A remote mountain forest.
A man-made clearing.
Zhao Rucheng sat on the ground, head bowed.
If his old acquaintances from Fenglin City were to see him now, they would find it hard to recognize him.
His hair was disheveled, his robes dirty and tattered, and he was sitting directly on the ground!
For Zhao Rucheng, who had always been meticulous and particular in his daily life, this was simply unimaginable.
Yet now he sat in such disheveled fashion, looking no different from an ordinary vagrant.
Uncle Deng stood before him, his voice still gentle, but carrying a hint of questioning: "Have you truly made up your mind?"
"No need to think further." Zhao Rucheng raised his head and said calmly.
Even with disheveled hair and a grimy face, his striking beauty was hard to conceal.
But the playful ease that once graced his face was gone. In its place was a seriousness that bordered on sternness.
"In truth, when you were content to waste your talent, content to let your days slip by idly, I tacitly allowed it. Not just because I didn't want to interfere with your decisions, but also because..."
Uncle Deng sighed: "This terrifying world— the stronger you become, the more dangerous the threats you will face. With your talent, one day you will encounter dangers that even I cannot resolve. Just like..."
"Just like Fenglin City this time." Zhao Rucheng took over the sentence. His tone was calm.
Yet it was this deliberate calm that only highlighted the pain in his heart.
"So." he said: "As long as I become strong enough, as long as I am always stronger than the danger, that will be enough."
Uncle Deng fell silent for a moment.
Zhao Rucheng continued: "In the past, I always felt— what was the point of effort? No matter how hard I tried, it made no difference. Better to muddle through, getting by one day at a time. The world is vast, a lifetime is short, and walking on, one eventually stops. Why bother with hardship?"
"Every time I saw Ling Chuan and Jiang Wang training as if their lives depended on it, I wanted to laugh. But I always ended up laughing until my eyes grew moist."
"At first I didn't understand why I would shed tears. Later I realized— I wasn't laughing at them, I was envious of them. I envied them because they didn't know what the future held. I envied them because they could move forward with determination. I envied them."
"They had hope, direction, a future. So effort was a happy thing. No matter how exhausting, it was sweet."
"From the day I was born, I had no hope, no direction, no future. The higher I climbed, the darker what I saw became. So I envied them. I befriended them. They treated me with sincerity, and I returned it. I mocked them, yet looked forward to their success. I saw a different kind of life in them."
"But now." Zhao Rucheng paused briefly before speaking: "All their hopes, direction, and futures have been severed. And I— I had the chance to prevent it all. If I hadn't wasted my years, if I hadn't let my days slip away idly."
"Perhaps I can never save myself. But in those few moments, I might have been able to save the ones I truly cared for. Now, I want to strive for those few moments."
Zhao Rucheng spoke, then shifted from sitting to kneeling, and knelt properly before Uncle Deng.
Uncle Deng watched in silence, making no move to stop him.
Zhao Rucheng knelt upright and said earnestly: "I know you are very strong. In the past I didn't care about such things. But now, please let me see just how strong you truly are."
"Please forge me with every method you can imagine."
"Please let me see the Deng Yue who severed a river with a single finger."
"Please look forward to my efforts."
He bowed his head, placed both hands flat at his sides, and pressed his forehead to the ground.
Uncle Deng remained silent for a long, long time, then said: "Good."
...
Chongxuan Sheng was in his private residence in Tiansfu City.
With Chongxuan Sheng's status, private properties naturally were plentiful.
But in the past, it would have been impossible for him to own a private residence in Tiansfu City, where land was worth its weight in gold.
The Celestial Resid had persisted for so many years; all property here had long since been divided and claimed.
That was why, when he first met Jiang Wang, he could only host a banquet at a family-owned restaurant— which led to that incident where Chongxuan Xin burst into the room midway.
Now, if Chongxuan Xin dared to intrude into this private residence without prior notice, Chongxuan Sheng would kill him on the spot.
The moment he emerged from the Celestial Resid, this mansion was transferred to Chongxuan Sheng's name.
This was merely an insignificant fraction of the immense benefits Chongxuan Sheng had reaped.
The Chongxuan clan was a massive, sprawling noble household, its territory rivaling that of an entire commandery. Most were retainers, servants, and clan guards; few were truly members of the direct Chongxuan line.
And the future heir of such a family was undoubtedly destined to become one of the most powerful figures in the state of Qi.
No one was a fool— those looking to invest early were plentiful.
But as the undisputed first in line for succession, Chongxuan Zun's circle was already packed tight, each position occupied.
The cost of investing in him had long since skyrocketed to dizzying heights.
The emergence of Chongxuan Sheng fulfilled the hopes of all who had been waiting to back a dark horse.
As the only direct-line heir currently competing with Chongxuan Zun for succession, Chongxuan Sheng should have received more resources and support.
Alas, Chongxuan Zun was simply too brilliant. No one could see any possibility of Chongxuan Sheng succeeding.
The premise of backing a dark horse was that there was a chance of revival— not simply throwing resources into the void.
The Chongxuan clan was such a fat prize that before Chongxuan Sheng, there had naturally been other contenders. Those individuals were talented and capable in their own right, but all paled in comparison to Chongxuan Zun and were easily swept aside by him.
In truth, had it not been for the Chongxuan elders needing to curb Chongxuan Zun's dominance for reasons they could not openly state, Chongxuan Sheng would never have had a chance to rise.
That was why Chongxuan Sheng had risked everything, exchanging his existing resources to secure leadership of the Chongxuan clan's expedition into the Celestial Resid.
He even needed to use the Grand Void Illusion to invite Jiang Wang from thousands of miles away. Because among the people in his clan, apart from Shi Si at his side, he dared not trust anyone else. If Jiang Wang did not come, he would rather leave the spot vacant.
Take Chongxuan Xin, for example— one moment calling him "Brother Sheng," the next claiming they were "family and clansmen." If Chongxuan Sheng dared to bring Chongxuan Xin into the Celestial Resid, the first one to stab him in the back would be Chongxuan Xin.
Means like the Heart-Demon Incantation would be utterly useless. Because any such methods Chongxuan Sheng could employ, Chongxuan Zun would certainly know about— and perhaps even be able to neutralize.
The reason Chongxuan Sheng valued this matter so highly, to the extent that even Chongxuan Zun himself dispatched Wang Yiwu in person, was because the Celestial Resid represented Chongxuan Sheng's all-or-nothing gamble.
It was his last hope.
If he died within the Celestial Resid, there would be nothing more to say.
Even if he didn't die, but was eliminated yet still managed to come out alive— then all would still be over.
The Chongxuan clan would belong to Chongxuan Zun from then on, and Chongxuan Sheng could forget about it.
But if he lived, if he emerged as the victor of the Celestial Resid and secured his future place in the Inner Fane of Divine Ability—
Then his gamble would have succeeded.
No matter how disdainful Wang Yiwu might act toward the Inner Fane of Divine Ability,
He could not deny that from the moment Chongxuan Sheng emerged from the Celestial Resid, Chongxuan Sheng had truly gained the qualifications to compete with Chongxuan Zun!
And the period that followed would be Chongxuan Sheng's era of rapid growth.
All who had been watching, waiting, all the resources that should have gone to Chongxuan Zun's competitors— they would all come flooding in.
The only thing Chongxuan Sheng needed to consider was how to digest them all.
A snake swallowing an elephant— if it couldn't swallow, it would choke and die.
But swallow it, and it would become a python!