Chapter 22 - Relearning the Language

A day has passed since my birthday that ended on a solemn note. I started pestering mom to teach me the language used here by reaching out with my stubby hands to the many books within the quaint living room-cum-library.

'Ugh, learning Chinese all over again is going to be a huge pain, but I'm going to be living in a world where the main language is Chinese, so as they say, do as Romans do when in Rome. Or rather, do as Chinese do when in China.'

"Mama~!" I cried out as I reached towards the general direction of a book detailing the Chinese language at the cover.

"Hmm? Yan Yan, do you want to learn how to read?" Mom gently asked.

"Uhn!" I nodded my head vigorously.

"Okay, let mommy take a few easy books for me to teach you." Mom spoke as she reached out to a set of books near the bottom of the bookshelf.

The books were beautiful, much more refined than expected for ancient times. It seems that paper isn't all that rare. Of course, it isn't as high quality, smooth, and uniform as the modern age paper, but excellent enough for a world with ancient kingdoms level of technology.

As expected of a world of Cultivation. Truly ahead of the crowd.

The book was bound with repeating threads at the spine of the book, like a martial arts manual, but more firmly and with a lot more threads, covering the whole spine.

Mom opened up the book in front of her chest, where I lay tied to mom. The fragrant(?) old book smell that brings back some old memories of when I was younger, laying prone on the sofa bed with a drink of some sort beside, different every time.

'One book would be read a day, everyday, there is a new book to discover. Until no more was left, and I turned to the dreaded smartphone, that really took half my life, it was just so damn hard to resist. Sure there were plenty of books, but somehow I lost interest in newer books that I've bought.

I never got around to reading them even until I died...' I cursed in my heart.

"Let's see... Ah! Yes. Let's earn about the first word you said, Yan Yan!" Mom suggested as she flipped through the rather thick book.

As she pointed her fingers around, searching for the word I've first said, which was 谢谢(XièXie), she stopped at a character on the book.

"Found it! Here. This is the word you've first spoke! Xièxie, which means gratitude. Here's how the character is written," She traced the strokes of the complicated character before me, 謝謝.

'Oh no. It is as I dreaded. To think ancient times, really used the traditional way of writing Chinese, just why must it be made so much harder...' I cried inwardly.

'Now I just hope that the runes of talisman or formation isn't something even older, though it might very well be. It might even be a whole other language. Which I would prefer.'

"Did you understand the word? Do you want me to explain again?" Mom patiently asked.

"Aii! Umuhn." I replied, nodding my head then shaking my head, pairing the 'words' I 'said' with the head movement.

"Good then. Let's move on to words like mama and papa okay?"

"Uhn!"

This whole process countinued and repeated until I felt sleepy, at which point I patted mom's arm and leaned into her chest, closing my eyes.

"Oh? Are you sleepy? Okay, let's stop here then, Yan Yan. Sweet Dreams~" Mom soft whispered.

After closing my eyes, I concentrated on spurring『Acceleration』on, and then activating『Ascendance』to look back on the words I've just learned to commit them to memory.

After looking through all of the words, I paid attention to the Neutral Qi in my body. It still constantly flows towards my brain, as if the cells of my brain is a ever hungry maw for Neutral Qi.

'I still have not hit any limits yet, as to the improvement of my cells by Neutral Qi. In the end, it really boils down to the fact that I don't have enough Neutral Qi. I really need to fill up the remaining 6 cycles to the brim quickly or else it's going to be a long time before I can hit the limit of improving my cells...

Eh? What happened? Why are my cycles moving at the usual speed? Usually, moving my attention away from『Acceleration』only slows down the cycle gradually. If I move my attention back to the『Yin-Yang Cycles』then it go right back to normal speed...

At any rate, let's try『Acceleration』under the effects of『Ascendance』at full blast.'

『Acceleration』, Activate!

The 10『Yin-Yang Cycles』currently within my body picked up speed very gradually compared to my usual state.

'After 10 seconds, The『Yin-Yang Cycles』 reached the same maximum speed as before, albeit at a much slower rate. After all, with me using『Acceleration』everyday all day, it barely takes me 1 second to reach max speed... I wonder if it makes any difference?' I curiously observed.

The『Yin-Yang Cycles』continued on as usual, pumping out Yin-Yang Qi as well as Neutral Qi at the same rate as I usaully do with『Acceleration』activasted.

