C8 Could It be That I Am a Genius?(2)

Moments later, Zhong Wen found himself in a secluded area behind the valley, where a cluster of single-story buildings lay. The structures to the east, west, and south were interconnected, forming a rectangle with the northern mountainside, cradling a serene lake at their center.

As detailed in the "Medicine King Valley Chronicles," this was the dwelling place of the Medicine King Valley's lord and his disciples.

Without hesitation, Zhong Wen approached the largest southern room, the very abode of the Valley's esteemed master.

Upon opening the door, the sheer expanse of the Valley Master's quarters startled him.

The room's area was easily five to six times that of Zhong Wen's temporary quarters at the Floating Flower Palace, with an austere layout. Aside from a landscape painting gracing the entryway, the space was devoid of adornment. Beyond the foyer lay a massive square table at the heart of the room, flanked by the Valley Master's bed in one corner and a writing desk in another.

Medical tomes lay strewn across the table, while the desk in the corner held pens, paper, and several journals. Flipping through them, Zhong Wen discovered insights from the Medicine King Valley Master's own medical experiences.

In both the Floating Flower Palace and the Medicine King Valley, the preferred writing instrument was not the traditional brush but a hard pen crafted from an unknown material, offering a swifter stroke and a deeper hue than that of a pencil.

After closing the journal, Zhong Wen approached the bed and gently drew back the curtains.

The sight that greeted him was utterly unexpected.

Before him lay a complete human skeleton!

The bones shone with a translucent, milky white, seated in a lotus position on the bed, impeccably preserved without a hint of decay. The skeleton was dressed in pristine white robes, its hands extending from the flowing sleeves to rest upon its thigh bones.

Adorning the middle finger of the right hand was a simple, black ring.

This had to be the Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley!

Gazing upon the jade-white skeleton, Zhong Wen was flooded with emotions—a mix of awe, trepidation, and profound gratitude.

After a moment of silent reverence, Zhong Wen stepped closer and offered a deep bow to the Medicine King Valley Lord's remains.

"Senior, I'm grateful your journal led me here. Though the reasons for the ancient civilization's downfall and why you were left unburied remain mysteries, I'm here now. As a fellow inheritor of Chinese characters, I vow to carry forward the legacy of Medicine King Valley in this era!"

Having said this, he unabashedly reached for the black ring on the skeleton's right middle finger, indifferent to the feelings of its former owner.

The Medicine King Valley Chronicles speak of a divine artifact in the possession of the Valley Master.

A treasure that once filled Zhong Wen with envy as he read about it in novels in his past life.

The Storage Ring!

The logs reveal that even in ancient times, Spirit Pattern Masters skilled in spatial patterns were exceedingly rare, with those capable of inscribing them onto a small ring being truly unparalleled.

Given the immense difficulty of crafting spatial accessories, the master in his lifetime produced only five rings, two bracelets, and one necklace.

Thus, in ancient times, owning such an item was a mark of high status.

The Medicine King Valley Master was gifted the Storage Ring as a token of appreciation for using his divine medical skills to save the life of the grievously wounded Alete Daoist.

Even as the Sect Master of the Myriad Sword Sect, one of the world's seven great sects, Alete Daoist felt the sting of parting with the ring for a long time.

It was a perfect match!

Slipping the black ring onto his finger, Zhong Wen admired it from all angles, feeling its size and style were in perfect harmony with him.

The Medicine King Valley Master had noted in his journal that the Storage Ring's material was extraordinary, capable of absorbing spiritual energy from the air to power the internal Spirit Pattern, thus never running out of energy. The user simply needed to channel a trace of spiritual energy into the ring to access its space.

Zhong Wen, with a sense of calm, closed his eyes and summoned the "New Light Library."

As he was about to peruse the cultivation techniques gathered from the valley, he noticed a line of small text on the panel beneath the bookshelf:

"Having cataloged one hundred books, please draw a lot to receive a reward: 1. Huang Rong's Cookbook; 2. Diamond Indestructible Technique; 3. Ancient Sect Distribution Map."

A reward, no less! Zhong Wen was ecstatic, experiencing for the first time the thrill of being a transmigrator.

He was determined to draw the Unbreakable Body technique!

Eyes fixed on the three reward options, Zhong Wen silently prayed and whispered, "Lottery!"

The panel flashed with new text:

"Congratulations, you've earned a reward: Huang Rong's Cookbook!"

And just like that, a cookbook materialized on the "Miscellaneous Class" section of the bookshelf.

"Damn it!" Zhong Wen couldn't help but swear.

