Free Web NovelChapter 194: Chapter 187: Their Own Paths
After exiting the Yin Spirit Institute instance, Li Chunfeng, a man past fifty, staggered a few steps. The first thing he did was close his eyes and feel his surroundings.
The Spiritual Qi was still separated from him by an insurmountable barrier. It was like the moon reflected in water or a flower in a mirror—visible, yet unattainable.
A wave of disappointment washed over him.
’In the end... is it still impossible?’
He opened his eyes, the light within them dimming.
Even after experiencing such a mythical, life-and-death adventure, his mortal body remained useless deadwood, completely cut off from the path of Cultivation.
Just as he was about to fall back on his usual self-consolation—’Blessings and curses are two sides of the same coin, so this must be a good thing’—he suddenly froze.
Deep within his Dantian, in the barren wasteland that had once been diagnosed as "deficient," a current of energy was now slowly circulating!
"This... This is... Inner Strength?"
The thought sent a tremor through his entire body.
His damaged Dantian had been repaired, all without him even realizing it!
He was stunned for a moment, then a wave of emotion even more complex than disappointment washed over him.
So, the reward from this instance had merely been to restore the foundation of a mortal like him, allowing him to cultivate Inner Strength like a common Martial Artist...
In the end, he had still failed to set foot on the path to immortality.
His heart was a whirlwind of emotions. There was relief, but it was overshadowed by the wistful sorrow of a dream being sold short.
’But... wait!’
A flash of inspiration suddenly ignited in Li Chunfeng’s mind!
He remembered the supreme Sword Dao inheritance he had sensed in the sword mound of the Guixi Sect!
A completely new thought instantly persuaded him.
’That’s it! It must be!’
’The path to immortality is ethereal; one cannot enter its gates without great perseverance and immense opportunity!’
’My foundation is flawed. Attempting to cultivate immortality directly would be like building a castle in the sky—haste makes waste!’
’So, the heavens haven’t denied me my chance at immortality! Instead, they’ve pointed me toward a much more solid path—achieving the Dao through martial arts!’
’The tallest towers are built from the ground up!’
’This repaired Dantian, this newborn Inner Strength—this is the foundation for my towering path to the Sword Dao!’
Once he reached this realization, all the disappointment and wistful sorrow in Li Chunfeng’s eyes vanished, replaced by an even more resolute light!
He understood!
’This really is a good thing!’
With a sharp *CLANG*, he grabbed the novice Wooden Sword at his waist.
SHIIING—CLICK! SHIIING—CLICK! SHIIING—CLICK!
The clear cries of the blade, born from the perfect harmony of drawing and sheathing, rang out once more across the bustling plaza.
...
After the commotion died down, the plaza of the Yin Spirit Institute gradually fell silent. The disciples dispersed in groups of two and three, each returning to their own residences.
Lin Qingfeng returned to his residence and began to take stock of his haul from the trip.
The "Resentful Evil Altar," which he had uprooted, would make for a nice sect decoration and a good source of Array materials.
The host of ghosts newly collected in the [Ten Thousand Souls Banner], which could be handed over to disciples specializing in such arts to study and use.
And then there was [Shen Jieye], who he could toss into his little junior brother’s room to serve as a beacon for his cultivation.
There was also the "promotional material" he had carefully preserved for his little junior sister.
The precious footage of her with crimson eyes, wreathed in black energy, crushing a skull with her bare hands.
As for himself, his Cultivation had improved slightly and his base attributes had increased a little. It was better than nothing.
But none of that was the most important part.
What he truly cared about was the line of data only he could see.
[Sect Contribution (NPC): 423651 / 500000]
"Heheheheheheh~"
A satisfied smirk touched the corners of Lin Qingfeng’s mouth.
’Less than eighty thousand to go.’
’At this rate, in another three or four days at most, I should be able to unlock the official sect advancement mission: the [Guixi Secret Realm].’
’The day I can finally leave this sect isn’t far off!!!’
...
Night deepened.
The watery moonlight quietly spilled into every corner of the Guixi Sect, illuminating different people and their individually chosen paths.
Inside Lin Qingfeng’s residence, a screen of light flickered.
With the practiced skill of a veteran gamer, he was rapidly editing a video.
The screen was split in two.
On the left was a screenshot he had saved from when Su Ling’er first joined the sect. Her cultivation was merely at the third level of Qi Refining, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness. She looked a bit dim-witted, and he made sure to include the part where she foolishly paced back and forth in front of the main gate.
On the right was her frenzied figure from the cursed underground space. Destructive flames burned in her crimson pupils, and dark, sinister energy coiled around her body. Her every move was filled with the mad power to rip everything apart.
