Chapter 88: Time Flows Like Water, Memories Sparkle Like Waves

Sensing a faint trace of distance in Xiao Nan’s tone, Zhang Xiaorou’s eyes immediately dimmed, her rims reddening as she forced a smile. “If you go outside the city again, take Zhang Mute with you. He’s more familiar with the wilds.”

Ah, he’d forgotten again—this girl was prone to tears, crying at the slightest provocation.

Xiao Nan glanced about, feeling awkward and guilt-ridden, as if he’d committed some grave sin.

He was mainly checking to see if Zhang Yi, that overprotective father, was nearby. If he saw his precious daughter in tears because of Xiao Nan, he’d surely fly into a rage on the spot.

“Honestly, Zhang Mute was no help to me at all. If anything, he just tagged along and got plenty of roast wolf meat out of it. Look at me, I’ve eaten so much my belly’s round as a drum.”

Xiao Nan grinned.

He could never quite stand seeing someone cry in front of him, especially a young girl.

It was a weakness he really ought to fix.

“It’s not round at all,” Zhang Xiaorou muttered, glancing down at his stomach, then pursing her lips in displeasure when she realized she’d been tricked.

Her mood eased a little.

“Did you forget? My digestion’s fast. No matter how much I eat, it never shows.”

“Oh, that’s right! You ate five pounds of rabbit the other day and looked no different. Later I thought, you probably didn’t eat your fill.”

Recalling Xiao Nan’s bottomless appetite, Zhang Xiaorou covered her mouth, giggling softly.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief again as she pointed to a nearby shop. “You’ve had so much meat today, Xiao Nan. Want to have some tea to wash it down?”

“Sure, let’s sit for a bit.”

...

In the end, Zhang Xiaorou didn’t get to see her father.

After tea and snacks, her spirits rose again. Xiao Nan walked her home, then caught a cab back to his own place.

“So, besides the three martial arts tests, there’s also the Blood Trial, and the results count toward the official entrance exam.

The school must think I’ll fail the qi and blood test… That’s why no one told me about the trial, or asked me to prepare.

Maybe, in their eyes, I’m destined for a third-rate martial arts college at best, with no need to go through the main exam—let alone be eligible for the trial.”

The news Zhang Xiaorou shared at school today made Xiao Nan feel both amused and helpless.

As it turned out, Zhang Yi had been busy these past few days in the White Fang Forest, working with other hunting teams to clear the route to the Yuanjiang military base.

They were mainly eliminating dangerous beasts and marauding beastfolk.

All this was to prepare for the Blood Trial for this year’s martial arts candidates.

As the name implied, the Blood Trial was a rite of passage for those who passed the qi and blood test: before entering college, they had to undergo a baptism by blood.

He’d heard it was a nationwide coming-of-age ceremony, jointly organized by the military and the schools, leading the martial arts students into planar rifts to hunt beastfolk.

For something this important, neither his homeroom teacher nor any of his classmates had bothered to call…

Clearly, no one believed he could pass the qi and blood test. That being the case, the Blood Trial was out of the question.

It was painfully obvious how little anyone thought of Xiao Nan, and how thoroughly he’d failed these past two years of high school.

Qi and blood should be close to 3.0 by now.

Feeling the powerful life force coursing through his body, Xiao Nan’s expression grew peculiar…

If, on the day of the test, they saw a version of him utterly at odds with their expectations, would they be left speechless?

...

After dinner with his mother and younger sister, Xiao Nan chatted for a while, then retreated to his room.

Tan Qiuyi and Xiao Bei, as expected, didn’t notice he’d snuck out of the city, nor did they see any change in his qi and blood or his strength.

Even though his strength had increased dramatically—likely over eleven hundred pounds now—his build had not changed at all.

He was still thin and tall, his arms as slender as ever.

“Maybe my physique won’t change until the body’s transformation is complete.”

He didn’t care much about that. What mattered was closing his door in haste, eager for what came next.

Calming his mind, Xiao Nan sent his consciousness into the mist-shrouded space.

The square was still empty. The golden light that wreathed him was now quite bright—about a third of its former brilliance.

That, of course, was thanks to the four wolf souls.

Wasting no time, Xiao Nan focused his mind on the tranquil lake.

Within the lake, shimmering ripples of memory flickered.

Time flowed like water, eternal in the heart.

All the experiences of his life had become waves on its surface.

Xiao Nan selected a memory and touched it with his spirit…

Light flashed before his eyes. The scene shifted.

