With the jump off the Hell's Peak as the boundary, everything of Tang San's in the Tang Sect, including his life, had come to an end.
However, the Tang Sect was his home.
Even after transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, he never forgot his lifelong wish to revive the Tang Sect.
So, Zhao Liuyun allowed the dream to continue from here.
Aligning with Tang San's inner wish, he let him survive the jump, drawing a 'What If' line for his destiny!
Tang San, thank me for giving you the chance to fulfill your dream.
In the dream, a voice, steady yet tinged with anxiety, sounded in Tang San's ears.
"Carefully carry him, be sure to keep him steady. He must not suffer even the slightest injury again."
"Quickly, the woods here are too dense, go around from the other side!"
"Watch out for falling rocks, don't let any debris hit him."
"I... I'm actually not dead yet?" Tang San felt a cold chill coupled with a tearing pain all over his body.
His memory only went up to the moment he leaped off the cliff.
"Alas~" A soft sigh, and a voice he didn't expect, sounded in his ear:
"You were not meant to die. You were caught by a few old trees during your fall and finally landed in a deep pool, which saved your life."
The person who came was none other than the Tang Sect Master, the Great Master Tang.
Of course, the core was Zhao Liuyun.
He gently held an outer hidden weapon in his hand, shaped like a golden lotus flower, with a center that shone like a red gem.
It was the Tang Sect's ultimate masterpiece, the sect's greatest treasure, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.
This was crafted by Tang San himself, one of the deepest mementos in his memory.
It also became one of the dream's most profound anchor points, recreated flawlessly in the dream.
"Tang San, did you craft this yourself?"
The sense of familiarity emanating from the Great Master Tang instantly brought tears to Tang San's eyes.
Born as a person of the Tang Sect, he would die as a ghost of the Tang Sect.
Tang San's love for the Tang Sect was deep, as vast as the ocean. Seeing the expectation in the Sect Master's eyes, an uncontrollable joy surged in his heart.
"Yes, Disciple made it personally, Sect Master."
The Great Master Tang merely looked sorrowful and sighed softly:
"Tang San, oh Tang San, your talent is exceptional. You were able to recreate even the long-lost 'Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus,' which was the hope for the revival of our Tang Sect."
"Why did you have to resort to jumping off a cliff to prove your innocence?"
"Sect Master, I..." Tang San was overwhelmed with excitement, having received the Sect Master's recognition.
He only heard the Great Master Tang interrupt him and ask, "Have you finished learning the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record?"
Tang San grew anxious: "Sect Master, I am not a traitor!"
"I truly swear to heaven that I have absolutely not leaked a single bit of the sect's ultimate skills to the outside world."
"I know, Tang San, I am not blaming you." The Great Master Tang's tone was gentle, and his gaze carried reassurance.
"You are the most outstanding genius our sect has seen in two hundred years. Are you willing to return to the sect with me and become an inner disciple?"
"Sect Master!" The pain in Tang San's body had not yet subsided, but he couldn't suppress the frantic joy surging like boiling water in his heart, so excited that he nearly passed out.
Seeing that the time was right, the Great Master Tang waved his hand to dismiss the attendants on both sides and said with solemn concern:
"Tang San, you are now an inner disciple, qualified to learn the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record."
"But the sect rules cannot be broken. If the secret manual were to circulate in the martial world, our sect would face annihilation."
He paused, his eyes sharp: "Are you certain that the secret manual is still hidden under the first brick inside the door of your room?"
Tang San breathed a sigh of relief and stated confidently: "Before I left, Disciple carefully checked; all six volumes of the secret manual were properly sealed in a wooden box, with absolutely no mishap."
Zhao Liuyun's heart stirred.
"Examine it closely." The Great Master Tang took out a wooden box from his sleeve.
Brushing the dust off the box, he handed it to Tang San, "Turn the pages one by one and check where there might be omissions."
"If a few pages of the key formulas are lost, the repercussions would be endless."
"I obey your command, Sect Master!" Tang San responded loudly, raising his hand to take it.
He began inspecting it page by page in front of Zhao Liuyun.
He was turning them a bit too fast; he needed Tang San to slow down.
"Is this... copied by yourself?" The Great Master Tang asked, puzzled by the handwriting.
"Yes, Sect Master." Tang San nodded.
If it had been lost, it would have been discovered long ago.
Where would he have found the time to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the other few martial arts?
Let alone craft the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.
