Forge a path to success

“What good will leaving the water curtain do?” Ji Huaisu said softly. “It’s just walking from the darkness into an even deeper night.”

"You're quite artistic," Chu Hengkong casually remarked. He was busy sifting through a pile of scrap metal, searching for usable spoils of war.

Fearing he might be hiding dangerous items, Ji Huaisu quickly squatted down to help him pack: "What kind of artsy nonsense is this! I'm telling you, you're a stranger here, don't you want to go home?"

She thought this person's personality was quite strange. Generally speaking, even the calmest and most composed person would ask for advice on how to get home. She was prepared to offer words of comfort and reassurance to make him accept reality, but Chu Hengkong never showed the slightest bit of related emotion, as if he didn't care at all.

"I have no worries over there, so it doesn't matter to me."

Ji Huaisu was at a loss for words at his composure and could only mutter a sullen reply: "...Oh."

Most of the modified machine guns in Mimori Nozomi's village had been cut to pieces by his own water jet. The two men spent half a day salvaging them, but only found a few intact circular magazines and two blue stickers that appeared to be relics. Ji Huaisu, upholding the attitude of a mentor to newcomers, offered to give Chu Hengkong half of the reward, but Chu Hengkong refused.

He knew perfectly well that Ji Huaisu had been the main force throughout the entire raid; if he had acted alone, breaking through the tower's defenses would not have been so easy. He did want more relics, that's true, but he never took anything beyond his due.

Chu Hengkong ended up with the two stickers as a consolation prize. He casually tucked them into a large book as bookmarks and walked down the tower one after the other with Ji Huaisu. Most of the salvage workers who had been driven away by the bandits earlier had returned. Their eyes held reverence, but no gratitude.

Chu Hengkong looked around but didn't see a single member of the resurrection unit. However, several people dressed in long black robes were peering into the distance. Those people noticed Chu Hengkong's gaze but remained silent and still, as quiet as crows eyeing a corpse.

"Ignore them." Ji Huaisu waved his hand. "Go and explain the situation to Mrs. Ansa, and then we'll escort Sansen Wangxiang back to the central courtyard. After that, you need to memorize the patrol route and some important locations. There's still a lot of work to be done."

Chu Hengkong nodded, then, considering that patrolling and other daily tasks would probably take up the whole day, he naturally asked, "Captain, do you have time in the evening?"

Ji Huaisu immediately took a step back, his eyes filled with horror: "What do you want to do, kid?!"

I want to fight you.

·

It was 7:30 p.m. at the mess hall of the Huisheng Army.

Not long after the shift change, the team members, who had worked hard all day, took off their helmets and feasted on squid rice and free seaweed syrup in the canteen. The canteen was lively tonight. Captain Huaisu, holding a bowl of rock sugar water, stood with one foot on a stool and spoke with particular joy.

"Let's all get to know each other. This is Chu Hengkong, a newcomer who officially joined last night. He's incredibly skilled; he took down two demon-possessed individuals in a single day! If you encounter any tough opponents in the future, just ask him to handle them."

"Welcome, welcome!" "Those tentacles weren't for nothing!" "Brother Chu, you're quite skilled!"

Everyone clapped enthusiastically, while the more lively ones used the opportunity of praise to make jokes. Their hostility dissipated considerably. Firstly, the fact that such a dangerous person could join the team meant that the city lord had passed the test and he was definitely not truly possessed by a demon. Secondly, this person's combat record was indeed impressive; he single-handedly took down a wanted criminal that required the combined efforts of several teams to barely defeat. Everyone wanted to befriend such a master.

"..."

The team members' enthusiastic greetings went unanswered. The protagonist of the welcome party sat at a single table in the corner, staring blankly at a plate of stewed crucian carp, a veritable isolated figure marginalized during the event.

The atmosphere became a little tense. Jie An, who was tending to herbs by the windowsill, saw this and quickly put down his small shovel and went over: "What's wrong? Has Comrade Assassin discovered something major?"

Ji Huaisu took a sip of the sugar water, his eyes darting around with lively interest. Seeing this, the veteran team members immediately perked up their ears and listened intently.

Chu Hengkong was completely oblivious to the commotion around him; he was staring at his right hand, deep in thought.

"I just had an arm-wrestling match with Ji Huaisu," he said slowly.

Jie An's mouth practically stretched to his ears in a wide grin. He asked with feigned concern, "And the result?"

"...I didn't win." Chu Hengkong was completely baffled.

The team members burst into laughter, slapping the table, filling the cafeteria with a joyful atmosphere. Chu Hengkong became more and more conflicted as he pondered the situation. Ji Huaisu had previously said that if things really got serious, they could just bully each other by arm wrestling, and he had even thought of showing off his skills to this girl... But less than three seconds after sitting down at the table, he was utterly defeated, and it was he who had his eyes opened.

