Spiritual power is also innate, rumored to require awakening, but how could he cultivate without a spiritual root from birth?
Calming himself, he thought of the lucky draw bonus event, where he might obtain an abnormal skill by chance?
In his opinion, esoteric arts were already abnormal enough, so how much more abnormal could it get? A strong sense of curiosity arose in his heart.
As his will moved, two bamboo tubes, one large and one small, floated before him. The small bamboo tube was for ordinary draws, and the large one was for god-tier draws. An ordinary draw cost one hundred points, while a god-tier draw cost one thousand points. Now, with the grand bonus event, by spending one hundred points, there was a chance to draw an abnormal skill from the large bamboo tube that contained a stash for one thousand points. It all depended on luck.
One thousand points? How could he obtain that? What kind of tasks would there be? Could he die because of it?
With these questions in his heart, he spent one hundred points. The large and small bamboo tubes shook, and from the large tube, bronze-colored secret manuals popped out, spinning. After tens of seconds, they flashed back one by one. The large bamboo tube disappeared, leaving only one book floating outside.
What luck! He had drawn a god-tier skill from the large bamboo tube. He looked at it; the book was labeled "True Mirror of Life."
True Mirror of Life? What did that mean? It didn't seem simple. Was it truly abnormal?
As he held it, a torrent of knowledge and energy surged into his body. He understood much. He realized this was a spiritual cultivation method for practicing spiritual power, and it opened up a whole new, wondrous world for him.
Every life is a ball of energy in the universe, some as weak as dust, some as powerful as this. This depends on the choice of fortune. Fortune is intangible, invisible; no one can explain what it is, yet it influences everything invisibly.
True Mirror of Life is truly heaven-defying. It can reverse and influence fortune, even strip it away. Each point of fortune can be transformed into spiritual power, but this is not like other spiritual powers; it is extremely pure.
Spiritual cultivators absorb heavenly spiritual power for their practice. The impurities in the air are too numerous, making it quite mixed. It needs circulation within the body to purify, and the amount absorbed each time is not much.
Practicing True Mirror of Life, however, is about seizing the purest energy in the universe, leading to much faster cultivation progress. Therefore, this cultivation method harms heavenly harmony and has various side effects. It might lead to illusions, even to the point of going berserk.
Bái Qiāndào was stunned. Although he had obtained a divine spiritual cultivation method, he worried if practicing it would lead him into an abyss.
He had no spiritual root, but True Mirror of Life allowed him to cultivate spiritual power without one, and it was so simple, greatly accelerating his cultivation. Yet, the side effects were terrifying. He did not want to become a demon and be annihilated by other Mystic Masters. Although going berserk only happened in severe cases, unforeseen circumstances could arise. If he lost control, this could truly happen.
As he pondered, his gaze gradually became resolute. He decided not to give up this immense fortuitous encounter and step into this wondrous world.
I was ordinary and unremarkable. Now a door has opened for me. Whether I become a person or a demon after entering is important, but more importantly, I now have the ability to explore unknown mysteries and change my destiny because of it.
He learned that spiritual cultivators have five major realms, from low to high: Spirit Entry, True Vein, Origin Pill, Aperture Body, and Mystic Ascension. Especially Mystic Ascension, reaching this realm allows one to ascend to heaven and descend to earth, stir up seas and rivers; it is extremely miraculous.
Now he needed to achieve Spirit Entry first. To do this, he had to absorb fortune. However, with his innate sense of justice, he would never act arbitrarily. It seemed he needed to find some bad people, or demons and monsters. The abilities of a Mystic Master could be of great help to him.
With a decision made in his heart, it was the first time he felt full of fighting spirit. Fate guided him down this path, and no matter how difficult, he would persevere.
"Gurgle..." His stomach rumbled a few times, and his fighting spirit immediately deflated. He was still human and needed to eat. If he starved to death, he couldn't do anything.
He didn't immediately go to find food. Instead, he looked at the small bamboo tube. With the grand bonus event, it was buy one get one free, and he could draw another skill. As he thought this, the small bamboo tube shook, and from within, bronze-colored secret manuals popped out until only one remained outside.
"Wandering the Nine Heavens" skill. The name was quite unique. Curious, he picked it up and closed his eyes, feeling the surge of knowledge. His face showed considerable surprise.
This was actually a movement technique skill. When executed to its extreme, one could roam the clouds. This meant that as long as his spiritual power was strong enough, he could fly in the sky without rest, even without reaching the Mystic Ascension realm.
He understood all the mysteries, but his strength was far from sufficient, making flight impossible. However, miraculously, his evasion, jumping, and movement speed were greatly enhanced. His whole body felt light, and there was no longer the heaviness he felt before.
He tried a jump. With a "bang," he fell rapidly, landing sprawled on the ground, dizzy and disoriented. He hadn't controlled his strength well and had hit the three-meter-high roof.
Groaning, he got up. He seemed to hear curses from upstairs. Touching the bump on his head, he grinned, bared his teeth, and took a sharp breath. It really hurt.
He really asked for it, why act so impulsively? He got hurt for nothing. Some-what dejected, he went to find food. Finally, he found a packet of instant noodles, which had expired a month ago. It would have to do!
With no water, electricity, or gas, he had to eat them dry, crunching loudly. After finishing the packet, the hunger remained, but at least his stomach stopped rumbling.
