OBS Chapter 12: The Troubles of Fate
Chapter 12: The Troubles of Fate
The blood moon finally sank below the western horizon, but the sky did not brighten much as a result; instead, a heavy, oppressive, leaden-gray dawn descended.
The thin sunlight struggled to penetrate the low-hanging clouds, sparingly casting down a few grayish rays that barely illuminated this ravaged land.
The ruins, like the bones of a dead beast, stand silently in the thin morning mist, telling the tragic and sorrowful story of yesterday.
Amid the weary shouts and urgings of the patrol soldiers, thousands of survivors, like a flock of sheep being driven, once again gathered numbly and mechanically.
Packing their meager belongings, which could hardly be called luggage, they moved slowly and laboriously towards Tianxia City, which could offer them refuge, like silt flowing into a muddy stream.
The line stretched out long, filled with the sounds of crying, suppressed coughs, heavy footsteps, terrified sobs of children, and painful groans of the injured…
The various sounds intertwined, drifting in the chilly morning breeze. A heavy atmosphere, a mixture of despair and faint hope, permeated the air, more suffocating than the bloodshed of the night.
Xuan Tianyi wrapped his even more worn-out coat, stained with blood and mud, tighter around himself. He carefully tied the black armor-piercing spear given to him by Liu Ruyan to his back with strips of torn cloth, concealing the cold glint of the spearhead with the rags.
He mingled in the middle of the crowd, stumbling along as he went.
Unlike most of the people around him with empty, numb eyes who staggered along on their survival instincts, he devoted most of his attention to the small space inside his body and the system panel in his mind.
Last night's brief rest and the slight recovery brought about by the lightning tempering allowed him to barely regain his mobility, but he was still far from being able to protect himself.
We must seize every minute and every second!
"The first line of the Zhen hexagram: 'Thunder comes with a trembling sound, then laughter and cheerful voices follow. Auspicious...'"
The profound meaning of the hexagram text flowed slowly through my heart, like a clear spring nourishing my somewhat restless soul.
This time, he did not try to guide the thunderous energy to violently surge and open within his body as he had done the night before.
That's too dangerous and too costly to sustain during a march.
He changed his approach, making it more subtle and gentler—if continuous, minute electric shocks can be considered gentle.
He carefully sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, communicating with the suspended "Thunder Seed Jade Token".
Instead of trying to unleash violent thunder, it uses the softest feather or the most precise carving knife to gently stir the most primordial Daoist power within the jade token, representing vibration and growth.
"laugh……"
A faint, almost imperceptible purple arc of electricity, like a mischievous spark, gently burst forth from the surface of the jade token. Instead of dissipating, it transformed into countless even more subtle, almost invisible ripples, like ripples on the surface of water. Centered on the jade token, these ripples spread gently yet firmly to his limbs and bones, penetrating every inch of muscle, every bone, and even the spaces between every cell.
"Well!"
Xuan Tianyi's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and a muffled groan, suppressed to the extreme, escaped his throat.
This sensation is not a tingling or numb feeling, but a more subtle, denser, and longer-lasting stinging and aching sensation!
It felt as if countless invisible, fine needles carrying a weak electric current were simultaneously and continuously gently pricking, massaging, and vibrating every corner of his body!
The irritation was particularly noticeable on the arms and chest/abdomen, which had been heavily "treated" during yesterday's excessive exertion and lightning tempering.
This was an extremely unpleasant experience, like a continuous, low-intensity electroshock therapy, causing his muscles to uncontrollably produce tiny, high-frequency tremors and spasms.
When walking, this tremor, combined with normal gait, produces an extremely strange posture.
Sometimes, as if suddenly electrocuted, his shoulders would shrug involuntarily, causing his upper body to tilt.
Sometimes his leg muscles would inexplicably twitch, causing him to stumble and his body to wobble.
At times, it seems as if it is struggling against some invisible force, walking with uneven steps and an extremely awkward posture.
With his face stiff and pale from trying to control his expressions, he looked to onlookers like a pitiful wretch who had just recovered from a serious injury and might have some mental issues, performing an extremely clumsy and arrhythmic "electrocution zombie dance."
