Talking Zhao Gongming into It

Outside the stone door, Zhao Gongming stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in an ornate Daoist robe. His features were resolute, his eyes bright and piercing, and he carried an air of boldness.

As one of Sect Leader Tongtian's most trusted disciples, he held an extremely high position within the Interception Sect. He was usually elusive, yet today he had lowered himself to visit an Outer Sect Disciple's cave abode, naturally causing quite a stir.

The remaining disciples watched from afar and whispered among themselves, all curious why the renowned Senior Brother Gongming had come to see Chen Changsheng.

Inside the cave abode, Chen Changsheng's thoughts raced.

Zhao Gongming... a key figure in the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods. He was righteous and powerful, but also impatient. In the end, after becoming involved in the Three Xiāo's affairs, he was cursed to death by Lu Ya using the Seven Arrows Book of the Nail Head. He met Death of Dao and lost all his treasures.

A thoroughly tragic figure, the Interception Sect's quintessential hardheaded fool.

He had probably come because of that guardianship battle. His "foreknowledge" had ultimately drawn the attention of a major figure.

Whether it was fortune or disaster remained to be seen.

But no matter what, he could not avoid this meeting.

Chen Changsheng took a deep breath and pushed the Innate Stealth Technique to its limit, disguising his aura as even weaker than that of an early-stage Earth Immortal, as though he had only just recovered from a serious illness.

He pushed open the stone door and respectfully bowed to Zhao Gongming, his face showing just the right amount of panic and reverence.

"Outer Sect Disciple Chen Changsheng greets Senior Brother Gongming! I did not know you would be coming, Senior Brother, and failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me."

Zhao Gongming's gaze was sharp as fire as he sized Chen Changsheng up.

After one look, he could not help frowning slightly.

This junior brother before him was pale, his aura unsteady, and his mana fluctuations weak. He truly looked like someone whose vital energy had been severely depleted.

This... was the disciple who had escaped a fatal calamity through "intuition"? He looked utterly ordinary—indeed, almost excessively frail.

"No need for such formality." Zhao Gongming waved a hand and asked directly, "I heard that during the trip to the Flowing Fire Meteor Abyss half a month ago, you failed to go because you suffered 'deviation in cultivation' at the last moment. Is that true?"

"Yes, Senior Brother, it is true." Chen Changsheng lowered his head, looking deeply ashamed. "This disciple's cultivation is shallow and his Dao heart unstable. I nearly caused a great disaster and brought shame upon the sect."

"Oh?" Zhao Gongming looked at him with interest. "Yet I feel that your 'deviation in cultivation' came at a most opportune time. Otherwise, you would likely have become ashes along with those junior brothers who perished."

Here it came—the real subject!

There was no helping it. His spur-of-the-moment act of "deviation in cultivation" had been far too clumsy.

Everyone knew he had faked it, but in public, no one could be bothered to investigate such a pathetic little matter. They would only despise him in silence.

There was no helping it. His skin was simply thick enough.

But hearing Zhao Gongming bring it up in such a meaningful tone, Chen Changsheng's heart tightened. His expression grew even more terrified as he waved his hands repeatedly. "Senior Brother, you flatter me. This disciple absolutely does not deserve such praise! I was merely lucky—just lucky!"

"Lucky?" Zhao Gongming smiled, with a trace of probing in that smile.

"Cultivators never believe in pure luck. One's fortune is often closely connected to one's cultivation and perception of heavenly secrets. Junior Brother, this is not a suitable place to speak. May I come in and talk?"

"Please come in, Senior Brother!" Chen Changsheng stepped aside and ushered Zhao Gongming into the cave abode.

The cave abode was extremely simple. Other than a stone bed and a Prayer Mat, there was nothing else.

Zhao Gongming did not mind. He sat down casually and looked at Chen Changsheng again.

"Tell me. How exactly did you foresee the danger? We are fellow disciples, so speak freely. If you truly possess some wondrous method of warning, it would be a great boon to the Interception Sect."

Chen Changsheng knew that ordinary excuses would never fool a Grand Unity Golden Immortal like him.

After pondering for a moment, a trace of struggle appeared on his face. At last, as though he had made up his mind, he gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, Senior Brother, I... I had a dream."

"A dream?" Zhao Gongming raised a brow.

"Yes, a nightmare." Chen Changsheng began his performance, a lingering fear in his eyes.

"The night before our departure, I dreamed that one of my most beloved pearls was stolen by a swarm of vicious black-headed flies.

"I chased after them desperately, but I could never catch up. In the end, I could only watch as those flies flew into a blood-red mist and disappeared without a trace."

What he was referring to was naturally Zhao Gongming's future loss of the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Pearls.

But to Zhao Gongming, it meant something entirely different.

His proudest treasures were precisely the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls! They were the foundation of his Dao path and the things he treasured most!

Chen Changsheng was only an Outer Sect Disciple. Naturally, he could not possibly know his circumstances. Yet this dream vaguely coincided with his own situation!

