To be honest, I didn't really understand many of the terms in this book before, which is why I had flipped through the entire thing previously, yet only managed to learn how to meditate.

I figured that perhaps by mastering meditation, I could gain insight into more concepts, allowing me to comprehend the later diagrams and text. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to revisit the book since then.

Now, sitting down quietly and taking out the book again, I saw that the diagrams of the Dantian section indeed connected directly with meditation. This meant I had already reached the second level of this particular art.

The ancient text seemed to be saying that if excess Nian (thought/will) is generated within the body, it flows throughout all the meridians via the Jingmai (sinews/channels)—this process is called the Zhou Tian.

During the circulation of the Zhou Tian, the Nian power absorbs Nian from the external environment through the capillaries. Consequently, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it grows stronger and stronger, eventually depositing in the Dantian to form the Qi Sea.

When the user needs to mobilize the energy within the Qi Sea, they simply reverse the circulation of the Zhou Tian to gain an endless supply of power.

Seeing this, I touched my stomach and murmured, “The Qi Sea must be right here, but exactly how does this Zhou Tian circulate?”

To discern the pattern of the Zhou Tian, I attempted to condense a layer of Nian power onto my arm.

In reality, the Nian generated within my body must originate from the Qi Sea; releasing it requires reversing the Zhou Tian, which implies I should have been able to use the Zhou Tian all along.

However, perhaps reversing the Zhou Tian circulation is an inherent talent, much like how one is born knowing how to eat but not necessarily how to cook.

Activating the Zhou Tian’s absorption protocol did not seem straightforward.

I tried to draw back the Nian condensed on my hand, but it proved immensely difficult. The Nian could follow my command and seep back into my body through my pores, but it refused to flow along the meridians on its own accord.

After several attempts, I had no success.

Recalling the sensation from earlier when energy overflowed and caused a backflow of Nian, I realized that drawing the Nian back might not rely on external force, but rather on a natural physiological response.

I took a long, deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on the subtle sensations throughout my body.

It was then I noticed that besides my nose and mouth breathing, every pore on my body was also opening and closing, as if breathing itself.

This was a marvelous sensation only perceptible when deep in meditation.

At that moment, I willed the Nian to form a tangible mist, and the pores instantly seemed to exhale a long breath.

This meant that as long as I inhaled, I could draw the Nian back in.

With this realization, I dispersed the mist on my hand, letting it break down into minute particles surrounding my body.

Indeed, these particles were quickly absorbed through my pores and began to flow and circulate within my blood vessels.

Besides the Nian mist I generated, there were also low-concentration traces of wild Nian scattered in the surrounding air. As the internal Zhou Tian operated, these wild particles were drawn in along with my own.

I barely needed to control the Nian particles; they automatically converged into a torrent and, much like sand stirred in a glass of water, eventually settled back down into the Qi Sea.

As more and more Nian accumulated in the Qi Sea, I felt my body grow stronger and more potent than before.

I surmised that there must be an innate reservoir of Nian within me, perhaps gained from absorbing the essence of that giant spider spirit. This original Nian was vast, but currently, I could only mobilize a fraction of it, requiring a recovery period after each use.

The Nian I expended would gradually return to a baseline level through rest and meditation, but it would never increase. It was like a block of meat that hadn't been thawed; through training, I could thaw more of it, but I could only consume so much at once.

However, the Nian I now drew in via the Zhou Tian floated on the surface of that frozen mass, allowing me to mobilize all of it. But once used, it couldn't regenerate; I needed to meditate and run the Zhou Tian again to gather more. Furthermore, I sensed that this new external Nian could accelerate the thawing process of the original mass.

With a surge of excitement, I began to familiarize myself with using the pores’ breathing mechanism to augment my internal energy stores.

Like a ravenous little beast, I greedily absorbed the Nian from the air, and soon felt a faint, sharp prickling sensation emanating from my stomach.

I knew this was likely the feeling associated with hitting the maximum storage capacity for Nian, so I immediately halted the Zhou Tian.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up from the ground and, utilizing this more flexible Nian, rapidly condensed a mass onto my hand.

Looking down, I saw this batch of Nian was distinctly fiery red.

It seemed there was a significant color difference between the externally absorbed Nian and my own innate power. I provisionally dubbed this new energy the “Force of Nature.”

Soon, I discovered that this newly acquired Nian was much easier to control than my own; the layer condensed on my hand was incredibly stable.

