Chapter Five: Transcendence
Page (1/3)
The air was bitterly cold, the ground frozen hard, and snowflakes drifted softly through the sky. Chen Xuan lay prone in the thick snow, carefully concealing his form. Then, once more, he pulled out a piece of paper from his bosom and glanced at it several times.
“Twelve Spiritual Qi Breathing Technique—truly profound beyond measure…”
This was a qi-breathing method he had obtained from the stout man known as Huang. The handwriting on it was quite familiar… it had been written by Wang Chan.
In the three days since leaving Liu Town, Chen Xuan had read it over and over again, and even now, he felt a surge of admiration and deep emotion from the heart.
Good things are good things, even if written by an enemy, the essence of their worth cannot be concealed.
“Is this the ‘Yellow Millet Dream’?”
Wang Chan’s junior disciple—was he a reincarnated person, or perhaps some kind of even more extraordinary existence?
Chen Xuan had once seen similar records in ancient texts: in ancient times, some ascended to immortality in dreams, enjoying boundless wealth and honor, only to awaken before the millet in the pot was fully cooked.
This was the origin of the Yellow Millet Dream.
Some ancient commentaries described it as “flowers in the mirror, moon on the water, like a mere dream.”
Yet others firmly believed that everything experienced in the dream could “transform from illusion to reality, reflecting the present world.”
“Could it be that in Wang Chan’s dream, I truly am a treacherous villain, one who betrays his master and defies all authority?”
Chen Xuan was puzzled, yet he suspected that Wang Chan had not deliberately targeted him.
Perhaps Wang Chan was merely speaking casually about him during a conversation on Qinglu Mountain. Some heard it and laughed it off, but others were deeply shaken and steadfast in their beliefs… thus sparking the subsequent turmoil.
In truth, these upheavals and the tales concerning Chen Xuan might have seemed trivial and inconsequential to Wang Chan.
Wang Chan had long since left Liu Town, journeying to the Peach Blossom Spring within the jurisdiction of Peach Town, chasing the precious opportunities seen in his dream…
But to Chen Xuan, all this seemed absurd.
And it carried an air of condescension… a haughty arrogance.
“Even a reincarnated being is nothing extraordinary. One life only—who should fear whom?”
Chen Xuan murmured to himself.
He believed the Yellow Millet Dream was not as miraculous as people said. At least, Wang Chan did not know he was a time traveler, nor that he possessed the formidable Heart Abode technique…
Which was stronger or weaker was yet to be determined!
“This ‘Mysterious Cat Breathing Method’ is in many ways more profound and ancient than the one Wang Chan uses.”
Chen Xuan adjusted his breathing, aligning himself with a peculiar rhythm learned from the Mysterious Cat Goddess herself.
Within the Heart Abode, he had once possessed the mysterious cat and noticed its unique breathing pattern and the extraordinary flow of energy within its body—he had immediately committed it to memory.
“This breathing technique is of a higher level, more obscure and difficult to comprehend.”
Chen Xuan had years of martial experience and could easily compare the two methods.
He treated Wang Chan’s breathing technique only as a reference, never daring to practice it casually. The mysterious cat had once warned that things derived from the Yellow Millet Dream should not be trifled with.
“Grrr…”
Chen Xuan’s hungry stomach suddenly emitted an untimely growl.
“Howl!”
In the snowy distance, a black wild boar foraging for food suddenly halted, eyes alert, scanning its surroundings for danger.
“Bang!”
Chen Xuan leapt from the nearby snowdrift like a thunderbolt.
…
…
An hour later, inside a dilapidated temple.
“Crackle!”
The campfire flickered as a skinned and cleaned wild boar was roasted above it, golden oil sizzling and dripping, filling the air with rich aroma.
Page (2/3)
“Smells delicious.”
Chen Xuan took several small bottles from his pack, sprinkling spices over the boar meat before slicing off a large piece with his small sword.
The boar was sizable, weighing nearly two hundred pounds. Had anyone else been present, they would have been astonished that such a fierce beast—one even seasoned hunters dared not face alone—was captured by Chen Xuan with but a small sword on a snowy night.
Outside the temple, snow fluttered, cold winds cutting like knives.
Inside, Chen Xuan savored the roasted meat, experiencing a rare moment of relaxed enjoyment.
“Eating this boar should provide enough energy for my qi-breathing initiation.”
As he ate, Chen Xuan pondered. Having practiced the Mysterious Cat Breathing Method for three days straight, he now sensed some profound and mysterious force rapidly emerging within him.
His stomach seemed a bottomless pit, devouring dozens of pounds of meat in merely half an hour.
“Ahh…”
Suddenly, his breathing grew rapid, as if a fierce fire had ignited within him, parching his throat unbearably.
White mist billowed off his body in torrents, purging countless impurities. His skin flushed bright red, resembling an iron ore being purified in a furnace.
He had entered the initial stage of the Mysterious Cat Breathing Method!
“It’s so hot… too hot…”
Unable to endure the heat, Chen Xuan stripped off his clothes and tumbled into the icy snow outside the temple.
“Crackle!”
The snow beneath him melted swiftly, boiling almost, the water cleansing the impurities expelled from his body.
“Crack!”