Her fingers, like talons, directly crushed the head of one of the Grudges!
The head exploded in her hand with a wet *SPLAT*, sending red and white matter flying everywhere!
Her arm blurred into a black afterimage, punching straight through its torso!
A close-up shot focused on her hand, covered in black blood, as it emerged from the ghost’s back, clutching a still faintly-beating heart!
The final scene showed her brandishing her claws, cleanly slicing the heads off several Grudges at the neck!
As for the clips of her being sent flying by Shen Jieye time and time again?
They didn’t exist.
Over this stark contrast, lines of text slowly appeared:
"Once a girl with a Pseudo Spirit Root, merely at the third level of Qi Refining, seeking the Dao from the lowest rungs."
"Now in the Guixi Sect, she is the Holy Daughter, slaughtering demons in a bloody war!"
"How does one ascend to the heavens? Through loyalty and diligence alone! Join our Guixi Sect, and the future will be in your hands!"
"Her talent and aptitude were of the lowest grade—she even had a Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root of metal, wood, water, and earth. Su Ling’er is the best proof!"
...
Meanwhile, in the Artifact Refining Pavilion, the furnace fires burned fiercely.
Su Ling’er stepped willingly onto the cold, black-iron anvil.
The firelight illuminated her resolute face, which held not a trace of its former fear and struggle.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
"AAAAH—!"
"IT HURTS SO MUCH—!"
Soon, her bloodcurdling screams, accompanied by the thunderous *CLANG! CLANG!* of a giant hammer, once again echoed through the night sky over the Guixi Sect.
...
In Wang Xiedi’s thatched hut, a single lamp flickered like a candle bean.
He sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut. Following the method of the *Ten Thousand Forms Red Dust Scripture*, he repeatedly visualized the "Dao beacon" in his sea of consciousness, diligently pushing his cultivation forward.
...
Under the cover of night, Li Chunfeng’s figure was a blur of busy and determined motion.
He was in the bamboo forest on the sect’s rear mountain, tirelessly swinging the novice Wooden Sword in his hands.
The *SHIIING—CLICK* of the blade being drawn and sheathed was incessant.
With every cry of the blade, a stalk of verdant bamboo fell in tandem.
He was preparing to build a small bamboo lodge for himself, just as he was, with his own hands, building his path toward the supreme Sword Dao.
...
In the sect’s heartland, beneath an ancient tree in the wilds.
Dong Changsheng sat cross-legged. Though he had applied some medicine to his face, his cheeks were still swollen and would likely not fully recover until the next day. He still looked to be in a wretched state.
However, his spine was ramrod straight, and an unyielding flame burned in his eyes.
He was generously sharing the half-jade-slip of the *Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Skill* with the few surviving undercover junior brothers, meticulously explaining the key principles of the Cultivation Technique.
"...Though this is only half of the technique, it is far superior to the complete Heart Method of the Qingxu Temple’s outer sect!"
"It is also perfectly suited for us to raise our Cultivation and stabilize our foundations in this perilous situation."
His junior brothers sat in a circle, listening intently.
They looked at Dong Changsheng’s swollen face, recalling the scene of his repeated humiliation at the hands of their Eldest Senior Brother, and their hearts filled with complex emotions.
’Mr. Dong... He suffered such a terrible humiliation, yet he still remembers to look out for us, even willing to share a fragment of such a peerless divine technique!’
But as Dong Changsheng felt their worshipful gazes, his mind was on something else entirely.
’Sect Leader... when will you send the next undercover agent over?’
’I have to find a way to pass on the principles of this peerless technique!’
’This half of a jade slip is my only hope of repaying the Sect Leader’s immense kindness!’
’As long as I can repay this debt, all the humiliation I, Dong Changsheng, have endured today will have been worth it!’
...
「Meanwhile.」
In a dark chamber within Qingxu Temple.
Blue smoke rose from an incense burner, slowly unfurling to blur Xuanyuan’s features.
His knuckles rapped against the armrest.
The fragmented information sent back by Dong Changsheng replayed in his mind.
Finally, the tapping stopped.
Xuanyuan raised his eyes to look at the figure below him.
...
[Real World]
[News Archive]
Countless eyes across the globe were focused on the imminent first sale of the "Spark of Life" restoration serum.
From the financial titans of Wall Street to ordinary people all over the world, everyone was waiting for the moment that would decide the "future."
The story dominated the front-page headlines of every major news outlet, all with strikingly similar titles.
"An era where ’time’ can be bought with money has arrived."
