Having traversed so many worlds, Xu Zifan felt an extreme sense of insecurity for the first time. This was the world of cultivation, and he was someone who had just made an enemy and was severely injured, his soul still that of a mortal. Defeating Huo Chongjun fair and square was an impossible task for him in his current state. Xu Zifan felt a rare sense of urgency; this feeling of a genius becoming illiterate was truly unpleasant.
Xu Zifan first took out and inventoried everything from his storage ring, had Shaohua write it down on a list, and then put it directly into his own space. As the eldest disciple, the original owner had quite a few good items: a small pile of high-grade and mid-grade spirit stones, and a large pile of low-grade spirit stones; fewer pills, as most of them were used up in the secret realm, and the remaining ones were all high-grade and mid-grade, with not a single low-grade one; and three spirit-suppressing arrays: a concealment array, a spirit-gathering array, and a spirit-binding array, which could be activated by inputting spiritual power and were used for hiding, cultivation, and capturing people.
There was a small, flying magical artifact. Placing a high-grade spirit stone at its bottom would instantly transform it into a three-meter-tall, ten-meter-long ship, five times faster than flying on a sword. It was excellent for long-distance travel, saving the trouble of sword flight. Xu Zifan held the palm-sized, model-like boat in his hands, examining it closely for a long time, exclaiming in amazement, "[Such a small thing can actually grow so large just by using energy, directly altering its molecular structure. If this method were applied to humans, wouldn't they become giants?]"
He paused for a moment, [Could it be based on the same principle as the Hulk and Ant-Man?]
Shaohua asked him, "Do you plan to combine scientific research with the study of cultivation?"
Xu Zifan thought for a moment, shrugged, and shook his head. [This world is so different from my original world; most theories aren't applicable, and there's no research equipment. Besides, where would I find the time for academic research? My life is hanging by a thread; finding a way to survive is the priority.] He put the small boat into his spatial storage and continued examining the other magical artifacts—daggers, swords, shields, etc.—matching them to his memories and having Shaohua record them. [I'm like a piece of Tang Sanzang's flesh right now. Who knows when Huo Chongjun will leak this information? Before that, I need to have the ability to protect myself; I need to learn magic first.]
The original owner of this body was considered quite wealthy among cultivators. Xu Zifan then had Shao Hua scan the entire house and store anything useful in his spatial storage. He might need to escape at any time, so it was best to carry his belongings with him.
After taking inventory of all the original owner's belongings, Xu Zifan sat cross-legged on the futon, closed his eyes as the original owner had done, placed his palms up on his knees, and calmly sensed the spiritual energy.
Half an hour passed, and Xu Zifan's legs were numb and stinging as if pricked by needles. He couldn't sense any spiritual energy! He opened his eyes and searched for the key points of the basic technique in his mind. He pondered it over and over again, reciting it silently several times. Then he closed his eyes again, calmed his mind, and felt the air and the sunlight. Slowly, in the darkness, he seemed to see some scattered lights, like lightning, cold blue.
He clearly "saw" and even "captured" the light without opening his eyes or moving, and absorbed it little by little into his body. He was overjoyed, but with a thought, the light in his body suddenly dissipated and disappeared, and he had done nothing again! However, Xu Zifan was not discouraged. Progress was a good thing. He felt the light again, and this time, after absorbing it into his body, he gathered the light into a stream of spiritual energy and tried to move it slowly according to the path of the cultivation technique.
At first, of course, he failed countless times, but he didn't feel tired at all. The feeling of personally controlling this spiritual power, which he had only ever seen in novels, was wonderful, novel, and fulfilling. When he finally guided the spiritual power to circulate smoothly through a full cycle, his mind became clear, and his whole body felt as comfortable as if he had just had a full spa treatment.
Xu Zifan opened his eyes and laughed: [This is amazing, simply unbelievable!]
He then noticed that the sky outside the window was getting brighter and brighter, and couldn't help but wonder, "Why is it getting brighter and brighter?"
[Shaohua: Because it's noon on the second day, and you've been practicing for almost a whole day.]
[It feels like only a short while has passed.] Xu Zifan was taken aback. [No wonder cultivation novels often depict people entering seclusion for years or even decades; when cultivating, they completely lose track of time.]
Xu Zifan stood up, feeling completely relaxed. He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and said comfortably, "[I won't even need to sleep anymore! This is so useful. I have to master it. Maybe I can even cultivate in other worlds someday.]" He stroked his chin, "[If I go into seclusion for several decades, will the feud between Huo Chongjun and the sect leader and his daughter finally end?]"
[Shaohua: If Huo Chongjun dies by accident, you won't be able to complete the mission.]
Xu Zifan sighed regretfully, "[Then we can only cultivate desperately. Huo Chongjun now has Xiang Yushuang to cultivate with, and his pure Yin body doubles his cultivation speed. Plus, he's cultivating demonic arts, which progress much faster than righteous techniques. It'll be hard to catch up. I feel... based on our past practices, we might be doomed.]"
Xu Zifan leaned back in his chair, gazing at the sky, his fingers fiddling with the teacup on the table as he pondered deeply. After a moment, he made up his mind: "[Shameless, suicidal. Let's secretly collect cultivation techniques. Collect every one you can scan, and treasures—any kind of treasure—get as much as possible.]"
