Chapter 4: If I Were a Hero, I Would Repay Good and Evil!

According to what has been stated above, the so-called 'Qi' is actually a manifestation of blood circulation, as blood contains energy, or rather, the human body contains energy. This energy circulates primarily through the blood. The first step is to exercise the body until one can control the flow of blood. Following that, it is essential to combine breathing, blood flow, and physical exercise to generate a sensation of Qi within the body, thereby controlling the internal energy to condense into internal strength. This explanation seems coherent and aligns more closely with human physiology than the esoteric practices of alchemy.

The description of the second individual is much simpler. Although it is still in classical Chinese, it incorporates some modern grammatical structures. This person claims to be an overseas wanderer, one of the very few university students who returned from abroad in modern times. In the text, he expresses his good fortune in inadvertently obtaining the legacy of ancient masters, particularly noting that his descriptions of internal energy have integrated modern scientific understanding, making them far more comprehensive than those of the Eight Desolate Hermit. At the end of the article, he further mentions other writings by the Eight Desolate Hermit. According to those writings, it is indeed true that ancient China possessed martial arts. However, as the principles of internal energy gradually faded from memory, people became increasingly skeptical of the esoteric nature of internal energy, leading to its eventual complete disappearance, after which people entirely denied the existence of internal energy.

After Ling Xin had completely memorized everything, he silently recalled it several times along with the text of the Dao De Jing, confirming that there was not a single detail forgotten. He then set the Dao De Jing ablaze, reducing it to ashes. Only at that moment did he exhale deeply and relax his entire body. From the time he went to purchase the Dao De Jing until he slowly tested it page by page, his mind had been tightly wound, constantly checking to ensure that no one came looking for him, while also having to endure the impacts of lacking internal energy. It was only when he truly grasped the internal energy techniques that he finally relaxed from the urgency. However, even as his mind eased, his work was far from over. He exhaled deeply and relaxed his entire body. From the time he went to purchase the Dao De Jing until he slowly tested it page by page, his mind had been tightly wound, constantly checking to ensure that no one came looking for him, while also having to endure the impacts of lacking internal energy. It was only when he truly grasped the internal energy techniques that he finally relaxed from the urgency. However, even as his mind eased, his work was far from over.

Since there are no hidden layers or codes, the most likely method is the use of a special liquid to write the concealed text. There are also two other methods: revealing it with water and displaying it with high temperature. It is also possible to use other liquids for visibility. Given that this Dao De Jing is already quite old, I will first try exposing it to high heat for a while. If it does not reveal anything, then I will resort to using causal points. As for water bubbles, I will forgo that option; otherwise, if it gets damaged, it would be too late for regrets.

While thinking this, the numbers on the Divine Ranking in Lingxin's hand fluctuated again, until they completely blurred and disappeared when the causal point reached over negative three thousand. The causal point then changed to zero. The negative three thousand point flashed by, and Lingxin only caught a glimpse of it before it vanished completely, as if it had never existed at all

This is the most familiar passage in the Dao De Jing among people and books. There is nothing particularly surprising for Ling Xin in this regard. He carefully examined each chapter and text within, finding no hidden codes or annotations. Moreover, there are no concealed layers between the pages. After all, this book has been handled by several generations, and one can basically determine the presence of any hidden layers by touch. As for the cover, there are no abnormalities either; this book is simply an ordinary thread-bound Dao De Jing.

Ling Xin understood that if something truly happened regarding this Dao De Jing, then a gentle examination of newspaper fragments would naturally clarify the matter. However, would this again involve the significance of causal points? He was already aware of the importance of causal points, and he had also made preliminary attempts to gauge the difficulty of obtaining them. Upon his return, he had deliberately conducted several experiments. One involved placing a mineral water bottle in a conspicuous location, only to later discover in the dark that someone had thrown it into the trash can. The absence of any increase or decrease in causal points on the newspaper fragments indicated that he had not been able to influence any events.

All evidence has been erased. Tomorrow, I will go to school to request leave to visit that little girl. This way, I can completely conceal the matter from that person. The two thousand yuan jade pendant also happens to match the little girl's family background, so it won't seem out of place. It will also allow me to probe why that little girl has changed the futures of so many people... What secret does she hold?

