Chapter 41: Beneath the Self, All Are Ants

Time flows like a shuttle; it is the first day of the month.

In the mountain forest, winding paths lead to secluded spots, and ancient trees cast deep shade, dotted with white wildflowers.

"How high is high when it comes to cultivation?" Chen Xuan muttered to himself, his hands clasped behind his back as he strolled along with a relaxed and leisurely gait.

"Kekekeke!"

On a cliff in the distance, a yellow-furred macaque lay on a blue stone. Upon seeing Chen Xuan, it bared a sinister, human-like smile, raised its arms high, twisted its body, and scampered away with a shrill laugh.

It was a chimera, a ghostly sprite.

Chen Xuan did not pursue it, continuing his slow walk along the mountain trail. The Southern Wilderness was originally the territory of the twenty-four spirits and monsters; encountering a chimera along the way was nothing unusual.

Before long, the view ahead opened up. In the distance, a group of Qi practitioners from Scarlet Crow City had gathered, numbering several dozen. The three members of the Chu family, the various members of the Li family, and the Wu family members—whom he had met while competing for treasure fish at Little Stone Lake—were all among them.

"Chu Huogun has undergone his second feathering; he has achieved nirvana."

Chen Xuan noticed that Chu Huogun had grown a brand-new body, his limbs whole and his complexion ruddy—he even looked several years younger than when they had first met.

"Brother Xiao Wang, I haven't been able to find you lately. I heard that you caused quite a stir at the Suspended Temple a few days ago, even making off with their precious medicines..."

As soon as Chu Huogun saw Chen Xuan, his eyes lit up, and he led the two younger members of his family over to greet him. He had previously entered the Southern Wilderness with a group of practitioners, attempting to track down Yan Yushu, but she had vanished without a trace, leaving them to return empty-handed. It was only upon returning to the Suspended Temple's encampment that he learned of the incredible, earth-shattering trouble Chen Xuan had caused. Later, because the [Buddha Heart Treasure Tea] had been stolen by Chen Xuan, the practitioners in the camp could no longer sit still; a great commotion broke out, and everyone fled.

"I was outmaneuvered, and the score remains unsettled." Chen Xuan’s mood was calm; when speaking of the past, he showed no signs of frustration. He immediately asked, "What are you all gathered here for?"

Chu Huogun explained that he had recently been tagging along with a prominent Qi-practicing family from Scarlet Crow City. A friend he had known in his youth had since become a heavyweight in the Scarlet Crow City region, and by following him these past few days, Chu had gained many benefits.

"Over the past hundred years, there have been two top-tier Qi-practicing families in Scarlet Crow City, known together as Wang and Xie. We are currently waiting for the head of the Wang family, Wang Zhenyang..." Chu Huogun licked his lips, a flicker of imperceptible melancholy crossing his eyes. He sighed, "But things have changed; my old friend and I are no longer on the same level."

Chen Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a vast expanse of crimson clouds suddenly rose in the distant sky, spreading forth as magnificently and brilliantly as brocade.

"My old friend is here," Chu Huogun said, his expression suddenly grave.

Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked. Beneath the resplendent crimson clouds, two magnificent red horses pulled a carriage. On the carriage sat an old man draped in crimson ceremonial robes, his white hair draped over his shoulders, his face stern and majestic.

The old man, named Wang Zhenyang, had flames dancing in his pupils, and his aura was surging. He sat leaning against an iron chair, six thick, powerful arms extending from his wide sleeves, resting nonchalantly on the armrests.

"A great cultivator of the Dao Storage Realm has arrived," someone in the crowd whispered.

"Wang Zhenyang... six arms. He has realized the Dao Storage from the True Scriptures," another practitioner said, his body trembling, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

"I can't... I have to kneel," a Scarlet Qi practitioner gasped, his face flushed red. Unable to hold on, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, prostrating himself.

The Dao Storage Realm. It was the second major stage on the path of Qi cultivation.

