Chapter 32

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Chapter 32: Opportunities Everywhere

"Look, that’s a Fire Spirit Fruit!" Excited voices echoed through the vast expanse of the ancient cave dwelling.

"And there’s Dragon Beard Grass!" Other voices chimed in with equal enthusiasm.

Ming He walked at a steady pace through the cave dwelling, her eyes scanning the surroundings. Perhaps because this cave dwelling had not been forcibly extracted using a grand formation, the darkness that had long shrouded it dissipated as it emerged into the world.

Heavenly materials and earthly treasures shimmered with vibrant colors, rich in spiritual energy. The scorching sun, shifting winds, and changing clouds created a dynamic backdrop. The rustling of beasts and the melodious chirping of birds mingled with the chaotic footsteps of disciples from various sects. The scene was bustling, resembling a thriving realm, as a paradise should.

"Su, the inherited disciple, aren’t you going to collect any spirit herbs or fruits?" A disciple from the Liu Yun Sect asked Ming He, puzzled by her calm demeanor.

"No rush," Ming He replied lightly, watching as the disciple eagerly moved forward to gather spirit herbs and fruits, showing no intention of further explanation.

They were still at the periphery of the cave dwelling. While these spirit herbs and fruits were indeed valuable, here they were of the lowest grade.

Ming He sought more than just the minor opportunities before her; she aimed for much greater rewards.

Venturing deeper, she knew that along with unseen opportunities, there would be formidable beasts posing threats. Danger and opportunity coexisted, and she chose to delve deeper, thus disregarding the spirit herbs and fruits within easy reach.

Moreover, the cave dwelling would offer ample opportunities, but also plenty of disputes. Seizing treasures would be far more efficient than painstakingly gathering them.

She wouldn’t take the initiative to kill, but given her current cultivation level, she appeared to be an easy target. It was inevitable that someone would try to take advantage of her.

A faint smile played on Ming He’s lips as she turned and chose a direction to proceed. Qin Chu Yi had mentioned that the inner sect disciples of the Liu Yun Sect would also help her find the star-shaped spiritual artifact, but Ming He held little hope for their assistance.

In other words, she placed her hopes solely on herself.

Since she had taken on this task, she had to give it her all—after all, he was a Young Master from a prestigious family.

Ming He reflected that perhaps Qin Chu Yi had sincerely offered to help her at that moment. The intensity of Qin Chu Yi’s fixation on the spiritual artifact and her subsequent disappointment had reminded Ming He of her own past helplessness, which might have prompted her willingness to assist.

However, later on, to say she didn’t consider Qin Chu Yi’s identity as a Young Master from a prestigious family would be untrue.

The prestigious family stood high above the rest; assisting a Young Master from such a lineage meant she could expect significant rewards in return.

Ah, the interests. She had never forgotten to consider them.

Ming He tucked away her smile, gripping the white long sword in her hand as she walked down the familiar path. She allowed herself a moment of relaxation, observing the scenery sway gracefully in the daylight. Daylight was certainly much better than darkness.

That day, the star-shaped spiritual artifact had been taken by a black cat, which was then snatched by a fleeting red shadow that had seized it by the neck.

From the silhouette and voice, that red shadow appeared to be a woman.

A woman.

What about the woman in the ancient cave dwelling? Who knew what her background was? She might be powerful beyond Ming He’s imagination, but her strength would undoubtedly be restricted.

After all, by the usual pattern, that woman should have been an enemy of the cave dwelling’s master and sealed here by them, right?

With the jade pendant made from Spirit Gathering Stone and the Breath Control Technique, obtaining the star-shaped spiritual artifact shouldn’t be too difficult. The real challenge lay in locating the artifact.

The chances of finding it in that valley were slim, especially with the ancient fierce beast, Kui, lurking there. Ming He was not keen on venturing inside.

But slim chances didn’t mean there were none. What if? She disliked uncertain guesses.

She needed to find someone to test the waters.

Ming He calculated in her mind. How wonderful it would be if she had successfully cultivated the Third Level of the Breath Control Technique. It would certainly make things easier for her now.

Which unfortunate soul should she send to scout the path?

Just then, she heard a commotion in the distance, the sounds of a fight faintly reaching her ears. It seemed there were quite a number of people involved.

