On the other side, Xu Xing and Chi Jiuyu continued uphill after leaving the Iron-Toothed Crocodile Enclosure.
"Hurry up, Martial Uncle!" Chi Jiuyu called from higher up.
Xu Xing was always so unhurried that she often had to stop and wait for a while.
After doing this several times, the two finally reached the mountaintop.
The summit was flat and spacious, a massive plaza that looked as if half the mountain had been sliced away out of thin air.
And that was exactly what had happened. When the place was first built, the owner had specially invited a Nascent Soul sword cultivator to slice away half the peak with a single strike.
It was the hottest time of day. The scorching sun beat down, and even the mountain breeze carried a hint of dry heat.
Trees grew around the plaza. Their bark looked like overlapping scales, and the fruit hanging from their branches resembled dragon eggs covered in golden scales.
These were Dragon-Scale Fruits, borne by trees that had absolutely nothing to do with dragons.
Chi Jiuyu moved quickly. She raised her hand and sent out her long sword. Like a shooting star, it sliced through the stems of two Dragon-Scale Fruits. Before they could hit the ground, she caught them on the flat of the blade and brought them back to her.
Since admission wasn't cheap, visitors could eat as much of the fruit inside as they wanted.
After all, they weren't spirit fruits or anything. They could just sprinkle on a bit more spirit-returning liquid that night and get a few cultivators who knew Spring Breeze and Rain to cast the spell. By the next day, the fruit would have grown back.
"Here, this one's yours, Martial Uncle."
She sheathed her sword and handed one of the fruits to Xu Xing.
Xu Xing didn't refuse. She took it.
Peeling away its scale-like rind to reveal the tender white flesh inside, Chi Jiuyu took a bite, then pointed ahead.
"Martial Uncle, there seems to be a sword-flying race up ahead. Let's go take a look."
"Sure." Xu Xing nodded slightly.
The sword-flying race was one of the most popular attractions here. Even visitors could take part after signing a liability waiver.
Some people had once protested that not only sword cultivators participated in the race, so why call it a "sword-flying race"?
The park's response had been:
If you beat a sword cultivator in the race, they'd change your title to match your profession.
And yet, after all these years, it still had the same name.
"Martial Uncle, why don't we try entering too?" Chi Jiuyu asked eagerly.
"It's restricted by cultivation realm."
"Huh?"
She glanced at the notice board nearby and only then spotted the small line of text in the bottom-right corner.
[Only for Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators]
If cultivators with higher realms got into a conflict, it would be much harder for the park staff to intervene.
Seeing Chi Jiuyu's disappointment, Xu Xing smiled faintly. "Still, once we're back at the sect, we could gather the younger generation from each sect and hold a competition."
"Hm?!" Chi Jiuyu's eyes lit up. "Don't worry, Martial Uncle. I'll definitely take first place!"
She didn't have that kind of influence herself, but her Martial Uncle was someone of great standing!
If she wanted it, she could definitely make it happen!
"Good to see you're confident."
It would be a chance to see how much the various sects' movement techniques had improved over the years.
"Martial Uncle, can I borrow your phone? I want to take a few more pictures."
As for her own phone...
She had just angered her master, and she didn't quite dare take it out right now.
"Here."
After taking the phone, she fiddled with it for a bit, then opened the camera to take a picture.
Suddenly, a message popped up.
The sender's nickname was... "Senior Sister."
Senior Sister?!
Wasn't that her master?!
Chi Jiuyu's hand jolted, and the phone fell. Fortunately, Xu Xing caught it.
"What's wrong?" Xu Xing asked with a smile.
Gulp!
Chi Jiuyu swallowed.
"M-Martial Uncle, how come you have Master in your contacts?!"
"She's my Senior Sister. Isn't it normal for me to have her added? And what are you worried about? Senior Sister doesn't know it was you."
Oh, right!
Her master didn't know it was her!
Realizing this, she asked Xu Xing for the phone again, but this time she didn't get it.
"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do," Xu Xing said.
"..."
Come on, Martial Uncle. We're family—why are you acting so distant?
At dusk, Xiao Fan returned home.
After work, he had gone to the hospital to visit his big brother, then handed his wages to his mother, who was staying with him. His father was on the night shift and had already left.
He stood looking at the empty home in silence for a long while before finally opening the door and going inside.
After pouring himself a glass of water and drinking it, he went straight to the bedroom.
They had already sold their old house, and the place they lived in now was a rental. His bedroom was cramped; once he'd put in a bed, there was barely any room to stand.
A ray of sunlight came through the window, illuminating countless dust motes drifting in the air.
Sitting down by the bed, he took the jade box from his clothes again.
The jade was smooth, lustrous, and seamlessly formed. If not for the hair-thin seam, it would have been hard to tell it was a box at all.
Should he... open it and take a look?
Once the thought arose, he couldn't suppress it.
Even if he found out it really was just a cruel joke, wouldn't that be better than clinging to an impossible fantasy?
He gritted his teeth and put a little force into his right hand.
Uh... it didn't open.
Hm, was it stuck that tightly?
Xiao Fan stood up and gripped the jade box with both hands, pulling with all his might. His whole face turned red, but the box showed no sign of opening.
What exactly was this thing?!
He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator—even if it was only Pseudo Foundation Establishment, surely he could open a mere box?
This thing wasn't simple!
Realizing that, he frowned, then left the bedroom to fetch his flying sword. He wedged the blade into the box's seam and tried to pry it open.
But even when the sword's blade had bent slightly, the jade box hadn't budged.
Setting the flying sword down, he examined the jade box carefully. All that effort hadn't left a single mark on it.
"Could this... really be some kind of treasure?"
After thinking it over, Xiao Fan channeled a wisp of true essence and tried injecting it into the jade box.
It was like a mud ox entering the sea. The wisp of true essence sank into the box without causing the slightest reaction.
That didn't work either?
Just as he was about to set the box down and fetch his flying sword to try claiming it with a drop of blood, a powerful suction force came from the jade box.
"Shit!"
Xiao Fan jumped in fright and jerked his hand away, but he couldn't pull free.
From within the mysterious and fragile Dao foundation in his dantian, a wisp of energy was drawn out by that force. It traveled along his meridians, all the way to his palm, then entered the jade box.
Click!
A soft sound rang out, and the suction vanished. The jade box rolled to the floor.
Hm?
Xiao Fan froze and looked at the box lying on the ground. It was now half open.
It had opened?
He hesitated for two seconds, then went over and picked up the box. He was just a good-for-nothing with no future. What was there to scheme against?
He thought this with self-deprecating amusement, then tried opening the jade box again. This time, it opened with ease.
He hurriedly looked inside, then froze.
Inside was... a drop of blood?
It was a translucent drop of blood, seeming to carry a faint, pulsing sound. It looked like red jade.
What was this?
Before he had much time to think, the drop of blood suddenly seemed to come alive. It turned into a streak of crimson light and shot into the space between his brows.
His vision blurred. In his soul, a vast, primordial voice seemed to resound.
"Today, I shall glimpse the secrets of humanity's creation!"
Along with that voice came pain, as if his entire body were being crushed and butchered by a thousand knives!
"Ah!!!"
Xiao Fan collapsed to the floor, curled up as he let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Just then, a figure appeared on the empty sofa. He looked ordinary, with a gentle air about him.
He looked at Xiao Fan writhing and screaming on the ground, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Ride the wind when fortune is on your side, and soar to the heavens. Opportunity lies before you—it all depends on whether you can seize it."
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