Vol 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 2: Being aware 500 years in advance
Legend has it that this world contained a luminous river that a.s.sisted the planet’s...o...b..t. With the use of the Spring & Autumn Cicada, one could go against its current to travel to the past. Rumors regarding this legend were varied and diverse. Many people didn’t believe it, while others half-believed, half-doubted.
In the end, there were no true believers.
That was because each use of the Spring & Autumn Cicada required the offering of a life. One’s entire body and cultivation status would be sacrificed as the energy to power the drive backwards. Such a cost was too much for people to bear–especially when they didn’t even know if the cicada would work after losing their lives. Even if someone owned the Spring & Autumn Cicada, they wouldn’t dare use it casually.
Suppose the legend was fake and nothing more than a hoax?
If Fang Yuan had any other choice, he wouldn’t have used it so quickly, either. But right now, Fang Yuan firmly believed in the legend. That was because the reality before his eyes was impossible to refute. He really had been reborn!
“It’s a pity I had to use a good Gu[1] like this. It cost me the strength of nine bulls and two tigers[2] to ma.s.sacre hundreds of thousands of people, enough to incite the wrath of the Heavens and the anger of men, before I pa.s.sed through those hards.h.i.+ps to refine it…” Fang Yuan sighed in his heart. Though he had been reborn, the Spring & Autumn Cicada hadn’t come back with him.
Humans are clever in tens of thousands of ways, Gu are the true refined essence of Heaven and Earth.
There was an infinite variety of fascinating Gu, almost countless in number. Some Gu could be used once or two to three times before they disappeared. Others could be used repeatedly, as long as the user didn’t overdo it. Perhaps the Spring & Autumn Cicada was one of those Gu that would disappear after just one use.
“But even though it’s not there anymore, I can refine another one. If I did it in my last life, why can’t I do it in this one?” After his moment of regret, Fang Yuan couldn’t help the burst of aspiration in his heart. He could accept the loss of the Spring & Autumn Cicada now that he’d been reborn. Beyond that, there was a treasure he owned that no one else had.
That was his 500 years of memories and experience.
Within his memories lay stores of precious secrets that were still undiscovered by the people of this time. Recollections of major events to come meant he could easily grasp the flow of history. There were images of people too, some of them his seniors, some of them handsome and talented youths, some who hadn’t even been born yet. Beyond that was the hard-earned experience he’d gained from fighting over 500 years.
With these in hand, he could grasp the beginning and end. As long as he manipulated things deftly, he could travel about with ease as a formidable, elegant person of fearsome might. Perhaps he might even attain a higher plane of existence!
“But how should I manipulate things…” Fang Yuan was very logical as he quickly collected himself. Looking at the evening rain outside his window, he fell into thought.
He couldn’t help but feel there were thousands of strands and loose ends. As time pa.s.sed, his eyebrows began to furrow more and more tightly. 500 years of time was indeed long. Leaving aside the things that were fuzzy to him or forgotten memories, just the locations of secret treasure troves and fated meetings with celestial masters were numerous. But they were all either far away or fixed chances that
opened up at certain points in time.
“The most important thing is still my cultivation foundation. Right now, my Primordial Sea isn’t even open, nor have I stepped on the cultivation path of a Gu master. I’m a completely ordinary human! I’ll have to start cultivation soon and quickly to increase my foundation so I can beat history and seize the lead. Then I’ll get good results.”
After all, many mysteries were impossible to understand without an ample cultivation base. They’d only end up being headaches. Right now, the first problem before Fang Yuan was cultivating.
He had to raise his foundation quickly. If he was as slow as his first life, he’d be too late.
“To quickly improve my cultivation, I’ll need to borrow aid from my clan’s resources. With my current situation, there’s no way I can shuttle back and forth between these mountains. A simple wild boar would be enough to do me in. If I can reach the Third Level of Gu master cultivation, then I’ll have the basic ability to protect myself. It’ll be possible to travel afar under difficult conditions then.”
After 500 years of experience cultivating in a demonic way, this Mt. Qingmao was really too small for him. The Ancient Moon Sect also felt more like a cage keeping him in. But at the same time it locked him in, it gave him a certain amount of security.
“Hmph, for now I’ll stay in this cage and stir around a bit. After I reach the Third Level of Gu master, I’ll leave this poverty-stricken place. Fortunately, tomorrow’s the Broadening Horizons Ceremony. It won’t be long afterwards that I can cultivate in the open as a Gu master.” Recalling the Broadening Horizons Ceremony brought to surface old, buried memories from Fang Yuan’s past. “Latent talent, is it…” He stared out the window and laughed coldly.
At the same time, a young boy lightly opened the door and walked inside.
“Big brother, why are you getting rained on by the window?”
This youth was thin and emaciated, slightly shorter than Fang Yang. Their looks were quite similar. When Fang Yuan turned to look at him, a complicated look flitted past his face.