Chapter 75: You Are Truly Destined to Meet Me

"Fortune feels tangible. Just this small cup could change an ordinary person's destiny," Zhao Xing mused, gazing at the golden cup.

The growth of fortune manifests in various ways. It could be in romance, suddenly encountering an exceptional person of the opposite sex who, against all odds, insists on marrying them. Or in wealth, accumulating more riches in a few years than one could acquire in a lifetime. It might also involve meeting influential benefactors who become political allies, leading to continuous promotions. For cultivators, it's the classic scenario of finding treasure in a junkyard, snatching a bargain at an auction, receiving guidance from an expert by chance, or leaping off a cliff to gain divine martial arts. Fortune influences all aspects of life. Besides longevity, 'fortune' was what Zhao Xing desired most.

"This small cup can raise fortune from Grade One to Grade Two, but since my fortune is already at Grade Two, it likely won't reach Grade Three." Zhao Xing brought the cup to his nose and inhaled gently. The fortune in the golden cup vanished instantly. The cup also transformed into an ordinary stone cup.

"The feeling of a racing heart disappeared; everything is normal." Zhao Xing checked his status panel. Just as he predicted, there was no breakthrough; his fortune remained at Grade Two. The path of fortune is profound and mysterious, the most enigmatic and difficult to improve. Zhao Xing wasn't surprised.

"To go from Grade Two to Grade Three, I'll probably need two more high-grade spiritual elixirs." Zhao Xing casually tossed the dull stone cup onto the ground and exited the cave. Although his fortune hadn't reached Grade Three, gaining a small cup of it meant good luck was certainly coming his way, though he didn't know how it would manifest.

"Hmm?" As soon as Zhao Xing stepped out of the cave, a feeling of emptiness and reluctance filled his heart, as if he was about to miss a great opportunity.

"Meow," the mountain cat rubbed against Zhao Xing inquisitively, wondering why he stopped.

"Little mountain cat, are there any other good things inside the cave?" Zhao Xing asked.

The mountain cat nodded, then shook its head.

"Is there or isn't there? Never mind… I'll go check myself." Having just gained a cup of fortune, and with good luck imminent, Zhao Xing naturally wouldn't ignore this feeling.

He returned to the cave and searched all four diverging paths thoroughly. After searching for a full hour, Zhao Xing found nothing unusual.

"That's strange. I searched all four paths inside the cave and found nothing, yet as soon as I step out, that feeling of reluctance reappears."

"Is it my imagination? Am I overestimating the effect of fortune?" Zhao Xing began to doubt himself.

He re-entered the cave and went to the icy lotus pond. "Could it be these? But these three icy lotuses are far from mature. Even being this close, I don't feel any sudden inspiration." Approaching a spiritual elixir usually elicits a strong feeling, but fortune is more ambiguous.

"No, it's not them." Zhao Xing didn't pick these immature spiritual elixirs. Destroying elixirs that haven't fully matured yet, as birthed by heaven and earth, would harm one's fortune.

Just then, the mountain cat tugged at Zhao Xing's pant leg.

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing looked down. The mountain cat had, at some point, picked up the stone cup Zhao Xing had discarded, seemingly wanting to play with him.

"This broken cup is useless. Why did you pick it up? Go away, I don't have time to play right now." Zhao Xing was a bit annoyed.

"Meow, meow," the little mountain cat whined, a bit wronged.

"Oh, I'm not scolding you… Alright, alright, let's play." Zhao Xing picked up the stone cup, intending to throw it away. But as soon as he picked it up, Zhao Xing's eyebrows twitched. The moment he held the cup, he suddenly felt a sense of 'peace of mind.'

"Could it be this?" Logically, since the fortune had vanished, it should be nothing more than an ordinary stone cup. Zhao Xing examined it closely but found nothing extraordinary about it.

"Little mountain cat, let's go." With a thought, Zhao Xing walked out of the cave. This time, as he moved away from the cave, the feeling of 'loss' did not reappear.

"It really was it!" Zhao Xing joyfully ruffled the mountain cat's head. Although he still didn't know its purpose, the mountain cat had undoubtedly performed a great service this time.

"Want to play? No problem, but it's no fun with just the two of us. Let's find some others; I promise you'll have plenty of fun."

