books44 Chapter 34 Useless Genius
Chapter 34 Useless Genius
As Mo Yuming was undergoing arduous physical training, a joyous day arrived in the canyon.
Under the leadership of "Boss Wen" Li Mubo, after nearly half a year of meticulous construction, a large building complex covering an area larger than a football field has been erected.
Although it cannot compare to the palaces and mansions of the outside world, it is still quite large in scale, more than enough to accommodate hundreds of people.
The most distinctive feature of this architectural complex is its adaptation to the local conditions, its well-proportioned layout, its borrowed scenery to create a garden, and its perfect integration with the surrounding trees and landscape, making it a natural masterpiece comparable to a stunning garden.
Centered around the kitchen used for preparing delicious food, ten restaurants are built in a cluster around the moon, each capable of accommodating dozens of people at the same time. They are all different in style, some high, some low, some front, some back, built according to the terrain, each with its own characteristics.
Behind the kitchen is a row of rather ordinary rooms, mainly used for storing food utensils.
There are also several courtyards on the left and right sides of the outer perimeter for people to rest and relax.
Although each house is different in style, they all have one thing in common: like the small wooden house where Li Mubo originally lived, they are all simple stilt houses.
Each room is built on wooden stakes one or two feet off the ground. This raised structure makes the interior drier and more comfortable, and also effectively reduces the intrusion of rodents and insects.
The building is surrounded by winding corridors, with railings about two feet high on both sides.
A winding stream meanders through the canyon, flowing through the gap between the kitchen and the dining room.
Standing on the covered walkway spanning the stream, or sitting on a chair by the railing, you can quietly watch the fish swimming in the water.
A pleasant view is better than an elaborately designed garden.
The residential area is located on the periphery of this public area.
They surround the public area in a staggered and orderly manner, whether in front or behind, high or low.
Dozens of small courtyards were built, all of similar size and specifications, each with one room and one living room, surrounded by a small courtyard in front of the house, plus a pavilion for practicing martial arts and meditation.
Although the main structure of the house is still made of wooden planks and timber, the roof has been slightly modified. Instead of the original tiled roof made entirely of wooden planks, it has been changed to a wooden frame covered with thick cattail leaves.
This not only saved a lot of wooden boards but also greatly reduced the workload.
Without compromising quality, it also increased the house's ventilation.
Because through long-term use, everyone has a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of thick cattail leaves.
It is a type of leaf that is extremely robust and not prone to aging.
According to some people who have noticed this situation, the thick cattail leaves they used to cover their roofs have not rotted even after nearly a hundred years and are still usable.
Moreover, the thick cattail leaves have another excellent feature: the nearly half-inch thick leaves have many hollow tiny holes, allowing air to flow through them after the base and tip of part of the leaves are cut off, resulting in good air permeability.
After the house was completed, the entire valley held a celebration that day.
Everyone worked together to prepare a sumptuous meal.
Mo Yuming and Xinlan were also exempted from their training duties for the day, allowing them to play to their hearts' content.
Even old man Mo Wen, who was far away in Xianghe Valley, rushed back to attend the gathering.
People gathered in groups of three or five, enjoying the food and chatting freely.
The happiest and most fun-loving group was the one who was born and raised in the canyon, including little Xinlan.
They were all overjoyed, acting recklessly and without restraint, jumping, shouting, or singing with abandon, just like a group of mischievous children entering a children's playground for the first time.
The reason is simple: they could never have imagined such a grand occasion before.
The euphoria lasted for nearly ten days before gradually fading, and the canyon returned to its usual tranquility.
The people living in the canyon have shaken off their past silence, their faces now showing smiles, their expressions no longer dejected, but rather relaxed and somewhat content.
In the past, people lived scattered for many reasons.
Firstly, before entering this canyon, the group were strangers to each other and had huge differences in age and experience. It was considered short if one person entered after a ten or twenty-year gap, and it was normal for people to be separated by several generations.
Secondly, and most importantly, most of those who fell into this canyon were burdened with deep-seated hatred and resentment.
Most of them are depressed, disheartened, withdrawn, or have no will to live; no one can be happy.
Therefore, when choosing a place to live, everyone will unconsciously maintain a certain distance from others.
As time slowly passes, the various emotions and obsessions in people's hearts gradually weaken.
But at the same time, one's temperament becomes indifferent, and desires are gradually lost.
Most people are just barely surviving, killing time out of boredom, and all kinds of communication have become dispensable.
Those with strong willpower seclude themselves for arduous practice, while those with weak willpower spend their days whiling away the time in their own homes.
The Grand Canyon is like a natural prison that you can only enter but never leave, trapping everyone inside until they grow old.
However, humans are, after all, a social species, and what has been lacking all along is just an opportunity.
The refined salt that Mo Yuming developed this time was undoubtedly a major opportunity, maximizing everyone's enthusiasm for life.
Everyone felt a desire to communicate with others and experienced the joy of life.
At this time, a gentle breeze blows through the canyon, and the stream flows babblingly. Many elderly people often gather on the covered walkway by the stream.
They chatted idly, recounting their adventures during their travels in the outside world.
Those past events that were once buried deep in my heart and that I was unwilling to touch have gradually been brought out and shared with everyone without any taboo.
Aside from those indelible, deep-seated grudges, other joyful grievances seem to have been sublimated unintentionally, disappearing with a smile, returning to the most primal state of humanity—carefree and oblivious to the world.
