Wu Pifu… He never liked that name.
He disliked both Pi-fu, as in a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and Pi-fu, which is a homophone for a common man.
At first, he thought his parents were uncultured, but as he grew up, he realized they were both highly educated and had even started their own successful businesses. Such people couldn't be uncultured.
"Actually, whether it's a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or a common man's rage, these are the meanings behind the name I gave you. You might not understand now, but you will when you grow up."
That summer, during high school, Wu Pifu asked about his name, and his father answered with a riddle-like attitude.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't grow up…
In his junior year of college, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that was still incurable in the 21st century. His condition progressed extremely rapidly; in less than a year, he could only breathe with the aid of a ventilator.
He felt like he was going to die.
His parents tried everything, consulted every expert they could find, and visited every research institution possible, but the answer was always the same: it was impossible.
In 2026, when he was 23 years old, he was placed in cryopreservation fluid.
"We want you to live, even if it's in the distant future, without family, without acquaintances, without your home. We still want you to live, son, because only by living is there hope…"
When he opened his eyes again, it was already 2877, after the Fourth World War…
The War between the People's Revolutionary League and the Earth Government had pushed the Moon towards Earth and Jupiter towards the Sun. The entire Solar System was no longer suitable for human habitation and development. Out of necessity, humanity had to pool all its resources to build the human mothership, Gaia.
The target: Kepler-186f.
Approximately five hundred light-years from Earth, humanity planned to reach this star system in eight thousand years. Wu Pifu was revived by the Human Government from a pile of discarded junk at that time…
Wu Pifu suddenly opened his eyes. His dream had just recalled him being revived, and how he had to sign a service agreement for a maintenance worker position, akin to selling himself, due to the exorbitant medical fees. He needed to perform maintenance work for two thousand years in his designated Z-117-6123 district among the twenty-six major districts of Gaia. Only then would he be qualified to enter the Dream World as a citizen of the Human Government for hibernation, until eight thousand years later, when he would begin his new life on Kepler-186f.
His gaze fell upon dim, dilapidated wooden beams. The surrounding walls were grayish-black, also made of wood. The room had very poor ventilation, with a damp, moldy smell, and almost no natural light, just a half-obscured window and a wide-open door.
Wu Pifu slowly shifted his body. He found himself lying on a tattered straw mat, which was covered in water droplets. His back was cold and wet.
But…
He had survived after all.
Understanding this, Wu Pifu let out a long sigh of relief.
At this moment, his entire body ached, especially his broken left arm, which was in excruciating pain. Just the slight movement earlier had almost made him faint from the agony.
He lay on the tattered straw mat for over ten seconds, slowly circulating a small amount of vital energy and blood. Only then did he manage to sit up with difficulty. As soon as he sat up, he was startled; a dark figure stood at the doorway. Because it was backlit, he couldn't make out who it was at all. Immediately, his muscles tensed, and blood began to seep from his body.
The dark figure quickly ran towards him. Only then did Wu Pifu clearly see that the person was a thin, small woman with grayish-brown skin. And judging by her movements and expression, she was not a Nightmare, which made him sigh in relief.
The woman was wearing a patched gray linen garment and holding a chipped earthenware bowl. She hurried to Wu Pifu's side, squatted down, and began examining the bloodstains on Wu Pifu's body and the wound on his left arm.
Wu Pifu said hoarsely, "Did you save me? Thank you…"
The woman didn't speak. Her face was dim, and Wu Pifu couldn't see it clearly, only that she extended the bowl in her hand towards Wu Pifu.
Wu Pifu paused, then with effort, lifted his right arm and took the rough earthenware bowl. Looking inside, he saw a bowl filled with thin porridge.
Wu Pifu was silent for a moment, then began to drink the thin porridge in large gulps from the large bowl. It was slightly sweet upon entering his mouth. His throat was already parched, and his stomach ached from hunger. This mouthful of porridge made him feel as if he had drunk ambrosia. Although there were some grains of sand in the porridge, he still drank the entire bowl in large gulps.
Only then did Wu Pifu put down the bowl and say earnestly to the woman, "Such a great kindness in saving my life cannot be repaid. I will remember it!"
The woman tried to smile, but her smile was very stiff. It looked somewhat rigid and troubled.
Wu Pifu also noticed then that there was a bruise on the corner of the woman's mouth. He said nothing, only to the woman, "I might need to stay here for a day or two. I wonder if it's convenient?"
Upon hearing this, the woman first nodded, then shook her head, but did not say anything.
Wu Pifu knew that the woman understood his words. All his language would be converted by the Mainframe into words she could understand. In fact, after the Mainframe's most recent authority upgrade, it could even converse with Level One Nightmares. So, this woman probably had a problem with her voice, perhaps she was mute…
Wu Pifu then stood up and slowly walked towards the door. The woman seemed to want to stop him, but was too timid to reach out. Wu Pifu ignored her, walked to the room's main door, and looked out. Outside was a relatively spacious but somewhat dilapidated square. The ground was muddy, and there were broken flagstones. From the overall architectural structure, this seemed to be a temple, and combined with the woman's attire, it might be a nunnery or similar place.
(Ancient times? Baseline Reality 0.7, huh…)
Wu Pifu was no longer a newcomer; he had long known what Baseline Reality 0.7 meant.
Baseline Reality was the Dream World judgment standard set by the Mainframe.
At Baseline Reality 1, there was no difference between the Dream World and the real world. There would be no extraordinary abilities, no historical deviations, and the geography, planets, and physical rules would be identical to the material world. It could even be specific to a certain action of a certain person in a certain era. This was Baseline Reality 1.
Starting from 0.9, the Dream World would begin to deviate from the real world.
