Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 768 Three Dantians
"Hey!"

Zhan Zhouzhou approached Yan Bujin and looked down at him: "I'm asking you, are you really some damn cultivator?"

Yan Bujin flew into a rage: "I am indeed a cultivator, but cultivators are not worthless!"

"Hey, you've got quite a temper." Zhan Zhouzhou laughed. "Then tell me, how do you all cultivate immortality?"

"I am a Nascent Soul cultivator, how dare you be so presumptuous, little girl!" Yan Bujin flew to the top of Zhan Zhouzhou's head, looking down at her: "I see that you have good talent, and I wish to take you as my closed-door disciple and teach you the Golden Light Big Dipper Sword Technique. Are you willing to join my sect?"

Zhan Zhouzhou looked at him for a while, then turned to Li Zheng and asked, "Has he lost his mind?"

Li Zheng remained silent: "I think so too."

"Asking him is pointless." Zhan Zhouzhou was too lazy to argue any further and turned to ask Li Zheng, "Didn't you force a cultivation technique out of him? How much do you remember? Read it to me."

Li Zheng vividly remembered the cultivation method he had heard about not long ago, and he described it to Zhan Zhouzhou in detail. Zhan Zhouzhou listened intently, his face turning green with envy.

This is a complete cultivation technique!
They just casually taught it to others?
In his hometown, where words cannot fully express their feelings, this would be considered a highly rebellious act.

He'll be expelled from the sect!
"Qi cultivation...dantian...?" Zhan Zhouzhou listened to Li Zheng recite the technique, seemingly lost in thought: "Did he say that the dantian is three inches below the navel?"

“Yes.” Li Zheng nodded and said, “But I couldn’t find the so-called dantian using the method he suggested. He even tried to locate it himself but couldn’t find it either, and said that I didn’t have a dantian.”

"Hmm." Zhan Zhouzhou said, "You're different from us. You're a clone, so your suspicion that you don't have a dantian is an exception. Why don't you try to sense your dantian with me?"

"Smart." Li Zheng nodded.

“I can tell you definitively that I do have a dantian, but it's not three inches below my navel.” Zhan Zhouzhou raised her hand and pressed hard on the junction of Li Zheng's chest and abdomen, saying, “It's right here!”

"This is the dantian?" Li Zheng exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this the place where genetic energy is stored? And in the novels, the dantian is located three inches below the navel, just like Yan Bujin described..."

"This is the middle dantian."

Zhan Zhouzhou said, "When I was very young, I saw an ancient book at the home of the president of the Martial Arts Association. It divided the human dantian into three parts: the lower dantian, which is three inches below the navel; the middle dantian, which is between the chest and abdomen; and the upper dantian, which is located at the top of the head."

"Three dantian?" Li Zheng was stunned. "Is there any difference?"

"Have."

Zhan Zhouzhou thought carefully, but because it had been so long, her memory was a little blurry: "I remember that the ancient books said that we originally had three dantians in an open state. The lower dantian is for cultivating qi, the middle dantian is for cultivating essence, and the upper dantian is for cultivating spirit."

Thinking about it now, the lower dantian corresponds exactly to the cultivation method that Yan Bujin mentioned. The reason why we can't find the existence of the lower dantian may be because our ancestors didn't cultivate this kind of thing for too long, so it was abandoned in the process of evolution.

I speculate that the 'essence' refined in the middle dantian is something similar to the primordial energy of heaven and earth produced in the human body, which is the primordial force of genes.

The upper dantian is simpler; our spiritual world is the upper dantian, and what we cultivate is spiritual power.

"Absurd!" Yan Bujin sneered, "Ignorant little girl, believing in heretical and unorthodox doctrines from unknown sources. I have cultivated for over five hundred years and have never heard of the concept of upper, middle, and lower dantian. We cultivators are born with only dantian and purple palace, so where does the middle dantian come from?"
Do you think you're one of those demon cultivators who refine their bodies?

"Shut up!"

Zhan Zhouzhou was furious that Yan Bujin dared to call her a "young girl," and immediately raised her hand to summon the Purple Thunder Sword and slashed down at her.

"You actually know magic?!" Yan Bujin exclaimed in surprise, dodging away, but realizing something was wrong, he changed his words, "No, this is a Daoist phenomenon!"

This place is getting stranger and stranger; they can actually manipulate Dao phenomena?!

But this image seems to...

A bit weak?
Li Zheng and the others didn't understand the technique Yan Bujin mentioned, and Yan Bujin didn't understand the strength Li Zheng and the others displayed either.

Despite not having cultivated, he possessed a powerful primordial spirit.

Now they're even using Daoist techniques similar to those of the Star Palace, it's truly bizarre!

