Chapter 101: Comprehending the Gate of Myriad Differences, Obtaining Mutation Ability

Chapter 101: Perceiving the Gate of Myriad Distinctions, Acquiring Mutative Abilities

“You can talk... wow, you’re a monster!”

The canary flapped its wings, soaring three meters high, its tiny body trembling with visible terror.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan was speechless: “I’m human, a genuine human.

You, a bird, don’t speak bird language but human tongue—you’re the monster!”

“This young lady can speak bird language!”

“Biubiubiubiu... chirp chirp chirp chirp...”

The canary’s voice was like a machine gun, or like an electric scooter alarm—crisp, shrill, and piercing.

“I’ve used bird language, so I’m no monster. Your turn—you’re a drop of blood, say something in blood language, or else you’re the monster?” the canary demanded.

Her conversation with Qi Yuan now lacked all logic, like a user on a brain-dead forum.

How could blood speak?

Qi Yuan was baffled.

But he couldn’t let a bird outdo him.

“Dinosaur... carry wolf... blood blood blood...”

Qi Yuan instantly made something up.

The canary’s tiny eyes widened, its pupils darting: “You’re lying to me—where does blood talk like that?”

“You’re not blood, so how would you know how blood talks?” Qi Yuan felt his IQ soaring against the canary, directly borrowing the classic allusion: “You are not the fish, how do you know the fish’s joy?”

Sure enough, the canary was stunned by Qi Yuan.

“So neither of us is a monster?” It cautiously flew over and landed near Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan paused, realizing he had been drawn into a trap.

Whether one could speak bird language or blood language had nothing to do with being a monster.

“You’re the monster; I’m not,” Qi Yuan said with emphasis.

The canary landed beside him: “Even if this young lady is a monster, I’m a very pretty monster. And you? Ugly freak!”

Hearing this, Qi Yuan couldn’t take it: “If I were to take form, I’d be dignified and handsome.”

The two bickered like children, gradually growing familiar.

Qi Yuan found that this canary wasn’t very smart—a bit dim—and it was particularly vain, or rather, obsessed with beauty.

Qi Yuan felt the canary had dragged him down to its own IQ level.

He stopped arguing about meaningless things and asked, “Where is this place?”

“This is Nine Coil Mountain.”

“Where is Nine Coil Mountain?”

“At Nine Coil Mountain, duh?” The canary looked at him like he was an idiot.

Qi Yuan was speechless. Why not say Erxian Bridge, or Chenghua Avenue?

But he understood that asking this canary would get him nowhere.

“Do you know about the North-South Conflict?” Qi Yuan asked again.

Everyone in Windstream Realm roughly knew of the North-South Conflict.

The canary shook its head.

“Then... do you know about the Malignants?” Could it be that this realm wasn’t Windstream Realm?

The canary’s tiny eyes widened, showing fear: “You mean those ugly things? There are so many down the mountain!”

Qi Yuan listened.

Looking at the starless sky, he roughly understood that this should still be Windstream Realm.

“Those ugly things, all crazy, attack us whenever they see us.”

“Do you know what that door in the sky is?” Qi Yuan pressed further.

That door in the sky was mysterious and ancient.

In Windstream Realm, he had never seen such a door in the sky.

This meant... the place he was now...

“I don’t know,” the canary shook its head.

Qi Yuan didn’t want to talk anymore. This dim-witted canary couldn’t answer anything.

He gazed at the Gate of Myriad Distinctions in the sky, slowly perceiving it.

The canary glanced at Qi Yuan and returned to its nest.

The tiny nest hung on a big tree, looking quite small and delicate.

The canary went into its nest and preened its smooth feathers.

It preened for half a day.

After who knows how long, it sensed something and poked its little head out: “Blood bead, what are you doing? What’s so interesting about that door?”

“I’m perceiving the origin,” Qi Yuan answered the canary.

His perception of the origin wasn’t like in TV shows—requiring full immersion without disturbance.

He just needed to look with his eyes.

Anyway, fragments would fall.

[You have perceived the Gate of Myriad Distinctions, Back-Scrubbing Ability +1.]

[You have perceived the Gate of Myriad Distinctions, Mutative Ability +1.]

[You have perceived the Gate of Myriad Distinctions, Mental Derangement +1.]

All sorts of strange perceptions.

The more he perceived, the better his mental state became.

“Perceiving the origin—what’s that?” The canary looked up at the Gate of Myriad Distinctions in the sky, a hint of instinctive fear in its eyes. “Can it make me prettier?”

