His hatred for demonic cultivators had deepened beyond words. No matter how much he tried to forget, the memories clung to him like a shadow.
Even though he had changed his future, Su Kang feared this vision might one day take the form of a heart demon. That lingering possibility gnawed at the edges of his mind.
The emotions he had long buried surged up without warning, overwhelming his reason.
His breath grew ragged, uneven. Unconsciously, his Qi stirred—wild and unstable.
The temperature of the chamber plummeted, an unnatural cold seeping into the air.
Bai Yunxi gasped, clutching her arms as the oppressive aura pressed against her like an invisible weight.
The Moonlight Butterfly trembled, its delicate wings losing their usual glow as it cowered in the corner, sensing the overwhelming shift in Su Kang's presence.
Just as suddenly as it had descended, the pressure vanished.
The air returned to normal, but its impact lingered. Bai Yunxi's legs buckled slightly, and she staggered.
Su Kang reached out and pulled her into an embrace.
"I lost control..." he realized grimly.
Bai Yunxi tilted her head up, her jade-green eyes filled with concern.
"What… was that terrible pressure?" she whispered, her voice tinged with worry.
Su Kang exhaled slowly, pushing down the emotions threatening to consume him.
"Don't worry," he said softly, his arms still around her.
"Everything is fine now."
Bai Yunxi didn't respond immediately. He could feel the tension slowly leaving her body, her heartbeat gradually calming.
The Moonlight Butterfly, however, couldn't bear to remain any longer. With a soft flutter of its wings, it flew toward the exit.
Su Kang watched its retreating figure for a moment before turning to Bai Yunxi.
"Wait for me outside," he gently instructed.
She hesitated but nodded, stepping out of the chamber.
Only after she left did Su Kang turn back to the spiritual vein.
He had made his decision. Fate's plan would proceed—but not without caution.
"If we go through with this," he murmured, "I need confirmation. There won't be any backlash from the Heavenly Dao, correct?"
"Do not worry about this," Fate answered calmly.
"I merely intend to utilize it; you will not face any hindrance in your breakthrough. I will extract its blessings and fortune from the Heavenly Dao, and it will turn into a lower-grade vein."
"So it won't affect the earth's core or surrounding veins?" he questioned further.
"I can move it into my personal space pocket without causing any damage to the earth veins," Fate assured him.
Su Kang narrowed his eyes, studying the swirling energy of the spiritual vein.
After a moment of contemplation, he stepped forward.
The spiritual vein pulsed, radiating an ethereal glow.
As Fate took action, runes of intricate design bloomed in the air around the vein, glowing with a golden light.
They danced and twirled, forming a protective cocoon around the spiritual source.
The crystal rose into the air, suspended in the magical embrace of the runes, before vanishing in a flash of golden light.
The ground where the vein had once pulsed was now dull and gray, the spiritual energy slowly dissipating into a fine mist.
Without this vein, the array formation guarding this cave would soon collapse without spiritual energy.
He went outside and took Bai Yunxi with him.
"Let's go. I have already taken this vein with me. You will also get your share," he told her.
Bai Yunxi shook her head with a soft smile. "I don't need anything."
The Moonlight Butterfly, sensing the abrupt absence of the spiritual vein, felt a pang of loss. This cave had been its home, its sanctuary.
It saw Su Kang emerge but did not question anything. It had felt his oppressive aura—it knew better than to speak.
"You will come with us," Su Kang told it.
The Moonlight Butterfly lowered its head, silently accepting its fate.
As they walked away from the now-defunct chamber, the butterfly's glow dimmed slightly, its wings folding inward, as though mourning the death of its sanctuary.
Su Kang visited his cave in the mountain to pack their belongings.
Soon, they set off toward the Su family, the Moonlight Butterfly trailing behind them.
...
The journey back to the Su family's manor was nearing its end. Only a couple more days remained.
By now, Fate had fully absorbed the destiny housed within the spiritual vein. The once third-grade vein had degraded into a first-grade one, its brilliance dimmed, its value spent.
In return, Fate had recovered some of its abilities. It was slowly adjusting, its presence within Su Kang more vibrant than before.
Oddly, Su Kang felt a pang of sorrow—not for the vein itself, but perhaps for the price paid. Still, that fleeting emotion vanished when he heard the results.
"The spiritual vein yielded sixteen thousand destiny points," Fate reported. It was a massive gain.
"Fate, how are we going to divide these destiny points?" Su Kang asked.
"You may add two thousand to your own destiny," Fate replied.
"The rest has been used to aid my recovery, but I will compensate you with suitable cultivation resources."
With those two thousand, Su Kang's destiny would reach ten thousand—a respectable figure for his current realm.
But it was not enough.
Li Fang had thirty-two thousand when he left Jiang State. I'm still chasing his shadow.
He couldn't help but voice the thought. "Fate… I'm far too behind to ever match Li Fang."
Fate remained silent for a moment before responding, its voice calm and impassive.
"Stop trying to compete with people who are blessed by heaven."
"You just have to become strong by different methods and think of ways to collect more destiny."
Then, it asked, "Now tell me—what kind of cultivation resources do you seek?"
Su Kang fell into thought. Right now, there was only one thing he truly needed above all else.
"Superior qi cultivation techniques," he murmured.
"I want better cultivation techniques," Su Kang said. "My current Qi cultivation method is above average… but compared to the supreme techniques wielded by other geniuses, I'm still far behind."
Cultivation techniques were categorized into seven major grades, each further divided into four tiers—low, middle, high, and supreme.
A low-tier skill could never match the might of a middle-tier one at the same level, let alone a supreme-tier technique.
His current technique—the one from the Five Sword Mansion—was Exquisite-grade. Respectable, but far from exceptional.
His attack skills varied between middle and high-tier, and while they had served him well, they would not be enough for the future he envisioned.
If he wanted to reach the Nascent Soul realm and forge an unshakable foundation, he would need nothing less than a Legendary-grade cultivation technique.
But this wasn't just about himself.
He needed techniques for Bai Yunxi as well, and eventually, for the Su family. A legacy required more than a single powerhouse—it needed structure, inheritance, and adaptability.
"Very well," Fate responded. "Tell me the specific qualities or attributes you seek in these techniques. What do you require?"
Su Kang fell silent, his eyes narrowing as thoughts raced in his mind.
Choosing a technique wasn't something to do impulsively. A good cultivation method had to align with one's talent and environment.
A technique too advanced would be wasted on those lacking the spiritual resources or talents to cultivate it.
I need something scalable, he thought.
Not just for myself… but for Yunxi and the clan. Something that can grow with us.
"I'll tell you later," he finally said, voice steady. "I need some time to think about this."