He smelled fresh grass, heard a wild roar in the distance—Han Zhang.

The piercing hiss of a giant serpent sent chills down his spine.

Not far off, Zhang Shu was sprawled on the ground in a ridiculous posture, clutching his mouth, backside in the air.

Looking down, Xiao Nan saw his own legs coiled for action, sword in hand.

His body was poised, ready to spring.

“This is the memory of when I decided to cut off Han Zhang’s escape. It feels just like the real thing.”

Xiao Nan’s heart surged with excitement.

If he was right, he could test the power of the silver-white python…

After all, this was only a memory; there was no real danger.

Though the space came with no instructions, Xiao Nan instinctively understood certain things.

He knew the bronze mirror preserved these memories, allowing events to be replayed.

So, this time, instead of confronting Han Zhang, Xiao Nan ignored him as he darted past, facing the oncoming giant python head-on.

With a flick, his sword became mist and rain, thrusting straight for the creature’s eyes—

It moved with the speed of light.

Just as the tip of his sword neared the serpent’s eye, a fierce, murderous will assaulted his mind.

His head felt as if struck by a sledgehammer, a wave of dizziness nearly overwhelming him.

A profound sense of danger made him almost turn and flee.

But he remembered—this was only an illusion, not a risk to his life. He forced himself to suppress the instinct to run.

The serpent’s head twitched. As his blade reached its eye, a spark of red light flashed.

Xiao Nan cursed inwardly and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

A sharp pain stabbed his brow, darkness swallowed his vision…

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his bedroom, forehead and chest drenched in cold sweat.

“I was killed instantly!”

Shock reverberated through him.

He had thought he’d already overestimated the silver python’s power. Clearly, he was still far off.

The speed of its forked tongue was at least twice his own.

And the tongue itself was like a blade, slicing through bone as if it were rotten wood.

The pain hadn’t even registered before everything went black.

“Even if this was a male, a peak fourth-rank serpent, its strength was unbelievable.”

By such power, Han Zhang should never have escaped so far.

Thinking it through as the sweat dried on his brow, Xiao Nan realized the truth.

The python had only been toying with Han Zhang, never taking him seriously.

After all, it had already eaten two people and wasn’t too hungry.

And since Han Zhang had never attacked, the serpent hadn’t sensed any threat, so it never unleashed its full strength.

But Xiao Nan’s sword aimed straight for its eye, murder in his heart—a blatant provocation.

So the python struck decisively.

And he had been killed instantly, without suspense.

The gap was simply too vast.

Gritting his teeth, Xiao Nan refused to accept it.

He hadn’t learned a thing.

He focused again, entered the space, found the memory, and immersed himself…

This time, he moved like a fish in water, swift and agile…

His waist bent like a willow, his sword like silk, circling around to slash at the serpent’s neck.

As the blade touched the silver scales, Xiao Nan felt his arm slide—no resistance at all.

A powerful force rebounded, making his wrist go numb. The “Moonlight” sword nearly flew from his grasp.

“I can’t cut through. The difference in strength is too great. Those scales are far too tough.”

The familiar sense of danger returned.

He couldn’t dodge in time; out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed a flash of white.

Boom—

His body flew like a kite with a broken string, darkness fell again, and he was back in his bedroom.

“The tail… The serpent’s tail was as fast as its tongue, but its strength was even more violent. It crushed every bone and organ in my body.”

Back in the misty space, staring at the memory wave, Xiao Nan’s gaze grew cautious.

He barely noticed the golden light on him had dimmed a little.

Eleven hundred pounds of strength, a qi and blood value of 3.0—these already exceeded normal human limits.

But in this world, it was nowhere near enough.

There were powerful creatures here, and formidable human and beastfolk experts as well…

If he wanted to survive, he’d have to keep working.

Being able to experience high-level battles and the power of fierce beasts in advance, and gain actual combat experience within these memory waves—

This was an invaluable survival skill.

It would not only enhance his fighting ability, but let him rehearse future events.

The three abilities he’d unlocked—Analysis, Devour, and Imprint—filled Xiao Nan with excitement.

The sting of defeat lingered only briefly before it was replaced by thoughts of how best to use these gifts.

With the right approach, he would always be a step ahead, advancing at lightning speed.

Especially the Analysis and Imprint abilities… One allowed him to spend energy to seize talents; the other let him simulate moves, gain experience, and learn from his enemies’ strengths.

The benefits were beyond measure.