Chapter 5. again in the dark place

As Xua Yan continued to absorb the spiritual qi, he noticed that it was rapidly decreasing inside his body. Despite this, he felt drowsy and before he could fully understand what was happening, he fell asleep. When he awoke the next day, he was surprised to find that all of his external wounds had completely healed. However, some internal wounds still remained. He couldn't understand how this miraculous healing had occurred. He had anticipated that it would take him about two months to fully recover from his wounds. But, with the help of spiritual qi, his body was healing at an accelerated rate.

As Xua Yan was pondering over his miraculous healing and the rapidly decreasing spiritual qi inside his body, he suddenly felt an intense hunger hit him. He knew that he needed to eat in order to keep his body functioning properly and to continue his training. Without hesitation, he immediately ran inside his shelter and ate the leftover food from the previous night. He knew that he needed to keep himself well-nourished in order to continue absorbing the spiritual qi and training his martial arts.

After Xua Yan finished eating, he went outside to check the remaining traps he had set up the day before. However, he was disappointed to find that all of the traps had been broken. He knew that it must have been caused by some bigger animals. He immediately understood that he needed to be more careful and to make sure his traps were more secure so that he could catch more wild animals in the future. Without hesitation, he started setting up traps again.

As Xua Yan was setting up traps in the forest, he suddenly became alert as he sensed a presence nearby. He quickly realised that he was under attack by a large rabbit-like animal, whose strength was on par with his own. Xua Yan knew that this animal was dangerous, so he quickly prepared himself for the fight.

The animal lunged at Xua Yan with sharp claws and teeth, but Xua Yan was able to dodge the attack and strike back with his own martial arts techniques. The fight was intense and grueling, with both Xua Yan and the animal exchanging blows and trying to gain the upper hand. Xua Yan used his past life experience and his training in martial arts to defend himself and counter the animal's attacks. He also used his newly acquired spiritual qi to enhance his strength, speed and reflexes.

Despite the animal's strength and ferocity, Xua Yan was able to outmanoeuvre it and land the final blow, killing the animal. After the fight XuaYan felt great because, today he just not only was able to defend himself but also was able to defeat a powerful wild animal, which helped him to survive and to get stronger. He felt grateful for the spiritual qi that had helped him to heal faster and for the martial arts training that had helped him to defend himself. He knew that he needed to be more careful and to keep an eye out for any bigger animals that might be lurking around his shelter.

After Xua Yan killed the rabbit-like animal, he immediately set up more traps around his shelter to increase the chances of catching more food. He knew that surviving in the forest would require him to be well-nourished and to have a steady supply of food.

He then collected the body of the rabbit-like animal and brought it back to his shelter. He knew that he could use the animal's meat and fur to provide for himself. He also knew that he needed to be more careful and to make sure his traps were more secure so that he could catch more wild animals in the future.

As he was preparing the rabbit-like animal, more of his traps got triggered. Xua Yan quickly went to check the traps, and he collected all the animals that he had caught. After collecting the animals, he then rebuilt the traps and brought them back to his shelter. He knew that this process would take time and patience, but he was determined to catch enough food to survive and to continue training.

As Xua Yan was preparing the animals he had caught, he noticed that the sun was starting to set. At that moment, an intense hunger hit him, reminding him that he had not eaten since that morning. He knew that he needed to eat in order to keep his body functioning properly and to continue his training. So, he quickly ate some of the food he had caught, he first cooked the meat on a fire that he had made using wood and branches he gathered from the forest. He savored the taste of the meat, it had been a while since he had last had a proper meal. He ate enough to satisfy his hunger, but not too much that he would feel overly full. He knew that he needed to save some food for the next day, so he carefully wrapped up the remaining meat and fruits and stored them in a safe place inside his shelter.

After he finished eating, he felt more energized and focused. After the newly eaten food starts releasing spiritual qi, Xua Yan began to practice his martial arts training using the qi from the food he had just consumed. He focused on balancing and controlling his breath, which helped him to channel and circulate the qi throughout his body. By doing this, he was able to strengthen his body and improve his martial arts techniques. He also used this opportunity to focus on internal martial arts techniques which include training of internal organs and meridians.

