"I wonder what the elder is doing right now?"
Li Qingran rested her cheeks in her palms, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She could roughly sense that Chen Huaian was busy at the moment, likely too preoccupied to pay her any attention.
"Someone as powerful as him must be out there fighting for the cultivators of the entire Cangyun Realm... slaying great beasts and monsters, perhaps."
Her mind wandered, and she began to picture a white-haired, ethereal elder riding a flying sword, gracefully cutting down monstrous demons. The thought made her lips curl into a silly smile.
If only…
He could be her master.
"No, Li Qingran, don't get ahead of yourself!"
She slapped her own forehead lightly in reprimand.
Earlier today, the elder had given her twelve spirit crystals—enough to maintain a high-grade Spirit Gathering Array for six hours.
He had also quite forcefully boosted her cultivation to the fifth level of Qi Refining.
With her meridians and internal injuries mostly healed, the leakage of spiritual energy from her dantian had slowed significantly.
Still, her dantian was fundamentally broken, like a punctured basin—no matter how much it held, spiritual energy would always slowly seep out.
"I need to find a way to fix my dantian and spiritual root."
Li Qingran mused. Though the elder seemed boundlessly powerful, she couldn't rely on him for everything.
If he chose to help, that was his decision—but she couldn't be the one to ask.
She already had a plan in mind. Qingyun Sect was unreliable.
She needed to find another sect—even a small one would do.
Smaller sects often preserved ancient texts. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a method to repair her dantian and spiritual root.
If not, she would leave the cultivation world altogether, hide away in some peaceful place, gather clues about her enemies in secret—or perhaps even return to the Southern Dynasty and become a military commander again.
As for taking revenge on those senior brothers who betrayed her…
She hadn't considered it.
She couldn't beat them before. Now, her chances were even slimmer.
It was cowardly, maybe even disgraceful, but survival had always been the first rule of the cultivation world.
There was a time when she had given up on living—so nothing mattered.
But now… now she wanted to live longer.
Long enough for the elder to finish his affairs.
Long enough to one day meet him face to face.
Even if it was just for a single word.
She really wanted to thank him in person.
---
"Something's not right. Wasn't Li Qingran thrown into a thatched hut?"
Song Jiaojiao frowned as she looked down at a newly built stone house at the foot of the mountain.
Cultivators had excellent eyesight—she could tell at a glance the residence was freshly constructed. That meant someone was helping Li Qingran.
But who?
One of the core disciples of Chixiao Peak?
It was possible…
Even though Mu Baishuang said those disciples hated Li Qingran to the bone, who's to say they hadn't helped her out of old sentiment?
If she killed Li Qingran now, wouldn't that mean going against those core disciples?
But the Foundation Establishment Pill—she couldn't give that up.
After thinking it over, Song Jiaojiao decided to test the waters.
She wanted to see if any traps or wards had been placed near Li Qingran's residence.
From her storage ring, she took out a half-meter-long red incense stick.
It was called Beast-Lure Incense.
Its scent spread far and wide, undetectable to cultivators but irresistible to monsters with sharp senses.
Normally, it was used during monster hunts, but at times like this, it made for a perfect murder weapon.
Her original plan was to sneak into the hut and kill Li Qingran directly, then toss the body into the woods to be devoured by beasts—clean and simple.
But with this unexpected structure and uncertainty, she didn't dare get close.
Instead, she would let the beasts do the job.
Even if it risked drawing the sect's attention, it was worth it.
"Li Qingran, don't blame me—this is just how the world works."
With a flick of her finger, Song Jiaojiao lit the incense and sent it flying.
It landed squarely on a tree near the stone house.
She quickly set up a concealment formation to hide her presence.
If a strong beast showed up, this formation would be her only safety net.
Now all she had to do was wait.
Beasts would need a bit of time to follow the scent and arrive.
Meanwhile, the girl inside the stone house remained sound asleep—completely unaware of the imminent danger.
---
5:00 AM
The sky began to brighten with the faintest streaks of dawn.
Chen Huaian was nearing the summit.
But his condition had worsened.
The wind atop Mount Tai was harsh, the air cold.
Many hikers had sweated their way through the lower paths, only to feel chilled near the top—stopping for porridge or speeding up just to stay warm.
But Chen Huaian was drenched—his face pale, his clothes soaked with sweat.
Each step he took trembled on the brink of collapse.
Drops of sweat fell from the edge of his heavy, soaked shirt.
It hurt.
Bad.
All he'd had along the way were two pieces of bread and endless water.
Still, his steps, though faltering, never wavered.
His back remained straight, and his calm eyes stayed fixed on the peak ahead.
In that moment, he looked like a pilgrim—marching toward faith.
"Bro, let me carry you! Please, stop climbing!"
Zhang Rui was on the verge of tears.
What he had witnessed tonight would stay with him for the rest of his life.
He had seen a man, riddled with osteosarcoma, climb an unending series of stone stairs without rest or complaint.
The two middle-aged men behind were already falling behind.
The punk girl was gasping for air.
Zhang Rui trained regularly, but the real pressure came from within.
Every time Chen Huaian took a step, and sweat dropped from his clothes, it was like a hammer striking Zhang's heart.
Not once did Chen Huaian complain.
He welcomed their earlier doubts and cruelty with nothing but calm grace.
Now, he wasn't just followed by the original four fans.
More and more hikers, hearing his story, had joined.
Some who had given up halfway were now determined to follow him.
The trail up Mount Tai had become a living dragon of people.
"Almost there," Chen Huaian murmured with a smile, gazing at the summit.
He had to make it.
An hour ago, a level-57 fan in the stream had made a promise:
"If you reach the summit before sunrise, I'll gift you 66 'Drum and Dragon Castles.'"
Each Castle was worth ¥2888.
After platform deductions, he'd still pocket about ¥95,000.
Add the smaller donations, and he could earn around ¥120,000 tonight.
Of course, maybe that fan was bluffing.
Chen Huaian didn't care.
He intended to finish the climb regardless.
It wasn't just about the money.
He wanted to push his body,
To find the edge of his remaining life,
To see how much light he could still give.
But when he was just 98 steps away from the summit,
A sharp, unbearable pain shot through his right leg.
He lost his balance—
And fell to his knees.
Behind him, Su Xiaoqian instinctively looked down at his leg.
Her face turned pale.
She gasped, hand covering her mouth.
"His… his leg—!"
Chen Huaian clenched his jaw, lowering his head.
From ankle to knee, his leg was grotesquely twisted.
He had—
broken a bone.