Western Oxhorn Continent, Fortune Inn.
Chu Xingchen tossed a small piece of silver to the puzzled waiter outside the door and casually instructed,
"Bring morning tea and snacks. Keep the change as your tip."
It had to be said that the Western Oxhorn Continent was a land of talent and prosperity.
The waiter might not recognize whether the person in the room had changed, but he certainly recognized the silver Chu Xingchen had thrown.
Delighted, he caught the silver and didn’t bother questioning whether the previous occupant had been male or female, immediately responding,
"Sir, please wait a moment. I’ll bring it right away."
Chu Xingchen leisurely settled into a chair in the room, quietly waiting for Lizhi to arrive.
The day before, Lizhi had mentioned she needed to prepare, and Chu Xingchen had agreed without following her to the Sky Patrol Division.
Naturally, news of his arrival couldn’t be completely concealed, but keeping the rumors to a minimum was always wise.
So, Chu Xingchen had spent the previous day at Fortune Inn, patiently waiting for Lizhi’s preparations.
Half a quarter-hour later, the waiter served the morning tea and snacks.
Chu Xingchen glanced over them—the snacks weren’t particularly refined, their only merit being their generous portions.
At first glance, one might mistake the pastries for plain steamed buns.
As for the tea… well, it was tea in name only.
But Chu Xingchen didn’t comment. This was simply the state of things in the Western Oxhorn Continent—finesse wasn’t yet a priority here.
He waved his hand, signaling the waiter to leave.
Lizhi arrived another half-quarter hour later.
She squeezed through the door, her movements slightly comical, carrying a large backpack and clutching two sizable bundles under her arms.
With an ingratiating smile, she said, "My lord, apologies for the wait. I’m here."
"What’s with all these bags?" Chu Xingchen asked, puzzled.
Lizhi replied, "I gathered some books and brought along spare clothes and necessities."
"You plan to travel with all this?"
"No, no! The Sky Patrol Division rented us a spirit beast carriage. We’ll ride in that."
Chu Xingchen wasn’t sure whether to praise Lizhi for her simplicity. He took out an empty spatial ring from his sleeve and tossed it to her.
Lizhi instinctively caught it, then stared at the ring in her hand.
Looking up hesitantly, she whispered, "My lord, these things are expensive. If I break it, I can’t afford to replace it."
"It’s yours. Forget the spirit beast carriage—time is tight. I’ll take you myself."
Chu Xingchen stood up. "Pack your things. We’re leaving."
Lizhi’s face lit up with joy. Without refusing, she quickly bound the spatial ring with her spiritual sense and stored all her belongings inside.
Once she finished guiding this kind-hearted benefactor from the Tianyan Sect of the Central Continent to the designated locations, she could proudly show off this spatial ring back home.
Such treasures were exceedingly rare in the Western Oxhorn Continent—even her team leader, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, didn’t own one.
Yet here she was, a genius at the early Foundation Establishment stage, already in possession of such a treasure.
Truly, geniuses were often blessed with good fortune.
After all, how could one be a genius without a bit of luck?
"M-my lord… your cultivation… is a bit too high, isn’t it?"
Lizhi leaned against a tree, struggling to steady her breathing.
Though Chu Xingchen had shielded her with a spiritual barrier during their journey, the rapid blur of scenery had left her disoriented, and the intense fluctuations of spiritual energy had made her queasy.
"Just passable. Nascent Soul stage," Chu Xingchen replied offhandedly, his gaze fixed on the massive city ahead.
According to ancient texts, this had once been a battleground where earth-shattering clashes took place. Yet now… it had become a thriving metropolis.
Indeed, some things had to be seen firsthand.
At the highest point of the city walls, a solemn-faced Buddha statue gazed down imposingly.
Chu Xingchen immediately sensed something amiss—the statue seemed to be imprinting some obscure mark on the people lining up below.
This power… it resembled faith energy.
Outside the city gates were two passageways: one exclusively for monks, requiring no inspection, and the other for commoners, who had to undergo checks.
Lizhi, being a cultivator, quickly suppressed her discomfort.
Nascent Soul stage?
She stole a glance at Chu Xingchen’s youthful appearance. Truly, the Central Continent lived up to its reputation—producing such a young Nascent Soul expert.
"Don’t let the barren land and blowing sand fool you. This is Qinghe Prefecture. Its name hasn’t changed in a thousand years—though perhaps there really was water here once," Lizhi said, pointing at the city ahead.
"That’s the domain of the Buddhist sects. Not directly under the Central Continent’s Buddhist order, but all Buddhist sects trace their roots back to the Central Continent."
"The city’s original name is lost to time. Now, it’s called Ten Thousand Buddhas City."
"Nearly everyone inside is a devout Buddhist. We don’t need to queue—just find a spot to fly in, since you’re a Nascent Soul expert."
Chu Xingchen shook his head calmly. "You go line up. I’ll wait for you at the gate. That Buddha statue has issues."
His cultivation was too high—the statue likely couldn’t imprint him.
Since he wasn’t yet clear on the current state of the Buddhist sects, he’d tentatively classify them as potential adversaries.
Besides, with Lizhi marked, she could move about without raising suspicion.
Lizhi glared at the solemn Buddha statue and suddenly burst out angrily,
"Those bald monks are all the same—scheming and underhanded, wasting their brains on dirty tricks. Utterly shameless!"
Chu Xingchen recalled an old saying:
"Perhaps it’s true—sincerity seldom wins hearts, but schemes always do."
Lizhi glanced at him, wanting to say more but holding back.
She was just a guide. Some things weren’t for her to say—or even to know.
Nodding, she complied with Chu Xingchen’s plan and obediently joined the queue at the city gate.
Chu Xingchen, meanwhile, slipped in effortlessly.
The Buddhist sects of the Central Continent and those of the Western Oxhorn Continent were worlds apart.
The Central Continent’s sects would never consider sharing their intercepted spiritual veins with their so-called "fellow" sects elsewhere.
Thus, the Western Oxhorn Continent’s Buddhist sects were, by nature, pathetically weak—and this place was no exception.
Leaning against the city wall, Chu Xingchen observed the steady stream of people entering. Yet, as they passed by him, not a single glance was cast his way—as if he were invisible.
His eyes swept over the city.
Everywhere he looked, Buddha statues stood—some towering on pagodas, others small, no larger than a fist, crudely carved by the roadside.
The ratio of monks to commoners on the streets was nearly one-to-one.
And every statue was constantly absorbing faith energy, drawing varying amounts from the people around them.
These statues were nothing more than vessels for faith energy.
Though unsettled, Chu Xingchen withheld judgment for now.
Then, suddenly, he spotted a familiar yet not-quite-familiar face in the crowd.
Xu Jin of the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect.
Xu Jin moved swiftly through the throng, the crowd instinctively parting for him.
But then he halted abruptly, his gaze locking onto the city gates.
"My lord, I’m here…"
Having just finished waiting in line, Lizhi hurried over to Chu Xingchen, her half-spoken words trailing off as her gaze followed his.
After a brief glance, noticing Chu Xingchen's unwavering focus, she lowered her voice and asked,
"My lord... what are you looking at?"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
