The burning illusion, the boiling blood, the thunderous heartbeat.
Qing Chen felt as if the world was roaring around him, his life igniting along with it.
However, the burning sensation soon began to subside. With each breath, while the fire rune still marked his and Uncle Li Dong's cheeks, the air he drew into his lungs had become a soothing breeze, no longer accompanied by pain!
Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly reminded him, "Hold onto your consciousness, those pains you once forgot will soon sweep through your mind, all the pain, remember it's all the pain. The moment it begins, you will start to crumble, and if you cannot withstand this, no one can help you."
Qing Chen's mind shivered, for the pain Lin Xiaoxiao spoke of surged into his mind in an instant:
His first time living alone, the finger he cut while trying to cook, the moment of the cut, the slow drag of the knife edge across his skin, even the feel of each fingerprint being split was remembered.
During water torture, the icy water streaming through his lung lobes like toxic saplings, their frigid roots piercing into his lung lobes.
In the dark room, the dryness of dehydration clashed with the pain of water torture just a second before.
And the sunset on the day his mother left.
As well as the silhouette dragging a suitcase under that sunset.
All of it swept in like a tide, as if it intended to smash the cliffs by the sea into pebbles.
The dark waves, fine as knives, emitted hollow howls and moans.
Qing Chen felt as if he was back during the water torture, closing his eyes.
He plunged into a void of darkness once again.
Beneath the abyss, a gentle voice called out, "Come with mom."
Qing Chen replied, "I've come so far on my own, I will walk the rest of the way by myself as well."
It seemed as if only a moment had passed, and he opened his eyes again.
No wonder Uncle Li Dong had said, if you can't endure that trial, you can't walk his path.
All of it was for this moment.
Qing Chen's breath blazed like a fierce fire.
That blaze seemed to burn away all past events in an instant, and from then on, he understood his choices, no longer needing to blame himself, no need to look back.
His remaining life was all about the path ahead.
Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao beside him also changed expressions, standing straight and exchanging glances, seemingly surprised that Qing Chen still kept his clarity to this point.
They too had experienced this kind of pain, knowing well what it felt like when the heart begins to collapse as all the pain converges.
Only those who have directly faced each pain can step over that profound 'questioning soul' abyss, severing their past from their future, and move forward.
Lin Xiaoxiao muttered, "Maybe it's because Qing Chen never forgets what he sees, so those pains, he's never truly forgotten…"
The human brain has protective mechanisms that let you intentionally forget certain things, thus allowing you to live better.
However, the state of Super Memory gave Qing Chen an extraordinary talent as well as endless pain.
This pain, revisited year after year, he had long since grown accustomed to.
Qing Chen was never the greenhouse's favored child; he had long been a disciple of pain.
And that abyss, he had stepped over long ago.
Uncle Li Dong slowly released his palm, remarking, "That trial went smoother than I imagined."
For some reason, as he realized what was happening, he started to feel a pang of sympathy for the young man before him.
No one knows what another's life is truly like, or what burdens they bear while enjoying their talents.
The Fire Rune on Qing Chen's cheek began to fade as he asked, "What is the purpose of this Breathing Technique?"
The reason he asked was that he hadn't felt any significant changes in his body.
He only felt spiritually invigorated and extremely relaxed, the weakness from fasting for four days rapidly dissipating.
"It's just a supplementary method," Uncle Li Dong said, "The Breathing Technique is simply different breathing frequencies. You can't use it alone yet. After I guide you through it a few more times, you'll remember its rhythm."
However, no sooner had Uncle Li Dong spoken than he saw the Fire Rune on the face of Qing Chen, who was sitting opposite him, not only stop fading, but begin to spread once more!
He couldn't help but smile bitterly for the first time, "I forgot that you can enter a Super Memory state and memorize the breathing rhythm directly."
It must be said that Uncle Li Dong was truly feeling helpless now; his own teacher had to guide him over forty times just for him to barely remember the breathing frequencies, and even then, no mistakes were allowed.
But the young man in front of him got it in one try.
Uncle Li Dong then said, "Since I don't need to guide you on this anymore, let me tell you about the inheritance of the Knights for now. As for the functions of the Breathing Technique, we can talk about that later."
"At the beginning of the Knight Organization, it was the founder who discovered the secrets of the Genetic Lock."
"According to his findings, after humans completed eight life-death thresholds, the Genetic Lock would open by itself."
Uncle Li Dong continued, "In the earliest days, you had to complete these eight life-death thresholds to be considered a qualified Knight. Once the Genetic Lock was opened, one became transcendental."
"Back then, there were many Knights. They followed humanity through the era of great calamities and, together with the surviving humans, forged a new civilized epoch."
"But later on, Knights became increasingly rare, not because there were no suitable candidates, but because one of the life-death thresholds had to be completed at sea, and the entire sea had turned into Taboo Land. It used to be a narrow escape from death, but now it became certain death."
"With one life-death threshold missing, the Genetic Lock naturally could not be opened."
"However, the new leader of the Knights at that time, Ancestor Qin Sheng, was also extraordinarily talented. He developed a new Breathing Technique to assist such that followers discovered that if they used the Breathing Technique during challenges, they could unlock part of the Genetic Lock after finishing each threshold instead of having to complete all to unlock it."
"Though a Knight who only completed one life-death threshold could not be as powerful as those who completed all eight, by the time everyone completed the sixth threshold, their strength fully surpassed that of the older generation of Knights."
"If classified according to the levels in the Inner World, that would be six levels from A to F, with the completion of the sixth being A-Class."
Qing Chen was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected that the Transcendents of this world were also divided into strength levels.
He suddenly asked, "Then, teacher, what level are you?"
Ye Wan said from the side, "The boss is S-Class."
Because Uncle Li Dong had already completed seven life-death thresholds, only one short of the final one.
"But what exactly is so miraculous about this Breathing Technique that it can help unlock the Genetic Lock?" Qing Chen asked.
At that moment, his heart was thrilled because he had already touched the gateway to the New World, but he was still somewhat puzzled.
"You should know about endorphins," Uncle Li Dong said.
Although Qing Chen had a photographic memory, he hadn't really focused on this subject before. He could only rely on the information in his memory to say, "Like dopamine, it's a secretion that provides pleasure, but there is a difference: the dopamine from playing games, winning the lottery, or gambling provides a hit, whereas the exhilaration and relaxation after exercise are provided by endorphins."
Uncle Li Dong shook his head. "That's what soul-soothing phrases claim, but dopamine doesn't directly make people happy; it's just a neurotransmitter that transports serotonin, which can make people happy. However, to put it simply, saying dopamine provides happiness isn't wrong, but understand this: it's not happiness it provides but an addictive craving."
"What about endorphins?" Qing Chen asked.
"Endorphins are substances that offer a sweet relief after bitter pain. They bind with morphine receptors in the body, providing an analgesic effect, but that's just their basic function," Uncle Li Dodng explained, "Ancestor Qin Sheng conducted very strict tests and discovered that when Knights completed certain life-death thresholds, a large amount of endorphins were secreted in their bodies."
"So, he believed that dopamine is the poison that drags people down, while endorphins are the key to unlocking the Genetic Lock."
"Thus, a new creed was born within the Knight Organization: Only those who have experienced painful lives can ascend to higher realms."