For example, in the early Three Kingdoms period, it wasn't Dong Zhuo who entered the capital, but Ding Yuan, or Zhu Yuanzhang's name was Niu Yuanzhang.
At the same time, special supernatural powers would begin to appear. For example, Wu Pifu's Tiger Demon Skill was obtained in a Baseline Reality 0.9 world, where it was called National Arts.
However, at Baseline Reality 0.9, there would generally not be too significant deviations, and the power system would not be too exaggerated.
At 0.8, things like corpse-herders and Miao ethnic group's gu poison would appear.
And Baseline Reality 0.7…
According to what he heard from his Seniors, when they had the most people, they indeed entered a Baseline Reality 0.7 world. In it, there began to be talismans, ghost summoning, spirit possession, or Western civilization's sacred arts, druids, magic, and the like. At the same time, in terms of world history, the major dynasties would not change, but the specific emperors and the lifespan of the dynasties would vary, such as Emperor Taizu of Song not dying suddenly, or Emperor Xuanzong of Tang killing An Lushan first.
Similarly, the Nightmares in a Baseline Reality 0.7 world, even if they were only Level One Nightmares, were terrifying enough to make one tremble. Their terror level was estimated to be comparable to a Level Two Nightmare in Baseline Reality 0.9!!
And this was still an ancient Dream World's Baseline Reality 0.7…
(That Level Two Nightmare must have followed. The activation time for me to enter the random Dream World didn't exceed ten seconds. This Level Two Nightmare won't let me go, but here, in Baseline Reality 0.7, it will be greatly suppressed and weakened, likely becoming something like a fox spirit or a wandering ghost. Its strange power will be greatly reduced.)
Wu Pifu had some calculations and ideas in mind. He turned to the woman and said, "Don't worry, I know Buddhist monastic rules. I will absolutely not offend them. I just need to hide here for a day or two. I… have enemies chasing me. Please, Master, save me."
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately waved her hands, looking very anxious, but couldn't utter a single word.
Wu Pifu could tell she wasn't trying to drive him away, so he just nodded slightly, without pressing the issue. He then slightly squatted at the doorway, taking a deep breath.
Standing meditation!
Tiger Demon Skill naturally also had a complete set of training methods.
The Tiger Demon Skill Wu Pifu obtained was a complete set of cultivation methods, not something half-transmitted and half-kept. It included the complete training, nurturing, and fighting methods. At this moment, he was using the Tranquil Tiger Squatting meditation from the nurturing methods, circulating vital energy and blood to heal his internal injuries.
In the National Arts system, the saying "practicing martial arts without cultivating inner skill leads to nothing in old age" refers to this inner cultivation as the nurturing method.
Wu Pifu's National Arts came from his initial reward option for his Level One Sanctuary, a complete set of cultivation methods. Naturally, there were no such drawbacks as secret family techniques, or passing it only to sons and not daughters.
Let alone ancient people, even modern people in the 21st century, or even new-era humans in 2877, would not pass on all their knowledge or insights to outsiders. Public learning is one thing, but family learning is another. Therefore, many people who studied National Arts could not learn the most crucial nurturing methods.
National Arts is a killing art, fundamentally different from martial arts. It emphasizes close-quarters combat, where one person can stand against an entire nation, and action means killing. It is often described as 'killing people like cutting grass.'
This is a combat technique that mobilizes the body's explosive power and potential, focusing on burst damage. Therefore, it causes significant damage to the body itself. When one is young and vigorous, it might not be apparent, only feeling strong and robust. However, once the body's functions begin to decline, these internal injuries will erupt, and in severe cases, one might even die suddenly in their prime.
Without the nurturing methods, those who practiced National Arts often experienced premature aging and early death.
As Wu Pifu assumed the Tranquil Tiger Squatting stance, he initially found it difficult to stand and circulate his vital energy and blood. But as he gradually maintained the stance, his vital energy and blood began to flow from his Dantian. Moreover, he had just drunk most of a bowl of thin porridge, and although the food was scarce, it could still be converted into energy for his body.
Gradually, his breathing became smoother, and his pale complexion gradually improved. However, after only standing for a moment, his stomach began to rumble.
National Arts requires a lot of nourishment. Most of a bowl of thin porridge was simply not enough to support his body's recovery.
The mute nun had been watching him half-squatting. When she heard his stomach rumble, she was first startled, then a troubled expression appeared on her face. However, after her troubled look, she still tiptoed towards the building far across the square.
Wu Pifu was now filled with distracting thoughts. Tiger Demon Skill did not require entering a meditative state; the more distracting thoughts, the better. So, he didn't notice the mute nun leaving.
After an unknown period, he came out of the Tranquil Tiger Squatting stance. By this time, the sky had grown dark, and the mute nun was nowhere to be seen. Only a steamed bun lay on the windowsill behind him.
Wu Pifu was silent for a moment, then directly picked up the steamed bun and began to devour it in large bites.
Wu Pifu did not plan to continue practicing his skill for now. Too much was as bad as too little, especially since he lacked high-calorie and high-nutrient food. He decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, he would explore this world, confirm the Dynasty, the location, and whether there had been any recent historical upheavals. He also wanted to see if he could acquire some gold, silver, or money, as money was necessary whether he needed to buy medicine or food, or to slightly repay the kindness of saving his life.
Just as Wu Pifu lay down on the tattered straw mat in his clothes, he suddenly heard sounds of commotion from the distant square.
He didn't get up, but merely circulated his vital energy and blood to his ears, and the distant chaotic sounds gradually became clearer.
It was men's voices. A nunnery, with men's voices at night?
Teasing, flattery, scolding, gasps…
Wu Pifu suddenly understood what this place was.
A hidden nunnery.