Chapter 41
Chapter 41
When the theory of Outer Realm Demons became popular, countless cultivators in the entire Nightmare Game fragment feared for their lives.
The cultivation system that had just emerged was immediately labeled as an evil cult. Even the legendary Pei Qiuxian, who had amazed the world, became the subject of varying degrees of suspicion.
When people tried to find his whereabouts, they discovered he had vanished without a trace, adding another layer of mystery to his persona.
Many suspected he was the incarnation or spokesperson of Outer Realm Demons in the mortal world, aiming to guide people onto a path disguised as cultivation but actually serving the Outer Realm Demons. They believed that once people went astray, the Outer Realm Demons could invade their minds and become the demons in everyone’s hearts, enslaving all living beings.
Some suspected that this pioneer of the cultivation system had already died after going astray in his exploration of cultivation.
As for certain small sects claiming this person was actually the former world’s number one, Pei Hefeng, it was simply ridiculous!
Everyone knew Pei Hefeng had no aptitude for cultivation, so how could he understand the cultivation system so well? It was as absurd as a monk understanding Taoist scriptures and single-handedly creating the Taoist system… Such an outrageous rumor was not believed by anyone with a brain!
At this time, when Pei Hefeng was mentioned, people’s attitudes had changed dramatically!
When he dominated the martial world and suppressed all under heaven, they feared, hated, respected, and were in awe of him. When the immortal spiritual energy appeared, they thought he had been abandoned by the times, no different from dry bones in a grave. But now, they wondered if this once-in-a-century martial arts genius was actually the true chosen one?
The more people speculated, the more reasonable it seemed.— The so-called path of cultivation was nothing but an evil way. Cultivators would surely face divine punishment and go astray. Only martial arts had been the righteous path in this world since ancient times!
— Then, wasn’t the person with the greatest martial arts talent favored by heaven and earth, the true chosen one?
He had survived numerous enemies seeking him out and later mysteriously disappeared. Now, a group of cultivators had gone astray… All of this seemed to confirm this speculation.
At this point, the talented cultivators who had gone astray finally realized, “Could this be the difference between a false chosen one and the true chosen one?”
[The era of cultivation had just begun, only to come to an end.]
[– This was a terrible conspiracy.]
[– This was revenge launched against this world, against this brand new era, by those abandoned by the old era!]
[You created demons in the hearts of countless cultivators, completely cutting off the path of immortality in everyone’s hearts.]
[You single-handedly destroyed the possibilities of the new era, dragging the entire world back into the dead end of the old era.]
[You buried the future of countless people, you changed history! You completed your revenge on this world, at the cost of leaving the entire world with no future and losing hope for ascension!]
[– You are the sage who opened the path of cultivation for the world, and also the demon of demons who destroyed it all.]
[Main quest completed. Do you want to exit the instance?]
Seeing this series of evaluations from the game system, Bai Yi, who was about to exit the instance, became dissatisfied. “Hey, hey, hey, system, are you saying that I hindered the progress of the entire world?”
“You were the one who issued the quest for me to transform the world, and now you’re the one being sarcastic, tsk.” He shook his head and let out a meaningful sigh, “Besides, how do you know that cultivation is the only correct path?”
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“Forget it, I should have known you wouldn’t think of that. I’ll reluctantly teach you a lesson.”
Saying this, Bai Yi crossed his arms and made a big X. “So, of course, we can’t end it like this! Otherwise, you’d be too pleased with yourself!”
He chose to stay in the instance, but not as Pei Qiuxian. Instead, he appeared before the world as Pei Hefeng, in the identity of the world’s number one in martial arts.
There had been a Immortal Spiritual Conference to discuss the path of cultivation before, so wouldn’t it be natural to hold a Martial Arts Conference to discuss the future of martial arts?
Wouldn’t it be even more reasonable to summon martial artists from all over the world in the name of the world’s number one, gather the wisdom of many, integrate various martial arts, and revise a “Martial Arts Classic” suitable for the current era, opening up a new path of martial arts for the world?
— Since this world now had spirit energy, as long as one could utilize it, what difference did it make which path one took?