After Zhao Xing and the mountain cat left, a figure riding a bamboo horse gazed from a distance. He watched the backs of the man and cat, a hint of confusion in his eyes, then quickly rushed into the cave.

At the first quarter of the Tiger hour (approximately 3:15 AM), people at the Temple of Heaven square gradually dispersed. The last wave of incense offerings at the divine temple had been released, and the temple gates closed again. Everyone began their new day's journey to seek spiritual elixirs. However, the effect of the incense offerings gradually diminished; those who offered later were destined to rely on luck. Others swiftly patrolled the mountains, attempting to snatch opportunities from others. For a time, sounds of combat echoed from various parts of the mountain.

On a certain cliff face, there was a vibrant small tree bearing three translucent, purple fruits. However, the small tree was inconspicuous, growing in a crevice, and its fruits were obscured by dense leaves, making them hard to spot.

"Clang!" Qin Feng plunged his saber into the rock, using the leverage to leap upward for a short distance. "Sizzle, sizzle," the saber got stuck in the crevice, then sharply slid down, sending scattered stones tumbling. Qin Feng fell with them.

"Brother Qin, be careful!"

"Brother Qin!" his three companions below cried out in alarm.

Qin Feng quickly pulled out the dagger from his waist and plunged it into the cliff face again, finally stopping his descent. He found a foothold and finally stabilized himself.

"Clunk!" The rocks fell, shattering into pieces. Qin Feng glanced down, a cold sweat breaking out. If he had fallen, he would likely have been no different from the stones, smashing into pieces.

"This place is eerie. The higher you go, the greater the resistance. You all be careful too," Qin Feng called down.

"I feel it too," a companion replied. "Elsewhere, we can easily leap seven or eight meters high, but now, even with full strength, we can only jump one or two meters."

"A heavy cliff, indeed, a very heavy cliff. This place is too dangerous. I jumped from three meters earlier and my feet were throbbing," another person said, still feeling lingering fear and somewhat wanting to give up.

"Push harder! The harder it is, the more it proves the rarity of the treasure up there. It might even be a medium-grade spiritual elixir!" Qin Feng licked his lips.

"Okay, I'm coming. Brother Qin, give me a hand."

"Alright."

Although the climbing was slow, the four-person team, working together, still conquered the over 200-meter-high cliff.

"My heart is pounding! It must be a medium-grade spiritual elixir!" Qin Feng gazed at the small tree within reach, his face revealing greed.

"Brother Qin, how many fruits are on the small tree?" someone below asked.

"There are three!" Qin Feng replied, smiling.

"Quickly pick them and let's get down the cliff. I can barely breathe up here."

"Okay." It was naturally impossible to consume the fruits on the cliff. If a medium-grade spiritual elixir for cultivation was meant to increase primal energy, it would require sitting in meditation and circulating energy. As for comprehending a new technique? That would require an even more secluded spot. On such a perilous cliff where even standing on tiptoes was difficult, who would dare to consume a spiritual elixir there?

The four began to descend slowly. The descent was also somewhat perilous, but fortunately, no one was injured in the end. They landed safely on the ground after a suspenseful descent.

"We're on the ground," Qin Feng panted, looking at his three martial brothers, a strange feeling stirring within him. Three fruits, but four people. How would they divide them? Since they couldn't be divided evenly, wouldn't it be better if he took them all?

"Three martial brothers, let's divide the fruits." Qin Feng walked over, his hand unconsciously resting on his saber's hilt.

"Hahaha, it's better to arrive at the right time than early, Brother Qin, what a coincidence…" Just then, a voice came from the woods. Several straw figures appeared, carrying a chair on which sat a smiling young man. He pointed forward: "Brother Qin, you have four people but only three fruits. Why don't you hand them over to me to prevent you four martial brothers from fighting among yourselves?"

"What?" Qin Feng was stunned, recognizing the familiar voice. He was about to react, but before the other party finished speaking, a dark shadow rushed forward. The next moment, Qin Feng felt a numbness in his wrist, and the three fruits instantly slipped from his grasp. When he looked again, they had vanished and reappeared in Zhao Xing's hand.

"You, you..." Qin Feng desperately wanted to strike this person's handsome face with his saber. This person was too dishonest; he had robbed him again and even exposed his thoughts.

"Brother Qin, I helped you resolve a crisis. Why don't you even say thank you? Are all the people from your Lake City Martial Department so ungrateful?"

