When the sun had already risen in the sky and the villagers had left their houses to attend to their fields, Niu Chang was sleeping soundly in his room, happily chasing butterflies in his dream.
As the sunlight touched his face, his nose twitched, and he finally woke up from his sleep.
The fatigue from his excessive use of qi had already healed, thanks to his extraordinary physique that surpassed that of ordinary martial artists at his stage.
Lying in his bed with his eyes wide open, Niu Chang embraced laziness akin to a salted fish, indulging in contemplation of his weaknesses in cultivation during the tranquil early morning.
As the fog of the dream of chasing butterflies dissipated, he began to recall the events of the previous night.
Immediately, he turned his head to look at his crotch without moving his body. 'There is no pain or discomfort,' he confirmed.
Satisfied, he continued with his thoughts.
It didn't take much effort or time for Niu Chang to reflect on everything and draw several conclusions.
Naturally, his approach of creating martial techniques through contemplation alone was correct, but it came with strict rules.
The first rule was a strong conviction and unwavering belief.
If another person were to attempt what Niu Chang did last night and even possess a better imagination to create a more detailed mental image, it would not be enough for them.
They would also need the same mindset as Niu Chang because who out there never imagines something during their free time?
Even powerful martial artists with high cultivation levels would not be able to do it. Their minds are more rigid than those of ordinary people, partly due to their vanity after training day and night, which prevents them from approaching the creation of cultivation techniques lightly.
However, there are always exceptions to everything. What about those who advance their cultivation levels effortlessly, as if strolling through a flower garden?
Or those who possess eccentric minds like Niu Chang?
The second rule pertained to the cultivation method. Different cultivation methods would result in various types of qi, each with different attributes and restrictions.
After all, to activate any martial skill that required qi, it couldn't be just any ordinary qi.
It was akin to using ordinary water as fuel. It simply wouldn't work.
Therefore, when someone attempted to create a cultivation technique, they would begin with the development of the cultivation method to obtain the necessary qi for executing the additional martial skills derived from the previously created technique.
Not everyone possessed Transformation Energy qi like Niu Chang did. His Transformation Energy, although low in level for his current stage, possessed profoundness that he had worked towards in his two lifetimes.
Primarily due to these two factors, Niu Chang was able to surpass mediocre individuals and leisurely contemplate on his bed while creating martial skills.
Yes, he didn't concern himself with the cultivation method at all. His Transformation Energy alone was sufficient to encompass everything in this world. So why bother with something that would ultimately be engulfed by Transformation Energy?
As Niu Chang contemplated this, he desired to provide a direct answer, but he understood that he couldn't bypass this method.
'No matter how powerful my Transformation Energy is, it remains in an early stage. If I wish to optimize the use of any martial skill that requires specific qi, I still need to create them first and then integrate them into Transformation Energy,' Niu Chang concluded.
With that, Niu Chang concluded his review of the events from the previous night.
Now, it was time to address the issues.
"But before that," Niu Chang intended to proceed to the next step but encountered a problem. He employed his Transformation Energy qi and recollected the sensations and nuances from the previous night in order to incite the specific qi.
However, Niu Chang couldn't directly transform his qi into the red qi from the second cultivation technique he had developed the previous night. Thus, he resorted to the only available method.
The dim white qi gradually tinged with a faint red hue, ultimately transforming the entire dim white Transformation Energy qi into red qi. However, it lacked the bright radiance and the captivating luster of affectionate love that it had possessed the previous night.
After converting his qi into the red qi, Niu Chang recalled the smile of the enchanting shrine maiden.
A smile.
The corner of his mouth involuntarily curled up into a kind smile.
The red qi surged vigorously within Niu Chang's body, triggering a mysterious chain reaction. The red qi rapidly drained away, accompanied by a faint, sweet scent of cherry blossoms that filled the room.
"Bah." Niu Chang quickly suppressed his unintended smile and halted the circulation of qi in his body.
'As I suspected, it's a genuine martial skill that utilizes qi!' Niu Chang couldn't help but feel delighted by his success, prompting a smile.
However, he promptly ceased his smile as he encountered a significant issue with this martial skill. He was required to smile at his enemy.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he found it rather peculiar.
Shaking off the distracting thoughts, he called upon the system.
[Shrine Maiden Under the Sacred Tree]
The name was too long and overly descriptive of the technique's nature.
However, Niu Chang realized something upon seeing this concise and solitary description of the cultivation technique he had created.
In many stories, techniques often had medium or short names, but ultimately, they only possessed one core essence with additional modifiers.
