The Troubled Times Don't Need a Saint

A few days later, the heavy rain finally subsided.

But the air did not carry a fresh scent, for the ground was thick with mud, and the main road was crowded with migrating refugees coming and going, emitting a strange stench.

Lu Wangchuan awoke from his meditation, opening his eyes as two bolts of lightning flickered faintly within them.

"The further I go in the Dantian Realm, the purer my body becomes, as if it's transforming into an entirely new kind of being. Could it be that the essence of cultivation is also a path of life evolution?"

Lu Wangchuan pondered for a moment, then tapped open the Light Screen.

Name: Lu Wangchuan. Cultivation: Dantian Realm. Blood Qi: 1402. Techniques: Dao Embryo Breathing Method (Layer 7), Limitless Sword Dao (Layer 4), Heavenly Dipper Eight Steps (Layer 1)

Without hesitation, Lu Wangchuan directly allocated points to Limitless Sword Dao, raising it to Layer 5.

His Blood Qi surged within, and Lu Wangchuan felt his sword intent deepen. With Limitless Sword Dao at Layer 5, its power when unleashed would be boundless.

He tried a strike with the Godslayer Sword. One sword stroke, and a branch a foot beyond the blade's edge—its bark gnawed off, covered in bite marks—snapped cleanly.

"I can already release a trace of Sword Qi."

Lu Wangchuan was somewhat surprised, for he hadn't struck the branch directly. This meant that a foot beyond the sword's edge, Sword Qi had formed, causing the branch to break.

"Normally, those in the Dantian Realm can only attach true qi to their weapons, not project it outward. That's something only experts in the Celestial Human Realm can do. But I can already vaguely manage a little—it must be related to the technique and the sword."

Under normal circumstances, ordinary people couldn't cultivate both internal arts and combat techniques to a high level simultaneously.

Because their time was limited, unlike Lu Wangchuan, who only needed to cultivate one mental method. Moreover, the Limitless Sword Art was nothing like the Mountain Splitting Fist; the difficulty of cultivating Transcendent Tier techniques was far greater.

To reach Layer 5 of Limitless Sword Dao while also training internal arts, even with decent comprehension, would likely take ten to twenty years.

Yet he had used less than a tenth of that time—a speed like a rocket.

Add to that the special, supremely sharp material of the Godslayer Sword his master had given him, and it allowed him to forge Sword Qi!

Patting the Godslayer Sword with satisfaction, he sheathed it and began heading unhurriedly toward the Divine Water Sect.

The reason he wasn't rushing was that he'd noticed many merchant caravans migrating along the way, giving him a chance to buy materials and store them in his Storage Bag.

These caravans were in a hurry, already bothered by the burden of their goods and the risk of theft, so they were eager to sell for gold or silver. Lu Wangchuan took advantage, snapping up many materials at a bargain price.

By his estimate, by the time he reached the Divine Water Sect, he could raise his cultivation considerably.

Competition among sects was fierce, and the stronger his strength, the safer he'd be.

After walking for just a few minutes, a little girl came toward him on the road. She looked about ten years old, dressed in rags, pitiful and forlorn.

"Uncle, please, take me to find my mom? Boohoo... I got separated from her."

"Auntie, please..."

But the refugees on the road could barely save themselves—who would help her find her parents?

Soon she reached Lu Wangchuan's side. Her grimy little hand hadn't even touched his clothes before he shot her a cold glare.

"Scram!"

The faint killing intent radiating from him made her flinch, and she collapsed onto the ground, splattered with mud.

Just then, two women dressed neatly and clearly trained in some martial arts walked up from behind, saying indignantly:

"Why are you yelling at her? She's just a child."

"A grown man like you—can't you show a little compassion? Come on, little sister, we'll take you to find your mother."

"Th-thank you, big sisters."

The little girl got up and pointed ahead.

"My mom should be up ahead."

Lu Wangchuan offered a word of warning.

"You'd better not meddle."

At this, the two women looked at him with utter contempt.

"You have no compassion yourself, and you won't let others have any? Are you even human?"

Lu Wangchuan shook his head and said no more.

Good advice is wasted on the damned.

Though the girl was dressed in rags, her figure was rather plump, and her hair, though messy, was thick and lush—nothing like someone malnourished. She stood out starkly among the refugees of this chaotic world.

And the faint yellow tint in her irises was not a color a normal person should have.

At that moment, the little girl glanced back at Lu Wangchuan with a vicious look, then quickly followed the two women as they disappeared into the crowd ahead.

Lu Wangchuan, carrying his sword on his back, continued on his way. His relatively clean attire made him stand out among the ordinary refugees, and naturally, some ill-intentioned people in the crowd tried to edge closer to him.

But Lu Wangchuan showed no mercy. Anyone who approached was killed without exception. Over time, no one dared to get near him anymore.

In a chaotic world, playing the saint only invites greater trouble. Ruthless decisiveness is the only way to avoid it.

After traveling twenty or thirty li, Lu Wangchuan had purchased enough materials from two merchant caravans to brew two cauldrons of Spirit Elixir. As dusk fell, he prepared to find a place to brew it.

He left the main road and came across a dilapidated temple, intending to enter and start a fire. Before he even stepped inside, his keen sense of smell caught a thick aroma of meat.

"Someone?"

He grew slightly wary, approached to observe, and couldn't help narrowing his eyes.

Inside, there was a large cauldron still steaming.

On the ground lay a woman with tattered clothes, her body covered in wounds.

Lu Wangchuan glanced at the woman and found her somewhat familiar—wasn't this the woman who had taken that little girl to find her mother earlier?

The other woman was nowhere to be seen...

It seemed his guess was about eighty percent right—that little girl was no good.

He sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave.

This place was too disgusting; he decided to find another spot to brew the Spirit Elixir.

But his sigh had clearly startled her.

"Who's there!"

The woman cried out, scrambled up from the ground, and stared warily at Lu Wangchuan outside the door. When she made out his face, her eyes instantly turned bloodshot, her silver teeth clenched so tightly they ground together.

"It's you! Are you in league with them?"

Lu Wangchuan shook his head.

"I'm not that low-class. Just passing through by chance."

"You knew that little bitch was evil—why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you warn us clearly?"

Lu Wangchuan said nothing more and simply turned to leave.

He had warned them long ago, told those two women not to meddle in other people's business, and they had mocked him for it. Now they wanted to blame him for not telling them? Ridiculous.

In a chaotic world, why waste sympathy recklessly?

Better to look after your own life first.

Throw in some recommendation tickets or something, really—let me know someone's actually reading this.