"My transmigrator younger brother?!"
Ning Xunqiu saw this passage, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Sick in childhood, awakened to innate wisdom? Elder Mo? And a childhood friend? This kind of opening? Hiss— I directly reincarnate next to the 'Child of Fortune' in Returning Void Heaven?"
"Will a group of men in black come to destroy the family tomorrow?"
Ning Xunqiu suddenly felt his scalp tingling; he was just a kid, only eight years old!
"Danger!"
Returning Void Heaven is obviously not simple, and the eerie fog covering the world is even less simple, likely to encounter a boss blocking Newbie Village at the start, then constantly bullied.
Ning Xunqiu continued to read.
[I was shocked internally, but my face remained unchanged. Yet when my younger brother Zhou Qingshan talked about a monkey's divine techniques, my face showed a longing expression.]
[My younger brother Zhou Qingshan found joy in hardship, bringing a childhood of laughter to the children of White Bear Territory.]
[At ten, I was six feet two inches tall, broad-shouldered and strong, impressive and unusual, and began formal cultivation with a basic spear technique for the battlefield. At its core was a pile skill to move qi and blood, called "Bear and Boar Posture."]
[My father, Zhou Dashu, demonstrated the strength of an Entry-level Martial Artist by wielding a 500-pound Black Dragon Great Spear. The spear vibrated, shattering rocks, its power astounding. He patted my shoulder, smiling, and said as long as I gather Source Blood before turning thirty and break through to Entry-level Martial Artist, I could inherit the lord position.]
[First Heaven of Entry-level Martial Artist has three stages: Flesh Heaven — Warriors refining skin and flesh, Bone Forger Warriors forging bones and exchanging blood, Samurais cultivating the five viscera. My father Zhou Dashu is a Bone Forger Warrior at Flesh Heaven.]
[I am indeed astonished at the strength of Entry-level Martial Artists. My father dressed in heavy armor can fully serve as a great general, yet he is merely a small lord in the mountains?]
[Then I discovered the "Hundred Refinements Must Succeed Panel" of "Lifebound Character: Martial Saint" can actually be used here!!!]
[One practice to entry, three days to Minor Success, seven days to Great Success.]
[After a month, I created "Ten Thousand Beasts Roaring for the Dragon Stake"; while walking, sitting, or lying, the "Tiger and Leopard Thunderous Dragon Roar" in my body vibrated continuously, cleansing tendons and bones, with qi and strength growing madly.]
[Another day of gathering "Source Blood," I became an Entry-level Martial Artist, testing my strength by lifting rocks in the fog, at least a tremendous strength of ten thousand pounds.]
[Through the "Heart Eye," I observed my blood thickening and having a tinge of "pale gold." Something seemed to be extruding from my brow, and a force within my body seemed eager to break out.]
[I advanced toward the "non-human" path.]
[The Martial Dao of this world does not cultivate Inner Qi, but develops the flesh body to its utmost limit.]
[Once "Source Blood" is activated, all restraints in my body unlock, entering "Limit State," releasing at least ten times the usual strength.]
[I understand this phenomenon; even ordinary people can unleash startling potential in a life-and-death situation.]
[In the previous life, someone flipped a fierce tiger with a slide tackle under extreme fear.]
[Scientifically, it is said the body secretes a large amount of "adrenaline" instantly.]
[I rejoiced, continuing to cultivate madly, but my body grew increasingly hungry, forcing me to secretly hunt prey in the fog daily to fill my stomach.]
[A month later... I directly fainted during a cultivation session.]
[When I awoke, I was in Elder Mo's house, where Elder Mo, with white hair, stood hands behind his back beside the bed, staring at me grimly, unlike his usual kind demeanor.
However, after years of interaction, I was not worried about Elder Mo harming me.]
[Besides, Elder Mo's daughter Yanzi and my younger brother Zhou Qingshan were now inseparable.
"Da Shan, if you continue to cultivate recklessly like this, you'll either fall into madness or starve to death," Elder Mo kindly reminded, then said no more, waiting for me to ask.]
Grandpa? Wasn't this supposed to be my younger brother Zhou Qingshan's opportunity?
I voluntarily asked, "Elder Mo, what's going on?"
"Da Shan, an Entry-level Martial Artist shouldn't just eat meat; preferably Exotic Beast flesh is needed. For advancement, Great Medicine must be consumed, and every few years, Spirit Seed should be ingested, absorbing Spiritual Charm to suppress the body's frantic hunger."
"Your father Zhou Dashu is from Black Cloud City Military Households, visiting City Lord's Mansion every three years for tributes, where a few Low-Tier Spirit Seeds are available at banquets to satisfy hunger."
"White Bear Territory lacks resources to support a second Entry-level Martial Artist."
Elder Mo explained one by one.
"Da Shan, you are blessed with exceptional talent, becoming an Entry-level Martial Artist within half a year with strength terrifying beyond ordinary warriors. But such a body needs higher tier Spirit Seeds to alleviate hunger."
These words are undeniable, as even "Purple Sky Qi" cannot wholly relieve the hunger emerging from the body's depths.
I understood the implications in Elder Mo's words; he possessed High-Tier Spirit Seed, so I knelt and saluted on the spot.
