Chapter 1: The Nightmare

Wu Pifu’s eyes were blood-red, yet he ran past the corpses of Wang Xiuting and Li An without even looking back. He stumbled and nearly fell, but thanks to the deep conditioning of his lower body from the Tiger Demon Art, he managed to stay upright and avoid losing his life at this critical moment.

A Level 2 Nightmare!

It was actually a Level 2 Nightmare!

Wu Pifu had never imagined he would encounter a Level 2 Nightmare. Of the three of them left, two had died in an instant, and what’s more... there were no places left outside to isolate from the Nightmare!!

Although Wu Pifu was filled with despair, he was not the type to sit and wait for death. Driven by the will to survive, he began to sprint frantically toward the corner ahead.

Moving like a tiger, wild as a demon—this was the first time Wu Pifu had ever felt so close to the state of mind required by this cultivation art.

This was a remote warehouse near Lujiazui on the Bund in Shanghai, directly across the river from the French Concession. His goal was the French Concession on the other side!

By now, the sky was completely dark. This was not the 21st century; although Shanghai during the Republican era was a world of glitz and glamour, outside of the various concessions and bustling districts, there was none of the infrastructure of the future. Thus, after Wu Pifu ran out from the dim streetlights of the warehouse, everything ahead was pitch black.

Yet Wu Pifu dared not hesitate or pause for even a second. He charged straight into the darkness, following the reflection of the faint light on the river ahead.

He knew the Nightmare was watching him playfully, treating his escape with the mindset of a cat toying with a mouse.

This was Baseline Reality 0.9, and this Level 2 Nightmare came from Baseline Reality 0.8, so it could exert its full strength here, perhaps even with a boost. In just one encounter, this Level 2 Nightmare had killed both Wang Xiuting and Li An. That he had survived was absolutely not due to his strength, but merely his luck...

This Nightmare just wanted to savor the fear he was radiating!

But...

How could a man just sit and wait for death!?

Even if he were to die, he had to die on the path of the charge!!

There was still a chance of survival ahead, the only chance...

In this Baseline Reality 0.9 dream world, there were a total of three Level 1 sanctuaries: his, Wang Xiuting’s, and Li An’s.

Li An’s sanctuary had been destroyed the previous year, 1934, due to the influence of the Shanghai serial murder cases. Li An had joined the Red Team operations to gain influence, only to be compromised by Zhongtong secret agents.

Wang Xiuting’s sanctuary was the warehouse he had just left, which was also destroyed when the Level 2 Nightmare pierced through. Now, only his sanctuary remained, located in the French Concession ahead. That was his only hope for escape!

Rushing from inside the warehouse to the river surface, Wu Pifu leaped, his body shaped like a tiger, pouncing forward. With a splash, he landed in the water.

He was not naturally skilled in water, but the Tiger Demon Art included methods for training in water and a tiger-style swimming technique. It was just that Wu Pifu had not yet mastered them. Forced into this situation, he began to thrash frantically forward.

Gradually, he felt a bone-chilling coldness creeping up his back. It was June in Shanghai, and the weather was turning hot; even while thrashing in the water, he shouldn't have felt such bone-chilling cold. This coldness could only mean one thing...

The Nightmare had reached his back!

(...Give me more time, give me one more chance.)

Wu Pifu continued to thrash forward frantically. His entire body was flushed a pale red, and steam rose from the top of his head. He had pushed the circulation of qi and blood in his Tiger Demon Art to the limit. This state could not be sustained, but it gave his arms the strength of two or three hundred jin. Swimming with all his might now, his speed was astonishing.

Yet... he still couldn't shake the coldness behind him.

That was a Nightmare from the Baseline Reality 0.8 dream world, a terrifying curse-like phantom existence. It was formless and intangible, possessing speed that transcended logical concepts, the ability to flash-step, and the power to alter and distort physical space and laws. It could even manipulate human minds and induce hallucinations. Without a restraining art or power, it could kill an entire legion of people in under a minute!

The Tiger Demon Art, while circulating qi and blood to stimulate potential, could grant immunity to hallucinations, but it could not resist the life-force extraction of this Nightmare. It didn't need anything else; if the Nightmare touched him even lightly, he would immediately sink to the bottom of the river, dead beyond all doubt.

But whether it was his prayers being answered or the Nightmare wishing to toy with him a while longer, Wu Pifu only felt the coldness on his back without suffering any other attacks. He actually managed to cross the river and charge into the territory of the French Concession ahead.

It was 1935. Although the Japanese had already invaded China, they had not yet attacked Shanghai. While the various international concessions were somewhat wary of the Japanese, the arrogant powers did not believe the Japanese had the guts to violate the concessions. Therefore, aside from regular patrols, there were no searchlights or checkpoints on the borders of the French Concession.

