Chapter 45: 45. Taboo (Vote for me for the monthly ticket!)

Qing Chen, while listening to Uncle Li Dong’s stories about knight traditions, could imagine how many brambles the knights’ ancestors had to cut through to forge a new path.

Because the sea environment no longer allowed them to complete the eight life-and-death trials, they had to find their own way out.

He asked, “What is the relationship between the Breathing Technique and endorphins? Why can the early unlocking of the Genetic Lock be aided by the Breathing Technique?”

“Because the Breathing Technique enables you to secrete endorphins instantly after feeling pain, which is itself a skill to control your body. If you use the Breathing Technique to train your body, you can cover in three months what others take several years to achieve,” Uncle Li Dong answered, “So when you complete the life-and-death trials entirely with the Breathing Technique, the level of endorphins in your body is far above normal levels.”

“Are there other effects?” Qing Chen asked.

“When you finish the first life-and-death trial, I will tell you the rest of its effects. Knowing them now wouldn’t be meaningful,” Uncle Li Dong said.

“Can’t endorphins be injected directly?” Qing Chen asked, believing that the technology of the Inner World was likely advanced enough to extract and inject endorphins without side effects.

Uncle Li Dong laughed and said, “This is an era where even love can be faked with phenylethylamine chips, but you need to understand that any action that relies on external force is ineffective for us. There were ancestors who tried to inject endorphins directly without using the Breathing Technique, but they failed to unlock the Genetic Lock even after passing the life-and-death trials.”

“We can understand the principle of endorphins, but still cannot comprehend the Genetic Lock. To this day, the secrets of the Genetic Lock remain sacred and untouchable to knights.”

“We can only use the most foolish method, adhering to the old rules, so I said, this is the longest path among all shortcuts in the human world. And there is only one path to the divine throne, which is the painful cultivation.”

“Alright, I’ve got it,” Qing Chen said, “Then what will happen after I complete all eight life-and-death trials with the assistance of the Breathing Technique?”

“That question is meaningless,” Uncle Li Dong shook his head.

“It has meaning,” Qing Chen looked at him and said, “Because in the Outer World’s oceans… there is no Taboo Land.”

He watched as Uncle Li Dong showed a look of astonishment for the first time; he always seemed to have everything under control, as if nothing really concerned him.

But when he heard this statement, his state of mind was visibly disturbed.

“Yes, there were no Transcendents in your place, so how could there be a Taboo Land,” Uncle Li Dong mused, “So, you could pass all the life-and-death trials in another world.”

“What exactly are the Taboo Land and the Taboo items?” Qing Chen finally voiced the question.

Seeing that her boss was pondering, Ye Wan explained on his behalf, “The origin of both the Taboo items and the Taboo Land comes from the same entity: the Transcendents.”

“The Transcendents?” Qing Chen asked.

“Right,” Lin Xiaoxiao said, “When a Transcendent dies unexpectedly, their abnormal and potent blood seeps into the land, nourishing the creatures there: ants, centipedes, scorpions, any existing insects. It also revitalizes the plants and even the microbes that grow there. As a result, the creatures of the land of the dead evolve, and the land of the dead becomes the Taboo Land.”

“The reason the Inner World’s oceans are so fearsome is, according to the suspicions of the Deer Island Financial Group’s investigation, that a transcendental species of whale had aged, fell ill and died. Then its blood and bones nourished the entire ocean,” Lin Xiaoxiao explained.

“How did they find out about it?” Qing Chen asked.

“Deer Island built unmanned submarines to explore the ocean, to see if there was a possibility to sail out and find a new continent. Before the creatures of the ocean destroyed the unmanned submarines, they captured footage of a gigantic whale skeleton on the sea floor,” Lin Xiaoxiao explained, “This was a classified file from hundreds of years ago that was declassified decades ago.”

Qing Chen asked curiously, “How big was that whale skeleton?”

“Uh,” Lin Xiaoxiao was at a loss for words, “Really freaking huge?”

“Speak human,” Qing Chen’s face darkened.

“The unmanned submarine’s wide-angle lens was over three hundred meters away from it when filming, and it couldn’t even capture its skull in the entire frame,” Lin Xiaoxiao said.

Qing Chen exclaimed, “It’s really fucking huge.”

From then on, humans on land never again entertained the thought of setting sail.

“And what is that Taboo?” Qing Chen asked.

“A Taboo is an extraordinary power a Transcendent possessed in life that mutates into a different form for a period of ten to a hundred years after their death,” Lin Xiaoxiao explained.

“Can you give me some examples?” Qing Chen asked.

“Some Taboos are direct manifestations of a Transcendent’s powers from when they were alive. For example, there’s always a six-carriage Black steam train roaming the wilderness near City 16, and few know where it’s headed. It occasionally stops, and if you throw a Gold Coin through the window into the headcar, it will take you anywhere you want to go and won’t stop until it reaches the destination.”

“Gold Coins…”

“Yes, its headcar is filled with Gold Coins, and many organizations like to use it for smuggling goods, although finding it is not easy.”

“What if you steal its Gold Coins?” Qing Chen asked.

“It will close off the carriage and trap you inside until you die, which is why the last carriage is filled with skeletons,” Lin Xiaoxiao said cheerfully: “So, if you ever come across it one day, don’t ever steal the Gold Coins.”

Qing Chen nodded.

“There are also Taboos that have nothing to do with the Transcendent’s abilities and might even be mysterious creatures with infinite life,” Lin Xiaoxiao continued, “If you have a way to contain it, it might serve you.”

“And if you don’t have a way to contain it?”

“Then it can be extremely dangerous.”

At this moment, Uncle Li Dong seemed to have come to some sort of realization, stood up, and said, “In the face of Taboos, we’re like Hunters in a forest with a Longsword in hand, aware that there are fierce beasts in the woods, mindful that these beasts are different. We’ve learned to classify these beasts and have experience in dealing with them. We know which beasts we can fight and which we must avoid. But now there are more and more beasts, so we need specialized Hunters to deal with them, which led to the formation of the Contraindicated courts. They are enemies of both the fierce beasts and those who would keep them.”

“Not only do they contain Taboos, but they also contain Transcendents who might produce Taboos, because they don’t want the day to come when there are so many fierce beasts that they could destroy humanity.”

Qing Chen pondered upon hearing this.

Uncle Li Dong looked at him and said, “Starting today, Ye Wan will teach you combat skills, train your physical endurance, and the techniques for the eight challenges. I am envious that you were born in the Outer World, but that’s not important. What matters is that you might change an era. Begin now, I can’t wait to see that day.”

After speaking, Uncle Li Dong left.

In the gloomy darkness of Prison 18, Qing Chen suddenly felt that, compared to the bright sunshine of the Outer World, he really preferred it here.

Even though he was in a prison, he felt hope and freedom.

…

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Thank you to the students with tales of wine, I am not silver light, ah, and Fortress Treasure for becoming this book’s Alliance Hierarchs, your generosity is as vast as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as enduring as Nanshan!