Chapter 101: Understanding the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, Gaining Mutation Abilities

Chapter 101: Understanding the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, Gaining Mutation Abilities

"You can speak... Wow, you're a monster!"

Golden Canary flapped her wings, flying three meters high, her tiny body trembling with fear.

Qi Yuan was speechless upon hearing this, "I'm a human, a genuine human. You're the one who's a monster, speaking human language instead of bird language!"

"This young lady can speak bird language!"

"Biubiubiubiu... Tweet tweet tweet..."

Golden Canary's voice sounded like a machine gun, or like the alarm of an electric scooter, crisp, loud, and piercing.

"Since I can speak bird language, I'm not a monster. Now it's your turn. You're a drop of blood, so say something in blood language, or you're a monster too!" Golden Canary questioned.

At this moment, her conversation with Qi Yuan made no sense, as if she were a foolish friend.

How could blood speak?

Qi Yuan was left dumbfounded.

However, he couldn't let himself be outdone by a bird.

"Dinosaur... Wolf... Blood, blood, blood..."

Qi Yuan started making things up on the spot.

Golden Canary's small eyes widened, and her pupils darted around, "You're lying. How could blood speak like that?"

"How would you know how blood speaks if you're not blood yourself?" Qi Yuan felt that he had the upper hand in intelligence, directly quoting the proverb 'Only a fish knows the joy of being a fish.'

Sure enough, Golden Canary was stunned by Qi Yuan.

"Are neither of us monsters?" It cautiously flew over and landed near Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan was taken aback. He realized he had been drawn into her nonsense.

Speaking bird language or blood language had nothing to do with being a monster or not.

"You're the monster, not me," Qi Yuan emphasized.

Golden Canary perched beside Qi Yuan, "Even if I'm a monster, I'm a very pretty one. And you, you're an ugly monster!"

Qi Yuan couldn't hold back after hearing this, "If I were to transform, I'd be quite handsome too!"

The two bickered like children but gradually became more familiar with each other.

Qi Yuan realized that Golden Canary wasn't very intelligent. She's a bit dim-witted and loves to admire her beauty."

Qi Yuan felt that Golden Canary had pulled him down to her level of intelligence.

Instead of arguing further, he asked, "Where are we?"

"This is Nine Plateaus Mountain."

"Where is Nine Plateaus Mountain?"

"On Nine Plateaus Mountain, of course!" Golden Canary gave him a look as if he were mentally challenged.

Qi Yuan was speechless. Why didn't you go to the Immortal Bridge or become a great Daoist?

But he understood that asking this foolish Golden Canary wouldn't yield any answers.

"Do you know about the North-South Pact?" Qi Yuan asked again.

Anyone from the Flowing Wind Realm would know about the North-South Pact.

Golden Canary shook her head.

"Then... do you know about Demons?" Could it be that this realm isn't the Flowing Wind Realm?

Golden Canary's small eyes widened, and a look of fear appeared in her eyes, "You mean those ugly things? There are so many of them down the mountain!"

Qi Yuan listened.

Looking up at the sky without any stars, he understood that this was likely the Flowing Wind Realm.

"Those ugly things are crazy and deranged. When they see us, they attack us."

"Do you know what that gate in the sky is?" Qi Yuan asked again.

The gate in the sky was mysterious and ancient.

When he was in the Flowing Wind Realm, he hadn't seen such a gate in the sky.

This also meant that... the place he was currently in...

"I don't know." Golden Canary shook her head.

Qi Yuan didn't feel like talking anymore. After all, this dim-witted Golden Canary couldn't provide any useful information.

He gazed at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties in the sky, slowly comprehending its mysteries.

Golden Canary, perched beside him, glanced at Qi Yuan and returned to her nest.

Her small nest, hanging on a tree, looked delicate and exquisite.

Golden Canary returned to her nest and began preening her smooth feathers.

This preening session lasted half a day.

After an unknown amount of time, she seemed to sense something and stuck her small head out, "Blood Droplet, what are you doing? What's so interesting about that gate?"

"I'm comprehending the origin," Qi Yuan replied.

His comprehension of the origin wasn't like what was shown on TV, requiring complete immersion and undisturbed focus.

Instead, it was enough to just look at it.

Anyway, fragments would drop.

【You have comprehended the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, gaining +1 Back Scratching Ability.】

【You have comprehended the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, gaining +1 Mutation Ability.】

【You have comprehended the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, gaining +1 Mental Disturbance.】

Anyway, all the comprehensions were bizarre.

