Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"I wonder how things are at home?" Chen Li thought to himself. Overwhelmed by homesickness, he couldn’t suppress it any longer.

But no matter how eager he was to return, he wasn’t in a rush. He decided to stay a few more days to get accustomed to his current Foundation Establishment state. The forest was fraught with danger, and it would be too risky to head back recklessly.

...

After spending some time outside, Chen Li returned to the cave.

Strangely enough, after days of sitting and meditating without food or drink, he wasn’t very hungry. It seemed that after Foundation Establishment, his need for food had greatly decreased.

He took out some dried meat and, along with water, chewed slowly as he settled his mind to ponder his future path.

"Longevity Skill can only take me up to Foundation Establishment. To continue cultivating beyond that, I need to find a new Cultivation Technique..."

Regrettably, though he had killed many, including a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had never come across any Foundation Establishment techniques.

At that moment, he remembered the Transmission Jade Slip he had found in Zhou Xutang’s storage bag after assassinating him. It wasn’t a cultivation technique, but a secret technique that happened to suit his current practice.

He searched through his storage bag.

Soon, the jade slip appeared in his hand.

"Zhou Tian Gang Jin!"

He infused his Spiritual Sense into the jade slip, and swiftly, the secret technique emerged in his mind.

After Foundation Establishment, Chen Li found that his memory had significantly improved. In just a few minutes, he had committed the entire secret technique, a little over a thousand words, to memory.

Having eaten his fill with nothing else to do,

he began to practice the Secret Technique according to the instructions.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Chen Li opened his eyes. With a mere thought, a layer of Protective Gang Qi evenly coated his body. Then, with a casual flick, a burst of Gang Qi shot out from his body and struck a stone wall seven or eight meters away with a flash. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

There was a loud "boom."

Dust billowed, and small rocks scattered, rebounding off the Protective Gang Qi surrounding Chen Li. When the dust settled, a crater about half a meter in diameter and over a meter deep was revealed.

"About as powerful as a strike from Spiritual Power," thought Chen Li in amazement. "And that was just a casual blow. According to the jade slip, just mastering Zhou Tian Gang Jin at the first level of Foundation Establishment makes both defensive and offensive capabilities comparable to a Second Order, Level Seven technique. And each subsequent increase in cultivation level will further augment its power."

Of course, purely in terms of power and defense, it didn’t mean much to him!

His max-level Body Protection Skill far exceeded its defense, and his max-level Palm Thunder was also stronger in terms of power.

The key was that this Secret Technique required neither incantations nor hand seals and was almost instantaneous.

He thought of something and quickly opened the game panel.

Sure enough, in the secret technique category was a new entry:

"Zhou Tian Gang Jin, Beginner: 1/100"

...

For several days in a row, Chen Li spent his time getting used to the state of Foundation Establishment.

Six days later,

he could no longer wait and decided to start his journey today.

Early in the morning,

he collected the array devices embedded in the cliff wall, packed his belongings, and leaped from mid-air. His body floated down gently like a feather. After landing, he headed to a crystal-clear stream to freshen up.

He took out Green Jade Sword and gently shaved his facial hair. He also trimmed his long hair, tied it up, and fixed it with a hairpin.

Gazing at the reflection in the water, he was momentarily stunned.

It was an incredibly youthful face, appearing to be in his early twenties, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, full of vigor, and smooth, fair skin glowing with health—as if a beautifying filter had been applied.

He was somewhat unacquainted with it.

Of course, he didn’t care one bit about the beauty or ugliness of his appearance.

What he cared about was the youth.

He couldn’t help but touch his face and said, "It makes sense, at 46 years old, I’m equivalent to a teenager when considering my lifespan of 268 years. My life is just beginning!"

"I could live for over two more centuries!"

"If I’m lucky enough to reach Golden Core..."

"Awooo..." A melodious and deep beastly roar, resembling a steam whistle, interrupted his reveries.

"What kind of luck is this!"

The roar came from the master of this spiritual land.

A formidable presence, possibly a Third Order Demon Beast, and perhaps even more.

Though Chen Li had never seen its form, he occasionally felt its terrifying oppression. According to its habits, the beast was likely out hunting for food. He quickly activated his Convergence Skill to dampen his presence and was about to return to the cave for shelter.