Whether directly absorbing spirit energy or consuming spiritual objects to obtain their power, it was evident that people’s physical constitution in this world would become stronger, and their vitality would increase.
If specialized martial arts techniques were created to refine the body with spiritual energy and expand meridians, even the existing martial arts moves would be vastly different from before when used!
If one couldn’t follow the path of cultivation, they could follow the path of advanced martial arts!
From shattering rocks with a palm to splitting mountains, from walking on water to crossing rivers on a single reed… Wouldn’t such a style be interesting too?
…..
[Successfully cleared the Nightmare fragment “It’s not me who’s wrong, it’s the world!”]
[Instance level: ★★☆]
[Clearance rating: S]
[Points earned: 25]
[Achievements unlocked: [Teacher of a Hundred Generations] [Leading the Immortal Cultivation Trend] (explanations omitted)]
[Source of All Evil]
[Description: By single-handedly becoming the heart demon of countless cultivators in the entire world, you are the source of all evil.]
[Hidden instance unlocked: [World Ascension]]
[Instance level: ★☆]
[Clearance rating: S]
[Points earned: 20]
[Achievement unlocked: [Ancestor of Martial Arts]]
[Description: You found a brand new path for world ascension, you opened up a new future for martial arts.]
[God? Demon?]
[Description: You buried the immortal path, you pioneered new martial arts. You are the incarnation of the heart demon feared by all cultivators, and also the sage worshipped by countless martial artists. You are the biggest behind-the-scenes manipulator of this world. You are both god and demon.]
Bai Yi slowly opened his eyes, and the system narration appeared.
[Beginning special reward draw.]
[You have obtained a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (Green) x5.]
[Description: Higher quality than Nightmare Crystal (White), can be used to support higher-level scene templates or character card manifestations.]
[You have obtained a character card…]
Along with the narration, an illusory card slowly appeared in mid-air and gently fell into Bai Yi’s palm.
Looking at the text that appeared before him, Bai Yi’s eyes widened slightly: “Oh my, this seems interesting.”
“– I can’t wait to try it out.”
****
When Bai Yi went downstairs, he found Xia Jiajia, who lived downstairs, dragging a suitcase out the door. He was momentarily stunned before realizing, “Are you returning to school?”
Xia Jiajia locked her door, then turned around with her suitcase, her tone dejected. “Isn’t it obvious! August isn’t even over yet, and the universities in our Yuanyang are already starting. Ah ah ah, if I had known, I would have gone to the Imperial Capital!!”
She had a moment of frustration, then seemed to remember something and said earnestly, “Oh right, Bai Yi, you’re entering your senior year of high school, so you’ll be going to university next year, right? Remember, remember, remember my lesson, don’t choose locally in Yuanyang, absolutely not! Short holidays, heavy coursework, difficult to get into graduate school, and the supervisors are particularly inhumane! Most importantly, the cafeteria food is terrible! These are the hard-learned lessons I’ve summarized as someone who’s been through it!”
“Oh, do you have any other experiences to share? Have you figured out which school has the easiest coursework, longest holidays, and best cafeteria food?”
Bai Yi squinted his eyes and smiled, looking curious.
“I actually have a summary for that! First is the Imperial Capital University, the cafeteria chefs there are like culinary gods descended to earth, I’ve been there once before…” Xia Jiajia suddenly became energetic, sitting down on her suitcase and vividly describing the unforgettable food she longed for.
In her words, it was: “Something that should only exist in heaven, rarely seen in the mortal world”, “Eating it makes you feel like you’re ascending to heaven!”, “Definitely not food that ordinary people can make”, “It must be something only immortals can achieve!”
Bai Yi pondered. “I feel like you’re praising me.”
…Isn’t it just food that ordinary mortals can’t make?
…He couldn’t send people to heaven, but he could send them to the underworld! Aren’t the deities of the underworld still deities?
In conclusion, all the adjectives Xia Jiajia used could be applied to him, no problem!
…Well, this is quite embarrassing!
Seeing Xia Jiajia’s drooling expression, still wanting to taste the food made by immortals again, Bai Yi, being a good neighbor from upstairs, generously offered, “I haven’t had lunch yet, I can treat you and fulfill your wish.”
Xia Jiajia: ???
