While Tianyi was still immersed in comprehending concepts, Qi Xiao walked further on his road of vengeance. As he wished, the young man of immense karmic luck joined his stepfather's enemies and successfully disrupted many plans of his stepfather's clan.
After numerous failures, his stepfather's clan noticed him and regarded him as a thorn in their side. The laughable matter was that when Qi Xiao appeared in front of his stepfather, the man didn't recognize his former adopted child anymore.
To further ire Qi Xiao, he saw his stepfather's new wife standing next to him. This wasn't the first woman the man married after Qi Xiao's mother died but the fourth. Furthermore, the woman had a sixty percent similarity to his mother in appearance!
Qi Xiao's stepfather used to be one of the descendants with the most promise and had a childhood sweetheart, but she died tragically, causing his heart to stagnate. Now, instead of cultivating, his stepfather searched high and low for women, who looked similar to his childhood sweetheart. Once he found one, he would woo them and marry them, but there was a reason why the man married numerous times.
He would not care about the woman's origin, but after marriage, if he saw her acting incongruently with his childhood sweetheart's character, he would fly into a rage and beat his wife. Without fail, his stepfather would eventually go overboard and kill his wife by accident. Qi Xiao's mother was the fifth woman his stepfather married, and his current and eighth wife would not be the last.
Seeing the woman who looked so much like his mother and his stepfather's indifference caused Qi Xiao to snap and assault his stepfather. His stepfather was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but years of decadence brought his combat prowess to its lowest point. Had it not been for a foundation establishment disciple's ability to fly on flying swords, he would have been killed by his stepson, who was at the peak of the Body Transformation Realm.
Not only had Qi Xiao failed in killing his father, but he caused the force he joined to be blamed for his actions. During his rampage, he killed members of his stepfather's clan and innocent bystanders. Naturally, the force he joined abandoned him after he caused such a disaster.
But Qi Xiao didn't think so.
In his eyes, the force bent under pressure from his stepfather's clan, causing him to look down on them. Then, on the day of judgment, Qi Xiao was sentenced to death by the Greenvase City Lord, further worsening Qi Xiao's impression. He had thought the city lord would rebuke his stepfather's clan, but instead, he was sentenced to death.
"You're all a bunch of trash that only knows how to bully those weaker than you!" Qi Xiao had shouted that day, causing the onlookers to hate him.
Part of the reason was due to his stepfather's clan's purposeful propaganda. However, another reason was that Qi Xiao's rampage really killed a large number of innocent residents, causing them to throw rotten vegetables at him on the day of the execution.
Qi Xiao didn't die. Mengfei had calculated him as a person of immense luck, and as such, many things would occur at random in his favor. Before the executioner sliced off Qi Xiao's head, another city, Orangewood City, attacked Greenvase City, giving him a chance to escape.
Su Bojing sighed in amazement. He had thought that Qi Xiao's little life would end at that moment and was prepared to save him, but Orangewood City's action unexpectedly saved him. "Sure enough, Grand Elder Xi's words are correct. This Qi Xiao's luck is a bit too good."
Ba Shifang just rolled his eyes. "Shortsighted fool." He was already used to the protagonists being saved by lucky coincidences in stories. Although this was one of the few times he had seen it himself, he wasn't surprised like Su Bojing.
Su Bojing said nothing as Ba Shifang's insult entered one ear and exited out the other. He had long gotten used to Ba Shifang's dismissive behavior in private, unlike Tianyi's benevolence. "Should we inform Young Master?"
"Don't bother. He won't care about it, as long as you inform him before Qi Xiao's Acupoint Opening Heavenly Tribulation. Once he passes it, his cultivation method will be set." What Ba Shifang didn't say was that Tianyi would not likely accept Qi Xiao as a disciple. Tianyi wasn't a saint, but he wouldn't like Qi Xiao's actions of harming innocent bystanders. 'Although it might be different if Qi Xiao was a girl. Girls are different.'
Su Bojing nodded, unknowing of Ba Shifang's thoughts, and continued to watch Qi Xiao's actions.
As expected of a person of immense luck, during Qi Xiao's escape, he accidentally fell into another immortal grotto. Unlike the first immortal grotto that taught him to cultivate the martial path, the second one taught him spiritual cultivation.
It wasn't just any other cultivation, but one that allowed a cultivator to use their martial cultivation as a foundation to cultivate instead of relying on a cultivator's natural spiritual veins. Qi Xiao's martial cultivation wasn't the best, but it gave him far more capital in spiritual cultivation than his fractured square spiritual veins.
Cultivating to the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm was a cinch for Qi Xiao, who was near the Acupoint Opening Realm, but entering the Foundation Establishment Realm from the Qi Gathering Realm was not so simple. Martial and spiritual cultivation shared many similar aspects, but they also shared many differences.
