Chapter 11
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Chapter 11: Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering
Before a skyscraper in the heart of the city, Zhang Yu tilted his head and gazed up at the towering structure that seemed to pierce the sky. He could faintly make out what looked like an Immortal Palace floating atop the skyscraper.
This was the Immortal Cloud Group’s office building in the center of Songyang City.
In the distance, Zhang Yu could see an even taller tower that appeared to connect with the true horizon. He knew it was Songyang City’s tallest building, the Central Tower, which was rumored to have 999 floors. It was a landmark he passed every day on his way to and from school.
He turned his gaze back to the office building before him.
“Immortal Cloud Group, huh?”
On the way over, Zhang Yu had already looked up information on the Immortal Cloud Group online.
It was a massive enterprise under the Myriad Laws Sect, whose business interests included the development and sale of Cultivation Arts, immortal path education, and books and creative cultural products.
The Myriad Laws Sect was one of the Ten Great Sects. In the world of Kunxu, a person’s entire life, from the daily necessities such as clothing, food, shelter, and transportation to the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, was inextricably linked to the Ten Great Sects. This was naturally even more true for cultivators who were on the path of immortality.
Therefore, Zhang Yu was not at all surprised that a corporate giant like the Immortal Cloud Group belonged to the Myriad Laws Sect, one of the Ten Greats.
Lowering his head, Zhang Yu entered the building. After explaining his purpose at the front desk, he went through registration, signed a contract, and had a simple physical examination before being led to a room that resembled a classroom.
He saw that besides himself, several other students were already seated inside.
After waiting for a while, once the number of students in the classroom reached fifteen, a middle-aged man in a suit walked in and began to explaining the day’s trial.
“Hello, everyone. I am your Instructor for today.”
“All of you here have already signed contracts, but I must remind you that everything we discuss here today is not to be shared. If our company discovers that any of you have leaked this information, no matter how far you flee, we will find you.”
The students’ hearts went cold at his words, but they knew he was not bluffing. With the power of the Immortal Cloud Group and its backer, the Myriad Laws Sect, such a feat would not be too difficult.
“The Cultivation Art you will be attempting to learn today is what we call Experimental Technique No. 113. Now, please watch the instructional video first…”
According to the short video, this was a Breathing Technique for the Qi Refining Realm. However, it differed from the Basic Breathing Method in that it was far more complex, as if it were trying to establish a specific kind of magic power circulation throughout the entire body.
After watching the instructional video, most of the students who had come for the trial were still completely baffled.
It was only after the instructor’s detailed explanation that the students began to gain a rough understanding, though that only made their scalps tingle and they felt overwhelmed.
“No way… they want us to practice this kind of Cultivation Art? Are we even qualified?”
The art’s qi circulation pathway was simply too complex and its difficulty too high. It was like trying to paint the Along the River During the Qingming Festival scroll on a single sheet of A4 paper.
[Note: Along the River During the Qingming Festival is one of China’s most famous paintings. It is an enormous, panoramic handscroll known for its incredibly intricate and detailed depiction of city life.]
If Zhang Yu had to describe it, it was as difficult as carving a flower on a piece of shit.
Forget about circulating energy according to the route in the video. The students present could not even memorize the route itself. They had forgotten most of it almost as soon as the instructor finished his explanation.
Forget about spreading it to others, the students had absolutely no confidence that they could even successfully learn the technique and complete the experiment.
Sensing the shift in the students’ mood, the instructor said from his position at the front of the room, “Rest assured, everyone. This experiment does not require you to master this Cultivation Art.”
“In fact, it is impossible for a beginner to master this art on their own.”
“What we are testing this time is an auxiliary energy circulation device that is compatible with No. 113…”
Next, the students were escorted to a testing room where magic power detection patches were attached to their hands, feet, chests, and backs.
Then, silver needle-like devices connected by wires were brought before each student by a mechanical arm.
The instructor at the side continued, “Once you begin circulating your Magic Power, the detection patches will continuously monitor its flow within your body.”
“Meanwhile, the Primordial Magnetic Needles, guided by the mechanical arm, will stimulate specific points along your magic power’s circulation pathway. This will assist you in identifying and correcting the route.”
Zhang Yu listened for a moment and understood. It was essentially an automated pathway finding system. No, wait, more like automated cultivation guidance, wasn’t it?
Because the magic power circulation path of Experimental Technique No. 113 was so excessively complex and demanded such precise timing and positioning for the flow of spiritual energy and magic power, it was necessary to simultaneously monitor the cultivator’s path while using the Primordial Magnetic Needles to stimulate various parts of the body for guidance.
However, this process was also quite dangerous because the cultivation route for Experimental Technique No. 113 was exceedingly intricate.
With such an intricate circulation pathway, the slightest deviation in the magic power’s path would cause it to spiral out of control. It would then scatter within the body, stirring up intense itching, pain, alternating sensations of heat and cold, and could easily trigger an even greater loss of control.
If left unchecked for too long, this could lead to internal injuries. The longer it persisted, the more severe the internal injuries would become.
Afterward, the injured cultivator had three options. They could seek treatment at a hospital and pay a high price to a powerful expert to suppress the rampant power with their own overwhelming magic power. They could also rely on their Physical Strength to endure the chaos until the Magic Power naturally exhaust itself and dissipates. Or, they could master the Cultivation Art themselves and use its techniques to actively contain and redirect the errant magic power along the designated pathways.
Meanwhile, the Instructor continued, “…as stated in the contracts you signed, the compensation for this trial will be based on the percentage of the cultivation route you complete. Only those who complete one hundred percent will receive the full 10,000 yuan.”