"Hand over the demon core of the Xuanhu Beast, and I will spare your lives." A commanding voice, filled with arrogance, reached Ming He’s ears. She raised her head and looked towards the base of the towering trees, where a group of people were locked in a standoff. After recognizing their identities, her eyes narrowed; she had no plans to intervene now.

"That’s nonsense! The Xuanhu Beast was clearly slain by Senior Brother Su! It has nothing to do with your Wu Ji Palace!" A disciple in white robes angrily retorted. He was an inner sect disciple of Liu Yun Sect.

The Senior Brother he mentioned was none other than Su Cheng Feng.

"Hah." The leading disciple from Wu Ji Palace sneered, his eyes full of disdain. "You all are so naive!"

"Once inside the cave dwelling, with treasures right before us, who cares about morality or right and wrong? Naturally, whoever’s fists are stronger gets the demon core."

With that, he suddenly stepped forward, closing the gap towards Su Cheng Feng in a few strides. With a light sweep of his hand, he deflected Su Cheng Feng’s reaching sword hand. In that fleeting moment, he laughed softly in Su Cheng Feng’s ear, then swiftly circled back to his original position, holding up a blood-soaked demon core with a challenging grin, his face gleaming with self-satisfaction.

"Senior Brother Xia is impressive!" The disciples from Wu Ji Palace looked at their senior brother with pride and admiration as he narrowly avoided the demon core.

Xia Shaojie felt a sense of pride from the adoration of his junior brothers and sisters. Meeting Su Cheng Feng’s furious gaze, he smirked. Although he held a respectable position in Wu Ji Palace, he was still young and inexperienced. In terms of cultivation, he and Su Cheng Feng were on par, both at the Spirit Guiding Eighth Level—one practiced sword, the other focused on palm techniques. It was uncertain who would win in a duel.

Unfortunately, Su Cheng Feng was a gentleman. Gentlemen do not guard against petty men, which is why Xia Shaojie’s sudden raid was so successful.

"What now?" Xia Shaojie shook the demon core in his hand. "It’s in my possession now, so it belongs to me. Does Young Master Su intend to snatch it back?"

He was mocking Su Cheng Feng’s background.

"Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, with opportunities everywhere—who wouldn’t want that?" Su Cheng Feng unsheathed his sword. "To obtain the Xuanhu Beast’s demon core, have you asked my sword first?"

"It’s not about whether you can take it but whether you can hold onto it." He coldly laughed, pointing his sword forward. "Xia, be careful."

"Clang—"

As the sword cut through the air, a sharp sound echoed. Then the wind surged, and behind them, the disciples of Liu Yun Sect and Wu Ji Palace glanced at each other, warily placing their hands on their weapons, ready to engage at a moment’s notice.

Ming He stood hidden, watching the two figures locked in combat, one wielding a sword, the other striking with palm techniques, both unwilling to yield. She squinted, contemplating how to quietly lure the people from Wu Ji Palace to investigate the situation in that valley.

As fellow Spirit Guiding Eighth Level cultivators, it was clear that Dragon Hero’s father was indeed different. At this moment, Xia Shaojie’s assault on Su Cheng Feng was fierce, but everyone present could see he was already in a desperate situation; he couldn’t land a hit on Su Cheng Feng. The outcome was already decided.

A sword cultivator could defeat their enemy in one strike or dissipate the attack while storing energy. No cultivator wished to compete in endurance with a sword cultivator of equal cultivation because the result was evident.

Even without spiritual power or soul power, even if left with nothing, a sword cultivator would not easily admit defeat. They were sword cultivators, after all.

Ming He watched Su Cheng Feng, his white robe stained with blood from slaying the beast, yet still maintaining his composure. Qin Chu Yi’s question echoed in her mind, "Why do you practice the sword?"

Why do I practice the sword?

Because the sword… is strong?

Perhaps.

Ming He chuckled and stepped out from her hiding place towards the group from Liu Yun Sect. "Brother." She softly called out to Su Cheng Feng.

"Xiao He." Su Cheng Feng replied warmly, calmly taking the demon core from Xia Shaojie’s hands with an unfazed expression. "Do you want to join us next?"

Before setting off, the Sect Master had instructed them to find something in the cave dwelling to bring back, but he hadn’t specified what that something was, only mentioning that Ming He knew about it, and they could act together.

What could that be?