"I..." Qin Feng glared at the other party, seething with anger and cursing inwardly. The other three also recognized that Zhao Xing was the 'senior' who had previously beaten them. Though robbed, they dared not speak out in anger.

"Thank! You!" Qin Feng gritted his teeth, forcing out a smile uglier than a cry.

"You're welcome. Hope we meet again next time." Zhao Xing waved his hand, instructing the straw figures to carry him away. Qin Feng and the others watched helplessly. There was nothing they could do; they simply couldn't defeat him!

Zhao Xing stroked the mountain cat in his arms: "Look, you took their things, and they still have to thank us. Isn't that fun?"

"Meow!" The mountain cat nodded its small head, indicating it was very happy.

"..." Qin Feng could still hear his voice and felt so depressed he wanted to spit blood. "Fun, my foot! I worked so hard for those spiritual elixirs!"

"Brother Qin, we have another location where we can try our luck. Let's just forget about this one," a martial brother advised, seeing Qin Feng tightly gripping his saber.

"Yes, you were the forty-eighth to offer incense, and Seventh Brother was the forty-second. We still have a chance." Apart from the top ten who would be teleported out, everyone else exited the way they entered. Qin Feng and his group were acting together, and they had more than one location.

"Let's go." Qin Feng, resigned, could only regain his composure and quickly leave for their next location. East Lake Mountain truly lived up to its name as a spiritual mountain. As they headed to the spot mentioned by 'Seventh Martial Brother,' they actually sensed the presence of another spiritual elixir.

It was a crystal-clear pond, and at the bottom lay two unknown 'eggs' emitting faint glows.

"Looks like low-grade spiritual elixirs?"

"Yes, my sensing is the same."

"Is the water deep?"

"Not deep, only seven or eight meters!"

"Any danger?"

"I'll throw a stone to check."

"Plop!" The stone sank into the pond, and no fierce beasts appeared. The four were immediately overjoyed. Their luck was truly good!

Generally, even knowing the location of a spiritual elixir, acquiring it was difficult. Like the heavy cliff they just came from, climbing it was arduous and fraught with danger. Although these were only low-grade spiritual elixirs, there were two of them, and no apparent danger. It felt like a free gift.

"Seventh Martial Brother's luck is really good. The forty-second incense offering had this effect, and it doesn't even require effort."

"Yes, it's just a shame about what Brother Qin found earlier..."

"Don't mention it," Qin Feng waved his hand. "Who's going down?"

"I'll go." Soon, someone retrieved the two unknown 'eggs' from the pond. The joy of acquiring the spiritual elixirs dispelled some of their previous gloom.

However, before they could even fully celebrate, a familiar voice rang out. "Hahaha, you all truly have a connection with me."

"Alright, I'll resolve another disaster for you!" Zhao Xing lay on his chair, grinning, and stroked the mountain cat. With a whoosh, the mountain cat leaped out like lightning. Seventh Martial Brother, who was holding the two eggs, felt a numbness in his wrist, then realized the treasures had disappeared.

"Damn it, this is too much!" Qin Feng cursed inwardly, instinctively drawing his saber.

"Brother, let it go, let it go..." The other three quickly held Qin Feng back. "Have you forgotten how we were beaten and strung up?"

Zhao Xing saw that Qin Feng dared to draw his saber and said with a half-smile, "What, I helped you resolve a disaster, and you're still ungrateful?"

Qin Feng drew his saber and turned to his Seventh Martial Brother, saying, "Martial Brother, do you think my saber looks good?"

Seventh Martial Brother: "..."

Having robbed the same group twice in a row, Zhao Xing also felt that Qin Feng and his companions were incredibly unlucky. "Perhaps it's not that their luck is bad, but that others' luck has improved, making theirs seem worse by comparison. The strong get stronger. After the first and second nights, the gap between previously similar officials has widened. Not just in cultivation level and spells, but also in the subtle influence of fortune."