“Probably... maybe,” Qi Yuan answered truthfully.

Since the perceptions were all weird, it was entirely possible to become prettier.

Hearing this, the canary grew excited: “I want to perceive too!”

It imitated Qi Yuan, staring blankly at the Gate of Myriad Distinctions in the sky.

As he perceived, Qi Yuan’s form gradually grew larger.

And over this past month, the thing he had perceived most was the mutative ability.

He had ten of them now.

As for the other bizarre abilities, they were but fleeting glimpses, never forming a coherent system.

A month later, a sudden rainstorm swept over Nine Coil Mountain, the wind shaking the trees, drenching the entire world. Through the curtain of rain, Qi Yuan still fixed his gaze upon the Myriad Gates of the Heavens.

Amidst the thunder and lightning.

[You have gained insight into the Myriad Gates of the Heavens; your combat power has slightly increased in the rainstorm.]

“So this is possible?” It was the first time in a month that Qi Yuan had sensed an improvement in combat power.

Yet the cold rain lashed against his face, causing him considerable discomfort.

Just then, a banana leaf was placed over his head, shielding him from the rain.

The canary’s voice came through: “Blood bead, what a heavy rain.”

Qi Yuan glanced at it; its feathers were mostly soaked, and it was shivering: “I’m not afraid of the rain. Go back to your nest. If your feathers get wet, you won’t be beautiful anymore.”

“Hmph!” The canary held the banana leaf aloft. “We’re neighbors, after all. This young lady pities you, with no hands or feet, so I’m looking out for you... Ah-choo...”

“Can canaries sneeze too?” Qi Yuan had never seen such a thing before.

The canary, wet and cold, turned its head away, unwilling to look at Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan said softly, “Fire.”

Instantly, a faint flame flickered into life beside them.

Seeing this, the canary’s eyes darted about: “You know magic?”

“It’s a minor ability gained from insight into the Myriad Gates of the Heavens, but it’s unstable.”

This ability he had acquired was different from the fireball technique he had used in the Canglan Realm.

The fireball technique could be used in the Canglan Realm, but if activated within the game, it would have no effect whatsoever.

As for the ability gained through insight into the Myriad Gates of the Heavens, Qi Yuan had a premonition that it was interchangeable—usable not only in the Flowing Wind Realm but also in the Canglan Realm.

This was somewhat similar to his game skills.

Though this ability seemed rather useless, Qi Yuan sensed its immense potential.

“Wow, Blood Bead, you’re so amazing. Why is it that when I gained insight into the Myriad Gates of the Heavens, I didn’t gain anything at all? Instead, my eyes have become a bit blurry.” The canary drew closer to the flame, feeling a lazy warmth, the chill on its body somewhat dispelled.

“You haven’t become nearsighted, have you? You look at the sky—how could you become nearsighted? Maybe you should stop seeking insight.”

“No! I want to become more beautiful!” The canary said stubbornly. Suddenly, its eyes darted. “Do you smell something strange? Like something burning.”

Qi Yuan swept his gaze over and saw that the canary’s tail had been set alight by his flame. “...Your tail is on fire.”

“Ah... mmph... My feathers are burning!”

“Blood Bead, this young lady is not done with you!”

The banana leaf was flung aside, and the rain poured down on the canary’s feathers, extinguishing the flame.

On its tail, there were still scorch marks.

How could it, who loved beauty above all, accept such an outcome?

It glared at Qi Yuan.

“This young lady will never speak to you again.”

Like an angry child, it ran back into its own nest.

It looked at its tail, its expression pitiful and aggrieved.

It muttered to itself, “Blood Bead, unless you come and talk to me first, this young lady won’t pay you any mind.”

The canary watched the heavy rain outside and simply curled up in its nest.

As if only sleep could ease the pain in its heart at that moment.

At nightfall, a banana leaf fell over Qi Yuan, blocking most of the rain.

Qi Yuan glanced at that specially shaped bird’s nest, which could shelter from wind and rain.

He then caught sight of the flustered canary, which seemed to realize it had been discovered and shot Qi Yuan an angry glare.

“What are you looking at? If you don’t apologize, this young lady won’t forgive you.”

In the days that followed, the canary indeed did not come to chat with Qi Yuan.

It seemed that having its feathers burned—being naturally fond of beauty—had truly made it angry.

Qi Yuan continued to gain insight into the Myriad Gates of the Heavens, and the aberrant abilities within him steadily increased.

