Chapter 22 Ah Jing I Hate Power-Up Freaks the Most

Kunlun Mountain Range, Eastern Fantong Area, Jade Void Peak, Deacon Hall.

"That's what I said! The Demon Cult Cultivator was already ground to dust by Senior Brother Qiu Changtian!!"

Liu Daoran roared in fury by the counter, while the deacon across the counter helplessly explained,

"It's not that we're unreasonable, but there are indeed rules in the sect, either verify the corpse, or have an identifying token; in any case, we must prove the target is dead..."

"How can you do anything with dust?" Lv Zheng was also visibly annoyed, demanding, "Are we supposed to bring the dust here for you to inspect?"

"How can you guys at the Deacon Hall still be so shameless!" Wen Qin shouted from behind with Liu Yiyi, amplifying their presence.

"Even if it's just dust, it counts as evidence..." The deacon hadn't finished speaking when he was pulled out from behind the counter by Hu Haozhi, who draped an arm around his shoulder and took him aside for a private chat.

"Old Su, you know me, Hu Haozhi, don't you?" he said, tapping his chest impatiently.

"Ah, how can I not know Brother Hu?" The deacon laughed, "You're a regular customer at the Deacon Hall, huh, many of our missions are usually undertaken by you..."

"That's fine then." Hu Haozhi gave a thumbs up, pointing outside, "That person outside is Senior Brother Qiu, the current Chief Disciple, a Direct Disciple of the Sect Leader. Would he really deceive others over such a matter?"

"This, this is uncertain..."

"Why would he lie to you? Is it for those few spirit stones, or is he after that little bit of fame?"

"That's just what I don't understand," the deacon said with a bitter smile, "If he really is a Direct Disciple of the Sect Leader, the current Chief, why would he come to us at the Deacon Hall to take on missions?"

"You," Hu Haozhi shook his head, his expression unexpectedly weathered, "do you know what 'born of Kunlun, aid with righteousness' means?"

"Huh?" The deacon was baffled.

In the cutthroat Cultivation Realm, was there still such a thing as "aiding with righteousness"?

"Among those in our Kunlun Sect, there are not many whom I, Old Hu, truly admire. Among the Chief Disciples of past generations, there are also quite a few who are nothing but names." Hu Haozhi spoke nostalgically, his gaze wandering to the distant continuous Snow Peaks, seemingly immersed in some profound thoughts, "But that Senior Brother Qiu Changtian, he is absolutely a Chief without any doubts."

Recalling that day's perilous battle, his heart still palpitated with residual fright.

Indeed, as Liu Daoran said, had it not been for Qiu Changtian's presence, they would all have been ensnared and robbed of their souls, left yearning for death without respite.

But what was Qiu Changtian really after?

Those few scarce spirit stones? Or the admiration of a few insignificant outer sect disciples?

None of these explanations made sense; which of the past Chief Disciples would've condescended to lead outer sect disciples on missions?

After much thought, the only explanation that fit was "aiding with righteousness."

"Senior Brother Qiu..." His gaze fell upon the boundless cloud sea in the horizon, murmuring,

"Truly a personage akin to an Exiled Immortal."

......

"So, Senior Brother, what are you really after?" Xu Yinglian asked, puzzled.

"As a member of the Kunlun Sect, why must there be another motive when undertaking a mission for the sect?" Qiu Changtian replied with a smile.

Xu Yinglian nodded, revealing an "I don't believe you at all" expression, and turned around,

"Since they've already helped us collect and deliver the spirit stones, let's rest for today, shall we? I'm going to bathe in the Kunlun Spring."

"Junior Sister, why are you bathing again? Your skin will peel."

"Senior Brother, only those who go years without washing and accumulate filth on their bodies will peel during a bath."

"Junior Sister, I do bathe and burn incense every seven days."

"Good then. If Senior Brother were to enter the Kunlun Pond, I'm afraid the whole spring would be ruined. No one wants to soak in a mire, except maybe wild boars."

"I really do bathe regularly! And don't make me sound like some wild beast!"

With an expression of speechlessness, Qiu Changtian watched as Xu Yinglian revealed a cool smile.

After sending Junior Sister Xu to the Kunlun Spring Bathhouse, Qiu Changtian called upon the Kunlun Mirror,

"Ah Jing, Ah Jing, are you there?"