He knew that this kind of training would help him to control his body, increase his physical strength, and gain more knowledge and control over his abilities. He also understood that internal martial arts techniques will help him to improve his internal organs and meridians, which will help him to improve his overall health and fitness.

While Xua Yan was circulating his qi using his breath, he suddenly found out that he was not able to control his qi. Somehow, the spiritual qi from the food he had just eaten was uncontrollably getting extracted and started rotating on a completely different path. At first, Xua Yan became fearful of what was happening. But when he observed it closely, he found out that the qi that was circulating on its own was way more effective and its path was way more profound than his previous circulating path. He starts remembering this path and when he completely remembers it he finds himself in the same dark place where he woke up first when coming into this world.

As Xua Yan opened his eyes, he found himself standing in front of a grand palace. The palace was surrounded by tall walls made of white marble, and the main gate was made of solid gold. The gates were decorated with intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes, symbols of power and authority. Xua Yan couldn't believe his eyes, this was the same dark place where he woke up when he came to this world, but now it was transformed into a magnificent palace.

He took a step forward, he heard an ancient voice calling out to him. The voice said "You are the one chosen by the artifact spirit, place your hand on the handprint of the door, drop some blood from your fingers, and become my successor." Xua Yan was confused and a little bit scared, but he did as he was told. He placed his hand on the handprint, and a small cut appeared on his finger. He let a few drops of blood fall onto the handprint, and to his surprise, the door in front of him automatically opened, revealing a long path leading to the palace. The path was lined with beautiful flowers and trees, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. Xua Yan couldn't help but feel awestruck by the beauty of the palace. He walked along the path, taking in the sights and sounds of the palace.

As he approached the palace, he saw a group of guards standing in front of the palace. These guards were made up of jade like rocks dressed in armour and holding spears. They were all muscular and tall, and they had a fierce look in their eyes. Each and every carving stocks on these statues exudes a picture of power and majesty as they can become alive and wipe out an entire country.

As Xua Yan reached the palace, he saw a grand entrance that was guarded by two giant lion statues. The lions were made of gold and had ruby eyes that seemed to be alive. Xua Yan walked between the lions and entered the palace. The palace was even more magnificent than the outside. The walls were made of white marble and were adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures. The floors were made of black marble and were polished to a mirror-like finish. The palace was lit by crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of incense.

As Xua Yan walked forward, he came to the centre of the main hall. The hall was grand and majestic, with high ceilings and intricate carvings on the walls. In the centre of the hall stood a cylindrical stone, which seemed to be the focal point of the palace. As Xua Yan approached the stone, he again heard the ancient voice calling out to him. The voice said "Place your hand on the stone to activate the artefact. Follow your own path to master every path of life and become the ruler of the whole creation. One day we might be able to meet each other."

Xua Yan was intrigued by this mysterious voice and the artifact it mentioned. Then he suddenly remembered that this must be the same artifact that he stole from that ancient temple in his previous life. And with this train of thought he was able to piece around all the information and strange things that happened with him and finally able to understand how he got into this world.

After he thought things through, without much waiting he placed his hand on the stone, and to his surprise, the stone began to glow with a bright light. As the light faded, Xua Yan felt a sense of power and knowledge filling his mind. But he was not able to point out what kind of power and knowledge it is. By now he began to understand that this artifact was the key to unlocking his full potential and mastering every path of life. As some time passed and as the fading of light, the whole place started to rotate faster and faster. Xue Yan doesn't know what to do. He tightly grabbed the stone, closed his eyes and patiently waited for the whole place to settle down.

As the whole place settled down and when Xua Yan finally overcame his dizziness he found himself standing in a completely barren world. This whole place has its own aura. By standing there Xua Yan had a feeling that he had travelled to the ancient time before the creation of time. He had a feeling that the time and his surroundings felt somewhat different compared to when he was outside. Even though this place was completely barren, it feels much more complete then what he felt in his entire life in the outside world.

After taking a deep breath of that ancient air he started walking and looking around. As he got used to his surroundings and the strong gravity of this place the first thing he noticed was the dense spiritual qi filled with ancient aura to it. When he tried to take the new spiritual qi inside his body using his usual qi circulation method he was not able to take it inside. At first he was not able to understand what was the cause of this problem but then a sudden idea struck him. He started using the new energy circulation method that he learned today that helped him to open the artifact and led him to this place.