Emergence

"Clop, clop, clop..."

Rapid hoofbeats came from the distance as dozens of riders followed a path between the fields toward a village.

"Whoosh..."

As the riders approached the village, one of them drew his bow and aimed at a villager at its edge,

The rider released the bowstring, sending an arrow flying with a shrill whistle,

And the next moment, it pierced the villager's chest.

Some villagers nearby turned pale with fright. Some hurriedly fell to their knees and knocked their heads against the ground, while others rushed toward the village,

"Help... mounted bandits are here..."

"Everyone, run..."

"Ahhh..."

Shrill arrow whistles rang out again and again. Those villagers who dared to shout and run through the village were either shot by the riders who had already entered or cut down by their blades, dying on the spot.

In mere moments, the only villagers left were those kneeling by the roadside, trembling and too afraid to resist.

Then the mounted bandits charged into the farmhouses one by one, carrying out stored grain or slinging women over their shoulders. Cries and pleas for mercy rose and fell.

Through her window, a village woman saw several mounted bandits approaching her house. She turned, scooped up a child of six or seven beside her, and took him to the stove. Lifting its top, she had the child hide inside,

"Gou'er, listen to your mother. Don't make a sound, don't make a sound!"

Gousheng clutched the woman's hand tightly and wept. "Mother, I won't make a sound, I won't make a sound!"

Footsteps rapidly approached. The woman hurriedly shook off Gousheng's hand, put the stove top back in place, and ran to the entrance, bracing the door with her body.

"Bang... bang..."

A series of tremendous blows sounded as someone kicked the door. After only a few kicks, it burst open, and two mounted bandits rushed in. One of them leered at the woman sprawled on the ground and pounced, tearing her clothes open in a few movements...

Above the clouds, Fang Yu watched the mounted bandits run rampant below, his heart as still as an ancient well.

He had seen far too many scenes like this lately.

The world was in chaos, and war had broken out everywhere. It was the common people at the very bottom who suffered most. Compared with the bandits he had encountered before, the mounted bandits below were fairly restrained. At the very least, they observed the core rule: 'Those who do not kneel at the sound of the whistling arrow shall be killed without mercy.'

As long as the villagers did not resist, they would not be slaughtered.

In just one hour, the mounted bandits swaggered away with the money, grain, and young women they had plundered from the village, leaving the village men clutching their heads and weeping.

"Mother... Mother..."

Suddenly, a cry came from a courtyard below. Fang Yu looked toward the sound and saw a small child covered in plant ash standing in the courtyard, sobbing uncontrollably. A man crouched by the corner of the wall, his expression numb.

"Huh..."

Fang Yu's gaze moved from the child to the man. A glint flashed in his eyes, and the man's destiny surfaced in his mind:

[Name: Zhang Sheng, Destiny: Horn Wood-the horn of spring, all things awaken, the earth dragon turns over, and a rising talent emerges.]

After searching for so long, I've finally found a spark. Once I kindle it, it will surely help me enter the Dao.

Fang Yu turned his palm over, and a Dragon Gate Stone and a thin booklet appeared in it. The booklet was the "Treasured Scroll of the Essential Techniques of Peace for Delivering the World Through Myriad Tribulations: Horn Wood Chapter," containing only the secret techniques related to 'Horn Wood.'

He casually tossed them down, and the two items landed in front of Zhang Sheng. The next moment, the contents of the treasured scroll appeared in Zhang Sheng's mind.

Ping'an Prefecture was vast, stretching for over a thousand li across an endless plain. It was the most productive grain-growing region in all of Jingzhou. Thus, with the world now in chaos, it was also the most chaotic place. Rebel armies, local powers, the authorities, mounted bandits, folk religious societies, and all manner of other forces had emerged, vying for control of the prefecture's counties.

Fang Yu was in no hurry. He traveled slowly through the counties, seeking people blessed with fortune, spreading the 'Essential Techniques of Peace' he had compiled, and enlightening mortals with destinies suited to cultivating immortality, one after another.

After giving away another copy of the 'Essential Techniques of Peace,' Fang Yu murmured, "I'll let these sparks catch slowly. First, I'll go to the Dao of Qi Refining and mine for a few years."

His figure then vanished, and he arrived at the Dao of Qi Refining.

Fang Yu made his way to the Autumn Moon Mountain Market and headed toward the mining district. At the same time, he raised a hand and began calculating the outcome of this trip into the mine.

"Hm!"

Suddenly, he stopped, his brows furrowing deeply:

"Great misfortune."

Looking at the mining district just ahead, Fang Yu turned and headed for his own unfinished cave abode.

The result of his divination for this trip into the mine was actually 'great misfortune,' meaning that if he continued on to mine, he would encounter mortal danger.

He had already reached the 'Dao Foundation' and had three treasures protecting him. The only things capable of threatening him were Demon Beasts at the late second rank or cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Whichever it was, as long as he did not go in, it would not endanger him.

Fang Yu returned to his unfinished cave abode, brewed a pot of tea, took out a miscellaneous book, and began reading at his leisure.

He had bought a collection of over a thousand books from that scholar, but had only skimmed through them before. Now that he could not go into the mine, he could only read.

Although these were all miscellaneous books, as far as the Dao of Qi Ingestion was concerned, the more he knew, the stronger his resonance. Perhaps an event, a place, or a person described in a book might affect his resonance.

Although the 'Spiritual Pivot Resonance Chapter' was wondrous, calculating things out of thin air consumed a great deal of his Primordial Qi. Thus, accumulating more information and knowledge in his daily life would help reduce that consumption and improve the efficiency and accuracy of his resonance.

The days passed, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a year had gone by.

One day, after reading, Fang Yu went for a stroll in the market as usual.

"I never imagined there was a late-second-rank Night Sha hiding in the mining district."

"I heard a lot of people died in there, including several great cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage!"

"The market's Law Enforcement Team has already gone in. I wonder if they can wipe out that second-rank Night Sha."

"They definitely can. Haven't you heard? This time, Elder Tianxing of the Cloud Spirit Sect is personally leading the team, and there are several True Disciples with him."

"..."

Fang Yu had only just entered the market street when he heard the earthshaking news. By the time he had made a circuit of the market, he had a fairly clear picture of what had happened.

Sure enough, something had happened in the mining district. A second-rank Demon Beast, a Night Sha comparable to a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, had appeared. It had led the Demon Beasts throughout the district in an attack on the miners, causing heavy casualties.

Fang Yu immediately calculated the outcome of entering the mining district now: Fortune.

It's actually fortune? Could I pick up a windfall if I go in?

Fang Yu hesitated, but the next moment, he headed for his unfinished cave abode.

Not only was there a second-rank Demon Beast in the mine now, but there was also a Law Enforcement Team led by someone at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Even if he did pick up a windfall, there would likely be plenty of trouble afterward. He would rather not get mixed up in it.

The Spiritual Pivot Resonance Chapter could be trusted, but not entirely. The way that 'fortune' came about might not be what he imagined,

It might mean picking up a windfall, or it might mean that, when a Demon Beast had chased him to the brink of death, he would run into the Law Enforcement Team and be rescued. That would also count as fortune.