Cosmic-Level Demon God-Chapter 85 - 75 Blackjack, Palace of Thought (First Update!)

Chapter 85: Chapter 75 Blackjack, Palace of Thought (First Update!)

Teaching materials?

Cheng Ze put down the meat-cutting knife. Dangyang East Suburb had experienced thirty years of rapid development and was booming.

Especially the schools for the children of military personnel, senior workers, and front-line employees.

Various parties invested massive resources, from the Tai’an Education Commission to the Heng Province Martial Arts Association, all put in significant efforts.

This piece of history was often reminisced about by the older generation of Old Factory Street.

"Qin Village Chief indeed had his ways. After those teaching materials were lost, the Inspection Department went all out, dug up ground three feet deep, but recovered less than a third. At the time, they almost turned Dangyang East Suburb upside down."

Cheng Ze took out a cigarette and placed it in Luo Jie’s mouth, then lit it for him:

"The Inspection Department couldn’t find it, but Qin Renying could. He is indeed the local tyrant of Yan City.

I heard that in Yan City, even the district chief had to bow to the head of the Qin Family during gatherings and banquets.

Brother Ji, do you know which teaching material it is? I remember among the unrecovered materials, there was one SSS-level, two A-level, and about seven or eight B-level."

The SSS-level one is of course the legendary inheritance of He Lanchan, the "Void Meditation Technique".

Those two A-level ones also have significant origins: the "Frightened Blade" and "Bright God Record".

They are the last remnant of the ten greats of the first generation.

After that, it became very difficult for the Old Martial Sects’ inheritances to be included in the official textbooks of the Martial Arts Association.

The smell of tobacco acted like a sedative, calming Luo Jie, who was extremely nervous. He licked his lips:

"I don’t know the exact level. Brother Hao once said casually while warming up with his men after applying acupuncture, ’Even that old guy Chen Ruofu, no matter how aloof he is, would have to accept this gift.’

Such confidence?

It seems like it is indeed a significant and heavy gift.

After all, in the Cheng Lin half-sky, it’s clear who runs the Urban Circle.

To impress someone as high-standing as Chen Ruofu of the Inspection Headquarters.

It surely wouldn’t be a subpar item.

Cheng Ze squinted his eyes and asked,

"Why was such an important thing mixed in with the medicinal items?"

Luo Jie tried hard to recall the various details:

"The container for sealing the contraband was very special. The higher the level of the original teaching material, the stronger the residual spiritual wave.

Brother Hao said, there is an ’Iron Curtain’ in the Urban Circle, considered a defense mechanism, it can’t be moved casually.

It needs to be handled first..."

Cheng Ze pondered.

He had heard of the term ’Iron Curtain’ from those "friends" he met by chance.

The description was abstract, an invisible defense system developed by the Imperial Capital Research Institute.

It is said to be an essential framework for the Great Expansion.

"Defense? Against whom?"

Cheng Ze was curious when he first heard it.

The New Star of Heng Province was peaceful. Besides occasional natural disasters, nihilistic esoteric Buddhists, liberal rebels, and chaotic ancient Anqinaists were almost nonexistent.

"Very well, Brother Ji, you have successfully bought your life."

After finishing the cigarette, Cheng Ze patted Luo Jie’s sweaty, greasy face, then re-sealed his and Qin Zhijie’s mouths.

He injected a few more doses of nutrients to maintain basic vital signs, along with an anesthetic to keep them asleep.

Every now and then, Cheng Ze would come down to give a muscle relaxant injection.

"Jiushong Port, Pier No. 5..."

He returned to the room, gazing out the window at the faint dawn light.

"What an unexpected gain."

...

...

[Progress: 0.020%]

By the time Qin Shi had fully absorbed the four doses of Intermediate Energy Liquid injected into his body, it was pitch black outside the dormitory. Occasionally, there were sounds of children making a racket or the mesmerizing music of aunts dancing in the square.

"Unprecedented delight and comfort!"

