Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Qi Yuan’s expression shifted, a subtle glint flickering in his eyes.

Thanks to Old Man Shi’s prior explanation, he had already pieced together the mechanics of the “Heavenly Dao Path.”

The core of a so-called “Perfect Breakthrough” was simple: one needed to incorporate a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi during the process.

He was the living proof. Originally, his potential capped at a Divine Splendor Nascent Soul. It was only after the System rewarded him with a strand of Heavenly Dao Merit Qi that he achieved the legendary Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul.

The reason others failed wasn’t necessarily due to a lack of talent or heritage; they simply lacked that specific key—the Heavenly Dao Qi.

Furthermore, a cultivator’s past didn’t dictate their future. Qi Yuan’s Foundation Building and Golden Core breakthroughs had been standard, imperfect affairs. Yet, that hadn’t stopped him from achieving perfection at the Nascent Soul stage.

This meant that even if a cultivator knew nothing about the Heavenly Dao Path, they could theoretically stumble upon a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi by sheer dumb luck and achieve a perfect breakthrough.

And while one or two perfect breakthroughs didn’t guarantee immortality, perfection was perfection. It was infinitely superior to mediocrity.

If the Slaughtering Daoist really achieved the Myriad Tribulations Soul Formation, his combat power would dwarf that of ordinary Soul Formation cultivators. Add a demonic sword to the mix, and fighting above his realm would be child’s play.

Tu Ruoxu and Zhuang Qingyun clearly didn’t understand the mechanics of the Heavenly Dao. They were focused on the inheritance—the techniques. This was the advantage of information asymmetry.

Qi Yuan, however, was focused on something else: The source of the Slaughtering Daoist’s Heavenly Dao Qi.

Heavenly Dao Qi came in two flavors: Merit Qi and Creation Qi.

A maniac who slaughtered thousands and bathed the world in blood couldn’t possibly possess Merit Qi. That stuff was reserved for the virtuous.

This meant the Slaughtering Daoist had almost certainly achieved his perfect Soul Formation using Heavenly Dao Creation Qi.

Creation Qi sounded abstract, but the logic was simple: If an item was sufficiently high-tier, ancient, and legendary, it naturally generated Creation Qi.

In other words, the Slaughtering Daoist possessed at least one supreme, heaven-defying treasure!

Qi Yuan’s heart beat a little faster, but his face remained impassive. After a moment of silence, he probed cautiously.

“Fellow Daoist Tu, Fellow Daoist Zhuang. With the immense power of the Eternal and Boundless Sacred Grounds, surely you don’t need an outsider like me for this?”

It was just a rogue cultivator’s cave. A few sect elders could turn the place upside down before breakfast. Why would two Holy Scions need to personally get their hands dirty?

Tu Ruoxu sighed softly, shaking his head.

“To be honest, at first, this was just a speculation of mine. I invited some elders from my sect to search the area.”

“They spent months calculating and divining before they barely managed to pinpoint the exact location of the Slaughtering Daoist’s abode.”

He paused, his expression grave. “The Slaughtering Daoist knew he had enemies everywhere. To protect himself, he built his cave abode outside the boundaries of this world—deep within the Endless Void.”

Qi Yuan nodded slowly. It made sense. Reclusive powerhouses often moved to the Void to avoid harassment. For a man hunted by the Seven Great Sacred Grounds, the Void was the only safe place to sleep.

Tu Ruoxu continued.

“Due to thousands of years of neglect, the cave heaven has been eroded by void storms. The internal spatial laws are shattered and extremely unstable. It cannot withstand the energy of high-level cultivators. If anyone above the Nascent Soul realm enters, the pocket dimension will instantly collapse and annihilate everything inside.”

“Our calculations show that the structure can support, at most, three Nascent Soul cultivators at a time.”

Tu Ruoxu’s face darkened with genuine regret.

“The Eternal Sacred Ground sent a team of Legacy Disciples—all at the peak of Nascent Soul—to explore. Less than half a day later, their soul lamps shattered. All of them. Dead.”

