Chapter 39

"But how do we know whether he was telling the truth?" Qin Rong said with a frown.

"Just now, Andre tested that man's mental fluctuations and found that he wasn't lying. Besides, I think this opportunity suits you better." Qin Yi spoke slowly. "Brother, you're different from me. From the very first day you obtained the Dragon-Controlling Art, your attitude toward cultivation told me that you were truly interested in it. Since you have this chance, make the most of it!"

"But—"

"I'll be fine. After all, I still have Andre protecting me. Ordinary people won't be able to plot against me. Besides, this was Andre's suggestion." Qin Yi said, pursing his lips.

"What?" Qin Rong was somewhat stunned. Then Andre's voice suddenly echoed in his mind. "It was indeed my suggestion. Qin Rong, I hadn't noticed anything at first. But after entering the Rainbow Continent, I discovered a very strong trace of a soul contract on you. Your soul is incomplete. Yet a cultivator's soul is extremely important. If this continues, your condition will become very dangerous. I've heard of this Heavenly Origin Sect in my memories. It truly is formidable. In particular, the direct disciples of its inner sect all have a chance to receive the baptism of the Heavenly Origin Inheritance. It is said that this Heavenly Origin Inheritance has a tremendous effect on tempering one's soul. I believe that if you have the opportunity to receive it, there is an eighty percent chance that your soul can be restored."

Andre paused before continuing, "You must restore your soul as soon as possible. Believe me. It is absolutely no good thing for a cultivator's soul to be held in someone else's hands."

"But Xiao Yi..." Qin Rong frowned hesitantly at those words.

"I can still protect Xiao Yi. Even if the person plotting against me appears, I can guarantee Xiao Yi's safety. But you're different. By the time I came into contact with you, your soul was already incomplete. And the person who signed the contract with you was stronger than I was even at the height of my power. I have no way to break his contract. You can only rely on yourself," Andre said gravely.

"Once I leave, I don't know when I'll be able to return..." Qin Rong finally compromised, though he spoke unwillingly. He knew his own situation as well. If he had not even solved his own troubles, how could he protect Qin Yi?

"Given your talent, it shouldn't take long for you to receive the Heavenly Origin Inheritance," Andre encouraged. "And there's another benefit to joining the Heavenly Origin Sect. I vaguely remember that even in the God Realm, the Heavenly Origin Sect was an extremely powerful force. If you can truly obtain the status of a direct inner sect disciple, then even if you face your contractor in the future, you won't need to fear him."

By this point, there was no longer any room for choice. Qin Rong nodded reluctantly and said to Qin Yi, "If I leave, you must be careful on your own!"

"Don't worry, Brother. After all, I'm someone who's been reborn once!" Qin Yi said with a smile. "I believe I can handle things myself."

"All right!" Qin Rong nodded. Qin Yi then had Andre remove the barrier. Sensing the fluctuations in space, Tianku immediately drifted over. He nodded at the two of them and asked, "Have you made your decision?"

"I'll go with you." Since he had already made up his mind, Qin Rong did not waste any more words. He answered decisively. Tianku nodded, reached out to grab Qin Rong's arm, and with a thought, the two vanished from before Qin Yi's eyes. Qin Yi lowered his head in disappointment. Just as he was about to indulge in some sentimental melancholy, the two people who suddenly reappeared startled him. Tianku, who had looked so immortally composed just moments ago, was now utterly disheveled. Qin Yi raised a suspicious brow. "Daoist, what happened to you?"

"Have you forgotten that you two brothers have already taken Fusu as your master?" A calm voice suddenly came from the air. Immediately afterward, the figure of His Majesty the First Emperor slowly appeared, with a worried-looking Fusu behind him.

How awkward.

How had I completely forgotten about that? Qin Yi shook his head in embarrassment.

"But, Your Majesty the First Emperor, although your Dragon-Controlling Art is domineering, Qin Rong's soul is incomplete. Only the inheritance baptism of our Heavenly Origin Sect can restore his soul." Tianku said in a fluster. "This is beneficial to all of us. No matter what, he is a member of your Qin Clan, isn't he?"

"Hmph!" Ying Zheng gave a cold snort, and the atmosphere immediately grew heavy. A crushing pressure, like Mount Tai bearing down from above, gradually spread through the air. Everyone present felt as though they could barely breathe.

After a long while, Fusu tugged at Ying Zheng's sleeve, and only then did Ying Zheng withdraw his aura.

"Master, I'm sorry!" Qin Yi's face alternated between red and white. How had he forgotten such a thing? It had only been a moment's distraction.

"It's nothing." Fusu rubbed Qin Yi's head. "After all, Qin Rong carries the bloodline of our Qin Clan. I'm happy that he has found a better path. Besides, Qin Rong did not kowtow to me at the time. Strictly speaking, he isn't really my disciple."

"Master!" Qin Yi's face reddened even more. Although they had forgotten to kowtow just now, Qin Rong and he were one in Qin Yi's heart. And Fusu's words had clearly acknowledged Qin Rong's status, yet now—

"Master!" Qin Rong walked straight up to Fusu, fell to his knees, and kowtowed three times.

"Qin Rong, this is..." Fusu looked at Tianku with some difficulty. He had understood Tianku's words as well. Qin Rong's soul was actually incomplete. On the path of cultivation, soul-related problems were the greatest taboo. Since Qin Rong called him Master, he had to take responsibility for him.

"Father Emperor, I think we should let Xiao Rong follow Tianku to the Heavenly Origin Sect! Only after undergoing the inner sect's baptism and restoring his soul to completeness will he be able to walk farther on the path of cultivation, proving the Heavenly Dao... Otherwise, wouldn't we be harming him instead?" Fusu persuaded.

