CHAPTER 30: WILL FOR IMMORTALITY!

"What do you think would happen if I were some other girl you didn’t know before?"

Ruyue asked, trying to teach Zhiran, urging him not to be so frivolous. As she said, Zhiran was lucky he could get away with this because she knew him.

No matter what, she had a weak heart and would forgive him in an instant. But if it were a stranger...

"So, focus on cultivation, all other things are just...."

"..."

"..."

"What are you smiling at?"

Su Ruyue was trying to lecture this abominable guy seriously, but she finally couldn’t stand his continuous smiling expression.

She was so irritated by it that she had to point it out in anger, her lips pouting.

"Haha...Ruyue, now I know why I had a crush on you before."

Mo Zhiran suddenly said with a smile, finding everything quite amusing.

How long has it been since he smiled so genuinely like this? Zhiran couldn’t remember. His previous life was so dark that he never really turned to look at Ruyue after being crippled.

Maybe he thought he was no longer worthy of her. Insecurities were one hell of a drug after all.

But today, after hearing her patiently explain everything, guiding him toward the right path, he found that he simply couldn’t hold back a smile.

Even though his mood was ruined by Mo Tianyu’s appearance, he just couldn’t stop smiling.

After all, as Ruyue said, if some strange girl had been in her place, a slap would have been only a light punishment.

But it’s her, Su Ruyue. She couldn’t slap and could only tolerate. She even tried to persuade him with good intentions.

’No wonder I had a crush on her. This girl is a gem. Why didn’t I see that in my last life?’

He thought, feeling that he was such a waste in his last life. He left such a good girl all alone.

"You...w-what the hell are you saying?"

Ruyue was stunned by Zhiran’s confession and went beet-red from her cheeks to the tip of her ears.

Here she was trying to put some sense into his mind, and here he was once again teasing her.

"Forget it...you never learn. Do whatever you want."

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and directly turned around in anger, trying to leave. She was tired of persuading him already.

"Okay, okay. No need to get angry. I was just joking...joking."

Seeing that Ruyue was really about to leave, Zhiran hurriedly grabbed her hand, making her stay.

Only when he saw that she wouldn’t leave again did he remove his hand from hers.

Then, at last, he turned to Ruyue, who was pouting in quiet anger, refusing to look his way, and whispered softly,

"Sigh...Okay, I admit that I was a little too much."

Zhiran sighed and admitted lightly while crossing his arms. He then looked at her beautiful eyes and said,

"You are right. I must be very careful in this trial. That Wu Zhen is no joke. He must be very angry about his brother and will definitely try to do something to me."

He nodded, clearly taking Ruyue’s warning to heart.

"But Ruyue, you forgot one thing."

However, suddenly, Zhiran’s eyes turned cold as his voice lowered a bit,

"You forgot that we are cultivators and we are cultivating against heaven. The moment we set our foot on this path, there is no turning back."

"If today, I am afraid of some Wu Zhen and backed down, then how can I face the heavenly tribulation in the future? How can I talk about immortality?"

He asked with a bit of seriousness in his voice.

Like he said, the cultivation wasn’t an easy game that you could level up endlessly just because you had talent and resources.

Although not talked about much, a clarity of mind was a thing in cultivation, more important than talents or any other things.

After all, didn’t Zhiran reach the Gold Core realm even though he had nothing?

Although he took shortcuts by embracing demonic methods, wasn’t Demonic Dao still a dao?

Was there truly no demon in the higher realms?

If Zhiran had learned anything in his previous life, it was that this cultivation world was full of exceptions.

And if he wanted to become one, he could never bow down.

Heaven despised those who bowed. It had always been the case, and it always would be.

"Heh...you said Tianyu said those words because he cared? Don’t joke with me."

Zhiran continued in disgust.

"Let me ask you something. Since I’ve already reached the last stage of Qi Condensation, why should I wait another five years? Do you have any idea how much loss that would bring me?"

He asked Su Ruyue, who found herself unable to reply. She, too, understood that the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect were as distant as heaven and earth.

Missing such an opportunity could very well mean the end of one’s path toward immortality, or at the very least, a painful setback. And in this cruel world, once you fall behind, no one reaches out a hand to pull you up.

One might say, Why the heck were they thinking about such a grand goal when it was almost impossible for everyone to attain immortality?

Weren’t they taking it too lightly? To outsiders, it might even seem laughable.

But that’s where the weak mind fails and the strong mind thrives.

It was true that even if one had a strong will for immortality, he might never reach that goal. Heck, he might even lose his life in the process.

Even if that was the case, he still had a chance; nobody could deny that. But those who didn’t even have the will...

If you couldn’t even set your goal properly, then what right did you have to chase after the heavens?

The path to immortality was never meant for the faint-hearted.

"Sigh...Ruyue, putting that guy aside, I know that you didn’t mean wrong."

Zhiran finally sighed and didn’t delve too much into this issue. He knew that his perspective and hers were two different things.

There was no point trying to shove his view on hers.

"And I also know why you think Tianyu is right. Isn’t it because you think I’m weak?"

He asked with a faint smirk. After all, just a month ago, he had been a talentless, third-grade Qi Condensation cultivator.

Although his realm was higher now, in her eyes, he must still seem the weakest.

It made sense for her to worry about him.

"No, I—I didn’t mean that."

Su Ruyue felt awkward, exposed by his words, and hurriedly tried to deny it. But Zhiran stopped her with a gentle wave of his hand.

"Okay, no need to lie. You’re not wrong to feel that way. To be honest, I’m glad that you worry about me."

He said with a smile, then stepped a little closer to Ruyue, whispering in a light, teasing tone,

"But truth be told, I don’t like that doubt in your beautiful eyes. So..."

He paused dramatically, then continued in a more serious, almost promising tone,

"In this Outer Sect Trial, I’ll show you my true strength. I’ll show you my true potential, so you’ll never doubt me again."

Then he gently placed his hand atop Ruyue’s head, his smile calm and simple.

"And I’ll show you that I have everything you’d ever want in a Daoist companion. Although I should warn you, if you don’t enter the inner sect this time, you might end up as just my concubine. So, do your best."

He finished teasingly, then turned around, waving his hand.

"Alright, that’s enough. This topic ends here. It seems the Outer Sect Trial is about to begin. Let’s go."

He ordered, not giving Ruyue a chance to react this time.

Lucien, of course, knew that what he had said to Ruyue was quite childish.

But he didn’t care, or rather, he didn’t care because it was her.

After being reborn with a new life, he didn’t want to leave any regrets behind. And it seemed, teasing this kind little girl was one of those small joys he intended to keep.