Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 1: Full-Level Comprehension

Great Yan Dynasty.

Qing State.

Snow Plum Manor.

Plum blossom petals drift down like falling snow, intertwined with streaks of blood, creating an even bleaker atmosphere. Roars of combat utterly destroy the serene elegance that once defined the manor.

"Kill!"

"In Snow Plum Manor today, spare neither chicken nor dog!"

"Leave no ant alive!"

The icy, ruthless shouts cut through the biting wind, sending shivers down to the bones.

Within this chaotic setting, Ning Qi's awareness awakened.

"Did I... transmigrate?"

No surprise he would wonder that; moments ago, he lay on a hospital bed counting down to his end, but instantly, he shifted from an adult to a newborn, trapped in what seemed like an ambush attack.

That's right.

Ning Qi felt utterly sure—he had turned into a fresh infant, bundled in soft wrappings, the cozy heat easing the strangeness of his small form somewhat. Even so, it beat his former existence by far.

In his earlier life, a rare ALS struck him young, leaving him paralyzed in bed for his last days, passing away in isolation and shadow.

"At least I'm breathing now... though things look rough."

Thanks to the transmigration, Ning Qi grasped the intent behind those voices without effort.

The lethal tones broke through, making the woman clutching him as she fled shake a bit, which set his own nerves on edge. Who, if they could choose, would wish to face death anew right after rebirth?

He strained to lift his eyelids, yet they stuck fast with remnants of birth fluids.

From his view, the woman's full features stayed hidden, but even her pale, snowy jawline sparked a soft warmth in him, and Ning Qi sensed a deep bloodline connection, like an echoing tie.

"Could she be my mother here?"

This notion had barely formed in Ning Qi's mind.

The young lady hurried into a study chamber, then triggered a hidden switch in a precise sequence, uncovering a concealed space.

Bending low, the woman tenderly settled Ning Qi into the hidden nook.

Under the dim glow, Ning Qi at last caught the shape of her visage.

Her features held a soothing finesse, eyebrows brimming with kindness, a fresh parent whose nurturing glow could stir the soul.

The woman's frail, grieving words echoed:

"Qi’er, you have to survive. Mother must join your father against the foes. If immortals or deities shield you, forgive your parents for this."

Ning Qi sensed soft lips press to his brow, a few tears landing lightly on his skin, her gaze brimming with clear unwillingness.

With resolve, the woman spun around, the mechanism clicked shut, and shadows swallowed Ning Qi again.

A tide of grief swelled within Ning Qi's chest.

Though freshly transmigrated, the blood resonance rang true—this was his real mother. In their short exchange, he sensed her shielding will completely.

However, the outlook appeared dire.

From her feeble voice, it showed: she had to battle enemies mere hours after birth, the peril immense, foes unidentified yet striking like hidden serpents, unwilling to back off.

Thrown into such danger right after crossing over, Ning Qi's tension mounted.

He refused to perish this way.

He started tuning in intently.

The sturdy walls of the hideaway blocked much noise, yet echoes of killing grew nearer, steel clanging, blasts erupting without pause.

Ning Qi picked out two key facts.

For one, this realm's martial arts level soared high.

For another, the Snow Plum Manor of his origins teetered on collapse.

His spirits plummeted further.

"What now? If these attackers wipe out the whole place, can I dodge their hunt?"

Though secure in the hideaway for the moment, what if foes picked up his aura via some sensing art or breath method?

In a land of advanced martial arts, Ning Qi dared not slack off.

He worked to still his motions inside the wrappings as best he could, slowing his breaths to the least.

Still, dread clung to him tightly.

Particularly as combat yells faded, while heavy steps, door-bashing, and pleas for life swelled, the dread deepened; he harbored a fierce hunch of imminent discovery.

He realized Snow Plum Manor faced ruin.

His parents probably met harsh fates as well.

Yet Ning Qi lacked time for mourning; the crushing peril crowded out all else.

"Search! Scour every inch!"

"Miss no spot, let no soul escape!"

"Above all, locate Ning Ye and Jiang Xuemei’s offspring—they must be eradicated entirely!!"

The gravelly tone, laced with venom, hammered Ning Qi's heart hard.

He fought to curb all motion, but his form's natural responses defied his will.

"What to do? What to do?"

Ning Qi's thoughts whirled frantically, seeking ways out.

He remained merely a helpless babe, powerless to fight back, unable even to shift, flight out of reach; his sole hope lay in staying undetected by the assailants, or death awaited surely.

In that instant.

The realm fell utterly still.

Light and time seemed to vanish from sense.

