"For a human lifespan, you should be very young. Being so young, it is almost impossible for you to have the mindset of an old ghost who has reached the end of their life. So, tell me, what causes you to become more evil than a practitioner full of bloodlust and more kind than a practitioner full of hypocrisy?"

Huang Zhi, with its long experience before falling into a deep sleep, had encountered many people and various martial artists. However, it had never met anyone who embraced their goal as passionately as Niu Chang did, and the goal itself was more grandiose than Huang Zhi's.

'Perhaps it is not their goal that is less impressive than this little boy's, but rather their mindset that is inferior to his.'

Niu Chang listened silently, falling into deep thought, pondering Huang Zhi's question.

He delved into memories of his first life, trying to understand what had shaped him into who he was now. Fragmented ideas, images, and videos flashed before his eyes.

Among them, he saw a particular idea and image. However, these memories were ever-changing and had no fixed form.

'A man?' Niu Chang asked himself, realizing the answer but also feeling confused by it.

After pondering for a while, Niu Chang opened his eyes, looking up at Huang Zhi.

"I-"

Clap, clap, clap.

Both Niu Chang and Huang Zhi turned their heads, and even the snake on the side followed suit. The sudden clapping sounds startled them, causing an exaggerated reaction.

Unable to detect anything with his enhanced senses, Niu Chang reflexively turned his head to trace the source of the clapping. His gaze started from the general direction and found nothing among the trees. Then, he looked up and raised his vision to the tops of the trees.

Above the trees, in the air, a man dressed in ordinary robes was walking effortlessly.

Clap, clap.

He continued clapping, wearing a smile and narrowing his eyes. The man glanced at Niu Chang briefly before fixing his gaze on Huang Zhi.

After adjusting his eyes to the bright sky, Niu Chang was finally able to fully capture the man's image.

His face reflected a blend of youth and age. His deep, dark eyes seemed to draw in the surrounding light, carrying the enchantment of crystallized wisdom acquired over time, while also radiating a spark of youthful hope. His physique boasted well-developed muscles, neither overly prominent nor excessively thin.

Despite wearing casual and inexpensive robes, his commanding presence remained unaffected. Instead, a captivating paradox emerged, highlighting his status and elevating the value of the garment he adorned.

Every aspect of his being exuded an air of prestige, augmenting his inherent charm.

Huang Zhi's eyes widened in shock, unable to analyze this man's cultivation level. However, his ability to walk on air already demonstrated his high level of cultivation.

"Walking on the void and hidden from the secular world. An immortal who condenses his core?" Huang Zhi's voice trembled, and it used its yellow qi to cover the red fruit hanging on its chest.

Niu Chang, who had never been in such a calm state, caught Huang Zhi's words and his interest was piqued. 'An immortal? Condensing core?'

'So, this world follows the regular norm? Qi Refinement, Foundation Building, and then Golden Core?' Niu Chang thought to himself.

'That's why I didn't feel any qualitative change after receiving such a huge amount of qi. No, perhaps it was the limit given by the system.'

Niu Chang recalled the battle he had with the bandits. At that time, he received a cultivation increase equivalent to that of a first-rate martial artist, but he didn't feel anything different except for an increase in the quantity of his qi.

'Perhaps the first rate stage was still within the realm of Qi Refinement, with the old man Shen Sanhu, the Snake, and Huang Zhi above this level. Even so, the system only provided me with a change in quantity without any qualitative improvement.'

"Who are you?" Huang Zhi asked cautiously, with its condensed yellow qi squirming on the surface of its tree branch body like a small river flowing.

The man, Feng Ning, confirmed his goal after reaching this place. He had been following a fragrance that was hard to capture while cultivating. "You don't have the right to know this Venerable One's name," Feng Ning said calmly. Despite his condescending words, he didn't come across as arrogant due to his appearance. It was Huang Zhi who seemed rude in the first place, like a banished immortal.

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Taken aback by this bold claim, Huang Zhi snorted. On the ground, Niu Chang also snorted inwardly.

'This little shit dares to act so presumptuous in front of me?' they both thought to themselves. Huang Zhi had lived for a long time before hibernating and had already seen many people who condensed their cores and even those who were able to destroy mountains with a single finger and move rivers with one hand.

As for Niu Chang, he stayed true to himself. To him, those who were not omnipotent and omniscient were merely fools pretending to be kings and gods, including himself.

That's why he delighted in playing around like a young master and an expert when dealing with his enemies.

Amused by Feng Ning's grand claims, both Huang Zhi and Niu Chang grew less cautious.

