blogombal Chapter 55 A New Realm of Time and Space
Chapter 55 A New Realm of Time and Space
Time flies, and the courtyard outside the window undergoes a quiet transformation between spring and summer; the locust blossoms fall and new leaves sprout. But deep within the space, time flows at a hundred times the speed of the outside world.
In the blink of an eye, the outside calendar turned to May 1958.
Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes. A faint golden light flashed in the depths of his eyes, and his aura was profound and restrained.
Seventh level of Qi Refining!
With the spatial advantage of an almost cheating-like time flow, a near-infinite supply of spiritual grains and flesh, and an increasingly rich spiritual energy environment, his cultivation advanced rapidly, breaking through the bottleneck between the mid and late stages of Qi Refining and firmly stepping into the late stage of Qi Refining. The spiritual power within his body was pure and boundless, surging like a rushing river through his widened and reinforced meridians, and the coverage and precision of his divine sense also improved accordingly.
However, the price of this rapid improvement is extreme pain that is unimaginable to ordinary people.
The first stage of the "Great Zhou Celestial Body Refining Technique" involves the sixth tempering of the body, tearing and reshaping muscle fibers time and time again; the first stage of the "Divine Demon Visualization Technique" involves the fifth soul refining, grinding the soul in a chaotic millstone and then painstakingly rebuilding it with the help of soul-replenishing pills. The pain involved is so intense that no one dares to utter a sound during the training.
Each body tempering was like being repeatedly fried in a hellish oil cauldron, every inch of flesh and bone screaming in resistance. Each soul refining was like throwing one's self-consciousness into an endless purgatory, enduring the terrifying horror of having one's soul crushed inch by inch. If it weren't for the little Qilin Xiao Qi constantly by his side, feeding him soul-replenishing pills in time and providing spiritual comfort, he would never have been able to persevere.
After completing his cultivation, Lin Yan often needed to sit quietly for a long time to suppress the anger and confusion in his eyes caused by extreme pain, until he regained his clarity.
But it was all worth it. My body was undergoing a complete transformation; my blood and energy were like a dragon, and I was strong enough to lift a cauldron. My spirit and soul were becoming more solid and resilient, and my consciousness was like a net, discerning the smallest details.
"Seven levels of Qi Refining... Six cycles of Body Refinement... Five cycles of Soul Refinement..." Lin Yan slowly clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body and his increasingly clear perception of heaven and earth.
Although the process was so painful that he wished he could forget it forever after each session, the results were undeniable. In this ordinary world, he was gradually moving towards the extraordinary.
Lin Yan slowly finished his practice, and the surging spiritual energy and blood around him gradually calmed down. Just as he was about to assess the progress of his cultivation, a thought suddenly stirred within him: the space he felt seemed to have become deeper and more expansive?
He immediately focused his divine sense into the core of the space, carefully sensing it. The next moment, even with his current state of mind, he couldn't help but be slightly surprised!
The ratio of time flow between the space and the outside world has increased from 150:1 before his seclusion to an astonishing 240:1! This means that one day outside is equivalent to more than eight months inside the space!
The entire space expanded once again, a hundred times larger than before! The originally vast special supply area, herb garden, and warehouse area appeared even more expansive, with large tracts of undeveloped, newly formed land in the distance, exuding a faint aura of chaos, like a new world waiting to be explored.
What surprised him most was that, with the consolidation of his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation and the effectiveness of his Soul Refining, the range of his divine sense coverage experienced another explosive increase! The radius reached a staggering five hundred meters! This was a qualitative leap. It meant that he could perceive every movement within a one-mile radius without moving.
He took a deep breath, feeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the space become noticeably richer.
Just then, a golden light flashed, and Little Qilin Xiao Qi hopped over, affectionately rubbing against his leg. She tilted her little head up and spoke in human language, "Brother, you felt it? The space has upgraded! The quality of the spiritual veins has now stabilized at the top-tier first rank!"
It continued its report in a childish yet earnest tone: "When brother reaches the Great Perfection of the tenth level of Qi Refining, his spiritual veins should be upgraded to the highest grade of the first rank! At that time, the concentration and total amount of spiritual energy will be more than enough to support brother's Foundation Establishment!"
Lin Yan was overjoyed upon hearing this. He touched the hard scales and praised, "Well done, Little Seven."
After the initial excitement, Lin Yan looked at the excessively vast space before him, especially the newly expanded land and the expansive land originally used for growing ordinary grain crops, and fell into thought.
"Time is flowing too fast, and the space is too large..." he pondered. "After this batch of spirit grains and ordinary grains are harvested, apart from the core areas such as the special supply area, spirit herb garden, rare herb garden and spirit fish pond, let's suspend planting on the other ordinary plots for now."
"The mountain of coarse grains piled up in the space warehouse is more than enough to cope with the coming difficult period. Planting more would only make it harder to explain the source of the grain, which would be a problem. Let those lands lie fallow for now."
Little Seven tilted her golden head, offering comfort and encouragement: "Brother, don't worry about not being able to manage it! When your cultivation level is higher in the future, and you can break the seals on all the time flow rates in the space, you can divide the area yourself and set different time flow rates for different places! For example, you can make the time flow rate in the Spirit Herb Garden the fastest, that would be much more convenient!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan's eyes lit up. The ability to control the flow of time by region was undoubtedly the ultimate manifestation of the artifact's function, possessing immeasurable value for future planning and resource management.
"So that's how it is... Time control by zones, that's the true power of the Qiankun Dingshi Pan." Lin Yan murmured to himself, his heart filled with anticipation for the future.
