Chapter 51: When a Man Dies, His Soul Soars; If He Survives, He Lives Ten Thousand Years

Bai Mi had not failed to find Awakened individuals whose growth after awakening was terrifyingly swift. In total, she had identified seventy-three such people. Among them, ten were now the world’s seventh-level Awakened, each a figure of renown in their respective countries.

According to the research conducted by the Guards, if a person possessed a unique talent in some field, the emergence of Qi would trigger their awakening. Thus, every Awakened was, in a sense, a genius. Setting aside age, the earlier one awakened, the higher their innate talent was presumed to be.

All ten of today’s seventh-level Awakened had been among the first to awaken a decade ago. Each had immediately demonstrated frightening power and an astonishing rate of growth; some had even awakened directly at the fourth level. The fastest of them reached the seventh level in eight years, the slowest in ten, and they were acknowledged as the ten most gifted individuals alive.

The remaining sixty-three Awakened had, at the time of their awakening, displayed strength not necessarily inferior to those ten. Some had awakened directly at the fourth level as well, but had either fallen along the way, or been stalled at a certain stage for other reasons.

Gu Changqing’s rapid progress since his awakening closely mirrored that of these exceptional individuals. Even if Bai Mi was reluctant to admit it, she had to concede she had misjudged him.

She sat in her office, pondering for a long time, and finally shook her head. His growth was indeed impressive, but his awakening ability—control over blood—was limited to his own blood. Though there was something unusual about the blood he controlled, compared to the truly powerful Awakened, the gap was insurmountable, and would only widen over time. She thought of the Awakened with powers over the elemental forces, or the Sword Master from Qichao…

Bai Mi then wrote a report on the previous night’s events, including an analysis of Gu Changqing, and sent it directly to the local director. She also uploaded Gu Changqing’s file and analysis into the internal database, labeling it as “Mysterious.”

Within the Guards, Awakened were categorized into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Each rank was further divided into three sub-levels: +, standard, and -. The Heaven rank represented the absolute pinnacle, or those with the potential to reach it. Earth rank typically included formidable Awakened, often those with considerable physical prowess but limited potential, or those whose abilities, while unique, were not as strong. Mysterious rank covered regional-level experts or those with the potential to become one.

In Bai Mi’s view, Gu Changqing might, at best, become a regional-level expert given his current growth, but that was all.

…

While Bai Mi uploaded the files, Gu Changqing was just waking up. He lounged lazily in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while before finally jumping up to wash up. As he dressed, Meng Xi lay on the bed, smiling sweetly at him. “Do you have any free time today?”

“What’s up?”

“There’s a house I really like, and it’s close to the Public Security Bureau. I can’t decide—can you help me take a look?”

“Call me when the time comes,” Gu Changqing replied absentmindedly. He thought he could use the opportunity to buy a new car—he didn’t much like his current off-roader.

At the Bureau, Gu Changqing headed straight for Gao Wenxin’s office, where she was smiling as she spoke on the phone.

“We didn’t make a fuss about those other times… Isn’t it all about seeing whose skills are superior?” she said. “Can’t you handle losing?”

She hung up a moment later, her smile fading as she looked up. “The Guards are very angry. Watch out—they might set their sights on you!”

“That’s… wonderful!” Gu Changqing beamed.

“Don’t be careless. Those three captains won’t make a move against you, but there are others who won’t be easy to deal with.” Gao Wenxin shook her head. The Guards, as the largest Awakened organization, were proud and wouldn’t stoop to underhanded tactics—but they would certainly make trouble for Gu Changqing.

But judging from his manner, he didn’t care at all. Perhaps that was just as well; otherwise, his temperament would get him into trouble wherever he went, and sooner or later he’d suffer for it. Gao Wenxin left the matter at that.

“Hua Rong from yesterday needs some time to adapt and learn before I hand him over to you—keep a closer watch on him.” She assumed Gu Changqing was here about the high school student from the day before. After all, a fire-type Awakened was both capable and promising.

It was only now that Gu Changqing learned the student’s name, but it wasn’t his reason for coming. “What about those people from the Earth Alliance? Have they been found? Surely we’re not just letting it go?”