Suddenly, a golden thread as thin as a hair, radiant and sparkling, emerged from within Chen Xuan’s body.
This golden filament was highly sentient, born from his internal organs, weaving through his pores, carrying away the old and turbid, dancing within the white mist to refine his essence and marrow.
“I’m beginning to ‘transform’!”
Chen Xuan realized he was undergoing a profound metamorphosis.
“Crackle!”
Immediately after, a silvery-white thread, even finer than a hair, emerged and fluttered beside the golden one, both radiating and intertwining.
Soon, countless threads appeared—some jade green with a gem-like luster, others fiery red like deep-sea coral, dazzling in multicolored brilliance…
“Whoosh!”
Hundreds, even thousands of shimmering filaments densely intertwined over Chen Xuan’s skin, forming what appeared to be a massive cocoon, but more akin to a luminous feathered garment enveloping his body.
Transformation!
Like a caterpillar spinning a chrysalis, then breaking free to emerge anew, ascending to a higher level of life.
Just as in the distant, primal age of mountains and seas, when the first humans donned feathered garments to cover themselves, thus beginning the brilliant civilization of qi practitioners!
Chen Xuan was undergoing this very transformation. Soon, drowsiness overcame him, and he fell into a deep sleep in the snow, clad in a radiant feathered robe that shielded him from the biting cold.
…
“Achoo!”
About an hour later, Chen Xuan awoke, chilled by the cold. He brushed off the snow above him and emerged from beneath.
“Hah!”
He exhaled a steaming breath, clenching his fists, feeling a sudden surge of power within.
Where once his fists could only deliver a force of five hundred pounds, they now exerted a thousand pounds.
A spontaneous increase of five hundred pounds of strength!
Moreover, the hidden injuries he had sustained in previous battles had completely healed. His lungs and internal organs brimmed with vitality; every inch of flesh pulsed with new life.
“I have now become a ‘non-human’ existence.”
Chen Xuan thought excitedly. Qi cultivation truly was different; power came with astonishing ease!
Page (3/3)
He immediately launched into a set of punches across the snowy ground, his movements swift as illusions, his fists exploding like spring thunder, scattering the snowflakes in the air.
The scene was that of a martial master transcending mortal bounds!
“Huang, the stout man, practiced qi for a month and succeeded in his transformation, reaching a thousand pounds of force.”
“And I have only practiced for three days, yet have already caught up with him!”
Chen Xuan held great confidence in himself. As Liu Town’s top martial artist, it was natural he would not be inferior in qi cultivation.
If he were to meet Huang now, he would not need to use a killing move—just his fists would suffice for a dignified victory.
“However, I feel this transformation was interrupted midway and not fully successful…”
Chen Xuan frowned, recalling his condition before falling asleep.
Though the feathered garment had appeared, it was ragged and crude, riddled with gaps, failing to fully cover his body.
“Is it because my practice of the breathing method is too brief, lacking the necessary skill? Or is there another reason?”
Chen Xuan pondered, then sighed: “I still lack many basics about the qi cultivation realm.”
Born humble and without a mentor, he had to figure everything out himself.
At that moment, a sudden sensation stirred within him. His gaze sharpened as he looked into the distance.
“Someone’s coming.”
He spotted a group of people approaching the broken temple through the swirling snow.
“Traveling fast in such weather—these cannot be ordinary people.”
…
Soon after, the group entered the dilapidated temple where Chen Xuan was.
A black-robed elder of about fifty or sixty years old bowed respectfully to Chen Xuan.
“Sir, the snow outside has grown heavy. We have journeyed far from Chiya City. May we rest here for a while?”
The elder’s face wore a smile, his manner courteous.
Chen Xuan returned the gesture by the fire.
“This temple is not mine. Please feel free to make yourselves at home.”
As he turned the roasted boar, he observed the newcomers out of the corner of his eye, remaining alert.
There were three in total, old and young.
The leader was a slight man with white hair, a goatee, and sharp eyes full of cunning.
The other two appeared close in age to Chen Xuan and seemed to be siblings.
Chen Xuan looked twice at the young woman—a beauty clad in a pale red brocade gown, wearing a silver-white ornamental necklace, which was slightly lifted at the chest.
She wore no makeup, her skin fair and flawless, her peach blossom eyes bright with spirit. When Chen Xuan looked at her, she met his gaze directly, radiating a captivating charm.
The young man’s aura was far less impressive. Wrapped in black brocade, his face was not unattractive but bore a sickly bluish-purple pallor, as if recovering from a grave illness.
“Strange appearances all around, clearly qi practitioners,” Chen Xuan guessed, deciding to glean some information about the qi cultivation world from them.
He smiled warmly and initiated conversation.
“Gentlemen, the road is long and cold. I have fire and freshly roasted boar. Please, do come and try some…”
The three exchanged glances.
Not long after, Chen Xuan effortlessly obtained some extremely useful information.
Outside the temple.
The view pulled away to reveal a vast mountain range blanketed in white snow. Beneath towering cities piercing the clouds, countless tiny figures marched forth like ants, converging from all directions toward the Ten Thousand Mountains in the Southern Wilderness.
The fierce wind howled, swirling the snow into a tempest.