I changed the world.

Zhang Jing recalled the inscription on the jade tablet. It seemed that "Lishan Cave Heaven" on the tablet referred to this island. However, he still didn't know exactly where this island was located.

With no road ahead, Zhang Jing gazed into the distance for a while before circling the circular building to the other side. He found that as he continued forward, there were several buildings that had once looked magnificent, but now they were all collapsed and broken.

After passing through this group of buildings, they reached the end of the mountaintop. There was another path leading down the mountain from here, but Zhang Jing didn't plan to go there for the time being. He raised his hand and looked at it. Unconsciously, he had already spent nearly an hour and a half here.

It is now 10:12 AM in the real world. Due to overexertion yesterday, Zhang Jing's body has not yet recovered. The exploration, which has been in a state of high alert for the past hour and a half, has made him feel somewhat physically fatigued.

"This is a complete wasteland... but it's quite large." Zhang Jing sighed inwardly. He hadn't encountered any danger up to this point.

However, what troubled him was not simply the danger, but how to explore the area next. The region was too vast for him, with so many buildings. He had already spent an hour and a half just taking a quick look around. If he were to explore each building ruin one by one, he didn't know how much time it would take.

He didn't even know how to get back to his rented room. You see, there was no food delivery in this world, and he hadn't seen any food along the way. If he stayed in this world, what would he eat?

Zhang Jing found a broken stone structure, sat down on it, rested, and pondered what to do next.

It has to be said that there's a certain inertia in using wishing books. After much thought, the best way right now is to use a wishing book to make a wish...

Zhang Jing sighed inwardly and decided to use the wishing book one more time, thinking that he still had enough wishing points left.

"I make a wish: In the upcoming exploration, I will soon and successfully obtain the cultivation method."

Zhang Jing opened the wishing book, and soon, black text appeared:

My wish: I wish that in my upcoming explorations, I will successfully obtain the methods of cultivation.

........................

Now that the wish has been made, where should we begin?

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Jing decided to start with the circular building that resembled the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven. He felt that the building's shape was quite unique and it was not far from his location, so there might be some important discoveries there.

Returning to the circular building, Zhang Jing carefully examined it. When it was intact, the building should have had more than four floors, but now only the first and second floors remained. As for the upper floors, they had been completely destroyed.

Zhang Jing quickly located the door. The dark door was wide open, without any door panels or anything else on it. Perhaps there used to be, but it may have been destroyed or decayed over time. In any case, Zhang Jing could walk straight in.

Zhang Jing noticed that there were three divination characters engraved on the stone plaque above the doorway. He quickly took out his phone, pulled up the character list he had saved, and began to look them up.

A moment later, he excitedly raised his head. These three characters, when translated into modern language, are: Sutra Repository.

If Zhang Jing's current feelings were personified as a little person, then this little person would definitely be waving two small flags and shouting: "The wishing book is amazing!"

The Sutra Repository, as the name suggests, means that once you find it, the secret manuals won't be far behind.

The Sutra Repository was pitch black. Zhang Jing took out a flashlight and carefully shone it around, while holding a tactical knife in his other hand. He slowly walked into the hall.

Chapter Nineteen: The "Seeds" of Power

Zhang Jing scanned the scene inside the hall with his flashlight, and then his heart sank.

The interior of the hall was a scene of ruin and devastation, like a meadow swept by a storm, with most of the furnishings no longer in their original places.

Zhang Jing slowly walked in. It was a circular space with a diameter of about thirty meters and a ceiling height of about three to four meters. There was a staircase in one corner that led to the second floor.

The hall should have been filled with rows of bookshelves made of some kind of heavy wood, but now most of them have become broken ruins scattered all over the floor, with only one or two bookshelves on the edge remaining intact.

Zhang Jing walked straight to a well-preserved wooden bookshelf and reached out to touch it. The bookshelf was icy cold to the touch, like metal or stone, clearly not made of ordinary wood.

These bookshelves are made of thick and large materials. Instead of paper books like those in modern libraries, they are filled with jade artifacts. Zhang Jing glanced at them and found that the jade artifacts were basically of two types: jade plaques and jade tablets. Moreover, the size and shape of these jade artifacts were similar, and they were all carved from high-purity jade.

