Chapter 86: Fateful Convergence

The next morning.

At the peak of Dan Tang, rays of rosy light stretched for ten thousand li, with colorful clouds clinging to its mid-slope.

Chen Zhao climbed the stone steps, only to find Mo Shouzhuo seated cross-legged on a mat, with nothing else around him.

He's at least a Hall Master—how can he live out in the open like this?

"The higher one's cultivation, the less one clings to external things; know that by shedding, one attains emptiness, and only then can one find the path to immortality."

As if seeing through his thoughts, Mo Shouzhuo sighed softly, utterly without pretense.

"Shedding to attain emptiness?"

Chen Zhao couldn't help but be startled.

Back in the middle layer of Fulong Mountain, the entrance to the secret realm bore the words: "When emptiness reveals itself, immortality is gained"—I wonder how it's connected.

"Karma and retribution never fail; the higher one's cultivation, the more concrete the retribution—great cultivators call it the Karma Tribulation."

Mo Shouzhuo pressed his chest and sighed deeply, as if stirred by memories.

"When I was building my Foundation, I always suppressed my cultivation to seize opportunities from juniors—and somehow, I actually found a Spirit Pill manuscript, which led me to mastery in pill-making."

"Grateful for the debt of transmitting the Dao, I compiled and organized it, hiding it within a Yellow-grade technique."

"Once, during a Qi Refining secret realm expedition, I once again moved to seize a treasure—but turns out, the man was a Golden Core true cultivator, pretending to be Qi Refining to seek a way to cross Jie Hai!"

"I had no choice but to surrender the pill manuscript to save my life, and that technique scroll vanished in an instant—in that moment, something unseen seemed to hook onto me, pulling away one thing from my person; since then, I've faced constant death tribulations, only easing after a hundred years."

That Golden Core cultivator had also perished, leaving behind a single successor—known only as a holy disciple of some sect, who inherited his sword Dao.

Chen Zhao frowned slightly as he listened.

"Hall Master, with your profound cultivation, is there a way to avoid this?"

If one cannot rely on external objects, how can those with mediocre talent achieve immortality? But if one uses objects to cultivate, one must still endure this Karma Tribulation.

A dead-end with no escape—what kind of world is this?

"Don't speak of me—even the old man has no solution, and must resort to shedding to attain emptiness."

Mo Shouzhuo shook his head, yet his gaze flickered toward him.

"But then I met Zhiwei and you—her father has old ties with me, and you've learned the Nine Revolutions Controlling Yuan Technique; you're practically my half-disciple."

Chen Zhao froze in surprise.

No wonder it sounded increasingly familiar.

So that Golden Light Shield technique was the Hall Master's!

Perhaps my attempts to refine the Nine Orifices Solidifying Essence Pill exposed my origins.

Yet as he thought further, he sensed something off.

"Why doesn't Sister Li know this technique?"

The question came out abruptly.

Mo Shouzhuo paused, gazing at him deeply, silent for a long while before speaking:

"The original manuscript was created by an ancestor of the Su Family—a master of both pill-making and scripture, who bore a blood feud with Tuoluo Sect."

His voice cut off abruptly, avoiding the question.

But Chen Zhao understood the allusion—he summed it up in eight words:

The karma is too great—don't let her learn it.

Yet.

Rumors say Tuoluo Sect was long ago destroyed—why are they still so cautious?

Could it be that Tuoluo Sect still has survivors?

As for the original author, Chen Zhao had his own guess:

The lord of Taiyin Palace, Duan Qingxuan's old friend.

Unexpectedly, after circling all this, he'd returned to the old affairs of Tiankui Sect.

"Don't overthink it—I'll do my best to help."

Mo Shouzhuo patted his shoulder and lowered his voice:

"I've heard you achieved Foundation Establishment after ten tribulations—how vast is your spiritual sea? A hundred zhang?"

Seeing Chen Zhao nod, Mo Shouzhuo straightened his chest, his grip tightening unconsciously, the thudding echoes ringing through the white clouds.

This disciple's spiritual sense is so formidable—he won't fear any Fo Men killing techniques!

The thought that both his successors needed no further worry made Mo Shouzhuo's face brighten with joy.

An hour later.

Chen Zhao received two pages of Spirit Pill Prescriptions.

One was for True Yuan Condensing Orifice Pill, the other for Yi Wood Generating Yang Powder—both Second Rank, Lower Grade.

