4. Fearless in the Face of Challenges
Guo’er pursed her lips and replied, “To cultivate this technique, a powerful individual must use their inner energy to help the practitioner temper their body. Only when the body reaches sufficient strength can one begin the first stage of cultivation. It’s like an empty pond—you need someone to plant the first lotus seed, or the first piece of lotus root, before the flowers can bloom.”
As she spoke, Guo’er bore no intention of blaming her master for his lack of ability.
Yet Xuan Zhenzi still turned his face aside in embarrassment.
After all, someone like him—who had been in the sect for seventy years without even entering the Qi Refining stage—was exceedingly rare.
Only then did Li Miao understand Xuan Zhenzi’s meaning.
Guo’er was clever; she hardly needed his guidance. All he needed to do was use his genetic primal energy to help the young girl lay a solid foundation.
“If that’s the case, I can help,” he said with a smile.
Helping others brings joy to oneself. Doing what one can for others is a principle cherished by extraordinary warriors.
“That’s wonderful!” Guo’er jumped with delight.
After years of perseverance, she could finally realize her master’s dream; it was as if the clouds had parted and the moon finally shone through.
Xuan Zhenzi was so moved that tears streamed down his aged face, as if he had finally found a rope leading to paradise from the depths of a boundless abyss.
The old man and the child laughed and celebrated by the fire; Li Miao watched with a gentle smile, then spoke after a while, “But there’s something I must say upfront.”
“What is it?” Both paused in their actions.
Li Miao smiled, “I don’t like taking blame for things that aren’t mine. Some matters must be made clear. I’ll only help Guo’er establish her foundation; how far she goes afterward depends on her own talent.”
“Of course! Fellow Daoist Li’s willingness to lend a hand is already more than we could hope for. We wouldn’t dare expect more!” Xuan Zhenzi replied quickly.
Guo’er was a bit puzzled, tilting her head. “Master, what does ‘taking blame for things that aren’t mine’ mean?”
Li Miao was left speechless.
Stars dotted the sky, and night deepened.
The wooden house was still unfinished, so tonight they could only make do by the bonfire.
Xuan Zhenzi, being elderly, retired early to rest in the shabby cabin, while Guo’er was too excited to sleep, pestering Li Miao for stories about cultivators.
Li Miao knew she was too shy to ask directly—really, she wanted him to help her establish her foundation sooner—so he didn’t delay and began the first attempt.
Using one’s primal energy to temper another’s body wasn’t uncommon among primal energy warriors.
Genetic primal energy is extremely refined; it can penetrate cells and improve the genetic structure, gradually strengthening the body and elevating the level of life.
Though external primal energy is far inferior to what one cultivates personally, even a thousandth of its effect is enough to benefit an ordinary person immensely.
Cultivating genetic primal energy, like immortal cultivation, has clear hierarchical stages.
The first stage is Awakening—a basic phase. Then come six major realms: Transcending the Mundane, Mountain and River, Sky, Star Sea, Breaking the Void, and finally, the realm of Immortality.
Li Miao was now a Level 3 extraordinary warrior, a “Mountain and River level” primal energy fighter. He had only recently entered this realm; his physical strength was about forty times that of an ordinary adult, but his external primal energy’s destructive power was not yet formidable.
If he could reach the Sky level, not only would his strength multiply, but he could also use primal energy to counteract gravity and fly.
As for the strongest, the Immortal level, it was said that such a being could crush planets with their bare hands and roam the surface of stars at thousands of degrees without fear. Even among the ten great fleets of the entire expeditionary force, there were no more than three such individuals.
Li Miao didn’t yet know what his power meant in this world, but from the realms Xuan Zhenzi described, he realized the people here were no weaker than extraordinary warriors—perhaps even stronger.
Body refining, Qi refining, Condensing True Essence, Returning to Origin, Profound Communication—these five realms were certainly not the whole of immortal cultivation; there must be even more powerful beings beyond. Just as Guo’er said, “A Calamity Immortal can live ten thousand years.” True powerhouses surely possess nearly limitless vitality, just like Immortal level fighters!
