"You have died, kid."
As Wu Tiesu woke up, the cold voice of Lao Tie rang out.
Wu Tiesu, completely naked, floated inside a massive crystal ball. His body was wrapped in a milky-white translucent liquid, which was slowly healing the wounds on his back and legs, causing an unbearable itch.
Near Wu Tiesu, in another suspended crystal ball, was Xiao Xiansheng Yang Jian.
Wu Tiesu glanced at him and quickly averted his gaze. Yang Jian, cold and lifeless, floated there silently. The wound on his chest, pierced through, confronted Wu Tiesu, emanating a suffocating aura of death. Wu Tiesu shivered as his heart palpitated.
On the ground, four metallic spiders supported Lao Tie, who was looking up at Wu Tiesu with his face raised. "If it weren't for a few elemental puppets in this ancient divine armory, you would be dead," he said.
"It seems I overestimated you... I thought you would bring back some prey and surprise me," Lao Tie continued.
"It seems I overestimated you... You're just like any other rookie, lacking so much," he said.
"You don't have the qualifications to hunt yet. Until you have a bit of self-defense capability, you don't have the qualifications to hunt alone," he added.
Wu Tiesu wanted to speak, but his mouth and lungs were filled with liquid. He spewed a few bubbles but couldn't make any sound.
Blood-red lights flickered in Lao Tie's eyes as he muttered to himself.
"Don't think I'm deliberately giving you a hard time. I don't want to help you with your Foundation Establishment," he said.
"A person needs to eat before they have the strength to fight. Isn't that right? No food, no strength!" he exclaimed.
"It's tough, you know... Look, I only have a head left. On this journey, I expended a great deal of energy helping you deal with those miscellaneous creatures. All of it was the hard-earned savings of my years of hard work," he said.
"I only have a head left... This head of mine can barely gather a bit of power by enduring wind and dew, but I can't eat enough!" he said.
"This ancient divine armory, I thought it would allow me to recover a little, but who would have thought it would be so empty it could starve a mouse!" Lao Tie complained.
"A wise man... no, a real man can't make do without rice. So, you'll have to rely on yourself for everything," he declared.
Wu Tiesu nodded vigorously, understanding Lao Tie's predicament. He didn't blame or resent Lao Tie. Being able to cultivate was already a tremendous opportunity given by Lao Tie, so why would he have any complaints? He was more than grateful.
Lao Tie smiled contentedly three times, then his tone turned extremely cold and stern.
"Alright then, now it's time for your true and formal cultivation," he said.
"Let's start your true cultivation with 'death.' Excellent. You won't forget this 'death,' right?" he asked.
Wu Tiesu's face twitched, and he hurriedly nodded.
How could he forget it?
When the young lizard pounced on him, the heavy impact, intense pain, and the fear of death from excessive blood loss chilled him. Wu Tiesu would never forget the icy sensation of the lizard's sharp teeth against his neck.
"Good. Remember the fear of death. From now on, be even more cautious," Lao Tie said.
"Only when you are cautious can you survive in this damned place," he added.
"Now, take a good look. This is the detailed analysis of all the creatures encountered in this basin..." Lao Tie's voice emanated from the blue electric lights on the ceiling. A large light screen descended, covering the entire hall. Mushrooms and fern forests materialized, and several gray rock lizards emerged from the ferns.
"Gray Rock Lizard, a reptilian creature. The standard adult body is around five meters long, while mutant individuals can exceed fifteen meters. The striking force of a standard adult is about ten tons, and their movement speed is..." Lao Tie began.
"The standard hardness of the Gray Rock Lizard's claws is..." he continued.
"The armor-breaking ability of its claws is..." he added.
"The standard hardness of the Gray Rock Lizard's teeth is..." he went on.
"The armor-breaking ability of its teeth is..." he proclaimed.
"The average thickness of the Gray Rock Lizard's skin is..." Lao Tie continued.
"The standard defensive power of its skin is..." he concluded.
Wu Tiesu stared fixedly at the translucent figure of a standard Gray Rock Lizard that suddenly appeared in the light screen. Row after row of characters and data constantly appeared beside the lizard, precisely indicating all its characteristics.
While Gray Master had taught Wu Tiesu about Gray Rock Lizards before, the knowledge he imparted was limited to what they liked to eat, when they went into heat, how many lizard eggs they laid, how many small lizards they could hatch, and how many family warriors an adult Gray Rock Lizard could withstand.
Gray Master couldn't provide such comprehensive and detailed information on all aspects of the Gray Rock Lizard. Even the lizard's most fatal weakness, its behavioral traits, and the fatal flaws caused by its crawling were all outlined.
Lao Tie's knowledge was more comprehensive and detailed. If he compiled this knowledge into a book, it could serve as a precious heirloom for countless generations of various families.
Wu Tiesu widened his eyes and listened attentively to the explanations on the light screen, firmly engraving each word in his mind.
Thirty minutes later, all the knowledge about Gray Rock Lizards had been shared. The light screen flickered, and a figure about two meters tall holding a shiny spear appeared on the screen. The person was naked, and their features were blurred as they effortlessly moved through the ruffles of mushrooms and ferns on the ground.
Suddenly, a short flying snake, about a foot long, with weak paralyzing venom, shot out from a clump of ferns. It flew towards the person's neck like an arrow. The small flying snake opened its mouth, revealing four small poisonous fangs that gleamed in the air.
With a swift movement, the person lightly tapped the spear in their hand, tracing a straight trajectory in the air. The spear pierced the snake's mouth, splitting its body open. Drops of blood scattered in all directions.
