Chapter 701 - 702: Settling Scores?

Chapter 701: Chapter 702: Settling Scores?

Moonlight before the bed.

Painful memories are naturally bitter water, but what’s truly frightening is finding the sugar you’ve long hoped for within that bitterness.

You can’t drink it down, yet you can’t leave it behind.

Lin Luoyu’s [Childhood Nightmare] was perhaps that sugar she couldn’t forget, hidden in the bitter water.

Perhaps in her childhood memories, her parents were the last warmth she had.

Chu Xingchen gazed at the moon. Once upon a time, when he was alone, he too had wanted so badly—

Forgetting might not be the cure. Letting go was.

Chu Xingchen gazed at the moon and suddenly spoke:

"Ten thousand miles of wind, Haoran Righteous Qi."

Hearing this, Lin Luoyu looked at her master with slight confusion.

Chu Xingchen turned his gaze back:

"How do you understand ’Haoran’?"

Lin Luoyu thought carefully for a moment, then answered honestly:

"I haven’t deeply understood my own Haoran Qi, but I think it should mean—knowing what’s right in your heart, following your true intentions, and acting accordingly. That is Haoran."

"Perhaps just as Master said—having a clear conscience."

Chu Xingchen nodded and smiled lightly:

"Even though I’m your master, I’m certainly not your equal when it comes to these two characters. I thought Haoran Qi would be like today’s moon—cold and flawless."

Lin Luoyu shook her head:

"The bright moon is pure, but it still doesn’t match Fifth Junior Brother’s free-spirited nature."

Chu Xingchen agreed: "Free-spirited is free-spirited, but shameless is also definitely shameless."

Lin Luoyu smiled at this, as if she could still hear Cui Hao’s pleading voice in her ears.

"Since you’ve reached Nascent Soul, Master also wants to give you a gift." Chu Xingchen looked at Lin Luoyu. "I don’t understand Haoran Qi. Whatever happens next, just treat it as a blessing from heaven."

"Do what your heart wants to do, continue with your clear conscience. Even if you don’t feel that way in the future, it doesn’t matter."

"Remember this—it’s not that Haoran Qi followed you. You created Haoran Qi."

"Master hasn’t taught you anything. Everything just now was just casual chat."

Chu Xingchen’s expression was serious, each word spoken slowly and gravely.

Upgrading attribute lines sometimes depended on the situation.

The eldest disciple’s fortune—if left unexplained, it wouldn’t affect her.

Li Xingtian’s aptitude—without explaining it clearly, he wouldn’t hesitate either.

Chen Baiqing’s talent—even without explicit explanation, she wouldn’t doubt herself. She’d just know Master had brought her something good.

Lin Luoyu was different.

The two characters for Haoran carried a magical quality comparable to cultivation itself.

Chu Xingchen also couldn’t figure out whether Haoran was a state of mind.

If he just made things up to Lin Luoyu and upgraded her line, would she eventually doubt the principles she was certain of in her heart?

Would she feel her own Haoran had become false?

If Chu Xingchen’s expression was calm, his secrets were already half-revealed. Rather than risk creating negative possibilities for Lin Luoyu, he’d rather expose a bit more.

Besides, if he couldn’t even trust his own disciples, this sect-building endeavor would be rather meaningless.

Listening to her master’s words and seeing his serious expression, Lin Luoyu didn’t fully understand what Master was going to do, but she nodded earnestly to show she understood.

That day.

Haoran Qi shook the Peak of One Big Happy Family.

Pure Haoran Qi rose like clouds and mist, illuminated by moonlight, clear and gentle.

A long sword shot through the air, reflecting righteous energy.

That day.

Li Xingtian pushed open his door again, his gaze filled with both gratification and a hint of envy as he watched this soaring human Haoran Qi.

That day.

Cui Hao raised his wine glass slightly, a light smile on his lips, as if offering the most sincere blessing.

