Wang Huan just left and Li Mo entered.
The midget was startled, “Who are you?”
Li Mo took one look and could already see this word’s edges.
It only held this bald mountain, smaller than even Cang Qing’s Abode.
“You’re the only one here?”
“How do you know that I’m alone?”
“A world fragment is naturally not as perfect as a real world. But you should rejoice, without this world, your consciousness wouldn’t have survived for so long.”
“You know who I am?” The midget was astonished.
“Du Xingsun, correct?”
The midget squinted.
Li Mo was indeed correct. This half a meter tall midget was in fact the Du Xingsun from Investiture of the Gods(T/N: a major piece of Chinese vernacular literature filled with gods and demons. One of the four great works of China alongside Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdom.). He was the disciple of Ju Liusun, one of the 12 immortals of the Enlightened Parish. He was an expert in the Earth Escape Art. His appearance in the book left much to be desired but he married the demure Deng Chanyu. This led to Du Xingsun defecting to Jiang Ziya(T/N: known as a mythical sage adviser to King Wen, 1100 BC.).
But his ending was tragic. He could use Earth Escape Art to move a thousand miles a day and his enemy, Zhang Kui, could move a thousand and five hundred miles a day with the same art. The two competed in Earth Escape Art and as Zhang Kui was faster, he waited out for Du Xingsun to come out before chopping him in two.
The location of Du Xingsun’s tragic death was called Constricted Dragon Mountain. Going by Investiture of the Gods’ records, the mountain was bare, devoid of anything. Didn’t it sound similar to this one?
Du Xingsun jumped in anger, “Rejoice? How would you feel being stuck all alone in this wasteland? You can’t do anything here! You dare patronize me?”
“This isn’t a prison, but a remnant. You died in the real world, you don’t exist. But because of some special reason, you remained here.”
“What are you saying?” Du Xingsun asked.
“In this world you can move unrestrained. But you cannot leave. No matter how you cultivate, you will never improve. Your strength remained the same, am I right?”
“How do you know this?” Du Xingsun was alarmed.
“That is why I said you should rejoice, because you can at least keep your awareness. Did you know there are many others in the same shoes as you but have not a wit of awareness? They are walking corpses, just like the people in the movie you’re watching.”
Du Xingsun was bewildered, “What am I then? My master, wife, enemy, world… where have they gone?”
“You are dead, so of course you have nothing.”
“Sophistry! How did you get in? Why can you come in? Where is my disciple, Wang Huan? Talk now! Or you will find your end swiftly at my hand!”
Du Xingsun’s true qi was on the rise all over his body. He may be small, but his true qi was visible with the naked eye.
Only a true expert would unleash such display.
Li Mo was unphased, “Wang Huan is my friend. He just left.”
Du Xingsun didn’t look like much, but he was a genuine immortal. He wasn’t amazing in Investiture of the Gods, but let him into the real world and he would be an unshakable god to all.
China’s cultivation system had been established since antiquity. The Mortal Stage came first, then Enhancing Stage, followed by Spirit Driving Stage, Qi Condensation Stage, and True Qi Stage. Going further were the stages of the legendary Immortal Realm, Origin Stage, Divinity Stage, and Ascending Stage.
Each stage was, in turn, divided in nine layers. Because of the sparse spiritual qi on Earth, unfit to truly cultivate, even natural geniuses had a hard time advancing. Since time immemorial, countless remarkable talents emerged only to find that their lives ran their course before they could even attain the peak of the Spirit Driving Stage.
Li Mo’s stage was between Enhancing Stage and Spirit Driving Stage. Of course, his cultivation didn’t follow China’s system. He knew of the system all the races of the universe used.
Foundation, Body Tempering Stage, Spirit Stage, Life Spring Stage, Divine Sea Stage, Origin Stage, Divinity Stage, Primordial God Stage, True God Stage, Celestial God Stage, God King Stage, God Emperor Stage.
The two systems seemed distinct, but were in fact the same.
Spirit Driving Stage was the Spirit Stage, Life Spring Stage was Qi Condensation Stage, Divine Sea Stage was the True Qi Stage. The rest were identical.
China’s system lacked Foundation and Body Tempering Stage. Without these, the further along in stages one walked, the larger the gap.
Look at Li Mo. His Body Tempering Stage wasn’t complete, but was as strong as a Spirit Driving Stage expert.
Du Xingsun’s power was different from China’s system, around the Divine Sea Stage.
Li Mo could dispatch early and mid Spirit Driving Stage with ease, but that didn’t mean he could skip stages and kill everything. Putting a Divine Sea Stage cultivator aside, he would find himself in trouble handling even a peak Spirit Driving Stage.
The higher the stage, the larger the gaps. Late Foundation and late Body Tempering Stage referred to spiritual qi capacity and body strength respectively.
In layman’s terms, a perfect Foundation would allow a cultivator to hold a hundred times more spiritual qi than another cultivator in the same stage. A perfect Body Tempering cultivator’s body was a hundred times stronger, if not a thousand, than another cultivator in the same stage.
Any could go through these stages, but those that could achieve them perfectly were few and far in between. Li Mo’s Foundation, for instance, was perfect now, but to attain true perfection, he needed a long long time.
Their stages were unequal, but Li Mo wasn’t scared of Du Xingsun attacking. Why did he want to research the universe races’ cultivation methods in his past life? Growing stronger was one part, the other, of much more importance, to survive.
He may lose in his fight with Du Xingsun, but Du Xingsun would find it particularly hard to kill this man.
Bearer of the Human race’s Staff of Origin, he rose from obscurity through the stages…
How many powerful beings wanted his life in his six century long journey? His power was puny then. Could he put up any kind of fight against overlords that cultivated their power for tens of thousand, if not million of years?
As such, keeping his life took priority and gaining strength became second.
Li Mo was poised in front of Du Xingsun. The latter was getting frustrated. He thought and thought then asked, “What proof do you have that you are my disciple’s friend?”
Li Mo eyed the tablet in Du Xingsun’s hand. It’s battery was close to dying, but it was still playing the ‘action movie’.
“Teacher Sola had long retired. She is no longer the goddess of today. I believe Shoko Takahashi is a much better candidate.”
“Shoko Takahashi? Better you say?” Du Xingsun wiped his drool.
“More than you know.”
“Real or not, did you bring a USB?”
“I’ll be right back,”
“Good, very good.”
The hell with proof! What could possibly be more important than two ‘gentlemen’ exploring their hobbies?
In ten minutes, Li Mo, with his extensive and outstanding experience in a certain aspect, diffused Du Xingsun’s hostility.
‘I’ll have to thank Du Fei later…’
Li Mo sighed as he watched the intoxicated Du Xingsun.
－－－－－－－
A/N: This chapter was mainly for introducing the cultivation system. I also must express my loathing for the novels with best vs. best and second-rate vs. second-rate scenes. In the protagonist’s journey to power, he always meets enemies tailored to him until he becomes the strongest. Only then the strongest of his enemies show up… Isn’t that ridiculous?