Before he could throw a fit, another message appeared on the panel:

"Having cataloged a hundred 'Spiritual Medicine' books, please draw for a reward: 1. Ancient Sects Distribution Map; 2. Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Technique; 3. Returning Wind Falling Goose Sword Technique."

"Draw!"

"Congratulations, you've earned a reward: Ancient Sects Distribution Map!"

As Zhong Wen grumbled about his rotten luck, yet another message popped up:

"Catalog 100 'Pill Refining' books to draw for a reward: 1. History of the Great Qian Empire; 2. Great Qian Beauty Rankings; 3. Returning Wind Falling Goose Sword Technique."

"Let's draw!"

With little hope for his luck, Zhong Wen watched as the panel displayed a new reward:

"Congratulations, you've earned a reward: Returning Wind Falling Goose Sword Technique!"

A "Platinum Grade" sword manual now graced the "Spirit Skill Class" section of his bookshelf.

At last, a Spirit Skill tome had appeared.

Zhong Wen breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the outcome wasn't too shabby.

After a short wait, with no more lottery notifications on the panel, Zhong Wen refocused on his primary objective, immersing his consciousness into the newly acquired One-energy Longevity Technique.

"The Heavenly Dao cycles eternally, one breath sustains life everlasting..."

Chinese characters swiftly scrolled before his eyes, and soon, this Diamond Grade cultivation technique was etched into Zhong Wen's memory.

The One-energy Longevity Technique, despite its Diamond Grade, wasn't a technique designed for combat but rather for nurturing life and longevity.

Its early cultivation pace was modest, but its strength lay in the self-circulating and self-strengthening spiritual energy within the body. The cultivated spiritual energy was balanced and harmonious, offering significant health benefits. At advanced levels, a single breath of spiritual energy could flow unceasingly, capable of healing wounds, detoxifying, and prolonging life.

Additionally, the spiritual energy of the One-energy Longevity Technique is gentle and does not interfere with other cultivation practices. Instead, it can enhance them synergistically.

It may not be an overwhelmingly powerful technique, but Zhong Wen had no other options at the moment. Contemplating this, he contorted his body into the pose described in the text, silently reciting the incantation, and embarked on the initial step of his cultivation journey—drawing spiritual energy into his body.

The creator of the One-energy Longevity Technique explains that channeling the spiritual energy from the universe into oneself is a lengthy process, with the duration varying from person to person. Even for the most gifted cultivators, this phase typically requires around a week to complete.

With this in mind, Zhong Wen was patient. He intended to savor the sensation of cultivation briefly before ceasing, planning to delve deeper into the practice once he returned to the Floating Flower Palace.

However, in just a short time, he sensed a subtle breath entering his body through his breath, trickling down his chest and eventually settling above his dantian.

Then came a second wisp of Qi.

With each passing moment, more Qi flowed into his body, increasing in volume and velocity.

Zhong Wen's dantian swelled with an ever-growing presence of Qi, his body temperature rising. When he began to feel parched and considered halting his practice, the Qi within his dantian started to merge, and the swelling sensation subsided.

Moments later, Zhong Wen felt the Qi in his dantian coalesce into a semi-circular arc, from which a soothing energy radiated, coursing through his limbs and invigorating his entire being. The earlier heat dissipated, replaced by a refreshing coolness that left him feeling thoroughly revitalized.

Could this be the Human Wheel realm?

Having studied the One-energy Longevity Technique, Zhong Wen had gained insight into the path of cultivation. The initial step involves drawing spiritual energy into the body, and once sufficient energy is amassed, one must sequentially unlock the twelve Human Wheels, nine Land Wheels, and six Heaven Wheels.

Those who have opened the Heaven Wheel transcend the ordinary, endowed with formidable might and the potential to surpass two centuries of life.

For Zhong Wen, the realms beyond the Heaven Wheel Stage, such as the Spirit Sovereign and even the Saint, seemed impossibly distant.

The Medicine King Valley Chronicles stated that in ancient times, even the most exceptional talents needed at least two to three months to unlock the first Human Wheel from scratch. Those with lesser gifts could waste an entire year just on the step of channeling the spirit into their bodies.

However, feeling the state of his own body, Zhong Wen was nearly positive he had already accomplished this feat.

In a mere half an hour, he had traversed what took ancient prodigies two months. Could it be... am I a super genius? The once-in-ten-thousand-years kind?

Or perhaps the ancients were simply not that bright?

Regardless, cultivating at high speed was always beneficial. It meant that in this strange new world, Zhong Wen had an added layer of self-defense. Unable to make sense of it, Zhong Wen stopped dwelling on the matter. Instead, he focused on channeling the spiritual energy within him into the black storage ring on his right hand.