Without a doubt, Zhao Xing was now among the strong! "After eating those four fruits earlier, I've broken through to the seventh stage of the Gathering Origin Realm. While my cultivation isn't the highest on the mountain, with the little mountain cat, few can defeat me in terms of combat power." Zhao Xing was in a very pleasant mood. Before coming to the mountain, he was only at the fourth stage of the Gathering Origin Realm, but now, in just two days, he had reached the seventh stage! Normal cultivation, even with good talent, would take at least three months. As for the improvement in his spells, that was even more exaggerated. If he hadn't come to the mountain, it might have taken a year to reach this level. After all, normal training wasn't a full-day affair; there were also various mundane distractions. How could step-by-step cultivation be this fast?

"Low-grade spiritual elixirs." Zhao Xing looked at the two eggs, then cracked their shells and sucked out the yolks and whites.

You consumed a low-grade spiritual elixir, gaining 1 year of additional lifespan.You consumed a low-grade spiritual elixir, gaining 1 year of additional lifespan.

"My additional lifespan has already increased by 38 years," Zhao Xing said, quite satisfied. "I'm a little closer to my goal of longevity. After obtaining a cup of fortune, I've encountered 'good luck' twice consecutively. Following this pattern, there should be one more instance of 'good luck' in the short term. I wonder where it will manifest."

Zhao Xing instructed the straw figures to carry him, walking aimlessly.

"Cousin, after consuming that elemental spiritual elixir, your injuries should be better, right? Have you made a breakthrough?" Zhang Boran asked, resting on a stone at the bottom of a leeward slope.

"Breakthrough? Hmph!" Wen Zhao snorted coldly.

"No way, still no breakthrough?"

"If it weren't for you, would I have wasted this spiritual elixir?" Wen Zhao pointed to his swollen eye sockets. "Most of this elixir's effect was used for healing!"

Zhang Boran stammered, "Cousin, this... you can't blame me for this. Who would've thought that wastrel could invite an elder official from the Divine Temple?"

"Alas, it's fate," Wen Zhao sighed heavily. Originally, they had hoped to be among the top three incense offerings, which would grant them the location of a high-grade spiritual elixir. But Zhang Boran was interfered with by 'Yuan Bo' and only managed to enter as the tenth person, far below their expectations. Only the top five could make the True Lord manifest and grant all wishes. For those who came after, the chance of obtaining a high-grade spiritual elixir was very slim. To be safe, Zhang Boran chose the more certain medium-grade spiritual elixirs and acquired two locations. However, after exiting, he didn't act immediately but first sought out Wen Zhao. After finding one spiritual elixir location for Wen Zhao to heal, he then went to search for the second one. Without Wen Zhao, he was just an ordinary eighth-stage Gathering Origin Realm martial artist. With Wen Zhao, he was stronger than most ninth-stage Gathering Origin Realm cultivators. Of course, it was safer to act with his cousin.

Below them was a small valley with an extraordinarily thick monkey tree, bearing many golden chestnuts. However, numerous mighty ape-like beasts guarded it below.

"Cousin, have you rested enough?" Zhang Boran was eager to try; he could sense many treasures in the valley below that attracted him.

"You stand at the eastern horizon, your aura sweeping the universe, establishing boundless distance," Wen Zhao chanted, and Zhang Boran instantly became energetic, his complexion ruddy. He leaped up from the stone and immediately jumped into the valley.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Boran reappeared on the hillside. His left shoulder had a bloody scratch, his hair was flying, and he was running quickly.

Seeing this, Wen Zhao was aghast: "Why did you even lose your saber?"

"Cousin, run! I got a big haul!" Zhang Boran felt no regret for losing his saber. His chest was bulging, and he was clutching an earthen pot sealed with mud under his arm.

"The earth follows my will, a step brings miles!" Wen Zhao chanted, taking a single step that transported him a hundred meters away. Zhang Boran also ran with all his might; behind him, angry roars of pursuit continuously echoed as many apes chased from the ground and trees.

Neither knew how far they had run. Finally, they no longer heard the cries of the apes behind them.

"We... we can stop now," Wen Zhao gasped, utterly exhausted.

"Whoosh," Zhang Boran also stopped. "We've shaken them off. There's a bamboo forest ahead; let's rest there."

"This bamboo forest is quite tall and dense, making it excellent for hiding."

"Good," Zhang Boran nodded, and the two walked towards the bamboo forest.

Zhao Xing, who was waiting in the bamboo forest for the Vajra Bamboo to mature, suddenly vaguely heard voices. He rose from his reclining chair, his expression peculiar as he looked at the two figures approaching.

"Are those... Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran?"