Cultivation is Originally About Cultivating the Truth

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Li Xingtian and the others had long since retreated far from the center of the battlefield.

From here, they could no longer see Chu Xingchen’s fight, only sensing the general situation through spiritual perception and the terrifying shockwaves that occasionally rippled through the air from the clashes.

For now, their master held the upper hand.

However, Li Xingtian found himself embroiled in what felt like a second battlefield of his own.

“What the hell did you just feed me?!” Qinghe grabbed Li Xingtian by the collar, furious. “I asked for healing medicine, not some ‘Tenfold Elixir’ your master cooked up!”

“What you just ate was my master’s healing medicine… not the Tenfold Elixir,” Li Xingtian replied with an innocent expression.

“No matter what kind of pill my master refines, they all taste the same—only the effects differ…”

Qinghe fumed, “Then why didn’t you warn me?! Even the sect leader can’t stomach your master’s pills—how am I, a young dragon not even fully grown, supposed to endure it?!”

Li Xingtian sighed. “I told you from the start to take Elder Xie’s pills… but you were suspicious, thinking I was hiding the good stuff. Besides, I take my master’s pills when I’m injured too. They work just fine.”

This wasn’t Qinghe’s first time tasting Chu Xingchen’s concoctions. Counting the one Li Xingtian had just given him, it was technically his second.

Back when he was selling pills for Grandma Bai, he’d seen the disciples of the Alchemy Peak raving about the Tenfold Elixir like it was some miraculous wonder.

Especially those who’d taken it—their faces would twist in agony, howling like they were possessed.

It all looked so fake, like they were putting on an act.

Qinghe’s first reaction had been disdain. How bad could it really be?

It was just a pill. A slight markup on his usual sales would easily cover the cost of one Tenfold Elixir.

So when he saw that fragrant, alluring pill, he decided then and there—he’d take one!

Just to show those useless alchemists how it was done!

And then… Qinghe realized those Alchemy Peak disciples were absolute madmen!

How could anyone keep buying and consuming this thing?!

Anyone who could muster the courage to take it a second time…

Qinghe was willing to call them the toughest warriors of the Tianyan Sect!

As for those who could stomach it three times or more? He considered them outright freaks.

Taking a deep breath, Qinghe finally released Li Xingtian’s collar. Who would’ve thought he’d be forced to join the ranks of the sect’s hardcore pill-takers?

The pill’s effects were undeniably potent—but the side effects were downright brutal.

Qinghe didn’t last long before forcibly dispersing the medicinal energy and switching to the Tianyan Sect’s standard healing pills.

“That ruthless bastard’s really going all out!” Qinghe changed the subject, glancing at Xie Lingyu. “I bet even Grandma Bai in her prime wouldn’t have stood a chance against him at the Nascent Soul stage.”

Xie Lingyu didn’t respond, merely giving a slight nod.

“Shouldn’t be much longer now… It’ll be over soon—”

Before Qinghe could finish, Li Xingtian suddenly stiffened, as if receiving some silent command. He retrieved a ghost-headed blade from his spatial ring.

The blade didn’t need any prompting—it shot off toward Chu Xingchen’s location on its own.

Qinghe stared at Li Xingtian in confusion. While he wasn’t an expert on everything, he could instantly recognize a top-tier spiritual treasure when he saw one.

“That thing’s that obedient? Most high-grade treasures have a temper. Or did your master just leave it with you for safekeeping?”

Li Xingtian watched the blade streak into the distance.

“Master gave it to me.”

Qinghe’s eyebrows rose. “Huh. So the ruthless bastard actually treats you pretty well.”

“Master has always been good to me.”

Qinghe studied Li Xingtian’s expression—it was surprisingly sincere.

Seemed the guy wasn’t so bad to those he considered his own.

Just as Qinghe was about to pry for more gossip, an overwhelming wave of bloody spiritual energy erupted in the distance.

It felt like a demonic overlord had descended upon the world.

Li Xingtian froze. That aura… he knew it all too well.

Chu Xingchen’s cultivation method was similar to his senior sister’s—balanced and steady.

But this familiar sensation… it could only mean his master was unleashing his divine ability.

Yet that didn’t make sense. If the cultivation method and divine ability were mismatched, even with a spiritual treasure, the power would be drastically reduced.

Unless… the technique he practiced happened to counter that damned turtle?

Qinghe’s face darkened as he watched blood-red clouds gather on the horizon, painting the sky like an apocalyptic omen.

Through spiritual perception, Chu Xingchen’s energy had completely transformed—a terrifying sanguine aura now coiled around him.

“Is the ruthless bastard in trouble?!” Qinghe’s brow furrowed. “I’m going to check!”

But Xie Lingyu grabbed his arm.

