Chapter 6

(Thank you to Blyan Dahan, Lǐ Kē Fó, Lǎo Jí, Guān Fēng's Xiǎo Hóng, Fán Lè Dì, Tián Shí Zhě, Mò Kè GG, Róngkè, Tiāncháo Dàlǎo, Wú Fēi Chǔ Kuáng Rén, Xīn Míng Shì Yì, and other brothers for your enthusiastic support... From now on, there will be two chapters updated daily; this chapter doesn't count, as it is dedicated to the above brothers who have shown such enthusiasm...)

This world is filled with too much mystery, or perhaps it is the six-armed giant troll who crossed the void, bringing him to this realm, and before Chen Xun, a completely new space was thoroughly opened.

The troll called him a "worm," and he knew he could only be considered a worm.

Zong Ya was only fourteen years old but was a full head taller than him, having awakened his barbarian soul and just entered the fourth level of the Barbarian Warrior realm. His two arms had nearly a thousand pounds of strength, something Chen Xun found hard to imagine on Earth.

As for Nan Liao and Zong Sang, as upper-level Barbarian Warriors of the Black Python Tribe, they had cultivated to the Blood Change and Bone Washing realm. One punch could shatter a boulder the size of a hut, with power not inferior to a rocket, and they could run through the mountains faster than a wild horse. Their muscles and skin, after being tempered, were as tough as the hide of a wild ox, and their bones were as strong as fine steel, impervious to ordinary blades and bullets.

In battle, upper-level Barbarian Warriors were like alien beings.

However, Grandpa Zong Tu said that even thirty to fifty upper-level Barbarian Warriors like Zong Sang and Nan Liao might not be able to defeat a single Heavenly Barbarian who had condensed true blood...

Crossing Mount Tu, beyond the Western Wasteland, or deep within the desolate regions of the Western Wasteland, there were countless powerful True Cultivators with the ability to split mountains and fill seas.

Having witnessed the Heavenly Thunder splitting countless mountains into dust, Chen Xun absolutely believed that Grandpa Wu Tu's words were not exaggerated at all.

Could upper-level Barbarian Warriors, who were like aliens, not be considered worms under the Heavenly Thunder and before the six-armed giant troll?

He became increasingly clear that to stand firm in this world, or to dream of learning from the giant troll or Dao Xu to tear through the void and find a way back to Earth, he must learn the cultivation methods of this world.

********************

Over the next three days, the Black Python Tribe was preparing for the Soul Sacrifice.

The Black Python Tribe had not held a Soul Sacrifice in decades, so when it did, it was always a grand event.

However, such a grand ceremony was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Only a few leaders like Nan Liao and Zong Sang were responsible for the preparations. Strangely, Grandpa Zong Tu disappeared for two days, and no one knew where he had gone.

Chen Xun stayed in the village to recover from his injuries and did not go into the mountains to gather herbs again. It wasn't until the night before the grand ceremony that Grandpa Zong Tu returned, wind-dusted and weary.

As soon as Zong Tu returned, he had Zong Ya call Chen Xun to the stone hall. From his chest, he took out a carefully wrapped scroll of silk:

"Barbarian Warrior cultivation relies more on daily hard training. In a thousand years, the Black Python Tribe has had only a handful of people who awakened their barbarian souls within three to five months. Nan Liao and the others agreed to let you participate in the Soul Sacrifice, but you only have one night to comprehend it, and I doubt you will gain much. This time, I went out and found an old friend, and I exchanged this damaged scroll from him..."

Only then did Chen Xun realize that Grandpa Zong Tu had spent the past two days using his private stash to exchange for cultivation methods for him. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he knelt down and choked out, "Grandpa..."

"Foolish child..." Zong Tu extended his bird-claw-like withered hand and gently patted Chen Xun's shoulder.

Chen Xun calmed his emotions, sat on the mat, and took the damaged scroll from Grandpa Zong Tu.

The title on the cover was somewhat blurred, but he could still make out the four large characters "Dao Yun Residual Interpretation," and in the lower left corner, there were five small characters, "Written by Green Wood Daoist." Opening the scroll, the first page read:

"Heavenly Traces and Earthly Forms, Dao Yun is naturally formed, all things have spirits, and they are observed and emulated..."