The former not only enhances cultivation but also slightly solidifies the Dao foundation, preventing regression.

The latter treats injuries and neutralizes poison, taking effect within a stick of incense.

Second-rank pill prescriptions are not like first-rank ones—even at the peak of Juxian Pavilion's power, they never circulated on the market.

That he gave them without condition shows he truly treats me as a disciple.

Though moved, Chen Zhao still harbored doubts.

If the Hall Master seeks to escape karma, why did he agree?

"What, afraid of the Karma Tribulation?"

Seeing Chen Zhao hesitate, Mo Shouzhuo teased:

"Karma and retribution bring fortune or misfortune unpredictably—if you want it, I'll simply form a good connection; who knows, it might help me cross my own tribulation someday?"

Chen Zhao smiled silently, ready to take his leave.

The mountain wind at her back suddenly picked up as Li Zhiwei arrived on a cloud.

"Master, the Sect Master has opened the secret vault to reward merit—I'm not sure if..."

Before she finished speaking, her peripheral vision caught sight of Chen Zhao's True Disciple robe, and a strange feeling rose in her heart.

By status, an inner-gate disciple meeting a True Disciple must address them as a senior.

Moreover, Junior Brother Chen had earned merit in this battle; the Sect Master would personally select a secret treasure for him, and his standing would only rise from here on out.

At this thought, Li Zhiwei drew a deep breath and said with a twitch at the corner of her mouth:

"Senior Brother Chen is here as well."

It was true her nature was cool and aloof, but with extraordinary talent she still had a proud bone in her—even other True Disciples, she kept no regard for.

But Chen Zhao was different.

This junior brother had grown up under her eyes; among the True Disciples his Spirit Root was the most muddled, his origins the lowest, yet he had skill in the Dao of Pills and had achieved Foundation Establishment through ten tribulations—his strength was no small matter.

One moment of inattention and he'd climbed above her head; this sense of defeat was truly subtle.

She pressed her lips together, quietly suppressing her competitive spirit, her expression unchanged.

A flicker of approval passed through Mo Shouzhuo's eyes; with a sweep of his great sleeve he gathered the two of them within and carried them down the mountain together.

……

Chen Zhao's vision went black; when he opened his eyes again, a scene of gold and jade splendor met his gaze.

Dozens of treasures were displayed within, all sealed by secret arts, their pressure reduced to a fraction—yet even so, they made his breath stall.

Three Ancient Treasures stood at the front, followed by a stack of Talismans, a few ancient tomes... none of which he could identify the grade of.

At the very end sat a small bronze cauldron, within it three sticks of incense, their smoke curling upward, lingering without dispersing.

Chen Zhao looked around and only recognized the Withering-Flourishing Art in a corner.

Even with his exceptional composure, at this moment he could not help but feel parched and anxious—no wonder the eight great sects had joined forces to attack, with treasures like these.

"External things, external things..."

He muttered to himself, suppressing the pounding in his heart.

But on second thought, the layout of the ruins resembled Tiankui's—perhaps there was another hidden treasure vault yet to be discovered.

And he already had a karmic tie with the ruins; when one has too many lice, the itching stops—there would surely come a time to explore again.

"Mo Shouzhuo—slaying two Golden Core cultivators—rewarded with a fourth-grade, lower-rank Pill Furnace; Zhong Hedao—merit in protecting the sect—rewarded with one true treasure..."

Before long, Lin Yutang held the battle report in his fingers, rewarding merit.

Among the crowd, even Zhang Sifan, Li Zhiwei, and others received Mysterious Rank, upper-grade spell arts as rewards—not a small bounty, to say the least.

"Chen Zhao, step forward."

Just as Chen Zhao's attention wandered, he suddenly felt a gentle force support his back, carrying him to the front of the crowd.

"You did not fear the strong enemy, held your ground and did not retreat—I reward you with three days of cultivation here. Do you have any objections?"

Three days of cultivation?

The Golden Core cultivators all showed puzzled expressions.

The Spirit Qi here was indeed dense, but he had contributed talismans and sacrificed himself to lure the enemy—he deserved more than this.

Could there be some hidden reason?

"This disciple has no objections."

Chen Zhao cupped his fist in a bow, equally puzzled within.

No matter how special this place was, what could three days yield? Surely they couldn't let him pick any treasure he wanted?

He was about to ask, but before him there was already no one.

In a corner, a pearl of lustrous white rolled quietly.