Three iron-toothed rats suddenly darted out from behind a large rock. Two of them leapt towards the person, while the other kept close to the ground, sneaking forward stealthily. The two iron-toothed rats in the air emitted squeaking sounds, opening their mouths and revealing two large black venomous fangs as they lunged at the person.
The person with the spear made a gentle move with their spear; two almost straight spear shadows shot forward, piercing the heads of the two leaping iron-toothed rats, causing their tiny brains to be pierced, and their bodies flew past the person's shoulders.
The spear moved again, and the tail of the spear lightly swept up, causing the iron-toothed rat on the ground to be lifted helplessly into the air.
The spear suddenly thrust forward, accurately penetrating the head of the third iron-toothed rat, killing it instantly.
Wu Tiesu watched in awe.
The person moved through the mushroom ruffles and ferns, continually encountering various strange creatures. However, they effortlessly killed all the creatures that attacked them with the spear. Whether it was a large Gray Rock Lizard or a tiny poisonous spider, the person's spear technique included sweeping and thrusting motions that perfectly handled all the attacks.
A perfect arc formed around the person, deflecting all the attacks, making it impossible for any assault to approach within three feet of the person.
Their direct thrusts were swift and ruthless, always ending in killing blows, without any wasted movements.
Whether it was the smallest poisonous funnel-web spider the size of a green bean or an adult Gray Rock Lizard, a single thrust would surely pierce their soft spots.
Wu Tiesu trembled as his muscles spasmed, his body hair stood on end, and his skin seemed to have waves of electric current running through it.
This spear technique could be called exquisite.
Simple, yet bearing a uniquely marvelous charm. Compared to encounters and exchanges Wu Tiesu had witnessed between his father and eldest brother, this spear technique was incomparably crude.
The mushroom ruffles, fern forests, rocks, and the various strange creatures disappeared from the light screen, leaving only the person's small figure. With a spear that was half their height, they cautiously thrust forward again and again.
Thrust, thrust, lunge, slash.
Thousands of movements, tens of thousands of movements. Wu Tiesu had already firmly memorized these basic spear techniques and his body had developed the most basic muscle memory.
When he swung the spear, although his movements were not as precise as the person in the light screen, there was a certain taste in them.
Especially when thrusting forward, the spear tore through the air, producing a faint sound of wind splitting.
The mushrooms, ferns, rocks, and various strange creatures disappeared from the light screen. Only the small figure holding a spear that was a spear length taller than them remained, continuously executing their forward thrust.
Forward lunge, leftward lunge, rightward lunge.
The butt of the spear jabbed backward, and it jabbed backward to the left and right.
The spear swept forward, leftward, and rightward.
The spear swept backward, leftward, and rightward.
These were simple basic movements, happening one after another, ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times.
Wu Tiesu stared wide-eyed at the person's movements, subconsciously moving his hands along with them.
The surface of the crystal ball emitted a blue electric light, and the white liquid inside didn't shake. Wu Tiesu had passed through the crystal ball and landed on the ground.
He stared fixedly at the person's figure in the light screen, grabbed the spear lying on the ground, and imitated the person's actions thrust by thrust.
Thrust, thrust.
The person now only had one action, which was a forward thrust, steadily thrusting forward.
Wu Tiesu thrust forward, repeatedly thrusting forward, ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times...
After who knows how long had passed, his arms were already unbearably red, with veins bulging out from beneath his skin. Wu Tiesu's body was drenched in sweat; his head emitted hot steam.
With a clanging sound, Wu Tiesu's weak and stiff arm could no longer hold the spear. His trembling ten fingers released their grip, and the spear fell heavily to the ground.
Before Wu Tiesu, exhausted of energy, could even sit down, the crystal ball above his head descended with a flicker and emitted a blue electric light. Wu Tiesu was sucked into it again and soaked in the white liquid.
Tiny electric currents in the form of flashes attacked Wu Tiesu's body through the white liquid, stimulating strange locations on his body. He comfortably fell asleep.
When he woke up, Wu Tiesu was full of strength.
The light screen reappeared, and the figure holding a spear appeared on it, continuously thrusting forward. Wu Tiesu slipped out of the crystal ball, grabbed the spear, and imitated the figure's actions, thrust by thrust.
Lunge, stab, sweep, slash.
After thousands of movements, even tens of thousands of movements, Wu Tiesu had remembered these basic spear skills, and his body had formed the most rudimentary muscle memory.
When he waved the spear, although his movements were not as refined as the person in the light screen, there was a certain flair to them.
Especially when he thrust forward, the spear tore through the air, producing a faint sound of splitting wind.
Lao Tie leaned on his rod in the distance and muttered under his breath while watching Wu Tiesu's movements. The giant white skull, formed by the ancient divine armory, floated beside Lao Tie and chuckled silently.
Lao Tie's eyes flickered as blood-red light flashed in and out for a good while.
"Xiao Tie, my dear Xiao Tie, you can't live off of free meals anymore..."
"Don't you feel hungry? The first Foundation Establishment pill is almost completely digested, right?"
"Hurry up and go hunting!"
"Otherwise, you'll starve to death here!" Lao Tie threatened.
Fifteen minutes later, Wu Tiesu stood outside the ancient divine armory's exit.
A Gray Rock Lizard, over two meters in length, lay on a rock tens of meters away. When it heard Wu Tiesu's movements, it turned and abruptly spat out a long breath.
Wu Tiesu gripped the spear tightly, took a firm step forward, and lunged while holding forward.
(End of chapter)