Chapter 25: Thief of Dreams
Starting from the moment he jumped off Ghost Douluo Cliff, everything Tang San had in the Tang Sect, including his life, had ended.
However, the Tang Sect was his home.
Even after transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, he never forgot his long-cherished wish to revitalize the Tang Sect.
Therefore, Zhao Liuyun allowed the dream to continue from this point.
He matched Tang San's inner hopes, making him survive the cliff jump, drawing an 'If Line' of destiny for him!
Tang San, thank me for giving you the chance to fulfill your dream.
In the dream, a voice, steady yet tinged with anxiety, sounded beside Tang San's ear.
"Carry him carefully, make sure to keep him steady. He absolutely must not suffer any more harm."
"Hurry, the woods here are too dense, go around from the other side!"
"Watch out for falling rocks, don't let the rubble hit him."
"I... I'm still alive?" Tang San felt a tearing pain throughout his body, which was ice cold.
His memory stopped at the moment he leaped off the cliff.
"Alas~" A soft sigh, followed by a voice that surprised him, sounded in his ear:
"It wasn't your time to die. When you fell, you were snagged by several old trees and finally landed in a deep pool, saving your life."
The person who arrived was none other than the Tang Sect Leader, Great Master Tang.
Of course, the core occupant was Zhao Liuyun.
In his hand, he gently held a Hidden Weapon, shaped like a brilliant golden lotus, whose center shone like a ruby.
It was precisely the Tang Sect's highest masterpiece, the Sect's supreme treasure, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.
This was personally crafted by Tang San, and it was the most profound keepsake in his memory.
It also became one of the dream's deepest anchor points, perfectly reproduced within the dream.
"Tang San, did you craft this personally?"
The sense of familiarity emanating from Great Master Tang immediately brought tears to Tang San's eyes.
Alive, he was a member of the Tang Sect; dead, he was a ghost of the Tang Sect.
Tang San's love for the Tang Sect was deep and boundless. Seeing the expectation in the Sect Leader's eyes, an uncontrollable joy surged in his heart.
"This disciple crafted it personally, Sect Leader."
Great Master Tang merely looked sorrowful and sighed:
"Tang San, oh Tang San, your talent is exceptional. You were able to recreate the long-lost 'Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus,' making you the hope for the revitalization of my Tang Sect."
"Why did you have to resort to jumping off a cliff to prove your innocence?"
"Sect Leader, I..." Receiving the Sect Leader's affirmation, Tang San was overwhelmed with emotion.
Great Master Tang interrupted him and asked, "Have you finished learning the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record?"
Tang San grew anxious: "Sect Leader, I am not a traitor!"
"I truly swear to Heaven, I absolutely have not leaked any of the Sect's unique skills to the outside world."
"I know, Tang San, I am not blaming you." Great Master Tang's tone was gentle, and his gaze was soothing.
"You are the most outstanding genius our Sect has seen in two hundred years. Are you willing to return with me and become an Inner Sect Disciple?"
"Sect Leader!" Although Tang San's pain had not subsided, he couldn't suppress the wild joy surging in his heart like boiling water, becoming so excited he nearly fainted.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Great Master Tang waved his hand, dismissing the attendants on either side, and spoke with deep concern:
"Tang San, you have become an Inner Sect Disciple and are qualified to study the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record."
"However, the Sect rules cannot be abandoned. If the secret manual were to spread throughout the martial world, our Sect would face disaster and ruin."
He paused, his gaze sharp as a torch: "Are you certain the secret manual is hidden beneath the first brick inside your room's door?"
Tang San sighed in relief and asserted: "Before this disciple left, I carefully checked; all six volumes of the secret manuals were properly sealed in wooden boxes, without any mistakes."
Zhao Liuyun's heart stirred.
"Let's examine it carefully." Great Master Tang took a wooden box from his sleeve.
Wiping the dust off the box, he handed it to Tang San, "Turn the pages one by one and check for any omissions."
"If even a few pages of key formulas are missing, the future troubles would be endless."
"I shall obey the Sect Leader's command!" Tang San responded loudly, raising his hand to take it.
He inspected it page by page in front of Zhao Liuyun.
He was flipping too fast; he needed Tang San to slow down.
"This... was copied by your own hand?" Great Master Tang asked, puzzled by the handwriting.
"Yes, Sect Leader." Tang San nodded.
If the original had been lost, it would have been discovered long ago.
Where would he have found the time to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the other martial arts?
Let alone crafting the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.
