Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

Uncle Tie gazed into the distance, as if he could see through the walls and perceive the distant scenery. His voice was ethereal and dreamlike, as he spoke in a gentle, flowing manner.

"At that time, the celestial beings transmitted the *Huangting Neijing Jing* to Lady Wei, instructing her to recite it day and night, and after practicing it ten thousand times, she could see ghosts and spirits, harmonize her three souls and seven spirits, and attain longevity and immortality..."

"The *Yunji Qiqian* (Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase), in the section on the Three Caverns and their teachings, states: 'The *Huangting Neijing Jing* (Inner Scripture of the Yellow Court), also known as the *Taishang Qinxin Wen* (The Heart-Text of the Supreme Qin), and also called the *Dadi Jinshu Fuye* (The Golden Book of the Great Emperor Supporting the Leaves), is recited throughout the palaces of the Great Emperor. It is inscribed on golden tablets, hence the name Golden Book, and is also called the *Donghua Yupian* (Jade Chapters of the Eastern Flower). Donghua is the name of the Fangzhu Palace, the abode of the Azure Boy of the Eastern Sea. Many of the immortals there fast and recite it, and it is inscribed on jade tablets…'"

Zhao Hao pondered: So, this is actually a divine book passed down by a deity? If this were in "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan," it would be at the level of a celestial book, right? Was I copying something so high-level?

However, when he flipped to the last cover and saw the small print that read "Published by Xin Song Bookstore in 1937, an internal publication of the Central Daolu Academy of the Great Song Dynasty, strictly prohibited from being circulated outside," he felt that the book's prestige had plummeted!

This is a print publication?!

Uncle Tie ignored Zhao Hao's hesitation and continued, "The Huangting Jing was originally a secret manual of Donghua. It is simple in words but profound in meaning. It simulates the transformation of heaven and earth into one body and expounds the principle of internal and external form and spirit. It sounds complicated, but in the final analysis, it is still four words - the unity of heaven and man."

"Huang refers to the center, Ting refers to the center of the four directions, Wai refers to heaven, earth, and man, Nei refers to the brain, heart, and spleen, and Jing refers to phenomena, the phenomena of scenery. The Huang Ting Jing is divided into inner and outer scenery. The outer scenery is a metaphor for the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth outside the body, such as the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. The inner scenery refers to the phenomena inside the body, such as the five internal organs, six bowels, muscles, bones, blood, and flesh. When one cultivates to a high level, the heart resides in the body, and one can observe the phenomena inside the body..."

"In other words, this is a method of introspection and spiritual cultivation!"

Zhao Hao was starting to regret it: Actually, I'm not that scared. How about we let a windfall fall from the sky?

Unfortunately, Uncle Tie just smiled dismissively: "What? You want to practice the mental techniques above?"

Zhao Hao nodded quickly: "I'll think about it!"

"Don't even think about it! If this weren't in America, it would be taboo for you to even look at this scripture!"

"You have no past merits, you have not fasted or observed the precepts, you do not avoid taboos, you have no lineage, and you are not in the celestial register... If you read the Outer Scripture, it will be better, but if you dare to read the Inner Scripture, Heaven will surely record your crime of stealing the scripture. At that time, not only will it be completely ineffective, but you will also be tested by demons, or even punished by Heaven!"

Whether it was because Uncle Tie's words were law or not, Zhao Hao felt a chill run down his spine!

Oh no, we've really gotten ourselves on a sinking ship this time!

Uncle Tie saw that his eyes were wide with fright, narrowed his eyes and grinned, and laughed: "Just kidding, it's not that serious."

"The Way of Heaven encompasses the entire universe, but it is far-reaching and impartial. It doesn't care what laws you learn or what scriptures you recite, unless you commit heinous crimes and lack great virtue, which will bring divine retribution and lightning strikes... And the divine way of the Great Song Dynasty doesn't even apply here."

When he spoke his last words, Uncle Tie's voice was very soft, and his eyes were unfocused, as if he was lost in memories, and he remained silent for a long time.

If Zhao Hao hadn't been listening intently, he probably wouldn't have been able to hear that sentence clearly.

Zhao Hao didn't dare to make a sound, afraid of disturbing Uncle Tie's recollection of the past. He could tell at a glance that this old bachelor had a story to tell...

------------

Chapter 18 The Period of Psychic Dormancy

After about a minute, Uncle Tie came to his senses and laughed, "Besides, times have changed!"

