The Fun Is Gone

"Maybe it's all an act."

Jiang Ningshu felt that some resolutions were fleeting—who knew if Chen Xing'an would continue heading north after gaining power?

"If it's an act, I'll accept it," Su Luo replied indifferently.

Little Yu chimed in, "Aren’t you afraid they’ll lose themselves in that power?"

She thought that obtaining overwhelming strength too quickly might not be a good thing.

Reaching the Nascent Soul level in an instant would surely inflate anyone’s ego.

And once inflated, they might recklessly expend the spiritual energy stored in the spirit stone before even reaching the north.

Then they’d be stuck in a dilemma.

Su Luo nodded. "That’s possible. But how they use it is up to them. I’ve already given it away. If you’re so concerned, why not follow them and see how they fare?"

"Fine."

Su Luo and the others began stealthily trailing Chen Xing'an and his group.

......

Chen Xing'an walked behind Li Yu, letting out a sinister chuckle.

"Keh keh keh, hand over that special spirit stone, and I might spare your life."

"Sure, sure."

Li Yu rolled his eyes and tossed the stone to Chen Xing'an.

Holding it, Chen Xing'an sighed. "You didn’t even hesitate."

He had only been joking.

"We grew up together. I know you."

"Even brothers might turn on each other over something like this."

"Then consider me a poor judge of character," Li Yu said dismissively.

Chen Xing'an shook his head. "That’s exactly why I told you to guard it carefully. Don’t just hand such a treasure to anyone."

He wasn’t the type to betray Li Yu over something like this—no scheming or fighting between them.

He’d only wanted to give Li Yu a taste of the ruthlessness of the cultivation world.

But it seemed the lesson hadn’t stuck.

Li Yu asked, "So, what’s the plan now?"

Truthfully, he wasn’t as eager as Chen Xing'an to head north—he’d only come along for companionship.

Now that they had this extraordinary spirit stone, staying put seemed wiser.

Keeping it as a life-saving treasure would ensure their safety while cultivating in the future.

They might miss the demon beast invasion, but they’d likely survive and grow stronger.

Chen Xing'an understood Li Yu’s thoughts.

They were just ordinary people with no powerful backing. Having such a trump card and wasting it on a journey north seemed foolish.

After a long pause, Chen Xing'an finally shook his head. "I can feel it—there’s an elder’s expectations imbued in this stone. I’ll go north. I won’t betray their trust."

Had Su Luo been there, he’d have said, "Do what you want. It’s your choice."

"Fine, I’ll go with you."

"Let’s move."

Chen Xing'an activated the spirit stone, surging forward with incredible speed, covering vast distances in an instant.

His heart raced with excitement.

When would he ever wield such power himself?

Li Yu hurried after him. "Hey, hey! You’re wasting it just on travel?"

Chen Xing'an blinked. "What else?"

"If we’re going, let’s do something meaningful. Save the energy—we might need it to fight the demon beasts in the north."

"You serious? We could die."

Originally, Chen Xing'an had only planned to observe from afar.

"Don’t kid yourself. We left home prepared to die."

"I just don’t want you to die. So, what’s the plan?"

Li Yu had an idea. "Before, we lacked the strength to join others heading north. Now we have it. We can hitch a ride with another group and save our energy for the battle."

"Brilliant."

Agreeing to Li Yu’s plan, Chen Xing'an stopped using the stone’s power and resumed traveling under his own strength.

They’d wait to encounter another group.

From a distance, Su Luo observed them. "Why’d they slow down?"

Jiang Ningshu said, "Maybe they’re having second thoughts."

Su Luo chuckled. "Makes sense. But looks like we won’t get to see them turn on each other."

Jiang Ningshu gave him a look. "You actually wanted that?"

"It could’ve happened. People are like that."

"But why the slowdown?"

"Maybe they’re not used to it yet."

Though they’d keep an eye on Chen Xing'an and Li Yu, they wouldn’t obsess over them.

Su Luo and the others had their own business to attend to, only checking in occasionally.

Truthfully, this trip north wasn’t particularly eventful.

They’d already visited all the famous sights along the way.

Now, they were just bored.

......

With many still journeying north, Chen Xing'an and Li Yu soon managed to strike up a conversation with a group from the Misty Cloud Sect.

Li Yu spun a tale, claiming they were on a family-assigned trial—reaching the north would complete it, where someone would receive them.

He then discreetly activated the spirit stone to display their "strength," hiding the stone itself.

Whether the sect could see through the ruse was another matter.

But realistically, the Misty Cloud Sect wouldn’t resort to murder and theft.

As Li Yu predicted, the sect members were friendly.

Seeing the duo’s apparent capability, they tentatively believed the story.

However, a Nascent Soul elder from the sect remarked, "Riding with us hardly counts as a trial, does it?"

Li Yu explained, "It’s fine. They said any method of reaching the north is acceptable."

Chen Xing'an stayed quiet, figuring he’d only trip himself up if he spoke. Better to let Li Yu handle it.

In the end, the elder relented, allowing them to hitch a ride.

Su Luo and the others were baffled. "They hitched a ride? Learned to value their resources?"

Su Luo had assumed Chen Xing'an would charge ahead recklessly.

Jiang Ningshu asked, "Should we follow?"

At this pace, Su Luo’s leisurely stroll wouldn’t keep up.

"Let’s not. We’re in no hurry."

After a moment’s thought, Su Luo dismissed the idea. He wasn’t one to dance to others’ rhythms.

He’d hoped observing them would be entertaining, but they’d chosen this approach instead.

Su Luo and the others stopped paying attention.

Yet while they weren’t watching, others were.

During a demon beast attack, the Misty Cloud elder noticed something odd about Chen Xing'an and Li Yu.

The power they wielded wasn’t their own.

While it was normal for disciples on a trial to have life-saving treasures, theirs seemed excessively potent.

So, one night, the elder summoned them, demanding to see the treasure.

Under pressure, Chen Xing'an and Li Yu had no choice. Clever as they were, their youth and inexperience left them outmatched.

Still, they played it smart—only revealing Chen Xing'an’s spirit stone.

The elder examined it closely, growing more astonished the longer he studied it.

This thing… was far too valuable.