The Great Master Tang gently reminded him: "Check line by line. Secret cultivation without the guidance of predecessors can often lead to omissions."
"You are the hope for the future glory of the Tang Sect. If even one sentence is copied incorrectly, leading to cultivation deviation, I would become a sinner to the Tang Sect."
Tang San followed the order, not only proofreading sentence by sentence but, at the Great Master Tang's request, also demonstrating the moves on the spot to verify his understanding of the techniques.
In reality—
Zhao Liuyun was sensing the operation of the techniques through Tang San's body.
Language is always flawed; it's not as intuitive as experiencing it firsthand.
This was a dream, and Zhao Liuyun could directly interfere, using the Heaven-Rank Fighting Skill "Spirit Possession."
It was a combination of theory and practice, stemming from his [Ingenious Ideas], and the powerful learning ability he cultivated played a crucial role.
He learned extremely fast!
[You are stealing the Mysterious Heaven Skill through a dream. The method is mysterious, the technique is exquisite, and the gains are bountiful. [Thief] profession experience +1]...
The [Thief] profession experience was rapidly climbing at an alarming speed.
This might be related to the value of the stolen item.
That's right, it wasn't [Student] gaining general experience but gaining [Thief] profession experience.
Although he was learning, the act itself belonged to theft.
This was an owned item, and Zhao Liuyun's learning behavior was not sanctioned by the owner.
The Class Panel judged his action as stealing.
A similar situation had occurred at the medical clinic.
Treating people was also learning how to cure diseases, but he only gained [Physician] profession experience.
The panel seemed to limit the [Student] profession to purely theoretical learning.
The combination of theory and practice increased the general experience gained because the memory was more solid, not because practice also provided experience.
Practice was categorized under the various specific professions.
However, Zhao Liuyun did not have the leisure to focus on unrelated trivial matters at the moment.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill was acquired!
It was a unique and unparalleled cultivation divine skill in the Douluo Continent.
Once he fully connected all the Eight Extraordinary Meridians in the future, it would greatly boost the speed of his meditative cultivation.
The Purple Demon Eye was acquired!
This was an eye-training technique rooted in the Mysterious Heaven Skill, a systematic method to enhance spiritual power without needing to absorb spirit rings.
He couldn't cultivate it yet, but its value was unquestionable.
The Medical and Poison Chapters of the Hidden Weapons Hundred Solutions were also acquired!
Not only could he identify immortal herbs, but it also contained the essence of poison making. Zhao Liuyun could use this to refine self-defense poisons.
The three most important things were acquired; he would not be greedy for more.
[Hypnosis] for guidance, [Dream Entry], and interference with the dream all consumed spiritual power.
Zhao Liuyun was, after all, only a One-Ring Spirit Master.
Even though his Sea of Consciousness was vast and his capacity far exceeded that of ordinary people, by this point, it was almost depleted.
The remaining Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, and the rest of the Hidden Weapons Hundred Solutions were not essential to him, so he would have to wait for the next opportunity.
He stirred up this dream, allowing it to twist into a chaotic, Cthulhu-like spectacle.
[Hypnosis] erased any possible residual impressions, leaving only a negligible trigger.
If once wasn't enough, he would return the next time Tang San fell asleep.
Zhao Liuyun had plenty of patience.
Of course, if he couldn't get the remaining secret manuals, he would let it go.
Safety first.
His consciousness returned to his body, and he was still sitting cross-legged on the bed.
He appeared to be meditating, but in reality, he was silently reviewing the content he had just stolen.
He was tracing it repeatedly in his mind, fearing he might forget a single detail.
He sat there all night until dawn broke.
"Ah—"
In the early morning, Tang San woke up from his sleep, yawning sleepily.
His arm was around Xiao Wu's waist, and his body seemed heavier than usual.
He knew this was just the illusion of having just woken up.
After a night's sleep, his mind felt much lighter.
Zhao Liuyun was woken up and asked softly, "How do you feel?"
Tang San stretched his limbs, his joints making crisp sounds, and an unconscious smile spread across his face: "I slept really comfortably. I think I even had a dream."
"What did you dream about?"
"I can't remember."
There was only a vague, indescribable emotion pressing on his heart, but he thought it would dissipate after resting for another two days.
It seemed that his previous unease was indeed caused by a lack of rest.
Tang San let out a long breath and thanked him sincerely, "Liuyun, thank you."
"It's good that you've recovered." Zhao Liuyun smiled faintly, his great contribution hidden.