23. Silky Breakthrough

```

Lying low peacefully in the deep mountains, not concerning himself with external affairs, allowed Song Cheng to reap quite a few points.

And now... It was time to advance!

In this bizarre and chaotic world, a little more strength meant a bit more hope of survival.

'150 points, "White Snake Blade," 50 deductions.'

In an instant, myriad memories surged to Song Cheng's mind.

He stood in the courtyard, day after day wielding his blade, pondering how to take a step further in this realm of Perfection.

Cultivation is like mountain climbing.

Climbing one mountain, one must see the next mountain to climb.

However, no matter how he swung his blade, his eyes were aimless and lost.

He recalled what Guan Xi had said about the three realms of "form, force, power" and his analogy of "the knight and the lance."

He began to deliberately search for that explosive point within his power.

Yet, simply relying on his own enlightenment was exceedingly difficult.

The first person to discover force must have been not only an extraordinary individual but also had a stroke of luck.

50 times...

Deduction failed.

However, it wasn't entirely fruitless; at the very least, Song Cheng's mind was filled with additional experiences in wielding the blade.

At this moment, Song Cheng became completely numb, a long-lost "fear of being dominated by gacha probabilities from his previous life" washing over him.

The key difference is that gacha draws usually have a safety net, whereas deduction isn't a game and doesn't have a safety net.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the moisture, the unique air of the mountains, and that odd, rotting smell into his nostrils.

"What's this smell?"

Song Cheng frowned, decided to close the windows, and then rubbed his hands together, changing his strategy, and continued to deduce, one attempt at a time.

51 times...

52 times...

53 times...

Song Cheng was now slumped in the wooden chair, lifelessly clicking the "+" sign time and again like a walking corpse.

...

65 times...

66 times...

Song Cheng's eyes were filled with cynical disdain and hatred towards the "lucky god" in his mind.

67 times...

Deduction successful!

The originally limp Song Cheng abruptly sat up straight, then without a glance, swiftly made 10 deductions against the "Pagoda Visualization Method."

When it rains, it pours; good things come in pairs!

It's a bit "superstitious" how probabilities work.

In an instant...

Feedback arrived.

"Pagoda Visualization Method," deduction successful!

...

Blind Song exhaled in relief and a smile spread across his face.

He looked back at the panel.

[Points: 172 points]

[Cultivation Technique]

Xuanwu Force (Yellow Level Grade C) (Uninitiated (0/4))

[Skill]

Nether Pagoda Visualization Method (?) (Perfection)

'A strange thing appeared, the grade is unknown for Nether Pagoda Visualization Method?'

Song Cheng glanced at it, then immediately closed his eyes and began to assimilate the tide of memories that surged up.

Tier upon tier of high pagodas, climb step by step, until the ninth tier, then leap forth, and the Divine Soul may travel out of body, roaming the night.

But he began to be dissatisfied with just being able to do that much.

He tried to strengthen his Divine Soul, but found it a hundred or even a thousand times more difficult than understanding new martial arts.

With martial arts, you can at least try and err; if you can't, you can still practice daily.

But the Divine Soul, how to try, how to train?

That he could deduce the "Nether Pagoda Visualization Method" from the "Heart's Eye" was pure fluke.

He pondered in anguish, hoping on meditation, even sometimes whimsically visualizing deities and demons he knew from his previous life, but... it was all in vain.

One day, as he meditated with his eyes closed and his Divine Soul wandered out again, resulting in no discoveries, his Divine Soul returned to the pagoda only to abruptly notice something odd about this "pagoda."

The originally ordinary-looking pagoda had begun to turn black.

Upon closer inspection, he saw strange tadpole-shaped black marks appear on the eighth tier of the pagoda, spinning on the surface of the pagoda, forming two cold and indifferent awe-inspiring eyes.

Shocked, he abruptly opened his eyes, realizing with enlightenment as he saw his own pupils, which he gained from "Drowning Ghost's blessing," reflected in the mirror.

Taboos are intrinsically related to the Divine Soul.

The blessing of taboo bestowed him with eyes.

Now, these eyes had truly integrated with him, becoming a part of him, not just in the flesh, but also in the Divine Soul.

If the nine-tier pagoda represents the visualization of one's own body, and if the ninth tier is the third-eye space of the forehead, then the eighth tier... must be the eyes, right?

Therefore... the Pagoda became the Nether Pagoda.

But he felt no strengthening of the Divine Soul; it was only the Nether Pagoda that seemed stronger.

He made up his mind.

Song Cheng was somewhat speechless.

This was like a weird thing born from a skewed skill tree, like fortifying the fortress when you were meant to strengthen the warriors inside, he thought.

...

...

Then came the deduction memories of "Xuanwu Force."

A single sentence of truth differs vastly from a myriad of books with falsehoods.

In his repetitive practice, and with the help of the methods recorded in "Roaring Tiger Blade" for reference, he finally grasped a truth: flesh can be trained with forms, but force is nourished by the flesh, not forms.

But how the flesh nourishes force and the kind of force it yields follows strict principles. A slight deviation could lead to a huge error. If one wishes to cross this threshold alone, the difficulty is immense.

"White Snake Blade," nimble, forging the spine and arms through forms.

"Mysterious Turtle Step," stable, perfecting the strength and steadiness of the waist and the rootedness of the legs through forms.

Then he realized that "Mysterious Turtle Step" was based on the imagery of a snake coiling around a turtle.

