I'll Go and Pick Some Too

Lu Xuan strode forward, leading Chu Xingchen toward the rear of the main hall.

After walking for a while, Lu Xuan, who was leading the way, suddenly spoke up.

"When did you recover?"

Lu Xuan slowed his pace to a leisurely stroll after asking the question, but after walking quite a distance, Chu Xingchen still hadn't replied.

He stopped, turned around, and looked at Chu Xingchen with a displeased expression.

"I've already made excuses for you. If you keep pretending, I'll turn back and have a good chat with Lingyu."

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen gave a light cough.

"What are you saying, Sect Master? I only just recovered a short while ago. The moment I was better, I rushed to Tianyan Peak to shine and contribute, to help Sect Master Lu resolve difficulties and worries."

Lu Xuan huffed, flicked his sleeve, and turned back around to continue leading the way.

"You still speak as prettily as ever. If I am covering for you, how could I be the one snitching behind your back?"

Chu Xingchen quickened his pace to catch up and whispered.

"Senior Bai said your mouth is like a tattered rag. Not only can it not hold a secret, it can't even hold saliva."

"She!!"

Lu Xuan's eyes went wide, and one hand unconsciously reached out and shook in the air.

This was an insult among insults!

Chu Xingchen hurriedly reached out and patted Lu Xuan on the back.

"Senior Bai has always been uninhibited in her speech, and her metaphors are a bit casual. You'll lose out if you take them seriously."

Lu Xuan let out a cold snort and used his spiritual power to brush Chu Xingchen's hand away.

"You and she are birds of a feather, badgers from the same mound. That child Lingyu is so obedient and trusts you so much, yet you keep things from her. Young man, trust is not something you should take and use for testing."

Chu Xingchen hurriedly nodded. "Thank you for the lesson, Sect Master Lu. However, this isn't a test."

"Oh?" Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"

A smile surfaced on Chu Xingchen's face. He waited a moment before speaking.

"Lingyu knows a little tune that is quite interesting. I want to hear it."

Lu Xuan nodded in understanding. People with cold faces naturally have thin skin; asking her to sing a tune in front of Chu Xingchen would indeed be somewhat difficult.

Moreover, Lu Xuan largely understood what that little tune was.

It was likely the one Bai Xuanling had taught Xie Lingyu.

Lu Xuan had heard it once before. It was when Bai Xuanling sang it softly in front of Bai Xuanle's grave.

He had only heard it that one time.

However, the Lu Xuan of that time hadn't been in the mood to listen closely and had only caught the general idea, as many of his own close friends and seniors had also died there.

Lu Xuan said no more along the way, leading Chu Xingchen straight into the secret realm barrier hidden deep within Tianyan Peak, until they reached a secret chamber.

Lu Xuan pushed the door open.

A transparent, diamond-shaped crystal stood high within a formation of spiritual power.

Several cultivators from various sects, dressed in their respective sect attires, were all conducting research.

Chu Xingchen's gaze naturally fell upon that single Principle.

The formation sealing the Principle was obviously extremely profound; the incredibly heavy spiritual power was nearly enough to isolate the terrifying Dao Rhythm emanating from the Principle.

Lu Xuan cupped his hands slightly. "Fellow Daoists, could you take a momentary break? Let him have a look?"

The cultivators in the room turned their gazes toward Chu Xingchen. They didn't say much and turned to leave.

The cultivators of the Tianyan Sect naturally listened to their own Sect Master. The cultivators of the Xuanqing Heaven Sect who were allowed in this room were core figures, so they naturally understood their sect's attitude toward Chu Xingchen.

seeing the cultivators of the other two sects leave in tacit agreement, the cultivators of the Tai Dao Sect didn't insist on staying either.

Chu Xingchen cupped his hands in return. A moment later, only the two of them remained in the room.

"The Xuanqing Heaven Sect knows the most about the Principle. When the Heavenly Dao collapsed, they put the greatest effort into collecting the Principles. Later, under the supervision of the various sects, they returned the Principles to the Heavenly Dao, but they kept quite a few reflections of the Principles and have researched them the deepest."