Great Master Tang gently reminded him: "Check line by line. Cultivating in secret ultimately lacks guidance from predecessors, so there might be omissions."
"You are the hope for the future glory of the Tang Sect. If a single line is copied incorrectly, leading to cultivation deviation, I would become the sinner of the Tang Sect."
Tang San followed the command, not only proofreading sentence by sentence but also demonstrating the movements on the spot at Great Master Tang's request to verify his comprehension of the cultivation method.
In reality—
Zhao Liuyun was perceiving the operation of the cultivation method through Tang San's body.
Words are ultimately incomplete; direct personal experience is more intuitive.
Since this was a dream, Zhao Liuyun could directly interfere and use the Heaven-rank Dou Skill "Possession."
This combination of theory and practice, stemming from Ingenious Ideasand honed by Zhao Liuyun, allowed his powerful, matured learning ability to play a crucial role.
He learned extremely fast!
[You are currently stealing the Mysterious Heaven Skill through a dream. The method is mysterious, the technique is exquisite, and the gains are rich. Professional Experience for Thief +1]... Professional Experience for Thief is rapidly increasing at an astonishing speed.
This might be related to the value of the stolen item.
That's right, he wasn't gaining general experience from the Studentprofession, but Professional Experience for Thief.
Although he was learning, the act itself constituted theft.
This was an owned item, and Zhao Liuyun's act of learning had not received the owner's permission.
The Profession Panel judged that he was stealing.
A similar situation occurred when he was at the Medical Hall.
When treating patients, he was also learning how to cure diseases, but he could only gain Professional Experience for Physician Profession.
The Panel seems to limit the Student profession to purely theoretical learning.
Combining theory with practice increases the general experience gained because the memory is stronger, not because practice itself provides experience.
Practice is categorized within specific professions.
But at this moment, Zhao Liuyun had no leisure time to focus on irrelevant matters.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill, acquired!
The unique and unparalleled cultivation divine technique of the Douluo Continent.
Once he fully opened all eight extraordinary meridians in the future, it would greatly increase the speed of Meditation cultivation.
The Purple Demon Eye, acquired!
A systematic eye cultivation method rooted in the Mysterious Heaven Skill, capable of boosting mental force without needing to absorb a spirit ring.
He couldn't cultivate it yet, but its value was beyond doubt.
The Medicine Chapter and poison chapter of the Hundred Explanations of Hidden Weapons were also acquired!
It not only allowed him to identify Immortal Herbs but also contained the essence of poison making, enabling Zhao Liuyun to concoct defensive poisons.
The three most important items were acquired; he would not be greedy for more.
Hypnosis for induction, Entering Dream, and interfering with the dream—all three consumed mental force.
Zhao Liuyun was, after all, only a One-Ring Spirit Master.
Even though his Sea of Consciousness was vast, with capacity far exceeding ordinary people, it was almost depleted by this point.
The remaining Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and the rest of the chapters of the Hundred Explanations of Hidden Weapons were not essential for him, so he would have to scheme for them next time.
He disrupted the dream, allowing it to twist into a Cthulhu-like scene of chaos.
Hypnosis erased any potential lingering impressions, leaving behind only an insignificant trigger.
If one time wasn't enough, he would wait until Tang San fell asleep next time.
Zhao Liuyun had plenty of patience.
Of course, if he couldn't acquire the remaining secret manuals, then so be it.
Safety first.
His consciousness returned to his body, and he was still sitting cross-legged on the bed.
Seemingly Meditating, he was actually silently reviewing the content he had just stolen.
He traced it repeatedly in his mind, fearing he might forget even a fraction.
He sat like this for the entire night, until dawn broke.
"Ah—"
In the early morning, Tang San woke up from his sleep and yawned sleepily.
With his arm around Xiao Wu's waist, his body felt heavier than usual.
He knew this was just the illusion of having just woken up.
After a night of sleep, his mind was much clearer.
Zhao Liuyun was woken up and asked softly, "How do you feel?"
Tang San stretched his muscles and bones, his joints popping crisply. A smile unconsciously spread across his face: "I slept so comfortably, and I think I even had a dream."
"What did you dream about?"
"I can't remember clearly."
There was just a vague, indescribable emotion pressing on his heart, but he figured it would dissipate after resting for another two days.
It seemed his previous restlessness was indeed caused by poor rest.
Tang San let out a long breath and sincerely thanked him: "Liuyun, thank you."
"It's good that you've recovered." Zhao Liuyun smiled faintly, hiding his achievements and fame.