Hence, his force should also be a combination of two intertwined forces.

One should be flexible, swift, filled with the potential for burst attacks like a White Snake hunting its prey, striking to kill in one blow, the epitome of offense.

The other should focus on defense, emphasizing stability.

```

```

Two streams of force complemented each other, like a spear and a shield.

Following this idea, he began to consume large amounts of meat to forge his strength from flesh and blood.

One day, after a long while, he suddenly moved, his arm shooting out like a swift and fierce snake, exerting force into the air, creating a powerful surge of thrusting pressure.

He stepped forward, his physical strength erupting, a surge of vital energy bursting forth from within his body, as if many small fists were pounding outwards beneath his skin, making it appear extremely tough.

This was the "fleeting glimmer" brought about by his persistent contemplation day and night.

After this fleeting moment, he hurriedly stopped, trying to perform it once more.

However, he could no longer produce those two spontaneous bursts of power.

Even so, he had already found an opportunity.

He named this power... "Xuanwu Force."

...

...

Song Cheng glanced at the points.

There were still 172 points left.

Without hesitation, he began to rapidly enhance his training progress in "Xuanwu Force."

He invested 60 points.

The progress of "Xuanwu Force" smoothly transitioned from "Uninitiated (0/4)" to "Perfection" without any surprises or obstacles.

And Song Cheng's realm directly advanced to "Yellow Level Grade C."

He glanced over his combat power.

A moment before it was "18~31," and now it had instantly changed to "38~51."

The change was remarkably unbelievable.

...

Song Cheng closed his eyes to assimilate the training memories and continued to look over "Xuanwu Force," spotting a "+" sign at the end.

Corresponding information emerged.

[Derive the corresponding battle method, success rate 10%]

[Each derivation costs 3 points]

[Do you wish to attempt derivation?]

He had 113 points remaining.

Why not?

Should he wait for love instead of seeking to become stronger?

Song Cheng continued to invest 3 points at a time in derivations.

After 10 attempts he had not succeeded.

But on the 11th attempt, a message appeared.

[Derivation Successful].

White Snake Coiling Turtle (Yellow Level Grade C) (Sword Technique) (Uninitiated) (0/4)

'Good, good, good, let's continue.'

Song Cheng continued with an investment of 60 points.

Instantly, the sword technique named "White Snake Coiling Turtle" reached "Perfection."

He reviewed his strength and the not-yet-acclimated "38~51" jumped again, becoming "38~76."

Without holding the blade, his strength changed to "35~35."

He then picked up a sharply honed bamboo blade by the door, and his strength changed to "35~70."

Thus, Song Cheng had figured it all out.

It seems, a good blade is also very important.

...

Song Cheng sat back down and continued to look at "Xuanwu Force" on the panel.

A small "+" sign appeared further down.

[Derive a Yellow Level Grade B cultivation technique, success rate 0.1%]

[Each derivation costs 4 points]

[Do you wish to attempt derivation?]

[Reference other cultivation techniques and undergo trials to increase the success rate]

Song Cheng squinted at this "0.1%" for a while.

This round of resource consumption was quite ample.

As for the one in a thousand chance, why not wait for a couple of years?

After two years, won't he have 5110 points, and still not have derived the superior technique of "Xuanwu Force"?

For someone seeking longevity, enduring loneliness is the most crucial.

Nonetheless, Song Cheng had an inkling that perhaps, his secluded life in the mountains was coming to an end.

Because...

He walked out the door and saw the lady of the house practicing with her blade in the courtyard, and couldn't help but ask, "Do you smell that rotten scent?"

Tong Jia was gripping the long blade she had obtained from the third bandit chief and was diligently training the "White Snake Blade."

Her talent was average, but she had a good foundation, and after more than two months of hard practice and Song Cheng's guidance, she had reached the Entry Level and was now striving for the Minor Accomplishment Realm.

Meanwhile, the strength above her head had progressed from the original "3~3" to "5~5," which was a significant improvement.

Tong Jia ceased her blade practice and sniffed, saying, "Master of the house, there is a little, but it's quite normal."

Song Cheng said, "Did you really smell it?"

Tong Jia nodded and replied, "Master of the house, why would I lie to you? It's very faint."

Song Cheng sniffed again, the rotten stench was quite peculiar, not only invading his nostrils but also feeling as if it was penetrating his soul.

Could it be because he practiced the Visualization Method and had a more powerful Divine Soul than ordinary people, which is why he could smell it?

Song Cheng looked towards Miss Nan Hui on the other side.

Nan Hui was weeding in the herb garden.

In the spring, the thawed soil was damp, and many wild weeds had sprouted through the ground.

"Miss Nan Hui, do you smell it?"

"I..." Nan Hui sniffed carefully and said, "Big Brother Song, I do smell it, but it's very faint."

Song Cheng's gaze turned toward the distance.

He still had not encountered the "taboo."

But could it be possible that in Tang River Village, the "taboo" was only just starting to form, which is why he had begun to slowly see the "red."

However, if the "taboo" were fully formed and truly appeared, by the time he saw the red again, it might already be too late to react.

After pondering for a while, Song Cheng made a decision.

It's better to err on the side of caution than to disregard potential dangers.

Why not take the villagers to the foot of the mountain to wait for a couple of days and observe?

Is it a bother?

If this cautious pre-emptive measure could help avoid disaster, even if it were a hundred times more troublesome, I, Song, would still do it.

```