He propped his feet up on the desk as he spoke. Gao Wenxin leaned back, considering him for a moment before replying, “So eager? But those few are indeed a destabilizing factor. Wait for news.”

“Of course I’m eager! It’s been too long since anyone’s dared to give me trouble!” Gu Changqing paused, realizing that since his arrival in this world, people were always looking to cause him trouble. Did he really seem that easy to bully?

Clearly, he wasn’t ruthless enough.

As he mulled this over, he asked, “What’s going on at the Qinghe Battlefield?”

He’d specifically asked Meng Xi about it yesterday. The Qinghe Battlefield was less than two hundred li from Angang, a relic from three centuries ago where over two hundred thousand people perished.

“It’s not clear yet. The military has sealed it off, and both Headquarters and the Guards have sent people in, but there’s been no word so far,” Gao Wenxin said, idly twirling her pen. “But it probably won’t concern us. Our Angang branch is small, with little strength—just me as the only fifth-level Awakened. Our main task is local security.”

“Tch!” Gu Changqing sounded disappointed. He was genuinely interested in the place, but there was no hurry—the world was becoming more and more intriguing.

Back in his office, with nothing else to do, Gu Changqing took out the half-finished volume of “Eight Wilderness Fist” and began to peruse it carefully. The origins of this martial art were unknown, but it was a fist technique powered by channeling spiritual energy within the body.

The “Eight Wildernesses,” also called the “Eight Directions,” referred to all points of the compass. The technique was meant to subdue all directions—to suppress all heroes under heaven. The essence of the fist lay in its momentum and intent: the practitioner must have a spirit capable of shaking mountains and rivers, a pride that stood above all under heaven, suppressing all rivals.

Most of these claims were, admittedly, boastful, but Gu Changqing found himself somewhat intrigued.

Especially since the technique contained five moves in total: the first two for the Qi Refining stage, two for the Foundation Establishment stage, and one reserved for the Golden Core stage. The two moves in his hands were those for Qi Refining: Fist that Shatters Mountains and Rivers, and Fist that Subdues the World.

He read until nearly noon, when Meng Xi called. He left with a swagger, driving to see the house Meng Xi had set her sights on.

It was indeed close to the Public Security Bureau—less than two hundred meters away, in a small community built about ten years prior. As soon as Gu Changqing got out of the car, Meng Xi greeted him with a radiant smile, taking his arm.

With the agent leading them, they toured the apartment: over eighty square meters, two bedrooms and a living room, with recent renovations in natural wood tones and white. The master bedroom boasted a large balcony, while the other had been converted into a study.

“You could fill this with books, put a lounge chair on the balcony, read in the sun, maybe grow some flowers…” Meng Xi enthused, dragging Gu Changqing from room to room, her imagination running wild.

“Whatever you like,” Gu Changqing replied absently, his interest clearly elsewhere.

After about twenty minutes, they went to lunch. Over their meal, Meng Xi remarked, “So much has been happening lately! There’s even a forum online talking about Awakened and the Weird…”

“Oh?” Gu Changqing looked at her with interest.

Meng Xi had probably guessed his identity long ago, but had never brought it up. The forum she mentioned piqued his curiosity as well. There was an internal forum in Chongming, but he’d never visited it. What Meng Xi described was clearly different—something open to ordinary people.

“I wonder what the future will be like…” Meng Xi’s eyes grew a little lost. The things she’d seen on that forum in recent days had shaken her former certainties about what lay ahead.

“With luck, you’ll die of old age in bed in a few decades. If not, you could end up eaten by something Weird tonight! What’s the use in worrying?” Gu Changqing shrugged. He didn’t care about the future’s shape. Even now, walking the path of cultivation, he had little yearning for immortality.

Not everyone is obsessed with living forever.

One should live life to the fullest—enjoy life, die without regrets.

Or, to put it more crudely:

“Man dies and the birds fly into the sky. If you don’t die, you’ll live ten thousand years—so enjoy yourself first!”

That was why, when he left the mountains, he went straight to Pingyao—to vent his anger before bothering with anything else.