He closed his eyes, feeling the "Life Seed" lodged three inches below his navel, glowing like a light cocoon in the introspective state.

With each circulation of Qi, this seed would release a rich life force nourished by the flesh, moisturizing the mortal body, making this young body ever closer to perfection.

It felt like there was a constant +1, +1 above his head, inexplicably providing a sense of satisfaction like gaining experience in a game.

"No wonder twenty points is called the major hurdle. It’s because breaking through this critical value gives an inside-out transformation and evolution?"

Qin Shi pondered, as the advanced knowledge of life force development was not included in the curriculum of New Star Class in Grade One.

"As the saying goes, ’Learning from books is ultimately shallow; to know things profoundly, one must practice’. But I didn’t even have a chance to learn from books before, thanks to Uncle Zhou’s introduction to Old Liang!"

His thoughts diverged. If he made it to the Star Cup finals, various media would interview him, and Uncle Zhou recommending Old Liang would be seen as the moment fate began to turn!

"Shi, you’re awake. There’s a box of Nutritional Paste on the table; have a bite to fill your stomach first."

Old Liang, who was scribbling something at the desk, turned his head to look at Qin Shi, who was grinning broadly, with some concern.

His disciple wouldn’t have gotten delirious, would he? The theories and understandings in the Old Era Martial Arts World were immature, leading to constant trials and errors, especially on the path of limit breaking, which was full of bones stacked up high.

Many unlucky people would take high-energy items without proper guidance from a master, end up with a fever that wouldn’t stop, and burn their brains out.

"Master Liang, how should the Life Seed be nurtured?"

Qin Shi asked earnestly.

"Eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well are the basic conditions."

Old Liang put down the pen and said solemnly:

"The rest is finding ways to eat better, drink better, and sleep better.

Of course, that’s the normal method. You know, our Old Martial Sect doesn’t typically follow the beaten path."

"Can the Life Seed be grown quickly?"

Qin Shi, who had always wanted to be a speedrun player, lit up his eyes eagerly and rubbed his hands:

"Master Liang, tell me more."

Old Liang picked up the "teaching plan" he had just written and turned to face Qin Shi:

"The classics of ancient times recorded, ’Heaven has five thieves, and those who see them will thrive. Five thieves in the heart, act upon heaven. The universe in one’s hand, all things born of oneself.’

First-generation Martial God Yan Haishan regarded this as the foundation of a ’Martial Artist’s’ standing. All things are thieves of heaven and earth, and people are thieves of all things. Each steals to live and mutually nurtures.

So there’s a time-honored inheritance in the Old Martial Sect, called ’Stealing Celestial Secret’."

Stealing Celestial Secret?

Qin Shi’s eyes showed intense interest.

"The old people said, there is great fear between life and death. By keeping oneself’s spirit tense, always on the edge of life and death, heart and intent can be repeatedly tempered and thus sublimated."

Old Liang’s eyes crinkled as he smiled and said:

"I asked my grandmaster, and he said there were indeed people who tried this, but most of them were wild path wanderers without formal tutelage, practicing martial arts on icy cliffs in deep mountains or the top floor of high buildings, blowing in the wind. If one in a hundred survived, it was good."

The Old Martial Sect found it hard to nurture a good seedling; using this method, their line would extinguish within three to five generations."

Qin Shi couldn’t help but smile wryly. This method, akin to austerity practice, he had seen in extracurricular readings on traditional martial arts.

"But it doesn’t mean the method of Stealing Celestial Secret is wrong. It is a path for the metamorphosis of geniuses, not a shortcut to success for the mediocre. Only if one’s heart intent is strong enough and stable can they steal the Celestial Secret and comprehend life and death. Otherwise, it’s like a child wielding a heavy hammer, crushing themselves instead."

Old Liang’s tone was mild. He suddenly looked at Qin Shi, and unexpectedly burst out in a thunderous shout:

"Look at me!"

