and appetite have increased dramatically—I absolutely have to eat my fill.

There was no other way. As an ordinary but gluttonous poor high school student, the only remaining option was to farm Old Deng's gold coins.

Little Deng's sister dropped his gold coins, and then Little Deng dropped Old Deng's gold coins.

Doesn't this create a virtuous cycle?

During the time it took for Meng Xuan to have breakfast, An Sheng had also absorbed and thoroughly understood all the information about the Huangtian Mingshen Fa.

The Imperial Heavenly Netherworld Divine Method is a spiritual visualization technique purely used to temper one's spirit and cleanse the soul of impurities... at least that's what the first page says.

Give it a try.

An Sheng came to the thick old elm tree in the park, sat down with his back to the shade and facing the sun, and first regulated his breathing according to the method, exhaling the turbid air in his body.

Take two shallow breaths, then one deep breath.

This process was repeated over and over.

Until the pulse rhythm becomes synchronized.

Next, gather your thoughts and distractions, lower your eyelids, stop listening to anything else, close your mouth and teeth, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and focus your attention slightly on the space between your eyebrows.

Of these, controlling one's distracting thoughts is the most difficult.

Modern people receive too much information every day, and as soon as they quiet down, their minds start to wander wildly, which is why many people suffer from insomnia.

"Isn't it said that the most common sight under the old elm tree in this park is a military grandfather with his naive granddaughter? I haven't seen any..."

"At the very least, a beautiful female grandmaster in Tang Dynasty attire would be fine..."

Many distracting thoughts gradually dissipated.

Once the mind is cleared and the whole person is in a meditative state.

An Sheng then tried to visualize his soul, which was like a "dusty mirror" between his eyebrows, and then imagined a ray of pure white light falling from the "Nine Heavens" to guide him to cleanse his soul.

According to the Imperial Heavenly Netherworld Divine Law, this step is the most crucial.

It was also the pass that blocked the most people; less than one in a hundred could cross it.

Most people cannot visualize or imagine things that do not exist within their own bodies, so they cannot transform the original "non-existence" into "existence," let alone guide it.

But for An Sheng, it was not so.

"Qian Yuan represents Heaven, and the Supreme Heaven is the most revered..."

"As the pure Yang energy rises, the spirit is refined and the true essence is preserved..."

"Utter emptiness and profound stillness constitute the Mysterious Gate..."

Muttering obscure incantations, An Sheng focused all his attention on the so-called "spirit and soul".

First time, second time, third time...

After reciting the incantation three times, An Sheng felt a tickling and warm sensation between his eyebrows, as if something was throbbing inside.

But soon, the darkness of visualization was illuminated by a faint, almost imperceptible light.

The heat between my brows dissipated in an instant.

Instead, a cool, tingling sensation spread throughout the body in an instant, along with an intense pain as if a knife were cutting through every inch of the body!

--grass!

So this is how you cleanse your soul of impurities!

"hiss……"

An Sheng almost bit her teeth to pieces to keep from crying out in pain, but she still collapsed to the ground.

The pain was so intense that my whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

The sight of the strange man sitting motionless for hours, twitching inexplicably, scared away all the parents who were playing with their children. They were afraid of being scammed by him.

With his teeth chattering slightly, An Sheng managed to get up and focused his attention on the panel prompts flashing in his mind.

[Newly born emperor, your talent in the realm of the divine soul surpasses even your physical body. Merely level D techniques cannot hinder your rapid advancement! Imperial Heaven Underworld Divine Technique Fragment +100!]

[Fragment of the Imperial Heavenly Netherworld Divine Art (Proficiency 0/400)]

[Effect: Refines the mind and spirit, nourishes the essence of the spirit.]

[Spirit 0.8 → Spirit 0.9]

This was a good deal.

After resting for several minutes, An Sheng leaned against the elm tree again, dangling her arm in mid-air just like last night.

This time, my arm remained completely still for a full half hour.

This proved that his idea was indeed correct.

rumble……

A muffled rumble of thunder suddenly came from the sky, which was mostly covered by thick, dark clouds.

It is going to rain.

Just as An Sheng had this thought, a raindrop the size of a bean suddenly magnified rapidly in his eyes without warning.

Subconsciously, An Sheng tilted her head.

Snapped.

Raindrops brushed against my cheeks.

