Chapter 3: Secrets of the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll
The Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll was cryptic and profound, Tang Zheng spent a whole half hour to completely read through the thousand character scroll once.
He was just about to put the ancient scroll aside when suddenly he felt a wave of thin air warmly stream into his arteries and begin to circulate, giving him the unprecedented feeling that he was on the verge of some subtle realm.
“Ei? How come I awoke so quickly?” Tian Chanzi’s voice once again rang out, apparently very shocked.
“You’re awake!” Tang Zheng still thought he would be asleep for a while but ended up waking up so quickly.
“Si! How come your body has qi? What did you just do?” Tian Chanzi sounded like he had just seen a ghost and asked in a shocked and ineffable manner with a shout.
“Qi? That stream of air within me was qi?” Tang Zheng was shocked, “I didn’t do anything. I just read through the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll once.”
“You cultivated the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll…? How could it be like this! Yin Mo and I both researched this Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll for more than a thousand years, and yet made no progress. This ancient scroll is simply unfathomable. How could you cultivate it so easily?” Tian Chanzi was practically about to throw up blood.
“I just read it once, that’s it.” Tang Zheng explained.
“Read… you just read it?”
Tang Zheng rolled his eyes, “Yes read, how else can you read but one word at a time, following the text.”
“You! Read it aloud for me.” Tian Chanzi hurriedly said.
Tang Zheng helplessly read the text, word for word.
“Stop!” Suddenly, Tian Chanzi shouted loudly, “How can you read it like this?”
“Aren’t you just supposed to read it?” Tang Zheng asked in confusion, after living for so long, was he not supposed to be able to read aloud a book?
“Aren’t you supposed to read it from left to right, from top to bottom? How could you read it from right to left, and side to side?”
“Wasn’t reading always supposed to be read horizontally from right to left?”
This was the current age’s common knowledge.
Tian Chanzi went into deep thinking for a while, let out a deep sigh, and said: “I see, I see, no wonder Yin Mo and I spent so many years researching it without any results. We were going about it all wrong.”
Traditionally, people did indeed read from left to right, top to bottom, hence why Tian Chanzi and Yin Mo did not think there were other ways of reading, and were therefore unable to grasp the secrets to the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll.
“Heaven’s Will, is this all heaven’s will? This Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll clearly belongs to this little brat.” Tian Chanzi was flooded with feelings.
A thousand years ago, Tian Chanzi and Yin Mo both discovered this ancient secret scroll. The two battled day and night to claim it as their own. In the end, they were both heavily wounded, their bodies lost, and their consciousness were absorbed by the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll.
The two then continued their battle in secret, and from beginning to end were unable to rid themselves of the other. Moreover, they both tried to investigate the secret of the ancient scroll but both were without results.
Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll was originally an unsolvable mystery, completely different from the legends that said it was a ferocious technique.
After experiencing a thousand years, seeing the blue sea turn into mulberry fields, the movement of the earth, the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll was buried within the ground where it became fused with a piece of rock. This piece of stone was then used in the construction of the school’s laboratory, so the two that were trapped within the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll could only move about within the basement.
They wished to find someone suitable to overtake their body, but their requirements for the host body was harsh since if the body was weak then it would be unable to withstand their consciousness and ultimately perish.
A few years ago, a female student who possessed a mysterious Yin body, entered the grounds. Which gave Yin Mo hope, and in his anxiousness to enter her brain to overtake her body, he ultimately failed, causing her to be drained of all her body essence.
But even though Yin Mo did not successfully overtake the woman’s body, he managed to suck away the female student’s mysterious Yin energy, causing his power to greatly increase, allowing him to gradually suppress Tian Chanzi.
Having experienced countless years of battle, Tian Chanzi was on the verge of having his consciousness collapse and scatter. At this time, Tang Zheng appeared which caused a chain of events.