“To find out what happened, the sect sent three more disciples, specifically chosen for their mastery of life-preservation arts. The result… was the same. total annihilation.”

Qi Yuan sucked in a cold breath.

What the hell is this if not a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den?

It’s a meat grinder!

And you have the audacity to invite me? Are you trying to get me killed?

“After losing so many elites, my Sect Leader issued a strict decree forbidding anyone else from throwing their lives away in that cave,” Tu Ruoxu said, his voice heavy with guilt.

“I understand Master’s reasoning. But my conscience is heavy. It was my idea that sent those junior brothers to their deaths.”

“So, I spent years analyzing the data. I have designed a comprehensive risk-response plan specifically for that environment. I am confident I can guarantee the safety of anyone who enters.”

“But because of the Sect Leader’s ban, I cannot recruit anyone from the Eternal Sacred Ground. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Zhuang trusts me enough to join this venture.”

Beside him, Zhuang Qingyun smiled proudly, his voice filled with righteous passion.

“Senior Brother Tu is known as the ‘Resourceful Star’ for a reason! His calculations are flawless, his strategies unparalleled. No matter the difficulty, I believe he can navigate it.”

Zhuang Qingyun puffed out his chest. “Cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you don’t advance, you fall back. As a Holy Scion, I must forge ahead where others fear to tread. How can I shrink back just because of a little danger?”

“As the ancients said: If Heaven bestows a gift and you do not take it, you will suffer the consequences.”

“I was preparing to break through to Soul Formation when Brother Tu brought this news. This is clearly a destiny bestowed by the Heavens! If I miss this chance for the Myriad Tribulations Soul Formation, I will regret it for the rest of my life!”

Qi Yuan listened, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Resourceful Star, my ass.

If these two hadn’t been clever enough to frame Ji Tianpeng for the rumor scandal, Qi Yuan would have written them off as idiots right then and there.

If he foolishly followed them into that death trap, nine lives wouldn’t be enough to survive their incompetence.

Sure, a Supreme Treasure was tempting. But you needed to be alive to spend the loot.

He had a System. He had just made a massive profit from the Exquisite Sanctuary. There was absolutely no need to gamble his life on a suicide mission.

Tu Ruoxu smiled warmly, looking at Qi Yuan with a gaze full of sincerity and expectation.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, you suppressed Ji Tianpeng—a Soul Formation cultivator—while only at the Nascent Soul stage. Your talent is shocking. You are fully qualified to walk this path with us.”

“If we find the inheritance, you will naturally receive an equal share. What do you say?”

Tu Ruoxu looked confident. He was certain Qi Yuan would agree.

“Unexpectedly,” the young man shook his head without a second of hesitation.

“Sorry. I have no interest in this. I don’t want to participate. Farewell.”

Qi Yuan turned on his heel and walked away. He didn’t even look back.

“Fellow Daoist Qi—”

Zhuang Qingyun started to chase after him, but Tu Ruoxu raised a hand to stop him.

Zhuang Qingyun looked confused. “Senior Brother Tu? Even if he refuses, shouldn’t we ask him to keep this secret? How can you just let him leave?”

Tu Ruoxu watched Qi Yuan’s retreating back, a faint, meaningful smile playing on his lips.

“Don’t worry. He will change his mind.”

“Ah?” Zhuang Qingyun blinked. “He refused so decisively. Why would he change his mind?”

Tu Ruoxu explained calmly, “The Tai Xuan Holy Scion barely knows us. Naturally, he won’t believe such a tall tale just because we told him. He will go and verify the truth for himself.”

“He will look into the legends. And when he confirms the terrifying power of the Slaughtering Daoist… when he realizes the ‘Myriad Tribulations Soul Formation’ is real…”

Tu Ruoxu’s eyes glinted.

“Greed will do the rest. He will yearn for that power. He will come back and beg to join our team.”

“We just need to wait.”

“I see!” Zhuang Qingyun slammed his fist into his palm, his face filled with admiration. “So Senior Brother Tu had already calculated this! Truly far-sighted!”