This doesn't make sense! She's so slim, not the kind of woman who builds muscle through steroids, and she's not possessed by a demon. How come he can't beat a woman's hand after years of hard training?

"No, hey buddy," Jie An laughed so hard he almost couldn't breathe, "You're trying to compete with Ascended Ones in physical fitness without even making any progress? How much did you drink?"

"You've done your best, Hengkong team member." "What a brave warrior!" "Daring to challenge Captain Huaisu is proof of courage. With such heroic bearing, you're sure to rise to prominence as a top-tier hero in the future!"

The team members whistled and cheered. Chu Hengkong came to his senses, let out a "whoosh" to those around him, and then asked, "Is the one who has ascended the 'point mass one'?"

Ji Huaisu, who had come over looking for some fun, was taken aback by the question: "Seriously? You've never been exposed to the Path of Ascension?"

"Be more lenient with newcomers. It's not uncommon for some Dust Island to block information about ascension so that it becomes a privilege for a select few," the man said with a smile.

Old Man Huaisu strolled into the dining hall, fanning himself with a paper fan, his demeanor as leisurely as a tourist. The team members, who had been chatting and laughing, immediately stood up and bowed, then consciously moved aside to both sides of the dining hall, leaving ample space. Only Ji Huaisu and Jie An remained seated, their expressions unchanged.

Huaisu's father sat down opposite Chu Hengkong, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you curious? Why is it that you've studied and practiced diligently since childhood, yet you can't match Huaisu's strength?"

"I'm very curious," Chu Hengkong said seriously.

Old Man Huaisu picked up a piece of crucian carp with his chopsticks: "Imagine, there is a strong crucian carp here. It practices a new crucian carp boxing style every day and wins every battle against its own kind. It can be said to be a genius of the crucian carp clan. One day, this crucian carp challenged a human to a duel. The opponent has not learned martial arts and his physique is average. Who do you think will win?"

"What a suspenseful moment!" Ji Huaisu said in a strange tone.

Chu Hengkong's lips twitched: "It can't be that bad, can it?"

No matter how much a fish trains, it is still just a fish. In human eyes, it is not strong but plump. But it certainly does not think it is as weak as a crucian carp.

"Reality is cruel. The vast majority of crucian carp are powerless against humans; this is a difference in 'rank' that has nothing to do with talent or effort." Old Man Huaisu closed his fan. "However! The Realm of Submerged Movement is vast, and life is wondrous. Among the countless dust islands, there exist methods to elevate one's 'rank'."

“We call the position of life a ‘particle’, and the method that enables the particle to ascend is called the ‘path of ascension’.”

Chu Hengkong's gaze met Huaisu's father's, and his mind tensed. That sharp feeling of being seen through returned, this time with genuine 'power' in the other's eyes. A raging fire suddenly ignited in those calm, still eyes, black flames bursting forth and engulfing him!

Chu Hengkong's head throbbed with pain, and he nearly cried out. In that single glance, a vast ocean of information flooded his mind, exploding like a raging fire. The sheer volume of information nearly paralyzed his processing abilities; he could only strain to see, unable to think. He saw young children practicing boxing beneath waterfalls, teenagers forging steel before fires, generals dominating battlefields, their blades slicing open the throats of monsters; he saw wondrous cities in jungles, ancient divine kingdoms beneath cherry blossom trees, machines and demons clashing in the ocean, crimson dragons soaring through the skies… and all of this was contained within a gigantic form, so magnificent and grand, embracing countless islands…

Chu Hengkong could no longer bear to look; the torrent of thoughts was about to consume his sense of self. But then, the burning sensation reversed, and his vision instantly cleared.

Across the table was the same leisurely man, his dark eyes as still as a deep well. Chu Hengkong breathed heavily, his fingers digging deep into the wooden table, yet he was completely unaware of it.

“What…is that?” he said haltingly. “That is…existence above the 'point mass'?”

"Who knows?" Old Man Huaisu said casually. "It is said that high-quality life forms can influence the world with just a thought. To us on Dust Island, they must be gods."

He stood up, walked around the table, and patted Chu Hengkong on the shoulder: "To be able to see so much, your talent is even greater than I imagined... If you want to improve, then perform well, Hengkong."

(I originally planned to reply with a single update today, but I heard that a new book was added to the library for the first five days with 4 words per day... so I'll still be updating twice a day for today and tomorrow...)

My drafts are dying! (Screams)

Chapter 13 The Devil's Message

Old Man Huaisu walked into the room and sat down on a soft, cotton-like chair.

The room was unusually bright, with the azure sea reflected in the transparent walls. The room's structure was hemispherical, like a pearl submerged in the deep sea. Old Man Huaisu lowered his eyes, coughed a few times, and a shocking crimson stain appeared on the back of his paper fan.