"Master, please accept this disciple's respect; going forward, I, Da Shan, will serve as your son for your retirement!"
Seeing the usually steady and taciturn strong man so "amenable," Elder Mo paused for a few breaths, then laughed aloud.
"I'm old now, Yanzi will take care of me in my twilight years, so you don't need to worry about it, Da Shan."
Elder Mo finished speaking and took out a bright red fruit, with crimson cloud patterns swirling around it, and added: "This is a Tier Two Spirit Seed, the Red Jade Spirit Seed. You take it."
"Master, what do you want me to do?" I believe in equivalent exchange, so this Spirit Seed must be very precious.
"Cultivate well, after some time, I'll introduce you to another master." Elder Mo said mysteriously.
I swallowed the "Red Jade Spirit Seed," letting the warm currents flow into my limbs and bones, finally breaking free from the maddening hunger.
In March, a strange event occurred in the territory: several farmers mysteriously disappeared at night, all males, with no traces of wild beasts found in the territory.
My father, Zhou Dashu, was convinced that an "Exotic Beast" had infiltrated the territory to feast on humans, and led the guards to stand watch at night.
I had never seen an "Exotic Beast" from the Fog Sea and was extremely interested, so I quietly observed at night too.
Three nights of continuous watch, and everything remained calm with no unusual occurrences.
Until one deep night, a stunning beauty gracefully arrived. Her skin was smooth like jade, her eyes shimmering as if they could steal one's soul. Her graceful steps sent the light veil on her body fluttering with the wind, teasing the most primordial desires within people's hearts.
The rugged men of the White Bear Territory had never encountered such charm before, and they were all utterly bewitched, even my father Zhou Dashu was no exception.
I witnessed my father Zhou Dashu and the guards following the stunning beauty one by one into the dense fog.
Realizing something was amiss, I activated "Purple Qi" to enhance my eyes and looked again, where was the stunning beauty? A toad as big as a calf lay on the ground, its head topped with a long tail, and on that tail was a human face, exactly that of the stunning beauty I had just seen.
Is this a Fog Sea Beast?
"Father!" I shouted abruptly, and my father Zhou Dashu was the first to wake up, activating Source Blood and wielding the 500-pound Black Dragon Great Spear to thrust fiercely at the beast's head. The beast was caught off guard, its foul-smelling blood gushed from the wound, and it died on the spot.
The beast looked terrifying, but with that size, it couldn't withstand weapons once its weird tricks were gone.
My father Zhou Dashu looked at the dead toad beast under his feet and the still-dazed brothers, cold sweat dripping down as he realized that even he had fallen for the beast's tricks during a moment of slack.
My father Zhou Dashu awoke the guards, and after some lingering fear, they immediately began dealing with the body of the toad beast.
I inquired curiously about Exotic Beasts, and my father Zhou Dashu looked at me, wondering why I appeared at such a late hour:
"Da Shan, Exotic Beasts evolve from fierce beasts, possessing incredible abilities. Aside from swallowing Spirit Seed Exotic Fruit, a fierce beast consuming humans can accelerate its mutation. This toad beast's 'Superpower' is especially rare and catches people off guard."
"Such Exotic Beasts in the dense fog are deadly to any Entry-level Martial Artist caught alone."
"However, there's no need to worry. As long as we stay within the White Bear Territory, once this Exotic Beast comes 'ashore,' its 'Superpower' will significantly weaken, and it can be easily slain."
My father Zhou Dashu felt I was mature enough and talked about his years in the Black Dragon Army.
The various kinds of Exotic Beasts he encountered.
He also mentioned the three major dangers in the fog.
First, staying too long within the fog can lead to losing oneself, seeing only dense fog and never finding the land of Spirit Veins again, body gradually stiffening, becoming a "Ghost in the Fog."
The "Ghost in the Fog" is extremely difficult to deal with, especially when it's formed by Entry-level Martial Artists.
Second, Exotic Beasts with human heads and beast bodies usually possess human-like wisdom, deviously cunning, sometimes even capable of speech, and one must never leave a companion's sight within the dense fog.
Third, upon encountering an exotic beast of extraordinary size, do not hesitate, just run.
These beasts are usually called—Fierce Beasts!
My father encountered one only once in his life, a giant serpent as massive as a mountain, eyes bigger than lanterns, shaking the earth with every move, possessing nine heads capable of spewing fire, water, and poison fog, showcasing various Superpowers.
The Nine-headed Giant Snake was driven back by the combined forces led by the Black Cloud City Lord and the army, resulting in the heaviest losses since the establishment of the Black Dragon Army, with casualties over half. ...
"The Fierce Beast Nine-headed Serpent, Xiangliu?!"
"What kind of 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' world is this?!"
Ning Xunqiu was stunned. He knew the fog was dangerous but not this perilous.
Soon he calmed down.
"But... such a ferocious Nine-headed Giant Snake could be driven back by the Black Cloud City Lord leading an army? And you only suffered casualties over half?"
"It seems that surviving within the fog, each of you is remarkable indeed."
Ning Xunqiu's eyes showed hope.
"The top Martial Artists of this world can contend with Fierce Beasts, but I wonder how they compare to the 'Profound Flood Dragon'? If I can obtain the martial arts heritage, can I fight my way out?"
...