As Wang Zhenyang approached, nearly half of the practitioners present began to exhibit symptoms—all of them were Scarlet Qi practitioners. Their faces turned pale, their knees shook, and one by one, they knelt on the ground, burying their faces, unable to look up or even lift their heads.

"Sigh, I can't hold on either." Chu Huogun was drenched in sweat, his mouth spitting sparks as he knelt, muttering, "Every time I see my old friend, I have to kneel. We are not what we once were; I must call him Master Wang now."

Chu Qingling and her sickly cousin, who stood behind him, had only just undergone their feathering and had not yet cultivated Scarlet Qi. Consequently, they remained normal, unaffected by the pressure.

"So this is a great cultivator..."

Chen Xuan scanned the surroundings. He saw the Li family, the Wu family, and others all kneeling—not by choice, but because the suppression from the superior Scarlet Qi forced them to.

"Fortunately, I cultivate three types of Immortal Qi, so I am spared this situation." Chen Xuan whispered to himself. Within his body, the Gold Virtue White Qi flowed, leaving him completely unaffected.

"Fellow daoists, there is no need for such formalities. Rise."

Wang Zhenyang spoke calmly with a dignified expression, gently lifting a hand. His words were like a heavenly mandate, and an invisible force instantly dissipated.

Chu Huogun and the others felt the agitation of the Scarlet Qi within them subside. Wiping the sweat from their foreheads, they gripped their knees and stood up. "As you command."

The path of Qi cultivation is strictly hierarchical. Within the same realm, one might overcome the strong with the weak, but if separated by a major realm, it is impossible. One cannot even harbor the thought of resistance, for the moment it arises, it is detected. The higher the realm, the more profound this suppression from the superior becomes.

If Wang Zhenyang wished, he could slaughter every Feathering Realm Scarlet Qi practitioner here in a short time; to him, their numbers were meaningless.

"Sister Qingling, sickly cousin, it’s been a day! I’ve missed you so much!"

A beautiful young girl in a red dress with a round face burst out from Wang Zhenyang’s entourage, rushed over to the Chu family, and threw her arms around the peach-blossomed-eyed Chu Qingling.

"Sister Wang Ling’er, oh, please stop poking at me." Chu Qingling looked helpless, struggling to grasp Wang Ling’er’s fair hands.

"Eh? Who are you? Do you also go by the name Chu? I’ve never seen you before." Wang Ling’er’s curious gaze landed on Chen Xuan. She was startled, as she clearly sensed that Chen Xuan’s blood and Qi were as robust as a tiger or leopard, not at all inferior to her own. The top geniuses of the Scarlet Crow City region were all familiar with one another; the sudden appearance of a stranger made her extremely curious.

"Wang Chan," Chen Xuan replied with a calm expression.

"Wang Chan?" Hearing this, Wang Ling’er’s head jerked back. She stared at Chen Xuan with wide, lively eyes, her expression strange. After a long moment, she muttered, "Wasn't 'Millet Dream' dead?..."

Chen Xuan was slightly taken aback. It seemed that the fact that Wang Chan was the "Millet Dream" was no longer a secret among these Qi-practicing families.

Just then, Chu Huogun turned his head to look at Chen Xuan and whispered, "Wang Zhenyang is probing my Scarlet Qi. What is he looking for? He’s done it many times these past few days; I don't understand..."

Chen Xuan turned to look at the carriage in the distance. On the carriage, Wang Zhenyang was tapping his fingers on the armrest. His flame-like gaze shifted toward Chen Xuan, offering a kind and benevolent smile before calmly looking away.

"Wang Zhenyang has noticed me... The keen intuition and methods of these high-level cultivators are truly impossible to guard against," Chen Xuan mused to himself.

He now understood that a superior cultivator could easily manipulate the Immortal Qi of a subordinate practitioner of the same element to peer directly into their memories. The subordinate had no privacy whatsoever—it was similar to how Lady Black Cat worked.

