The colossal beast stood towering between heaven and earth, its size beyond description—only its silhouette was visible. Entirely pitch-black, it resembled a gigantic turtle entwined by a massive serpent, emanating a peculiar aura of the Dao.
Gu Han had never seen such a creature before, yet he inexplicably knew its identity—it was one of the Four Celestial Spirits known as the Black Tortoise, also called the Turtle-Serpent. The serpent symbolized the Old Yin among the Four Symbols and winter among the four seasons.
The tortoise, with its longevity, could traverse the realms of Yin and Yang, while the serpent, agile and elusive, could gather wealth.
The Black Tortoise possessed the ability to peek into celestial secrets and divine fortunes and misfortunes.
"Hiss!"
Suddenly, a flood of memories surged forth.
Gu Han finally remembered that he originated from a place called Blue Star and had been reborn into this Dou Qi Continent.
In his previous life, he was a rural orphan who grew up relying on the kindness of others. As an adult, he donned a yellow uniform to serve the people, all the while dreaming of sudden wealth. He would scour street stalls for "antiques," and his sole pastime during breaks was reading novels and watching domestic animations on his phone.
The final memory was of him watching the animated adaptation of Dou Po Cangqiong. Disgusted by the production quality—especially the revamped character design of the Medusa Queen, which he found so appalling that he lightly slapped the table in frustration—he accidentally struck an "antique" tortoise shell and lost consciousness.
"Was Zhuang Zhou dreaming of being a butterfly, or was the butterfly dreaming of being Zhuang Zhou?"
Fifteen years later, the long-sealed memories resurfaced, leaving Gu Han somewhat disoriented.
In this life, he was an orphan from a town directly under the jurisdiction of the Cloud Mist Sect, located within the borders of the Jia Ma Empire in the Northwestern Continent of the Dou Qi Continent.
At age six, he was identified by a Cloud Mist Sect deacon as having exceptional innate talent and was taken to Cloud Mist Mountain to become a Provisional Disciple and begin cultivating Dou Qi. By fourteen, he had reached the ninth stage of Dou Disciple. Now, with three months left until his fifteenth birthday, he was already capable of breaking through to the Dou Practitioner level.
The Cloud Mist Sect's disciple rating system mirrored that of Jia Nan Academy: eighth-stage Dou Disciple corresponded to F-grade potential, ninth-stage Dou Disciple to E-grade, one-star Dou Practitioner to D-grade, and so on. The highest rating was S-grade for a five-star Dou Practitioner, but the age limit wasn't under twenty—it was under eighteen.
The difference in age limits likely stemmed from the nature of the institutions—one being a private enterprise with training programs, the other a private university.
In training programs, meeting standards meant entering the private enterprise to work. Since investment required returns, the rules were naturally stricter.
"Whether I'm the butterfly or Zhuang Zhou, I am Gu Han. Both Gu Hans are me."
"I never expected to be reborn into the Dou Qi Continent of the Great Thousand World."
"Was it because I was watching Dou Po Cangqiong at the time?"
A profound clarity from his soul restored calm to Gu Han's thoughts.
The superposition of memories from both lives deepened his understanding of the Dou Qi Continent, prompting him to contemplate his future path.
As a disciple of the Cloud Mist Sect, he would face a future calamity originating from the Child of Destiny, Xiao Yan.
As the saying goes, "Judge a gentleman by his actions, not his heart." The Cloud Mist Sect had nurtured him, albeit due to his talent. Over the years, he had enjoyed good food, clothing, and the privilege of cultivating without distractions, living a life far superior to most ordinary people. He owed them gratitude, and favors must be repaid.
However, this didn't mean he had to die for the Cloud Mist Sect, nor did it necessarily make him an enemy of Xiao Yan.
If Xiao Yan were replaced by Tang San, he wouldn't hesitate to find a way to eliminate him.
But facing Xiao Yan, there was no need to hastily position him as an adversary.
"Five years ago, the sect master took Nalan Yanran as a disciple. She's fifteen now. The Three-Year Agreement hasn't been set yet, but it can't be far off."
"Even if it is established, it's Hundiantian who should be worried, not me."
Gu Han understood clearly that the conflict between the Cloud Mist Sect and Xiao Yan would escalate to a life-and-death struggle, with the Three-Year Agreement merely serving as the catalyst.
The core reason was that Xiao Yan killed Mo Cheng, and the Great Elder Yun Leng, feeling humiliated, used this as a pretext to cause trouble for him.