"Hey, look at that kid... why is he walking with a twitching motion? Did he go crazy from being scared by the zombie dog the day before yesterday?"
A haggard-looking woman holding a child spoke in a low voice to her companion, her eyes filled with pity, but even more so with an unconscious sense of distance and wariness.
In the end times, anyone who is not normal can pose a danger.
"Who knows? The injuries were so severe, it's a miracle they even survived. They've probably damaged their health and will likely suffer from chronic illnesses..."
The companion glanced at Xuan Tianyi and subconsciously pulled the woman to the side, away from this "strange person".
"Stay away from him. I've heard that people who have been harmed by evil spirits sometimes act like this, talking nonsense..."
Some timid refugees whispered among themselves; though their voices were low, they could still be faintly heard in the relatively quiet morning march.
"Judging from his appearance, he probably won't live much longer. Poor thing..."
The whispers, filled with sympathy, doubt, alienation, and even disgust, were like fine needles, gently pricking Xuan Tianyi's heart, making his face slightly flushed and filling him with a sense of embarrassment and helplessness.
But he gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing these emotions, and his eyes became even more determined.
What others say doesn't matter to me. Surviving and becoming stronger is the only truth!
He couldn't explain, and didn't want to explain.
This seemingly bizarre method of walking while being tempered by lightning, though uncomfortable, has real and tangible effects.
He could clearly feel that under the continuous, subtle high-frequency vibration stimulation, the fatigue in his body was gradually dispelled, and his sore muscles felt as if they were receiving the deepest massage and activation.
The tiny passages that were forcibly opened by the thunder yesterday seemed to have become slightly more open and flexible under this gentle stimulation.
Although the circulation of Qi and blood is still slow, it is much faster than before when the body relied solely on its instincts to recover.
More importantly, this method of continuously stimulating the "Thunder Seed" vibrational power consumes far less mental energy than the violent guidance last night, and can be maintained for a long time.
This means that he can also use the time he spends traveling to engage in a continuous, low-intensity physical exercise!
"It works! That's enough! Face? It's worthless compared to survival!"
He simply lowered his head, ignoring the gazes of others, and focused more on controlling the faint power of the thunderous shockwaves and sensing the changes in his body.
To distract himself and to plan his next move, he sparsed a wisp of his consciousness and sank it into his sea of consciousness, looking at the floating, semi-transparent system panel.
[Host: Xuan Tianyi]
[Realm: None (Originally at the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm, all cultivation lost, foundation damaged)]
[Technique: Eight Scenery Mystic Lamp Visualization Method (Beginner Level)]
[Understanding the hexagram text: Zhen hexagram, first line: Summoning heavenly thunder.]
[Life Points: 125]
125 points!
A clear number came into my mind.
Of those, 43 points were gained from the desperate counterattack against the ferocious zombie dog the day before yesterday, and 82 points were gained from the risky kill of the three shadow cats last night.
This sum of money, which might seem insignificant to the system, was Xuan Tianyi's first pot of gold, filling him with excitement and anticipation for the future.
Having tasted the benefits of the "Thunder Seed Jade Token" and personally experienced the tempering of the body with the power of thunder, even the low-end version, Xuan Tianyi naturally yearned for the abilities of the other hexagrams in the Book of Changes.
He desperately wanted to acquire new abilities related to divination or to find a systematic cultivation method that truly suited him.
The "Basic Body Tempering Technique" that the original owner cultivated was, in the original owner's memory, a common, inefficient, and extremely limited technique. Now, in Xuan Tianyi's eyes, which possesses the "Aura Observation Technique" and the "Thunder Seed Jade Token," it is as crude as a chicken rib.
If one can use the "Thunder Seed Jade Token" as the core and combine it with one's own situation to deduce or optimize an exclusive "Thunder Body Tempering Method", its effects and prospects will certainly be incomparable!
Without hesitation, he immediately issued an instruction to the system.
[System, unlock the new hexagram text for me.]
[Command received. Searching for unlockable hexagram texts... Search complete.]
[Note: The sixty-four hexagrams each have six lines, corresponding to six lines of text. They are divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.]
[WARNING: Insufficient Life Points! Unable to unlock new hexagram texts!]