The more Qi Yuan comprehended, the better his mental state became.

"What does it mean to comprehend the origin?" Golden Canary looked up at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties in the sky, and a trace of instinctive fear appeared in her eyes, "Can it make me more beautiful?"

"Probably, yes." Qi Yuan answered truthfully.

Anyway, the comprehensions were bizarre, so it was normal to become more beautiful.

Golden Canary was delighted to hear this, "I want to comprehend too!"

She imitated Qi Yuan, staring intently at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties in the sky.

As Qi Yuan continued to comprehend, his figure gradually grew larger.

Over the past month, the ability he comprehended the most was Mutation Ability.

He had gained a full ten of them.

As for the other strange abilities, they were fleeting and didn't form a coherent system.

A month later, a heavy downpour suddenly swept across Nine Plateaus Mountain. The wind blew, and the entire world was drenched. Qi Yuan, through the curtain of rain, still stared at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties in the sky.

Amidst the thunder and rain...

【You have comprehended the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, gaining +1 Resistance Boost in Rainy Weather.】

"An increase in combat power in the rain!" This was the first time in a month that Qi Yuan had comprehended an increase in combat power.

However, the cold rain hitting his face made him feel quite uncomfortable.

At this moment, a banana leaf sheltered his head, blocking the rain.

Golden Canary's voice sounded, "Blood Droplet, it's pouring rain."

Qi Yuan looked at her, her feathers soaked, and she was trembling, "I'm not afraid of the rain. Go back to your nest. Your feathers are wet, and you're not pretty anymore."

"Tsk!" Golden Canary, with the banana leaf on her head, "We're neighbors. I saw that you had no hands or legs, so I'm covering you... Achoo..."

"Can Golden Canary sneeze may vary?"

(End)

Qi Yuan was seeing it for the first time.

Jin Si Que was damp and shivering, feeling a bit cold. She turned her head away, not wanting to look at Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan spoke softly, "Fire."

Instantly, a faint flame ignited beside the two of them.

Jin Si Que's eyes widened at the sight, "You know spells?"

"I gained this minor ability from my insights at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties. It's just not very stable."

This acquired ability was different from the fireball spell Qi Yuan knew from the Vast Wave Realm.

The fireball spell could be used in the Vast Wave Realm, but it had no effect when used in the game.

However, Qi Yuan had a hunch that the abilities gained through insights at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties were interconnected. He felt that they could be used not only in the Flowing Wind Realm but also in the Vast Wave Realm.

This was somewhat similar to his in-game skills.

Although this ability seemed useless, Qi Yuan sensed its immense potential.

"Wow, Xuezhuzi, you're so powerful! Why didn't I gain any insights from the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties? Instead, my eyesight seems to have worsened." Jin Si Que moved closer to the flame, feeling a bit warmer, and the coldness on her body dissipated slightly.

"Are you nearsighted? How can you be nearsighted when looking at the sky? Forget it; maybe you shouldn't try to gain insights anymore."

"No, I want to become beautiful!" Jin Si Que stubbornly insisted. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, "Do you smell something strange? It's like something is burning."

Qi Yuan glanced at her, and his flame had ignited Jin Si Que's tail, "Your tail is on fire."

"Ah... Um... My feathers are burning!"

"Xuezhuzi, you haven't heard the last of me!"

A banana leaf flipped over, and the rain poured onto Jin Si Que's feathers, extinguishing the flames.

There were still scorch marks on her tail.

As the most beauty-conscious creature, how could she accept this outcome? She glared at Qi Yuan.

"I'll never talk to you again for the rest of my life!"

She stormed off like an angry child and retreated to her nest.

Looking at her burnt tail, she felt utterly aggrieved.

She muttered, "Xuezhuzi, if you don't take the initiative to talk to me, I won't pay you any attention."

Jin Si Que gazed at the heavy rain outside and decided to sleep in her nest.

It seemed that only sleep could alleviate the pain in her heart at that moment.

As night fell, a banana leaf landed above Qi Yuan, shielding him from most of the rain.

Qi Yuan glanced at the unique bird's nest, capable of blocking wind and rain.

He caught a glimpse of a flustered Jin Si Que, who seemed to realize she had been spotted. She glared at Qi Yuan.

"What are you looking at? If you don't apologize, I'll never forgive you," she said.

In the following days, Jin Si Que indeed did not initiate any conversations with Qi Yuan.