Wang Ling’er and Chu Qingling were very close and shared everything. She whispered, "My grandfather said that a young man with extraordinary bone structure and talent appeared in the Southern Wilderness these past two days, named Chen something... My grandfather had to probe dozens of practitioners before he reached this conclusion..." A Dao Storage Realm cultivator needed close proximity to a subordinate practitioner to manipulate their Qi. It was only after Wang Zhenyang arrived in the Southern Wilderness that he gradually realized Chen Xuan’s presence.

"Ah, this young man is so incredible..." Chu Qingling’s eyes widened as she responded, her gaze subconsciously flickering toward Chen Xuan.

It wasn't just her; Chu Huogun and the sickly cousin also turned to look at Chen Xuan in unison, then quickly looked away, acting as if nothing had happened.

"In the future, I will not use the name Wang Chan. That person is dead; it’s an unlucky name," Chen Xuan thought to himself. His senses were sharp, and he immediately caught the gazes of the three Chu family members.

Practitioners are all shrewd individuals; there was nothing more to say. Chen Xuan was already used to it. In fact, just a few days ago, Chu Qingling had blurted out, "Little Brother Chen..." Just now, Chu Huogun had also been subtly reminding him that Wang Zhenyang knew his true identity.

Wang Ling’er’s expression was solemn as she lowered her voice: "Of course he’s incredible. It took my grandfather twenty or thirty years to ascend to a great Dao Storage cultivator after studying one page of the Ancient Chu Kingdom's [True Scripture of the Mountain Pheasant]... But my grandfather said that this man named Chen might achieve success in perhaps ten years..."

"In the future, when our generation—you, me, Qingling, and the sickly cousin—meets him, we will have to kneel before him first."

Hearing this, Chu Qingling felt a surge of excitement. She widened her peach-blossom eyes, misty with water, and exclaimed, "Grandfather Zhenyang actually thinks so highly of Little Brother Chen... ah, this man named Chen?"

Chu Huogun’s reaction was even more dramatic. He stared fixedly at Chen Xuan, thinking to himself... He knew the man’s talent was high, but he never expected it to reach this extent. Ten years to achieve success? By then, his own teeth would have fallen out, and he would still have to kneel before Chen Xuan alongside his grandchildren, like Qingling? Just the thought of it made him feel as if he would lose all his dignity.

Wang Ling’er, herself a somewhat famous genius, huffed, "I really want to see just how capable this man named Chen is..."

As they spoke, Wang Zhenyang’s carriage set off once more, leading the crowd of hangers-on toward their destination.

The Peach Blossom Spring would descend today. The top figures of Scarlet Crow City and the Southern Wilderness were set to conduct a negotiation regarding the distribution of benefits. Many things hidden beneath the surface would finally be laid out on the table.

Chen Xuan followed the crowd; his planned route coincided with theirs.

"Through the Heart Fasting, I can see that the Six Desire Heaven’s Yan Yushu is nearby. There are some urgent matters we need to discuss."

Wang Ling’er was right about one thing: he learned True Scriptures very quickly. But it would not take the ten years Wang Zhenyang had predicted.

"It will take three years..."

Chen Xuan did not know whether the Ancient Chu Kingdom’s [True Scripture of the Mountain Pheasant] was more difficult than his own [True Scripture of the Millet Dream]. However, he had thoroughly mastered the [True Scripture of the Millet Dream] over these past few days. The Millet Qi of the first chapter, the Feathering Realm, was about to be cultivated, and he would only need three years to enter the second chapter, the method for ascending to the Dao Storage Realm.

Three years was not a long time; for a Qi practitioner, it was but the flick of a finger. Chen Xuan had once spent three years persistently practicing mundane martial arts.

But now, he hoped this time could be shortened. There were too many monsters on the path of Qi cultivation; he needed to forge ahead!