Wu Piwu... he had never liked this name.
Whether it was the piwu that shook the tree or the homophone of pifu, he disliked them both.
At first, he thought it was because his parents were uneducated, but as he grew up, he realized that both his father and mother were high achievers, having started their own business and carved out a path for themselves.
Such people could not possibly be uneducated.
"Actually, whether it's the piwu shaking the tree or the pifu's anger, these are the meanings behind the name I gave you. You may not understand now, but you will when you grow up."
That summer vacation, in high school, Wu Piwu asked about his name, and his father answered him with the attitude of a riddle master.
Unfortunately, he would never grow up...
In his third year of university, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease that still belonged to the category of terminal illnesses in the twenty-first century.
Moreover, it progressed rapidly; in less than a year, he could only rely on a respirator to breathe.
He felt that he was going to die.
His parents tried every possible means, consulting all the experts they could find and going to every research institution they could reach, but the answers were always the same: impossible.
In 2026, at the age of 23, he was placed into a cryogenic preservation solution.
"We hope you can survive, even if it's in a distant future, without family, without acquaintances, without your home. We still hope you can survive, son, because only by living is there hope..."
When he opened his eyes again, it was already the year 2877, after the Fourth World War...
The war between the People's Revolutionary Alliance and the Unified Government of Earth had pushed the Moon towards Earth and Jupiter towards the Sun.
The entire solar system was no longer suitable for human habitation and development.
As a result, humanity had no choice but to exert all their strength to create the human mothership, Gaia.
The target: Kepler-186f.
Approximately five hundred light-years from Earth, humanity planned to reach this star system in eight thousand years, and it was during this time that Wu Piwu was revived by the human government from a pile of discarded debris...
Wu Piwu suddenly opened his eyes wide, recalling the moment he was revived.
Due to the exorbitant medical costs, he had to sign a contract for a maintenance worker position that felt like selling himself.
He needed to work in the Z-117-6123 district of Gaia for two thousand years before he would qualify to enter the Dream Union World as a citizen of the human government and sleep until eight thousand years later, when he would start his new life on Kepler-186f.
What met his eyes was a dim and dilapidated wooden beam, with gray-black wooden walls surrounding him.
The entire room was poorly ventilated, with a damp, moldy smell, and there was almost no light, just a half-covered window and an open door.
Wu Piwu slowly moved his body and realized he was lying on a tattered straw mat, with droplets of water on it.
His back was cold and wet.
But...
He had ultimately survived.
Understanding this, Wu Piwu let out a deep breath.
At that moment, his whole body ached, especially his severed left arm, which was in excruciating pain.
Just moving his body had almost made him faint from the pain.
He lay on the tattered straw mat for more than ten seconds, slowly circulating a small amount of qi and blood, and only then was he able to sit up with great difficulty.
As soon as he sat up, he was startled; a dark figure stood at the door, backlit, making it impossible for him to see who had come.
Instantly, his muscles tensed, and blood began to seep from his body.
The shadow quickly ran towards him, and Wu Piwu then saw that the person was a thin, small woman with grayish skin.
From her movements and expressions, she did not seem to be a nightmare, which relieved him.
The woman wore a patched gray linen robe and held a chipped earthen bowl in her hands.
She hurried to Wu Piwu's side, squatting down to examine the blood on his body and the wound on his left arm.
Wu Piwu croaked, "Did you save me? Thank you..."
The woman did not speak; her face was gray, and Wu Piwu could not see clearly.
He only saw her extend the bowl towards him.
Wu Piwu was taken aback for a moment, then with his right arm, he struggled to lift it and took the earthen bowl.
Looking inside, he saw it was filled with more than half a bowl of thin porridge.
Wu Piwu paused for a moment, then began to drink the porridge in large gulps.
It was slightly sweet, and his throat was already dry and burning, his stomach also aching from hunger.
This bowl of porridge felt like nectar to him.
Although there were some sand and stones in it, he still drank it all down.
Only then did Wu Piwu put down the bowl and solemnly say to the woman, "I cannot repay your life-saving grace, but I will remember it!"
The woman tried to smile, but it came out very stiffly, her expression looking somewhat awkward and pained.
At this moment, Wu Piwu noticed that the woman's mouth had a bruise.
He said nothing, only asked, "I may need to stay here for a day or two. Is that convenient?"
Upon hearing this, the woman first nodded, then shook her head, but she did not say anything.
Wu Piwu knew that the woman understood his words; any language he spoke would be translated by the mainframe into something she could comprehend.
Even after the last upgrade of the mainframe, he could converse with Level One Nightmares, so it was likely that this woman had a problem with her voice, perhaps she was mute...
At that moment, Wu Piwu stood up slowly and walked towards the door.
The woman seemed to want to stop him but was too timid to reach out.
Wu Piwu paid her no mind and reached the door to look outside.
What lay outside was a relatively spacious but somewhat dilapidated square, with muddy ground and broken stone slabs.
From the overall architectural structure, it seemed to be a temple, and combined with the woman's attire, it might be a nunnery or something similar.
(Ancient times? Base Reality 0.7...)
Wu Piwu was no longer a newcomer; he already knew what Base Reality 0.7 meant.
Base Reality was the standard set by the mainframe for determining the dream world.
In Base Reality 1.0, there was no difference between the dream world and the real world; there would be no extraordinary abilities, nor any historical deviations.
Geography, planets, and physical rules were identical to the material world, even down to the actions of specific individuals in certain eras.
This was Base Reality 1.