After numerous Dou Huangs and Aura Ancestors appeared in a standoff, the matter could have been laid to rest. However, Yun Leng, unable to swallow his anger, went to the Xiao family to stir up trouble.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the Soul Clan captured Xiao Zhan, leading Xiao Yan to blame the Cloud Mist Sect for the incident. This resulted in Xiao Yan storming the Cloud Mist Sect three times, escalating the conflict into a life-and-death feud between the two sides.
"I'll take one step at a time."
"Ensuring the Cloud Mist Sect's legacy remains unbroken will repay the debt of gratitude for their guidance and upbringing."
"As for Xiao Yan, I'll reserve judgment until after I've interacted with him. I shouldn't view him through a biased lens or with preconceived notions."
"If his character proves trustworthy, we could become friends. Once he becomes Yan Di, I could benefit from his success and effortlessly reach the Endless Fire Domain."
"If his character is lacking, I'll keep my distance and wait for the Plane Passage to open. Then, I'll head to the Great Thousand World to intercept the opportunities meant for Mu Chen's father."
With this thought, Gu Han resolved to focus seriously on his cultivation.
Everything depended on strength to achieve.
At that moment, his consciousness was suddenly drawn inward, deep into his soul, where he saw a turtle shell.
"My transmigration and rebirth are indeed connected to this turtle shell!"
Gu Han's pitch-black eyes gleamed with realization.
Just then, a stream of information flowed into him, clarifying many things.
This turtle shell was a manifestation of a one-in-a-hundred-million fragment of the Black Tortoise's shell, bound to his soul.
As his strength grew, the turtle shell fragment would gradually repair itself. Currently, it only possessed the ability to peek into celestial secrets.
To avoid detection by the Azure Sky List—the heavenly will of this world—the number of peeks was limited.
At the Dou Disciple stage, he could obtain information about opportunities once per day, resetting after midnight.
Upon reaching Dou Practitioner, he would gain two opportunities; at Dou Master, three; at Dou Grand Master, four; and so on.
Moreover, as his strength increased, the turtle shell would restore more abilities and powers, providing him with greater assistance.
The opportunities he could peek into each day would prioritize what he most urgently needed and was capable of obtaining at his current level.
For instance, if he were told the location of a Dou Di's tomb now, he wouldn't have the strength to enter it.
As his power grew, he would no longer receive useless information.
"Does this count as obtaining the Black Tortoise's inheritance?" Gu Han's chest rose and fell slightly.
Transmigrators indeed have cheats—it seems this life will be smoother than I imagined.
"Let's try it once."
"The information will be delivered in the style of the intelligence systems from the novels I read in my previous life."
Gu Han eagerly used this cheat for the first time.
["The ospreys sing, on the river's isle. The gentle maiden, fair and mild, is a fit spouse for our good lord."]
["The male does not dwell alone, nor the female reside in solitude. The Black Tortoise, turtle and serpent, entwined and supporting each other."]
["To illuminate the union of male and female, ultimately they assist one another!"]
An enigmatic and profound voice echoed.
Immediately after, a piece of information transmitted into Gu Han's mind.
[Due to your lack of cooperation, Mo Qing failed to secure first place in the Provisional Disciple Competition and is extremely furious. He has sent the outer sect disciple Mo Feng to teach you a lesson.]
[Tomorrow at 8 a.m., Mo Feng will intercept you on your way to the Transmission Hall to discipline you. He will use a special Dou Skill to inflict hidden injuries within your body, causing your first attempt to break through to Dou Practitioner to end in failure and your cultivation to fall back to the eighth stage of Dou Disciple.]
After digesting the information, a cold glint flashed in Gu Han's eyes.
He was merely an orphan, unlike others who had the support of a clan or family behind them.
The reward for first place in the competition was exceptionally generous for him. Mo Qing, with mere words, expected him to yield—of course, he wouldn't agree.
As for Mo Qing's retaliation, he had anticipated it, but before his memories resurfaced, he hadn't expected a fellow disciple to strike so viciously.
"This intelligence came at just the right time. I must handle it carefully."
After pondering his strategy for a while, Gu Han sat cross-legged and immersed himself in cultivation.
All conspiracies and schemes are but paper tigers before absolute strength.
Time passed swiftly, and before long it was deep into the night. The bright moon hung high in the sky, with stars twinkling around it.
Sensing that the Mysterious Turtle could be used again, Gu Han immediately peered into the celestial secrets.
[Behind Cloud Mist Mountain in Cloud Stream Valley, take a hundred steps inward, then another hundred steps south. Behind a rock lies a hidden path leading to a small Aura Gathering Ground. Discovered by Mo Cheng fifteen years ago, he secretly transplanted a thousand-year Jade Spirit Fruit tree there. Five Jade Spirit Fruits will ripen at the first quarter of the Chou hour tonight and will be picked by Mo Yu at the third quarter of the Mao hour.]