Mo Yuming noticed that everyone's leisure time was a bit monotonous. Besides sitting together and chatting, they liked to play a relatively simple game:
Each player holds five pieces representing the five elements, and moves them back and forth on a 3x3 grid, trying to block and capture the opponent's pieces according to the principle of mutual restraint among the five elements.
After observing it for a while, Mo Yuming found that it was somewhat like a simplified version of Chinese Chess, a relatively low-level game, easier than the Chinese Chess he played as a child in his previous life, not to mention the subtlety of Chinese Chess and the vastness of Go.
So, on a whim, Mo Yuming quietly created a chess set.
To alleviate people's doubts and make it easier for them to understand, he cleverly changed the names of the chess pieces:
The generals and commanders of both sides transformed into supreme beings sealed in a mysterious forbidden palace, and these supreme beings could not escape the sealed place;
The chariots, horses, cannons, elephants, and warriors are transformed into generals possessing the five elements of metal, wood, fire, water, and earth, respectively.
Each general has a unique fighting style and a clear responsibility, which cannot be changed arbitrarily;
The soldiers on both sides were renamed tamed magical beasts, and the Chu River and Han border became the Heartless Grand Canyon.
He also explained in detail the role of each piece in the game:
The chariot (metal), horse (wood), and cannon (fire) take on the main offensive role. The chariot (metal) moves forward without hesitation and is unstoppable, just like a sharp sword that can stop anyone wherever it goes.
The horse (wood) moves across the board, appearing unexpectedly, like a nimble sprite, leaping and darting across the chessboard, making it impossible to defend against.
Artillery (firepower) is a long-range attack, indestructible and powerful, like a cannon that can deliver a fatal blow to the enemy from afar.
The elements of water and earth are responsible for defense. The two elements work together, both internally and externally, forming an unbreakable defensive line, as solid as a fortress.
The soldiers (war beasts) are loyal and brave, like fearless warriors who never back down in the pursuit of victory.
After Mo Yuming named this chess game "Supreme Battle Game" and released it, it instantly aroused strong interest from everyone.
After trying it, more and more people were deeply attracted and joined in.
In just a few days, dozens of copies of that chess set, "Supreme Battle Chess," were made.
Some people are so obsessed that they sit by the chessboard from dawn till dusk, intently pushing and shoving the pieces, completely absorbed in the game and forgetting to leave.
As they gradually became familiar with the rules and their chess skills improved, they were surprised to find that this seemingly simple game was many times more profound and complex than the Five Elements Chess they had played before.
Every move of a piece seems to affect the fate of the entire chessboard. It can be carefully planned, cleverly lured into a trap, launched a powerful attack, or directly strike at the vital point. The moves are all interconnected and exquisitely ingenious.
It's like moving one thread and affecting the whole situation; the slightest mistake could lead to total defeat.
Delving into it, one can almost see the intense scenes of two factions battling wits and courage on the battlefield, fighting to the death.
It can truly be described as a battle of wits and determination, a fight to the death on the battlefield.
Just like when Mo Yuming first produced salt, although he faced skepticism, he quickly and easily evaded it. Upon learning of this, Shi Potian flew into a rage, roaring at those who had questioned him:
"If you have something to do, then do it! Why worry about so much! What's it to you? With your blockheads, you wouldn't amount to anything even in a hundred years..."
"..."
"Kid, come here quickly, ignore them, teach your Grandpa Shi how to get around here... this..."
"..."
……
"Good lad! I told you to cultivate profound skills, but you kept making excuses and focused your mind on these frivolous and unproductive things."
We've only given you a few days' break, and you've already pulled these stunts to distract us! You're utterly hopeless! How's your secret technique coming along?! Tell me honestly…”
After being utterly defeated by Li Mubai in several rounds, Old Man Dugu vented his frustration on Mo Yuming, the "culprit."
Mo Yuming stood there, looking slightly nervous.
"With the guidance of his grandfathers, Yu Ming's earth-attribute spiritual power is currently equivalent to the second level of the Earth Rank, and it won't be long before he can gather the third level of the Earth Rank..."
For the past six months, in addition to daily physical training such as rock climbing and weightlifting, Mo Yuming has also insisted on taking turns training in the Spirit Absorption Technique with seven old men. After six months of hellish torment, his physical fitness has greatly improved, especially his meridians, which have become extremely resilient through the constant impact of spiritual energy.
Now, he can withstand an attack with 30% of his Earthly Rank power. With his peak Earthly Rank strength, using 30% of his power at once is at least equivalent to a full-force attack from a mid-Earthly Rank cultivator.
Mo Yuming improves his cultivation by absorbing the spiritual power of others, and the speed is ridiculously fast.
Especially in the early stages of cultivation advancement, the speed of progress is astonishing; almost one day's progress is equivalent to several months of cultivation for others. Although it may seem like cheating, the improvement in strength is undeniably real.
Mo Yuming himself was completely bewildered, as if he were in a fog.
He only knew that his improvement rate was much faster than Xinlan's.
As for how fast he was, or how much faster he was than others, he couldn't figure it out, because his cultivation level was incomparable to others. Calling him bewitching wouldn't be an exaggeration, because his improvement speed was extremely fast.
So fast that even Xiao Xinlan, the cultivation genius recognized by the elders in the valley, couldn't keep up.
But it wouldn't be wrong to call him a good-for-nothing with no talent for cultivation, because he still hasn't awakened his spiritual root.