94: Wheel of Time

You suddenly realized the truth and immediately prepared to dig up some Materials from the ground.

However, just as you were about to act—

The Sacred Land Saint Son instantly made a move, outlining a complex Inscription and embedding it into your body.

You immediately felt your power being sealed, unable to mobilize it.

Immediately afterward, a force swept you up, leaving you unable to move.

You glared angrily at the Sacred Land Saint Son, fire blazing in your eyes.

The Sacred Land Saint Son looked at you and shook his head helplessly, "Stepping onto the enlightenment fruit might spare you the death penalty, but if you dare to dig up the fruit, no one can save you."

"That's easy for you to say. I'm not like you Prodigies, who can easily obtain an enlightenment fruit," you said resignedly.

"It seems you misunderstand the Canglan Holy Land," the Sacred Land Saint Son chuckled. "Some rules aren't aimed at any specific person, but must be obeyed by everyone—especially our own people."

"Hmph, I don't believe a word of it!" You curled your lip.

"Do you know that the foundation of the Canglan Holy Land lies in this magnificent Immortal Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme? Where do they come from?" the Sacred Land Saint Son countered.

You looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"This Immortal Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme come precisely from these enlightenment fruits," he explained. "They are not ordinary fruits, but living beings, absorbing the Energy of Heaven and Earth and transforming it into Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme."

"If everyone destroyed the enlightenment fruits like you, wouldn't the Canglan Holy Land be courting its own destruction?"

After speaking, he smiled and looked at you.

After listening, you felt a wave of shame wash over you.

You asked curiously, "Then why does the Grand Competition still give away enlightenment fruits? Three at a time?"

The Sacred Land Saint Son continued to explain, "Because the Heavenly Dao Fruit Tree produces three new enlightenment fruits every hundred years."

"So, even your own people must participate fairly in the Centennial Grand Competition to have a chance to get one?" you pressed.

"Of course!" The Sacred Land Saint Son nodded.

You finally understood: even the Canglan Holy Land's own resources must be obtained fairly through competition.

"Alright, your Holy Land is truly admirable, much stronger than certain other powers," you couldn't help but praise.

"The conflicts of the world are merely the Reincarnation of the strong preying on the weak. The victor ascends to Heaven, and the loser is annihilated—where is the right or wrong in that? There is only life and death," the Sacred Land Saint Son chuckled.

You nodded and said seriously, "Fine, I am willing to go with you to the Elder Hall to accept my death. Let's go."

Having said that, you looked calm and prepared to meet your demise.

Although you didn't obtain the enlightenment fruit this time, you had no regrets.

If only you had inquired more clearly earlier—you truly regretted not digging up something sooner!

The Sacred Land Saint Son laughed as he looked at you, then brought you back to Canglan Holy City.

Arriving at the Elder Hall, eighteen Elders were seated in a semicircle in the main hall.

These Elders had diverse appearances, including old men, old women, young men, young women, and even children.

However, the Elder Hall, which should have been solemn, was currently filled with incessant chatter—the Elders were arguing endlessly over various trivial matters.

Listening to the topics they were discussing, you couldn't help but frown—

"Seventh Elder, when are you going to return the hundred Spirit Stones you borrowed from me?"

Seventh Elder pretended to be deaf and mute, "Huh? What did you say? I borrowed Spirit Stones from you? Didn't you still owe me?"

"Sixth Elder, did you use my name to run up a tab at the Orchid Laurel Pavilion last time?"

"Third Elder, the bet you lost..."

"Alright, alright! Stop arguing!" An old man in the center suddenly shouted loudly, "Every time we hold an Elder Meeting, it's non-stop arguing. Let's handle the main business first!"

Everyone immediately quieted down and looked toward the Sacred Land Saint Son.

The Sacred Land Saint Son cupped his hands in greeting and recounted the details of your incident.

"Just this small matter? Why not just kill him and be done with it?" a young girl-like Elder casually remarked.

"Kill, kill, kill! All you know is killing! Can killing people solve the problem?" a child-shaped Elder retorted. "We need to figure out why he tried to cheat for Spirit Stones and why he went onto the enlightenment fruit! Only by finding the root cause can we prevent this from happening again..."

The central old man interrupted him, "Enough, stop rambling every time. Just say what we should do."

An elderly female Elder suggested, "Let's stick to the old rule: use the 'time dial' to view his past and future before making a decision."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Then, a dozen or so Elders looked at each other.

"Bring out the time dial," an Elder couldn't help but shout.

"Isn't it with Third Elder?" Someone looked toward Third Elder.

"When was it with me? Sixth Elder was using it last time!" Third Elder immediately retorted.

Suddenly, an Elder pointed to the corner of the wall and shouted excitedly, "It's there! It's there!"

"Who throws things around after using them?" another Elder grumbled as he walked over and picked up the Magic Treasure, the "time dial."

He circulated his power, tossed the "time dial" into the air, and injected a stream of Energy—

In an instant, the dial spun rapidly, and a Streak of Light shone upon you.

Immediately afterward, scenes of your past appeared above your head.

You were deeply shocked, seeing the scene of your own birth in the projection—

You were born on a warm morning, neither crying nor fussing, just opening a pair of dark, clear eyes, curiously observing this new world.

Your chubby cheeks and plump, lotus-root-like arms caused the Midwife to praise repeatedly, "Master and Madam, the Young Master is truly handsome and well-behaved. In all my years of delivering babies, I've never seen a child so quiet!"

Your father, Qin Xiuwen, held you carefully, smiling widely. Your mother, Lin Xueping, though tired, had eyes full of happiness and affection.

Seeing the look in your parents' eyes back then, you couldn't help but shed tears of sadness—

You hadn't seen them for decades, and you didn't know if they were well or still alive... A heart-wrenching pain surged through you.

The scene quickly shifted to when you were one month old—

You lay in a soft silk swaddling cloth and let out a dainty little yawn. Your mother gently hummed a lullaby and lightly patted you.

You seemed to understand, your lips curling slightly into an unconscious, sweet smile that instantly melted everyone's heart.

The first thing your father did every day when he returned was look at you, without even taking time to change his dirty clothes.

The scene quickly moved to when you were three months old—

You learned to roll over, straining like a hardworking little turtle, and after succeeding, you grinned with your toothless mouth, drooling and giggling.

Your laughter was as clear as silver bells, becoming the sweetest sound in the Qin Manor.

Your father often deliberately offered his finger to your small hand, and when you gripped it tightly, he would laugh heartily, "Look how strong my son is! He's definitely going to be a Martial Dao Genius!"

The scene then moved to when you were six months old—

You sat on a thick velvet blanket, surrounded by various exquisite and transparent toys.

You grabbed a rattle drum and shook it wildly, making a "dong dong" sound, laughing so hard you rocked back and forth.

Your mother held a fragrant Tranquilizing Jade Bell and gently shook it in front of you. You stretched out your short little hands, trying hard to grab it, looking utterly adorable.

After a moment, the scene arrived at your first birthday—

At the First Birthday Banquet, the Zhuazhou Ceremony began.

A dazzling array of objects was laid out before you: Ancient Texts, Medicinal Pills, a Writing Brush, a Small Sword, an Abacus, a Personal Seal...

You crawled around, finally grabbing the Personal Seal your father had placed in the corner with one hand, and the Sweet Spirit Cake your mother offered with the other—one hand grasping power, the other grasping deliciousness, stuffing your mouth full.

The guests burst into laughter and offered congratulations, "The Young Master will surely be both rich and noble in the future, knowing how to enjoy life!"

Your parents heard this and smiled even more happily.