Chapter 5

The next day, at eight in the morning, Su Chen had already packed his clothes; he wanted to create the illusion that after going to Luoxian Shan for fun, he would return to school. Therefore, in front of Su Mother, he put the books and clothes into his backpack.

After he woke up, he received the message Qin Ziyang had sent last night, but he pretended not to see it and, of course, did not reply.

On the table was the breakfast Su Mother had prepared; Su Chen wolfed it down and then got ready to set off. From behind came Su Qing's surprised voice: "What, Xiao Chen, are you still going to Luoxian Shan?"

Su Chen twitched the corner of his mouth a few times; it seemed that as soon as he left his room yesterday, Su Qing had betrayed him. He silently mourned Qin Ziyang in his heart, pretended not to understand what she was saying, and, puzzled, replied: "Going? Of course I'm going. But you, Sister Qing, getting up so early—rare to see you!"

Su Qing, hearing that he was still going, instantly widened her eyes, then seemed to think of something. With a look of understanding, she said nothing else, turned back to her own room, and continued to sleep with her head covered.

Su Chen understood in his heart, but still pretended to be bewildered, and after bidding farewell to his parents, he left.

Su Mother looked at the direction Su Chen was heading with a puzzled expression and said, "Ziyang said he wouldn't go to confess; why does Xiao Chen still want to go to Luoxian Shan?"

Su Father, who was eating at the table, hummed, "What else could it be? He's just afraid of getting beaten up. No need to worry about him; going out to relax is fine. He comes back and just stays at home, who knows what he's scheming…"

……

On a bullet-shaped train bound for Le Ping City in Guinan Province, Su Chen, seated by the window, was wearing headphones, listening to music and looking out the window, but in his mind he was thinking about carrying out his plan.

He deliberated for a long time and finally decided not to let anyone accompany him, because in the future this cultivation will become widespread, and if he revealed the method of cultivation to them in advance, he would certainly be unable to explain it later.

His first plan was also simple: first, to boost his own strength, and then traverse to other worlds to seek cultivation resources for humanity.

A little over three hours later, after getting off the high-speed train, Su Chen took a taxi and arrived at Luoxian Shan.

Although Luoxian Shan is a scenic area, admission is free; only a handful of government staff and volunteers are here, and they come to perform regular maintenance and cleaning.

This is mainly because Luoxian Shan's environment is rather mediocre; the surroundings lack any other notable scenic spots, which has led to its current predicament.

At noon, Su Chen ate a bowl of stewed noodles at a nearby noodle shop and then headed up the mountain. In his previous life he only knew that the site of Spiritual Qi's revival was Luoxian Shan, but he was unclear about the exact location. So he prepared to combine his prior memories to pinpoint the precise spot, chose the optimal location, completed the Opening Spirit, and entered the Qi Condensation Phase.

At two p. m., Su Chen had just reached the mid‑mountain slope and was already panting heavily, but a Taoist temple appeared ahead, which brightened Su Chen's outlook.

The temple at the mid‑slope sparked his interest; he gasped heavily and muttered, "Let's go in and have a look, maybe rest a bit; perhaps there are hidden cultivators inside."

The temple was extremely dilapidated; the plaque at the main gate had been there for who knows how many years, its wooden surface riddled with pits and dents, yet it bore three neatly written characters: Luo Xian Temple.

Su Chen entered the temple; the interior structures were almost as rundown as the outer plaque, though a few repaired sections were clearly visible. The temple was small.

Directly opposite the main gate stood a main hall; in a corner of the main hall a deity worship area was set up, and the remaining space was piled with steel‑reinforced wood, bagged cement, and some leftover bricks and tiles, giving the impression that repairs were about to commence.

Below the steps directly facing the main hall, in the courtyard stood a Square Cauldron about one zhang in length and half a zhang in height, with a few scattered incense sticks inserted inside.

On both sides of the main hall were a kitchen and a side room (also serving as a bedroom) built with old‑fashioned brickwork; upon closer inspection, they seemed to blend an old house with a new one.

When Su Chen entered the temple, a young Taoist about twelve or thirteen years old, with clear eyebrows and eyes, dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, was sweeping the courtyard with a broom.

Seeing Su Chen come in, the young Taoist immediately set down the broom, clasped his fists toward Su Chen, bowed, and said, "Kind person, are you here to have the master divine a hexagram? Unfortunately, your timing is off; the master passed away a month ago."

Su Chen was stunned; he had entered without stating any purpose, yet the young Taoist assumed he was there for divination. It seemed his master's hexagrams were quite accurate, Fu Ming thought silently.

He mimicked the Taoist's manner, returned the bow, and apologetically said, "Daoist Master, my condolences. I am here today for a mountain outing, I'm a bit tired, and would like to rest here for a moment."

The young Taoist looked extremely carefree and said, "No problem. The master once said that death is merely moving to another world to live; there's nothing bad about it."

At this point, he slapped his forehead and said, "Kind person, please excuse me, go to the side room to rest; I will brew tea for you."

While speaking, he led Su Chen to one of the side rooms and brought out tea.

Su Chen looked at the dilapidated room, then at the few floating tea leaves scattered about, and a hint of complexity appeared in his eyes.

He stood up, walked toward the main hall, and upon reaching its doorway saw piles of wood and stone inside, and a deity statue cramped into almost no space. A vague sourness rose in his heart; he recalled that his own master had also once lived in a similar temple—a Core Formation‑level strongman residing in such a place.

He sighed, walked toward the Square Cauldron behind him, looked at the still‑busy young Taoist, and said, "Daoist Master, I would like to light a few incense sticks."

The young Taoist's sweeping hand suddenly froze in midair; he stared at Su Chen in surprise, then, a bit embarrassed, said, "Five yuan."

Seeing Su Chen nod, the young Taoist immediately went off excitedly to fetch incense.

Su Chen took the incense, and under the young Taoist's guidance completed the offering; he pulled two brand‑new hundred‑yuan banknotes from his clothing pocket and handed them over.

The young Taoist clearly froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hand to refuse, "That's… too much; five yuan is enough."

Su Chen stepped in front of him, shoved the money into his hand, glanced toward the main hall, smiled and said, "Consider it a small token for the Three Pure Ancestors' reconstruction of the Dao body."

After speaking, Su Chen smiled, waved his hand, and walked toward the main gate.

The young Taoist, hearing this, showed a hint of emotion in his eyes, hesitated briefly, then shouted toward Su Chen, "The master, before his death, cast a final hexagram. He said a Great Calamity is imminent; no one will survive."

Su Chen's steps halted, a massive wave rose in his heart; he turned back, looked calmly at the young Taoist and said, "Thank you."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the young Taoist's voice came again, "The master never made a mistake in his life. On the seventh day after he cast this hexagram, the master passed away, kind person, still…"

Having said that, the young Taoist paused, seemingly unsure what to ask Su Chen to do.

Su Chen this time did not look back; with a determined gaze he shouted loudly, "This time, he is wrong!"

The young Taoist stared blankly at Su Chen's departing silhouette, remaining silent for a long while.