“No need. Wait here.”

Qinghe shot them both a suspicious look. Strangely, neither seemed the least bit concerned.

Especially Li Xingtian—he only looked mildly puzzled.

Almost as if that demonic blood-energy belonged to Chu Xingchen.

Sure enough, moments later—

A massive, familiar phantom of the ghost-headed blade materialized in the sky, its overwhelming presence cleaving downward in a single devastating strike!

Qinghe’s eyes widened in shock.

As the blade landed, the bloody aura dissipated.

The residual waves of crimson spiritual energy washed over them, sending a chill down Qinghe’s spine.

“That ruthless bastard… he’s a demonic cultivator?!” Qinghe blurted out.

Li Xingtian immediately scowled. “Don’t spout nonsense. He’s no demonic cultivator.”

Qinghe gave him an incredulous look. “Are you blind?! After that, you’re still denying it?!”

Li Xingtian opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his throat. How could he explain?

It just looks like demonic cultivation for now—that wasn’t exactly a convincing defense.

The celestial phenomenon vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The blood-red clouds dispersed, leaving the sky clear once more.

A moment later, Li Xingtian received a message from his master.

“Let’s go. Master’s calling us over.”

Qinghe wanted to demand answers, but Xie Lingyu was already following Li Xingtian toward the Cangzhou Great River without hesitation.

With a resigned sigh, Qinghe trailed after them.

Soon, they arrived at a landscape utterly ravaged—a wasteland of craters and fissures.

The muddy river waters surged, struggling to fill the newly formed cavities.

No one would recognize this as the once-majestic Cangzhou Great River.

Chu Xingchen stood at the epicenter, gazing toward Cangzhou, the ghost-headed blade in hand.

Xu Yuan lay in one of the craters, battered and bloodied, his body limp.

A small formation of water-like spiritual swords imprisoned him.

Nearby, the Baxia had transformed into a crimson statue—only the golden stele on its back still gleamed brilliantly.

Spotting their arrival, Chu Xingchen tossed the ghost-headed blade back to Li Xingtian.

Qinghe eyed Xu Yuan’s barely flickering life force and whispered, “It’s over?”

“Mn. For the most part.” Chu Xingchen nodded, then turned to Qinghe. “The opportunity Grandma Bai mentioned… was likely this Baxia. Do you want it?”

Qinghe looked up at the crimson statue of Baxia upon hearing this.

Previously, whenever it saw Baxia’s phantom, it couldn’t help but salivate a little. But now, all it felt was a faint sense of nausea.

It was as if a sweet, juicy apple had suddenly turned rotten, writhing with maggots.

Qinghe then glanced at the golden stele devoid of inscriptions. The pale golden aura of fortune now seemed almost tangible before its eyes.

After a moment’s thought, it shook its head and said, “This thing’s gone bad—I don’t want it. As for the fortune, it should rightfully be yours. Without you, I doubt I could’ve handled this situation.”

“You contributed the most, so naturally, you should take the lion’s share.”

After all, it was better to keep the benefits within the circle. If Qinghe took the fortune for itself, Grandma Bai would surely find ways to boss it around in the future, sending it out to chase after luck.

“Heh…” From the depths of the pit, Xu Yuan mustered the last of his strength to let out a cold laugh, casting a disdainful look at Chu Xingchen.

All that talk, yet in the end, it was no different.

Chu Xingchen ignored him and turned his gaze to Xie Lingyu. “Do you want it?”

Xie Lingyu shook his head slightly. “The path I seek does not rely on fortune.”

Chu Xingchen then looked at Li Xingtian.

Li Xingtian gave a faint shake of his head.

Chu Xingchen’s expression turned serious as he addressed them. “Since none of you want it, then I’ll take charge of it.”

Qinghe patted Chu Xingchen’s shoulder and said,

“Enough talk—it’s yours!”

Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen rose and flew toward the colossal statue of Baxia.

The Dragon-Slaying Sword had already severed Baxia’s fortune, leaving it stagnant like a pool of dead water within the statue.

Summoning his spirit sword, Chu Xingchen decisively shattered the statue with a single strike of his divine technique.

The impact was like a stone tossed into a still pond.

The lifeless fortune of Baxia suddenly stirred, bursting with renewed vitality as it scattered in all directions.

Though Baxia was merely a phantom, it still possessed consciousness.

But fortune, by nature, belonged to the world—how could it truly perish?

Fortune was just fortune, biding its time for the future.

Pale yellow streams of fortune dispersed—some flying into the distance, some sinking into the earth, others drifting away with the waters.

As the statue of Baxia vanished, the imperial jade seal of Xuanwu Kingdom emerged. Chu Xingchen reached out and summoned it to his hand.