“If it were a few hundred years ago, this scripture would indeed be considered a rare treasure that should not be passed on to outsiders, but the spiritual energy dormancy that lasted for hundreds of years has made many secrets that were not passed on cheap... because they simply cannot be cultivated!” Uncle Tie slammed his hand on the table, looking very resentful and unwilling.

"Besides, we're currently outside the Song Dynasty, so who cares about your affairs!"

He joked, "If you can really cultivate something without any lineage, just by relying on the scriptures, then you can call yourself a successor of the Shangqing School, or even be accepted into the Shangqing School and become a proper Shangqing School cultivator. Then you'll have a solid foundation!"

"The original jade seal in bird-and-insect seal script from the Shangqing School is truly precious; it was written by Madam Wei herself and is a treasure of the Shangqing School! Our copy is a printed version. Although only about eighty copies were printed originally, and there are probably not many left, it's nothing compared to the original..."

In fact, this Inner Scripture is divided into thirty-six chapters, which roughly contain all the essence of this mental cultivation method.

Each chapter seems ordinary at first glance, but it contains profound secrets and metaphors. It has been passed down orally from master to disciple from ancient times to the present, so many people know about this scripture, but very few can understand it...

There are many taboos in truly practicing this scripture, so you must never practice it blindly without a teacher.

However, recitation is an extremely effective external practice method. It can not only directly remove some diseases from the body, but also has the effect of warding off evil spirits and protecting the body.

In the past, when Taoist priests of the Shangqing School cultivated alone in the deep mountains, they faced wolves, tigers, leopards, demons, and monsters, and relied entirely on reciting scriptures to bolster their courage.

However, the pronunciation of the text in the scriptures differs greatly from modern pronunciation, and many characters are even self-created. Without the secret texts of the lineage to refer to, you can't even recite it. You simply don't recognize it!

Therefore, Uncle Tie could only have Zhao Hao copy it as a means to strengthen his soul and stimulate his spiritual energy.

Finding the key to mastering the technique isn't that easy!

Zhao Hao: That scared me to death! They say it has such a great reputation, but even if you follow the instructions, you can't master it without a proper lineage! You might even ruin it! That's why the Shangqing School doesn't care!

The fundamental reason why cultivation cannot be completed is the so-called period of spiritual dormancy.

This is the term used abroad, but in the Song Dynasty and East Asian sphere, it is known as "Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth"!

Legend has it that there were several instances throughout history of the severing of the connection between heaven and earth, from the breaking of Mount Buzhou to the felling of the Jianmu tree, and finally, Liu Bowen's dragon-slaying technique. The psionic activity of the entire surface world plummeted, remaining low for centuries!

In the last century or so, the most severe situation has occurred where, if a Bronze-level transcendent being came to the surface world, their spiritual energy would spontaneously dissipate, much like salt in salt water seeps into water with a lower concentration.

This essentially eliminates the possibility for those at the Black Iron level or above to remain in the surface world.

This is why the influence of superhumans in the surface world has been reduced to its lowest point, ushering in what some mystical scholars call the "era of mortals"!

During the period of spiritual dormancy, the methods of all schools became less and less effective, and it became increasingly difficult to cultivate them!

What's the use of a high-level secret manual if you can't master it? Because it's no longer precious, many of them have gradually leaked out.

Furthermore, this is America, and the Shangqing School has no jurisdiction over this place, nor even the legendary gods, so copying it is perfectly acceptable.

However, according to Uncle Tie, in recent years, psionic energy has become active, which is called the resurgence of the extraordinary in the underworld!

It started in 1970! In just eight years, the superhumans have started to become active again!

Zhao Hao: The revival of spiritual energy? I'm very familiar with that! Doesn't that mean I've caught a lucky break?!

……

June 18th arrived in the blink of an eye; it was a Sunday, Father's Day.

Zhao Hao received 6 Fate Points for signing in, but there were no holiday sign-in rewards.

The system doesn't recognize Father's Day!

Zhao Hao: "Discrimination! This is discrimination! Why isn't Father's Day a holiday? I'm going to sue you on Weibo!"

Uncle Tie gave Zhao Hao a day off on Sunday, so he didn't go to the shop but stayed home and wrote furiously.

He never expected that even after transmigrating, people would still be urging him to update!

The Troubles of Young Robin is a huge hit!

Although there are adult films in the area, there are even many private screening rooms in the alleys that hang up colorful lights late at night and show some exciting movies.