"Hmph! Do as you please!" Ying Zheng frowned impatiently, then said to Qin Rong, "Go with Tianku! But never forget that your master is Fusu."

"This disciple understands." Qin Rong answered properly.

"On the path of cultivation, the strong are honored. If one day you believe you can defeat me, then even if you refuse to acknowledge Fusu as your master, that is acceptable," Ying Zheng added blandly.

"One day as my master, a father for life." Qin Rong replied expressionlessly.

Ying Zheng said nothing more and quietly left with Fusu.

This time, before Qin Yi could react, Tianku grabbed Qin Rong's hand and vanished.

Qin Yi stood blankly in the corridor, staring wistfully at the spot where Qin Rong had disappeared without a word. The absurd misunderstanding just now still had his heart pounding wildly, but an intense sense of loss also filled his entire body. From today onward, he would be alone. This feeling really wasn't pleasant at all!

Within the space, Andre looked at the somewhat dejected Qin Yi and sighed as well. He had not expected Qin Rong to be carrying such a huge secret. If Qin Rong had not become too emotionally agitated yesterday and exposed a clue, wouldn't Qin Rong have been in danger if this had continued for long? After all, not everyone could endure the pain of a missing soul.

Fortunately, they had discovered it early. Through the Heavenly Origin Sect's internal divine oracle channel, he had come up with this method. Hopefully, it could help Qin Rong! After all, though it was not obvious, Qin Rong also carried a great opportunity upon him!

Did this count as borrowing a chicken to lay eggs?

Andre thought smugly.

Author's note: The powerful Lord Shura and several soft little ladies have been urging updates all the way over at Han Yan's side~~~

SO—

Little Eight, unable to withstand the pressure, is preparing to come back and update Divine Stick Bird~~~~

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Chapter 39: Another New Beginning

Chapter 39

Ever since Qin Rong left with Daoist Tianku, Qin Yi had been hauled back into the imperial palace by Fusu to practice cultivation techniques. Every day, all he did was cultivate, cultivate, and cultivate. Fusu had even forced him into secluded cultivation for an entire year. Only after finally reaching the Nascent Soul Realm did he get a chance to catch his breath. Just as he wanted to go out and have some fun, Fusu dumped a pile of jade slips on learning alchemy right in front of him. Qin Yi could not help but howl in misery, roaring at Andre, "Why the hell is this happening? Why, why, why?"

"This is for your own good as well. Since ancient times, strict teachers have produced outstanding disciples. Your body has been tempered by my divine power, so this method of cultivation poses no obstacle to you anymore. It would be such a waste to spend all your time in secluded cultivation. You might as well learn some other crafts. Whether in the Cultivation Realm or the God Realm, high-level alchemists and artifact refiners are the most respected and sought-after people. You can try developing in multiple directions. After all, our enemies are powerful. One person's strength is always insignificant. If you truly become a high-level alchemist, we can draw other gods to our side," Andre said as if it were perfectly natural.

"...Why didn't you say so earlier?" Qin Yi had the urge to kill someone.

"You didn't ask!" Andre sounded even more matter-of-fact.

"Then what do we do now?" Qin Yi was on the verge of tears. Nearly a whole year had been wasted for nothing.

"It wasn't entirely wasted. At least you've stepped through the threshold of immortal cultivation," Andre thought for a moment before offering that suggestion.

Qin Yi fell silent, then changed the subject. "Right, Master has started teaching me alchemy these past few days. I looked through the jade slips he gave me earlier, and the proportions of the ingredients have extremely precise requirements. How about you accompany me back to Earth? We can buy some laboratory equipment for experiments."

"Sure." Andre readily agreed and asked Qin Yi, "Are you ready?"

"We're leaving now?" Qin Yi was somewhat surprised. Since when had Andre become so efficient?

"Of course. There's been nothing fun to do here for a whole year. I'm bored to death." Andre rolled his eyes.

"..." Qin Yi decided it was better not to place too much hope in him. He got up and tidied the room, placing all the necessary things into Andre's space before saying, "All right, let's go!"

Andre neither agreed nor disagreed, simply taking Qin Yi through space. The power of spatial laws was extremely strong, but within Andre's space, there was not the slightest sensation. Qin Yi had praised Andre's space more than once as the best thing for home and travel. After quite a while, they still had not reached Earth. Qin Yi asked suspiciously, "Andre, what's going on?"

Andre closed his eyes suspiciously to inspect their surroundings. After a moment, he said in a panic, "This is bad. We ran into a cosmic turbulence just now, and it swept us away..."

At those words, Qin Yi felt like coughing up blood. Why was traveling through space with Andre always this unreliable? Awooo, awoo, awoo—

This is freaking heartbreaking!

"Then where are we now?" Qin Yi was nearly in tears. "Can we still go back? Qin Rong is still on the Rainbow Continent!"

"Coordinates unknown." Andre said somewhat guiltily. "We may be very far from where we departed. And my current power is insufficient. But I've already memorized the spatial coordinates of the Rainbow Continent. As long as there is enough Faith Power, we can definitely return."

Why was it this whole 'insufficient divine power' routine again?

Qin Yi shot Andre another accusatory look. He knew this guy was never reliable. Other than being able to guarantee his life, Andre could guarantee nothing else! He was more random than a lottery ticket.

"Attention. The nearest plane has been located. Prepare to enter," Andre suddenly said. Qin Yi only felt his vision blur before Andre tossed him out of the space.

Before he could denounce Andre's rough behavior, Qin Yi was left staring wide-eyed at the scene before him.

Floating vehicles flew back and forth through the sky, enormous mecha resembling those from the anime Gundam, skyscrapers brimming with American sci-fi atmosphere...