Ning Qi sensed his consciousness plunge into a wondrous realm right away, as though he held power over all, almighty.

But the sensation slipped by in a flash, then clamor resumed.

Next.

A burst of insight flared in his awareness.

It let Ning Qi grasp at once what occurred; he had crossed worlds, starting anew, apparently unlocking some extraordinary gift. Now his mind raced with exceptional speed, insight heightened beyond measure!

The insight bridged his prior and current existences, revealing this as his centennial life, the ninety-nine before all filled with woe. This latest beginning brimmed with hardship too.

"A century of torment, even the heavens pity me and grant a cheat?"

Ning Qi stood astonished.

Joy followed swiftly.

He recalled the pressing threat and dove into understanding right away.

As the insight slowly faded, it clarified that his present insight stood at the peak possible for this life's vigor; none could outmatch it.

"So, at equal life vigor, my insight hits the max sustainable peak, unmatched by any, and beyond that, should my vigor surge later, the insight will stay locked at that supreme max state!"

"This equals top-tier insight, forever maxed out regardless!"

Ning Qi brimmed with delight.

This could mark his breakthrough!

He perceived his consciousness now buzzing with unmatched vitality, a single notion birthing countless concepts, wonders defying common grasp.

"Top-tier insight proves incredible, yet it won't turn me into a supreme powerhouse overnight; priority remains escaping this bind first!"

Before, Ning Qi failed to master his breaths and pulse, but circumstances shifted now. He could fully sense his body's state and spot the rhythms.

The turmoil beyond intensified steadily.

Ning Qi's ideas flowed at breakneck pace.

"From my old life, I recall tales of breath without lungs or mouth, akin to womb rest, termed fetal breathing."

"Freshly born, my frame hasn't yet been tainted by external airs, sometimes slipping into fetal breathing before, though I couldn't seize it then. Now it's changed—I can seize it, trace the rhythms, and command them..."

"This subtle warm flow inside me, might it be the innate Qi babies possess? Marvelous. Directing it along set paths gathers all my innate Qi without loss, boosting this warmth immensely to safeguard my young form!"

"..."

Ideas surging, Ning Qi swiftly seized that wondrous condition and merged it deeper with the innate Qi.

Visibly, his erratic pulse and breaths steadied and quieted, fading entirely away!

Should Ning Qi shut his eyes now, onlookers might deem him a lifeless babe.

Surprise lit Ning Qi's gaze.

"I'll name this breath art the Innate Fetal Breathing Skill."

Not a grand martial secret, but a basic inner breath method, drawn from a newborn's unique phase, yet wondrously potent when boosted by innate Qi.

Ning Qi launched into full execution of the Innate Fetal Breathing Skill he devised.

Right then.

As the warm flow circulated in Ning Qi, even with sealed mouth and nose, unease vanished. Each pore on his skin parted and sealed in turn for air exchange, while the mounting pangs of hunger eased considerably.

Truly wondrous.

The dread gripping Ning Qi eased at last.

Immersed in Innate Fetal Breathing, Ning Qi's senses sharpened keenly, letting him track the outer chaos distinctly.

Messy, thronging steps rang out nonstop, breaching the study hiding him repeatedly, paired with blade and sword sweeps, assorted bellows, as if ravaging the surroundings wildly.

He surmised those might be Blade Qi or Sword Qi, filling him with terror.

Luckily, Snow Plum Manor's vastness helped. The study sheltering Ning Qi blended in plainly, ignored without clues.

Meanwhile, certain concealed retainers got rooted out and slain instantly.

Atop Snow Plum Manor's roof.

A robust figure in dark garb scowled, gripping his shoulder left-handed where a savage blade gash marred it, while right-handed he unleashed Sword Qi now and then, cleaving structures apart with mighty force. Stray holdouts surfaced occasionally, but such efforts proved woefully slow.

Moreover, his prime target—Ning Ye’s heir—eluded all traces.

His frustration mounted inside.

Dark-garbed figures converged from every side, deferring as they reported:

"Lord Feng, we've combed all search spots, detecting zero stir; your men probed each nook deeply but caught no infant wails or pulses; perhaps..."

Ere the words ended.

Lord Feng cut in with a gesture, his tone icy:

"Out of the question!"

"Jiang Xuemei birthed recently, the pair fell to my blade, that babe couldn't have been whisked off so fast!"

His eyes blazed fiercely, scanning warily, releasing broad Sword Qi sweeps in frustration, bounding swiftly across the grounds, but sensing no infant hint whatever.

At length, Lord Feng grinned darkly.

"Hiding well, eh!"

"Torch it all! Burn Snow Plum Manor to cinders for me!"