'The bigger one's mouth, the bigger their ego. This is an unavoidable sickness for those who have the strength to silence their weaker opponents,' Niu Chang shook his head.

Observing the changes in Huang Zhi's expression and even the mutilated Niu Chang, Feng Ning felt a sense of unease and stopped smiling.

He frowned, displeasure rising in his heart. "You ants, how dare you look at this Venerable One with such eyes. Die for me!"

Feng Ning shouted and waved his right hand. Dark purple qi materialized from his palm, forming a large palm of qi that headed towards Huang Zhi and Niu Chang.

Huang Zhi used its tree branches to pick up Niu Chang and evade Feng Ning's palm attack.

Confused, Niu Chang could only stare at Huang Zhi's long hair.

"My friend, I offer you a piece of advice. Since we have hit it off and become friends, I want to remind you not to delay anything you were planning on doing to me. Otherwise, you will regret it."

The large palm didn't cease its relentless pursuit and followed Feng Ning's command to chase after Huang Zhi.

With his cultivation level, Feng Ning was able to hear what Niu Chang said, and the frown on his face deepened.

Busy evading, Huang Zhi was also stunned and almost choked on its words. "What the hell are you saying? Who is your friend? You want me to give you an easy death? Keep dreaming!"

Feeling intense imaginary gazes from Huang Zhi and a glimpse from Feng Ning, Niu Chang felt wronged. 'What? Don't look at me like that! I sincerely offered you advice, but you didn't accept my sincerity. It's your loss. And you, you little shit, how dare you look at me like that?'

Niu Chang, on Huang Zhi's back, struggled due to the high-speed movement but continued to gaze at Feng Ning in displeasure.

Knowing that the palm wouldn't stop chasing after them, Huang Zhi decided to block it. Slapping the trees in its path, Huang Zhi made them grow rapidly to block the palm.

The palm and trees collided, causing a massive explosion. Even with Niu Chang's overflowing qi and qi barrier, he felt a rough wind on his face.

Feng Ning had noticed from the beginning that Niu Chang was exuding a tremendous amount of qi despite his crippled condition. At first, he thought it was because of Niu Chang's circumstances, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

"What a peculiar boy. His cultivation doesn't seem high, yet he possesses such an abundant amount of qi. Is it a special cultivation technique or a unique constitution?" Greed started to take root in Feng Ning's heart, and his eyes flickered with a cold glint. Regardless of the answer, it was worth investigating.

[Established karma with Feng Ning.]

Glancing at his system, Niu Chang didn't take it seriously, only expressing slight complaints. 'My Automatic System Answerer works like a charm, but it also brings endless troubles. I wanted to choose the first option, karmic retribution, because I wanted to see what would happen, but... Sigh, I'll fix it in the future.'

The Automatic System Answerer had reached proficiency in perception at a relatively cheap price. However, it came with great limitations, forcing Niu Chang to keep choosing the second option.

Regarding what happened with Qin Qing earlier, it was mainly because at perfect proficiency, Niu Chang was able to toggle it off and on. If he was in a safe place, he would turn it off, but if danger lurked from any direction, Niu Chang kept it in active mode.

Niu Chang felt a surge of new qi entering his body from the void. However, his body was limited, as was his cultivation level. No matter how abundant the qi entering his body, the channel for it to enter remained limited. Thus, there was no difference between two Huang Zhis or two Feng Nings.

As long as Niu Chang's cultivation level remained the same, the amount of qi entering his body through that small channel would stay the same.

'Although the channel remains the same, the speed at which qi enters my body increases, putting a great strain on my physical body. My first level of the Impossible Idea has already reached its limit.'

Afraid of being overwhelmed, Niu Chang turned off his Automatic System Answerer.

While watching the fight between Feng Ning and Huang Zhi, Niu Chang was occupied with his own thoughts.

"Where do you think you're going? Do you believe you can escape from the grasp of this Venerable One?" Feng Ning launched one palm attack after another. Four large palms made of dark purple qi flew like ghosts, haunting Huang Zhi.

Feeling immense pressure from the battle, the demonic snake silently slithered away.

"Humph, do you think you can escape?" Feng Ning controlled one of his palms to capture the foolish snake.

The snake, with its master-stage cultivation level, was unable to escape the palm and was captured easily. Feng Ning didn't kill it immediately but broke its spine by clasping his palm.

The snake hissed in pain and suddenly went limp after many of its spines were broken by Feng Ning. It fell to the ground, limping like a big black noodle.

Observing the direction in which Huang Zhi went, Niu Chang couldn't help but turn his head to look ahead with the help of his left arm. 'Tsk tsk, it seems I'm about to witness the development I hate the most.'