owlsbooks Chapter 39 Rising Sun
Chapter 39 Rising Sun
In the early morning, before dawn, Xu Mo, as usual, went up to the rooftop platform to observe his surroundings. This was his daily routine: to observe the town and its surroundings.
The biting wind, like a knife, instantly sliced across Xu Mo's face, instantly invigorating him. Reaching the edge of the platform, Xu Mo raised his military binoculars and began routinely scanning the world beneath his feet, sealed by ice and snow.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a deathly stillness of pure white.
The snow on the ground was more than a meter thick, completely burying the streets, abandoned vehicles, and low walls, leaving only some taller obstacles and the upper parts of buildings, making them look like lonely reefs in a white ocean.
Xu Mo saw that many houses in the town, which were already structurally damaged, had partially or completely collapsed under the weight of the accumulated snow. Broken beams and shattered bricks pierced out of the snowdrifts, like the exposed bones of a giant beast, silently telling the story of the harshness of this winter.
There were no traces of birds or beasts in the sky, no wandering zombies on the ground, and no signs of human activity. The entire world seemed to have been wiped clean, with only the wind howling across the empty snowfield. This extreme silence and desolation was enough to utterly crush any remaining hope of survival.
Xu Mo lowered his binoculars and gently exhaled a puff of white breath. He had been seeing this scene for over two months and had long since grown accustomed to it. But each time he saw it, he still felt a heavy sense of oppression, and a profound understanding of the fragility and tenacity of life.
Just as Xu Mo was about to turn around and go downstairs to begin his day of cultivation, his gaze was drawn to the changes in the eastern sky.
All that could be seen was a sliver of pale light in the east, rapidly expanding and brightening, its color gradually shifting from grayish-white to a pale golden-red. The edge of the eastern clouds was edged with a dazzling gold, as if molten gold were flowing behind it. Then, the sun leaped above the horizon, revealing the outline of its face.
The sun is rising!
In an instant, ten thousand golden rays pierced the clouds like sharp swords, showering down on this frozen land. This breathtaking sight seemed to breathe life into the once lifeless snowfield, the snow reflecting countless sparkling points of light, giving Xu Mo a cruel yet beautiful feeling.
The morning sun shone down on Xu Mo, its rays penetrating his thick clothes and bringing a negligible warmth. However, the moment the sunlight touched his body, Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat.
An extremely subtle and indescribable feeling rose from the bottom of his heart.
It wasn't just the physical warmth of being bathed in sunlight; it was more like a kind of "lift," a soaring, vigorous, and vibrant energy. It descended with the rising sun and seemed to resonate subtly with the surging blood and energy within him.
This resonance seemed to enlighten Xu Mo. The rising sun itself was an immense source of energy, and the "Thirteen Protectors Horizontal Training" qi and blood he cultivated could resonate with this supremely yang and powerful nascent energy.
"This is……"
Xu Mofu was inspired and acted without hesitation. He immediately stood on the cleared snow-covered ground on the rooftop platform, facing the rising sun in the east, its rays growing ever more intense, and naturally assumed the stance of the "Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training".
With feet firmly planted on the cold earth, chest slightly concave and back straight, head held high and arms loosely clasped, mind focused on the dantian, guiding the qi and blood flowing like a river within the body.
Unlike his previous indoor cultivation, this time, as Xu Mo calmed his mind and his blood and qi began to circulate more rapidly, he clearly sensed an unprecedented change.
A faint, yet indescribably vital, warm current, as if drawn by his own blood and energy, pierced through the cold air, ignored the barrier of his clothes, and silently entered his body.
This warm current is completely different from the burning sensation you feel when you circulate your own Qi and blood. Your own Qi and blood are surging and explosive, like lava. But this external warm current is purer and gentler, with a "growth" quality, like spring rain, nourishing things silently.
After it was absorbed into his blood and qi, it did not cause any ripples. Instead, it was like injecting a wisp of the most primal vitality into a rushing river, making the blood and qi in Xu Mo's body seem to flow more smoothly and more condensed. Even his spirit was invigorated, as if it had been cleansed, becoming clearer and more sharp!
"It works! It really works!"
Xu Mo felt an overwhelming surge of joy. He forced down his excitement, maintained the stability of his stance, and focused more intently on guiding his qi and blood. At the same time, he emptied his mind to try to sense and receive the tiny, strange energy that was falling with the sunlight.
Xu Mo remembered seeing a similar statement in an old book he happened to flip through, whether it was about Taoist health preservation or martial arts. Something like "absorbing the purple aura of the East to replenish one's own vital energy"? Or "absorbing the morning glow and the evening light"?
At the time, Xu Mo thought it was just a mysterious fantasy of the ancients, or some kind of literary metaphor. He never expected that at this moment, in this apocalyptic predicament, after breaking through to the Bullhide Realm and reaching a new level of physical perception, he would personally verify this seemingly ethereal phenomenon.
Although this wisp of energy was extremely weak, practically a drop in the ocean compared to his current vast blood and qi, its quality was exceptionally high. Xu Mo had a vague feeling that long-term adherence to this method of cultivation would not only refine his blood and qi and increase his cultivation speed, but might also subtly nourish his life essence, compensate for the losses incurred during cultivation, and even prolong his lifespan.
This differs from the "tonifying" effects of medicinal herbs like ginseng and deer antler, which replenish the "quantity"—like adding fuel to a furnace. This method of drawing upon the energy of the rising sun is more like improving the "quality"—optimizing the fuel's quality and even, to some extent, repairing and maintaining the furnace itself.
Xu Mo felt that the significance of this discovery was no less than his breakthrough to the Bullskin Realm.
This means that they have found a supplementary cultivation path that may optimize their foundation, replenish their essence, and even enhance their potential. This could play a crucial role in their future attempts to reach higher realms, especially in avoiding the perilous situation of overdrawing their life force during another breakthrough.
Xu Mo maintained his stance, his mind clear and focused, trying his best to capture and integrate the wisps of "morning sun energy." This process was extremely taxing on the mind, requiring extreme concentration and relaxation, and was much more difficult than simply standing in a stance.
About half an hour later, as the sun gradually rose higher and became brighter and more dazzling, that unique, life-giving energy began to rapidly weaken and dissipate until Xu Mo could no longer sense it. In its place came the warmth of ordinary sunlight.
Xu Mo knew that the window of opportunity for "qi gathering" had passed. He slowly finished his practice and opened his eyes.
In that instant, a glint seemed to flash in Xu Mo's eyes, and anyone paying attention would have noticed that his eyes were brighter than usual. Although there was no obvious increase in strength, Xu Mo could feel that the blood and qi in his body seemed to be more active and refined than usual, and his spirit was also exceptionally high.
Standing on the rooftop, facing the rising sun, Xu Mo took a deep breath of the cold air and felt his heart expand and his spirits soar.
Looking down at the desolate snowfield beneath his feet, and then looking up at the high-hanging sun, Xu Mo's lips curled into a resolute smile.
"From today onwards, my morning exercise will be held on this rooftop."
Xu Mo turned around and walked steadily down the stairs. He had already decided that, weather permitting, he would climb to the rooftop every morning to greet the sunrise.