[Shaohua: You even steal treasures?]
[No, of course we can't steal treasures. I mean finding something under the table or in a secret realm, even something from a dead person. By the way, when I'm fighting someone, you can scan what treasures they have and what moves they're planning. That way, I might be able to strike first.] Xu Zifan acted on his thought immediately, changed his clothes, and went out of the room. [Let's go to the Xuantian Sect's library first.]
However, Xu Zifan stood at the door
Finding himself unable to reach the open space outside, he realized he hadn't learned sword control yet; he couldn't very well climb the mountain. He took a deep breath, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and quickly took out his sword to practice. Another day passed, and he finally mastered sword control. Fortunately, the original owner of this body was the senior disciple of the Xuan Tian Sect, with high cultivation and a wide range of techniques; he only needed to familiarize himself with them. If he had transmigrated into the body of a novice disciple, it would have been much more difficult; who knows how many years it would have taken to learn it.
Having mastered the sword-controlling technique, Xu Zifan immediately headed to the library. News of the fight between the original owner and Huo Chongjun two days prior had spread throughout the entire sect. Furthermore, everyone knew that Xu Zifan had been defeated by Huo Chongjun, suffering further injuries and a humiliating defeat. Not to mention, his fiancée had taken a liking to someone else. The two junior disciples guarding the library entrance were astonished to see Xu Zifan. They hurriedly bowed only when he approached, but their eyes couldn't help but dart over him, surprised to find his expression calm, as if the humiliation had never occurred.
Xu Zifan nodded to them, walked straight through the gate, bowed to a white-bearded senior apprentice, and signed in. The senior apprentice glanced at him a few times and gave him a jade pendant. Xu Zifan ignored what others thought of him, took the jade pendant, and slowly walked into the room where the books were kept, having Shaohua scan all the books. He then casually picked up a few books and flipped through them, making a show of it.
The library was vast, but Shao Hua's scanning range was a sphere with a radius of 500 meters centered on Xu Zifan. Therefore, Shao Hua quickly entered the books into the system, making them accessible like e-books. Just then, the senior disciple guarding the library transmitted a message to Xu Zifan via a jade tablet: "Zhengyang, the sect leader is looking for you. Go to the main hall immediately."
"Zhengyang" was the original owner's Daoist name, derived from "Zheng" meaning righteousness and "Yang" meaning pure yang, given to him by his sect leader. Xu Zifan had already obtained all the books, so he returned the jade token without borrowing any more. After thanking his uncle, he flew to the main hall on his sword. It was probably time for the sect leader to give in to his daughter's request and dissolve their engagement. He didn't yet know magic, and venturing outside was too dangerous. Besides, the Xuantian Sect had Dan Peak, Zhen Peak, Jian Peak, and many other places where he could learn so much; he preferred to stay here for the time being, as it would be safer.
By the time he reached the main hall, Xu Zifan had already made up his mind. What happened to that scumbag and bitch was none of his business. He would just focus on his cultivation; a person who cultivates quietly wouldn't bother anyone. So, when he entered the main hall, his attitude was very calm, even with a slight smile, which surprised everyone present.
Huo Chongjun glanced at him and then turned his head away. Xiang Yu's eyes were a little red as she looked apologetically at Xu Zifan, like a little sister who had done something wrong and was waiting to be forgiven. Two peak masters were sitting next to them, who usually helped the sect leader with his affairs. Several disciples of the sect leader were also sitting on both sides, standing properly.
Seeing Xu Zifan sigh softly, Xiang Wentian, who was sitting in the superior position, asked with concern, "Zhengyang, how are your injuries?"
Xu Zifan cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Master. I'm feeling much better, but this trip to the secret realm almost used up all my elixirs, so it's a bit difficult to recover." He could grant the wish of those two, but compensation was a must.
Hearing this, Xiang Wentian glanced at him and said, "Come with me in a moment. I have some excellent pills that will be very helpful for healing." He paused, then looked at Xiang Yushuang with a mixture of disappointment and frustration, and said helplessly, "Zhengyang, I heard that you had a quarrel with your junior brother yesterday? It was your junior sister who acted willfully. She is still young and impulsive, only thinking of her own feelings and not understanding the meaning of 'responsibility.' I have failed to teach her well, and I truly feel ashamed. Today, I will apologize to you on behalf of Shuang'er..."
How could a disciple allow his master to apologize? Xu Zifan quickly stopped him, "Master, you're making me feel terrible, I can't accept that."
Xiang Yushuang stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. "Senior Brother, you won't forgive me? I... I've always considered you my own brother. I didn't know what love was before, but I only understood it after meeting Chongjun. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought... you also considered me your sister, didn't you?"
Xu Zifan didn't reply to her. He hadn't found a sense of security yet, and he wouldn't do anything that wouldn't benefit him. He looked up at the sect leader and asked, "Things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more. What does Master mean?"
Xiang Wentian was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Your marriage with Shuang'er is off. You should focus on recovering from your injuries and not think about anything else."
Xu Zifan respectfully agreed, "Disciple will obey Master's orders. Master, rest assured, our Xuantian Sect has abundant resources. Disciple will surely recover soon and bless Junior Brother and Junior Sister at their Daoist wedding ceremony."