Wu Pifu charged toward the location of his sanctuary in the darkness of the night.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but the coldness on his back grew even more intense...

No... it wasn't his imagination. This thing could directly infiltrate human consciousness and induce hallucinations, so it must be able to perceive his thoughts. The closer he got to his destination, the more likely it was to kill him.

Judging by the terrifying and malicious nature of the Nightmare he knew, the moment this Level 2 Nightmare was most likely to kill him was... the very instant he was about to be saved!?

Wu Pifu immediately began to empty his mind of all thoughts.

This had been proven to be an effective method for dealing with a Nightmare's perception of thoughts.

But there is great terror between life and death, and he was only a mortal; how could he possibly empty his mind completely?

Wu Pifu could only desperately recall the various details of the Tiger Demon Art: form like a tiger, spirit like a demon...

Although the Tiger Demon Art was a type of Xingyi boxing, with the tiger form being the essence of its practice, when it came to focusing the spirit and thoughts, it was not about imitating a real-life tiger, but about being a mad demon!

Intent chaotic and mad; within the madness of movement lies the true intent, guarding the heart to reflect one's true nature.

This was a martial art completely different from conventional national arts.

Other national arts required a calm and clear mind, where the so-called reflection of true nature is emptiness. But this Tiger Demon Art was the exact opposite. It not only required you to be filled with madness while practicing, but the more chaotic and mad your thoughts were, the better. When you reached the point where you could remain calm within the madness of the Tiger Demon Art, and keep a single point of mental clarity amidst the chaos and distractions, then this Tiger Demon Art could be considered to have entered the hall.

Wu Pifu naturally had not reached that realm. Strictly speaking, he had only just begun. On the main brain interface, his Tiger Demon Art was indeed only displayed at the entry-level proficiency.

At this moment, Wu Pifu could only use distracting thoughts to replace a clear mind, his head filled with all sorts of memories and questions.

Parents, what kind of feelings were they experiencing when they bid me farewell?

It’s already the year 2877, and I don't even have a partner; how backward, how pathetic!

I’m hungry. Ever since I started practicing national arts, I can eat so much.

Can I... survive?

I can survive!

The destination was right ahead. Wu Pifu looked at the inhabited street and the tailor shop on the edge of the French Concession, and he gathered all his strength to charge forward.

Since he started circulating the Tiger Demon Art, he had been stimulating his life force for over ten minutes. He looked terrifying, with blood seeping from his mouth, ears, nose, and eyes, and his skin was flushed red and scorching hot, with beads of blood oozing out. The surrounding pedestrians were so frightened they retreated repeatedly, which actually cleared a path for him to run forward.

Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters...

At the last ten meters, Wu Pifu let out a roar and leaped forward. It was the "Mad Tiger Leaps the Ravine" move from the Tiger Demon Art. His entire body soared into the air, his speed surging several times over. Just as he was about to charge into the tailor shop with the red door, his left arm was suddenly fixed and locked by a massive force, leaving him just one step away from the red door, yet unable to enter.

Space!

Wu Pifu immediately understood what had happened. This Nightmare had altered the rules of space, locking his left arm in place and trapping him in a final desperate situation when he was only a step away from escape.

That bone-chilling coldness suddenly intensified. Sounds like moans, wails, and cries flooded his mind. At this moment, even though he was still circulating the Tiger Demon Art, his vision had begun to distort. This was the precursor to hallucinations.

His life hung in the balance of this very breath!

"Ahhh!!"

Wu Pifu suddenly let out a fierce roar, his voice like a tiger’s howl, like a mad demon. One could see blue veins bulging all over his skin, his muscles swelling, and some of his skin even tearing open. Then, in the next instant, Wu Pifu actually tore off his own left arm, leaped, and crashed into the red wooden door. With a crisp crack, the red wooden door was smashed to pieces, and Wu Pifu vanished.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Pifu appeared in a futuristic, high-tech hibernation chamber. He didn't get up, but raised his intact right arm and roared, "Main Brain, initiate random dream world penetration! Confirm!"

"Whether... confirmation achieved, penetration initiated."

Just then, a pale arm appeared out of thin air beside the hibernation chamber, reaching for Wu Pifu’s head.

At the same time, Wu Pifu’s vision went black. In the next instant, he landed in a patch of mud. It was drizzling. He saw a building about a dozen meters ahead. He couldn't see clearly what it was, but he gathered his remaining strength to stumble forward, then used all his might to slam his head against the paint-peeled wooden door, making a thudding sound.

In the final moment before losing consciousness, Wu Pifu used his intent to open the main brain’s personal information interface. He looked at the dream world he was in.

Baseline Reality 0.7.

Finally, Wu Pifu felt slightly relieved as he passed out.

(End of chapter)