Su Cheng Feng suddenly recalled the Woman in White he encountered while searching for Ming He at Qingyun Peak. It was the first time he saw Qin Chu Yi up close.

Was that something… related to Chief Qin?

As he pondered the connection, his gaze deepened.

"Sure." Ming He glanced at Xia Shaojie, whose face was ashen, showing no concern. This time, she did not refuse Su Cheng Feng’s invitation; she had more things to confirm, and more hands would be better.

"Brother, let’s go." She pointed in the direction opposite the valley palace and spoke softly, deliberately injecting a hint of disdain into her gaze towards Xia Shaojie as she turned away.

"Alright," Su Cheng Feng said, gripping his sword as he led the other disciples in the direction Ming He had indicated, not sparing a glance back at the members of Wu Ji Palace.

A gentle man’s wrath is the most fearsome.

"Hmph," Xia Shaojie flicked his sleeve dismissively. "We’ll head this way," he declared, pointing in the opposite direction from Su Cheng Feng and his group.

Ming He allowed a faint smile to curl her lips upon hearing his words, then followed Su Cheng Feng as they moved further away.

"Chirp—"

"Roar—"

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Ming He’s eyes lit up as she saw a brilliant ray of light shooting skyward from the direction Xia Shaojie and his group had taken, followed by a deafening roar that shook the earth.

The roar was savage and unmistakable—it was the ancient fierce beast Kui, the very creature Ming He had encountered during her life-and-death escape.

"What’s that?" a disciple from Liu Yun Sect asked, his voice tinged with confusion as he heard the distant commotion. Moments later, excitement crept into his tone. "Something extraordinary must be happening!"

He steadied himself and turned to the person beside him. "Senior Brother Du, Senior Brother Su, Su, the inherited disciple, should we go and investigate?"

The Senior Brother Du he referred to was Du Lei, an inner sect disciple of Liu Yun Sect and the top contender in the recent competition, with a cultivation level at the peak of Spirit Guiding Eighth Level.

"The Sect Master has ordered that all actions follow Su, the inherited disciple’s lead," the young man addressed as Senior Brother Du replied, his tone respectful as he glanced at Ming He.

Ming He blinked, slightly taken aback by his easygoing demeanor. "Then let’s go and see," she said.

To see… which unfortunate soul had drawn the short straw.

"That’s… a Xuan-class sword artifact!"

"And an alchemy furnace, and a crafting furnace!"

"That’s a Xuan-class explosive talisman!"

"That jade slip is mine!"

The valley palace, once serene, was now a scene of chaos as the radiant light pierced the heavens. Cultivators scattered around the area, drawn by the commotion, rushed over at breakneck speed. Their eyes gleamed with greed at the sight of the heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and they eagerly joined the frenzied scramble.

"Roar!"

Kui, the ancient beast, was roused from its slumber once more. This time, the intruders were even more numerous than before. Its murky, bloodshot eyes snapped open, and it let out a thunderous howl that sent tremors through the cave, destabilizing it in an instant.

"What… is that?" one cultivator muttered, his voice trembling as he caught a glimpse of the beast amidst the chaos. The moment his senses returned, he bolted, abandoning the earlier frenzy over the treasures.

"Kui! That’s the ancient fierce beast Kui!"

"Run!"

"How did that thing end up here?"

The crowd of cultivators scattered in panic. Some dropped the treasures they had fought over, while others, driven by desperation, snatched at the fleeting glimmers before fleeing.

After all, with so many people fleeing, Kui couldn’t possibly chase just one of them.

Or so he thought. In the next moment, he realized Kui was indeed hot on his heels.

Cultivator: "……"

"Senior Brother, ditch the furnace!" a nearby cultivator shouted angrily, furious at his reckless attempt to shift the danger onto others.

"Fine," the cultivator growled through clenched teeth, reluctantly eyeing the small, exquisite alchemy furnace in his hand. With a swift motion, he hurled it toward Kui.

But when he turned back, Kui was still right behind him. Fear gripped him, and his mind went blank, leaving only one primal instinct: "Run! Run now!"

Ming He stood perched on a distant treetop, her gaze sharp as she observed the scene. The streak of light traced a graceful arc through the air before vanishing without a trace.

Why was it like this?

Illusion or reality? Truth or deception?

She murmured to herself, lost in thought.