In addition, Zhang Jing also saw a crystalline columnar object here, slightly shorter than the palm of his hand. He picked one up and looked at it, and found that it seemed to be carved from a very pure white crystal.

Zhang Jing observed the exhibits and shone his flashlight on the ground. He then discovered that similar jade plaques or jade tablets were scattered all over the ground, but most of them were damaged.

This must be how the original owner of this place stored knowledge. As a fan of online novels in his previous life, Zhang Jing did not find it difficult to accept.

After repeatedly confirming with his flashlight that there was no danger in the surroundings, Zhang Jing walked over to a bookshelf for a closer look. The bookshelf had six shelves and was nearly two meters wide. He noticed that each item on the shelf had small characters engraved below it, which Zhang Jing guessed was for easy retrieval by others.

As his top priority, Zhang Jing still hoped to find the cultivation method and how to enter and leave this place.

Because he was illiterate, Zhang Jing had to refer to a character list to determine the specific meaning. Fortunately, there are some similarities between oracle bone inscriptions and modern characters, and they also have the characteristic of interpreting meanings based on their forms. Therefore, after comparing them many times, Zhang Jing gradually became more proficient and could make a rough judgment on some commonly used characters. So, his speed was actually slowly improving.

About an hour later, Zhang Jing made his first useful discovery.

“The 'All Rivers Flow into the Sea'—this might be what I’m looking for!” Zhang Jing was holding a plain-looking jade tablet made of bluish-white jade. The tablet was carved with some patterns and had an ancient feel to it.

Having not yet learned any cultivation methods, Zhang Jing only had one option at this point: to prick his finger again and drip a drop of blood onto it...

This attempt worked again. Zhang Jing felt a slight dizziness, followed by a pricking sensation in his head, which made him groan. He raised his hand and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead, and it took him a while to recover.

What Zhang Jing didn't know at the time was that, as an ordinary person, using the Blood Dipping Technique twice in a short period of time had already damaged his divine sense. Fortunately, the injury was not serious, and he would recover after a period of rest.

However, such a price was not without its rewards. Zhang Jing felt a wealth of knowledge flooding his mind. After a moment's thought, he realized that the method recorded in the jade tablet, called "All Rivers Converge into the Sea," was the foundational method of the Lishan Sect, which was perfect for Zhang Jing's current needs.

Zhang Jing guessed that this Lishan Sect should be the original owner of this Lishan Cave Heaven.

Furthermore, this method is not merely written words, but a "seed," a seed of power. Zhang Jing had never encountered anything like this before, yet he instinctively felt that this term best described it. With this seed, Zhang Jing could further experience many things he had never felt before, such as those within his body, outside his body, and the void, or those things that his body instinctively ignored.

It's a strange experience, like how humans can never grow wings to fly, or how fish feel breathing in water, unless you help them grow wings and gills...

Zhang Jing clearly knew that as long as he accepted this seed and cultivated accordingly, he would step into an unknown new world.

This is truly...unbelievable!

Zhang Jing couldn't help but mutter to himself. This phenomenon immediately reminded him of a term he'd often encountered in his past life during Tibetan Buddhist Tantric practice—initiation.

Legend has it that highly accomplished monks can transmit the seeds of spiritual cultivation and certain subconscious ideas directly to their disciples through initiation. However, Zhang Jing believed that even if that were true, it could never be so miraculous.

At the same time, Zhang Jing also understood why this method was used to record the sect's classic texts, because such things were indeed difficult to teach in writing.

Looking around, Zhang Jing found the surroundings still silent. He then summoned the wishing book again and looked through the flashlight. Sure enough, his previous wish had been fulfilled.

My wish: I wish that in my upcoming explorations, I will successfully obtain the methods of cultivation.

That wish has been fulfilled.

8000 wish points will be deducted.

Zhang Jing checked the wishing points again; as of now, he had 24613 wishing points remaining.

Zhang Jing mentally reviewed the knowledge he had just gained from the jade tablet. From this knowledge, he learned that these people called themselves cultivators, seeking the truth of the world. Furthermore, he learned that the jade tablet in his hand should be called a Dharma repository, a container into which a cultivator of a certain level imprinted their divine thoughts using the method of mental seal, leaving it for disciples or others to interpret.

The correct way to use it is not by dripping blood, but by using one's own divine sense to interpret it. This interpretation consumes divine sense, so it should be done in moderation, otherwise it will damage one's mind.

