Chapter 164: Chapter 126 City God
Chen Ku’s birthday was in the summer. Although the new year had passed, he hadn’t celebrated his birthday yet, so by bone age, he was still only seventeen.
Seventeen years old and already at the Mystic Barrier.
In Baojiao County, this made him an unprecedented genius.
Upon opening his eyes, the first thing Chen Ku saw were his family members. He subconsciously asked, "Why are you all in my room?"
His sister-in-law quickly responded, "Little Brother, you’ve been sitting on your bed since New Year’s Eve. Four days have passed in the blink of an eye! If my husband hadn’t mentioned you were undergoing some martial arts breakthrough, the family was on the verge of fetching a doctor for you from Medicine King Hall."
"Four days?"
Chen Ku was taken aback.
He turned to look out the window and saw a layer of light snow on the eaves of distant houses. It was as thin as grains of salt and clearly hadn’t fallen in a single day.
It took me four days to reach the Mystic Barrier, he murmured in disbelief.
Is this the mystery of the brain? I only felt my Inner Qi and Spirit enter the Mystic Barrier, push against it once, and then a boom like Spring Thunder echoed in my mind. It seemed I succeeded... And yet, four days passed in the outside world?
"It has been four days," Li Yuancheng nodded, then said with admiration, "Back in the military, I heard an instructor say that within the Mystic Barrier lies the realm of Spiritual Introspection. It’s an unimaginable place between the physical body and the spirit, where days can feel like years. It’s like dreaming: what seems a mere moment in the dream turns out to be an entire night passed when you awaken to broad daylight."
Spiritual Introspection...
Chen Ku mulled over these words, finding them quite fitting."Enough talk, Worthy Brother," Li Yuancheng said with concern. "First, sense your current condition. Now that you’ve broken through to the Mystic Barrier, have you noticed any changes?"
The Mystic Barrier Realm. If I could step into this Realm, my promotion from Deputy Constable to full Constable would be a sure thing, Li Yuancheng thought.
Chen Ku said no more and immediately closed his eyes, sensing the changes within his body.
BOOM! RUMBLE...
When he opened his eyes again after a moment of sensing, he instantly felt that his entire body was radically different. His flesh was five to six times firmer than before, his bone density seemed to have increased, and an indescribable vitality circulated within his internal organs.
In short, it was as if he had evolved, completely renewed.
The head is the leader of the six Yang meridians, the dwelling of the Spirit, the sanctuary of the soul.
Ordinarily, it is very difficult for qi and blood to reach it. However, once a thorough connection is established, everything changes. The brain, nourished by Inner Qi, becomes clear, and one steps onto a new level. The various potentials of the brain will gradually be unlocked through future training.
The brain, which rules over the entire body, holds the mysteries of the Spirit.
Chen Ku examined the state of the Mystic Barrier within his mind.
I can feel it. I’ve pierced through the First Layer of the Mystic Barrier within my brain; I’ve broken it open!
Thus, some latent abilities of his brain were stimulated. After these were awakened, the brain, as the master of the body, instinctively caused his physique to undergo a strange evolution and transformation.
Countless stores of latent vitality and Vital Energy, hidden within his body and previously inaccessible, now surged forth. It was like opening the floodgates to an inner Treasure, allowing gold and silver treasures to pour out all at once.
Chen Ku clenched his fists.
Just in terms of Qi Power alone, after stepping into the First Layer of the Mystic Barrier, my Qi Power has increased more than threefold!
This is only the First Level of the Mystic Barrier, called the Life Gate. Upon opening it, various hidden potentials and vitalities within the body are completely unleashed and become one’s own. Next are the Death Gate and the Mystic Gate. If I can open them all, who knows how many more surprises await?
Chen Ku was overjoyed.
Originally, his masters had earnestly instructed him to inform them when he was about to break through the Mystic Barrier, so they could act as his protectors.
But since Chen Ku possessed the ability of Spiritual Introspection, he had decided to try it on his own first.
Unexpectedly, he had succeeded directly.
"Thank you, Brother-in-law, for looking after me these past four days," Chen Ku said. He hadn’t forgotten his family’s diligent care during his four-day closed-door cultivation.
"What’s there to thank for?" Li Yuancheng replied. "It’s the New Year, everyone in the family is doing fine. Besides, in your current state, you would have been alright even without anyone looking after you. You’re being too formal. You’ve been in seclusion for four days. Even though you could survive by Fasting after reaching Full Qi, you’ve still used up a lot of energy. You should get up and eat something to replenish your Qi Power."
Hearing this, Chen Ku truly felt hungry. He hadn’t had any food or water for four days and had also expended considerable Qi Power for his breakthrough.
「The fourth day of the Lunar New Year.」
It was the day for "sweeping the leftovers," a tradition of finishing all the food from the New Year celebrations. Edibles were eaten, and inedibles were discarded—an act also known as "casting off poverty."
Chen Ku didn’t eat much. He just had a normal meal with his family and then swallowed a Pill to fully replenish his Qi Power.
Although I know I have stomach issues, I can’t stop taking these Pills for the time being. After all, the Vital Energy in regular food is no longer enough to meet my body’s demands. Only Pills can replenish my Qi Power, Chen Ku mused.
Today is only the fourth day of the New Year. Medicine King Hall’s holiday lasts until the fifth, a total of six days. That means I’ve spent practically my entire holiday in seclusion! I have to go back to work tomorrow. Well, when I do, I’ll ask my masters if they have any prescriptions to help with my stomach.
Since he still had one day of holiday left, he decided to cherish it.
While the festive atmosphere lingered, he thought about taking a walk outside to see if Grey Clothes Tower had reopened. He also wondered about Senior Brother Jiang. He hadn’t greeted him in four days. He had no idea if Senior Brother Jiang was upset that he’d stood him up for the Year Beast hunt in Little Manor Town on New Year’s Eve.