"Ji Qiufeng, are you crazy?! Your body is in such poor condition and you still dare to use your Heavenly Eye? Aren't you afraid of staring me to death?!"

With a rustling sound, a small white snake crawled out from the corner, its mouth emitting a rapid, urgent female voice, just like that of a worried young housewife. Ji Qiufeng raised his hands in surrender, and the white snake coiled itself tightly around him, hissing at him.

"I didn't move my qi and blood, I just opened my eyes a little," Ji Qiufeng gestured, "at most, I let out a trace of spirit."

The white snake was taken aback: "A mere hint of ambition allowed him to see the path to advancement?"

"Isn't that terrifying?" Ji Qiufeng laughed. "Back then, before we entered the sect, we had to cultivate at the foot of the mountain for three years, practicing boxing and chanting scriptures day and night, before we were qualified to receive guidance from our master without collapsing. But that child didn't even need my guidance; he could uncover the mystery from his aura with just one glance."

The white snake muttered under her breath, "Just like Huaisu..."

“Excessive talent is a curse.” Ji Qiufeng shook his head. “Such people are destined to be extraordinary, and their lives will inevitably become intertwined with the trends. His hometown, Dust Island, is a place that is not even willing to reveal its way. Even with such strict guarding, it was still swept up in the trend by the summoning incident. It can only be said to be fate.”

"Pay back your life? Haven't you always been someone who doesn't believe in fate?" the little snake sneered.

“I’ve had a slight belief ever since I found Huaisu.” Ji Qiufeng gazed at the sea outside the wall. “I’m pondering the book that brought him to this…”

"It's amazing you still remember." The little snake bumped his head repeatedly. "It's been two days and you still haven't burned that book. I was starting to think you'd been infected by heretics."

“You told me before that these mystical things only work in the hands of the ‘original owner’,” Ji Qiufeng said thoughtfully. “Let’s wait and see if there are any surprises, and also see what kind of person this child is… The situation is bad now, and they want to use the tentacles of outsiders.”

"What a terrible joke. So tasteless." The little snake turned its head. "I'm going swimming. Don't get yourself killed."

After the little snake left, the light in the room disappeared, and countless transparent eyes opened in the azure water outside the wall.

Those were the phantoms of imaginary demons, not just a few, but as numerous as a school of fish. They stretched out their tentacles wantonly, clinging tightly to the transparent wall, as persistent as sharks that had caught the scent of blood. Behind the chaotic phantoms, a huge and murky light spread silently, and some filthy entity was stirring restlessly.

"Go, go," Ji Qiufeng waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies. The phantoms outside the wall retreated, as if even demons could feel fear.

Then, a clear white light rippled in the water, and a long dragon soared up, roaring as it leaped into the water. Its roar dispersed the illusory image like bubbles, and its arrival restored the water's clarity. However, the thing in the distance that coveted the city remained unharmed, only temporarily retreating.

Ji Qiufeng sank into the soft chair, slowly exhaling, blood seeping from his lips again.

The little snake was overthinking it; he wouldn't die, nor could he afford to. The fate of this precarious city hung in the balance; the day the city lord closed his eyes would be the day Huilong City was destroyed.

·

Chu Hengkong returned to his room in a daze. He hadn't heard what Ji Huaisu and Jie An had said to each other earlier. His thoughts were filled with bizarre and magnificent images—those fantastical worlds, those powerful and mysterious creatures—they swirled in his mind like an inextinguishable storm, making him want to scream.

He needed to expel the information, to extract it from his mind; otherwise, he couldn't think straight. When he came to his senses, Chu Hengkong had already grasped the pen, scribbling ink across the blank pages of the silver-eyed giant book. Initially, several circular "dots" appeared, then straight "lines" connected them, and highly abstract outlines emerged beside the dots. There were three lines connecting the dots, three non-intersecting main branches converging at the top. When he stopped writing, the structure was complete; the dots connected by the lines resembled the branches and leaves of a giant tree, or a long staircase leading to heaven.

The path to transformation.

Chu Hengkong laid down his pen and lay on the bed. The turmoil in his mind subsided, and even the hallucinations faded, disappearing without a trace with a breath. It was as if everything he had seen flowed forth with the ink, transforming into an abstract "road" on the pages of the book. Mr. Ji was right; after experiencing it firsthand, no one would doubt that the magical road truly existed, even lying right beside him.

Drawing a path is useless; he won't understand what he's drawn, let alone know how to get there. He needs to be taught, learned, and explored—like a child studying a textbook, like an apprentice practicing stances…

apprentice……

Chu Hengkong felt a sense of loss. He had always faced life with the attitude of a strongman, unafraid of challenges and unconcerned about his future. He possessed martial arts skills and strength; even in the shadows amidst violence and gunfire, he was a powerful figure who could control his own destiny. But everything changed after he transmigrated. Here, he was no longer the invincible assassin; his strength was even inferior to that of a young girl.