Seeing this, Chen Xun's heart, which was already stirred, was filled with surprise.

Since arriving in this realm, he had been learning barbarian script and identifying medicinal principles from Grandpa Zong Tu, always trying to understand the differences and similarities between this world and Earth.

Although the herbs in Mount Tu were vastly different from those on Earth, with not a single one being the same, the principles of medicine were still largely similar.

Now, seeing this passage in the damaged scroll, although he did not understand the exact meaning of "Heavenly Traces and Earthly Forms, Dao Yun is naturally formed," the fundamental theory was still "emulating heaven and earth."

Chen Xun continued to read, and in the scroll, Green Wood Daoist recorded his many observations from his travels in Yunzhou, but mainly recorded his discussions with Yunzhou cultivators about cultivation.

Although the discussions on cultivation were scattered, and Green Wood Daoist did not believe that all his understandings were necessarily correct, he specifically noted "Residual Interpretation" on the cover. However, for Chen Xun, who had been struggling to find a way into cultivation, this was invaluable.

He did not know how many private stashes Grandpa Zong Tu had to exchange for this scroll from his old friend, Green Wood Daoist.

Thinking of this, Chen Xun knelt down again in gratitude.

"This Green Wood Daoist is an old friend of mine. Thirty years ago, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Witch Barbarian realm. Although his travels in Yunzhou did not help him break through the peak, his experiences and insights are invaluable. He had no disciples, so he exchanged this scroll with me."

Zong Tu slowly said,

"Although you have forgotten where you come from, the knowledge in your heart is far beyond what we old Witch Barbarians can compare to. Nan Liao and Zong Sang still do not understand you well enough, but I believe you can gain something from this damaged scroll..."

"..." Chen Xun felt a deep sense of guilt, but he could not explain to Grandpa Zong Tu about crossing the void and the demonic blood entering his body.

Zong Tu slightly narrowed his eyes, which seemed to hold deep meaning, as if he had already seen through Chen Xun's secrets, and continued:

"I previously instructed you never to reveal the knowledge in your heart to outsiders. This time is the same; do not mention the scroll to anyone, especially Zong Ya, who cannot keep secrets."

"Xun understands. I will not reveal a word to anyone except Grandpa." Chen Xun promised.

When he first arrived at the Black Python Stone Village, he saw that the Black Python Tribe lived a life even worse than slash-and-burn agriculture:

The stone village had only the stone hall built grandly and centrally, with no layout for the other buildings.

The village walls, though made of stone, were very simple, and there were no drainage systems, wells, or public toilets. The tribe's survival mainly depended on fishing, hunting, and gathering wild fruits, with no knowledge of farming or animal husbandry.

After being taken in by Grandpa Zong Tu, Chen Xun made many suggestions to improve the Black Python Tribe's life.

Although Grandpa Zong Tu was shocked by his suggestions, he did not follow them and even instructed him to keep them secret, not even revealing them to Zong Ya.

The longer Chen Xun lived in the Black Python Tribe, the deeper his understanding of this world, and he realized that Grandpa Zong Tu had deep foresight.

On one hand, the power of tradition was exceptionally strong, and the methods of farming and animal husbandry might be seen as evil by the stubborn barbarian tribes and banned.

More importantly, before the Black Python Tribe had enough martial power, promoting farming and animal husbandry would enrich their material life and make it more comfortable, but if it attracted the covetous eyes of larger tribes, it would bring catastrophic disaster.

The principle was simple: sheep eating grass to fatten themselves up never brought good things.

In this world, the strength of martial power was not something that could be achieved by simply organizing a few hundred or more strong men for training.

This world was the realm of cultivators, a space where individual strength was infinitely displayed.

Whether the Black Python Tribe could rise again in the Python Tooth Ridge depended more on the number of upper-level Barbarian Warriors and whether there would be new Heavenly Barbarian strongmen in the future.

The same principle applied to this "Dao Yun Residual Interpretation" scroll.

