Shen Kai was in a bad mood. The orders from the higher ups in his sect was to be as low key as possible while exploring the mysterious world fragment. But who could predict that that weird kid called Mu Ran would discover it?

Shen kai hadn't believed a single word that came out of his mouth as soon as Mu Ran started explaining his discovery of the portal with that retarded "coincidence". It said something about Mu Ran's intelligence, but dumb people were sometimes favoured by the heavens; perhaps that's what had happened in there too. After all, the portal was hidden from anyone's perception in this lower world using seventy-one types of illusion spells and a grandmaster level array formation that twisted all sorts of universal laws of perception around it. Unless a legendary cultivator beyond the realm of soul reformation came down there, there was no way anyone could just sniff it out while investigating that area.

Feeling vexed, Shen Kai wrapped the shawl around him to hide his tattered clothes and small injuries from prying eyes. There were a lot of cultivators with scary backgrounds loitering around the town due to the suddenly revealed traces of the mysterious world fragment. Shen Kai had just barely avoided a group of dozens who looked like they were from a sect that didnt belong anywhere within five thousand miles. Hell, they might even have been from overseas...

"Young man, can I have a word with you?"

The kind voice jolted Shen Kai into focusing on the seat beside him on the ferryboat. An old man holding a large black and red fish scale on his palms sat beside him wearing a peaceful expression on his face. Shen Kai suddenly felt that something was wrong with this situation. He was a cultivator at the eighth layer of physique transformation realm. How come he didn't notice the old man coming to sit beside him right now? He could swear that this seat was empty ten seconds ago...

"Young man, I wanted to ask if you've seen two children. Both are slightly younger than you, and not very strong. One of them address the other by 'boss'. Both of them had gone to pine town as representatives of a sect nearby. You met them, right? Can you point out which direction they went to?"

Shen Kai was dumbstruck. How did this old man know that he had met those kids? This guy was suspicious!

"Hey, answer the question, boy. Don't keep me waiting. I haven't got all day. I'm an old man. Show some respect. " The old man continued to nag.

In the dim light of lanterns swaying along the rhythm of the boat, Shen Kai noticed countless sinister, terrifying shadows superimposing behind the old man's hunched, harmless figure.

A cold chill encompassed his bones as the thoughts on this old man's cultivation level occupied his mind. He didn't have the mental strength to lie to the old man. He didn't want to die so young.

"Yes, I met them, grandpa. They went into the woods close to the town to investigate something. If you follow the route that runs through the woods, you'll definitely meet them."

Shen Kai's answer was very honest and straightforward, respect and politeness pouring radiating from his face like the sun emitting light. The old man looked very satisfied at his answer.

"The woods close to the pine town? Ha~ I should've guessed. No wonder somebody tried to erase my mark on the body of those kids. If my suspicion is true, the soul definitely should look for something that can strengthen itself. That place...I remember it had a trace of a world fragment hidden with an alien aura. Ah...no wonder they headed there. Thank you, little one. I can see that you're stuck in a bottleneck. Hmm...not bad, let me see..."

Shen Kai's back was wet with cold sweat. The words coming out of the old man's mouth was scaring him. A world fragment hidden with an alien aura? That's how he described the mysterious world on the other side of the portal?! And what did he mean by "let me see" ?

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As the frightened Shen Kai watched, the old man made some calculations on his fingers and traced the air in front of him aimlessly.

"Ah got it. Eh? That's interesting! Hmm..."

"Umm...what's so interesting, grandpa?" Shen Kai asked with some trepidation.

"Boy, it seems that the best way for you to gain another breakthrough and reach the ninth layer of physique transformation realm is to..."

"Is to?"

"Pay my transportation fees for me and I'll tell you. This old man is penniless. "

". . ."

Shen Kai hesitantly reached into his pocket. Was this guy really a powerful cultivator? Was he really not a scammer? Should I take the risk of offending him?

With those complicated thoughts in his mind, Shen Kai took out some money from his pockets and handed them to the old man who greedily stared at his pocket during the whole process while he kept counting god-knows-what on his fingers.

The old man's childish behaviour attracted the attention of a child sitting a few feet away from them. She curiously observed his antics and suddenly interrupted.

"Grandpa, did your daddy not teach you how to count? Why are you counting on the same two fingers over and over? Do you need help?"

"Huh? Oh-ahem...it's been a while since I counted something so complicated. So this old man forgot some parts of mathematics. But rest assured, I managed to pull through...somehow. I've got this last bit of calculations left..."

"Wah~ I'm really good at mathematics! Tell me what the problem is!"

The old man curiously looked at the child for a few seconds before he opened his mouth.

"What is nine times forty three, little one?"

Shen Kai choked on his saliva. But he decided not to risk it by being disrespectful to the old man. He had heard that many of the old experts who roamed freely in the world of cultivation had weird personalities. The most popular antics among them was to play the pig to eat the tiger. Shen Kai didn't want to be a tiger outside his bedroom. So he just kept going with the flow.

"Hihihi..." the child giggled and started counting on her fingers.

"I got it!" She excitedly yelled after a few seconds.

"Oh? That was fast! Tell me your answer!" The old man eagerly said.

"I'll tell you if you give me money to eat candies!"

". . ."

". . ."

The old man and Shen Kai exchanged a look.

"Ai~ kids these days learn so fast! Sigh...the young shall eventually surpass the old one day!"

While the old man sighed, his eyes bore into Shen Kai's own with an intensity beyond words. Shen Kai understood what he had to do. Life is harsh.

With shaking hands, he pulled out another wad of cash and handed it to the giggling girl.

"Nine times forty three is three hundred and eighty nine!"

Shen Kai wanted to refute her saying it was the wrong answer, but the old man butted in before he could.

"Excellent! Truly excellent! It has to be the correct answer. The answer I got was three hundred and forty nine! Since they are close and mine isn't very reliable, your answer must be the correct one!"

"Ehehe...Thank you grandpa! Thank you big brother!" The girl excitedly shouted and ran back to her parents who were chatting at a distance.

The old man looked at Shen Kai and said with a benevolent smile,

"Boy, count your lucky stars that the little kid was here to correct me or I would've missed some variables. If you want to gain the next breakthrough, you must fight with the person you hate the most at the moment. As long as you battle him or her, you'll break through and achieve victory! I have a feeling that you're very clear about who I'm talking about, so hurry up. Bye!"

Before Shen Kai could interject, the old man stood up and started walking away extremely fast. Shen Kai's eyes tracked his back, only to realise after a second that he was actually staring at a completely different person seconds later! The old man had somehow vanished right before his eyes and he didn't even realize that.

Shen Kai pulled his shawl closer to his body and huddled up in a corner of the boat while clutching his almost empty pocket. Sigh...even for a demonic cultivator, this world was an unkind place to live in.

"I dont have the money for a returning ticket to pine town. Should I rob somebody? Or should i waste my qi to cast illusions to sneak inside a boat?

I'm being forced to commit these lowly crimes due to such petty reasons... It's not that I'm at fault, but it's the world that has wronged me..."

Feeling like a ruthless rebel who has seen through the unfairness of the world, Shen Kai decided to return to the woods and lurk for an opportunity to achieve his breakthrough.

.... ..... .....