Lu Xuan looked up at the Principle, which emitted a pure white light yet appeared sharp and intense, and continued.

"The Xuanqing Heaven Sect has researched this specific one. They didn't find any obvious alterations; the Principle remains a pure Principle."

Lu Xuan finished speaking and glanced sideways at the silent Chu Xingchen, then asked, "Well? Have you gained anything from it?"

Chu Xingchen didn't say much. Instead, he tapped his fingertip, and Wanban flowed out from who knows where, flying into the formation and beginning to circle around the Principle.

Wanban was a reward given by the system after recycling the Principle of the Incense Fire Divine Way.

If he wasn't mistaken, Wanban might be formed from condensed Principle. Back in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, it had also reacted to the simplified replica of a Principle carried by Donggua.

He had nurtured Wanban for many years. Although it still couldn't communicate telepathically, it possessed some intelligence.

With his own brilliant intellect, if Wanban learned even one ten-thousandth of it, it would know how to reveal the mysteries within.

Wanban flew and danced, turning into fluorescent light, seemingly excited.

The Principle standing in the center also seemed to respond, its light flickering and fluctuating in brightness.

Lu Xuan looked at Wanban spinning inside with a slightly shocked expression.

"What material is that thing made of? Did you forge a Principle into a weapon? And it can resonate with it?"

Chu Xingchen looked calm and replied casually.

"Picked it up on the road. I thought it was a small toy, but later I realized it was somewhat useful."

"You're talking nonsense, aren't you?"

"Did I have the money to forge this thing back then?"

Lu Xuan's shock deepened. "Are you serious? You can even pick up something like this? Where did you pick it up?"

"Oh, I was walking on the main road and kicked..."

Before Chu Xingchen could finish his nonsense, Wanban darted in front of him, its sword hilt pointing right at Chu Xingchen's nose. It seemed extremely dissatisfied with what Chu Xingchen was saying.

What did he mean it was kicked out on the main road?!

Chu Xingchen gave a light cough. "My good spiritual artifact, hurry up and tell me, what have you found?"

Wanban's hilt wobbled for a moment, but eventually, it changed form, taking on a round appearance.

Wanban was indeed easy to coax, and it understood the big picture!

Chu Xingchen affirmed this in his heart and began to ponder what Wanban meant.

A round disk...

Wanban maintained the round disk shape for a long time, and Chu Xingchen remained in that contemplative pose.

Anxiously, it shook itself.

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow, observed for a while longer, and said honestly, "What do you mean?"

Wanban froze for a moment, then transformed into a small needle. With a flash, it vanished from in front of Chu Xingchen, then flashed back. When it returned this time, it was in the shape of a round disk.

It repeated this action several times.

Chu Xingchen narrowed his eyes.

Seeing that Chu Xingchen had no reaction, Wanban simply stood in place, displaying the round disk shape, looking as if it had given up and started slacking off.

Chu Xingchen hesitated slightly, then reached out and took an item from the system space—a reward the system had given him a long time ago: the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade.

This plate had once been evaluated by Xie Lingyu as a rotten broken plate, completely useless.

Wanban going in and out of the system space was likely hinting at this thing.

Sure enough, the moment Chu Xingchen took the item out, Wanban instantly became joyful and began to dance.

Then, it signaled for Chu Xingchen to place the plate into the formation.

Chu Xingchen looked sideways at Lu Xuan beside him.

"Shall I try putting it in?"

Lu Xuan still wore that shocked expression. Hearing Chu Xingchen's question, he slowly replied, "Put it in if you want... It feels like you really found the usage for it."

"And another thing... surely you didn't just pick this up off the side of the road?"

Chu Xingchen cleared his throat and replied solemnly:

"It's not like I'm a scavenger who spends all day scouring the streets."

Lu Xuan nodded with a look of gratification:

"That's good. Because if you really did find this on the road, you'd have to tell me exactly which road it was."

"I'd like to go pick some up myself."