Rat in Yellow Wind Ridge, rising from plundering entries

Chapter 14 Seven Years of Training—Trait Upgrades and Strength Advancement!

At Square Inch Mountain, when not occupied with chores, Yellow Wind King befriended his senior brothers. From Bai Huizi, he learned about the Library Pavilion, which he visited frequently.

The library housed tens of thousands of books, containing teachings from the Three Doctrines, Hundred Schools of Thought, and various arcane arts—a vast treasure trove of knowledge.

A true treasure!

Yellow Wind King cherished this opportunity to seek the Dao. His Lingming (Gold) trait significantly boosted his comprehension and study efficiency.

Whenever he encountered difficulties, he asked questions immediately. If his senior brothers couldn’t answer, he asked Bai Huizi to consult Subodhi.

On the first day of each month, Subodhi would give lectures on the Celestial Platform, after which disciples could ask questions.

At first, Sun Wukong was also interested. But his nature was hard to change—within a few days, he lost interest and began wandering around instead.

Yellow Wind King, however, knew he couldn’t compare—Sun Wukong was a natural prodigy, appearing idle but able to score full marks when it mattered.

Yellow Wind King, at best, was just a top scholar—far from Wukong’s unmatched genius. To reach perfection, he had to work twice as hard.

Furthermore, A perfect score was only the exam limit—not Wukong’s true potential.

Did he envy him?

Not really.

He simply focused on improving himself, like a mountain porter—steadily climbing, one step at a time, until he reached the summit and overlooked all below. Thus, his heart for the Dao only grew stronger. In the mountain, years passed like days. Soon, seven years had flown by.

Boom!

Thunderous echoes resounded throughout the deep valley. White cranes and spirit elephants, accustomed to the sound, merely tilted their heads—already desensitized to the noise.

On a mid-mountain terrace, where the scenery was serene, seven or eight immortals gathered—some playing chess, some plucking zither strings, others reading bamboo scrolls.

One of them remarked, “What a ruckus—Junior Brother Huang is training his archery again.”

“Ah, we’re used to it.”

“He has the bloodline of an ancient beast. His martial arts and body refinement improve at an alarming pace. If we’re just talking about combat, he has already surpassed most of us.”

“That may be true, but he isn’t cultivating his primordial spirit.”

“To walk the Dao of the Primordial Spirit, one must shed their demon body and refine a Daoist body. But for demons, the heavens are harsh—it’s not so simple.”

“Personally, I think Junior Brother Sun has the greatest potential. He was born from Heaven and Earth, his nine apertures are naturally open, and he possesses the Innate Lingming Physique.”

“The moment the Grandmaster teaches him the Dao, he’ll soar like a celestial dragon.”

“In the end, spiritual roots and innate wisdom make the difference.”

These immortals were enlightened scattered immortals and true immortals. Their conversation carried no malice—just casual discussion during leisure.

“Hah!”

Yellow Wind King lowered his bow, exhaling deeply. His lean physique, though appearing compact, hid explosive strength within. Over seven years, Subodhi had not taught him or Sun Wukong any mystical arts or divine abilities. The Grandmaster only lectured on Daoist principles and mental cultivation.

Yet, Yellow Wind King had found his own path—in the Library Pavilion, he discovered a body refinement technique called Thunder Sound Yi Bow.

This technique focused on using bowstrings to simulate thunderclaps, vibrating the lungs, flesh, and bones to induce harmonic resonance, thereby refining the body.

Before practicing it, he consulted Bai Huizi to avoid violating the Grandmaster’s rules. Bai Huizi had simply laughed and said—“Train however you want.”

The library was open to all, and everyone’s gains depended on their own luck. Many had found hidden opportunities before him. In Slanted Moon Three-Star Cave, training followed the ‘heart’s will’. Other than during lectures, the sect had a very relaxed atmosphere.

The disciples were detached from worldly affairs, spending their days discussing philosophy and Daoism, completely disconnected from mortal concerns. It was too peaceful.

So much so that in these seven years, Yellow Wind King had never fought anyone, nor had any disputes—not a single trait was plundered. Instead, through study and comprehension, he had acquired three new traits—Basic Cooking, Beginner Spearmanship, and Beginner Qi Perception.

Moreover, every year, he received one chance to upgrade an existing trait, totaling seven times over the years. Thus, his traits had undergone major transformations.

[Devour Gold and Absorb Qi (Red)] → [Molten Gold Physique (Purple)]. [Molten Gold Physique]: You can smelt various metals, refine your body, and have a chance to comprehend Metal-based divine abilities. Your sensitivity to Metal Qi increases. [Elite Archer (Blue)] → [Great Archer (Red)] → [Divine Archer (Purple)]. [Divine Archer]: Your archery has reached the pinnacle. Mastery over all archery techniques. Your damage from ranged attacks increases by 100%. [Thick Skin and Tough Flesh (Blue)] → [Strong Muscles and Sturdy Body (Red)] → [Copper Skin and Iron Bones (Purple)]. [Copper Skin and Iron Bones]: Your body is as hard as copper and iron. Immune to all physical attacks from mundane and magical weapons. [Hundred-Zhang Precision (Blue)] → [Thousand-Zhang Mind (Red)] → [Ten-Thousand-Zhang Heart Mirror (Purple)]. [Ten-Thousand-Zhang Heart Mirror]: Within a 10,000-zhang radius, your mind is like a polished mirror—seeing through all illusions and locking onto targets with absolute precision.

Beyond system-based upgrades, his own learning and comprehension had also led to improvements.

[Artifact Forger (Blue)] → [Master Artifact Forger (Red)]. [Master Artifact Forger]: Your success rate in crafting magical artifacts increases by 80%. Chance to create a Spiritual Artifact increases by 10%. [Formation Master (Blue)] → [Grandmaster of Formations (Red)]. [Grandmaster of Formations]: You have a deep understanding of formations and restrictions. Efficiency in learning, setting up, and breaking formations increases by 30%. [Beginner Spearmanship (White)] → [Proficient Spearman (Blue)] → [Master of Spearmanship (Red)]. [Master of Spearmanship]: You have mastered various spear techniques. Spear attack power increases by 80%.

Yellow Wind King trained with the bow, then practiced his spear techniques—studying from the many spear manuals in the Library Pavilion.

According to his senior brothers, even Yang Jian and Nezha had honed their martial skills in this manner. Even Sun Wukong had learned his combat techniques during this period.

Each day before dawn, senior brothers practiced sword and spear techniques at the cave entrance. As Yellow Wind King and Sun Wukong carried water, they would pause and observe.

After watching for a bit, Sun Wukong would already master the technique, though he found it too basic to be worth mentioning. Unbeknownst to him, his comprehension was so monstrous, it would shatter the will of any warrior who saw it.

Having spent seven years with Sun Wukong, Yellow Wind King understood this better than anyone. To keep up, he had to push himself day and night—barely managing to keep pace with Wukong’s inhuman growth.

As the sun set, marking the end of another day of training, Yellow Wind King checked his stats.

[Name: Yellow Wind King]. [Race: Demon · Moon-Swallowing Rat (50%)]. [Realm: Nascent Soul · Seeking the Dao]. [Traits: 4 Gold, 4 Purple, 3 Red, 3 Blue, 3 White].

“Not bad—progress little by little, and eventually, I’ll reach the summit!”