Chapter 18
【Your electronic girlfriend 'Li Qingran' is hungry and feeling down. Recharge 68 to...】
“Recharge!!!”
In an instant, the room transformed. New clothes landed on the bed, and an array of chicken, duck, fish, and fruits came crashing down onto the table.
With such a commotion, it would be strange if Li Qingran didn’t notice.
She knew her senior had come to see her.
In fact, she was aware that her senior had visited before.
After all, the numerous craters around the small house, the charred remains of demon beasts burned to ash, and her own injuries that had just begun to heal all hinted at this. The sudden appearance of the demon beast horde was indeed suspicious. Using the unburned remnants of the lightning fire as cover, she had circled around the small house and then discovered the broken 'Beast Lure' beneath a tree.
This type of lure was a hunting tool used by various sects to attract demon beasts.
However, the lures varied slightly among different sects.
For instance, the 'Beast Lure' from the Qingyun Sect had blue cloud patterns at its base.
These blue patterns were essential markings made from a specific material in the lure; if scraped off, its effectiveness would be greatly diminished. After all, this was a dangerous item, and major sects naturally had to mark them to avoid being framed or harmed.
The one who used the lure might have thought it would burn away completely, leaving only a bit of ash.
Little did they know, her senior had arrived midway and turned a radius of five hundred meters into a wasteland.
The person hadn’t come to take her life, so they must have been turned to ash as well.
“Senior.” Li Qingran gazed at the ceiling, her face etched with fatigue. Her dry lips parted slightly, and she resembled a flower on the verge of wilting. “Do you think I’m the kind of person that’s really detestable?”
The first dialogue box appeared, but Chen Huai'an immediately opted for free conversation.
Having just drawn from the koi pool, he now had over seventy sound transmission talismans, and he was feeling quite inflated.
Clearing his throat, he pressed the sound transmission talisman and spoke gently, “How could that be? In my eyes, Qingran is a very polite and considerate girl. She works hard in her cultivation, and so on… Why would you think that?”
What Chen Huai'an said was essentially a three-hundred-word essay.
But what Li Qingran heard was the authoritative voice of the Dao: Why would you say such a thing?!
“If it’s not true, then why do the people from Qingyun Sect, my senior brothers, and my master always want to put me to death? Clearly, my dantian and spiritual roots have been destroyed. I’ve been expelled from the sect and driven into the Wanqun Mountains to fend for myself. Why can’t they just let me go… Did I do something terribly wrong?”
Chen Huai'an looked at Li Qingran’s eyes, which were no longer clear but gradually clouded over.
He could understand her doubts very well.
From Li Qingran’s life story, she was a typical giving personality.
When others showed her a bit of kindness, she would repay it tenfold.
When the Daoist Qingxuan took her as a disciple, even without any formal guidance, she regarded him as her most respected elder.
Her senior brother, Lu Changtian, had given her some attention when she first joined, and she treated him like a brother. Her second senior brother, Xiao Yifeng, had given her some unused pills, and she helped him tend to spiritual herbs and acted as a test subject for him. Her third senior brother, Yun Zimo, gifted her a storage ring, and when he framed her, she said nothing and was expelled from the sect. Her fourth senior brother, Zhang Hanxiao, had helped her once during a mission, and she used most of her monthly spirit stone share to help him deal with the troubles he caused.
She bloomed into a radiant flower with just a bit of sunlight, still smiling even when battered by storms.
But behind that smiling mask, there was probably a face marked with countless wounds.
Good people are often taken advantage of; gentle horses are often ridden. Sometimes, it’s not just a joke; it’s wisdom passed down from our ancestors.
Just like how he had given everything to his ex-girlfriend, only to be met with betrayal and humiliation. There were countless stories like this—cherished goddesses treated like disposable playthings in cheap hotels; flowers nurtured with all one’s effort blooming on someone else’s balcony; turning into enemies, knives in the back… More and more people are placing their emotional investments in cats, dogs, and virtual characters, spending money, time, and energy on them. Are they foolish?
No.
