With a thunderous noise, something erupted within Meng Qi. Her eyes, originally a clear amber color, now shimmered with a strange red light. It was as if something was burning and struggling within; threatening to tear her body apart from inside.
Very painful!
And very hot!
But compared to before, the current situation was already much better. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus continued to ravage her spiritual sea, but the sensation of being consumed whole by scorching heat had gradually diminished.
“Ugh—” the mysterious entity finally spoke again, seemingly annoyed. “How boring you are, little girl!”
Meng Qi snorted softly, paying no mind to the other party’s annoyance. The golden lotus burning within her finally began to calm down, slowly settling atop her spiritual sea, floating just like a lotus blossoming on the water’s surface. She exhaled slowly, still somewhat confused about what was happening. At least, however, it seemed like she had passed the test.
Meng Qi scanned the golden lotus with her spiritual consciousness. Was it hers now? As if responding to her, the small petals gently swayed, no longer emitting the scorching heat but instead a cooling sensation. This coolness spread through her spiritual sea, eventually enveloping her inner core, gradually removing impurities bit by bit.
Huh? Meng Qi observed quietly. So, this karmic fire could actually purify her golden core? She knew the benefits of such purification. As cultivators advanced, especially during tribulations, an unstable Dao heart or weak foundation could easily lead to qi deviation with devastating consequences. So far, Meng Qi had been cautious, advancing step by step, but her last breakthrough from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul stage was a bit rushed, and her foundation might not have been as solid.
For this reason, she had already planned to prepare thoroughly for the next breakthrough to the Spirit Severing stage. She would gather a plethora of rare treasures and artifacts to aid her, along with ample medicinal pills. If necessary, she could even hire stronger cultivators to protect her during the process.
However, if the Karmic Fire Red Lotus could indeed purify her core, her confidence was bolstered. Meng Qi couldn’t help feeling elated. Just obtaining this item made her journey to the Ten Absolutes Mountain worthwhile!
“Senior,” Meng Qi spoke up, feeling a sense of gratitude toward the mysterious speaker. She bowed in all directions and spoke loudly, “Thank you.”
“Hmph,” the voice snorted, “Thank me for what? But…” his tone turned curious, “When did you realize it?”
Realize what? Meng Qi was puzzled but didn’t voice her question.
“To encounter the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, one must meet several conditions. Firstly, of course, your heart must be resolute in its pursuit of the Dao. Typically, those who enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain can meet this requirement,” the voice explained.
Meng Qi nodded. She couldn’t help but inwardly check on the lotus floating in her spiritual sea. The golden petals appeared delicate and tender—who would have thought this ancient relic possessed such wondrous properties?
“Secondly,” the voice continued, “your Dao must also be pure. Nothing else can influence it, and no matter what you’ve experienced, your initial heart towards the Dao can’t have changed even slightly. Hmm… this isn’t too difficult either. A large portion of the youngsters who come here every ten years are well-protected, probably never knowing what worldly suffering is.”
Meng Qi silently nodded again. Those who could enter the Ten Absolutes Mountain were almost always from major sects and were the carefully nurtured seedlings of their sects. Aside from cultivating, some hadn’t even begun to experience the outside world, so the person’s words weren’t wrong.
“But unfortunately, those youngsters who haven’t been tempered by hardships and don’t understand suffering have completely lost the opportunity to obtain this Karmic Fire Red Lotus. Hehehehe…” The voice laughed with delight: “Otherwise, it would be too easy for them. Easy gains wouldn’t show the preciousness of our Karmic Fire Red Lotus. This is a true heavenly treasure, you know. Those so-called heavenly treasures outside are nothing compared to it.”
“Little girl,” the voice didn’t wait for Meng Qi to respond and asked, “You look so young and delicate, untouched by hardships. How did you manage to meet this condition? How bizarre!”
Was it because she had died once? Meng Qi stood on the plank bridge, unsure how to respond to this question.
“Never mind. You’re a stubborn and boring girl. I suppose you wouldn’t tell me even if I asked you.” The voice said again. “Anyway, if the first two conditions are met, then you have about one in ten thousand chance to encounter this Karmic Fire Red Lotus.”
“Oh,” Meng Qi responded. She raised her eyebrows slightly, showing a light smile. One in ten thousand? She was really lucky to encounter it, no?
“Oh… what? At a time like this, shouldn’t you be asking why you were the one in ten thousand?” the voice seemed agitated again, “One in ten thousand, do you think you’re really that lucky?!”
“Excuse me, Senior, if I may ask,” Meng Qi politely cupped her hands, “why was I able to encounter this Karmic Fire Red Lotus?”
“Because there’s a third condition…” the voice said slowly, “That is, you must have saved enough lives. Of course, this seems advantageous for medical cultivators, but the Ten Absolutes Mountain is absolutely fair. Sword cultivators, for example, can rescue innocent people in danger, and that also counts as saving lives.”
“I see.” Meng Qi nodded.
“Additionally, there’s a fourth condition,” the voice continued. He deliberately paused here, not continuing.
Meng Qi waited a while and then asked, “Senior, may I know what the fourth condition is?”
“Hmph.” The voice snorted before finally saying, “You combine the second and third conditions, and that’s the fourth.”
Meng Qi paused, not immediately understanding.
The person’s tone suddenly became serious: “Cultivation is essentially defying the heavens. Without a steadfast Dao heart, one will never reach the pinnacle of their Dao. Only those who can maintain their initial heart towards the Dao, no matter what they’ve experienced, are worthy of the favor of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus. Do you understand?”
Meng Qi stood still, somewhat grasping the concept, yet still confused.
“So seeing you, a young Nascent Soul cultivator, pass the test was quite interesting to me. This isn’t an easy feat. The Ten Absolutes Mountain has opened many times, and This Lord has been here for over ten thousand years, yet the number of people who have obtained the Karmic Fire Red Lotus is less than ten.” The mysterious entity seemed to have been here for so long. Finally having someone to talk to, he was eager to speak, “The last time was… let me think, several hundred years ago. It was your Dao companion…”
Meng Qi froze at this, instinctively asking, “My Dao companion?”
“Yes! When he was merely a white tiger youngster in the Spirit Severing stage…” the voice continued, “He came to the Ten Absolutes Mountain and took away the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, and next after him, it’s you.”
“Sen-senior.” Meng Qi, who had maintained a calm and composed demeanor throughout the conversation, now stuttered inexplicably, “He isn’t exactly my Dao companion. We, we shouldn’t count as one.”
“What do you mean you don’t count?” The voice seemed confused.
“It’s just…” Meng Qi didn’t know how to explain. Her cheeks turned slightly red, and after a long hesitation, she finally stammered out, “It’s just that at the time, due to certain reasons, we had no choice but to proceed with the Dao companion ritual.”
“Oh…” the voice deliberately elongated, “In short, a contractual companion? His cultivation must be much higher. Hmm… if you’ve slept together and dual cultivated, yet say it’s just a contract… why does that sound a bit scummy? Were you deceived?”
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