Qin Shi, listening attentively, was caught off guard. His eyes met Old Liang’s sharp gaze, and instantly two fingers jabbed toward him, sharp as a blade. The pain of being cut was felt even before touching the skin.

Gonna die!

Old Liang’s indifferent eyes conveyed a ruthless coldness, making Qin Shi believe that his head would be pierced through in the next instant, dying on the spot.

[Extra-Sensory Perception]!

In such a critical moment, the monument triggered, pushing Qin Shi’s senses to the limit. The time around him seemed to slow down, Old Liang’s fast as lightning sword fingers appearing like a slow-motion frame by frame.

"Head’s gonna explode!"

Qin Shi’s temples pulsed vigorously. Clearly, this "time stop" experience exceeded what his mortal body could bear.

Half a second!

He managed to move back less than two meters before everything returned to normal.

Old Liang, originally sitting in the chair, was now standing in front of him. The two fingers almost touched Qin Shi’s forehead.

His eyes were full of surprise, which then turned to admiration:

"Unity of Spirit and Body indeed extraordinary. Even with suppressed life force, his strong spirit and willpower broke free from the shackles!"

Even with fifty points of life force, facing this Assassination Fist Technique finger would have been unavoidable.

Yet Qin Shi managed to react and complete the evasion.

That wasn’t easy.

In danger, most people freeze with blank minds, losing the ability to act.

Trained fighters and martial artists with stronger psychological qualities can concentrate and adapt on the fly.

His disciple’s temperament and courage had already surpassed many who had fifty points of life force.

"Huff, huff..."

Qin Shi didn’t speak, sweating profusely and pale from just an instant.

His eyes were somewhat hollow, gradually recovering after a while.

"It feels like I walked a circle around the ghost gate and narrowly stayed alive."

Qin Shi finally understood the meaning of ’lingering fear’.

That brief moment felt like being brushed past by a truck or having bullets bounce over his head.

The constant threat and fright of imminent death crazily stimulated the body.

Blood surged to the brain, senses amplified, becoming exceptionally keen.

The mortal body seemed to unlock chains, entering a new world, touching a more real essence of things.

"How is it? Does Stealing Celestial Secret work?"

Old Liang withdrew his fingers and limped back to the seat.

Qin Shi remained silent, closing his eyes to introspect. That thumbnail-sized Life Seed had indeed grown slightly, albeit minutely but genuinely.

[Progress: 0.021%]

In less than two seconds, life force had increased again.

"Precisely because of Stealing Celestial Secret, the Old Martial Sect likes to seek formidable enemies as whetstones, honing themselves to either transform into dragons or die."

Old Liang sighed:

"That’s how my master died. But for him, falling to a formidable opponent was perhaps better than dying in bed."

Qin Shi took deep breaths, adjusting his state, pulling his spirit away from tension.

"Master Liang, perhaps... shall we try a few more times? I think this method is quite effective!"

Old Liang shook his head:

"Only this once works. To try again, you must face a life-and-death battle where your fate hangs in the balance."

Qin Shi felt regretful. It’s rare to have an affair that lets one boost life force by narrowly avoiding death.

[One Step Behind Disaster (1/3)]

Text flashed across the retina, showing part the achievement task for evading danger three times completed.

...

...

Returning from Old Liang’s place, Qin Shi eagerly washed up and lay on the bed.

Early to bed and early to rise, eyes waking tomorrow.

He would upgrade [Deep Sleep] to Advanced.

The next morning.

[Intermediate Achievement - Deep Sleep (30/30)]

[Advanced Route Successful]

[Advanced Achievement - Deep Sleep]

[Deep Sleep: Youth is great, falling asleep as soon as the head hits the pillow. Every organism’s growth stage relies on adequate rest, especially for your embryonic seed still developing.]

[Trait: You will no longer face insomnia and can recover more physical stamina and mental energy through shorter sleep, unlocking a Spiritual Space and constructing a Palace of Thought.]

[Advanced Route: Grandeur or minute imagery in the cosmos can be pillars of your mind. Discover and embrace it.]