“If you only manage half the route, you will only receive half of that value and so on.”
“Alright, everyone. If there are no further questions, please begin.”
Zhang Yu glanced at the information displayed on his Feather Book.
Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method, Level 0 (0/1)
He thought to himself, Does this mean I only need to practice it once to succeed?
Closing his eyes, Zhang Yu attempted to circulate the newly learned cultivation art, starting from his Dantian and moving it toward his spine.
At the same time, he felt a slight pricking pain in his spine and knew it was the Primordial Magnetic Needle guiding his Magic Power.
He then followed the needle’s guidance, carefully channeling his Magic Power to keep pace with it.
***
Meanwhile, outside the testing chamber, a group of people was observing the students’ situation.
“It’s starting.”
The lead researcher, a man with messy short hair, stared intently at the data flickering across the screen.
The screen displayed the flow of Magic Power within each student as they began practicing Experimental Technique No. 113.
Beside him, an assistant watched with equal seriousness as the training charts of each student appeared on the screen. These charts were compiled from Magic Power data collected from various parts of the students’ bodies, depicted the pathways of Magic Power circulation within them.
The correct pathways were marked in green, while any part where the Magic Power deviated was highlighted in red.
As the minutes ticked by, disappointment was increasingly evident in the assistant’s eyes as he watched more and more red error indicators appear along the cultivation paths.
“Teacher, it seems the Primordial Magnetic Needle’s guidance precision needs further improvement. Otherwise, it won’t meet the accuracy requirements for beginners practicing No. 113.”
“It’s still too difficult for beginners to master No. 113. Should we recruit a new batch of test subjects with higher Dao Heart Levels?”
The researcher addressed as ‘Teacher’ frowned and said, “Both No. 113 and the Primordial Magnetic Needle were originally developed for beginners. I will not change that direction.”
“Besides, cultivators with higher Dao Heart Levels have better cultivation arts to learn. The passive cultivation effect of No. 113 lacks competitiveness among them. It is the beginners who truly need the passive breathing the most…”
Just then, a student who had made a mistake groaned and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
The ‘teacher’ said coldly, “Get him out of here quickly. Do not let him disrupt the others’ state of mind.”
However, with the appearance of the first student coughing blood, more and more of those attempting the cultivation art began to show signs of distress. Some turned ashen and struggled to breathe, others screamed in pain and fainted, and some suffered only minor injuries like turning pale or feeling pain and itching where they were circulating their magic power.
Watching student after student being carried out, the Teacher’s expression grew increasingly grim.
He grumbled with dissatisfaction, “This batch of students is too poor in quality. Can’t we recruit some more capable ones?”
The assistant quietly explained, “Teacher, the previous test subjects were too severely injured. No school is willing to cooperate with us anymore.”
The teacher snorted, a look of displeasure on his face. “They are just a bunch of poor students. Whether it is No. 113 or the Primordial Magnetic Needle, they should think of the massive market for beginners that awaits them if we succeed in improving any of them. What does it matter if a few hundred die?”
Meanwhile, only three students remained in the testing chamber, persisting with the cultivation process.
Two of them were still going because they had made fewer errors, which resulted in very little of their magic power running wild and dissipating.
The third student, however, was pale, a sight that caused even Teacher to raise an eyebrow in surprise. “This one has made numerous mistakes during his cultivation. He must be in excruciating pain all over his body by now. How is he still holding on?”
The assistant next to him asked, “Teacher, should we stop him?”
The teacher shook his head and said with great interest, “Since he wants to earn this money so badly, we should give him the chance.”
“Besides, for our research, having more data on errors made from the complete circulation attempt is clearly more beneficial.”
***
In the testing chamber, whenever Zhang Yu wanted to give up, he felt the chill of the Ritual Power and the countdown that appeared in his mind.
“This moronic thing! All it does is nag. If you’re so capable, then you do it!”
During the cultivation process, the slightest mistake caused Magic Power to spill uncontrollably from the designated pathways. This errant energy lingered in various parts of his body, stimulating a maddening mix of aches, itching, chills, and feverish heat.
After finally completing the entire cultivation route, he glanced at the Feather Book. The entry for the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method had changed from Level 0 (0/1) to Level 1 (0/20). Only then did a faint sense of relief wash over him.
Zhang Yu admitted there was an element of gambling involved, but thankfully, this time the gamble had paid off.
At this moment, memories of countless repetitions of the cultivation art flooded his mind, making it feel as though he had been practicing this particular art for months.
At this instant, Zhang Yu felt that with a single thought, he could use the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method to gather all the errant energy in his body and establish a complex circulation of magic power.
However, he did not act immediately. Instead, enduring the intense soreness and itching, he slowly stood up.
The instructor at his side rushed over, his voice tinged with surprise. “Student, are you alright?”
It was the first time he had ever seen someone with such a high error rate manage to complete the entire cultivation art.
Zhang Yu clutched his stomach and said, “I feel like my insides are burning, and it’s both itchy and painful. My upper body feels like it’s on fire while my lower body feels frozen. It’s unbearable.”
The instructor quickly supported him. “I’ll take you to the infirmary to get checked out.”
“No need!” Zhang Yu waved his hand dismissively. “What I mean is, I want more money.”
The instructor sized him up, watching Zhang Yu’s constant trembling and his increasingly pale face before he finally spoke. ” 1,000 yuan and you have to sign a contract stating that we are not responsible for anything that happens to you from now on.”
After some haggling, Immortal Cloud Company ultimately agreed to pay Zhang Yu an additional 3,000 yuan, on the condition that they would bear no responsibility for any injuries he sustained from that point forward.
