Chapter 2

Wang Tong is a man with a story, but his story is not just about being a穿越者 (穿越者 means someone who has traveled through time or space, often used in the context of a person from the modern world finding themselves in a historical or fantasy setting, but there's no direct English equivalent, so I'll use "time traveler" here), but more about his background.

Wang Tong comes from a cultivation family in Little Cold Mountain. The Wang family of Little Cold Mountain was once a renowned cultivation family, and by the time it reached Wang Tong, it had already passed down for six generations. The founder of this family, Wang Su, was a great cultivator well-known in Liangzhou and even in this world. However, after six generations, the Wang family had already declined. By the time of Wang Tong, only he and his father remained. Three years ago, Wang Xing passed away, leaving Wang Tong as the last descendant of the once illustrious Wang family of Little Cold Mountain.

Before his death, Wang Xing refined a furnace of Zhu Huang Pills, which helped Wang Tong’s cultivation advance by two major stages, from the third stage of the Mortal World Realm to the fifth stage, meeting the standard to enter the Little Cold Mountain sect. Using the Wang family’s accumulated favor over many years, he was directly accepted into Lianyun Peak, becoming a personal disciple of the peak’s head, Wang Huai.

This was also the most criticized aspect of his life. The most critical issue was that he had only been in the sect for less than a month when the Rabbit Kiss incident occurred, making him the biggest laughingstock in Little Cold Mountain.

If it were the original Wang Tong, he might have died of shame long ago. However, this Wang Tong was not the same. He came from another world, a man who had struggled as a nobody for over two decades and eventually became a successful person. He had long since developed a thick skin, so he did not care about these matters.

What he cared about most was the secret hidden in the Wang family, the secret of how their ancestor, Wang Su, became a great cultivator.

The Wu Xiang Jun Tian Great Power.

According to legend, this was an extremely wondrous power. The Jun Tian divine force it cultivated was intangible and formless, hidden within the cultivation techniques practiced, capable of exponentially enhancing the power of the cultivation techniques, achieving twice the results with half the effort, yet showing no external characteristics.

This was the characteristic of the Wu Xiang Jun Tian Great Power—colorless and formless. This technique was something every direct descendant of the Wang family had to cultivate, but the Wu Xiang Jun Tian Great Power they cultivated was merely ordinary internal energy, no different from ordinary techniques, and had no miraculous effects.

This problem had troubled the Wang family for over a thousand years without a solution. Even Wang Tong, until his death, had not figured out why.

However, the one who took over his body, Lei Hai, did figure it out.

Wang Tong’s death was unjust and mysterious. In his memory, on that stormy night, he indeed wanted to commit suicide, but he could not bring himself to do it. In the end, he was mysteriously struck by a palm that shattered his dantian and broke all his meridians, leading to his complete death, giving Lei Hai the opportunity to take over his body.

It was precisely because his dantian was shattered and all his meridians were severed that the mystery of the Wu Xiang Jun Tian Great Power was revealed.

It was like the Bride’s Robe Technique; one had to have a shattered dantian and severed meridians for this technique to come back to life, undergo a qualitative change, and become the true Wu Xiang Jun Tian Great Power.

The Wu Xiang Jun Tian Great Power also had another miraculous function, which was to heal injuries. Injuries like a shattered dantian and severed meridians were fully recovered in just three days, which was something that left Wang Tong amazed.

In Wang Tong’s view, this could be considered a benefit of being a time traveler.

...

...

Lianyun Peak, Lianyun Hall

"Disciple pays respects to Master (Uncle)!"

Jin Ziyang led Lin Shi and Wang Tong into the main hall of Lianyun Hall, where Wang Huai, dressed in a green robe, was sitting in a grand chair, sipping tea.

"Hmm, sit down!" Wang Huai glanced at Wang Tong and then turned his gaze to Lin Shi, "Lin Shi, what brings you to Lianyun Hall?"

"I have been sent by my master to invite Uncle to Taibai Hall to discuss the Five Peaks Competition."

Upon hearing this, Wang Huai’s expression immediately turned sour.

The Five Peaks Competition was a grand event held every five years in Little Cold Mountain, a means to select outstanding disciples. It was a crucial competition for outer disciples to become inner disciples and for inner disciples to be ranked. One of the most important aspects was the competition for the position of true disciple among the Spirit Root Heaven disciples.

Spirit Root Heaven disciples were known as quasi-true disciples, and each hall had a few, but not many. This time, Lianyun Hall was in an awkward position because it did not have any Spirit Root Heaven disciples, not even a ninth-stage Mortal World Realm disciple. The eldest disciple, Jin Ziyang, was only at the eighth stage of the Mortal World Realm.

Therefore, Wang Huai’s expression was not good.

"I understand, I’ll go over shortly."

"Yes!" Lin Shi’s expression was also not good. Feng Taibai had sent him to invite Wang Huai, meaning he wanted him to come as soon as possible. However, from Wang Huai’s appearance, it did not seem like he was going to leave immediately. Lin Shi wanted to say more but did not have the courage, so he could only leave with a bitter face.