Then under Su Bojing's flabbergasted gaze, Qi Xiao had several adventurers and was even besieged by the Greenvase City cultivators who had repelled the Orangewood City's assault. After the fourth assault, he fell into a natural immortal grotto.
Unlike regular immortal grottos, natural immortal grottos were formed under unique coincidences of nature with no artificial inheritances. This natural immortal grotto existed in a crack of a particular stone known as the Qiankun Stone, and the interior was affected by the Vast Void. As such, time ran a hundred times faster inside.
However, the conditions within the immortal grotto were inhospitable, and Qi Xiao couldn't escape with his current shape. He only managed to survive relying on his defensive artifacts and abundant spiritual qi. It may seem like a crisis, but it was also an opportunity for Qi Xiao.
The harsh environment forced Qi Xiao to strengthen his body. Although he couldn't form a martial body, he was revising his body and filling up the deficiency in his martial cultivation, perfecting his foundation in five years. Compared to before, the martial body he would form now would be at least twice as strong without all the flaws. This also resulted in a breakthrough in his spiritual cultivation and linking all twelve of his meridians.
Once this happened, the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation was summoned. As a result, the temporal immortal grotto was destroyed by the tribulation lightning bolt, freeing Qi Xiao. As a peak body transformation acolyte, the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation didn't post much danger at all, and he passed successfully, becoming a Foundation Establishment Disciple and gaining the ability to refine artifacts.
The first thing Qi Xiao did was refine all the artifacts he got from his inheritance. He originally planned on doing so when he entered the Acupoint Opening Realm, but he was lucky to enter the spiritual path. Once that was down, Qi Xiao continued his martial cultivation. Even if he became a dual cultivator, martial cultivation was his root, and he would not forsake it for the spiritual path.
"A pity. If the stone had been brought back, it could have been refined into a temporal treasure. Now it's been destroyed," Su Bojing sighed.
Even Ba Shifang felt that it was a colossal waste. Subojing couldn't sense the space inside the immortal grotto, but Ba Shifang could. He had all of Tianyi's comprehension of spacetime concepts before the disconnection was severed.
Still, this was only a minor episode as Qi Xiao slowly carried out his revenge. With the aid of his new Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, a lot of things became simpler now that he could externalize his qi, but the things he did caused Ba Shifang to frown.
"Bojing, can you tell me if Qi Xiao's karmic luck has decreased?" Karmic luck and karmic merit were similar, but Ba Shifang's current sensitivity to the two wasn't as precise as Su Bojing, so he directly asked.
After looking intensely at Qi Xiao to the point that the recipient felt the hairs on the back of his neck stiffen, Su Bojing finally replied. "I can't tell."
"What do you mean you can't tell?" Ba Shifang asked incredulously.
"I mean what said. Qi Xiao's karmic luck is like the dazzling solar star. Even if the solar star dims slightly, would you be able to tell?" At Su Bojing's question, Ba Shifang found himself at a loss. So he didn't answer and went back to observing Qi Xiao when he wasn't cultivating.
Of the two, only Su Bojing had to constantly observe Qi Xiao so as to answer any question Tianyi had when he exited.
Qi Xiao's method of vengeance was extremely cruel. He camped near Greenvase City and would follow any groups that had members of his stepfather's clan out. As for what he did with them, what else needed to be said?
Ba Shifang and Su Bojing looked down on his actions. It was true that his stepfather abused him, but this was going overboard. In addition, Qi Xiao didn't let go of other group members even if they weren't part of his stepfather's clan, killing everyone without distinction.
Under his continuous actions, a bloody aura enveloped Qi Xiao. "Young Master Ba, should we inform Young Master Xi?"
Ba Shifang looked at Su Bojing. "No, I can tell you right now that the main body won't accept him as a disciple, so it doesn't matter what he does. As for what main body plans for Qi Xiao, wait till he comes out."
Neither of the two planned on saving the residents. Although they looked down on Qi Xiao's actions, did the victims have any relationship with them?
Some may say that their inaction made them guilty by association, but with how powerful Ba Shifang and Su Bojing were, how many crimes would they have to stop? It was far too many for too little rewards. Unless it were a heinous sin that involved the death of hundreds of thousands of lives, they wouldn't care.
Not long after, Greenvase City detected something strange about the increasing number of missing squads sent out. Knowing that something was wrong, they planted a trap that Qi Xiao beautifully strung.
When the people of Greenvase City saw who the culprit was, their hatred increased by several folds, and they organized several hunting squads to kill Qi Xiao. At the forefront of these hunting squads were members of the force that Qi Xiao joined, causing him to curse at them for being wretched dogs of the city and having no dignity.
