togophonebook Chapter 30 Turning the Fake into the Real
Chapter 30 Turning the Fake into the Real
Did your proficiency level decrease?
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]
……
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]
Fang Shi had never seen the panel refresh so wildly before, until the data stopped at [Minor Breath Concealment Technique (Beginner): -68/100].
It just stopped.
He looked around; it was empty. The flying zombies had long since gone into the tent.
Something's wrong!
Positive numbers can be useful skills, but negative numbers absolutely will not!
Besides, how could a rogue cultivator possibly become a flying zombie? And how could killing monsters turn into skill books?
Yet, he seemed to feel that there was no problem, as if something was telling him something.
All of this is normal.
Just like a person in a dream doesn't realize they're dreaming, no matter how absurd the things that happen in the dream, they will feel that it is all normal.
However, the data panel doesn't lie.
The alarming negative numbers are the biggest problem.
Fang steadied himself and focused his gaze on the second book that had been revealed.
The cover was dark and the spine was square, exactly the same as the one that had condensed inside Zhao Hu's body.
He went over and took a look; it also bore the inscription "Minor Breath Convergence Technique".
He bent down to pick it up, and the moment his fingertips touched the cover, that familiar message popped into his mind.
Should I learn the "Minor Breath Convergence Technique"?
Fang silently vowed in his heart: No.
He withdrew his hand, using the concealment technique he had learned to completely hide his aura, and silently made his way to the nearest tent.
The pale light of the Bright Light Talisman shone through the coarse cloth, illuminating the motionless flying zombie's figure inside the tent.
Fang Shi tried to lift the curtain a crack, and the flying zombie's head immediately turned around, its turbid eyes scanning in his direction.
He immediately loosened the curtain, stepped back a few paces, held his breath, and stared intently at the tent.
The flying zombie didn't chase after it; it just stood still for a moment before reverting to its wooden-carved, clay-sculpted posture.
Fang Shifu's heart was filled with joy.
The first book, "Minor Concealment Technique," made him invisible in front of flying zombies.
Could the second book, "Minor Breath Concealment Technique," possibly upgrade its level?
If that's the case—the higher the level, the deeper he can hide in the flying zombies' perception, and he might not even disturb them by making any moves.
At that time, perhaps I can play Assassin's Creed like I did in my previous life, stealthily assassinating, killing with one blow, and then getting activation codes or equipment, and keep farming them one after another.
He didn't know where this thought came from, but an almost instinctive intuition welled up in his heart and told him: this is how it should be.
Fang Shi returned to the second book, "Minor Breath Concealment Technique," and then—
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
Once those erroneous perceptions are discarded, proficiency will naturally begin to recover.
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
……
Meanwhile, Zhao Hu followed Zhou De'an, passing through ruins and dark alleys, heading towards Sanpan Temple.
After walking for a while, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
How could Sanpan Temple be short of manpower just because of the surging of turbid air and the explosion of the earth veins?
Even if there is a shortage of manpower, it is not necessary to come to Qiyuan Town to recruit people.
Not to mention sayings like, "Songyuan Academy only accepts fifteen or sixteen-year-olds. Even if you are a genius, they won't accept you if you take the exam at twenty-eight."
He was a 28-year-old Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, considered diligent among independent cultivators, but within the Three Plates Temple, he wouldn't even be considered an outer disciple.
The moment I realized it.
The scene before Zhao Hu's eyes blurred instantly. Zhou De'an's back and the roads on both sides were like turbulent water, hazy and indistinct.
He abruptly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was still in that coarse cloth tent, sitting cross-legged, the dry grass digging painfully into his hip bones.
And that cultivation level was only at the second level of Qi Refining.
Zhao Hu thought to himself: It was all just a dream.
He was about to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead when he glanced at the tent flap out of the corner of his eye, and the hairs on his body immediately stood on end.
Standing outside the tent was a man in his forties, with a fair complexion, a goatee, and wearing a clean blue Taoist robe, with a wooden plaque for the Sanpan Temple hanging from his waist.
It was Zhou De'an.
Zhao Hu's heart skipped a beat. He had already condensed his magic power in his palm and was about to make a move.
Zhou De'an remained calm and said, "You're awake. Sure enough, the pollution in Zone A is the lightest. Even though you're second to last in terms of pollution levels, you're still fast enough."
Zhao Hu was taken aback and said, "Pollution?"