"Why didn’t you stay and recover from your injuries, and instead come here?" After Lin Shi left, Wang Huai, in a bad mood, turned his gaze to Wang Tong. Honestly, if it weren’t for his wife, he would have kicked this useless boy out of Lianyun Hall long ago.

"Disciple has come to report an important matter!"

In the past, Wang Tong would have turned pale and timidly retreated, but this time, he did not. He stood calmly in front of Wang Huai with his injured hand, bowed, and said, "Disciple was injured last time, but due to a stroke of luck, I obtained the cultivation method of a minor power, which I wish to offer to Master."

"What, the cultivation method of a minor power?!" Wang Huai’s usually calm face suddenly showed surprise. Jin Ziyang, standing beside him, was also stunned, staring at Wang Tong in disbelief.

A minor power, is this real? Did I hear correctly?

He actually obtained the cultivation method of a minor power.

A minor power, not a spell, but a true power. How much luck does one need to obtain such a thing?

"Wang Tong, are you sure you obtained the cultivation method of a minor power, not a spell?"

"Disciple is certain!" Wang Tong said, his voice steady, "Disciple, being useless, was bitten by a grass rabbit. During the escape, I had a stroke of luck and obtained the cultivation method of the Golden Light Fiery Sword minor power."

"What, Golden Light Fiery Sword?! You obtained the lineage of Senior Master Changyangzi?!" Wang Huai jumped up as if he had been stepped on the tail, upon hearing the words "Golden Light Fiery Sword."

"Disciple did not obtain the lineage of Senior Master Changyangzi, but found the Golden Light Fiery Sword power hanging on a pine branch on a cliff." As he spoke, Wang Tong took out a damaged piece of a Dao robe from his chest and respectfully handed it over.

"This is Senior Master Changyangzi’s Water and Fire Dao robe!" Wang Huai, upon seeing the robe, stepped forward and took the piece into his hands, gently caressing it. His gaze became distant, as if recalling something. After a while, he came to his senses and looked at Wang Tong with a complex expression, "Your luck is good. This Water and Fire Dao robe is a spirit treasure, resistant to water and fire, so it did not decay on the cliff. Obtaining it is your fortune. However, since the Golden Light Fiery Sword minor power is related to Senior Master Changyangzi, I must report it to the sect leader. You should come with me."

"Yes!" Wang Tong bowed his head.

Jin Ziyang came to his side, patting his shoulder with a mix of envy and jealousy, "Wang Tong, you really have good luck!"

Wang Tong chuckled, "A stroke of luck, just a stroke of luck!"

After being in this world for so long, he had fully understood the cultivation system. Besides cultivation level, skills were also crucial. This was not a peaceful world but one filled with struggles and battles. Having only cultivation without skills would not help one stand out in a world of gods and endless conflicts.

A cultivator, besides their cultivation level, also needed to cultivate various techniques for self-protection and combat. These techniques were mainly divided into three categories: combat techniques, spells, and magical treasures.

Combat techniques were fighting skills, such as sword techniques, knife techniques, palm techniques, and fist techniques.

Spells involved using one’s true essence and magical power, combined with gestures, incantations, and talismans, to harness various types of spiritual energy and laws to form powerful attacks.

Magical treasures were various magical tools, spirit treasures, Dao treasures, and immortal treasures. In the present world, magical tools were the main focus.

Combat techniques, spells, and magical treasures had no inherent order of strength; it mainly depended on the user’s skill.

Powers, while classified as spells, were different from ordinary spells. Ordinary spells required gestures or incantations, and more advanced spells could be activated with true essence and magical power alone, but they all required time. Powers, however, did not require time.

A power, even if only partially mastered, could form a power talisman within the body. By activating the true essence and magical power, the talisman would transform into a power, allowing one to unleash immense strength with a mere gesture. This was the essence of a power.

Powers were divided into minor powers, major powers, and supreme powers based on their strength.

A major power cultivator was not defined by cultivation level alone but by mastering at least one major power. However, mastering a major power required sufficient cultivation.

The Golden Light Fiery Sword was only a minor power, but in a sect like Little Cold Mountain in Liangzhou, it was a power worthy of being passed down.

Even among the true disciples of Little Cold Mountain, only the top few could inherit this minor power.

As the discoverer and the one with the right to cultivate this power, Wang Tong naturally had the qualifications to cultivate it.

In a world filled with cultivators, it was a stark world of the strong preying on the weak. However, within the sects, after thousands of years of development, a strict and even precise set of rules had been established.

For a cultivator, encountering a great opportunity was a significant event in their cultivation journey. There were rules for such opportunities. For independent cultivators, this was not an issue, but for sect disciples like Wang Tong, they could choose to keep the opportunity to themselves and bear the risks alone, or they could offer it to the sect. By offering it to the sect, they could receive rewards and a significant portion of the benefits from the opportunity. For someone like Wang Tong, who obtained a cultivation technique or power, offering it to the sect would not only grant him the right to cultivate it but also additional rewards. Therefore, Wang Tong was willing to share this opportunity with the sect. As for the Golden Light Fiery Sword power, he had already memorized it thoroughly during his recovery, but his current strength was not enough to cultivate it.