Chapter Four: A True "Rebirth"

Hu Mo was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn’t decide whether he ought to be happy or furious. He had always yearned to uncover the mysteries of the Three Treasures, but they were so unbearably arrogant, tormenting him until he transmigrated once again. At this moment, he didn’t even know how to regard them.

Although he hadn’t yet seen the other two items, it was obvious—if the Divine Wood King Cauldron was here, then surely the Holy Water Sovereign and the Silken Lock must be hidden somewhere within his body.

Hu Mo racked his brains, desperately trying to figure it out. As he agonized over it, a sudden wave of icy coolness swept through his mind, bringing forth a familiar sensation.

“No way! The Holy Water Sovereign is inside my head? What kind of nonsense is this? And the Silken Lock… could it be—”

A chill ran through him. His eyes flew open and he grabbed at his crotch.

After a moment, he released a long breath and muttered, “Thank goodness. It’s long enough, but not so exaggerated as to be unacceptable.”

“But where exactly is the Silken Lock hidden? Is there any part of my body that could possibly contain it?”

Doubt gnawed at him. Meanwhile, the dual energies of blue-green and crimson were already circulating through his meridians, completing a small cycle. Where once his meridians had been dry and blocked, now they were moist and wide, suffused with an overwhelming sense of comfort radiating from every limb and bone. The fierce pain he’d felt was fading rapidly.

“Damn, this feels better than riding ten horses or slaughtering chickens!” Hu Mo breathed out, closed his eyes, and was astonished to find that just one cycle of energy had brought vitality to his once-withered meridians. Impurities were oozing out of his pores—blackish purple sludge, clinging to the bedding like mud. The room was instantly filled with a pungent, indescribable stench.

His nose twitched; he immediately rolled off the bed and sat cross-legged on the floor. The bedding was soaked in black fluids and reeked so badly he could barely stand it.

His expression grew grave. Sitting immobile on the floor, wisps of vapor rose from his crown, as if he were being boiled alive.

His face was flushed, the skin on his body crawling with worm-like protrusions. At his dantian, blue-green and crimson lights twisted together, forming a spinning sphere.

That spinning orb was like a burning ring of fire, with a tiny cauldron inside, flickering between blue-green and crimson.

Though the blue-green light was constantly being absorbed by the crimson, it never extinguished. It ceaselessly supported the crimson energy, making it grow ever stronger.

The true energy, previously flowing at a steady pace, suddenly became turbulent—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, surging and ebbing. Even at its slowest, it was faster than the first cycle, and the energy itself was increasingly terrifying, as if it might burst him apart.

Hu Mo inwardly groaned. He’d practiced the Carefree Heart Method before—why had nothing like this ever happened? Internal energy out of control—wasn’t this what they called “Qi deviation”? To achieve Qi deviation from a mere beginner’s exercise was truly bizarre!

He remembered a genius disciple of the Star Lodge sect who, years ago, had suffered Qi deviation while cultivating the Dissolving Skill; his internal energy had inflated him like a giant balloon.

He recalled vividly how enormous that balloon had been, and how the explosion had shattered several rooms, injuring more than a dozen disciples.

“Am I going to explode into pieces too? Heaven, I’ve just transmigrated here! I haven’t tasted good food, haven’t played, haven’t wielded power, haven’t touched a woman… let alone ‘drunkenly reclining on a beauty’s lap, waking to command the world.’ Am I really going to die practicing a beginner’s technique? That’s just cruel!” Hu Mo cried out in despair, feeling once again that he was being toyed with, and by someone with a twisted sense of humor.

Just as the energy in his body reached a critical point, threatening to erupt, a blue light flickered at the center of his brow and vanished. In his divine point, a stream of blue energy formed silently, descending rapidly. When it passed through his Governing Vessel, the blue energy flashed silver, and soon the silver began to engulf the blue, forming a silvery-white current.

“So the Silken Lock has merged with the Governing Vessel—ha, I’m saved!” Hu Mo shouted inwardly in excitement, hastily guiding the silvery-white energy into his heart channel, letting it circulate through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

A cool sensation spread from his heart channel, quickly suppressing the crimson energy. Gradually, the silvery-white energy and the crimson merged; the unruly aura was neutralized, and at last became a colorless energy, flowing peacefully through his meridians.

Hu Mo’s heart finally settled. This seemingly simple beginner’s cultivation had nearly claimed his life—what a narrow escape! Yet he realized he had truly benefited from disaster; the Three Treasures were finally beginning to reveal their formidable power.

The Divine Wood King Cauldron supplied powerful energy; the Holy Water Sovereign and Silken Lock worked together to suppress the side effects of surging energy, bringing that power under his control. If used well, this was practically a cheat device for cultivation!

Although he only had an ordinary beginner’s technique now, he knew well that beginnings are always difficult—a good start is half the battle. All martial cultivation starts by accumulating strength, building a solid foundation before unleashing it. As for breakthroughs, he dared not hope too much yet; his power was far too weak. This cleansing of his true energy had merely changed him from a “consumptive invalid” to a normal person, with no significant improvement to his abilities.

When he finally opened his eyes, dusk had fallen. The cultivation session had lasted the entire afternoon. Though it had profited him greatly, it had also exhausted him utterly.

He glanced at his clothing, and his face immediately darkened. His white sleeping robe was now purple-black; his skin was coated in thick grime, and the stench was enough to make him retch. He hurriedly stripped off his clothes, flung open the wooden door, and dashed outside.

Not far from his room was a lotus pond. Holding his breath, Hu Mo dove into it like a fish returning to the sea, sending huge splashes everywhere.

Immediately, the nearby servants gathered around. Seeing Hu Mo swimming like a fish in the pond, they nearly fainted from fright and were about to shout, but Hu Mo barked, “Quiet! Go clean up my room, prepare a tub of bathwater and some clean clothes. Once I’ve finished bathing, bring me wine and food. Go, quickly!”

Hu Mo floated leisurely on his back. If not for the darkness, everyone would have seen his equipment bobbing boldly in the water, utterly triumphant.

None of the servants dared disobey his orders; they rushed to their tasks. A few housemaids entered Hu Mo’s room, but were immediately overwhelmed by the stench, nearly vomiting. Their first thought was: Had the young master lost control of his bowels in the room?

Once inside, the scene was unbearable. The floor and bed were covered in oily, purple-black filth—so much that the maids, dizzy and nauseated, nearly fainted from the fumes.

It was no wonder; these were toxins Hu Mo had harbored for over ten years. The Carefree Heart Method was truly remarkable—assisted by the Three Treasures, it had purged years of toxins from him in a single session. Now, for the first time, he could truly be called “reborn.”

After bathing and donning clean robes, he felt as light as air. Though the amount of energy within him was small, it was enough to fill his meridians completely—a sensation so pleasurable he could hardly believe it.

As he devoured wine and delicacies with ravenous gusto, Hu Mo laughed aloud, “At last, spring has come for Hu Mo! The world of Martial Combat—ha! Just wait for me to conquer it!”