With a resolute mind, Ling Xin quickly took a candle from the drawer. After igniting the flame, he proceeded to unravel the middle white line of the Tao Te Ching, extracting the pages one by one. He then began to carefully roast them over the flame, testing each page. This time, however, he was not disappointed; approximately more than ten pages of text gradually faded, revealing another set of characters.

Ling Xin pondered silently, unable to comprehend this point. He simply set the thought aside and picked up the fragment of the newspaper, murmuring: "Since this is a treasure, it is inappropriate to keep calling it a newspaper fragment... Let's simply name it the 'List of Deities.' In the legend of the Investiture of the Gods, the List of Deities can also reverse cause and effect, turning the world upside down. Although this newspaper fragment does not possess such great powers, it is somewhat similar... Alright, from now on, I shall call you the 'List of Deities.' It has also helped me acquire the true inner strength techniques. Reflecting on this now, it still feels hard to believe... Let's simply name it the 'List of Deities.' In the legend of the Investiture of the Gods, the List of Deities can also reverse cause and effect, turning the world upside down. Although this newspaper fragment does not possess such great powers, it is somewhat similar... Alright, from now on, I shall call you the 'List of Deities.' It has also helped me acquire the true inner strength techniques. Reflecting on this now, it still feels hard to believe..."

Therefore, causal points are extremely important and also very difficult to obtain. This is the conclusion drawn by Ling Xin, and he also reached another conclusion... Is that little girl peculiar? Otherwise, how could he possibly gain over ten thousand causal points just for saving one person? Even with various news reports, it would be impossible; the only possibility is one... That little girl is of great significance, at least affecting the futures of many people. Thus, by saving her, he indirectly changed the futures of many others.

After completely memorizing all of this, Ling Xin suddenly remembered to check the name of this internal skill in the *Tu* book. Upon looking, he almost burst into laughter; the name was actually "The Unique Supremacy of the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies"... The name is indeed imposing, but it clearly appeared in a martial arts novel before. Could it be that the esteemed author had also practiced this internal skill?

However, Ling Xin suddenly frowned slightly. He thought to himself: "This internal martial arts technique clearly requires many years of training and cultivation to gradually master. To begin with, just controlling the flow of qi and blood within the body is not a simple matter. Furthermore, it involves the combination of blood circulation, regulated breathing, and physical training to generate a sense of qi, thereby condensing internal strength from the body's energy. I wonder how long it will take... The most difficult part is generating the sense of qi. If only there were some method in the Investiture of the Gods that could help produce the sense of qi in advance."

The second time, he casually conversed with the taxi driver about various topics, such as education and stock market conditions. After getting out of the car, he did not notice an increase in the causal points on the newspaper fragments until he was about to return home. At that moment, he "accidentally" dropped a one-hundred-yuan bill on the ground, and this time, his causal points increased slightly. This ratio is somewhat alarming; if one causal point is equivalent to one hundred yuan, then he has spent seven hundred thousand on this moral text. This assumes that every one hundred yuan can definitely be exchanged for one causal point; otherwise, the number could be even greater than that of the books.

For the time being, let us set these matters aside. It is precisely because he has recognized the significance and rarity of causal points that he has decided to establish a standard. Only when this standard is exceeded will he utilize the causal points; otherwise, he will strive to conserve them, as they may very well save his life in the future. Regarding issues such as searching for hidden images or texts in books, he intends to make further attempts.

These secret writings were authored by two individuals, one of whom referred to himself as the Recluse of the Eight Wildernesses. His writings describe inner strength, predominantly using the terminology of alchemy and scriptures, appearing profoundly enigmatic. Aside from a few illustrations that are somewhat vivid, the descriptions only deepened Ling Xin's confusion, even leading him to entertain the notion that inner power could not possibly exist.

Ling Xin nodded quietly, committing these several illustrations deeply to memory. He then noted down the training precautions, the rhythm of breathing, the patterns of blood circulation, the methods of exercising after generating internal energy, and the details on how to control internal power. Strangely enough, he had been exceptionally intelligent since birth, and indeed had a photographic memory; essentially, anything he remembered would never be forgotten, no matter how much time passed. This was his innate talent.

The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. "Non-being" is the beginning of heaven and earth; "Being" is the mother of all things

Meanwhile, Ling Xin felt a warmth emanating from his dantian, and as this warmth spread, the blood throughout his body gradually began to warm up