MTLNOVEL Chapter 172: Simulation: Unrivaled Among Peers?
When Su Jie stepped onto the first step of the library's stairs, it felt heavy.
It wasn't that there was suddenly a physical burden on him, but a flicker of doubt arose in his mind, "With the library being a hundred meters high and filled with so many books, am I just going to skim through without truly seeing?"
"Or will I observe quietly and attentively?"
This doubt made Su Jie halt after taking that step and he walked no further.
"Su Jie, why aren't you moving?" Jos had already reached the twelfth step and turned around in confusion when he noticed that Su Jie hadn't followed.
"It's nothing."
Su Jie replied with a smile, yet he felt somewhat heavy inside.
Jos, can he not feel it?
If it was merely inner doubt, he would not have hesitated to proceed. There must be some special arrangement here, perhaps related to geomagnetism or some formation.
Only someone with an active mind like himself could perceive it.
"Inhale—"
Suddenly taking a deep breath, Su Jie's eyes cleared up and he took another step upwards, his mind once again bustling with thoughts: "So many books? Can I possibly read them all?"
"And what if I did read them?"
"To skim through them is no better than not reading at all."
"Let's step down."
His mind was a swirl of conflicting thoughts, yet Su Jie took another step forward, continuing upward.
This time, Jos also realized something was amiss; for Su Jie, climbing the steps seemed incredibly difficult, as if something was hindering him at each step.
But there are no physical barriers here!
Upon reaching the third step, Su Jie had an epiphany—this set of steps was a path of self-exploration.
Without understanding one's own heart, even if one ascends the steps and acquires knowledge from the library, it's merely acquiring without the ability to apply it freely.
Ordinary people study with a specific purpose, not for the sake of learning itself.
Living in this world, dealing with the necessities of life, no one can ever detach from the mundanity, thus regardless of what one learns, there is always a concrete aim.
Some aims are great, for the country or the people.
Some are small, driven by money, power, or desire.
Only those who truly study for the sake of learning, enjoying the pleasure of wandering through a sea of knowledge, are really cultivating their minds.
Of course, this isn't to say that having a goal is bad, as it is the driving force for most people's learning.
Without motivation, everything ceases.
Thus, some set themselves lofty goals, striving for them throughout their lives.
Su Jie had not yet understood his own heart.
But the uniqueness of this library was something only he could feel, thus his heart was tormented, yet Su Jie kept moving forward.
"Let this be like Sun Wukong trapped in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, burning away the sundry thoughts to transform thoroughly," he thought.
With this in mind, Su Jie even closed his eyes and took steps forward, perceiving the myriad of fleeting thoughts in his mind, bypassing them, seeking his true self—
When he opened his eyes, he found himself already at the entrance to the library, with Jos standing beside him.
Yet, the tumult of thoughts at the bottom of his heart had not dispersed.
It was just like the various life forms in a clear spring, forming a more complete "ecosystem"—microorganisms, algae, fish, aquatic plants, and so on.
Everything that should be there was there.
"Purely clear waters house no fish."
"Although a clear view of the bottom can be refreshing for a moment, if one looks too long, it becomes dull; only a pond exudes vitality."
Su Jie thought reflectively, perhaps this was his path.
Closing his eyes again, Su Jie fell into a state that seemed neither alive nor dead.
His body felt asleep, but his will was very clear, almost sensing everything within ten meters around him, similar to divine sense.
However, this state only lasted a moment before Su Jie woke up.
To his surprise, he discovered that his vitality had increased by 0.1, reaching 1.6.
In just a moment, an increase of 0.1!
Enlightenment!
Su Jie thought of this term, though it seemed too ethereal. Scientifically speaking, it was as if he had resolved his thoughts, reaching another realm.
But in which category of mental cultivation did this realm belong?
He believed he had found his own path, so his mind would not regress; thus, was it permanence?
But how could a life force of 1.6 belong to a realm of permanent mental state?
However, Su Jie had a feeling that as long as he continuously replenished nutrients and absorbed spiritual energy, his life force could be substantially enhanced in a very short time.
Because his realm was sufficient; the only necessary task was to let the body catch up.
Right now, his only feeling was one: hunger.
The cells in his body were all craving nutrients, desiring energy; if they were not replenished timely, his potential might deplete through self-consumption.
"Su Jie, what happened just now?"
Jos asked in a daze, "You seemed to have stopped breathing just now; were you holding your breath?"
Su Jie shook his head. "No, it felt like I was in a state similar to Primordial Respiration, but also not quite, since I have not condensed a holy embryo…"
"Primordial Respiration!?"
Jos's eyes widened, "You've broken through to Primordial Respiration?!"
Su Jie was at a loss for words, "No need to be so tense. It's not that. I just feel a bit like it, but I don't think I have fully entered yet."
Jos thought for a moment and said, "That's true. If you were in the state of Primordial Respiration, you would indeed be a true genius. Minglun Martial School would have directly invited you to be the vice principal."
"Primordial Respiration isn't that easy to achieve..."
Su Jie said, "Right, Jos, let's go eat. I'm a bit hungry."
"Didn't you have breakfast?"
"I did, but I'm hungry again now."
"Alright then."