A full year passed, and Qi Yuan’s aberrant abilities had nearly reached a hundred.

The rest were a motley collection, all fleeting and ephemeral.

“Hey, Blood Bead, when are you going to apologize to this young lady on your own initiative?”

One evening, the canary appeared before Qi Yuan.

Its tail seemed to have grown back, and it glared at Qi Yuan.

After a year, it finally deigned to acknowledge him.

“...Who are you?” Qi Yuan felt somewhat bewildered.

“You... you’ve forgotten this young lady? Unforgivable!” The canary stared at Qi Yuan, its feathers bristling as if about to explode. It paced around him incessantly. “Oh, you’re the canary. I remember now. Thank you for the banana leaf.” Qi Yuan strained his memory, recalled it, and immediately broke into a smile.

The canary glared at him: “You’re not like the fish in the river, with a memory that bad, are you?”

Time flowed on, and twenty-seven years passed in the blink of an eye.

Qi Yuan’s form had grown from a small marble to the size of a soccer ball.

His aberrant abilities had also accumulated to nearly a thousand.

The Myriad Gates of the Heavens above the firmament gradually grew ethereal, seeming to fade, as if they might vanish at any moment.

“Blood Bead, tell me, between me and that white fox on Seven Coil Mountain, who is more beautiful?” The canary fluttered its wings and landed before Qi Yuan.

Around Nine Coil Mountain, there were several other mountain ranges.

On Seven Coil Mountain, there lived a white fox that could speak human tongue, the most popular being among the nearby peaks.

A golden nest or a silver nest is no match for one’s own doghouse.

“You are the most beautiful.” Qi Yuan lied with a straight face, comforting his neighbor.

“This young lady knew I was the prettiest! Those fools have no taste, actually voting that white fox as the number one beauty!” The canary grumbled indignantly.

Suddenly, the canary looked up at the sky, a dazed expression on its small face: “Blood Bead, the Myriad Gates of the Heavens you’ve been staring at... it’s gone. Don’t be sad.”

“Blood Bead?”

“Blood Bead?!”

...

Have I returned?

Gaining insight into the origin—it came in haste, and departed in haste.

Qi Yuan opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He had returned to the City of No Return.

"Is this the perception of the origin?"

Qi Yuan recalled the Gate of Ten Thousand Differences above the firmament.

He had meditated for twenty-seven years, and what he gained most was the power of mutation.

When the Gate of Ten Thousand Differences vanished, his meditation ended.

"The power of mutation... what exactly is it?"

"And the Gate of Ten Thousand Differences—what is that?"

Qi Yuan gazed at his own body.

"Fire," he murmured softly.

A flame flickered into life.

He had not cast any spell from the Canglan Realm, nor used any ability from the game.

He said "fire," and fire appeared.

"Mutation?" Qi Yuan whispered.

Alas, his body showed no change.

"Could it be that I've grasped too little of the mutation power?

Or have I failed to see the problem within?"

"The next meditation will likely have to wait until I reach level ninety."

He had gained one chance at meditation at level sixty, so levels ninety and one hundred twenty would grant more.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Qi Yuan wrapped his arm around Xiao Jia, and the two lay once more in the great pit before the city gate.

...

In the windless desert, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but yellow sand, possessing a sort of vast and magnificent beauty.

Qi Yuan, with Xiao Jia in his arms, sat alone on the city wall, quite at ease.

"This kind of garrison mode is actually quite nice. If I had to keep slaying monsters nonstop, even if I were made of iron, I couldn't hold out."

Though Qi Yuan possessed the Death Radiance, he was still too weak now, and healing from injuries was very troublesome.

He would have to wait until at least level eighty or ninety—only then would the Death Radiance be most effective.

At that time, he would be like an indestructible cockroach.

"Are they coming?"

Just then, Qi Yuan squinted, gazing into the vast desert.

In the distance, dust rose in clouds.

The army of demonic abominations advanced, stirring up a scene like a sandstorm.

And this time, it seemed far more formidable than before.

"Eight hundred heads?"

"Over twenty of them at level forty-nine?"

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes.

In the past, there were usually only one or two monsters of that rank.

This time, there were clearly more than twenty.

"Trouble's brewing!"

A delighted smile appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes.

"After beating the small fry, have the big ones finally come?"

He lifted his broken sword and leaped down from the city wall.

As always, he shouted at the advancing demonic army before him: "I am the Wugui City Garrison Commander. Trespassers... shall be slain without mercy."