He indulged himself in the sense of loss for half a minute, and then asked himself: So what?

It's just another step on the path to becoming stronger.

The sense of disappointment was burned away by his fighting spirit, replaced by a surge of battle will and curiosity. Chu Hengkong sat up abruptly, his mind sharp. He needed to seize the time to become stronger. Even in this mere Huilong City, there were no shortage of wanted criminals with a single point of strength (Level 1), so the dangers of the world outside the city were unimaginable. If he lacked even basic power, what would he talk about in the future—life and freedom!

The most urgent task is to obtain detailed information about the "Path to Advancement," and ideally, the techniques for navigating it. Consulting those demon-possessed individuals is probably useless; even if they extract knowledge, it's highly likely to lead to a maddening "evil path." The most reliable approach right now is through the guidance of Old Man Huaisu, who is willing to teach. Before leaving, he made it clear that to advance this path, one must achieve results… It's crucial to take down as many targets as possible, but wanted criminals won't willingly walk into a trap…

Besides performance metrics, the other party will probably also value attitude. Should I hand over the Silver Eye Book as a sign of cooperation...? But at least this thing can still be used as a can opener. Without it, I'm left with only three pitiful relics... I haven't even had time to authenticate that sticker yet...

Chu Hengkong felt a little helpless; he had never been good at planning. He casually opened the Silver Eye Book, intending to take notes and organize his thoughts like the clever people.

The large book was opened, and Chu Hengkong's gaze froze on a certain spot. He clearly remembered that this book had no content except for the inner pages, but this time when he flipped through the book, he saw unfamiliar words.

The strangely appearing text was printed on the blank page with the "bookmark" inserted; the silver font was elegant and delicate, but the format was strangely familiar:

[Sticker-type basic relic - water bullet]

Rating: Bottom-tier

【Origin: Mysterious Realm of Senluo - Huilong City】

[Effect: Shaking generates a water bullet; its hardness depends on the level of emotional intensity]

[Longing: A madman from out of town plunders the workshops, encountering a demon called "Self-Deception." The madness that draws him to the demon stems from the truth he hears in Bize.]

"..."

Chu Hengkong pondered. Even as a newcomer to this place, he could tell that this was an appraisal of relics. Compared to Mrs. Ansa's simple explanation, this book's appraisal included entries for "place of origin" and "longing." The Senluo Secret Realm seemed to be the region where Huilong City was located, while "longing" seemed to refer to the original owner's experiences.

He picked up the sticker and shook it; a transparent "pebble" appeared in front of the blue sticker—a water bullet just as described. The effect seemed fine, but as for the rest…

Just try and you will find out.

Chu Hengkong turned to the next page and placed the energy-charging bracelet on the blank page. This time, he watched as the silver liquid seeped from the page, forming new words. At that moment, he felt a dryness on his tentacles; as the words increased, the slime at the tips inexplicably decreased.

...Could this tentacle be a "pen" for writing?!

Chu Hengkong's expression was strange as he tried his best to suppress his wild thoughts. At this moment, the new appraisal article was completed.

[Bracelet-shaped basic relic - Power Accumulation]

……

【Origin: Shura Island - Thousand Days City】

[Longing: Hugos is possessed by the "Impatient" demon. He was in such a hurry to collect the quest bracelet that he forgot to check the workshop owner's appraisal certificate.]

The original content was the same as Mrs. Ansa's assessment, but the new entry provided more interesting information. Hugos came with a mission to cause trouble, and he wouldn't use the bracelet because of the influence of the Desperate Demon... What a useless fool! No wonder the "workshop owner" only gave him one relic.

Chu Hengkong examined the pages of the book and the bracelet. He was too lazy to think about the principles of the appraisal—there were plenty of absurd things in this world—but instead pondered how to use it.

First, he won't need to go to the workshop for authentication anymore. Second, assuming the Silver Eye Book is genuine, he'll gain access to the "information" of its former owner. Intelligence is always invaluable; these memories provide the former owner's reasons for action and some unknown interpersonal relationships. Now that he needs to catch a wanted criminal, how should he use this book…?

Chu Hengkong stared at the silver eyes on the cover for a few seconds, a smile appearing on his lips. He had come up with a brilliant idea.

·

The next day, early morning.

"Captain Huaisu, are there many unsolved cases in Huilong City?"

"Nonsense, every city has tons of these kinds of messy debts... Why are you asking this?"

The assassin, clutching the large book, smiled brightly: "I'd like to see the Resurrection Unit's evidence archive."

Chapter 14 Tentacle Detective

The next day, in the morning.

The pale sunlight streamed down the streets of the central courtyard, and a white dragon soared through the air with a long cry. The market was bustling with activity as vendors leaned forward to enjoy the rare sunshine while negotiating prices.