Chapter 239: How Can I Even Face This?

The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit said that if he wanted a shortcut, it wasn't just idle chatter or self-torture—he knew his own situation: he'd reached this village without completing any prerequisite quests, solving any puzzles, or understanding anything about Qimen Dunjia; he'd simply memorized the map through brute-force exploration and had no clue how it worked. What if he didn't meet the conditions for a shortcut? Wouldn't he be completely lost?

But as the acolyte led him to a side hall, he immediately sensed something was wrong—

"Uh, what's this supposed to be for?"

"Studying! To attain true cultivation, you must first learn medical theory, comprehend acupoints and meridians, understand the five viscera, and only then can you cultivate the Four Qi to penetrate the Mystery, achieving the state where one thought gives rise to myriad techniques."

The acolyte casually picked up a copy of the Emperor Neijing from the shelves lining the room and handed it to the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit.

"First, memorize the Ling Shu and Su Wen, then I'll…"

As the acolyte rattled off titles of texts he'd only heard of in passing, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit took the book—but once he confirmed it wasn't some skill book you could just flip through and understand, his hopes finally died.

"Uh, my apologies—I think we should go for the shortcut instead."

Though the acolyte was an NPC, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit still felt embarrassed—but compared to reading books in a game, embarrassment was a small price to pay.

Hearing this, the acolyte said nothing, merely leading him to another side hall.

Compared to the previous library, this place was far more open, filled only with rows of iron rods shaped like tuning forks.

The rods were spaced about a meter apart, each topped with a candleholder; behind this array stood a dozen or more upright cabinets holding candles.

"How do you use this?"

Staring at the iron rods, each as tall as a man, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit's mind conjured up deeply inappropriate images—like being tied to one, with a candle lit atop his head. Even if this was just a game, wasn't this a bit too avant-garde?

The acolyte, hearing this, casually walked to one iron rod, inserted and lit two candles, then reached out and gripped the rod.

At that moment, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit noticed the candle flames trembled almost simultaneously—then, right between them, a flame coalesced from empty air.

"This is where you train your control over spiritual power. These iron rods are linked to the Cursing Method of the Demon Dragon. Hold the rod and channel your spiritual power evenly through both candles to condense a flame. If you can maintain the flame centered between them for ten breaths, you've passed." As he spoke, the acolyte stopped and gestured for the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit to try.

The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit had assumed this was like a staff with a built-in skill—he grabbed it without thinking—but the next instant, he realized it was nothing like that: the rod was just an iron rod, and he had no idea how to summon spiritual power.

"He said it's connected to a Talisman and Spell—so maybe I should use the same method as activating one?" The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit thought, attempting to cast a healing talisman, then interrupting it—but the moment the thought formed, the rod emitted a loud bang, and thick smoke surged upward, blackening his face.

"Cough! What just happened?" The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit was startled; the acolyte, meanwhile, wore a look of clear disgust.

"I told you to channel spiritual power—not cast a spell!"

"Huh?" The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit wasn't stupid—he roughly understood—but this was a game! Even with haptic feedback letting him sense his spiritual power, forcing it out directly into the air—wasn't that just too abstract?

Realizing this wouldn't be something he could master in a moment, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit gritted his teeth.

"Then what are the other three trials?"

"Three? Didn't I say there were four?" The acolyte looked puzzled at the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit, who immediately glanced down at the iron rods. Seeing this, the acolyte sighed in exasperation—

"What are you thinking?! This is Foundation Skill! Only after you pass spiritual power control can you proceed to the four trial grounds! Honestly, someone like you—who can't even match a wild Maoshan cultivator—how did the Master even agree to take you on…?"

Watching the acolyte turn away, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit's face flushed red and white. He almost wanted to walk out—but his male pride refused to let him quit.

"I remember the Science Maniac once said something similar—his Angel Descent was pure self-controlled mana bar manipulation."

The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit muttered to himself, checked the time, then logged off, posted a screenshot of his discovery of the Hidden Village on the forum as proof of being "first," then ate breakfast while watching the Science Maniac's old spell research videos.

"This is way too vague—feeling it? Isn't that just…?"

The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit had studied basic Cursing Methods and knew the sensation of a mana bar draining—but he'd always relied on interrupting spells to output power. Directly channeling it felt absurdly overpowered.

"Hummm~"

Suddenly, his phone jerked violently, then began shaking uncontrollably.

"What the 【BEEP】?" The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit nearly threw the phone away—then saw it was a forum message, and smiled.

"Looks like my post got seen? I thought everyone was still in-game this early!"

Though he said that, the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit eagerly pulled up the application list, gazing at one familiar name after another, his grin widening.

Finally, his eyes locked onto one ID—

Science Maniac!

"Now that's a true expert!" Though not an idol, hardly anyone who played this game didn't know him. The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit quickly calmed himself, striving to appear neither humble nor arrogant, then clicked "Accept."

The moment he accepted, the other side—like they'd been waiting by the forum—immediately sent a message:

"Big Boss! What's inside the Hidden Village?"

"Huh? I thought you'd ask where the Hidden Village was first!"

The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit was slightly surprised, but replied:

"Don't call me Big Boss—you're the real one. The village looks like an ordinary hamlet, with a Four Qi Temple inside. I didn't see the NPC, but I met an acolyte who said his master set four trials—master them and you can shortcut to 'one thought, myriad techniques.' I asked if there was a non-shortcut path, and he took me to a library and told me to memorize books (dog face emoji)…"

"Did you take the trial?" The Science Maniac typed fast—before the Pink Mao Mao Rabbit finished typing, the reply popped up.

"Not yet—I logged off to eat breakfast." The Pink Mao Mao Rabbit didn't admit he couldn't even pass the basic trial, but after a moment's thought, he asked: "By the way, earlier I wanted to ask—how exactly do you use Angel Descent? You said it's direct mana bar control without spell interruption—isn't that just… too mystical?"

By the way, I've been wanting to ask— you said that angel descent spell directly taps into the blue bar to cast, without relying on spell interruption— how exactly did you pull that off? Isn't that a bit too fantastical?

(End of Chapter)