Tang Zheng, after hearing the cause and the effects of the situation, felt great joy as he did not become sucked dry like the female student solely because of his Nine Yang Saint Body.
“Tian Chanzi, what exactly is the secret behind this Nine Yang Saint Body?”
“I am not sure, myself, what secrets this body holds. However legend has it that the Nine Yang Saint Body’s power is so strong that it extends through the sky and past the earth.”
“This powerful!” Tang Zheng’s heart was throbbing. Does this mean to say that in the future he will have the power to travel through the air, and tear through the earth?
“However, there is some luck involved as not everyone can become this strong.” Tian Chanzi said as if pouring a bucket of ice water.
Tang Zheng unhappily and coldly made a ‘heng’ sound and replied: “You’re just jealous of me.”
“…” Tian Chanzi was speechless, in reality he really was jealous, Tang Zheng can stumble his way through cultivating the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll. If this does not cause others to be jealous then what will.
“Little brat, don’t get your hopes up too early, since the Nine Yang Saint body is a rarely seen body constitution, its extremity comes with a weakness. This weakness is caused by the fact that a person’s body can not withstand the extremely pure Yang energy. Under heaven, there must be a balance between Yin and Yang for there to be life. The stronger the Yang energy then the stronger the Yin energy needed to balance it out. Do you understand?” Tian Chanzi admonished.
Tang Zheng’s enthusiasm received a blow and he said: “Then what would happen if I don’t have the pure Yin energy needed to create a balance?”
“Your Yang Qi will surge and your body will blow up resulting in your death. Also following the increase in your strength the pure Yang energy will become stronger. With this the day you die also approaches. Little brat, in reality you should consider yourself lucky. If you hadn’t met me, you, little brat would most definitely not live past twenty years of age. Because without the balance brought by the pure Yin energy, you will most certainly die without a doubt.”
Tang Zheng felt as if he had fallen from heaven to hell. The only good thing was that his heart was strong enough, and he hurriedly asked: “Twenty years old? Today I am eighteen years old. So that means I only have two years to live? Right, didn’t you say that as long as there is a pure Yin energy to create a balance between my body’s Yin and Yang energy that everything will be alright? Where can I find pure Yin energy?
Tian Chanzi made a weird smile: “Heihei, there are a tens of thousand of things under heaven, there is always one thing to balance out another. Since you have pure Yang energy then there is naturally pure Yin energy. Pure Yin energy is mostly found in rare Yin areas, but based on your current strength going there would simply be sending you to your death.”
Tang Zheng’s heart felt like it had turned into ashes and he thought that was uselessly said.
“Little brat, don’t be in such a rush. I haven’t even finished speaking yet. Another source of Yin energy is right at your fingertips.”
“Where?” Tang Zheng was like someone who was grasping at straws, overjoyed.
“Girls!” Tian Chanzi said mysteriously.
“Girls?” Tang Zheng asked confused.
“That is correct. Male bodies possess pure Yang energy, while female bodies possess pure Yin energy. As long as you absorb the Yin energy within a female then you can reach an effect where there is a balance between Yin and Yang. That way this small life of yours can temporarily be kept.”
“Then how do I absorbed a girls pure Yin energy?”
“The quickest method is through sex.”
Tang Zheng’s face turned red, towards an eighteen year old teenager, these kinds of things are embarrassing even though he occasionally looks forward to it.
“Tian Chanzi, you don’t know what it’s like to know shame.”
Tian Chanzi said utterly discomfortable: “Little brat, I am here trying to teach you how to preserve your life, and you still have the audacity to speak like that to this old man.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t say you anymore, but this method is a no-go, I can’t possibly go onto the streets and casually drag some girl to bed.” Tang Zheng said not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
“Of course not. It’s true that girls possess pure Yin energy, but not every girls Yin energy is suitable for you. Only those with really strong Yin energy will be able to help you achieve a balance in Yin and Yang. Let me teach you some more common knowledge. The so called ‘manly’ smell is actually Yang energy escaping the body while the so called ‘womanly’ smell is actually Yin energy dispersing from her body. The stronger and purer the energy the stronger the smell. The saying of how Chu’s child smells like incense is just smell from the accumulation of Yin energy over ten years.”
