Chapter Seven: The Demon’s One-Second Man

After all, Zhuge Yi was truly a first-class figure among the younger generation in the Azure Heaven Realm. His momentary daze lasted but an instant before he collected himself, curled his lips into a smile, and said, “Junior brother, your reminder is timely. Indeed, there is something I must give you!”

With that, he unfastened a pouch-like object from his belt, stepped forward, and handed it to Zhang Ning.

Once again, Zhang Ning found himself impressed by the honesty and generosity of people from another world. He no longer fussed over how Zhuge Yi had addressed him, but instead, with quick reflexes, accepted the pouch, his eyes crinkling with delight as he grinned, “Why so formal between us?”

Zhuge Yi also squinted in amusement. “This storage bag was crafted by me in imitation of our master’s mustard seed space. The internal space is only a hundred hectares, but its strength and stability are unmatched, making it hard to damage. It can even self-destruct to create a spatial tempest. Junior brother, take it as a toy for now!”

Hearing this, Zhang Ning’s eyes lit up even more. He hadn’t expected this refined, handsome fellow to gift him a legendary storage bag! This was his very first piece of equipment from another world, and it was already so advanced—a full one hundred hectares! For a moment, Zhang Ning felt a poor man’s vertigo at sudden wealth, even suspecting his own “golden finger” was less effective than simply being cute… Ahem! Get a grip, man! Rely on yourself!

“Do I need to drip a bit of blood to recognize it as my own?” Zhang Ning asked, already poised to bite his finger.

Zhuge Yi chuckled softly. “No need. I made this storage bag for communal supplies, so there’s no need for an ownership bond.”

Zhang Ning studied the pouch in amazement. It was a vibrant blue, patterned with subtle cloud motifs and cinched with golden threads resembling ears of wheat—truly eye-catching.

Zhuge Yi assured him, “Just focus your mind inside it, junior brother.”

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Ning opened the pouch and peered inside with the same intensity he once reserved for his phone. Suddenly, he felt himself “floating” within, his thoughts slowing and growing calm.

Inside was a vast expanse, filled with drifting clouds and mist. Piles of sparkling crystals formed gleaming hills, all manner of weaponry glittered, and—most astonishing—there were books! Zhang Ning could tell just from their titles that these were no ordinary texts. Overwhelmed, he couldn’t maintain his composure and was promptly ejected from the mental space.

He’d thought he’d only been given an A+ storage bag, but who could have imagined it contained so many treasures?!

What did it mean to go from rags to riches? A mere storage bag was nothing compared to this! This was true sudden fortune! Look at me! Zhang Ning exulted inwardly.

Zhuge Yi said, “Later, our master will craft all sorts of magical tools for you. For now, make do with this.”

Zhang Ning hesitated, sensing something amiss. Did this elegant, mysterious senior really mean to give him only the bag, and not its contents? Surely a man of such stature wouldn’t give away a wallet and then take the money back?

Seeing his junior brother, still round-faced with a hint of baby fat, glance into the bag and then look up with uncertainty, Zhuge Yi asked softly, “Are you asking about what’s inside?”

He had no idea that Zhang Ning was worried he’d reclaim the treasures, or that this fear had nearly rendered him hoarse. Thinking his junior brother had guessed his intention, he lowered his voice as well, “You’re right! But the manuals inside are only first-tier. If you read them, take them as reference.”

Zhang Ning was overjoyed! So it was all his after all—what a generous soul!

“Thank you, senior brother!!”

Zhuge Yi paused in surprise, then laughed happily, “Then have your breakfast first. Afterwards, I’ll introduce you to the core visualization technique of our sect!”

Zhang Ning went off cheerfully to enjoy a lavish breakfast.

Zhuge Yi, meanwhile, breathed a slight sigh of relief. Indeed, his junior had just entered the sect and, like himself in the past, sorely lacked a sense of security. By entrusting him with the manuals, spiritual tools, and spirit stones meant as rewards to recruit new disciples, he’d enabled the boy to start building his own following. At last, his junior brother trusted him enough to accept his guidance and was not resistant to joining the sect. This smooth process gave Zhuge Yi a new appreciation for his junior’s keen intelligence.

An hour later, aboard the Great-Bellied Ark—

After breakfast, Zhang Ning left the restaurant newly moved to this giant “aircraft carrier.” As he walked through its endless rooms and admired the sky and the ark’s grand exterior, he could not help but exclaim at every turn. At last, he settled comfortably into the quiet meditation chamber.

Zhuge Yi had already bathed and lit incense, awaiting him.

“The core technique of our Supreme Freedom Demon Sect is the Cloud Visualization Method… Calm your mind… Imagine yourself atop a pure white cloud, buoyed by boundless ‘Qi’… You drift through the sky… The earth below is dark, heavy, and impure; the sky above is bright, light, and clean. You, poised on your cloud, belong neither to earth nor sky, yet neither can bind you. You may exist anywhere, or nowhere at all…”

As Zhuge Yi guided him, he himself did not wholly immerse in visualization but instead paid close attention to Zhang Ning’s state. He reflected, Master’s cultivation is profound, but even setting that aside, my own experience was unusual—it took me half a year to master this entry, fourth brother needed a month, second brother two months. I’ve heard that our eldest brother did it in a single day. I wonder about our youngest…

At that very moment—

Following Zhuge Yi’s instructions, Zhang Ning conjured the image in his mind. Suddenly, he felt a current of Qi—vast, inexhaustible—drawn into his body, coursing through his organs and meridians.

Zhuge Yi was left speechless. He could sense pure primordial Qi flowing through Zhang Ning, traversing in perfect sequence: lung meridian—pericardium—heart—large intestine—triple burner—small intestine—spleen—liver—kidney—stomach—gallbladder—bladder. Not a single error. But as easy as it sounded, in practice it was anything but!

Many people fail to imagine themselves clearly. Those unable to picture their own bodies usually have poor bodily awareness, but those who cannot envision their own faces lack self-understanding—like his second brother, who, it was said, lost himself after following the eldest for too long. Such devotion and admiration can easily erode one’s sense of self.

Some frequently tumble from their clouds, or cannot imagine being safely and freely carried aloft. This stems from insecurity and a lack of confidence.

When Zhuge Yi himself first entered the sect, he was plagued by such insecurity due to past experiences and could not stop falling, no matter how he tried; only after much help from their master did he succeed.

Fourth brother, naïve and single-minded, fared much better than the rest.

But the greatest challenge was not these obstacles, but rather the ability to imagine the boundary between heaven and earth, to see oneself as belonging to neither yet able to exist in either—a state of utter freedom, completely unafraid of the world. That was a true trial, though, luckily, none of his brothers had stumbled at that hurdle.

Still, getting started with this visualization method tested so many facets of a person; among those who had been taught it, not only his brothers but other direct disciples as well, Zhuge Yi had never heard of anyone as gifted as this youngest brother.

He had mentally prepared himself—after all, as the fifth disciple personally chosen by their master, the boy was bound to be extraordinary—but such an astonishing gap still left him reeling. There are always those more talented, always a higher sky beyond the sky!