It seemed that having her feathers burnt had genuinely upset the naturally beauty-loving Jin Si Que.

Qi Yuan continued to gain insights at the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties, and his mutation ability kept increasing.

A full year passed, and Qi Yuan's mutation ability had reached almost one hundred.

The rest were a basketful of odd and temporary abilities, like a flash in the pan.

"Hey, Xuezhuzi, when will you take the initiative to apologize to me?"

One evening, Jin Si Que appeared before Qi Yuan.

Her tail seemed to have healed, and she glared at Qi Yuan.

After a year, she finally decided to talk to him again.

"Who... who are you?" Qi Yuan felt a bit confused.

"You... forgot me, unforgivable!" Jin Si Que stared at Qi Yuan, her fur standing on end. She circled Qi Yuan, pacing back and forth.

"Oh, you're Jin Si Que. I remember now, thank you for the banana leaf." Qi Yuan thought for a moment and smiled.

Jin Si Que glared at Qi Yuan, "Are you like the fish in the river, with a poor memory?"

Time passed, and twenty-seven years flew by.

Qi Yuan's body had grown from the size of a small marble to that of a football.

His mutation ability had reached nearly a thousand.

The Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties in the sky gradually faded, becoming more and more translucent, as if it might disappear at any moment.

"Xuezhuzi, between me and the white fox on Nine Plateaus Peak, who looks better?" Jin Si Que flapped her wings and landed on Qi Yuan.

Surrounding Nine Plateaus Peak were several other mountain ranges.

On Seven Plateaus Peak lived a white fox that could speak human language, the most popular creature among the nearby mountains.

A golden nest or a silver nest could not compare to one's own dog nest.

"You look the best," Qi Yuan said, comforting his neighbor.

"I knew I looked the best! Those guys have no taste, ranking that white fox as the number one beauty!" Jin Si Que complained.

Suddenly, Jin Si Que looked up at the sky, her face showing a dazed expression, "Xuezhuzi, the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties you've been observing... it's gone. Don't be sad."

"Xuezhuzi?"

"Xuezhuzi?!?!"

...

Back already?

Gaining insights into the origin was a hurried affair, both coming and going.

Qi Yuan opened his eyes and looked around; he had returned to No Return City.

"So this is gaining insights into the origin?"

Qi Yuan recalled the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties in the sky.

He had gained insights for twenty-seven years, and the most significant gain was his mutation ability.

When the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties disappeared, his insights came to an end.

"What exactly is the mutation ability...?"

"And what is the Gate of Ten Thousand Varieties?"

Qi Yuan looked at his body.

"Fire."

He spoke softly, and a flame ignited.

He didn't cast any spells from the Vast Wave Realm or use any in-game abilities.

When he said 'fire,' fire appeared.

"Mutation?" Qi Yuan spoke softly.

However, his body showed no changes.

"Could it be that my insights into the mutation ability were insufficient? Or perhaps I haven't discovered the issue?"

"The next insight will probably come when I reach level ninety."

If he gained an insight at level sixty, then levels ninety and one hundred twenty would also provide insights.

Putting these thoughts aside, Qi Yuan embraced Xiao Jia, and the two lay down again in the large pit at the city gate.

...

In the desert without wind, as far as the eye could see, there was only sand, creating a sense of vast beauty.

(Chapter End)

Qi Yuan sat leisurely on the city wall, embracing Xiao Jia.

"This mode of defending the city is actually quite nice. If I had to continuously fight monsters, even with my iron-like body, I'd eventually be overwhelmed."

Qi Yuan possessed the Death Radiance, but at his current stage, he was still too weak, and recovering from injuries was a hassle.

At the very least, he'd have to wait until he reached level 80 or 90, when the Death Radiance would be at its most powerful.

Only then would he be like an indestructible little roach.

"Are they here?" Qi Yuan asked as he squinted towards the vast desert.

In the distance, dust filled the air, stirred up by the advancing demon horde, creating a sandstorm-like scene.

This time, compared to the past, the horde seemed much more formidable.

"Eight hundred of them?"

"More than twenty of them are level 49?" Qi Yuan squinted.

Usually, there would only be one or two monsters of this level.

But this time, there were over twenty.

"They're not here for a friendly visit!" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up with excitement.

"After dealing with the small fries, the big ones have finally arrived?"

Holding his broken sword, he leaped down from the city wall.

As he had done in the past, he shouted at the approaching demon horde, "I am the Warden of Nowhere City. Those who dare to intrude will face death!"