Qi Yuan raised his sword, his lean figure forming a stark contrast with the thirty-zhang-high city wall.

But this time, unlike before, the advancing demonic army suddenly halted.

A woman's voice rang out.

"Such a handsome man."

With these words, a woman dressed in scanty attire stepped forward.

Her face was ordinary, merely above average, but her figure was explosively curvaceous. She wore a blood-red gown slit up to her waist, revealing most of her hipbone as she swayed. On her slightly wheat-colored buttocks, a deep handprint was visible.

Her face was covered in bizarre tattoos.

The newcomer was the Demon Controller, Caixia.

She looked at Qi Yuan, a flirtatious gleam in her eyes: "So this is why Wugui City has been so hard to conquer—there's a cultivator here."

Qi Yuan looked at Caixia, also showing surprise: "Aside from the extraterrestrial demons and the phantoms in Tianjue, this is the first time I've seen a human-shaped experience pack."

A flicker of pity passed through Caixia's eyes: "The man is handsome, his body strong, but his head is a bit off.

Still, what I fancy isn't your brain—it's your body."

With that, Caixia gazed at Qi Yuan with a covetous look and licked her lips: "Interested in joining our Northern Territory camp?"

Such communication was normal.

Among the demon hunters guarding the one hundred and eight thousand cities, countless people fled to the Northern Territory every day, becoming part of its camp.

Caixia's last male concubine had escaped from Garan City.

"I only see you as an experience pack, and you dare to covet my body? You're asking for death!" Qi Yuan gripped his broken sword, fury on his face.

A presumptuous woman, a shrimp-headed woman!

"It seems... you haven't faced reality yet." Caixia's smile froze. "In Wugui City, you have no reinforcements.

And my demonic army is endless.

Do you really think that by repelling a few waves of demons, you can hold this city?

You alone—even if you were a nation-guarding master, even a terrestrial myth—could never defend Wugui City!

The one hundred and eight thousand cities will, one day, slowly fall!"

As Caixia spoke, she stepped back.

As a Demon Controller, her own strength was actually quite ordinary.

The demons were her greatest reliance.

Over twenty overlord-level demons were enough to sweep a small city like Wugui.

Not to mention the hundreds of other demons behind them.

As Caixia retreated, the demonic army roared and charged toward Qi Yuan.

"Kill!"

Qi Yuan stood alone before the City of No Return, facing an army of eight hundred demonic fiends, and charged into their midst alone.

A flash of sword light passed, and over a dozen demonic fiends were directly sliced into fragments.

At that moment, an unusual prompt sound reached his ears.

[Mutation progress 1%, extracting 1% Sin Source.]

[Obtained Sin Source *1.]

Qi Yuan paused for a moment.

In the past, when he killed demonic fiends, he only gained experience.

Now, killing demonic fiends also allowed him to obtain Sin Source.

Was this related to the mutation ability he gained from comprehending the origin?

Sin Source—what was that?

However, he could not dwell on it.

At this moment, he was still in the midst of battle; everything would have to wait until the battle was over.

The slaughter had just begun!

And with Sin Source, Qi Yuan felt even more excited, and he struck down monsters with greater force.

Not far away, Caixia witnessed this, and the greed in her eyes deepened: "Such a sturdy body—I want to lick it."

Yet, after about several hundred breaths, the greed on her face completely vanished, replaced by wariness.

Because the army of eight hundred demonic fiends, besieging that one man, had already lost over a hundred to him, and he still bore not a single wound.

He held a broken sword, not at all like a swordsman, but like an assassin charging into the battle formation.

And yet, such an assassin, facing an army's encirclement, still killed several demonic fiends with a single thrust.

Where was there an assassin who would directly confront an army?

She finally realized the gravity of the situation: "You are a Nation Guardian!"

In this tiny city of No Return, there was actually a Nation Guardian!

Qi Yuan, holding his broken sword, slew a sovereign-level demonic fiend with one strike, and looked greedily at Caixia: "Thank you for bringing me this appetizer."

Level 60 and level 59 were a watershed.

According to the divisions of the Canglan Realm, it was the gap between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation.

According to the divisions of the Wangyue Continent, it was the gap between Emperor and Supreme Emperor.

According to the divisions of the Liufeng Realm, it was the gap between Nation Guardian and Overlord.

In the past, without merging with Xiao Jia, killing this army of eight hundred would have required some effort.

But now, he could kill them with ease.

Upon hearing this, Caixia fled without any hesitation.

A Nation Guardian was not something she could handle!

(End of this chapter)