Having realized this, Zhang Jing couldn't help but think of his headache from earlier, realizing he needed to pay attention to this in the future.

Furthermore, Zhang Jing deduced from this knowledge that the jade tablet that brought him to this grotto-heaven world should be a magical artifact. If so, then if he wanted to leave this place and return to his original world, he would probably have to start with that jade tablet.

To truly use a magical artifact, even the simplest one, one must be a cultivator who has stepped into the threshold of cultivation.

"It seems I must complete my first Foundation Establishment as soon as possible and become a cultivator," Zhang Jing thought to himself.

Chapter Twenty: Leaping Out of the Water, Glimpsing the Void

Now that we're going to build our foundation, the first thing we need to do is find a relatively safe and undisturbed place.

Zhang Jing looked around. As for where was truly safe, he couldn't say for sure where he was on his journey. Although he hadn't discovered anything unusual so far, the thought of those bizarre and deformed monster skeletons made him uneasy. Who knew if, at this very moment, some unseen corner was watching him with a strange gaze?

Thinking of this, Zhang Jing looked around again, but still found nothing. Calming his racing heart, Zhang Jing silently reminded himself not to scare himself.

In fact, he had already realized that under such high vigilance, the physical and mental exhaustion was quite considerable, not to mention the real potential threats.

After all, a son of a wealthy family shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof. He was currently carrying the wishing book, and it would be quite frustrating if he were killed by some monster that suddenly appeared.

Realizing that he might have an inextricable connection with this grotto for a considerable period of time to come, Zhang Jing finally made a decision.

It seems we still need to completely resolve the security issues.

As for how to solve it? It's simple, make a wish...

So Zhang Jing summoned the wishing book again:

“I made a wish that the calamity in the cave has passed, that there is no hostile being in this cave, and that I am safe in this cave.”

This time, the wishing letter quickly responded:

I made a wish that the calamity in the cave had passed, that there was no one hostile to me in this cave, and that I was safe in this cave.

That wish has been fulfilled.

6000 wish points will be deducted.

Throughout, all was silent, as if nothing had happened. Zhang Jing guessed that, judging from the situation, the most likely scenario was that the invasion that had occurred to the cave had long since disappeared with time, and the cave was now just a ruin, posing no real danger.

This is probably why the points required to fulfill a wish don't seem to be very high.

At this point, there are 18613 wish points remaining.

"In that case, we should be safe!" As if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, Zhang Jing's mood changed as he looked around. Although the surroundings were still dark, the feeling of impending danger was gone.

Zhang Jing took back the wishing book and slowly walked out of the Sutra Repository. As soon as he stepped out of the gate, he sensed something unusual. The surrounding light was noticeably brighter than before, as if it had transitioned from night to dawn.

Looking up at the sky, Zhang Jing saw that the sun was not there as expected, and the bright moon still hung high. However, unlike before, the starlight in the sky was significantly stronger, yet not dazzling, giving a soft brightness. Upon closer observation, Zhang Jing discovered that streaks of starlight seemed to be falling from the sky, which was perhaps the reason for the obvious increase in brightness around him.

Could this grotto-heaven possess the ability to simulate day and night? Zhang Jing speculated for a moment, then dismissed the idea, setting it aside for the time being. He wandered around, looking around, and soon found a large rock shaped like a meditation cushion. He sat down on it, closed his eyes slightly, and formed a hand seal…

Following the newly acquired method, Zhang Jing, in conjunction with the hand seals, gradually adjusted his breathing pattern and frequency, plunging himself into a special, hypnotic state of tranquility.

Time passed slowly, and after about half an hour, Zhang Jing felt that his mind had completely calmed down, and in this special state, he was like a still lake.

At this moment, Zhang Jing also gained a clearer understanding of the essence of the power seed he obtained from "All Rivers Converge into the Sea." It was a metaphysical existence, an incredible existence formed by the condensation of spirit, will, concepts, and even certain rules.

Under these special circumstances, the seed gradually merged into Zhang Jing's spirituality and from then on became a part of him.

It was a transcendent feeling. Even the most advanced medical equipment could not detect any difference between Zhang Jing and before. However, Zhang Jing could clearly feel that there was something indescribable in his spirituality. If he had to describe it, it was as if a seed had entered the soil and begun to sprout vigorously.