This was the first time Tang Zheng heard this argument, and was therefore filled with curiosity, asking: “Then I have to go chase after nice smelling ladies, moreover go to bed with her?”
“Yes, that’s the idea, but as for the fact that you are a Nine Yang Saint Body, a single girl is unable to help you reach Yin-Yang equilibrium.”
Tang Zheng’s face immediately turned into a sour melon. “Are you playing with me? Do I have to chase after several girls?”
“Little brat, don’t start thinking random thoughts. Since you are able to use the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll then there is no need for me to impart my techniques to you as the the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll is a mysterious technique and many more times powerful than any of what I can teach you.” Tian Chanzi said in a beaten down tone as his hope of returning to Gui Sect was destroyed.
Tang Zheng slightly calmed down his emotions and said: “Since you know how to cultivate the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll, you can also cultivate in this technique.”
“That won’t do. I just tried it,and it seems like the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll requires the cultivator to have no previous foundations at cultivating while I already have a lifetime of cultivation experience. Ai, in the beginning Yin Mo and I were bitterly fighting to the death, but we never thought that neither of us would be suitable for cultivating it and in the end, you got all the benefits.”
“But the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll is only a foundation mental technique, other things you still need to learn from me. Rest assured, I will use everything at my disposal since the stronger you become the faster I will recover.”
The more profound Tang Zheng’s strength the more nourishment Tian Chanzi’s consciousness will get, meaning he will recover faster and when he reaches a certain point, he could directly leave Tang Zheng’s brain to once again find a suitable pure Yang host body to possess.
“Don’t worry, I will do my best to learn.” Tang Zheng now knew the deeply understood the importance of cultivating.
He must become strong!
Even though becoming strong means his Yang energy becomes more powerful and the risk of him self-exploding also increases, this like before did not suppress his desire to be strong.
“Now, let me first educate you a bit on the relevant information for cultivating. The act of cultivating is basically taking power from the heavens and the earth, in this case spiritual energy, which enters the body. This coupled with techniques, turns it into one’s own qi and the stronger the qi is then the stronger your power will be.”
“The so called eight great meridians, is also known as the eight main meridians within the human body, every one of these meridians can store qi. The cultivator is separated into different levels which are the Refining Stage, Foundation Building, Abnegation, Golden Dan, Yuan Ying, Ascension, and Enlightenment with each rank being split into nine grades. If you reach grade one of the Refining Stage you will have an inch of true qi, and when you reach two inches of true qi then you will have reached grade two… wait, that’s not right, how can this be?”
Suddenly, Tian Chanzi cried out in alarm.
“Why are you suddenly being alarmed?”
“How come you have an extra main meridian, with a total of nine main meridians?” Tian Chanzi acted as if he had seen a ghost.
The human body has countless numbers of arteries but the only the main meridians are able to contain true qi. At this moment, Tang Zheng’s body has a total of nine meridians which contain true qi.
Tang Zheng was unfathomably mysterious, his heart was moved, and he was certain that there were nine meridians that contained true qi.
“Could it be that this is the Nine Yang Saint Body’s secret?” Tian Chanzi mumbled to himself, “Ai, I don’t understand it myself but since things are already this way there is nothing I can do about it.”
“So, is this a good or bad thing?”
“How should I know?” Tian Chanzi said in frustration.
Tang Zheng invited a snub and did not continue with this line of questioning but asked another question: “So, do I still get techniques?”
“Heng, how are techniques that easy to learn? You must first reach the third grade of Refining Qi stage before you can start training in techniques.”
“Then, what do I do now?” Tang Zheng seemed disappointed. He originally wanted to immediately have the techniques of legends, but found out that he was just viewing things through a rosy tint.