'Hold on. Right now, I activated both『Acceleration』and『Ascendance』at full throttle. Well, at least as high as I could crank it. But everything seems normal.

THAT is a problem. Nothing should be normal at all. Rather, with『Ascendance』at full blast, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING should be slowed down. I noticed it the first time I used『Ascendance』but the flow of Qi is at a normal rate to me no matter how much I activate『Ascendance』to the minimum or to the maximum.

Does『Ascendance』accelerate the flow of Qi as well? It looks like there is much more than meets the eye to the mysteries of these powerful and unique abilities the『Yin-Yang Cycles』provides to my body. Well. Only one way to find out.'

Concentrating on『Acceleration』to keep it at max power, I took a deep breath and held it.

*Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup*

『Ascendance』, Deactivate!

The moment I thought that, eveything around me went back to normal flow of speed, and my senses dulled. I immediately looked back to the『Yin-Yang Cycles』within my body, and an amazing sight entered my senses.

The『Yin-Yang Cycles』were spinning like an hyperactive kid with ADHD that drank too much caffeine, far, far beyond the speed at which I thought possible with the help of『Acceleration』at full blast.

The Black and the White part of the cycle has almost blended in already, turning into a almost complete grey spinning sphere.

'This is crazy! Is this the real max speed? Are you telling me my imagination wasn't enough, that it couldn't push the ability of『Acceleration』to its' limits? Fuck! I never thought of all people, it would be I to lack imagination. Nope. I'm going to push it. Fast. Faster. As fast as possible.'

As I thought that, I pushed my will onto the『Acceleration』of my『Yin-Yang Cycles』will full concentration. The『Yin-Yang Cycles』responded, and it started spinning even faster than ever before.

Faster! FASTER!! AND TO GO EVEN! FURTHER!! BEYOND!!!

*SHPLIAAANG!* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The sound of something shattering resounded through my head, and a exteremly clarion sound of explosion resonated through my whole body, giving a powerful tremor to all my cells

'Shit! Did I break something?! Oh no oh no.' I cursed as I woke up from my reverie, and hurried to sense the condition of my body through the Qi within my body.

'Eh? What's going on? Nothing happened to my body? Then what was that explosion sound and the tremors as well as that shattering sound?' I wondered, confused as the absence of injury of any sort.

I paid close attention to every single part of my body through my Qi, and nothing seemed out of place.

'Eh? Wait a minute. How come my cycle looks so slow? I only just moved my attention away from it for barely 5 seconds! It should be at least at the speed of my previous 'max speed', gradually slwing down...'

I sensed all around the『Yin-Yang Cycles』in every single organ that has them. And truly, a peculiarity popped up.

'This... This is nuts! My Qi production rate is 10x faster than before! What the hell..?' I dumfoundedly thought as I put my senses directly on the『Yin-Yang Cycle』within my heart, my first cycle.

'...Wait a minute. This. This cycle, its moving backwards? How? Why? It was moving clockwise at first, why is it suddenly moving anti-clockwise? Does changing the direction actually improve Qi production rate?? Wouldn't that mean that the different directions have different functions?

Hold on. I need to double check something first.'

I immediately put the idea that popped into my mind to the test, and activated『Ascendance』as much as I could.

The world around me slowed down, and sharpened to a large degree in clarity, whether be it sound, temperature, colour, everything that can be perceived with my senses gained a boost. And that of course, includes the『Yin-Yang Cycles』.

'I knew it! It's that thing that happens when you directly look at a car's rotating wheel moving at high speeds! Uhhh... Aliasing? I think.' I gleefully thought at the prospect of my hypothesis being correct.

Within my currently accelerated and amplified, sensitive senses, I clearly felt the blistering speeds at which the『Yin-Yang Cycles』were moving at.

'Damn son~ Can I even apply『Acceleration』to this? How fast has something to be moving at for it to look like it's moving backwards? It's not like my senses are limited to 50fps like a tv show or something...'

Happy at my gains, I tried applying『Acceleration』, but to no avail, so I just accepted it, for now, and revised my memory and knowledge of the Chinese language as far as I could remember, until I became hungry again, finished my daily meals of delicious milk, and continued with my routine until I became sleepy, at which point I blissfully fell into sweet slumber.