But the next moment, a torrential downpour began, instantly chilling him to the bone.

Splash!

In just over ten seconds, the once bustling park was almost deserted. With the increasingly dense dark clouds, it would likely become impossible to distinguish between people and animals within ten meters in just a few minutes.

However, this applies to ordinary people.

For An Sheng, the visibility was still more than 100 meters away.

Isn't this a natural, god-given opportunity for him to test his body, which has undergone a qualitative change?

Just a few dozen meters away is a ten-kilometer-long lakeside running track. There are almost no cameras around, and even if there are pedestrians in the heavy rain, they would never be able to see his face as he sped past.

Is there any better opportunity?

No, absolutely not!

Upon realizing this, An Sheng felt a surge of heat throughout his body.

Let's test this body's capabilities using the most primal human activity: running.

hum.

My phone vibrated.

It is An Zhiwei.

[My darling sister: It's raining so hard outside, where have you been?]

[Day 1 of reflection: Eating out with friends. Okay, I'm not replying anymore.]

[My nemesis sister: !!!]

[The wronged sister: I understand what you mean. Eat, you can eat anything. I'll have two bowls too.]

Seeing her younger sister reply with nonsensical words and send several giggling emojis, An Sheng was too lazy to say anything more.

Let's focus on the present for now.

Walking slowly to the starting line of the track, An Sheng, bathed in the downpour, guided the flow of true qi within his body.

After setting the timer, I began running alone.

The cold rain curtain was shattered by the figure that sprang into action, and the blazing true qi dispelled the chill from the body.

The surrounding scenery remains as clear as a surreal oil painting, comparable to a 4K game with ray tracing enabled.

An Sheng's feet crushed the small puddles that had accumulated on the track, and in an instant, he flung the splashing water droplets far behind him.

Speeding like lightning.

Unlike yesterday's 1000-meter dash at school, which wasn't even a warm-up, which took 3 minutes and 19 seconds.

Three minutes and ten seconds, three minutes, two minutes and fifty seconds...

As An Sheng gradually increased his running speed, he could clearly feel the contraction and exertion of every muscle in his body.

They are like precisely riveted gears, forming a perfect power chain from bottom to top.

Yet his breathing and heartbeat remained steady and effortless.

This person is completely different from the one who used to give it her all even when running at a snail's pace.

Just as An Sheng was about to accelerate further, he caught a glimpse of a figure appearing on the track ahead out of the corner of his eye.

He wasn't the only one running in the torrential rain.

It's a woman.

An Sheng glanced at the woman as he passed her.

The woman glanced at him too.

An Sheng, who should have shaken off the woman, heard a sudden increase in the pace of her footsteps and the sound of her wading through water behind her.

Soon, the two were walking side by side again.

An Sheng could hear the woman's heavy breathing, like a bellows, and glanced at the current pace on his phone.

Two parts and forty-five.

It can be even faster.

"come on."

An Sheng gave the woman beside him a word of encouragement, then accelerated again, rushing forward while the latter stared blankly ahead.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have given up long ago when faced with an invincible force.

But what normal person could run a long distance alone in a torrential downpour?

"You think you can just crush me, Gu Yingning...? No way!"

The woman swallowed the metallic taste of the rainwater and chased after him like a madwoman, turning a long-distance race into a sprint.

Even so, she could only see An Sheng's back from afar, his body barely moving and cruising at a constant speed.

After chasing for several hundred meters, Gu Yingning, whose heart and lungs were about to explode, finally couldn't hold on any longer and slowed down.

"--Hello!"

In the pouring rain, An Sheng heard the woman behind her yelling at the top of her lungs, "Interesting man, want to add me on WeChat and sleep with me tonight!"

An Sheng staggered upon hearing this, wondering if she had misheard.

No, isn't this a bit too open?

But it doesn't matter what she says.

Women will only slow down my cultivation.

An Sheng didn't say anything, but simply stretched out her hand and gave a thumbs-up behind her.

Then turn it over.

Heavy downwards.

Gu Yingning, who was panting heavily while supporting her knees, was stunned for a long time when she saw this gesture.

Only after An Sheng's figure completely disappeared from sight did she lie down on the ground and burst into laughter.

Exhausted, Gu Yingning tapped her watch and dialed a number.

"Hey! Xiaomingsu! Let me tell you, I just ran into such an interesting guy while jogging... Interesting! Absolutely hilarious!"