The series of discoveries he made after emerging from seclusion not only greatly increased his strength but also gave him a clearer understanding of the space's potential and future plans. He took a step out and appeared in a room in the courtyard house, where the sun was shining brightly in May.
A powerful divine sense, like an invisible tide, silently spread out, encompassing everything within a 500-meter radius. A powerful feeling of complete control arose spontaneously within him. As evening fell, the setting sun bathed the courtyard in a scorching orange hue. Director Wang of the neighborhood committee, accompanied by two staff members, entered the courtyard with solemn expressions, instructing Yan Bugui to ring the iron bell hanging in the yard.
"A hospital-wide meeting is starting! Everyone come out for a moment! Director Wang has an important announcement!"
People from each household came out one after another upon hearing the noise, their faces filled with speculation and a hint of unease. Lin Yan also stood silently in the shadows of his own doorway, observing coldly.
Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Director Wang cleared his throat, walked to the center of the courtyard, and began in a heavy voice: "Neighbors, please be quiet! I'm here today to deliver an important notice from the city and the neighborhood committee. It concerns everyone's food supply."
The courtyard fell silent instantly.
Director Wang took a document from the clerk, took a deep breath, and read: "According to the instructions from higher authorities, due to the nationwide vigorous steelmaking campaign, it is necessary to concentrate efforts on ensuring industrial construction. At the same time, some areas are encountering difficulties in grain collection. In order to support national construction and overcome difficulties together, it has been decided that starting next month, that is, in June, the standard for grain rationing for residents of the city will be appropriately reduced."
The word "downgrade" struck everyone like a shard of ice. A buzz of discussion immediately erupted from below.
Director Wang, steeling himself, raised his voice and read out the specific numbers:
"Quiet down, everyone! Let me finish reading! The new quantitative standard is:"
For manual laborers: the monthly ration is reduced to 40-45 jin;
For light manual laborers and office workers: the amount should be reduced to 30-35 jin (15-17.5 catties).
For general residents and secondary school students: the price has been reduced to 25-28 jin (12.5-14 catties).
For minors aged 10 and above: the weight limit is reduced to 22-24 jin (11-12 catties).
Children aged 6 to 10: Reduced to 18-20 catties;
Children aged 3 to 6: Reduced to 12-14 jin (6-7 catties);
Infants under 3 years old: reduced to 7-9 pounds.
Each number read aloud felt like a heavy blow. Resentment instantly spread, and the courtyard erupted in chaos. Everyone's face was clouded with sorrow, and complaints filled the air.
"What?! Only twenty-odd pounds? What can that eat?!"
"My child is growing so fast! How am I supposed to manage?"
"Why?! We don't even make steel! Why are you cutting our rations?!"
Director Wang patiently explained and reassured everyone: "Please calm down! I know you're all facing difficulties, and I feel bad for you too! But comrades, the country is facing difficulties right now, and we must be understanding! If we eat less, we can save more food and resources to make steel! This is for our long-term benefit! Everyone should overcome these difficulties, show some sportsmanship, tighten your belts, and support the Great Leap Forward in steelmaking!"
However, these words seemed weak and powerless in the face of the threat of hunger.
Among the crowd, Jia Zhangshi's face turned particularly pale, ashen. She was so panicked she felt like she had a rabbit in her chest; her legs almost gave way and she nearly lost her balance. She grabbed Qin Huairu's arm tightly, her nails digging painfully into it.
What alarmed her wasn't the simple reduction in quotas, but a fatal problem in her family's household registration!
She herself had come from the countryside a long time ago, but her household registration had never been transferred to the city; it remained a rural household registration. Her daughter-in-law, Qin Huairu, also married into the family from the countryside, and her household registration was definitely rural. According to the household registration policy at the time, which stipulated that "children follow their mothers," her grandson Banggeng and granddaughter Xiaodang's household registration could only follow Qin Huairu and remain in the countryside!
This means that out of the five members of the Jia family, only their son, Jia Dongxu, has a legitimate urban household registration and is entitled to the state-issued grain ration!
When rations were higher, Dongxu's monthly ration was meager; if he was careful and secretly bought some discounted or black market grain at higher prices, his family could manage to get by. Now, with such a drastic reduction, even if Dongxu's ration was all dry and divided into five portions, it wouldn't be enough to even fill a tooth gap! Not to mention, there's his wife, who has a big appetite, and two growing children!
"Rural household registration...rural household registration means no food ration book in the city..." Jia Zhangshi's mind was buzzing, and her heart turned ice-cold. "This...isn't this going to kill our whole family? Are we really going to have to rely on Dongxu's meager savings from now on? Or...do I, this old woman, have to take my grandchildren back to the countryside to beg for food?"
Overwhelmed by fear and the agonizing thought of the future, she could barely breathe. She could almost see the thin porridge in the bowl, the reflection of her own image, the crying of her grandchildren, and the worried, sighing look on her son's face.
Seeing the uncontrollable emotions, Director Wang emphasized a few more times, "Have faith in the country" and "The difficulties are temporary," before hurriedly leaving with his staff, leaving behind a crowd of anxious people in the courtyard.
The last rays of the setting sun shone into the courtyard, but brought no warmth whatsoever. Jia Zhangshi slumped onto a small stool by the door, her eyes glazed over, muttering to herself repeatedly, "It's over...it's over...how are we going to live from now on..." The notice of reduced food rations, combined with her family's unique household registration predicament, weighed heavily on her heart like a mountain.