Such a Destiny in the Void

Central State, Hanging Temple.

Yuan Kong gasped for breath, plopping down on the stone steps before the temple gate. His hands propped on the steps, he lifted his gaze and stared at the azure sky.

At the temple gate stood a young novice monk in a coarse earth-yellow robe. He eyed Yuan Kong with curiosity—this man who clearly possessed Golden Core cultivation yet had climbed the Hanging Temple's trial steps step by step without using any power.

Yuan Kong.

The Little Novice naturally knew who this was.

The unlucky monk Qian Qing often mentioned.

Indeed, just as strange a person as Qian Qing.

Yuan Kong turned sideways, his gaze falling on the gate plaque bearing the bold, flowing calligraphy of "Hanging Temple." He sighed and said:

"Is your trial even meant to be passed? Don't you think it's a bit too hard?"

"What kind of demonic design is this—Heart Test, Path of Ascent, Mountain Crossing..."

The Little Novice bowed politely, then replied matter-of-factly:

"If it's a trial, naturally it's not meant to be passed."

"Huh?" Yuan Kong hadn't expected that answer. He stared at the novice in shock.

The Little Novice continued to explain:

"The abbot says that those without restless thoughts don't come for the trial, and those consumed by greed who seek everything but gain nothing—when they step into this trial, they will naturally understand. What cannot be gained simply cannot be gained. Besides letting go, every reluctance only torments oneself."

"Because if it's not possible, it's not possible. Many things aren't something you can get just because you want them."

"So, the Hanging Temple's trial was never really meant to be passed."

Yuan Kong was speechless for a moment, then asked:

"Then why have people succeeded? Shouldn't you make it even harder?"

The Little Novice laughed at this and, mimicking the abbot's tone, answered vaguely:

"One who can walk the Hanging Temple can walk the world."

Yuan Kong shook his head with a wry smile, then asked curiously:

"Do you remember Qian Qing?"

"Very much. It's hard to forget her, actually."

"Did she succeed on her first try?"

"Of course not. To be exact, she failed at least twenty-three times."

"Twenty-three times?" Yuan Kong muttered softly. Even though he had suppressed his cultivation, his physical strength alone was that of a Golden Core realm. Many illusions and traps, even without resistance, naturally gave him a huge advantage.

That Qian Qing succeeded twenty-three times.

And the most remarkable thing was that kind of perseverance.

Yuan Kong sighed in admiration: "That's truly impressive... I wouldn't want to climb this trial a second time."

The Little Novice scratched the back of his head and blurted out:

"Qian Qing reached the top seven times."

"What?" Yuan Kong looked at the novice in shock.

The Little Novice thought carefully for a moment, then said firmly:

"Qian Qing climbed to the top seven times altogether. It took her over two years. The first time she reached the top, she failed eight times. Later, as she got more skilled, the failures became fewer."

"She was very persistent. I even asked the Abbot if she had something wrong with her head."

"The Abbot said—Those with strong determination but lost hearts can only avoid inner demons by staying on the path."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Kong let out a heavy breath and stood up.

Seeing this, the Little Novice quickly stepped aside, clearing the way to the temple gate:

"Senior, would you like to come in and look around?"

"No," Yuan Kong waved his hand. "Temples are all the same under heaven. I've seen enough of them as a monk myself."

The Little Novice nodded understandingly. He hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"I don't quite understand, so please let me ask Senior—why not meet with Qian Qing?"

Yuan Kong smiled: "Back then, I thought there was a clear divide between immortals and mortals. A flower blooms in the morning and withers by dusk. Being with us, her time wouldn't truly be her own. It was wasting her life."

"I felt that life holds many things. Besides the immortal path, mortals should have their own life to live."

"No one should spend half their life merely waiting for something."

The Little Novice nodded in agreement:

"True. Years ago, when I traveled with the Abbot, an old man still remembered how the Abbot taught him and stayed for three years to save a village from plague."

"He said many children, having learned to read from the Abbot, even became officials."

"The entire town remembered the Abbot's great kindness."

"But the Abbot asked, 'Are you sure you've got the right person? I have no memory of coming here.' In the end, it was only after seeing the statue the villagers had erected, and the calligraphy the Abbot had left behind, that he believed he really had been there."

"Three years pass like smoke before our eyes, and perhaps a hundred years pass the same way."

Yuan Kong reached out and patted the Little Novice's head. It felt surprisingly nice—no wonder Chu Xingchen had loved patting this bald head back then.

"Never mind. Smoke and clouds are still scenery. She is her own person—someone who knows what she wants."

"Perhaps, having gained cultivation and witnessed countless storms, having grown used to parting and loss, and having raised her since childhood, I thought I could make plans for her."

"But when I think back to how I felt as a child—how I begrudged that my Abbot couldn't live a while longer, how much effort he poured into me, how much I resented him for leaving me, a little novice, to walk so far and meet so many people..."

"Her life should be decided by her. I am merely a passerby in her life, not someone who should make decisions for her."

The Little Novice stared blankly, then nodded again:

"Saying it that way, you really were kind of unfair to her."

"I think so too now." Yuan Kong's aura returned to normal. "So I plan to go apologize first. Do you think Qian Qing will forgive me?"

"She definitely will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she climbed the Hanging Temple twenty-three times for you and reached the top seven times. If she didn't want forgiveness, she wouldn't have climbed so many times. At least I wouldn't climb that many times for someone I hate."

"Very reasonable. Thanks for the good word."

"We're both monks. No need for such politeness."

Yuan Kong nodded, and in an instant, his body turned into a beam of rainbow light, shooting straight from the Hanging Temple's gate toward the Tianyan Sect.

Seeing this, the Little Novice let out a soft breath.

He had been a little nervous earlier. After all, this Yuan Kong was connected to the legendary Chu Xingchen. He had expected a certain temperament, but the man was incredibly easy to talk to—almost unusually so.

"What do you think of Yuan Kong?"

The Little Novice, still watching that streak of rainbow light, heard the Abbot's voice behind him. Turning around, he looked at the Abbot's calm face, thought for a moment, and answered:

"Very easy to talk to. Also very interesting. And it seems he has seen great storms."

"He is also a naturally born Buddha's son."

"Like me? No wonder he feels so kind."

"It feels kind because his heart has attained enlightenment, and his cultivation level is high—not because he is a Buddha's son. Otherwise, why do so many in the temple call you stupid instead of kind?"

The Little Novice frowned at the Abbot in displeasure:

"The reason they call me stupid in the temple is that you're always insulting me to their faces!"

The Abbot said calmly: "But if you were truly smart, and they could see your intelligence, why would they still call you stupid?"

The Little Novice found no way to refute this, because it did sound quite reasonable.

The Abbot smiled and reached out to pat the Little Novice's head...

"Study hard, and one day you can become like Yuan Kong."

"If you get to know Chu Xingchen, you might also make a friend like Qian Qing—just as interesting, just as easygoing, and with a similar level of cultivation."

The Little Novice nodded emphatically.