The same applied to Niu Chang's technique. The name itself encapsulated its essence, and altering or adding words would only change that essence.
"Alright," Niu Chang agreed with the system's straightforward approach and provided a name for the smiling skill.
'Let's call it [Captivating Smile Under the Shade and Red].'
It was straightforward and enabled Niu Chang to quickly evoke the feeling necessary to execute the skill.
The name depicted the technique itself. Underneath an ancient cherry blossom tree, amid falling red cherry blossom petals, stood a solitary figure of a shrine maiden, quietly emanating a smile that pulled at the soul of anyone who beheld it. The upper part of her face was obscured by the shade, leaving only the bottom part visible.
'But still, this is not enough. This [Captivating Smile Under the Shade and Red] only works when the target sees me smiling at them. It is limited to sight alone.'
As someone who detested drawbacks the most, Niu Chang employed his intellect to conceive a new skill that would overcome this limitation.
In less than two minutes, he came up with an idea.
'Since the first skill is targeted and limited to sight alone, naturally the second skill should be more advanced. It should not only overcome the drawback but also improve in all aspects!'
Humans possess five senses that they primarily use to gather information from their surroundings. Therefore, since sight is already covered by the first skill, Niu Chang desired his next skill to target all five senses.
'Now, even if my enemies realize the weakness of the first skill, they will be devastated when I employ the second skill. I shall call it [Demonic Embrace of the Lady in White and Red].'
As for the details of this technique, Niu Chang only had ideas and theories and couldn't be certain.
Given that the first skill depicted him being mesmerized by the captivating smile of the shrine maiden, causing him to almost lose control and chase after the illusory figure, Niu Chang wanted the second skill to be the opposite. Instead of those who encountered the shrine maiden being compelled to chase after her, triggered by sight alone, he desired the shrine maiden to take the initiative to pursue the other party.
Thus, even if they closed their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, they couldn't escape the heat and touch of the shrine maiden, even if they wished to.
Hence, it was named "demonic embrace." After all, one cannot escape the loving embrace of a beautiful woman, can they?
Contemplating the contrasting effects of his skills, Niu Chang couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone who had been affected by the first skill, chasing after the imaginary beauty, was also targeted by the second skill, making the beauty chase after them.
A slight shiver ran down Niu Chang's spine as he dismissed this peculiar thought and moved on to the next issue.
While at it, he couldn't help but ponder the next step.
Niu Chang sighed, acknowledging his remarkably insightful mind.
The first skill involved attacking through the eyes, the second skill through all five senses, and the third skill should bypass these senses altogether and directly target the enemy's mind.
Niu Chang named this third skill [Dream Visit].
However, upon acquiring these three skills, Niu Chang couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding about the future.
'If I continue creating cultivation techniques every time I go to sleep, how many will there be? What about in one month? Thirty? What about in one year? What about ten years?'
Niu Chang shook his head in dismay. He now understood why the main characters in stories typically focused on a limited number of cultivation techniques. Having too many would only lead to confusion about which technique was which.
After the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Niu Chang completed his morning tasks.
Feeling a slight hunger, he stepped out of his bedroom. However, the memory of last night's taste dampened his appetite.
'Fortunately, my constitution is not ordinary. Otherwise, my mouth would be sore right now.'
Niu Chang searched the house for Qin Qing but couldn't find her, assuming she had gone to the field.
Without parents to support her, she had to work to put food on the table.
Niu Chang breathed a sigh of relief at this discovery, as it meant he would have to cook his own food instead of eating Qin Qing's dishes.
Engaging himself in the search for available ingredients, he decided to prepare a simple and satisfying meal.
As he brought the food to the table, he savored the aroma of the ordinary-smelling dish. The rice was evenly cooked, with a light and pleasant fragrance, while the main dish consisted of a medley of vegetables.
Meat was a rarity and luxury for the villagers in this village.
Halfway through his combined breakfast and lunch, the front door creaked open. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Qin Qing entered the house.
The first thing she noticed was Niu Chang sitting at the table, enjoying the food. He glanced briefly at the front door to see who had entered but lost interest upon realizing it was Qin Qing, diverting his attention back to his meal.
Qin Qing's eyebrows furrowed, revealing her displeasure. She walked toward Niu Chang, and with each step, her brows knitted tighter.
Finally, when she stood near the table, she realized that the food Niu Chang was eating was not the meal she had prepared for him.
Aware of the approaching presence of the irate young girl, Niu Chang's instincts kicked in, prompting him to speak first.
"Don't be angry."
He was unsure of what he had done wrong, and he didn't particularly care. When dealing with someone with a short temper, it was best to divert their attention.