"Fortune Is Found in Danger; You Have to Take a Gamble."

"."

Chen Qiu fell silent again. Those two sentences sounded strangely familiar to him, as if he had heard the exact same words last night. After sorting through his thoughts, he shook his head. "Since you knew she would enter the city last night, why were you at Windward City's east gate yesterday, recruiting disciples under the Sky-Blasting Gang's banner?"

"How was I supposed to know it was her?"

Fat Dragon scratched his head irritably. "I'd only received word early on that an opera troupe from the capital was heading to Windward City. The people here usually had no entertainment, so whenever there was excitement, they had to go watch."

"I arrived at Windward City yesterday morning, planning to recruit disciples while a huge crowd was gathered at the gates. I was sure to come away with a full haul."

"Only after arriving in the morning did I learn that she was the one coming."

"I wanted to run right then, but I couldn't bear to give up that opportunity. I thought, since I was already here and there were so many people, there was no way she would notice me. Who would have thought that the moment she entered the city, she looked in my direction? My heart skipped a beat, so I could only turn around, grab someone at random, and run over to show her my back."

"That person was you."

"At first, I only meant to chat with you for a few lines. As long as she entered the city without seeing my face, that would be enough. Who knew that after only a few words, I discovered you were a transmigrator too? You already know what happened afterward."

Chen Qiu's mouth twitched slightly. He raised a hand to pour himself some tea, only to discover that the teapot had somehow run dry. He could only stop, rubbing his nose.

Looking at it now—

That girl counted as half his benefactor.

If not for her, Fat Dragon would not have stopped him. He still would not know about Traits, would not have entered the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, and would not have received the opportunities that came afterward.

No, that was not right.

Going further back, that girl had come because the Huang Family's "Heavenly Dao Trait" had appeared. Without the Huang Family, neither she nor Fat Dragon would have come to Windward City. Which meant the Huang Family also counted as half his benefactor.

And... the Huang Family's young master seemed to have died by his hand already.

Would personally killing a benefactor bring heavenly retribution?

He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it, instead bringing the conversation back to the crux of the matter. "What exactly is this so-called 'Heavenly Dao Trait'?"

"It's a type of special Trait."

Fat Dragon's expression turned solemn as he said in a low voice, "I told you before: besides ranked Traits like white and green, there are many special kinds of Traits, such as Gray Traits, Bloodline Traits, and... Heavenly Dao Traits."

"Heavenly Dao Traits are random. Some are powerful, and some are weak, but they all share one thing in common: Heavenly Dao Traits can be inherited."

"They can be passed directly to your direct descendants."

"That alone is enough. Once a Heavenly Dao Trait appears, countless factions will rush over to fight for it. So long as they seize it and ensure their lineage continues, that lineage's foundations will grow stronger and stronger as time passes."

The Great Xia Kingdom had not changed dynasties for nearly a thousand years. Long ago, the current Great Xia Imperial House had been nothing more than a tiny Xia Family.

Why had it flourished for so long?

There were naturally many reasons, but one of them was that Great Xia's ancestors had acquired eleven Heavenly Dao Traits in total. Every direct descendant born into the Xia Family came into the world carrying eleven Traits.

On the Great Xia Prodigy Rankings today, thirty-seven of the top hundred belonged to the Xia Family.

The Xia Family's selection process was truly something else.

"Oh?"

Chen Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly at once. With Fat Dragon's explanation, he knew plenty of people would die this time. The effects of a Heavenly Dao Trait were truly absurd. "Since so many factions already know about this Heavenly Dao Trait, could the Great Xia Imperial House not know? Would they not send people?"

"They won't."

Fat Dragon shook his head. "A Heavenly Dao Trait is both an inheritance and a curse. No matter what Trait is rolled, it will definitely be passed down to your descendants, and a small portion of Traits have rather severe negative effects."

"One more Heavenly Dao Trait would not strengthen the foundations of the Great Xia Imperial House's descendants by much. After all, they already have eleven."

"But if they happened to roll a Heavenly Dao Trait with an extremely strong negative effect, it would be a complete case of gaining nothing and losing everything."

"You can't win much, but if you lose, you lose big. No one would sit at that gambling table."

"Either some great lineages already won their gamble long ago and have several Heavenly Dao Traits, so they have no need to gamble again, or they're developing quite well right now and don't need to gamble. Great lineages aren't very interested in this."

"But to a small lineage like the Huang Family, it's a fatal temptation."

"And the Imperial House wouldn't send people to seize this Heavenly Dao Trait just to trade it for Spirit Stones. That would be far too low-class. If Great Xia did something like that, do you think those sects would still stay within Great Xia? The world is vast; where could a man not find a place to stay?"

"Sects and nations complement each other. They are not in a superior-subordinate relationship."

"How many Spirit Stones is one Heavenly Dao Trait worth?"

"Basically, no one puts these things up for sale, so there's no fixed market price. At least a thousand Spirit Stones, I'd say. Of course, that's only my guess. I don't know the exact number. It should only be higher, not lower, since it's a Heavenly Dao Trait."

"Mm."

Chen Qiu nodded. He understood the situation now. "What is that girl's cultivation?"

"First layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"That doesn't sound very high."

"More than enough to crush the two of us to death."

"You're too afraid of dying."

"Bullshit. Aren't you?"

"Let's go." Chen Qiu said no more. He stood and walked straight out of the guest room. After reaching the first floor, he casually accepted two Spirit Stones from the innkeeper, then headed out of the city along the main road.

This had been arranged with the innkeeper beforehand.

The demon beast corpses in the guest room—their pelts and flesh alike—were valuable goods. Together, they could sell for five or six Spirit Stones without any problem.

He did not have time to handle them, so he sold them to the innkeeper for two Spirit Stones.

The innkeeper earned Spirit Stones, and he saved time.

"Are you really going back to Windward City to wade into this muddy water?"

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"Even if you're at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm now, quite a few Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators are going this time. You're completely outclassed. Isn't this just throwing your life away?"

On the main road of Area Four of Heaven-Question Market, Fat Dragon followed behind Chen Qiu, his expression anxious as he repeatedly tried to dissuade him. "Brother Chen Qiu, don't think the Foundation Establishment Realm is only one realm above the Qi Refining Realm. In truth, they're as far apart as heaven and earth!"

"If we go like this, it really is no different from seeking death!"

Chen Qiu walked at the front, his expression calm. "You've seen what kind of world this is. If I can't strengthen myself at any cost, what if I get captured by the Flower-Offering Sect one day, just like you, and used as a supplement?"

"With an opportunity like this right in front of me, how could I possibly let it pass?"

"Absolutely not! Your body isn't strong, you don't have nine bulls, and your cultivation isn't high either. They wouldn't even fancy you as a supplement!"

"You told me yesterday that if I didn't grow stronger, someone like you could easily crush me to death."

"But I can't beat you anymore!"

"That still won't do."

Chen Qiu reached the gates of Heaven-Question Market and stopped, looking at several men beyond the gate who stared at him in astonishment. He said softly, "If we get those thousand Spirit Stones, tomorrow I can take you to the Flower-Offering Sect and kill the people who humiliated you."

"Fortune is found in danger; you have to take a gamble."

"But lives are lost in danger too. If we don't have to gamble, then let's not gamble."

"Don't worry."

Chen Qiu patted Fat Dragon's shoulder. After pausing for a moment, he chuckled softly. "The clouds and mist won't disperse on their own. You have to part them yourself. If a flood dragon wants to burst from the sea and soar into the heavens to make its name, it has to fight for it."

"I have a way. We'll win."

.