Zhou De'an said, "The earth's veins exploded, causing turbid energy to surge. That turbid energy can cause hallucinations. The less turbid energy there is, the shallower the hallucinations will be; the more turbid energy there is, the deeper the hallucinations will be. The talisman used for the examination just now was specifically designed to stimulate hallucinations. If that turbid energy enters the body and is not activated sooner, it's like a seed buried in the soil, which will sprout sooner or later. Now that it's activated early, before it matures, there's no major problem."
Zhao Hu suddenly realized, and murmured, "So that's how it is..."
The words had barely left his mouth when a chill ran through him—what if this too was an illusion?
His eyes suddenly turned sharp, and he said in a deep voice, "How can you prove what you're saying is true?"
Zhou De'an glanced at him.
The next instant, a powerful pressure burst forth from his body and pressed down directly on Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu felt as if a mountain had crashed down on his shoulders, his spine went limp, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
He barely managed to hold on with all his might, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
Almost at the moment he was about to give up, the oppressive aura suddenly vanished without a trace, as if everything just now was an illusion.
Zhou De'an said calmly, "Is this really true?"
Zhao Hu gasped for breath, not daring to hesitate any longer. He quickly stood up, opened the tent flap, clasped his hands and bowed, saying repeatedly, "Really, really, this junior was blind and offended you, senior. I hope you will forgive me."
Zhou De'an snorted coldly, ignored him, and turned to walk towards the tent next door.
Zhao Hu looked in the direction he was looking and thought to himself: Isn't that Fang Shi's tent? Could it be that he has also woken up? That makes sense. Brother Fang is just like me, and has never been polluted by the foul air. Even though he is last in line after me, he will wake up soon.
……
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
[Minor Breath Concealment Technique (Beginner): 0/100]
The moment his proficiency reached zero, the aura that Fang Shi had been holding back suddenly dissipated, bursting forth like a flood.
"roar!"
A roar suddenly exploded.
The flying zombies in each tent simultaneously sensed the presence of living people, violently burst open the tent flaps, and rushed out.
Their movements were faster and fiercer than before, their jet-black fingernails gleaming eerily in the pale light of the talisman, as they all pounced on Fang Shi.
Fang Shi was prepared, and his hands had already formed a hand seal.
A pale blue light surged from his palm, transforming into a water-ripple-like hand seal, which crashed down on the nearest flying zombie.
[Small Water Cloud Seal Proficiency +1]
【Small Water Cloud Seal (Proficient): 3/200】
boom!
The flying zombie was blasted away by the hand seal, and more flying zombies surged up and immediately filled its place.
Fang Shi fought and retreated, unleashing one hand seal after another, but there were too many flying zombies. For every one he defeated, three more would take his place.
As he fought, he found himself in a narrow alleyway, his back suddenly slamming against a cold wall.
A flying zombie pounced first, its jet-black fingernails tearing through the air, carrying a pungent stench, and aimed straight for Fang Shi's face.
If this claw lands firmly, even a body made of copper and iron will be torn open with five bloody holes.
At this critical moment—
[Small Breath Concealment Technique Proficiency +1].
Broken bricks fell in a flurry, hitting Fang Shi on the shoulder, but he paid no heed.
His hands had already formed a hand seal, and the blue light flowing through the water shone brightly again, slamming hard into the flying zombie's chest.
boom!
[Small Water Cloud Seal Proficiency +1]
The flying zombie flew backward, knocking over several of its kind behind it, and rolled several times on the ground.
But more flying zombies had already arrived, their black fingernails gleaming eerily in the narrow alley, swarming in from all directions.
Fang swore he did not use a VPN.
He activated his Breath Concealment Technique to its maximum, took a deep breath, and charged straight ahead.
The flying zombies' claws swept over his head, grazed his shoulders, and pierced his side—each time missing by an inch, two inches, or three inches.
He was like a dancer on a knife's edge, dodging and striking out one Small Water Cloud Seal after another, each seal hitting the flying zombie's chest with pinpoint accuracy.
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
[Small Water Cloud Seal Proficiency +1]
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]
[Small Watermark Proficiency -1]
……
[Small Water Cloud Seal Proficiency +1]
He finally broke out of the narrow alley and turned into another alley.
Behind them, the flying zombies were still chasing, but their movements became more and more hesitant and clumsy, as if their senses were clouded and they gradually lost sight of their prey.
They let out a confused howl, slowed their pace, and finally stopped in their tracks.
Fang Shi leaned against the wall, panting heavily. He glanced back at the flying zombies spinning in place, then scanned the panel—
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]
[Minor Breath Concealment Technique (Beginner): 23/100]
He thought to himself: After eliminating so many incorrect directions with negative proficiency, the Minor Concealment Technique has indeed improved quite quickly.