How could these wretched dogs be happy? It had to be known that killing Qi Xiao was an extremely arduous and dangerous task. Nine times out of ten, Qi Xiao would escape before being caught, and the fine one would result in extreme casualties for the squad.
However, they had no choice. After Qi Xiao's escape, coupled with Orangewood City's assault, the residents needed someone to blame, and the force Qi Xiao joined was the perfect scapegoat. They could barely live in the city, but leaving was not an option either. So left with no choice, they could only correct their 'sin' and kill Qi Xiao in order to regain their footing in Greenvase City, but Qi Xiao did not know or think of this. All he knew was that they betrayed him.
The Greenvase City pursuer eventually cornered Qi Xiao and forced him to resort to using a talisman that could unleash the attack of a nascent soul grandmaster. While running away, Qi Xiao's expression was ugly as he thought of the shame he had experienced. "Not one of them is a good thing, only knowing how to bully people in a mob!"
"I better ascend to the Acupoint Opening Realm as soon as possible. Otherwise, I won't be able to attain my revenge. Although they are cowards, it is true that they have strength in numbers," Qi Xiao muttered.
After six months, Qi Xiao discovered a mountain that was filled with an abundance of spiritual qi. After setting up some formations, he sat in the center, preparing to undergo his Acupoint Opening Heavenly Tribulation. All that was left was the final push. "Don't worry, mother, I will let all the people of Greenvase City die as an offering."
"Little Friend, don't be in such a rush. Can you enlighten some of my queries?"
"Who?!" Qi Xiao stood up, no longer in the mood to undergo the heavenly tribulation. He was cautious and made sure no one followed or was around him, so he was shocked by the unknown voice. After searching for a while, he looked up to see an immortal boat with three figures at the helm.
He couldn't detect any of the three's cultivation, so it was apparent all three were above him in strength. However, what made all the hair on his body raise was the leader of the three, a young man wearing purple robes with embroidered dragons. Despite him looking the most harmless, like a rich young master with no worries, a sense of danger blared in Qi Xiao's heart.
Qi Xiao had no basis for this abrupt premonition, but it was as if a voice in the back of his mind was constantly telling him that the man was extremely dangerous, kill him if possible If not, flee. It took every ounce of self-control Qi Xiao had not to run away. Not because Qi Xiao didn't want to, but he knew that it was impossible to flee or fight back.
"I don't know what Senior wants to know?" Qi Xiao replied after a tense silence.
"Nothing much, but do you really plan on slaughtering everyone in Greenvase City?" The leader asked.
This question sent waves in Qi Xiao's heart. It didn't take an idiot to know that the three of them had some preliminary understanding of him. He opened his mouth to lie, but he discovered that he couldn't lie at all. "Yes, they all deserved to die! None of them are good things!"
The leader of the trio sighed. "If that is your choice, I will not stop you, but I have a warning."
Qi Xiao was dazed by the words. He was ecstatic, when the senior told him that he would not interfere, but his heart quickened when he heard the following words.
"You are someone born with great luck, allowing you to embark and go far on the path of cultivation. However, your luck will run out in proportion to the amount of slaughter you commit. Commit too much, and you will sever your path." After saying those words, the immortal boat left, leaving a confused Qi Xiao.
"Young Master, why did you advise him? In my eyes, he wouldn't go far and eventually attract trouble that would be his downfall." Su Bojing asked. Qi Xiao's luck was good, but his personality wasn't.
"Although his personality is not right, he has perseverance. I just didn't want to see such a good seedling fall." Tianyi replied, giving off the revered air of a senior.
"Young Master is kind!" Su Bojing praised.
Ba Shifang just rolled his eyes. 'Others may not know, but I know you just wanted to act cool.'
"But what should we do? Grand Elder Xi said that Qi Xiao could be taken as your disciple, but since Young Master has rejected him, now what?" Su Bojing asked.
"Mother didn't say I had to take him as a disciple. Since I don't li—since his personality is too stubborn and murderous, I won't accept him. I'll just wait for the disciple acceptance ceremony." Tianyi said, changing his words midway after almost revealing his honest thoughts.
Su Bojing could only accept Tianyi's words and hope that Grand Elder Xi wouldn't implicate him if she felt dissatisfied. Suddenly Tianyi told Su Bojing to land nearby, confusing him.
Once on the ground, Tianyi jumped off and landed in front of a cute little girl who appeared five to seven years old. Her clothes were stained with mud and grime, but her face was white, and her eyes were doe-like and shown like stars. The only incongruent part was that she was holding a giant wooden bat twice her height, and there were five men lying on the ground, howling and clutching their injuries in pain.
"Little girl, I sensed that there is an amount of fate between us. It just so happens I am looking for a disciple. Are you willing to be my disciple?" Tianyi asked to the shock of Su Bojing.