Perhaps this place truly holds a great opportunity for me?
He couldn't help but recall the scene of being brutally beaten to the ground by the disciples of the Star Palace, and he longed for the Dao Image.

If I can understand how they use Dao phenomena and learn their methods for cultivating the primordial spirit, with the three working together, what is a mere heavenly tribulation worth mentioning?
"Wait!" Li Zheng stepped forward to stop Zhan Zhouzhou, who was slashing at someone, and asked, "You said that genetic ability is a manifestation of the Dao?"

If he remembered correctly, Yan Bujin had mentioned this thing before.

"That's right! I can't be wrong, this is the Dao Image!" Yan Bujin didn't even refer to himself as a subordinate anymore, focusing his attention on Zhan Zhouzhou, afraid that she would draw her sword and kill someone again.

"Although I don't understand the Star Palace's cultivation methods, I did study them carefully after I defeated that Star Palace disciple back then."

The so-called Dao image is the Dao that is comprehended from the strange "scenes" of the world and then engraved deep within the body to form a Dao image.

When facing an enemy, activating the Dao image allows one to unleash the Dao gleaned from the "scenery".

However, the power of the Dao image varies greatly depending on the degree of comprehension.

Some people can comprehend the celestial fire, powerful enough to destroy the world, from the burning campfire, while others can only comprehend a single flame.

In general, it is somewhat similar to the spells and supernatural abilities that cultivators usually use.

The difference lies in the fact that the Dao image evokes a resonance with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, while magic and supernatural powers are condensed in a special way using the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.

The former's power relies on resonance, while the latter's power depends on one's own cultivation level.

To put it in a way that Li Zheng could easily understand, ordinary people are players in this world, and they can only act according to the rules.

Those who master the Dao Xiang are equivalent to GMs, possessing certain permissions to control the backend.

"If genetic ability is a Dao phenomenon... then what is genetic primal force? Why can this energy generated from the human body control Dao phenomena?" Li Zheng pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you have any cultivation methods for Dao phenomena? And what about those so-called demon cultivators and evil cultivators?"

"This..." Yan Bujin said awkwardly, "I originally had a demon cultivation technique, but it was destroyed along with my physical body during my tribulation." "..." Li Zheng looked at him for a while, then said silently, "Useless thing! Couldn't you just memorize it?"

"I triggered my tribulation because I fought with a demon cultivator. After that, I was busy preparing for the tribulation and didn't have time to check." When Yan Bujin said this, the contract did not react, which was indeed the truth and he was not lying.

Li Zheng was helpless. It was destined that they would not obtain the so-called demon cultivation technique. He asked, "You said that demon cultivation focuses on body refinement. Do powerful demon cultivators have a primordial spirit or a nascent soul?"

"Of course there is," Yan Bujin replied. "All the methods in the world lead to the same goal: to become an immortal. However, demons cultivate their physical bodies, using them to form a nascent soul, then a primordial spirit, and finally to prove their Dao through power!"

"Hmm?" Li Zheng asked curiously, "From what you're saying, demon cultivators refine their spirit into their physical bodies, which is equivalent to the unity of spirit and flesh?"

“Exactly.” Yan Bujin nodded.

“That’s not right,” Li Zheng frowned. “If you fail your tribulation, you can still abandon your physical body and escape with your nascent soul. If a demon cultivator fails his tribulation, wouldn’t his soul be annihilated on the spot?”

"No, no." Yan Bujin shook his head and said, "Demon cultivators are different from us cultivators. Cultivators have weak physical bodies. If they fail to transcend tribulation, they either have to gamble everything or escape by disintegrating their bodies. Demon cultivators have extremely strong physical bodies, and their cultivation is much more difficult. Even if they fail to transcend tribulation, they can still save their lives. However, they will never make any progress afterward and will be cut off from the path to immortality."

If a weaker demon cultivator fails to transcend the tribulation, it is often not their physical body that is damaged, but rather the "nascent soul" fused within it.

Zhan Zhouzhou, who was listening in a daze, asked, "What exactly is a Heavenly Tribulation? Why would a perfectly healthy person suddenly be struck by lightning? And how can the power of the lightning strike pose a threat to cultivators?"

"This is a calamity!" Yan Bujin recalled his physical body being cleaved into ashes by the heavenly tribulation, and his face darkened: "The path of cultivation is inherently against the will of Heaven, and the punishment from Heaven is meant to prevent cultivators from advancing any further."

In truth, the concept of heavenly tribulation is inexhaustible and inexplicable.

He only knew that cultivators had to go through three calamities and nine tribulations, but even after cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage, he had only survived three tribulations.

One time is Foundation Establishment, another time is Golden Core Formation, and yet another time is Breaking Through the Core to Form Infant.

He died during the fourth celestial tribulation.

"So, their rules might be different from ours," Zhan Zhouzhou said to Li Zheng. "Just like the rules in the outer city are different from those in the matrix."

