Chapter 5: That Man Suddenly Passed Away?

As soon as Chen Chushi finished writing "Beginner's Water Technique," a system notification popped up, granting him the "Creator of Beginner Spells" achievement, and his cultivation effect increased from tenfold to twentyfold! Over the next two days of practice, he could clearly feel his strength progressing!

However, with one day of cultivation equating to twenty days for others, while the efficiency was remarkable, drawbacks soon appeared.

During his practice, he was like a high-powered water pump, voraciously drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy. Once the local reserves were depleted, he had to wait for distant energy to slowly flow back in before he could continue absorbing it...

In the city, spiritual energy was already thin, and the replenishment rate was even slower.

Supply of spiritual energy was truly a problem, he reflected.

He would need to find a spiritual haven or some sacred ground.

Checking out a "Guide to Famous Scenic Spots in the Xia Kingdom" from the library, he flipped through its pages. When he reached the section on Baishui City, his hand paused as his eyes landed on the entry for Qingshui Mountain, complete with a written description.

Qingshui Mountain: birdsong and fragrant flowers, beautiful scenery, and atop its peak, an ancient sage known as Master Qingshui had built a temple for solitary cultivation over seven hundred years ago.

New to this world, Chen Chushi could only try his luck with these tourist destinations for now. From the photos in the book, it was clear that the Xia Kingdom took environmental and cultural preservation seriously.

He decided to visit Qingshui Mountain, which was the closest.

He always carried a pad of sticky notes with him, and every time he borrowed something, he left a note explaining his reason for borrowing it.

Though humanity had vanished, that was no reason to abandon his principles.

On the roadside, he found a motorcycle with its key still in the ignition, started it, and headed for Qingshui Mountain.

Two hours later, he arrived.

Standing at the entrance to the scenic area, his eyes lit up—the spiritual energy here was indeed much richer than elsewhere!

It seemed Master Qingshui was no ordinary person.

Passing through the ticket gate, he borrowed a scenic electric cart and rode up the mountain road. The higher he went, the more comfortable he felt, until the vehicle finally stopped at a plaza before a grand hall.

The plaque read "Master Qingshui's Palace." Anyone who could have such a place built in their honor must have possessed extraordinary abilities.

Entering the main hall, he was greeted by the golden, resplendent statue of Master Qingshui.

Now that he was on the path of cultivation, whoever Master Qingshui had been, he was certainly a predecessor worth respecting.

On the incense altar, Chen Chushi lit three sticks of incense and placed them in the burner. “All of humanity has left the earth; I don’t know if anyone will ever come again to pay respects… Your junior offers his respects.”

With that, he began to explore, searching for the source of the spiritual energy.

He laid out the guidebook to the mountain, open to the detailed route map. At each spot that seemed a likely generator of spiritual energy, he marked it with his pen.

Sixteen hours later, Chen Chushi sat on a bench by the path, gasping for breath.

If not for his cultivation, he would have collapsed after just five hours of walking.

Looking at the map, now crowded with marks, he took out his pen and calculated the energy production at each spot, finally connecting several points into a circle with a heavy stroke. “This must be the optimal spot!” The richest spiritual energy on Qingshui Mountain was not at the palace itself, but above a stream halfway up the mountain.

After recovering his strength with two hours of cultivation on the bench, he headed for the stream.

It was shallow, trickling behind a pile of rocks—barely reaching his ankles. Compared to the surrounding scenery, it was unremarkable, and virtually untouched by human feet.

Chen Chushi sat down again and began to cultivate in earnest.

His pores greedily absorbed the abundant spiritual energy. Only after having practiced in the city did he now truly understand what it meant to be surrounded by abundance!

The energy surged through his body, washing through every channel and meridian. Steam rose from his head; his hair grew visibly longer by the moment. His body underwent a frenzy of metabolism—his skin turning pale and rough. He sat motionless, like a meditating monk, but his aged skin looked more like a monk passing into nirvana.

Aboard the ecological ark, Xia Kingdom.

In the Earth Orphan Research Division, Li Yuanze stared grimly at the monitor. “No signs of life from the orphan yet?”

His department monitored Chen Chushi’s every move around the clock.

That morning, Chen Chushi had suddenly left the city for Qingshui Mountain, guidebook in hand, making notes as he walked, pausing to calculate on a bench, cultivating for two hours, then wandering again—only to suddenly sit down at the mountainside and begin cultivating once more…

Although the scenic area was well covered by cameras, most monitored the main sights, roads, and intersections. Once Chen Chushi slipped into the woods, the surveillance became useless.

Li Yuanze’s team immediately convened an emergency meeting, requesting satellite access from higher authorities.

What they needed was the satellite’s “life detection” function.

This powerful feature was originally designed for search and rescue, and had proven invaluable during humanity’s final mass evacuation to the arks.

Upon receiving access, Li Yuanze immediately scanned Qingshui Mountain, pinpointing Chen Chushi’s location, which appeared on screen as a green silhouette.

The color of the life outline signified the subject’s condition: green for healthy, yellow for weak, red for critical, and gray for dead…

Chen Chushi’s silhouette sat cross-legged on the mountainside, evidently cultivating. At first, all seemed well, but after two hours his life signs began shifting toward red—critical condition! The entire department was thrown into a panic.

Li Yuanze’s brow furrowed deeply. Was this some kind of cultivation deviation?

In dramas and novels, cultivation deviation was always a risk!

He had the “Global Immortal Cultivation Aid Plan” folder right beside him, not yet opened—and now the recipient might die before its use?

Chen Chushi remained in critical condition for over an hour. Li Yuanze stared at the screen the entire time, his eyes bloodshot, as if he could will Chen Chushi back to life just by watching.

No one could endure such tension. He shifted his stiff body, finally sitting back in his chair. “Get me a glass of water…”

His throat felt like it was on fire. As he took the iced water from his assistant and poured it down, out of the corner of his eye he saw Chen Chushi’s life outline turn gray—dead. The water sprayed all over the screen. “What happened!” He never should have taken that sip!

The whole department sprang into action. Li Yuanze immediately contacted the satellite division. “What’s wrong with the life detection system? It’s malfunctioning—fix it now!”

After several checks, the satellite team regretfully informed him that the system was functioning perfectly.

The news hit Li Yuanze like a punch to the skull. All strength left him; he slumped in his chair, staring numbly at the gray silhouette on the screen.

Human technology could not escape the helium flash. At last, there had been a faint hope for survival in this earth orphan—now, gone in an instant? Was this a joke?

He’d already risked everything to convince those old men to gather the world’s resources to help him cultivate—and now this?