He took out his remaining meager sum of money, thought about it, and put it back. He left his home, descended the ladder, and went to a small restaurant.
By then, it was already dark. Outside, there were the lights of myriad homes. The small restaurant's light was dim, and there weren't many customers.
Seeing him enter, a woman showed a slight surprise and asked, "You haven't been here in a while, have you been away?"
Bái Qiāndào smiled ingratiatingly and said, "I've been living elsewhere these past few months."
The woman, with a hint of disdain, gestured towards a corner. He silently sat down there.
A man came out from inside. Seeing him, he smiled and took out a cigarette, tossing it over.
Bái Qiāndào caught it, smiled back at him, lit it, and smoked, still sitting in silence, his eyes occasionally glancing at the only table of customers.
The man was named Wáng Jǔ, and the woman was named Sòng Huì. They were a couple and his former classmates.
This pair of old classmates ran a small restaurant downstairs. Most people living nearby were poor, and there were many small restaurants, so business wasn't good. They could only barely make a living by being frugal.
He came here to mooch food. Whenever customers left leftovers, he would pick them up and eat them. His old classmates wouldn't be able to provide him with meals, so they tacitly allowed this behavior. This used to be a habit of his. He would usually eat a meal here, but he only came to mooch when he had no money. He came less often after meeting Huáng Rú, and later moved away. There, no restaurant was willing to let him mooch food.
This was akin to begging shamelessly. Wáng Jǔ had a good relationship with him in the past. While they couldn't feed him regularly, he would sometimes hand over a bottle of beer and occasionally fry up a couple of small dishes for them to drink together. Sòng Huì looked down on him a bit but didn't say anything excessive. They were all common people, struggling greatly, and moreover, they were classmates.
While he was eating leftovers, Wáng Jǔ fried a plate of food and brought over a bottle of wine. They sat and drank together, neither of them minding that some of the dishes were leftovers from other people. Sòng Huì didn't partake. She went to the back kitchen and brought out a bowl of rice, thinking that after closing the shop, she would have to give her unruly child a good scolding. He had caused trouble at school again, and the teacher had even called using the Thousand-Mile Communicator to question her sternly.
The couple married early, being pregnant before marriage. Their child was now in the first grade of primary school.
Bái Qiāndào was twenty-seven years old. He hadn't found a partner because of his sister. The legal age for marriage was twenty-two, but nowadays, marrying at forty was also normal. After painstakingly saving dowry for his sister, she met Qū Jié, a man she liked, and got married. He also met the beautiful Huáng Rú.
They dated for over a year, but then he faced betrayal. Heartbroken and dejected, he was determined to change his destiny, even if it meant carrying a "bomb bag," and decided to cultivate True Mirror of Life.
People's genes have evolved now, increasing lifespans. They are likely to live to one hundred and ten, or even a hundred and twenty, in extreme cases. Some ninety-year-olds still work for a living. A fifty-year-old in good health can be considered young. For women, sixty is the age of high-risk childbirth, and rumors say some give birth at seventy.
The Wáng Jǔ family, for example, had to support four elderly people in their nineties. Although their parents and grandparents were still working, they lived frugally. This couple already regretted having children so early, but the baby had already arrived, so they couldn't abandon them.
More and more people nowadays marry and have children late, and birth rates are decreasing. Many couples have only one child throughout their lives, unless they have the money for IVF. Some experts say this is a side effect of rapid human evolution and genetic mutations. A hundred years ago, the maximum lifespan was around one hundred years, and people over a hundred were very rare.
Bái Qiāndào chatted, drank, and ate with Wáng Jǔ until Sòng Huì came out and looked at them displeasantly. Only then did he consciously take his leave.
He left the restaurant and looked at the surrounding lights, the neon colors filling his vision. Having drunk three taels of liquor, and with his not-so-high tolerance, his whole body seemed to be burning. His fighting spirit rekindled.
I, Bái Qiāndào, have lived in poverty since birth. Finally, a turning point in my destiny has arrived. I must seize it. I don't seek wealth, only basic sustenance...
Bah! To still have such aspirations? I am already a Mystic Master, a spiritual cultivator. I will become stronger and stronger, reach the pinnacle of my life. I'll be able to mooch food at fancy restaurants too!
Alright! Although I'm full of ambition, I'm used to being poor. My thinking determines my vision, and my aspirations are difficult to broaden. My overall perspective is too small. The goal I've set is just to mooch food at fancy restaurants.
Alcohol circulated in his body, his blood boiling. He arrived at the residential building and, looking up at the towering structure, he suddenly jumped, leaping five meters high and grabbing the edge of a second-floor balcony. Satisfied, his jumping ability had indeed increased greatly, further strengthening his confidence. With a push of his foot, he leaped upwards again.
On the eighth floor, a couple was having intercourse. The curtains were drawn, so he couldn't see, which was quite disappointing.
On the twelfth floor, a little girl was doing her homework. Before she could look up, he had already sprung up.
On the fifteenth floor, a family was eating dinner, and the aroma wafted out. He had already eaten his fill and was immune to it.
On the twenty-first floor, a man was being rough with a woman. He remained indifferent and didn't intervene. He recognized this man; he was a good person, but his wife liked to flirt with others.