“Of course there is something you can do. You can practice martial arts.”
“Martial arts?”
“That’s correct. There are not just cultivators under the heavens, there are also martial artist, which are not existences weaker than cultivators. Martial artists who train to the peak could gain insights into the Grand Daos, taking a different route to the same destination.”
“Are martial artists that amazing? How come the television just show those with flowery displays without any substance.” Tang Zheng has his doubts, since this was already an era of science, martial arts was in decline, seemingly not as great as Tian Chanzi made them out to be.
“What do you know? How could true experts appear before normal people? You must remember, in this world, capable people are being made everyday so you must hurry up and rise in power. Right now, I will first pass on to you the martial skill, Heaven Gathering Hand.”
When the sound rang out, Tang Zheng found out that within his brain there suddenly appeared to be a painting, atop of which was recorded a sequence of movements.
“This is the Heaven Gathering Hand, even though it is an entry level martial arts technique, training it to the peak will still reveal boundless might. Heaven Gathering Hand, as the name implies, creates an inescapable net that encloses the heaven and earth, preventing your opponent from escaping.”
Tang Zheng was like a hungry and thirsty male, while the martial art technique was like a exceptional beauty. He of course had no reason to refuse. Moreover, Tian Chanzi said that it was powerful, so it must be true.
“Do I use it like this?” Tang Zheng’s body flashed as he followed the sequences of movement shown in the picture to move.
A wave of wind followed and he was like a fairy in the basement flashing about.
Tian Chanzi was practically stupefied. This little brat’s learning abilities were too insane. Just by taking a look at the pictures a single time, he already was able to gain such control. Is this still letting others live?
“Am I practicing this correctly or not?” Tang Zheng stopped and asked.
Tian Chanzi was astonished to the point of speechlessness. He finally recovered from his dumbstruck appearance and weakly said: “Yea… That’s correct.”
Tang Zheng’s joy appeared at the tip of his brow. This feeling of strength was much stronger than the feeling of accomplishment he received after having learned the technique.
“Okay, that is it for today. You have to work hard to cultivate in the Ancient Clear Heaven Scroll.” Tian Chanzi said and then became silent… He, in reality, received a blow from Tang Zheng’s inhuman learning speed.
By the time Tang Zheng walked out of the laboratory, the setting sun’s last rays of sunshine fell on his body causing his shadow to stretch out, school was already out.
Peng Cheng International School did not provide dormitories because the school’s student population were basically from wealthy families, so no one was willing to stay in school.
Tang Zheng left the school and ran towards his house. His house was located next to the north side of Chang Heng City, which was the old sector or shantytown where the destitute lived.
The north sector compared to the central sector was simply like comparing earth to heaven. Tang Zheng has long been accustomed to this point. After running for ten kilometers to his house door, he was not out of breath like usual, but was instead feeling nice and clear headed.
“So, this is the mysterious feeling of having becoming a cultivator.”
He took in a deep breath, pacified his emotions, and pushed open the shabby door. This is a detached house with only forty square meters big. The roof was low hanging, and the lighting was dim.
“Grandpa, I’m back.” He called out. No one replied, the house appeared to be devoid of life.
Tang Zheng raised his eyebrow, his grandfather most likely dragged his sick body out to look for work, his heart felt like it was stabbed. He dropped his head and ran outside.
In the dumpster, a stench assaulted the nose, causing ordinary people to maintain their distance but towards the people who are dependent on the dumpster for a living, like his grandfather, the dumpster was like a treasure mountain..
Tang Zheng was long since accustomed to the dumpsters surroundings. He was like his grandfather, and depended on picking up trash; sifting through excrement and urine as he grew up.
“Fu*k you, dead old man! This is Brother Hu’s territory! You dare steal from Brother Hu’s area, you fucking want to die?!” A bellow rang out piercing into Tang Zheng’s eardrums.