Chapter 29: Seven Years in the Blink of an Eye
\n\u201cJunior Brother, don\u2019t be rude!\u201d
\nJie Nian\u2019s head spun. How could anyone ask to learn such incredible martial arts so bluntly? Shouldn\u2019t there be vows, negotiations, and exchanges first? Acting so directly might anger Zuo Meng and ruin any chance of learning this \u201cinternal energy\u201d later.
\n\u201cFine.\u201d
\nJie Nian decided everyone here except him was strange. Their conversation defied all logic. He\u2019d brought a scholarly monk to help mediate, but now\u2026
\n\u201cInternal energy has existed since ancient times. I learned everything from this stone slab.\u201d
\nZuo Meng pulled a prepared stone slab from a cabinet. It was an authentic relic he\u2019d found in the woods\u2014a place steeped in the Ancient Era\u2019s aura. Most dismissed such stones as ordinary, unaware they were remnants of that time.
\n\u201cA stone slab?\u201d
\nJie Ming studied the slab on the table. The rock itself seemed plain, but its markings puzzled him.
\n\u201cMay I examine it?\u201d
\nAfter failing to decipher it, he finally asked.
\n\u201cKeep it.\u201d
\nZuo Meng pushed the slab toward him.
\n\u201cMy gratitude, sir.\u201d
\nJie Ming stood abruptly, bowing with solemnity.
\n\u201cIf that\u2019s all, masters, please leave. My little shop closes now.\u201d Zuo Meng\u2019s bookstore operated on whim. He only cared about earning enough for meals, not wealth.
\nThe dismissal left no room for argument, especially after witnessing Zuo Meng\u2019s \u201cinternal energy.\u201d The two monks departed promptly.
\n\u201cThank you, Benefactor Xue.\u201d Jie Nian muttered, baffled by the entire exchange.
\nJie Ming tucked the slab into his robe and bowed before exiting.
\n\u201cJunior Brother, you were reckless! Mr. Xue is clearly a reclusive High Person. Your bluntness could\u2019ve ruined everything!\u201d Jie Nian scolded outside.
\n\u201cAnd this \u2018internal energy\u2019\u2014unheard of! Why give it away so freely? There must be trickery!\u201d
\nThough Cold Mountain Temple had sent them to investigate Zuo Meng\u2019s skills, the ease of success unsettled Jie Nian.
\n\u201cElder Brother, you misunderstand. Mr. Xue\u2019s gaze holds pure sincerity.\u201d
\nPure sincerity?
\nWhat nonsense!
\nJie Nian felt his intelligence mocked, but Jie Ming strode ahead before he could protest.
\n\u201cWait for me!\u201d
\nJie Nian scurried after him.
\n\u201cNow, spread it.\u201d
\nZuo Meng observed Jie Ming\u2019s shifting fate. Once a side character, the monk now radiated a protagonist\u2019s destiny. Zuo Meng himself existed beyond such mortal designations\u2014his mere gift elevated Jie Ming\u2019s fortune.
\nAfter closing shop, Zuo Meng returned to Xue Chuan\u2019s ancestral home. Here, the scholar had taken his life after his cousin married Wang Yuanwai.
\nAfter returning home, Zuo Meng didn’t enter his room to rest. He stood in the courtyard gazing at the starry sky. He recalled creating this celestial view with casual effort. During the Ancient Era, the stars appeared artificial. While slightly more authentic in the Totem Era, they remained unconvincing. After waking and returning to the real world, the Dream World had evolved independently. Countless eras had passed since then, refining the world’s laws until sun, moon and stars shed their primal simplicity, becoming indistinguishable from reality.
\nStanding in the yard’s center, Zuo Meng clearly perceived the connection between constellations and worldly affairs. “Reading the stars reveals fate’s design.” Through his elevated perspective, he glimpsed truths incomprehensible in the real world. Gradually, he recognized the foolish limitations of his former real-world ambitions.
\nWhy chase trivialities when owning an entire world? Resources could be claimed directly from his domain, or replicated if necessary. The so-called Transcendent Three Great Lords meant nothing against a world’s crushing blow. No need to pursue real-world cultivation methods – nurturing the Dream World itself would radiate enough power for supremacy. Like the law chains from the first Ancient Era or the Eye of Fortune from the second epoch.
\nWhile others trained arduously, he simply needed to dream.
\nThis realization shifted Zuo Meng’s mentality profoundly. “Seven years and eleven months remain.”
\nTracking a comet’s tail streaking toward nameless constellations, Zuo Meng’s understanding of cosmic patterns deepened. Days flowed peacefully until seven years slipped by unnoticed.
\nZuo Meng fully adapted to this world during these years, settling comfortably as proprietor of his little shop. Long residency acquainted him with neighbors: Zhou the blacksmith, Wu the butcher, rice merchant Boss Ma, and green-clad Zhi Hua who kept seeking masters at his shop. The sixteen-year-old girl had matured into womanhood, now assisting her family’s business instead of attending poetry gatherings. Only her unmarried status remained unchanged – perhaps her parents wanted a live-in son-in-law.
\n“Uncle Xue! After all these years, still so stubborn? Your shop will fail without proper management. Aunt Wu from Aunt Lu’s introduction was perfect for…”
\nZhi Hua rolled her eyes exactly as she’d done seven years prior.
\n“Young lady, solve your own marriage before meddling in mine,” Zuo Meng sighed. “Stop haunting this rundown shop – help your family more.”
\nSeven years changed much, yet the girl’s original dream persisted.
\nShe wanted to paint.
\nBut after seven years, such pursuits meant nothing now. The world was changing.
\n“My ways won’t change. Profit comes if it comes.” Money’s value would soon vanish anyway.
\nZuo Meng’s vision pierced the roof, contemplating distant heavens. Seven years’ accumulated internal energy reached unimaginable depths, yet remained insufficient. For him, this marked the true beginning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 29: Seven Years in the Blink of an Eye \u201cJunior Brother, don\u2019t be rude!\u201d Jie Nian\u2019s head spun. How could anyone ask to learn such incredible martial arts so bluntly? Shouldn\u2019t there be vows, negotiations, and exchanges first? Acting so directly might anger Zuo Meng and ruin any chance of learning this \u201cinternal energy\u201d later. \u201cFine.\u201d Jie Nian decided everyone here except him\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1408","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}