Qi Yuan brandished his sword, and his slender figure contrasted sharply with the thirty-zhang-high city wall.

This time, unlike before, the advancing demon horde suddenly halted.

A woman's voice echoed.

"What a handsome man."

Following the voice, a woman in revealing attire approached.

Her face was ordinary, slightly above average, but her figure was explosive. She wore a crimson dress slit up to her waist, and as she moved, it revealed most of her hip bone. On her slightly tanned skin, a deep palm print was visible.

Her face was adorned with peculiar tattoos.

This person was none other than the Demon Controller, Cai Xia.

Looking at Qi Yuan, her eyes held a suggestive glint. "I wondered why Nowhere City couldn't be conquered. It turns out there's a cultivator here."

Qi Yuan, surprised, replied, "Aside from the extra-dimensional demons and the phantoms in Heaven's Edge, this is the first time I've seen a human-shaped experience bag."

A hint of regret flashed in Cai Xia's eyes. "He's handsome and has a robust body, but there's something wrong with his head."

She continued, "But I'm not interested in your mind; I'm interested in your body."

Cai Xia's eyes trailed over Qi Yuan with desire, and she licked her lips. "How about joining my northern camp?"

This kind of communication was quite normal.

Every day, numerous people fled to the northern camp, becoming part of the Demon Controller's forces.

Cai Xia's previous male favorite had escaped from Galacia City.

"You dare to treat me as an experience bag, and now you covet my body? You're asking for death!" Qi Yuan held his broken sword, his face filled with anger.

"It seems you still don't understand the reality of the situation." Cai Xia's smile froze. "You have no support in Nowhere City, and my demon horde is endless.

Do you think that by blocking a few waves of demons, you can defend this city?

Even if you're a Nation Guardian or an Earth Myth, you alone cannot protect Nowhere City!

Ten Thousand Eight Thousand Cities will eventually fall!"

As she spoke, Cai Xia retreated.

As a Demon Controller, her strength was actually quite average.

The demons were her greatest reliance.

Over twenty Overlord-level demons were enough to sweep through a small city like Nowhere City.

Not to mention, there were countless other demons behind them.

As Cai Xia retreated, the demon horde roared and charged towards Qi Yuan.

"Kill!"

Qi Yuan stood alone in front of Nowhere City, facing eight hundred demons. He charged into the horde.

A flash of sword light, and over a dozen demons were instantly sliced into fragments.

At that moment, a unique notification sounded in his ear.

[Mutation Progress 1%, Extract 1% Demonic Essence.]



[Obtained Demonic Essence x1.]



Qi Yuan paused.

In the past, when he killed demons, he only gained experience.

Now, he also obtained Demonic Essence.

Was this related to his insight into the origin and the mutation ability he gained?

What was this Demonic Essence? However, he didn't have time to think further.

At that moment, he was still in the midst of battle, and everything would have to wait until the fight was over.

The slaughter had just begun.

With the Demonic Essence, Qi Yuan felt more excited and fought the demons with greater vigor.

Not far away, Cai Xia witnessed this scene, her eyes filled with greed. "Such a robust body, I want to lick it."

However, after a few hundred breaths, the greed in her eyes completely vanished, replaced by apprehension.

The eight hundred demons had surrounded Qi Yuan, and by now, he had killed over a hundred of them, yet his body showed no signs of injury.

Holding his broken sword, he didn't resemble a swordsman but rather an assassin charging into the army.

And this assassin, despite being surrounded, still managed to kill several demons with a single stab.

Where was there an assassin who could directly confront an army?

She finally realized the gravity of the situation. "You're a Nation Guardian!"

In this small Nowhere City, there was actually a Nation Guardian!

Qi Yuan held his sword and slew an Overlord-level demon with a single strike. He looked at Cai Xia with greed, "Thank you for the appetizer."

Level 60 and level 59 were a significant divide.

According to the Vast Wave Realm's classification, it was the difference between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation.

According to the Moon Gazing Continent's classification, it was the difference between Emperor and Supreme Emperor.

According to the Flowing Wind Realm's classification, it was the difference between Nation Guardian and Overlord.

In the past, without merging with Xiao Jia, he would have needed to exert himself to defeat this eight-hundred-strong army.

But now, he could easily annihilate them.

Upon hearing this, Cai Xia didn't hesitate and immediately fled.

A Nation Guardian was not someone she could handle!

(End)

Chapter end