Just then, a gust of wind swept through the canyon, the trees trembled, and a sense of panic rose in his heart.

"It’s too late."

He looked around and laid eyes on the huge skeleton.

A few quick steps, and I hurriedly hid inside.

Soon, an oppressive aura blanketed everything from the sky above, as though the air itself became restless, the currents chaotic, with countless small stones starting to levitate. Chen Li lay low, pressing himself tightly to the ground, not daring to make a single move.

Shortly after, a shadow swept past, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind that quickly receded into the distance.

Some time passed.

Only then did Chen Li crawl out from among the bones, his heart still racing.

He looked in the direction the other had flown.

By now, the terrifying demon beast had turned into a speck in the distance, its exact location unknown, and he had never really seen what the beast looked like from the beginning to the end.

He dared not linger in this place any longer.

However, before leaving, he had to take the Second Order demon beast’s skeleton with him; it was worth more than a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones, after all.

He then proceeded to disassemble the skeleton, pack it into his storage bag, and, while the great demon hadn’t returned, quickly left the valley. Only when he had gotten far away did he use the Wind Control Skill to fly into the sky and speed away.

He raced through the sky like lightning.

One benefit of flying with the Wind Control Skill was not feeling the fierce winds; it was always a gentle breeze on the face.

This used to be an advantage.

But at this moment, Chen Li felt it was not fast enough.

The breeze was too gentle, failing to match the wild joy and exhilaration in his heart.

The Wind Control Skill was too slow; it didn’t mirror his eagerness to return as swiftly as an arrow.

A large bird circled high above, eyeing Chen Li with greedy intent. Just as it rapidly closed in, Chen Li suddenly emitted the pressure of someone at Foundation Establishment stage. The bird let out a plaintive cry and hurriedly flapped its wings to flee.

"Hmph, I’ll spare your bird life!"

He ultimately dared not be too reckless in the Barbaric Wilderness Forest, and after giving it a thought, he used the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill on himself.

This past half year, his Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill had been leveled to the max. Under its effect, his Spiritual Sense became incredibly sharp, even allowing him to vaguely sense fortunes and dangers, anticipating peril before it struck.

It was indeed an essential skill for outdoor adventures.

In that manner, he flew by day to cover ground, and at night, he would randomly find a cave to rest for the night. The next day, he would continue on his way, using the sun and distant peaks to navigate, thus never worrying about getting lost.

The journey here had taken him over twenty days.

But on his return, it only took him six.

From high above, Chen Li gazed at distant villages and fields, his heart stirring with excitement.

"I’m finally back!"

Although it had been just over six months since he left home, to Chen Li, it felt like several years had passed.

He restrained his emotions and continued to fly for another hour until Luoluo City was finally in view. He swiftly descended to the city gates.

The city guards trembled at the sight and hurriedly paid their respects.

Chen Li nodded slightly and walked through the gates.

A guard looked at his retreating figure, still reminiscing, "Which senior is this? Why haven’t I seen him before?"

"I also find him unfamiliar. Perhaps he’s from another domain!"

...

Dusk was approaching by now.

The fiery red sundown bathed the streets in a bright crimson glow.

Chen Li walked slowly down the street, his pace becoming slower and slower.

In the half-year he’d been gone, the place had grown even more bustling—people were everywhere, coming and going in a lively hustle.

With the arrival of the Returning True Sect, what was once a fading Cultivation City had now rejuvenated with bursting vitality.

Before long, Chen Li arrived at his family’s doorstep.

He stopped.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

There was no response for a long time.

He knocked again.

"Who is it?" Zhou Hong’s voice finally emerged.

With a "squeak," the door opened.

Zhou Hong scrutinized Chen Li, initially with some confusion on her face, which in the next moment turned to shock as she covered her mouth, tears streaming down uncontrollably, and she threw herself at him: "You’re finally back!"

Chen Li embraced her somewhat thinner frame and gently wiped away her tears, his own heart not immune to a certain tartness as he spoke with a smile, "Alright, no more crying, I’m back now, aren’t I?"

"I’m just... happy... I always knew you could do it, I knew you could." Zhou Hong was visibly excited, her laughter mixed with tears.