202: The road you save now will eventually become a cost in the future

The tea cooled and was refilled, then cooled again.

"Our Old Ancestor said that the Myriad Epoch Calamity is very dangerous," Li Qingluan said, her fingertips gently caressing the rough rim of the clay cup. "Quite a few people have stumbled in previous rounds."

She looked up at him, her gaze clear: "With your talent, even if you don't undergo this calamity, several more seclusion sessions could make up for it."

"When there's a better path to take, why insist on this thorny one?"

Qin Wangchuan shook his head, his gaze fixed on the distant outline of the Tongtian Tower: "The path saved now will eventually manifest as a cost in the future."

"I cannot bear that cost, so I must walk it."

He withdrew his gaze, his tone calm: "Besides, in my opinion, this isn't even a thorny path; at most, it's just a bit troublesome."

Qin Wangchuan had already calculated everything in his mind.

This plan was divided into two steps: first, hold a martial arts competition in the Middle Thousand Province to let Jiang Yan make a name for himself;

Then, upon arriving at the Upper Thousand Provinces, he would personally step forward.

At that time, he would not only defeat the Prodigies of the Upper Thousand Provinces but also seize the Luck that Jiang Yan had already accumulated.

Two battles would save him the trouble of searching for children of Luck all over the world.

At most, it would only require some effort to cultivate Jiang Yan.

While he was pondering, a slightly cool hand suddenly caressed his cheek.

Li Qingluan's voice sounded in his ear, carrying an unprecedented complex emotion:

"You're always like this, keeping everything hidden in your heart."

Her voice was very soft, yet it held stubbornness: "How can I help you?"

Qin Wangchuan had intended to remain silent, but when he turned to meet her eyes, he couldn't help but be stunned.

What kind of eyes were those?

Too many emotions he couldn't decipher surged within them, so complex that he dared not look directly.

Qin Wangchuan was silent for a moment; when he spoke again, his voice had regained its usual calmness:

"I need to create a situation."

"To gather the children of Luck from the Upper Thousand Provinces and the Middle Thousand Province together."

"I've already started preparing for the Middle Thousand Province's part, so..."

"Leave the Upper Thousand Provinces to me," Li Qingluan suddenly leaned closer, speaking almost face-to-face.

It was a tone of certainty, without any hesitation, not a trace of wavering.

Perhaps the incident with the alien race on the Immortal Path last time had impacted Li Qingluan, making her this way.

'But... this is good too.'

Qin Wangchuan thought to himself.

— — — — — — — — — — — —

After parting with Li Qingluan, Qin Wangchuan arrived at the residence arranged by the Tongtian Family, but Jiang Yan was nowhere to be seen.

Following his Aura, he finally found him in an open square in the west district of Tongtian City.

At this moment, the training ground was bustling with people, a dense crowd forming a circle, the clamor almost overturning the sky.

In the center of the circle, a simple but sturdy arena had been temporarily erected with bluestone slabs.

On the stage, Jiang Yan was locked in a life-and-death struggle with a young Cultivator dressed in a brocade robe.

"Bang!"

It was another head-on collision.

Jiang Yan staggered back three steps before steadying himself, his left shoulder's clothing torn, a deep, bone-visible wound gushing blood.

The brocade-robed youth opposite him also fared poorly; his right cheek was swollen high, blood streaked from the corner of his mouth, and his luxurious robe was ripped in several places.

Both gasped violently, sweat mixed with blood dripping from their chins, splattering into small dark flowers on the bluestone slab.

Qin Wangchuan walked over.

His green robe seemed to separate him from the clamor.

His Divine Sense spread out like an invisible spiderweb, and the surrounding noisy discussions clearly entered his ears:

"They've been fighting for almost the time it takes an incense stick to burn, haven't they? Tsk tsk, they really don't care about their lives..."

"Isn't that the truth? That kid's cultivation is clearly more than a notch weaker, yet he can last this long!"

"I heard he just Ascended from the Lower Realm?"

"Yes, yes, that's why he got into this trouble..."

Soon, Qin Wangchuan pieced together the full story from these scattered remarks.

It turned out that earlier this afternoon, Jiang Yan was strolling through the city, wanting to familiarize himself with the customs of the Middle Thousand Province.

Unexpectedly, he ran into this brocade-robed youth—Liu Kun, the legitimate son of a small local aristocratic family, the Liu Family.

This person had always been arrogant. Seeing that Jiang Yan's cultivation was only at the seventh realm and he was a new face, he got the idea to tease him.

"A dirty thing from the Lower Realm..." Liu Kun covered his nose with his sleeve, his brows furrowed in disgust, as if the air was filled with some nauseating smell. "Ascending is one thing, but a mere seventh realm, who gave you the guts to linger in the Tongtian Realm?"

Jiang Yan frowned, but he didn't flare up.

Instead, he suppressed his anger and stepped aside to let him pass.

Who knew that this concession would be taken by Liu Kun as a sign of weakness and easy bullying.

He pushed his Luck, blocking Jiang Yan's path, raising his voice to deliberately make sure everyone around could hear: "I told you, those who come up from the Lower Realm are indeed all uncultured barbarians."

The onlookers let out a few jeers.

Jiang Yan clenched his fists, knuckles turning white, but he still endured, lowering his head to continue walking.

"Hey, Young Master is talking to you!" Liu Kun actually reached out to push his shoulder. "Deaf or mute? Oh, right, I heard you people from the Lower Realm have dull Aptitude; you couldn't possibly not even understand human speech, could you?"

Jiang Yan suddenly looked up, anger burning in his eyes.

Liu Kun, however, intensified his taunts. He scrutinized Jiang Yan from head to toe, a malicious smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth: "Looking at your impoverished state, your parents probably already..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Yan's Aura suddenly exploded!

"Say that again." Jiang Yan's voice was as cold as ice, every word carrying killing intent.

Liu Kun was startled by this sudden Aura, then became furious out of shame: "I said your parents probably died in some forgotten corner of the Lower Realm long ago! An uneducated brute!"

"Boom—!"

Something within Jiang Yan seemed to shatter.

His mother was the unapproachable inverse scale deep in his heart!

"Whether people from the Lower Realm are barbarians, you'll know if you try!" Jiang Yan's voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire street, carrying an undeniable resolve. "Right now!"