With her eyes lowered, she guessed, "Perhaps it's because when he was undergoing his tribulation, the heavenly tribulation happened to split open the passage between the two worlds, which led him to come here and be captured by you."

"That's probably true." Li Zheng was sweating profusely. Zhan Zhouzhou had helped him cover up his lie; otherwise, he really wouldn't have known how to explain the origins of the inexhaustible story.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bujin glanced suspiciously at Zhan Zhouzhou and Li Zheng, thinking to himself, "This woman doesn't seem to know about the Master's methods. I was captured by the Master in a box; there's no such thing as a world passage..."

Thinking of this, he was suddenly startled and filled with lingering fear.

"My lord possesses extraordinary abilities, yet I have repeatedly tried to outwit him?! If it weren't for my lord's mercy, I might have been annihilated long ago!"

From now on, you should be obedient and do whatever the Lord says. If you ever wear down the Lord's patience, your life may be over!

Unconsciously, Yan Bujin became much more respectful to Li Zheng and suppressed any inappropriate thoughts.

"If we could also cultivate, would we also have to undergo tribulations?" Zhan Zhouzhou pondered. "Perhaps we could also travel to their world in the same way?"

"???" Li Zheng asked in confusion, "What are you planning to do? Run away?"

"What's the point of running away?" Zhan Zhouzhou rolled her eyes and said, "What I mean is, if we can go to their world, can we get a group of cultivators as reinforcements to help us handle the emotional storm?"

"And then what?" Li Zheng said with a half-smile, "Even if they can handle the emotional storm, how are we supposed to deal with it? Don't forget, when the military strength is not on the same level, the weaker side is destined to be enslaved by the stronger side. There are countless similar examples in history."

"I know," Zhan Zhouzhou said dejectedly, "I was just saying."

"The problem we face now is the lack of spiritual energy from heaven and earth. We can't use the cultivation techniques that Yan Bujin provided at all, unless we can study and utilize the other powers of their world." Li Zheng frowned. "Unfortunately, we know nothing about this. There's no way we can study it."

“No, there is a power system we might be able to utilize.” Zhan Zhouzhou took out a yellowish-brown fruit with gold spots from the capsule and asked, “Do you have something like this where you are?”

"what is this?"

Yan Bujin wanted to get closer to take a look, but Zhan Zhouzhou was still holding the Purple Thunder Sword in his other hand, so he shrank back and dared not step forward.

Li Zheng told him to come closer so he could see for himself. Only after he assured Zhan Zhouzhou that she wouldn't make a move did he approach her. He carefully examined the fruit in Zhan Zhouzhou's hand, his expression showing surprise: "This is a spiritual fruit, containing a faint trace of the true meaning of the Great Dao. After consuming it, one might be able to grasp the Dao phenomena within! This is truly a rare treasure!"
However, that dish also carried a sharp killing intent, and if one were to consume it rashly, one might be injured by it!
Only by completely refining that killing intent can one remain unharmed.

It turns out that the Dao images within their bodies were created using this treasure. If I were to obtain a body, condense countless Dao images within it, and then find a way back, cultivating all three methods simultaneously, I would be invincible in the world!

I've had so much fun, I need to find a way to coax the Lord into giving me a physical body soon!
"Oh?" Zhan Zhouzhou raised her eyebrows slightly, her opinion of Yan Bujin changing: "I didn't realize you had some knowledge."

This fruit was a gold-level gene ability development tool she had obtained before. It had a high chance of causing side effects, so she kept it, planning to sell it someday when she needed money.

Unexpectedly, Yan Bujin saw the hidden danger in just a few glances.

"Of course!" Yan Bujin was extremely proud upon hearing the praise: "I am, after all, a Nascent Soul cultivator, so I naturally have the insight! However, the Dao intent within this spiritual fruit is too weak, even incomplete, and its value is extremely low. Even if one were to master it, its power would be less than a casual strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator; it's just a useless piece of junk."

Li Zheng suddenly thought of something and said, "You just said that the so-called Daoist phenomena can actually be comprehended from anything and engraved deep into the body, right?"

"Indeed, my lord," Yan Bujin replied, bowing deeply.

"If that's the case... then this is interesting," Li Zheng muttered softly.

Li Zheng could roughly guess some of the principles behind genetic abilities.

It's simply that those plants can alter their genes to a certain extent, causing additional genes or some changes, and these changes happen to align with the rules of this world.

Then, by activating the primal force of genes, the so-called Dao phenomenon is formed.

Of course, it's also possible that the change isn't in the genes, otherwise wouldn't that affect the integrity of the genes?
So……

Assuming it's a genetic change, and setting aside external factors, are there any effective methods to actively modify it?
(End of this chapter)