[Hint: Unlocking a new basic hexagram requires 2000 Life Essence Points.]
"Two thousand points?!"
Xuan Tianyi almost cried out in his mind as a bucket of cold water was poured over his head, instantly chilling his heart that had just been burning with passion.
He worked so hard, narrowly escaping death, first almost being torn apart by the corpse hounds, and then risking his life to finish them off on the edge of the battlefield, and only managed to accumulate 125 points in total. Now you're telling me that unlocking the lowest level, a new beginner's hexagram, actually requires 2000 points?
The difference is just too big!
How long would it take to save this up?
Does he have to hunt down hundreds of Shadow Cats?
What's the difference between that and sending someone to their death?
Undeterred, he immediately changed his approach.
Since directly unlocking the hexagram texts isn't enough, what about deducing the techniques?
Although the original body's "Basic Body Tempering Technique" was crude, it was at least an introduction. Now, with the miraculous "Thunder Seed Jade Token" and the system that resembles a "supercomputer,"
Why not combine these methods and try to develop a more suitable and efficient physical training method for yourself?
[System, using the "Thunder Seed Jade Token" as the core, combined with the "Basic Body Forging Technique" and my current physical condition, help me deduce/optimize a unique body forging technique.]
[Command received. Analyzing the Daoist characteristics of the "Thunder Seed Jade Token," the host's current physical condition, and the basic framework of the "Basic Body Tempering Technique"... Analysis complete.]
[Driving out/optimizing the solution...]
Option 1: Thunder Guiding Body Tempering Technique (Beginner Level). Using the power of thunder as a guide, it stimulates acupoints throughout the body, clears blocked meridians, and gradually tempers the body, while also having repairing and strengthening effects.
Low risk, suitable for the host's current severely injured and weakened state. Deduction cost: 800 Life Source Points (reduced due to the Daoist blessing of the "Thunder Seed Jade Token").
[WARNING: Insufficient Life Points! Unable to perform deduction!]
[Note: The lowest level of cultivation technique deduction or optimization requires at least 800 points. Please continue your efforts and accumulate life essence.]
800 points!
It's still not enough!
Although it's less than half of 2000 points, it's still an astronomical figure for him now.
Xuan Tianyi was getting anxious. Thinking of his broken body, he tried to communicate with the system again.
[System, consuming Life Points to directly repair my injuries and restore my cultivation!]
[Sorry, host. The system currently does not offer services such as directly repairing injuries or directly increasing cultivation level. Please focus on your cultivation and find healing pills and rare treasures in this world on your own.]
……
Xuan Tianyi remained silent.
This system is terrible! It's expensive to unlock, expensive to deduce, and you can't even add attribute points directly. It's a total rip-off!
"What use are you to me...?"
He couldn't help but complain inwardly. Looking at the lonely "125" life points on the panel, and then comparing them with the glaring numbers "2000" and "800", a huge sense of powerlessness and frustration at being "poor" welled up in his heart.
"This damn system costs money to unlock, costs money to deduce, and it can't even directly heal or level up! It's outrageously expensive! No, it's outrageously exploitative!"
He thought dejectedly.
"Scholars are poor, warriors are rich; the ancients were right... Alas, poverty!"
The frustration of having a treasure mountain but being unable to enter, or holding the key but lacking enough fuel to activate more advanced functions, made his chest feel tight.
But quickly, he took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed these negative emotions. Complaining was useless; the apocalypse wouldn't become gentler because of your complaints.
"If you don't have enough points, use exotic beasts! That's the most direct way!"
His eyes sharpened again.
"Hunt down more strange beasts, or... find other ways to obtain life essence!"
He recalled the divination intervention and fate reversal that the system had mentioned before.
By predicting the fortunes of others, or even intervening in and altering the course of their lives, one might gain access to the source of destiny.
But this obviously requires the right timing, the right person, and... a trigger that makes the other party willing to "transact".
Liu Ruyan!
The image of that blue lotus standing proudly in the wind and snow instantly flashed into my mind!
Such an astonishing physical constitution, yet shrouded in a gray-black death aura, clearly indicates a damaged foundation.
If only I could tell her fortune, offer guidance, or even...