From 0.9 onwards, the dream world would begin to deviate from the real world.
For example, in the early Three Kingdoms period, it was not Dong Zhuo who entered the capital, but Ding Yuan, or Zhu Yuanzhang was named Niu Yuanzhang.
At the same time, special extraordinary powers would begin to appear.
For instance, Wu Piwu's Tiger Demon Skill was obtained in the Base Reality 0.9 world, where it was known as National Art.
However, in Base Reality 0.9, there would generally not be too great a deviation, and the power system would not be exaggerated.
In 0.8, things like corpse drivers and Miao tribe poison would begin to appear.
And in Base Reality 0.7...
(From what I heard from my seniors, they once entered the Base Reality 0.7 world when they had the most people.
In there, they began to have talismans, summon ghosts, divine strikes, or Western civilization's holy arts, druids, and magic.
At the same time, in terms of world history, the major dynasties would not change, but specific emperors and the lifespan of dynasties would have deviations, such as Song Taizu not dying suddenly, or Tang Xuanzong killing An Lushan first.)
Similarly, the Nightmares in the Base Reality 0.7 world, even if they were only Level One Nightmares, were terrifying enough to make one tremble.
Their horror level was likely comparable to Level Two Nightmares in Base Reality 0.9!
Moreover, this was the ancient dream world's Base Reality 0.7...
(That Level Two Nightmare will definitely follow.
The time I entered the random dream world did not exceed ten seconds; this Level Two Nightmare will not let me go.
And here in Base Reality 0.7, it will be greatly suppressed and weakened, likely becoming something akin to a fox spirit or wandering soul, with its strange powers significantly diminished.)
Wu Piwu had some calculations and thoughts in mind, and he turned to the woman and said, "Rest assured, I know that Buddhism has its rules and precepts. I will not offend; I just need to hide here for a day or two. I... have enemies chasing me. Please, Master, help me."
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately waved her hands, looking very anxious, but not a single word came out.
Wu Piwu could see that she did not intend to drive him away, so he merely nodded slightly and did not press further.
He then squatted slightly at the doorway and took a deep breath.
Standing Meditation!
The Tiger Demon Skill naturally had a complete set of training methods.
The Tiger Demon Skill Wu Piwu obtained was a full set of techniques, not the kind that was passed down partially.
It included the training method, nurturing method, and combat method, all complete.
At this moment, he was using the nurturing method's Quiet Tiger Squatting Technique to circulate qi and blood and heal his internal injuries.
In the National Art system, the so-called martial arts without practice would lead to nothing in the end; this skill was essentially the nurturing method.
Wu Piwu's National Art came from the initial reward option of his Level One Sanctuary, which was a complete set of techniques, so there were no drawbacks like sect secrets or passing down to sons but not daughters.
Not to mention ancient people, even modern people from the twenty-first century, or the new era humans of 2877, would not fully pass on their knowledge or insights to outsiders.
Public schools were one thing, family teachings were another, which is why many who learned National Art could not access the most crucial nurturing methods.
National Art is a killing technique, fundamentally different from martial arts, emphasizing being close at hand, killing at a moment's notice, aptly described as "killing like cutting grass."
It is a combat skill that mobilizes the body's explosive power and potential, focusing on explosive damage, which greatly harms the body.
When young and vigorous, one may not notice it, feeling strong and healthy, but once bodily functions begin to decline, these hidden injuries will emerge, and if one is not careful, it could even lead to sudden death in middle age.
Without the nurturing method, practitioners of National Art often suffer from premature aging and death.
As Wu Piwu established the Quiet Tiger Squatting position, initially, he found it difficult to stand, and circulating qi and blood was extremely challenging.
However, as he gradually stabilized his stance, qi and blood began to flow from his dantian, and having just consumed more than half a bowl of porridge, although the food was scant, it could still be converted into energy for his body.
Gradually, his breathing began to stabilize, and his complexion improved from pale to a healthier hue.
However, after just a moment of standing, his stomach began to growl.
National Art requires nourishment the most; a bowl and a half of porridge was simply insufficient to support his recovery.
The mute nun had been watching him half-squatting, and upon hearing his stomach rumble, she was first taken aback, then a look of difficulty appeared on her face.
Afterward, she quietly walked towards the distant buildings of the square.
Wu Piwu was now filled with distractions; the Tiger Demon Skill did not require meditation, and the more distractions he had, the better, so he did not notice the mute nun leaving.
He did not know how long it had been before he finally came back to his senses from the Quiet Tiger Squatting position.
By this time, the sky had darkened, and the mute nun was nowhere to be seen, except for a steamed bun on the windowsill behind him.
Wu Piwu first paused in silence, then directly picked up the bun and began to eat it in large bites.
At this moment, Wu Piwu did not plan to continue practicing; moderation was key, especially since he currently lacked high-calorie and high-nutrition food.
He prepared to sleep, intending to explore this world early the next morning to confirm which dynasty it was, what location, whether there had been any recent historical upheavals, and see if he could obtain some gold and silver.
Whether for buying medicine or food, or to slightly repay the life-saving grace, money was essential.
Just as Wu Piwu lay down on the tattered straw mat, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the square in the distance.
He did not get up but instead circulated his qi and blood to his ears, gradually clarifying the distant noisy voices.
It turned out to be men's voices—at a nunnery, men's voices at night?
Teasing, flattery, scolding, gasping...
Wu Piwu suddenly understood where he was.
The Hidden Door Nunnery.
(End of Chapter)