So, what exactly is the situation now?
Is it a hallucination?
But if it was really an illusion, how could I have actually mastered this Minor Concealment Technique?
The transformation of rogue cultivators into flying zombies, and the drop of skill books from monsters—these are clearly things that only exist in games…
Or perhaps it's a dream like lying down and returning to one's roots?
Fang Shi's thoughts were churning, and before he could sort out the four figures, the surrounding scenery suddenly rippled like water with pebbles thrown in.
Everything—ruins, tents, and the distant, swaying zombie figures—became swaying and hazy.
……
Zhao Hu stood outside Fang Shi's tent, watching Zhou De'an stand in front of the tent flap for a long time. Finally, he couldn't help but step forward, respectfully bow, and asked, "Senior, is Fellow Daoist Fang alright?"
Zhou De'an glanced at him, then turned his head back to stare at the figure sitting cross-legged in the tent, and frowned slightly.
After a moment, he said calmly, "It has taken a while."
Zhao Hu's heart tightened, and he pressed, "Will there be any trouble?"
Zhou De'an did not respond immediately.
At this moment, the other cultivators in the other tents in Zone A also heard the commotion and peeked out from behind the tents.
Some were curious, some regretful, some with solemn expressions, and some only glanced at it before turning away.
Hearing the commotion, Zhou De'an looked around and saw more and more heads peeking out. He said, "Don't worry. It's just that his cultivation is a bit weak, or the turbid energy has entered too deeply, so it will naturally take more effort. If he really can't wake up, then we'll have to move to Zone B."
Zhao Hu's heart sank.
He didn't know the situation in Zone B, but instinctively felt that it was definitely not a good place.
However, as time passed, Fang Shi still did not wake up.
He sat cross-legged in the tent, motionless, like a clay sculpture.
The light of the talisman shone through the coarse cloth onto his calm face, and not even his eyelashes trembled.
Zhao Hu's expression grew increasingly anxious, and he kept peeking into the tent.
Zhou De'an stood in front of the tent curtain, his hands behind his back.
Suddenly, he lifted the curtain and stepped inside—just then, Fang Shi's eyelids twitched and he slowly opened them.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Hu breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhou De'an paused, stopping in front of the tent flap. He looked at Fang Shi and said calmly, "Let me check you again."
Zhao Hu's heart skipped a beat again. Would he have to move to the B section after the checkup?
Fang Shi glanced at Zhao Hu, then scanned the surrounding tents with his peripheral vision, his expression unchanged, and said, "Yes, senior."
After saying that, he stood up, supporting himself with dry grass, walked to the tent flap, and bowed respectfully.
Zhou De'an took out the talisman from his sleeve and, as usual, stuck it on Fang Shi's chest.
The talisman paper warmed slightly, and a ray of spiritual light overflowed from its edge, circling around his body.
Zhou De'an looked down at the patterns on the talisman, then looked up, his gaze lingering on Fang Shi's face for a moment.
After a moment, he put away the talisman and said, "As expected, your cultivation level is too low."
After saying that, he turned and left, quickly disappearing among the tents in Zone A.
Those rogue cultivators who had peeked out to watch the commotion quickly retreated when the excitement died down.
Zhao Hu didn't walk up to Fang Shi until Zhou De'an's figure was completely out of sight. He said, "Brother Fang, you're finally awake. Steward Zhou stood outside your tent for ages. I thought you weren't going to wake up and were going to be sent to that 'Yi' place."
Fang Shidao: "District B?"
Zhao Hu then recounted everything he had heard from Steward Zhou, concluding with, "Brother Fang, what exactly did you see just now? In my hallucination, I dreamt that the Sanpan Temple wanted to accept me as a disciple, saying I had good aptitude and a good character, and I almost believed it. Then I thought about it again—a twenty-eight-year-old Qi Refining Level Two cultivator like me wouldn't even be able to get past the threshold of an outer disciple in the Sanpan Temple, how could there be such a good thing? That's when I woke up."
Fang Shi was silent for a moment, then said, "I also dreamed of some absurd things. I saw you turn into flying zombies and attack me. I killed the flying zombies and was actually able to improve my cultivation and learn spells. It's really bizarre."
Zhao Hu said, "Hallucinations come in all shapes and sizes, and this one is so absurd it's not surprising. We're lucky to have woken up."
After exchanging a few more words, the two returned to their respective tents.
Fang Shi returned to the dry grass mat and sat down cross-legged again. The Minor Concealing Breath Technique was still operating silently, his aura completely concealed.
With a slight thought, the panel quietly appeared—