And then there are those bars, dance halls, and discos, where scantily clad, heavily made-up women solicit business on the streets.

Since the end of the Annamese War a few years ago, anti-inflationary sentiment in the country has been extremely high. Coupled with the economic stagnation after the period of prosperity, the younger generation has fallen into confusion and indulgence, using various forms of entertainment to numb themselves and live a life of debauchery.

So these days, things are incredibly open.

Even so, Zhao Hao's Liu Bei sold very well!

According to Gou Quan, a total of 23 public high schools in Queens and Brooklyn are selling "Young Robin" like hotcakes, and many more places are frantically buying it, with some even copying it by hand!

This is nothing short of a miracle in a public high school where students might not even be able to write a hundred words in a day!

This has really ignited the students' enthusiasm for learning!

Good news!

It has to be said, Gou Quan really has some brains when it comes to crooked methods. He actually came up with a plan to have each major middle school act as an agent and take a cut!

Letting the hooligans from various schools handle the sales and then giving them a cut—that's some kind of business genius!

But this puts too much pressure on us to keep updating!

Several groups of students, conservatively estimated at tens of thousands, are eagerly awaiting the next chapter. In order to make money and survive, they call Zhao Hao three times a day to urge him to update. They wish they could run to Lao Tie's antique shop, drag him out, and make him give up his dead-end job as an antique shop apprentice and focus on writing erotic literature!

However, "Young Robin" was only a short novella, and Zhao Hao had already finished writing it!

When Gou Quan heard that the book was finished, he cried and wailed as if he had lost his parents! He grabbed Zhao Hao's trouser leg and made him continue writing!

We absolutely cannot let our source of income be cut off!

That's true. In just this week, Zhao Hao and Gou Quan have each earned nearly a thousand dollars. A thousand dollars a week—where else can you find such good money?!

So, in between copying scriptures, Zhao Hao began a new creative endeavor. This time, he'll write something longer!

Hmm, is it "A Dragon Transformed by Wind and Cloud"? Or "The Little Ali Chronicles"?

Hey, I've got it!

"Young Lady White holy"!

The Chinese title is "The Holy Young Woman White"!

This could be written into volumes!

Zhao Haowen's thoughts flowed like a spring, his inspiration surged like a torrent, and his writing flowed like a divine being, making him feel stiff all over!

He wrote nearly 10,000 words in just two hours!

Just then, the phone rang.

"Hey? Quan, come on over, I'm at home, you can come and see my new work."

Gou Quan said he had something to discuss with Zhao Hao, something related to antiques.

Although Zhao Hao has only been learning this for a week, he can't just say he's no good.

About forty minutes later, Gou Quan arrived at Zhao Hao's house on a creaking, dilapidated bicycle.

As soon as he entered, Zhao Hao was startled. "Hey, what happened to your head? Why is there such a big bump on it?!"

Gou Quan had a bump the size of a fist on his head! Good heavens! It's exaggerated like a cartoon character! It's terrifying!

Gou Quan, with a long face, said mournfully, "Don't even mention it! You work at an antique shop, right? I was thinking of buying some cheap stuff too, maybe I could find a bargain. Yesterday I actually bought a piece of jade at a flea market for a low price..."

"I didn't know if it was good or bad, but it looked pretty good, and it was only $8, so I bought it. I figured I could easily sell it for a dozen or so dollars, but then I remembered Master Zhidian. I thought to myself, I've been taken care of by Master Zhidian for so many years, I should repay him in some way. Wouldn't it be wonderful to give this jade to Master Zhidian?"

Zhao Hao asked curiously, "And then?"

"Then the head chef made me a big package! Look at this, what happened? He just made me a huge package!"

Zhao Hao thought to himself: Goodness, to be able to punch such a big bump on someone's head, and it's just a superficial injury.

Despite having such a large bump, Gou Quan didn't suffer a concussion. It's unclear whether he was just tough enough to withstand a beating or if the master chef was exceptionally skilled and could control the blows with ease.

Zhao Hao knew this Master Zhi Dian.

It turns out that not far from Gou Quan's home, there was a Song Dynasty Buddhist temple called Fu Lu Temple.

This Fulu Temple is not big, and there is only one monk, whose Dharma name is Zhidian.

Gou Quan had received a lot of care from this master chef since childhood. The reason why he admired Song culture so much and was so fond of it, even to the point of wanting to have his blood transfusion, was definitely largely due to this master chef.

To be honest, he had a much greater influence than his father, whom he had never met.