The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 433: Chapter 72: Li Gui Meets Li Kui?

Li Shifan nodded. "Regardless of who Elder Huang is, the Four Symbols Ancestor of the Grotto Heaven is still a significant figure, even in Hongmeng.

But I still can’t wrap my head around what happened today. The other party clearly didn’t know Elder Huang, so it’s not like he was intimidated by his status. Why would a mighty Four Symbols Ancestor just swallow his pride like that?"

Li Cheng smiled. "What do you think? If strength weren’t an issue, today’s events would have had a completely different outcome."

Li Shifan said, confused, "I don’t quite understand. Please enlighten me, Ancestor!"

Li Cheng glanced at Li Shifan. "You have a good Heart, but you’re still young and inexperienced. You haven’t seen enough of the world.

The tone for today’s confrontation was set the moment that man’s Incarnation began to descend and hastened its formation."

Hearing this, Li Shifan looked completely bewildered, not understanding what Li Cheng meant.

Li Cheng chuckled. "Today, both you and that young brat called for your elders, bringing the patriarchs into the fray.

From the moment you two started fighting, if it had been in public, it would have been a contest of status and influence between the two old men. In that situation, Elder Huang might not have come out on top, since the Alliance is a secret organization.

But out here in the depths of these old mountains, it’s more a comparison of strength—not one’s true strength, but the strength of one’s Incarnation.

If their power had been roughly equal, it probably would have turned into one of those ’all Daoist Sects are one big family’ scenes, like old friends reuniting after many years."

Li Cheng paused here. Seeing Li Shifan’s thoughtful expression, he continued, "Unfortunately for him, that ancestor from the Grotto Heaven either has an unrefined Incarnation Technique, or there’s a huge gap in strength between him and Elder Huang. Or perhaps both.

The instant the other party’s Incarnation appeared, Elder Huang made a move to probe him. That single action was what actually set the tone for the encounter.

That’s also why he accelerated his Incarnation’s materialization.

Because they were out in the wilderness, and one Incarnation was at the Human Realm while the other was at the Peak of the Celestial Realm—with the entire Earth Realm in between—the difference in the completeness of their Incarnations was also enormous.

So, as long as Elder Huang didn’t completely humiliate him, if he wanted his Disciple to get away safely, he had no choice but to endure, accept, and follow the tone Elder Huang had set.

In the end, it all comes down to strength.

In civilized lands, you can still compete with soft power. But out here in the Hengduan Mountain Range, the only thing that matters is hard power!"

Hearing this, Li Shifan stood stunned for a long while before sighing softly, "The Immortal Dao is truly arduous..."

Li Cheng’s expression grew a little more desolate upon hearing this. He let out a sigh. "It is. It’s as hard as climbing to the heavens. Keep working hard, kid. I might just have to rely on you in the future.

I can barely keep up with your progress these days. If you don’t want to end up with no one to back you and become a Loose Cultivator with no future, then you’d better focus on navigating the Alliance.

For someone in your position, this is your only true Heaven-Reaching Path—one that even the Celestial Spirit Sect can’t compare to."

Li Shifan tightened his grip on the bundle on his back. "I will!"

"As long as you understand. You are blessed with great Qi Fortune and a Blessed Source. With your current level of Cultivation, there’s not much more I can do to help. From now on, I’ll try my best not to diminish your Qi Fortune and Blessed Fortune," Li Cheng said, his tone desolate.

"Please don’t say that, Ancestor," Li Shifan said earnestly. "Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Even if I were plagued by Unbelievable Misfortune, I would never blame you."

Li Cheng’s expression froze. He had lived for seven or eight hundred years—three hundred as a man, and for the last four hundred or so, a life within a Scroll.

He had seen countless descendants through the generations, but he was most satisfied with the one before him now.

It wasn’t a matter of talent; in fact, his talent was among the worst of them.

What he meant was what he valued most: Li Shifan’s Blessed Source, his Qi Fortune, and his Heart.

While such an innocent heart wasn’t ideal for the path of the Dao, raising a grandson like this was still deeply touching.

This was especially true given that their consciousnesses were deeply bound, allowing him to feel the profound sincerity in the boy’s words.

After a long moment, Li Cheng laughed. "Haha, it seems I, your ancestor, have a Blessed Source after all. It just arrived a bit late."

"Are you trying to say I’m your lucky star, Ancestor?" Li Shifan asked as he gathered his things.

Li Cheng laughed. "You little rascal, been in the mountains too long, have you? Forgotten the persona I taught you? You’re getting more and more brazen."

"I know, I know. A proper Sword Cultivator has to be cold and aloof..."

And so, bantering back and forth, the ancestor and his grandson made their way out of the mountains.

The forest was deep and secluded. The setting sun was the color of blood, and the evening glow stained the entire sky red, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting. From the desolate past to the present day, it had witnessed countless legendary tales.

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Zhang Deming returned to the Spirit Nurturing Space and observed Li Shifan through a point of light.

He happened to catch this scene as well. ’It seems this Golden-Haired Sheep isn’t just worth fleecing, but also worth cultivating,’ he thought. ’He’s got the destiny of a protagonist.’

The thought was still tumbling through his mind when the Merit and Qi Fortune in his inventory reacted simultaneously. His Merit increased by one, and his Qi Fortune by three.

’The Golden-Haired Sheep has shed some more wool! And it was such an easy shearing, too. Fleecing him felt great, just wonderful!’

He looked at his Energy. His inventory now read: Merit: 25.4, Qi Fortune: 217.6, Karma: 1.4

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