“No, no, no!” She waved her hands in horror, shaking her head frantically, “I’m not worthy of your heavenly culinary skills!”
…Don’t think she didn’t know, ever since this good neighbor moved upstairs, the stray cats and dogs in the old town no longer came to the garbage bins around here. It made her have to walk several streets away to find cats to feed like before.
…The first dog that was harmed, she was the first to discover and sent it to the pet hospital in time, barely saving its life. The doctor almost reported it as a case of poisoning.
Thinking of these things, Xia Jiajia’s face turned green.
At this moment, she caught sight of a figure approaching from the other end of the street. Xia Jiajia, as if finding a lifeline, quickly waved her hand in that direction. “Tian Yin, Tian Yin!”
The person she called seemed to be stunned for a moment, hesitating for several seconds before slowly walking towards the apartment building.
Under the sunlight, she wore a light green long dress that looked fresh and natural. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, giving off a quiet and elegant aura.
Perhaps the only thing that seemed a bit strange was the small flower pot she was holding. The pot only contained soil and a tiny sprout, not particularly attractive.
Yet she was holding this strange flower pot as if it were a treasure, her careful protection clearly visible.
Xia Jiajia’s curiosity was piqued. She had originally called out just to change the subject, but now she asked, “What’s that? A flower you’re growing? What kind of flower is it that you’re carrying it around? Why didn’t you leave it at home?”
Tian Yin looked down at the flower pot and the small sprout, instinctively holding the pot closer before answering, “It’s a sunflower someone gave me. I’ve terminated my adoption relationship with the Gu family and moved out, so of course I had to take my own things with me.”
“Eh?” Xia Jiajia was stunned. She never expected that just trying to find a topic would lead to such big news.
“Terminated the adoption relationship?” In her shock, she blurted out, “Wasn’t it said that old Mr. Gu and his wife were hospitalized?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it was inappropriate. It sounded like she was accusing Tian Yin of not taking care of the elderly and instead taking the opportunity to sever ties. Xia Jiajia quickly waved her hands, “No, no, that’s not what I meant…”
“They recovered and were discharged last week,” Tian Yin interrupted her apology, not taking offense. “We all felt that it wasn’t suitable to maintain our current relationship, so we went through the procedure to terminate it. It’s good timing as I’ve come of age and been admitted to university. Perhaps leaving will be a new beginning.”
She gazed deeply in the direction she came from and smiled.
Bai Yi suddenly spoke up. “…So, you’re taking this potted plant to university. Is this your luggage?”
Xia Jiajia only just realized this point, her expression cracking.
“Yes!” Tian Yin’s smile became even brighter, looking almost blissful. “Everything else belongs to the Gu family. Only this sunflower is completely mine.”
“—It’s a lucky flower symbolizing the fulfillment of wishes!”
Xia Jiajia: ???
“Since when does a sunflower represent wish fulfillment…” Watching Tian Yin’s receding figure, Xia Jiajia was utterly confused. She was about to say something else when she suddenly jumped up from her suitcase, “Oh no, I forgot about the time!”
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she hastily grabbed her suitcase. She didn’t forget to wave at Bai Yi.
“—I still have to catch the train!”
“—See you next holiday, Bai Yi!”
Both had walked away, but Bai Yi still stood in place, one hand lightly touching his chin, maintaining a thinker’s pose.
After a long while, he pushed at non-existent glasses on his nose bridge and let out an “Oh”. “That potted sunflower must be from the flower seeds I gave out…”
Recalling Tian Yin’s treasuring gesture, Bai Yi’s non-existent conscience suddenly felt a tiny bit guilty.
“This is really…unexpectedly persistent…”
It was like casually tricking a child that it would rain lollipops from the sky, thinking the child would forget about it in a couple of days, only to find the child constantly looking up at the sky waiting for the lollipop rain… In comparison, the liar who casually deceived the child seemed utterly conscienceless!
Bai Yi took out the [Flower Speaker] and [Puppet Master] cards, looking at the slowly increasing legend degree, maintaining a profound posture as he nodded slowly.
His non-existent glasses seemed to flash with a dark light.
“—It seems, it’s time to make arrangements.”
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