But such things were far off. For now, he needed to fulfill the compensation he promised the master and disciple, and find a way to contact the expeditionary force. Other matters could wait.
Guo’er followed Li Miao’s instructions, sitting obediently before him. She stretched out her small hands, slowed her breathing, and waited for the baptism of genetic primal energy.
Li Miao adjusted his state slightly, then gathered primal energy in his hands and reached toward Guo’er’s frail body.
Guo’er had grown up in the deep mountains, living a hard life; her physical condition was much worse than her peers. But precisely because her foundation was poor, she needed his help even more.
Primal energy was gentle, and the process went smoother than expected, almost merging with her tiny frame without resistance.
Still, the aid of external energy was not her own; much of it was lost during conversion and absorption, with only about one percent truly assimilated.
Her young body could bear only a limited amount of force, so Li Miao maintained the output for just fifteen minutes before stopping. More would have been counterproductive.
The brief nourishment of primal energy brought her great benefit.
She moved her limbs, feeling her body lighten considerably, and thanked him repeatedly.
At that moment, a faint rustling sound suddenly broke the silence of the night.
Li Miao thought it was a small animal in the woods and didn’t pay much heed.
But the sound drew nearer, and a sudden sense of danger arose!
“Squeak, squeak~”
With a sharp cry, a massive shadow rushed out of the darkness toward the firelight.
“A large beast!” Li Miao instantly judged, pulling Guo’er aside and dodging lightly.
The shadow halted before the fire, emitting a foul stench. Looking closely, it was a giant rat, two meters tall!
What sort of monster was this??
Li Miao was stunned.
He had traveled across many planets in the universe, seen all manner of fierce beasts, but such a gigantic rat—he had never even heard of.
Guo’er screamed, pointing at the giant rat in panic and anger, “That’s it! That rat demon ate all our food!”
Food?
Li Miao recalled Guo’er’s words from earlier. It turned out her seemingly exaggerated tale was not exaggeration at all, but had truly happened!
Now, the giant rat had returned, aiming for the ten bags of rice they had brought back that day!
“Squeak, squeak~”
The rat shrieked and charged at the pile of grain.
Li Miao would not let a mere rat take what he had bought with real money.
He reached for a silver battle blade from his microcosmic ring, pushed Guo’er aside, and said, “Stay back, I’ll handle it.”
With that, he dashed forward, turning into a flash of silver lightning, and struck at the rat’s head.
The rat had just reached the food, eager to feast, never expecting an attack from two ordinary humans, so it took the blow squarely.
Crack!
The blade, carrying several tons of force, sent the rat rolling several meters, leaving a half-inch gash on its head, with a little blood oozing out.
Li Miao was more shocked than pleased.
What kind of monster was this!
He knew his own strength—wielding a cold-steel blade, a full-force strike could slice an elephant in two!
Yet the rat was merely knocked back, the blade unable to penetrate!
“Squeak~”
The rat squealed in pain, its massive eyes turned red, and it lunged at Li Miao.
Perhaps due to its size, the rat was powerful but moved less nimbly than smaller rodents.
As it charged, Li Miao sidestepped, swung his blade again, leaving a long gash on the rat’s belly.
This time, striking a softer spot, the wound was much deeper, exposing flesh, and blood spurted everywhere.
“Not so strong after all,” Li Miao thought.
The monster’s body was tough, but its combat ability seemed mediocre.
The rat hissed in pain, swinging its long tail with a whooshing sound, and a strange aura suddenly rose!
“Careful! The rat demon spits poison!” Xuan Zhenzi had awakened and shouted in warning.
No sooner had he spoken than the rat opened its jaws and shot a jet-black arrow of gas at Li Miao!
The gas arrow was incredibly fast; even with warning, Li Miao could only block with his blade.
The toxic gas struck the steel blade, spreading a foul stench and forming a haze.
He accidentally inhaled a bit, quickly held his breath, rolled three meters away, and, turning his blade, attacked again.
