Chapter 42

“Boom!”

A flood of information surged into Li Chengqian’s mind in an instant.

Each golden character seemed alive, unfolding boundless mysteries within his spiritual sea.

There were methods to forge the body, open tendons, and expand meridians.

There were techniques for breathing and circulating blood and qi.

And even secret arts to condense the spirit and temper the will.

Vast, profound, and mysteriously profound!

Li Chengqian felt his skull was about to burst from the overwhelming influx.

He groaned, his face turning instantly pale, beads of sweat pouring from his forehead.

Su Chen watched him, a flicker of approval in his eyes.

This “True Explanation of Martial Way” was merely a spontaneous creation, based on his own knowledge, designed for mortals to cultivate.

Yet it contained his understanding of the martial way, and the domineering will stemming from the Nourishing Dao Axe.

Its profundity far exceeded the scope of ordinary mortal martial arts.

A normal person, forcibly subjected to such an infusion, would collapse immediately and likely remain unconscious for two or three days.

Yet Li Chengqian had endured it—without fainting.

Though his face twisted in agony, his gaze remained clear, teeth clenched, not a single moan escaping him.

This willpower was truly terrifying!

“Hold your spirit, return to oneness! I’ll lend you a hand!”

Su Chen muttered, extending a finger to press against Li Chengqian’s third eye.

A pure, gentle stream of immortal energy slowly flowed into Li Chengqian’s body.

Time slipped away, second by second.

After what felt like an eternity, Li Chengqian’s contorted face gradually relaxed.

His tightly shut eyes slowly opened.

“Huuu—”

Li Chengqian exhaled a long, turbid breath.

The breath was gray-black, reeking of foul stench.

It was the accumulated impurities and turbid qi within his body for years.

Washed clean by Su Chen’s pure immortal energy, it was expelled from his body all at once.

He felt better than he ever had in his life.

Every inch of his body brimmed with endless strength.

His senses sharpened dramatically—he could even clearly hear the sound of dewdrops falling from leaves outside the temple.

He looked down at his hands and clenched them tightly.

“Crack!”

A crisp snap echoed through the air.

“This is power?”

Li Chengqian felt the surging force within him, his eyes filled with awe and wild joy.

He turned again to Su Chen, his gaze brimming with boundless gratitude and reverence.

He dropped to his knees with a thud, bowing three deep, reverent bows to Su Chen.

Each bow struck the ground with full force.

“Student Li Chengqian thanks Master for rebirth!”

“Rise.”

Su Chen accepted the three bows without protest.

His gift of transmission was equivalent to rebirth.

These three bows, he deserved.

He helped Li Chengqian to his feet, looked at his flushed, excited face, and warned: “This ‘True Explanation of Martial Way’ is a method for mortals to strengthen themselves. Only those with unwavering will and great righteousness may receive it. You must cultivate diligently and use it wisely—do not disgrace it.”

“Student humbly obeys Master’s teaching!” Li Chengqian nodded solemnly.

“Hmm.” Su Chen nodded, glanced at the sky, and said, “It’s getting late. I must be on my way.”

His destination was East Victory Divine Continent.

He had already lingered one night here—it was time to leave.

“Master is leaving now?” Li Chengqian’s face darkened with reluctance. “Master’s grace—I have yet to repay you…”

“Our paths have diverged. No need to speak of repayment.” Su Chen waved his hand. “If you truly wish to repay me, remember your words today: forge a true era of peace for all living beings under heaven.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the temple’s exit.

“Master!” Li Chengqian rushed after him. “I don’t even know your immortal abode or your honored name!”

Su Chen paused slightly.

He turned back, looked at Li Chengqian, and smiled with effortless ease.

“Just a wandering hermit of the mountains. If fate allows, we shall meet again.”

As his words faded, his form dissolved into a streak of green light, shooting skyward and vanishing instantly from sight.

Li Chengqian stood frozen, staring up at the empty sky, unable to return to himself.

Long moments passed before he lowered his gaze and bowed deeply once more toward the direction Su Chen had vanished.

“Student, respectfully sees off Master!”

…

As Su Chen rode the clouds away, his heart was filled with deep reflection.

He hadn’t expected that a chance encounter would lead him, on a whim, to grant this boy a destiny.

“I wonder if this will prove blessing or misfortune.”

He shook his head, casting the thought aside.

Since he had done it, there was no point in regretting.

All he wanted now was to reach Huaguo Mountain as soon as possible—to see that monkey.

But then, the Heaven’s Mechanism Mirror appeared.

【Detected host action: significant impact on the human destiny of the Journey to the West world.】

【Congratulations, host has gained 100 Heaven’s Mechanism Points.】

【Current Heaven’s Mechanism Points: 150.】

Su Chen hovered midair, staring at the glaring “150” on the Heaven’s Mechanism Mirror.

This fortune came too suddenly!

He hadn’t expected that casually teaching a martial art would earn him Heaven’s Mechanism Points.

After all, this merely altered mortal karmic threads, with little connection to the main Journey to the West plot involving gods and immortals.

“Significant impact on human destiny…”

Su Chen turned the words over in his mind, slowly gaining clarity.

He seemed to have discovered a grand path to accumulating Heaven’s Mechanism Points.

Previously, his thinking had been confined to the Journey to the West plot itself.

He had thought only of interfering with Sun Wukong’s rebellion in Heaven or joining Tang Seng’s eighty-one tribulations.

These acts carried heavy karma—but also immense risk.

One misstep, and he might draw the attention of the great beings of the Three Realms.

Then, not only would he fail to gain Heaven’s Mechanism Points—he might not even survive.

But now, he realized he had another path.

That path… was Human Dao.

Though the Journey to the West world was the stage of gods and immortals,

humanity, as the true protagonists of heaven and earth, carried its own destiny—an essential thread in this world’s karmic web.

Especially in South Jambudvīpa, where human civilization flourished, even gods and immortals dared not interfere lightly.

If he could plant seeds within human Dao, advance and strengthen humanity, the karmic power gained might rival that of meddling in divine or demonic affairs!

And most crucially—this path was safe.

He felt as if he had opened a door to a whole new world.