If there is an opportunity in the future to help her resolve this fundamental damage and change her cultivation path, it would undoubtedly be considered a reversal of fate!
By then, the Life Points you collect should be enough to unlock one or two new hexagram texts, right?
And that Captain Yan!
Although he didn't exhibit any extraordinary phenomena like Liu Ruyan, the solid, deep blue aura of fortune still represented his considerable strength and luck.
Divining for a high-level martial artist would surely yield more points than divination for an ordinary refugee, right?
"How can I get them to willingly let me do a fortune telling and establish a causal relationship for the transaction? Should I just go up to them and say, 'I see a dark aura around your eyes'? I'd probably get beaten up like a lunatic..."
Xuan Tianyi stroked his chin, maintaining his strange "electrocution gait" while rapidly racking his brains.
"We need to plan this carefully. It would be best to create some coincidences or showcase some real skills..."
Helplessly shutting down the system panel, Xuan Tianyi channeled all his frustration into a greater effort to carefully and diligently control the power of thunderous vibrations to temper his body.
External things are unreliable, and the system is a money-devouring beast; only self-strengthening is the key!
These 125 points of life energy may not be enough to accomplish great things, but they might come in handy at crucial moments, so we must use them sparingly.
The group walked silently and slowly, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
As the sun rises higher, the temperature also rises slightly, but the stench of rotting corpses, blood, and sweat in the air becomes even stronger and more nauseating.
The procession could not move very fast. The thousands of refugees, with their families and many wounded, were a chaotic mix of cries, groans, and the shouts and urgings of the patrol soldiers. The scene was long, drawn-out, and filled with despair.
The main force of the patrol army, including Captain Yan and other powerful figures, mostly guarded the front and flanks, preparing for large groups of strange beasts or zombie hordes that might come from the depths of the wilderness.
The number of soldiers assigned to maintain order and security for this large group of refugees was only about one hundred.
With such a small number of people scattered throughout the long queue, it was really difficult to keep up with everyone's needs, and sometimes it was inevitable that they would be unable to take care of each other.
Just like right now!
The group arrived at a relatively open wasteland, but it was covered with jagged rocks and withered, low shrubs.
The wind howled through the withered grass and cracks in the rocks, making a mournful sound like the wailing of ghosts, stirring up bits of grass and dust on the ground, and also bringing... a faint, almost imperceptible, putrid smell carried by the wind.
The scent was faint, blending into the already unpleasant air, and went unnoticed.
However, the flame of the "Eight Scenery Mystic Fate Lamp" that was quietly suspended in Xuan Tianyi's sea of consciousness flickered slightly but continuously again without any warning!
This time, the swaying was even more noticeable than when I sensed the shadow cat last night!
A sense of crisis, stronger and more chaotic than the previous night, carrying a hint of greed and bloodlust, suddenly coiled around his spine like a cold, venomous snake!
"No! There's something! Lots of it! And... it's more dangerous than the Shadow Cat!"
Xuan Tianyi felt a sudden alarm bell ringing in his heart, and he almost couldn't help but shout out loud.
"Awooo—!!"
As if to confirm his premonition, a shrill, long howl filled with greed and ferocity suddenly rang out from a rocky hill behind him!
The sound pierced through the thin morning mist and clearly reached everyone's ears!
Then came the second sound, the third sound...
Dozens of wolf howls rose and fell, quickly merging into a terrifying sound wave that chilled the bone and terrified the heart, like the horn of death being sounded, instantly shattering the silence of the wasteland and completely tearing apart the last fragile peace of the refugee group!
"A wolf! It's a Bloodclaw Wolf!"
"So many! Behind that pile of stones over there!"
Terrified screams and cries erupted instantly!
The crowd erupted into chaos, like ants scattered from their nest!
Suddenly, twenty or thirty, no, more, sprang out from behind the shadows of those strange rocks and withered trees!
More than fifty gray-black figures, as robust as calves!
Baring their pale fangs, drool dripping from the corners of their mouths, their eerie green or scarlet eyes gleaming with a cruel, bloodthirsty light in the dim light of day, they charged like a tide from the side and rear towards the chaotic refugee column!
A new and greater crisis has suddenly descended upon us in the most weary and relaxed moment after dawn!