Chapter 43 - 39: The Morning Sun

Chapter 43: Chapter 39: The Morning Sun

In the early morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Xu Mo ascended to the rooftop platform as he always did. This was part of his daily routine: to observe the small town and its surroundings.

A bitter, cutting wind swept across Xu Mo’s face like a razor’s edge, instantly jolting him alert. He walked to the edge of the platform, raised his military-grade binoculars, and began his routine scan of the world below, a realm sealed in ice and snow.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a deathly silent, pure white expanse.

The snow on the ground was over a meter deep, completely burying the streets, abandoned vehicles, and low-lying walls. Only the upper sections of taller obstacles and buildings protruded, making them look like solitary reefs in a vast, white ocean.

Xu Mo saw that many of the town’s houses, their structures already compromised, had partially or completely collapsed under the crushing weight of the snow. Broken roof beams and shattered bricks jutted out from the drifts like the exposed skeletons of giant beasts, silently testifying to the brutal severity of the winter.

There were no birds or beasts in the sky, no shadows of wandering zombies on the ground, and not a single sign of human activity. The entire world seemed to have been wiped clean, with only the wind whimpering across the vacant, snowy plains. This absolute silence and desolation were enough to drive anyone clinging to a sliver of false hope to complete despair.

Xu Mo lowered his binoculars, a soft puff of white mist leaving his lips. He had been looking at this same scene for over two months now and had long grown accustomed to it. Yet, every time he saw it, he still felt a heavy sense of oppression and a profound awareness of both the fragility and tenacity of life.

Just as Xu Mo was about to turn and head downstairs to begin his daily training, his gaze was captured by a change on the eastern horizon.

He watched as the sliver of dawn in the east rapidly expanded and brightened, its color shifting from grayish-white to a faint, golden red. The edges of the eastern clouds were lined with a brilliant golden border, as if molten gold flowed just behind them. Then, the sun leaped up from the horizon, revealing the curve of its face.

The sun was rising!

In an instant, a myriad of golden rays like Sharp Swords pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the frozen earth. The once lifeless snowscape seemed to be injected with vitality. The snow reflected billions of glittering points of light, and Xu Mo was struck by a sense of cruel beauty.

The morning sun’s rays fell upon Xu Mo as well, penetrating his thick clothing to bring a negligible trace of warmth. Yet, the very instant the sunlight touched his body, something inside Xu Mo stirred.

An extremely subtle and ineffable sensation rose from deep within him.

It wasn’t just the physical warmth from the sun’s rays. It was more like a sense of "lift," an uplifting, vigorous, and vibrant feeling of energy. It arrived with the first rays of sunlight and seemed to create an extremely faint resonance with the surging qi and blood within his body.

This resonance sparked a realization in Xu Mo. The rising sun itself was an immeasurably vast source of energy, and the qi and blood from his Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training just so happened to be capable of resonating with this nascent, ultimate-yang power.

’This is...’

A flash of insight struck Xu Mo, and he acted without hesitation. On the patch of rooftop he had cleared of snow, facing the slowly rising and ever-brightening sun in the east, he naturally fell into a Pile Training stance from the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training.

His feet rooted to the cold earth, he hollowed his chest and straightened his back, held his head as if suspended from above, and curved his arms in a light embrace. His mind sank into his Dantian, guiding the roiling river of qi and blood within him.

Unlike his usual indoor training, this time, as Xu Mo’s mind settled and his qi and blood began to circulate faster, he clearly perceived an unprecedented change.

A minuscule yet indescribably vital stream of warmth, seemingly drawn by his own qi and blood, pierced through the frigid air, passed through the barrier of his clothes, and silently merged into his body.

This stream of warmth was completely different from the searing heat his own body produced when circulating qi and blood. His own qi and blood were tumultuous and explosive, like molten lava. This external stream, however, was purer and gentler, possessing a "generative" quality, like a spring rain that silently nourishes all things.

After merging with his qi and blood, it caused no disturbance. Instead, it was like infusing a rushing river with a wisp of primordial vitality, making the circulation of qi and blood in Xu Mo’s body seem smoother and more refined. Even his mind felt revitalized, as if it had been cleansed, becoming clearer and more acute!

’It works! It really works!’

An irrepressible joy surged in Xu Mo’s heart. He forcibly suppressed his excitement, maintained the stability of his Pile Training, and focused even more intently on guiding his qi and blood. At the same time, he cleared his mind, striving to perceive and receive the faint, wondrous energy that came with the sunlight.

’I recall seeing a similar concept in an old book I once casually flipped through—I can’t remember if it was on Daoist School wellness or martial arts theory. What did it say? "Gather the Purple Qi from the east to replenish one’s primordial energy?" Or something like, "Inhale the morning glow, absorb the evening twilight?"’

’Back then, I just thought it was some esoteric fantasy of the ancients, or perhaps a literary metaphor. I never imagined that now, in this apocalyptic wasteland, after breaking through to the Cowhide Realm and reaching a whole new level of bodily awareness, I would personally verify such a seemingly ethereal phenomenon.’

’Although this wisp of energy is extremely faint—a drop in the bucket compared to my now-vast reserves of qi and blood—its quality is exceptionally high. I have a feeling that if I persist in training this way, not only will it purify my qi and blood and increase my cultivation speed, but it might also subtly nourish my life force, offset the toll of training, and even extend my lifespan.’

’This is different from the "supplementation" provided by medicinal herbs like ginseng and Antler. Herbs supplement "quantity"; it’s like adding more fuel to the furnace. But this Dharma Gate of absorbing the Sunrise Qi is more like improving "quality." It optimizes the fuel and, to some extent, even repairs and maintains the furnace itself.’

’The significance of this discovery is no less than my breakthrough to the Cowhide Realm.’

’This means I’ve found an auxiliary training method that can optimize my foundation, replenish my life force, and even enhance my potential. This could be crucial for reaching higher realms in the future, especially for avoiding the life-threatening danger of overdrawing my vitality during a breakthrough, like what happened last time.’

Xu Mo maintained his Pile Training, his mind clear and empty, doing his best to capture and integrate every wisp of the "Sunrise Qi". This process was incredibly mentally taxing. It demanded a state of extreme focus and relaxation, making it far more difficult than a simple Posture Stance.

About half an hour passed. As the sun rose higher, becoming bright and dazzling, that unique, generative energy began to fade rapidly, eventually dissipating completely until Xu Mo could no longer sense it. All that remained was the ordinary warmth of the sunlight.

Xu Mo knew the window for today’s Qi Collection had closed. He slowly released the posture and opened his eyes.

For a split second, a sharp glint of light seemed to flash in Xu Mo’s eyes. Had anyone been there to see it, they would have noticed his eyes were brighter than before. Although there was no obvious increase in his strength, Xu Mo could feel that his qi and blood were a trace more lively and refined than usual, and his mind felt exceptionally vigorous.

Standing on the rooftop, facing the risen sun, Xu Mo took a deep breath of the frigid air. He felt his spirits soar, his heart filled with bold ambition.

He glanced down at the deathly still snowscape at his feet, then looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky. A resolute smile touched the corners of Xu Mo’s lips.

’From now on, I’ll do my morning training right here on this rooftop.’

Xu Mo turned, his steps steady as he descended the stairs. He had already made up his mind: as long as the weather permitted, he would ascend to this rooftop every single morning to greet the rising sun.