Hearing Su Jie swallow, Jos felt hungry too, so the two of them stepped down and headed towards the dining street.
For Su Jie, descending the stairs was another form of mental training...
... This chapter is part of the collection on MV2LEMP2YR.
What Su Jie didn't know was that a hundred meters from the library, a gaze was quietly fixed on him, the eyes revealing a hint of coldness.
"Primordial Respiration..."
"What kind of fortune has Su Jie come across!?"
The person was none other than Jiang Wudao.
He knew today was the enrollment phase at Minglun Martial School and had come to see what kind of person Su Jie really was.
Although Jiang Wuxing was incompetent, he was still his cousin.
Su Jie had lived in Jiangbei City, and the data on his family that was gathered was quite ordinary, but his parents always exuded an air of mystery, so he dared not make a move.
Hence, he could only keep his focus on Su Jie.
Unexpectedly, Su Jie had managed to enter Primordial Respiration!
Although it was only for a moment, he had witnessed the prowess of those in Primordial Respiration in the inner courtyard and the momentary glances of the vice principals, who were indeed great masters, almost like deities.
They possessed not only the bearing of deities but also the strength.
However, how could Su Jie have it!
Was it by chance?
No!
Jiang Wudao was more inclined to believe that Su Jie had obtained some mystical object that allowed him to enter Primordial Respiration; otherwise, how could he have elevated his vitality so much within a year?
It was not unreasonable for Jiang Wudao to think this way.
The existence of Taixu Illusory Realm could evolve various illusionary realms and even connect to other dimensions of the universe.
The existence of myriad realms led Jiang Wudao to suspect whether Earth also had relics from those realms left behind, which some fortunate individuals could obtain.
In the past, spiritual cultivation and vitality had not been brought up, and objects like Taiji Rice, Moon Spirit Essence, and Sun Essence hadn't appeared, so even if there were mystical objects, they would lie dormant without any effect.
But now, as spiritual cultivation was becoming widespread, the revival of dormant mystical objects was not impossible.
Su Jie was one of those fortunate individuals.
"Unfortunately, reality is not a novel. Although my identity appears to fit the template of a major antagonist, Su Jie, you as the 'protagonist' cannot possibly bring me down," Jiang Wudao's eyes were deep, "My heart is always steady, unbreakable, and I am just a step away from Primordial Respiration. Even if you're lucky enough to have gotten the dormant mystical object, what can you do?"
Steadfastness of spirit does not waver.
Jiang Wudao could see that Su Jie's recent experience of Primordial Respiration was just a fleeting moment, not permanent, and in this earthly reality, entering Primordial Respiration was not necessarily a good thing.
For within Earth's two-dimensional space, there was no Spiritual Energy!
A skilled cook can't prepare a meal without rice!
If someone were to enter Primordial Respiration on Earth, it would only consume one's lifespan, depleting one's potential.
Although objects like Taiji Rice, Moon Spirit Essence, and Sun Essence could replenish physical energy, the consumption by Primordial Respiration was not something someone with vitality below 10 could endure.
Su Jie, couldn't afford it!
Although the Primordial Star in the Taixu Illusory Realm possessed Spiritual Energy, they were not a military force; entering Primordial Star wasn't with their real bodies, but through the mental creation of physical forms.
Even if Primordial Respiration was possible there, drawing Spiritual Energy to cultivate and enhance oneself, it only strengthened that mentally constructed body, akin to leveling up a game character.
But a game character cannot appear in the reality of Earth.
"With Su Jie's progress, he must also have brought back many Spirit Fruits from Primordial Star that could enhance himself. It seems I must find a way to expel Su Jie from Primordial Star," Jiang Wuxing thought darkly, estimating that if he let Su Jie develop further, he might one day truly enter Primordial Respiration.
Primordial Respiration—
He must enter it first!
The principal of Minglun Martial School had once said that among the people within the school, whoever first enters Primordial Respiration and achieves the state of Primordial Respiration will gain control of the last ten percent of Taixu Illusory Realm.
Although the Taixu Illusory Realm was created by the principal of Minglun Martial School, he only controlled fifty percent of it. The other forty percent of the rights were divided among the four vice principals—Wang Chao, Li Hansha, Chan Yinsha, and Tang Zichen.
The remaining ten percent was left as a reward.
People in the inner courtyard all knew this.
Among them, most believed the most likely person was the Taoist with white eyebrows, GOD.
However, Jiang Wudao also harbored this ambition.
GOD, that person, once the greatest master of the old era, seemed currently to be studying Li Hansha's way and thus was unable to break through to Primordial Respiration for a long time.
Apart from GOD, it was Zhao Xinglong and Cao Jingjing.
These two were disciples of Chan Yinsha and had learned the Taixu Thunder Seal and Taixu Wind Seal from the principal. Although their current mental cultivation was also steadfast, their vitality was twice his, at 20.
Unfortunately, the making and breaking point was also the Taixu Seal.
Even though the Taixu Seal had great power and unpredictable transformations, to congeal the sacred fetus also required more Spirit and energy, thus giving a chance to slightly weaker individuals like Jiang Wudao.
Unrivaled at the same level?
He intended to overpower them with his realm!