Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Half a year ago, Mingyan Zhenren had already returned to the sect, though he remained in hiding, observing its inner workings.

He had been traveling the cultivation world, gathering third-tier golden core spirit items while seeking an opportunity to break through to a higher realm.

It was over half a year ago that he encountered a divination master from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and sought a fortune-telling session to divine his cultivation path.

To his surprise, he drew a favorable omen: "A dragon hidden deep in clouds and mist, True gold seen with wise eyes. No need to seek afar, Your destined chance lies near."

Spending 3,000 spirit stones to interpret the omen, the master explained that combining the hexagram’s signs, his opportunity lay in the northwest of Li Zhou—near the Lihuo Sect.

Mingyan Zhenren secretly returned to the Lihuo Sect, but after six months of searching, he still hadn’t found his destined chance.

But he wasn’t worried. Mingyan Zhenren was patient when it came to opportunities—he was still young, with centuries ahead.

The ultimate goal of cultivators was eternal life. Cultivation itself prolonged life, and breaking through to Foundation Building extended it by another century. If one could form a golden core, they might live five centuries—longer than most mortal dynasties.

For this reason, he didn’t mind spending more years near the sect until his opportunity arose.

That said, Mingyan Zhenren hadn’t been idle.

During his search, he’d discovered a group of suspicious figures attempting to frame the sect’s disciples.

Such a minor matter wouldn’t normally require his intervention—subordinates could handle it.

But the situation unexpectedly escalated into a conflict between the Jiang and Chen families, with Jiang Shiyou even trying to abuse his authority for personal gain.

That crossed a line.

Mingyan Zhenren personally intervened, inspecting Xiao Chen before the crowd and declaring him no demonic cultivator. The truth came to light immediately: Jiang Shiyou was stripped of his position as an Enforcement Hall elder and sentenced to ten years of solitary confinement.

Xiao Chen, though lacking in innate talent, had cultivated diligently, breaking the sect’s record for fastest progress. As recognition, he was awarded the Evergreen Sword and a Green Wood Spirit Nurturing Pill.

The Chen family members who had incited the commotion were collectively fined a month’s stipend.

As for the Enforcement Hall disciples who had aided Jiang Shiyou, they received one day of wall-facing meditation as punishment, leniency granted due to their obedience to orders.

Mingyan Zhenren resolved the conflict in a few swift moves before dismissing the crowd and returning to his solitary search for destiny near the sect.

Though the Zhenren departed, the incident only spread faster.

News of Xiao Chen’s breakthrough to late-stage Lian Qi cultivation in seven months swept through the Lihuo Sect like a hurricane, coinciding with Mingyan Zhenren’s public appearance.

At first, disciples—including many inner sect seniors—refused to believe it, then felt envy and jealousy.

Eventually, they sighed in resignation, wondering why their own cultivation speeds and luck weren’t as good.

Somehow, the cause of Xiao Chen’s breakthrough became distorted into mere fortune. Many disciples grumbled that if they had access to the same spirit items, they’d surpass him.

Only a few high-talented disciples recognized his true extraordinariness.

Jiang Si Xuan, who possessed a dual spirit root, was stunned to the point of near-fainting upon hearing the news.

She honestly admitted that even with the same resources, she couldn’t match his pace.

Recalling how, half a year ago, she, Xiao Chen, and Ye Fei had all broken through to Lian Qi Stage 4 in the lecture hall—how she’d been slightly ahead of him then.

Back then, after confirming Xiao Chen had no notable background at the White Jade Restaurant, she’d assumed they’d walk different paths.

She’d believed time would see him fall behind, fading into obscurity, while she, with her superior talent, would rise far higher—eventually existing in the same sky but separate worlds.

Yet now, just half a year later, she remained at Lian Qi Stage 4, barely touching the threshold of Qi Condensation Fifth Layer.

Xiao Chen had already reached Lian Qi Stage 7, leaving her in the dust.

They truly weren’t on the same path anymore—two worlds apart. But now, it was her who had fallen behind.

With his imminent promotion to inner sect disciple, early adoption by Elder Chen, and a magic artifact bestowed by Golden Core Zhenren, Xiao Chen’s future was limitless.

Jiang Si Xuan finally felt regret. She’d been among the first to meet him.

If only she hadn’t distanced herself after that banquet invitation. If only she hadn’t kept her distance during the outer sect trials.

Or if, after the trial results were announced, she’d reached out to strengthen their bond, like the Su family or her own Chen clan had done.

Then now, Xiao Chen would likely be her close friend, their bond deepened through years.

But with her uncle Jiang Shiyou’s interference, any attempt to approach him now would probably be too late.

People’s joys and sorrows don’t always align.

Meanwhile, Su Wanning, another dual spirit root cultivator, was overjoyed.

She’d gifted Xiao Chen her family-bestowed Li Guquan, even throwing in green wood spirit essence due to Su Yuanpeng’s meddling.

But now, those acts felt like wise investments.

Most importantly, there was still the matter of the first-seat disciple agreement between them.

The brighter Xiao Chen’s future shone, the more advantageous it became for her.

“This time, I really struck gold. But I still need to work harder on my cultivation.”

Su Wanning smiled brightly before silently resolving: “At least I have a better spirit root—I won’t let Xiao Chen leave me behind.”

Wait!

She suddenly thought—could Xiao Chen’s breakthrough speed be so fast that he’d already reached Foundation Building by the time of the first-seat disciple selection?

“No way. That’s impossible.”

She immediately dismissed the wild thought.

Breaking through to Foundation Building was a major bottleneck for cultivators—a near-insurmountable barrier for those with mediocre talent.

Thousands of Lian Qi Stage 9 cultivators were stuck for years, decades, or even lifetimes without success.

Even with an exceptional cultivation manual, Xiao Chen’s low-grade spirit root would still make the journey arduous, with only a slim chance of success.

“Ugh, what am I even thinking? That’s ages away.”

Shaking her head slightly, she cheered herself on: “Starting today, I’ll cultivate an extra half-hour daily. I’ll catch up to Xiao Chen—charge forward!”

Similar thoughts stirred among Ye Fei, Song Zhongming, Liu Benxin, and others.

While shocked by Xiao Chen’s new record and awed by his speed, they grew dissatisfied with their own progress.

Each silently resolved to chase after his footsteps.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen himself had already completed the process of becoming an inner sect disciple.

He received the three essential items: a storage bag, defensive robe, and identity token, along with a large chest of miscellaneous supplies.

After a brief discussion with Elder Chen, he chose to avoid the sect’s factional politics by bypassing Jiang Shiwei, the Jiang family elder overseeing Sandalwood Peak, and instead joined Azure Water Peak under the neutral Elder Qi.

Elder Qi had yet to return, so senior apprentice sister Shen Simyue welcomed him and arranged a small courtyard near the peak’s summit.

“Xiao Chen, rest here for now. If anything’s missing, feel free to ask me.”

“I’ll take you to formally meet our master once she returns.”

Xiao Chen bowed in thanks, watching her depart before returning inside to organize his newly acquired items.

He focused on familiarizing himself with the chest’s contents, especially the Inner Sect Handbook and Cultivation Duel Guide.

The former detailed an inner disciple’s duties and privileges, while the latter compiled generations of sect elders’ insights on efficiently using spells.

Though every inner disciple received a copy of the latter, to outsiders, its value rivaled that of a mystic-ranked cultivation manual.

Xiao Chen became engrossed in its detailed case studies, losing himself in the knowledge.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end