The rat spat another gas arrow at him, trying to poison the human, but this time Li Miao was prepared; the arrow missed and hit an old tree.
The tree’s trunk quickly withered and shriveled, and the large tree toppled sideways.
Before the rat could spit a third round of poison, Li Miao closed in, his blade dancing and flashing, leaving over a dozen gashes on the rat’s thick fur in mere seconds.
“Squeak, squeak!!”
The rat demon was beaten helpless, screeching anxiously, then swung its three-meter tail to drive Li Miao back.
It immediately darted to the nearby hillside and jumped down.
The fight lasted barely two minutes; the rat demon came and went swiftly.
The scene was left in chaos—the fire was out, darkness prevailed, and the fallen tree scattered branches everywhere.
“Are you all right, uncle?” Guo’er hurried over as soon as the rat left, concern written on her face.
Li Miao shook his head to indicate he was fine, but soon felt dizzy—a reminder that the poison he’d inhaled was not without effect.
Xuan Zhenzi approached, handing him some sprigs of unknown grass. “Cloudsilk grass can cure rat poison. Fellow Daoist Li, have a couple.”
Li Miao chewed two sprigs, and his dizziness quickly eased.
“That giant rat, is that the monster you mentioned?” he asked.
Guo’er nodded, still angry. “Yes, that’s the wretched monster! There’s so much food down the mountain, but it insists on eating ours!”
Xuan Zhenzi sighed, “After the people below stole our sect’s secret techniques, quite a few have become cultivators over the past twenty years. Small demons dare not cause trouble, so they prey on those of us who can’t resist.”
It was clear—the rat demon was not especially powerful, likely on par with Wang Lang from Nanshan Village. Li Miao had been caught off guard, but if he knew its abilities, the rat demon wouldn’t have escaped.
“Are there many monsters like this?”
Xuan Zhenzi nodded, “There are just as many demons as human cultivators. In fact, in Pangshan County alone, there are said to be seventy thousand spirits. Some have even formed powerful sects that rival the great immortal clans.”
Li Miao drew a sharp breath.
Seventy thousand!
Even without stronger monsters, seventy thousand rat demons like the one just now could gnaw a Level 5 ‘Star Sea’ extraordinary warrior to the bone!
And that was in just one county!
“How big is this world?” he asked quietly.
Xuan Zhenzi smiled bitterly, “This old man doesn’t know. Only true powerhouses can travel the world; ordinary folk just know ‘province, prefecture, county, township.’ Pangshan is a county, six thousand miles across; beyond is Longquan Prefecture, twenty-three thousand miles; and beyond that is the Kingdom of Xinzhou, ninety thousand miles wide.”
Ninety thousand miles, and that’s just a province…
Li Miao felt as though the world he once knew was truly insignificant compared to this one.
Yet he was not intimidated—he was even exhilarated!
Such a colossal planet surely harbored countless mighty beings!
And these powerhouses would become targets for him to surpass!
Extraordinary warriors never fear any challenge.
No matter the planet, the time, the universe. As long as he could cultivate primal energy, he would keep growing stronger, until the end of his life!
“You two should rest; I must cultivate as well,” he said.
A single rat demon had ignited boundless fighting spirit in him.
Now, he even felt the urge not to return to his old world, but to stay and adventure here!
Because in the past, he was an insignificant member among millions of expeditionary warriors of the Galactic Alliance. Here, he might be the only primal energy warrior!
Night deepened; Xuan Zhenzi and Guo’er returned to the cabin to sleep.
Li Miao sat cross-legged by the extinguished fire, beginning to cultivate the primal energy guide technique, “Heart of the Cosmos.”
“Heart of the Cosmos” was one of the four supreme guide techniques of the Silver Alliance, created by a ruler who had surpassed the Immortal realm and was humanity’s strongest.
The difficulty of cultivating this technique was more than double that of ordinary guide arts; many could not even enter its threshold.
But its potential was immense. Li Miao had chosen this technique because he was ambitious; he didn’t want to be like other extraordinary warriors, chasing temporary strength while neglecting future growth.