Li Yingling’s smile never stopped. Beside her, Chen Baiqing also gazed for a long time at the Haoran Qi piercing through the sky.

That day.

Within Tianyan Sect, countless people turned to look.

Bai Xuanling also stood with her sword for a long time, sighing just one sentence—

Another undefeated figure will emerge in this world.

At the cliff’s edge.

Within Chu Xingchen’s gaze, amidst the surging Haoran Qi, a figure stood without shame.

[Target: Lin Luoyu]

[Cultivation: Early Nascent Soul]

[Golden Attribute: Heaven-Earth Righteousness]

[Purple Attribute: Sword Genius]

[Purple Attribute: True to My Heart]

[Blue Attribute: Keen Thoughts]

[White Attribute: Hardworking and Enduring]

[Black Attribute: Childhood Nightmare]

Childhood Nightmare was indeed a black attribute, but it was also the memory where Lin Luoyu kept her sugar.

When the time came, when Lin Luoyu took the sugar from her heart.

When she let go of the unease of the past, this black attribute would naturally dissipate.

Besides, as a master.

This was also his responsibility—he shouldn’t rely entirely on the system to erase it.

——————————

Spiritual energy swept across, waves of Dao resonance spreading outward.

Then the spiritual energy tide gradually smoothed out. Almost everyone knew.

Li Yingling, this eldest senior sister, was about to finish her breakthrough.

Though Chu Xingchen was confident in his heart, he still stood up, his gaze fixed on the secret realm entrance.

Everyone else present also rose one by one, looking in that direction.

"A mere Spirit Transformation realm! Piece of cake!"

Before her figure appeared, Li Yingling’s confident and resonant voice rang out first.

Li Yingling stepped out of the secret realm, her entire being solid and genuine, authentic Spirit Transformation Dao resonance flowing around her body.

Then, a massive cheer erupted.

Li Xingtian clapped, shouting loudly as well.

San Dong rushed up first, and Qinghe was not far behind—Li Yingling could either host a celebration, or she could be the one who secretly gave him favors when she was the referee.

If he didn’t hurry up and show himself now, how could he expect Li Yingling to give him favors later?

This time, Lord Qinghe was definitely getting first place!

Most of the crowd surged forward.

Chu Xingchen also clapped. While listening to the celebratory cheers around him, he also heard the system’s notification.

[Main Quest Completed]

[Li Yingling has broken through to Spirit Transformation realm]

[Quest Reward: Mountains and Rivers Painting has been issued to system backpack]

[New Main Quest Issued]

[Any disciple breaks through to Integration realm]

[Quest Reward: Naichuan Shuttle]

[Disciple Li Yingling has broken through to Spirit Transformation realm]

[First stepping onto the True Immortal path, the soul settles within oneself]

[With a wisp of true intent, one finally gains freedom]

[Reward: A Wisp of True Intent]

[Note: Automatically issued to Li Yingling. Activation requires meeting conditions.]

[Countless truly seek immortal fate, yet cannot grasp it at heaven’s edge or sea’s shore.]

[Not knowing they carry true intent within, they beg heaven and earth in vain.]

[All things begin with oneself, a single spark of spiritual light reveals True Immortal.]

Chu Xingchen listened to the system’s voice, his expression unchanged, his gaze calmly watching the proud and satisfied Li Yingling feeding spiritual fruits to San Dong.

True Immortal...

Perhaps it wasn’t as good as the peace of this moment.

It was just a pity.

The system’s reminder wasn’t about how to use the so-called wisp of true intent.

It was a reminder.

The great tribulation had never ceased. Everything required constant struggle.

A streak of green light arrived at extreme speed, landing and transforming into Chen Baiqing. She looked at Li Yingling with slight guilt:

"Sorry, eldest senior sister. I’m late."

Li Yingling smiled and nodded, her gaze looking toward a streak of spiritual light still rushing from the horizon:

"Understood. I’ll go settle scores with Cui Hao in a bit!"

[

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