"...It's pouring rain outside, and you're going for a run? And tomorrow you're going to climb the Aotai Trail? Think you've got too much life ahead of you?"

"I sent you the location, okay? I'm exhausted, hurry up and find someone to carry your sister back."

……

at the same time.

On the elevated bridge in the distance from the lakeside running track.

The torrential rain pounded against the windows of the pure black Maybach.

There are three people in the Maybach.

driver.

The Mu family's younger generation has the highest talent. At only eighteen years old, Mu Qingyun has already reached the Great Perfection of Ming Jin and has one foot in An Jin. She is also the top student in her grade at Lin'an No. 1 Middle School.

Finally, there was a primary school student who was 1.4 meters tall and looked drowsy with his eyes squinted.

However, at this moment, the elementary school student was lying dazedly in Mu Qingyun's arms.

The latter was carefully adjusting the wide sleeves of her robe, which were far too large for her body, and then tying her hair into a neat bun.

"If this little brat is the ancestor who rose from the dead, then I'm still Qin Shi Huang."

Mu Qingyun gently tidied the girl's appearance, thinking resentfully, "Making me take care of a child under some pretext, what a terrible idea... My father and his family really came up with that."

She sighed softly to herself.

"Standing exercises are already difficult to practice, and now this will slow down our progress even more."

Mu Qingyun returned to her hometown late. As soon as she got back, she saw her father and the others pointing at the 1.4-meter-tall elementary school student and confidently declaring that she was the ancestor of the Mu family named "Mu Qinghan".

They even claimed that the little brat was a grandmaster who was invincible and number one in the world during the Republic of China era a hundred years ago, and one of the twelve sea kings recognized by the Dongxia Martial Arts Province.

At first, Mu Qingyun held this "ancestor" in high esteem.

But soon, as the "ancestor" became increasingly drowsy and drooling all day, loved sweets like a child, and was slow to react to the outside world, a series of factors combined to change the situation.

She was utterly disappointed and decided to tell her father she was quitting the next day.

As the top student among her peers, Mu Qingyun naturally harbored pride.

"—You're dissatisfied, but what gives you the right to be dissatisfied?"

A crisp, yet unusually calm voice, devoid of the vitality expected of a girl her age, rang out in Mu Qingyun's arms.

The latter was slightly startled and looked down.

The stunningly beautiful girl in her arms had opened her eyes at some point. The sharpness in her eyes was so intense, like a peerless sword drawn from its sheath. Just one glance made Mu Qingyun tremble and lose all fighting spirit, causing her to quickly lower her head and dare not look directly at her.

"For a full day and a half, you were so stupid that you couldn't even see that I was teaching you the breathing technique to break through the hidden strength... It's one thing that such a third-rate state of mind can become the number one in the Mu family."

As she spoke, the little girl, who was only 1.4 meters tall, took a deep breath, and her bones crackled and popped, growing more than 30 centimeters taller in an instant.

She transformed into a woman of unparalleled beauty, her eyes and brows radiating arrogance.

The girl… no, now it should be called a woman, shook her head, a mixture of mockery and wistfulness on her face, and laughed out loud.

"It's true, we're getting worse as we get older."

Mu Qinghan grabbed Mu Qingyun by the back of the neck, lifted him aside with one hand, and gazed out the rain-streaked window.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to have tested my skills against those powerful ships and cannons a hundred years ago..."

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Mu Qinghan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze passing through the dark rain curtain and locking onto An Sheng, who was running on the lakeside track two kilometers away, at a speed far exceeding the limits of ordinary people and with astonishing stability.

This scene was fleeting, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

But this made Mu Qinghan raise the corners of her lips.

"I take back what I said before."

She rested her chin on her hand and smiled faintly.

"In this novel and convenient era, it is still comforting to find such talented and skilled individuals."

Stunned, Mu Qingyun took a long time to come to her senses. With her eyes lowered, she stammered, "Xiao Qing... Ancestor, the Command Bureau said they have a mission for you."

"The government?"

Mu Qinghan lazily raised his eyelids: "The same old warning again, are they trying to test my strength? Fine, whatever the government is thinking doesn't matter, where do they want me to go?"

"—Eastern Xia Dragon Ridge, Aotai Line."

"Okay, then go ahead, I don't mind."