By the time Wu Duantian arrived at the scene with his personal disciple, the battle had long since ended.
The heavenly phenomena had vanished.
The subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy had dissipated, and the mysterious senior was nowhere to be found.
"There's lingering demonic qi… Could it be that senior was fighting a demonic cultivator?"
He scanned the surroundings and quickly spotted a massive crater dozens of meters wide.
Upon closer inspection, he saw it was over ten meters deep and filled with bubbling magma—molten rock from intense heat. Electric arcs danced across its surface.
Faint traces of demonic qi still lingered.
But the owner was nowhere to be found.
Dead? Disintegrated? Or perhaps… escaped?
"To wield such terrifying lightning... Tsk, that senior's strength is truly unfathomable."
Wu Duantian kept a calm façade befitting a Nascent Soul cultivator, but inside, he was shaken.
Nascent Soul cultivators could, at best, vaguely channel the power of the heavens.
But to borrow the will of Heaven like that? He couldn't even dream of it.
Just what level is this senior at?
Still, since the person fought a demonic cultivator, they must be from the righteous path.
That alone was comforting.
"Master, look—there's someone in the hut over there."
Zhao Lingtian pointed toward the streamside cabin at the mountain's base.
Wu Duantian squinted. With his Nascent Soul vision, he clearly saw Li Qingran inside.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Isn't that the girl from Chixiao Peak who injured her junior on purpose? What was her name… Li Qingran? What's she doing here?"
"That's her, alright."
Zhao Lingtian sneered, "She held a grudge and attacked during the sect competition when it should've been a friendly bout. She deserved to be expelled.
Didn't Zhang Hanxiao kick her back to the mortal world? Guess she crawled her way back up here, thinking she could return to Qingyuan Sect."
"Don't waste time on irrelevant nobodies."
Wu Duantian withdrew his gaze.
Just a crippled ex-disciple—no need for their attention.
Still, she was oddly lucky.
To survive the aftermath of a battle between two great cultivators, and the crater was barely 300–400 meters from the hut.
Had she been a hundred meters closer, even the shockwave would've obliterated her.
As for any possible connection between her and the mysterious senior?
Wu Duantian didn't even consider the possibility.
Li Qingran's newly reborn dantian had already retracted all energy fluctuations.
Besides, their difference in status was like heaven and earth.
A senior capable of concocting divine pills wouldn't waste time on an ant.
"Zhao Lingtian, that senior might still be nearby," Wu Duantian reminded,
"After a major battle, he'd likely find a quiet place to recover.
Beg him sincerely—he might just help you restore your dantian."
"Yes, Sect Master." Zhao Lingtian's eyes sparkled with confidence.
He was no ordinary man—a royal prince in the secular world, blessed with a rare Yao Fire Spirit Root.
His dantian, before being shattered, had even been rated fourth grade.
With his handsome appearance and stellar background, anyone would be inclined to nurture such talent.
Cultivation was all about fate and karma.
Many hidden experts, stuck at a bottleneck, would go on pilgrimages to build good karma.
Helping a talent like Zhao Lingtian could increase their chances of breaking through—maybe even surviving a tribulation.
"Senior!"
Zhao Lingtian stepped forward, bowed toward the crater, and even squeezed out a few tears as he respectfully pleaded:
"Junior Zhao Lingtian, personal disciple of Qingyun Sect.
I witnessed your divine pill refinement the other day, and today, I saw you repel a demonic cultivator—I have long revered you in my heart.
My dantian was destroyed by a demonic cultivator—I, too, despise them deeply...
I humbly ask if Senior would be willing to guide me toward a method to restore my dantian?
If you help me, I will never forget your kindness. I would serve you loyally as a horse or ox, forever at your command."
These words stung Wu Duantian.
He didn't recall Zhao Lingtian being this passionate when he took him as a disciple.
Still, for the sake of his beloved student's dantian, he endured the bitterness.
In the vast, silent Wanqing Mountains, no reply came.
