Chapter 120: Martial Dao and All Things
Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Martial Dao and All Things
The night was long.
As was Zhu Ge’s mood.
This simulation had been too strange, the choices too difficult.
After three simulations, Zhu Ge had the strange feeling that he hadn’t simulated anything at all.
Existence?
He hadn’t felt any "existence" at all.
And yet, the earth cicada had been real.
"Existence..." Zhu Ge pushed open the coffin lid and sat up.
Hua Liusha, in her Yin Qi form, was at a nearby wooden table, crafting a piece of Soul Clothing. The material was the Leopard Fur he had acquired earlier.
Sunlight couldn’t penetrate the room. After all, both sunlight and moonlight made Hua Liusha uncomfortable in their own ways.
This gave Zhu Ge a sense of realness, of existence.
It was a stark contrast to the unreality of the simulation.
A vast lifespan, a way of life that defied cognition, a constantly changing situation...
The earth cicada simulation had left Zhu Ge feeling as if he had gained something, yet upon careful reflection, it felt as though he had gained nothing at all.
’Is the meaning of existence to simply exist?’
’Or maybe...’
Zhu Ge thought of the first step, the first choice the earth cicada made after gaining consciousness.
’Could it be that accumulating power, seeking good fortune, and avoiding calamity weren’t the right choices?’
’Or, to put it another way, that they didn’t fit the theme of "existence"?’
After all, this time, Zhu Ge hadn’t obtained a unique trait. Instead, he got a perfectly ordinary one.
[Name: Zhu Ge]
[Lifespan: 10 months]
[Traits:]
[Inventory: Kunpeng, Spider, Secret]
The last trait was named Secret.
When equipped, it allowed him to hide his aura, causing others to subconsciously overlook him.
Just as its name implied, it was a Secret.
Compared to Kunpeng and Spider, this trait was ordinary, but also practical.
Especially in a land teeming with Demon Beasts, [Secret] would provide excellent concealment.
If his lifespan were long enough, he could easily become an assassin or a thief.
But most importantly, compared to the unique traits, the [Secret] trait consumed very little lifespan.
Using it for one minute only required about ten days of his lifespan!
This made sense.
The [Kunpeng] trait was an amalgamation of multiple abilities, such as wisdom, astral projection, and possession.
Take the wisdom aspect, for example. It might not seem like much, but it was actually the most useful of all!
Zhu Ge still hadn’t been able to replicate its effects—the accelerated thought processes, the calm deliberation—on his own.
Zhu Ge knew that using the [Kunpeng] trait was like going from failing basic arithmetic to acing a university-level calculus exam.
And that was only because the exam was capped at a perfect score.
An ordinary mathematician using the wisdom trait could rival the top minds in their field. A top mathematician using it could become one of the greatest of all time.
’For the many mathematicians, physicists, and others stuck at a professional bottleneck, an ability like this would be worth not just ten years of life, but fifty.’
And [Kunpeng] had other abilities besides just wisdom.
The [Spider] trait was much the same.
It was an ability for planning and strategizing that far surpassed simple intelligence.
It was like the difference between two massive nations: one with a grand strategy and one without. The outcomes could be completely different.
The former would rise and grow strong, while the latter could devolve into a wasteland.
For Zhu Ge, both [Kunpeng] and [Spider] were extremely important.
It was by relying on these two that he, a mere mortal, had defeated the Second Realm Fungus God, and as a First Realm cultivator, had bested the Third Realm Raincoat Fisherman.
But as enviable as these benefits were, the cost was far too high.
Ten years of life. That was enough time for an infant to become a teenager, or a teenager to become an adult.
So now, even though his third trait wasn’t unique, Zhu Ge could feel its tangible benefits.
Burning less than a month of his life for one minute of [Secret]—that was more than enough!
"Husband, are you finished with your cultivation?"
Seeing Zhu Ge’s pensive expression as he sat up, Hua Liusha smiled and stood.
"Mm." Zhu Ge nodded, his thoughts returning to reality. He looked at the Leopard Fur in Hua Liusha’s hands. "How is the Soul Clothing coming along?"
At his words, Hua Liusha’s expression turned helpless. "Easier said than done. I can feel that this first piece of Soul Clothing I’m making won’t even count as a Spiritual Artifact."
A Spiritual Artifact was the general term for a Spirit-level Artifact.
"It’s your first time, it’s already good enough," Zhu Ge comforted her. "Besides, with you here, I’m not too afraid of soul-type attacks."
"But Jianjian and the others need one, and your wallet could use the help too, Husband," Hua Liusha said with a smile.
Liu Jianjian, Sword Hero, and Zhu Sisi indeed had no soul defense abilities.
And money was, indeed, very useful.
Zhu Ge didn’t know where to trade, but just from seeing the items in the Raincoat Fisherman’s straw bowl, he knew they were immensely valuable.
Without money, you couldn’t get anywhere.
"It’s alright. We don’t have an urgent need for money right now," Zhu Ge said, shaking his head. "Let’s get ready to go hunting."
Hua Liusha nodded, set down the Leopard Fur, and transformed into a swirling red mist that flowed into Zhu Ge’s body.
Zhu Ge opened the door and walked out.
"Master, good morning!"
"Should we go hunting, Great Master?"
"CRUNCH CRUNCH..."
Liu Jianjian and the others greeted him one by one.
Zhu Ge smiled. "Let the hunt begin!"
’[Secret]?’
Zhu Ge was itching to try it out.
He really wanted to give it a try.
But he also knew he couldn’t test it casually. His lifespan was no laughing matter.
That’s why he was even more eager to master everything he had learned.
However, this time when he went out, he discovered something different.
There were too many!
Demon Beasts everywhere!
The failed siege of Jianshui City must have caused the nearby Demon Beasts to scatter across the land.
Before, a place like Jianshan Village would typically only have two or three beings with cultivation, like the scholar, the Tiger God, and Mr. Chong.
But now, a territory of the same size was crammed with seven or eight Demon Beasts.
This was unnatural.
This made Zhu Ge suspect that River Mouth Pass at the border had truly fallen.
In other words, the endless Demon Beasts of Nanyue Mianhuang, along with the Barbarian Race, had all poured into Red River Prefecture.
But Zhu Ge wasn’t afraid!
"Thirty-Six Paths of the Giant Pendulum!"
"Tea Swordsmanship!"
"Five Animals Qigong!"
"Rain Swift Fist!"
"Great Python Strangulation Technique!"
Zhu Ge practiced them one by one, while also observing the abilities of various Demon Beasts and learning new moves.
For example, the tongues of toad- and frog-like Demon Beasts could unleash tremendous power the instant they shot out.
Zhu Ge imitated that explosive power, creating the "Golden Toad Sun-Shooting Technique."
He also studied the way a peregrine falcon dives from high above when hunting. He cross-referenced that kind of movement with the technique *Lighting Incense*, fusing them to create his own "Peregrine Falcon Body Technique."
Goshawk, stampeding bull, tiger’s pounce, dragonfly, golden snub-nosed monkey...
Finally, Zhu Ge even learned a defensive method from Liu Jianjian, which involved turning his Blood Qi into a layer of sharp spines that covered his body.
Anyone who struck him would be met with a bloody pulp.
This he named the "Shrinking Hedgehog Technique."
Of course, Liu Jianjian protested the name for a long time, but her protests were in vain.
Zhu Ge’s repertoire of techniques grew ever larger.
In his eyes, even an ant—the way it used its entire body’s strength to lift something a hundred times its own size with its mandibles—was worth learning from.
"All things... all living beings..."