They simply don’t want to be hurt anymore.
People should have a fire within them.
You, me, we are not mere toys to be tossed into the trash.
One day, that heart, riddled with scars, will be carefully cradled by someone.
“Li Qingran.”
Chen Huai'an looked at Li Qingran, the two separated by a screen, yet their gazes seemed to transcend countless timelines and intertwine.
He stared into her eyes, which reflected his own.
“Today, I will help you restore your dantian.”
This time, the authoritative voice did not edit Chen Huai'an’s words.
It conveyed them in full:
“Even if your past is a mire of despair, your future…
Will surely bloom with brilliance!”
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Chapter 19: The Emergence of the Divine Medicine
Qingyun Sect.
Atop Chixiao Peak—
Daoist Qingxuan would only emerge from seclusion to teach once a week, each session lasting two hours.
Afterward, he would give an additional hour to answer questions from his disciples regarding their cultivation.
At this moment, the disciples of Chixiao Peak gathered beneath a centuries-old pine tree at the peak.
The teaching had concluded, and it was now time for questions.
Lu Changtian was the first to rise. After performing a respectful bow, he looked at the figure in blue beneath the pine and asked, “Master, I’ve heard that the sect leader’s direct disciple, Zhao Lingtian, had his dantian shattered during a battle with a demonic cultivator. Now the sect leader is worried about how to restore Zhao Lingtian’s dantian, even willing to spend a fortune… Is there really no way to fix a shattered dantian?”
As soon as this question was posed, the expressions of the others beneath the pine varied.
After all, Zhao Lingtian wasn’t the only one with a shattered dantian.
There was also their former fifth junior sister—Li Qingran.
Upon hearing this, Daoist Qingxuan opened his previously closed eyes a slit, stroked his beard, and said lightly, “A dantian is not irreparable; it simply requires a rare ancient divine medicine. With that medicine, even a shattered dantian can be restored. Without it, it’s harder than ascending to the heavens!”
“May I ask, Master, what is this divine medicine?”
“Hunyuan Butian Dan!” Daoist Qingxuan pronounced each word clearly.
The crowd exchanged glances, feeling a jolt at just the name.
What a treasure!
Daoist Qingxuan continued to elaborate:
“When all living beings are born, their dantian is already fixed; it is fate!
Each person’s dantian quality differs, affecting the amount and quality of spiritual energy they can hold. In terms of cultivation talent, the impact of the dantian is not as pronounced as that of the spiritual roots. However, as one progresses deeper into cultivation, when two cultivators of the same level and spiritual root talent face off, the difference in dantian quality will become apparent.
In ancient times, when spiritual energy was abundant, the powerful divided dantians into nine grades. The ninth grade was the lowest, and the first grade was the highest. A first-grade dantian could absorb spiritual energy at an incredible rate, and the energy transformed was exceptionally pure. Back then, just by looking at a dantian, one could determine how far a cultivator could go, and sects placed great importance on the quality of their disciples’ dantians.”
“Then, Master, what grade do you think my dantian is?”
Zhang Hanxiao stepped forward, confidently patting his belly.
He believed his dantian was quite good, with a fast cultivation speed and decent spiritual energy.
But Daoist Qingxuan merely shot him a sideways glance and scoffed, “You?”
“Not even a grade!”
Zhang Hanxiao: “…”
Laughter erupted beneath the pine.
Zhang Hanxiao’s face darkened, wishing he could find a hole to hide in.
But Daoist Qingxuan continued, “What are you laughing at? Most of you don’t even make the grade. Only Lu Changtian’s dantian can barely be considered a seventh grade. In the ancient times of abundant spiritual energy, you would only qualify to be an outer disciple, cleaning up after the sect’s guardian beasts!
It’s only because the spiritual energy in the Cangyun Realm is now depleted, and the quality of spiritual energy is declining, that the impact of the dantian on cultivation and combat power is no longer as significant as that of spiritual roots and other external factors. That’s why you have the chance to become inner disciples or direct disciples.”
The laughter faded, and the faces of the crowd turned pale.
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