For the first time, Zhao Gongming's expression turned solemn.

"Dreams are illusory. It may merely be a coincidence. Did you dare defy the sect's orders based on a single dream?"

"Not entirely." Chen Changsheng shook his head, his expression growing serious. "After waking, this disciple felt deeply uneasy, as though some great calamity were about to descend. We disciples of the Interception Sect cultivate the Supreme Great Dao of following our hearts and severing attachments.

"Since such a powerful warning arose in my heart, I felt that I should not go against it.

"Rather than muddle-headedly throwing away my life, it would be better to follow my heart, preserve this useful body, and serve the sect more effectively in the future.

"I simply did not expect that, in my panic, I would truly lose control of my mind and suffer deviation in cultivation..."

His words were half true and half false, yet they perfectly wrapped "fear of death" in the guise of "following heavenly secrets and possessing a clear Dao heart."

Zhao Gongming fell silent.

He looked at this low-cultivated junior brother before him, but stormy waves rose within his heart.

Following one's heart and avoiding the Killing Tribulation...

This seemingly simple principle—how many disciples of the Interception Sect could actually achieve it?

Most Interception Sect disciples were bold, valiant, and fond of battle. They emphasized the word "fight"—fight others, fight Heaven! Yet because of this, the sect's disciples were entangled in immense karma, and most possessed violent tempers.

Now, the aura of the Killing Tribulation was gradually rising between Heaven and Earth. Even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal like him felt a faint sense of dread.

Yet this junior brother before him had decisively avoided a certain death trap through a faint and intangible sensation.

Was it truly a flash of insight, or was the Dao he cultivated inherently different from that of others?

"What a fine 'preserve this useful body.'" Zhao Gongming let out a long sigh. The way he looked at Chen Changsheng changed completely, from initial scrutiny to appreciation, and even a trace of respect.

"Junior Brother, your name is Chen Changsheng, correct?"

"Yes, Senior Brother."

"I will remember you." Zhao Gongming rose to his feet. "What you said today has surpassed a hundred years of my bitter cultivation. Take this token. If you encounter any trouble in the outer sect in the future, bring this token to find me."

A dark iron token engraved with the two characters "Gongming" flew into Chen Changsheng's hand.

This was Zhao Gongming's personal token! With it, who in the outer sect would dare provoke him?

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Chen Changsheng accepted the token with a look of "flattered surprise."

Zhao Gongming nodded and turned to leave. When he reached the entrance, however, he stopped and asked without turning back, "Junior Brother Changsheng, in your view, how should we disciples of the Interception Sect conduct ourselves in this stormy Primordial World?"

He was testing him, but he was also sincerely seeking guidance.

Chen Changsheng knew this was the most crucial step.

He said solemnly, "This disciple is insignificant and does not dare speak recklessly. But in this disciple's view, we should 'conceal our edge, strengthen our foundations, and await the right time.'"

Zhao Gongming's body trembled. He stood there for a long time before finally turning into a streak of light and shooting into the sky without looking back.

He left, but outside Chen Changsheng's cave abode, an uproar erupted completely.

Everyone had seen it. Senior Brother Gongming had entered with a scrutinizing expression, yet emerged looking solemn—and had even bestowed his personal token!

What exactly had Chen Changsheng said to Senior Brother Gongming?

No one knew.

They only knew that from that day onward, Golden Ao Island's outer sect had gained a mysterious existence whom no one dared provoke.

Inside the cave abode, an unprecedentedly excited and majestic system notification sounded in Chen Changsheng's mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully influenced Zhao Gongming, a key figure in the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods!]

[Your Dao of Survival philosophy has successfully been implanted into the Dao heart of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, producing an immeasurable effect on the future direction of the Interception Sect! This is an act of defying Heaven and changing fate!]

[You have received a Heavenly Dao-level reward: one thousand years of cultivation! Supreme Divine Ability Great Freedom Head-Shrinking Technique! Main quest unlocked—[Great Revival of the Dao of Survival]!]

[Quest Name: Great Revival of the Dao of Survival]

[Quest Description: The Investiture of the Gods Tribulation is approaching. The Heavenly Dao is merciless; even Sages are chess pieces. The Interception Sect's Myriad Immortals Paying Homage appears prosperous, but its great edifice is on the verge of collapse, destined to be reduced to ashes in the great tribulation. As an inheritor of the Dao of Survival, you have the responsibility and obligation to change this tragic fate.]

[Quest Objective: During the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods, ensure your own survival and ensure that the survival rate of the Interception Sect's core disciples—inner sect and above—exceeds 80%.]

[Quest Success: Great Dao Merit, one strand of Primordial Violet Qi (fragment)!]

[Quest Failure: Become ashes alongside the Interception Sect.]

When Chen Changsheng saw the words "Primordial Violet Qi," his mind buzzed and he was utterly stunned.

The foundation for becoming a Sage?!

This system... was playing for such high stakes?!