If Chen Xun gained some understanding from it, even if it was a very basic cultivation technique, the news leaking out could lead to many unclear and unexplainable situations.

If other large tribes mistakenly believed that the Black Python Tribe was hiding some profound cultivation techniques, it would only bring catastrophic disaster to the Black Python Tribe.

"Alright, I still need to prepare for tomorrow's grand ceremony. Go back and read it first. If you have any questions, we can study it together after the ceremony." Zong Tu said.

Chen Xun deeply bowed to Grandpa Zong Tu, carefully hid the damaged scroll, and left the stone house, returning to his small, simple hut that sheltered him from the wind and rain.

***********************

Back in the hut, Chen Xun closed the door and, using the twilight that seeped through the wall cracks, took out the "Dao Yun Residual Interpretation" to read carefully.

The damaged scroll was less than a hundred pages, with a total of about twenty thousand words.

Chen Xun, who had been familiar with barbarian script for three years, read it without difficulty and finished reading it in detail before nightfall, gaining a general understanding of the cultivation system in this world.

The Western Wasteland was mainly based on the inheritance of Barbarian Warriors, while Yunzhou, east of Mount Tu, had a much richer variety of cultivation traditions.

The cultivation sects of Yunzhou all believed that at the moment of conception, a person receives the essence and energy from their parents, and the vitality granted by heaven and earth, which begins to create the fetal body in the mother's womb. Cultivation is about developing the body's potential.

The vitality granted by heaven and earth at the moment of conception is seen by Yunzhou cultivators as Dao Yun True Yang, and almost all cultivation techniques are based on Dao Yun True Yang. Green Wood Daoist, however, believed that the essence and energy received from parents at conception is the foundation of Barbarian Warrior cultivation.

The faint traces of ancient barbarian true blood in Barbarian Warriors are actually passed down through generations by receiving the essence and energy from their parents at conception.

Reading this, Chen Xun suddenly felt a sense of clarity.

Although Green Wood Daoist did not write down any specific Barbarian Warrior cultivation techniques in the scroll, he had already explained the principles of Barbarian Warrior cultivation.

Chen Xun could not yet understand what the vitality granted by heaven and earth was, but wasn't the ancient barbarian bloodline similar to genetic inheritance?

The drop of golden demonic blood that seeped into his body before the giant troll died—could it be considered a similar existence to the "ancient barbarian bloodline"?

The scroll recorded that as Yunzhou cultivators advanced to higher levels, they could guide the heavenly and earthly qi to temper their bodies, greatly increasing their lifespan and even rejuvenating them.

Chen Xun recalled that after the drop of golden demonic blood seeped into his body, he had transformed into his ten-year-old self within a month. Wasn't this what the scroll described as "heavenly qi tempering the body and rejuvenation"?

A wave of shock surged in Chen Xun's heart. Thinking of the giant troll's words before his death, "You, a mere worm, have been favored," he now had a deeper understanding of this statement.

Chen Xun compared the scroll's content again and realized that the method he had been developing over the past three years, which involved pushing his body to its limits to develop its potential, was actually one of the most primitive Barbarian Warrior cultivation techniques.

Although the awakening of the barbarian soul in Barbarian Warriors was a closely guarded secret of all tribes, it ultimately came down to the ten characters at the beginning of the scroll: "Heavenly Traces and Earthly Forms, Dao Yun is naturally formed, all things have spirits, and they are observed and emulated." This was similar to the visualization techniques of the major sects in Yunzhou.

However, visualization techniques like the Vajra Form were closely guarded secrets of the major sects in Yunzhou, and the scroll did not provide more specific details. But Green Wood Daoist appended a secret fist technique called "Five Postures of the Great Peng" at the end of the scroll.

Reading this, Chen Xun's heart raced again, feeling that this scroll had brought him many pleasant surprises.

Green Wood Daoist wrote in the scroll that the Great Peng Secret Fist was a cultivation technique for the initial foundation-building stage of martial cultivators in Yunzhou, but there was no essential difference between martial cultivators and Barbarian Warriors. It could serve as the first step for Chen Xun to enter the realm of Barbarian Warrior cultivation.

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