"When am I ever not?" the Kunlun Mirror asked helplessly, "What is it?"

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"If I wanted to deliver the Spirit Stone to Ling Yunpo right now and directly flew to Shushan to meet him, would that create a time paradox?" Qiu Changtian asked with enthusiasm.

"For example, the first thing I heard Ling Yunpo say was 'Hello, Qiu Changtian.'"

"Later, when I load the save file and go back to the past, becoming Ling Yunpo, the first thing I say is, 'It's a pleasure to meet you, Qiu Changtian'…"

"No, it wouldn't," The Kunlun Mirror answered, "The timeline is unique and does not allow paradoxes to exist."

"So, in your earlier example, whatever Ling Yunpo said, later as Ling Yunpo, you must also say the same thing."

"Of course, if the differences are minor, just a few lines, I'll use Mirror Flower Water Moon to eliminate the disturbance for you, so you don't need to worry too much about it."

"What about significant differences?" Qiu Changtian asked warily, "Like returning to the past and deliberately making substantial changes to what has already happened?"

"Your attempt would fail," The Kunlun Mirror answered, "And, furthermore, you'd be subjected to a backlash from the time's Dao."

"For example, you witnessed Xu Yinglian dying in front of you, then you load the save file to return to the past, trying to stop her death and change history."

"Then it's highly likely that before you can stop it, something will prevent you—like being struck dead by a bolt of Heavenly Thunder on the way there."

Qiu Changtian listened patiently, then mused:

"But, I can intercept her beforehand, then figure out a way to create some illusion, making 'my past self' see 'the death of Xu Yinglian' as it originally occurred, right?"

The Kunlun Mirror was stunned for a long moment, seemingly having never considered such a manipulation, and after a long pause, it said:

"If you can do that, then indeed, there's no problem, no time backlash would be triggered, and my Mirror Flower Water Moon can make that happen."

Qiu Changtian sighed and said:

"Isn't this just the Novikov self-consistency principle? Without a decade of cerebral thrombosis cultivation, I fear no one could come up with such a magical setup."

"What... What's that principle?"

"It's nothing." Qiu Changtian said with a sigh, "Let it be."

The Kunlun Mirror was silent for a moment, then carefully asked:

"Actually... I'm very curious, what do you truly think of Xu Yinglian? I'm not asking Qiu Changtian, I'm asking you."

"Junior Sister Xu, eh?" He smiled slightly, "A lovable junior who chose to follow me because she admired me."

"What about An Zhisu then?"

"Senior Sister An? She is like a flower on a high cliff, exquisite and beautiful in her own right, but what I truly admire is her courage and strength to step into the sky fearlessly."

"Do you like them?"

He was silent for a moment, then scoffed:

"Ah Jing, to believe and to rely carry the same meaning, you know. They are the actions of the weak."

"The path I must take is already laid out before me; nothing can stop my stride before I reach the end."

"The lonely throne in the sky remains unclaimed to this day, and this unbearable interim shall not last much longer."

The Kunlun Mirror felt increasingly uncomfortable, as if it might crack at any moment.

What kind of freak obsessed with power growth is this guy, does he truly have human emotions?

"...Sure."

It echoed vaguely, suddenly conceiving a strong, uncontrollable thought:

Though it seemed like partners, in reality, it was a proper exchange of interests. He helped it mend the heavens and save the world; it helped him gain all sorts of peerless cultivation talents with Mirror Flower Water Moon.

But harboring purer maidens' heartfelt trust under deception wasn't part of the initial agreement, was it? So a little misstep with Mirror Flower Water Moon, allowing them to see this guy's true face would be understandable, right?

Like gradually shifting Xu Yinglian's impression of him, from a fully contrived "Invincible Qiu Changtian" to his real self beneath the mask, subtly, bit by bit, slowly.

The same would apply to An Zhisu, letting him think that Senior Sister An knew a "fictitious Ling Yunpo," when in fact she was getting to know the actual person behind the name Ling Yunpo…

Wait until this tool man has finished mending the heavens for me, ceases to use the pretense of Mirror Flower Water Moon, and reverts to his original real disposition and appearance.

Then to his horror, he finds that Xu Yinglian and An Zhisu can still recognize him.

Wouldn't that be quite interesting?

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