Chapter 9 of 10

Chapter 9

16 min read4,029 words

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"Xiaochenzi, not bad, you've already broken through to the first level of the Qi Refinement stage? I thought it would take you a few more days!" A sudden voice in the quiet morning nearly made Xiao Chen's heart explode.

It was the voice of the Heavenly Elder! After Xiao Chen heard clearly, he let out a sigh of relief: "Heavenly Elder, can you not be so startling? Don't you know that your sudden speech can scare people to death? Also, don't call me Xiaochenzi, it sounds like a eunuch..."

"Then should I warn you next time before I speak?" the Heavenly Elder asked teasingly: "Xiao Chen, Xiaochen, Xiaochenzi, is there a difference?"

"..." Xiao Chen was speechless. Even if you warn me, you still speak suddenly. But thinking about it, the only way the Heavenly Elder can communicate with me is through speech. What else can he do? As for how the Heavenly Elder addresses me, since no one else can hear, I'll just let it be.

"I didn't expect that your primordial energy is so pure. Just breaking through to the first level of the Qi Refinement stage allowed me to awaken." The Heavenly Elder was somewhat surprised, but then suddenly said, "Wait, boy, are you cultivating the cultivation method I gave you? Your primordial energy is different from mine..."

"Of course, if it's different, how could you wake up?" Xiao Chen was slightly taken aback and said.

"It works, but I'm also puzzled as to why it works, but it's definitely not the one I gave you!" The Heavenly Elder said firmly: "The primordial energy in your body is absolutely different from mine. Are you sure you're cultivating the cultivation method I gave you?"

"Isn't that a waste of words!" Xiao Chen rolled his eyes: "If I had other cultivation methods, I would have cultivated them long ago. How could I have been pushed off a cliff? I'm definitely cultivating the 'Final Battle Transformation Heaven Seize' you gave me!"

"What?" The Heavenly Elder was taken aback: "What's 'Final Battle Transformation Heaven Seize'? What is that?"

"The cultivation method you transmitted to my mind!" Xiao Chen said.

"Ha..." The Heavenly Elder almost burst out laughing: "What final battle? It's called 'Seize Heaven Transformation Battle Technique.' It's the 'technique' in 'technique,' not the 'final' in 'final battle.' Xiaochenzi, are you blind?"

"Seize Heaven Transformation Battle Technique?" Xiao Chen was stunned. He carefully checked his mind and saw that the "决" (jué) should indeed be "诀" (jué). These two characters were so similar, differing by just one stroke. Xiao Chen had initially misread it as "final battle" and continued to read it that way. So, the characters are read backward?

"Xiaochenzi, do you know that these cultivation methods are ancient texts? They must be read from right to left!" The Heavenly Elder said somewhat helplessly: "Who would have such a strange name, 'Final Battle Transformation Heaven Seize'!"

"This... Heavenly Elder, I have a question. Are all the cultivation methods below also read from right to left?" Xiao Chen asked urgently.

"Yes..." The Heavenly Elder's tone changed: "I said... you didn't read them from right to left, did you?"

"Yes..." Xiao Chen felt like crying. Damn, no one ever told me that cultivation methods must be read from right to left!

Each line of the cultivation method occupied one line, and each line did not exceed one line, so Xiao Chen did not notice anything wrong when he read it. He had been cultivating it backward, but the Heavenly Elder told him he had been cultivating it backward...

"Then you can still cultivate it?" The Heavenly Elder found it unbelievable. This was too extraordinary!

"If I didn't cultivate it, how could you wake up?" Xiao Chen was a bit anxious: "Heavenly Elder, you're really messing with me, right? Couldn't you have finished speaking before falling into a coma? Now that I've cultivated it backward, is there any harm?"

"How would I know..." The Heavenly Elder's voice was also a bit strange: "Who would have thought that you could cultivate it backward? This is the first time I've heard of it! Besides, don't you know the basics of ancient texts?"

"What should I do now? Should I start over and cultivate it correctly?" Xiao Chen asked with a bitter smile.

"Absolutely not!" The Heavenly Elder immediately said: "Each cultivator can only cultivate one cultivation method, and they must stick to it. If you change the cultivation method halfway, at best, you won't be able to cultivate either method, and at worst, you'll go mad and become a cripple! So... since you can cultivate it backward, just continue. I don't know what you'll end up like..."

"Does that mean I won't become a supreme expert in the future?" Xiao Chen's heart tightened. He felt a bit unwilling. A good opportunity was right in front of him, but it was wasted. This is really frustrating.

"It's hard to say... but, since you can cultivate it backward, I remember something..." The Heavenly Elder said.

"What is it?" Xiao Chen asked.

"A long, long time ago... when I was young, just after I joined my master's sect, my master gave me the Seize Heaven Transformation Battle Technique and said something very strange..." The Heavenly Elder seemed to be lost in memories, speaking with a touch of nostalgia: "He told me that the Seize Heaven Transformation Battle Technique, when followed, makes one ordinary, but when reversed, makes one a immortal. But he studied it his whole life and never understood the true meaning of these words, and neither did I. Could he have meant that the Seize Heaven Transformation Battle Technique can be cultivated backward?"

"..." Xiao Chen's heart stirred, but he shook his head. This was too far-fetched: "Heavenly Elder, are you just comforting me?"

"Not exactly comforting. Perhaps, this is the right way for you to cultivate?" The Heavenly Elder was also a bit confused: "But, no matter what, you are now a solid first-level Qi Refinement expert!"

"First-level Qi Refinement, what level is that?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Generally speaking, a first-level Qi Refinement expert is roughly equivalent to a first-level Inner Strength expert!" the Heavenly Elder said.

"What?!" Xiao Chen was shocked: "Heavenly Elder, you mean that one night of cultivation made me as strong as a first-level Inner Strength expert?"

"Not exactly equal, but roughly equal." the Heavenly Elder said.

"So, I'm still a bit weaker than a first-level Inner Strength expert?" Xiao Chen thought, but even a bit weaker was still worth it, considering he had caught up to someone's long-term cultivation in just one night.

"Heavenly Elder, when will you change your mindset? I've already told you, we are cultivators, and we are stronger than martial artists. You are only as strong as a first-level Inner Strength martial artist in terms of physical strength, but you have abilities in magic that martial artists don't have!"

"Magic?" Xiao Chen laughed dryly. It wasn't a matter of changing his mindset; it was that the first level of Qi Refinement was too easy to achieve, making Xiao Chen subconsciously feel that he was not as strong as a first-level Inner Strength martial artist.

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