Seeing such steady Nian, I resolved to condense a second layer onto my hand as quickly as possible. This time, it took less than a second, and the second layer formed, equally stable. Thrilled, I continued stacking a third layer on top.

When the third layer reached its peak, I finally felt a slight strain. I abandoned the idea of a fourth layer and walked toward the stone that I had previously put a hole through.

This time, I aimed directly at the hole I had created and lashed out with the red Nian gathered in my hand.

The red Nian struck like a heavy bomb; with a resounding peng, it instantly shattered the massive boulder into flying fragments. Moreover, I noticed these fragments trailed long, fiery tails, resembling meteors.

I looked at my hand and questioned internally, “What...?”

Glancing back at the raging inferno, I seemed to grasp something. It must be that the air in this location contained a high concentration of fire elements, which is why the Nian I absorbed contained fire. Clearly, the flame Nian greatly amplified the technique’s destructive power—a truly rare resource.

So, I ran the Zhou Tian again, diligently absorbing the flame Nian to its limit. While absorbing, I pondered whether the Four Great True Gods had mastered such techniques to control a single natural element. What was birthed in those four vats might not be monsters, but perhaps just ordinary people like me, possessing strong Nian talent.

Lost in thought, I stood up again. This time, I intended to attempt layering a fourth level of flame Nian onto my hand.

One failure, two failures… After failing perhaps over a hundred times, I finally succeeded in layering the fourth level. This time, I quietly dispersed all four layers of Nian and reabsorbed them back into my body. I knew that even with the fourth layer mastered, I would still be no match for the old man with white hair.

I actually wanted to continue practicing, but unexpectedly, Da Xiong and the others were already emerging from the tent. I checked my watch; an astonishing eight hours had passed unnoticed.

Da Xiong stretched languidly, staring at the pulverized, still-smoking giant rock not far away, and blurted out, “Damn, [CENSORED]! You’re insane! That…”

I smiled faintly and said nothing.

Da Xiong sighed, “I don’t dare mess with you anymore.”

Nie Chuan, standing nearby, offered a slight smile. “When I woke up, I thought it was just a dream because the events were too bizarre. I didn’t expect to wake up and find you still here. [CENSORED], from now on, our good life depends on you.”

I gave a wry smile. “Stop laughing at me. When we have time, I’ll teach you the cultivation methods. Even if I can’t read the characters in the book, I can still sketch out a copy for you.”

Da Xiong nearly jumped with joy. “Seriously? Old Xiong has never properly studied a book in his life. This time, I’ll bust my tail trying to figure this book out!”

I chuckled and asked, “What do we do now? Press on deeper to find the old man with white hair, or retreat?”

Nie Chuan said, “We can’t let Liang Qian’s revenge go unaddressed, and Xie Yuting’s whereabouts are still unknown. I think we must proceed deeper, but this time, let’s try to avoid direct confrontation. No matter how powerful [CENSORED] is, he’s still no match for those few opponents on the other side.”

I nodded in agreement. “That was my intention too. Along the way, I noticed many clues about the Yaoguai (monsters). I suspect they aren't naturally occurring, but rather creatures created by certain people based on myths and legends. This might be exactly what Xie Yuting was investigating.”

Da Xiong nodded. “Agreed. It’s settled then, but first, we need to find something to eat, or we won’t even have the strength to walk.”

Helplessly, I took out the remaining canned food and biscuits we had left and divided them up. Everyone ate their fill.

After finishing, I stated, “This is our last bit of rations. If we want good food, we’ll have to take it from the little devils.”

Da Xiong loved hearing that. “Right! Let’s snatch back everything they stole during the war.”

Saying that, he strode confidently forward alone, with Nie Chuan and me following slowly behind. Although resting improved our spirits, Nie Chuan’s leg injury hadn't healed, so our pace would be slower. I wasn't worried, though; the things we needed to investigate were fixed locations; we would find results once we arrived, they couldn't run away.

We hadn't walked far before we reached another level of the underworld...

It was also covered in piles of white bones, yet we couldn't see any instruments of torture. The strangest feature was a deep trench, about a meter deep, running down the center of the ground, filled entirely with gnarled and grasping bones.

“There’s no lamp oil in this ditch, nor poisonous snakes or fierce beasts… what kind of punishment is this?” I asked the other two, turning back.

They both shook their heads, indicating they didn't know. Having no other option, we could only proceed forward and investigate the ditch to see what was going on.