Though slightly cracked, returning it was still better than not being able to return it at all.

Next was the golden stele, now the only thing left.

Chu Xingchen placed his hand on the inscription-less stele, and an indescribable temptation surged through him.

It felt as though absorbing this golden fortune would make him a true chosen one of heaven, with immortality within reach and a life of smooth sailing.

He gave it a light touch, then without hesitation, channeled his spiritual energy into it, beginning to dismantle the nameless golden stele.

Even though Xu Yuan was now barely alive, immobilized, and trapped, the system still hadn’t signaled the completion of the mission.

Clearly, the “thief” the system referred to wasn’t necessarily Xu Yuan.

It was anyone who coveted this fortune.

As for the alluring sensations the fortune emitted, Chu Xingchen remained utterly calm.

If fortune alone could let one act with impunity, overcoming every obstacle effortlessly, then how could the true dragons—beings who commanded even greater fortune—perish in the wilderness?

Moreover, according to the system, this fortune was merely a fragment of what had spilled from the death of a true dragon.

The system’s words—[There is no true destiny in this world]—couldn’t be more fitting.

Heaven’s mandate ultimately belonged to all living beings.

Reflecting on the system’s hints and observing the fortune before him, Chu Xingchen couldn’t shake the feeling that this fortune carried an immense karmic burden.

Moments later, cracks began to spread across the golden stele.

Then, with a sudden explosion, the stele shattered.

The golden fortune surged forth like wild horses freed from their reins, shooting into the sky.

In an instant, it vanished without a trace.

Almost simultaneously, the system’s mission completion notification sounded.

[Hidden Mission Complete—Struggle for Fortune]

[Mission rewards have been sent to the system inventory.]

[Mission Epilogue: There is no true destiny in this world—only the chirping of crickets and the futility of mayflies shaking trees.]

[Rather than bearing the weight of countless karmic ties, it is better to transcend them all.]

[The path of cultivation is the path of seeking truth.]

As the fortune dissipated completely, Xie Lingyu and Li Xingtian’s expressions flickered with surprise, though they remained composed.

Qinghe, however, stared at Chu Xingchen in utter disbelief, its voice laced with confusion and urgency:

“You reckless brat! What are you doing?! You just let all that fortune slip away?!”

Chu Xingchen turned around, wearing an apologetic smile.

“Sorry… my hand slipped.”

“Damn it! Who do you think you’re fooling?!”

“I really did slip! Who wouldn’t be tempted by that much fortune?” Chu Xingchen put on an expression of deep regret.

“I was just too nervous—my hand shook, and before I knew it, the fortune was gone.”

Qinghe could only glare at him with a mix of frustration and exasperation.

Whether the kid had done it on purpose or not, it didn’t know.

But if it had known this would happen, it should’ve taken the fortune for itself!

Now, who knew who would benefit from it?

Xu Yuan’s dim, unfocused eyes watched Chu Xingchen’s actions.

Then, with a flash of cold light, a blade pierced straight through his skull.

Several days later.

Chizhou, the Great River.

Boom!

A massive surge of spiritual energy erupted, though the resulting splash was surprisingly small.

Li Yingling held a map of Chizhou’s waterways, guiding Qinghe as they dismantled the array bases previously set up.

Qinghe wore an expression of utter resignation. Everywhere there was a water vein along their journey, this kid had planted an array base—it was downright excessive.

And to make matters worse, Chu Xingchen was stingy to the core, refusing to let them simply blow the bases up for convenience.

Instead, Qinghe had to painstakingly dismantle each one to take them away.

At this point, Qinghe was almost willing to believe that Chu Xingchen had truly let the fortune slip by accident.

The kid wasn’t just cunning—he was also ridiculously frugal.

Not that Qinghe enjoyed this task, but Chu Xingchen had given it two choices:

Either dismantle the array bases, or take the damaged imperial jade seal back to Zhao Xuan and explain the situation.

Qinghe suspected the jade seal’s damage was just a coincidence, but if it bungled the explanation and ended up shouldering the blame, that would be a raw deal.

It wasn’t afraid of Zhao Xuan—it was afraid of Bai Xuanling.

The silver-tongued brat could handle the handover. If anything went wrong, he’d take the fall.

Fine, manual labor it was—still better than returning to Tianyan Sect and getting nagged by Grandma Bai.

After carefully dismantling another array base, Qinghe turned to Li Yingling and asked hesitantly:

“Little Yingling… how many have we done so far? How many are left? Just how deranged is your master?”

Li Yingling glanced at the marked map.

“Not many. At your current pace, just another month or so.”

“A month?!” Qinghe’s eyes nearly popped out of its head. “Your master’s definitely lost his mind!”

“This was designed by Second Brother.”

“Oh… him…”