Wu Duantian and Zhao Lingtian simply waited quietly.
---
Inside the hut, Li Qingran peered out the window.
"Sect Master Wu and Zhao Lingtian are here? Looking for the senior?"
She stepped back to the bedside.
From Zhao Lingtian's words, it was obvious—they were here for a fortune.
But would the senior actually grant it?
She wasn't sure.
If she were honest, her impression of the senior was… ridiculously powerful, and also strangely like a kind old man handing out treasures for free.
And truth be told—Zhao Lingtian was more talented than her in every way: background, cultivation, looks—everything.
Investing in him would certainly bring more return than in her.
Li Qingran sat down on the bed, hugged her knees, and puffed out her cheeks like she could hang a vinegar jar off them.
She didn't want the senior to give Zhao Lingtian anything.
Not out of selfishness. Not because she wanted to hoard his gifts.
But because she knew Zhao Lingtian.
He wasn't kind. He was arrogant, petty, narrow-minded.
If the senior gave him resources and he later used them to cause trouble, wouldn't that drag the senior into karmic entanglements?
Still…
It wasn't up to her.
All she could do was watch silently.
---
[Someone is requesting a fortune from you!]
Chen Huai'an was just checking the loot from his boss kill when the system popped up a message.
"Huh? What now?"
Following the prompt, he looked over to see two people near the hut:
Two NPCs, their identity labels clearly displayed above their heads.
"Well, well, big shots, huh?
Isn't Qingyun Sect where Li Qingran used to be?
One sect master, one 'genius' disciple, and they're here asking me for fortune?"
Chen Huai'an laughed, angry and amused.
Who am I?
Li Qingran is my digital girlfriend.
Which makes me her cyber boyfriend, right?
These jerks bullied my girlfriend and now dare ask me, Immortal Lord Chen, for a favor?
Right on cue, the interface popped up with a voice-transmission talisman dialog.
[First Fortune-Giving Triggered.
You may now send a fortune via voice talisman—for free.
Giving fortunes may affect your digital girlfriend 'Li Qingran' in unpredictable ways.
The item can be chosen from your inventory.
(Effect may be positive… or negative. Choose wisely.)]
Chen paused. He took a breath to calm down.
"What exactly do they want?"
[Zhao Lingtian requests a 'Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill.' Grant it?]
"What the hell?"
"A Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill?!
That bastard wants a fortune? This is basically asking for my damn life!"
Furious, Chen Huai'an yanked open his inventory and dragged out a handful of thunderfire talismans, aiming them at Wu Duantian and Zhao Lingtian.
"Can I just… fry these two mutts on the spot?"
[Wu Duantian is a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Initiate battle?]
Apparently, the system didn't allow a simple pay-to-win execution for these NPCs.
"Ehhh… better not."
Chen calmed down again.
He knew he didn't have enough gear to take down a Nascent Soul-level opponent yet.
If he failed to kill them, it'd be embarrassing. Worse, it might put Li Qingran in danger.
No.
If you can't win—stay mysterious.
Chen narrowed his eyes, held the talisman, and took a deep breath:
> "You arrogant holes! You fing think—looking like that—you deserve a fortune from me?!
You worthless pieces of—#$%^&@!!! (rant censored, 1,000 words omitted)"
---
Cangyun World.
A whirlwind suddenly swept past Wu Duantian and Zhao Lingtian.
Grass flattened. Leaves trembled.
The two looked up in awe—they could feel the will and spiritual pressure in the wind.
"Yes, yes! The senior is responding!"
Wu Duantian's heart surged with excitement.
"My dantian... I'm saved!"
Zhao Lingtian clenched his fists.
They listened intently, afraid to miss a single word.
And then, from within the howling gale, a thunderous voice roared:
"GET LOST——!!!!!!!"
---
Inside the hut.
Li Qingran, sitting at the bedside, stared in wide-eyed shock for a moment.
Then she couldn't help it.
Her brows arched. She raised a hand to cover her smile.
"Pfft~ (*≧▽≦) "