Became a stepping stone

How famous is Nan Jian Su Huan'an?

When even a disciple of a minor mountain sect like Tan Shuchang is familiar with the name Su Huan'an as if it were thunder piercing the ears, one can gauge just how extraordinary the latter's reputation is.

From this, one can also deduce the precious nature of this cartographic scroll.

The places marked on this scroll must not only be incredibly detailed but also include many locations unknown to most people.

At least, among the spots marked on the scroll as dangerous, Tan Shuchang found many he had never even heard of.

"Thank you, Sister Li."

Tan Shuchang took his leave, as he had already accomplished what he came for; the little thief who stole his diary was most likely this Miss Dong from the Dong family.

"She descended from the mountain a month ago, allegedly because the Dong family had hastily arranged a marriage for her, prompting her to leave overnight... Hehe, isn't this timing a little too much of a coincidence?"

Tan Shuchang sneered without humor.

Because it was a month ago that his cultivation diary began to be circulated everywhere.

"Don't worry, considering we've known each other for several years, I guarantee I won't kill you!"

...

By this time, the disciples returning to the Sword Cultivator Mountain from Qinghe City had also rushed back to their sect. Although the Sword Cultivator Mountain was located in Bei'an Prefecture, a whole prefecture away from Yuezhou, as a sacred site for sword cultivators, they naturally had special methods of travel. Even if the disciples could not yet perform Sword Flight, they were able to make rapid progress on their journey.

Thus, it took them merely two hours to get back to Sword Cultivator Mountain from Qinghe City.

Soon, the sect leader and elders of the Sword Cultivator Mountain were informed of an unexpected complication in an important link within the "Great Righteous Plan" they had settled on.

"The Heartless Old Man is dead?"

"Even though the Seventy-two Sword Array is immensely powerful, it is impossible for mere disciples to wield it and harm the very core of that devil, not to mention he possessed the magical treasure, the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead!"

The several elders of the Sword Cultivator Mountain found this hard to believe.

However, it wasn't that they acknowledged the Heartless Old Man's strength, but rather, they recognized the power of the magical treasure.

Magical treasures, aside from the few that are artificially refined, are all naturally formed through the transformations of heaven and earth. Each magical treasure is engraved with the principles of the universe.

"Alright, Qing Xu wouldn't lie about such a matter, and besides, there's no point in telling such a lie. It can only mean that Heartless met his end because he vexed others for too long, and finally, his luck ran out," Su Huan'an interjected, interrupting the discussion among the elders.

"Sect Leader, now that the Heartless Old Man is dead, that Chaotic Life Dharma Bead is without an owner. What should we do about it?" asked an elder who hadn't spoken up until now.

"How can you be so sure it's without an owner? What if it's in the hands of Tan Shuchang?" Another elder immediately retorted. It was clear that these two did not get along on a regular basis.

"Are you even listening to yourself?" The first elder chuckled in response to the contradiction: "The Chaotic Life Dharma Bead requires owners whose parents were unfaithful and unfilial, yet whose descendants are exceptionally filial, to gain its approval. If Tan Shuchang had children, it might be worth cultivating them and then letting the bead choose among them."

The elder who had spoken up in contradiction had nothing to say in response since his previous remarks were indeed motivated by a grudge against the other man.

Su Huan'an, seeing that the two elders had no intention of continuing their quarrel, opportunistically added, "There's no need for you two to argue over this matter. The Heartless Old Man qualified to enter the game because of this magical treasure and also because of his reputation. It was undoubtedly a significant event when Heartless submitted to our Sword Cultivator Mountain, but now that he has been killed, let us move on to the second-best option. It just so happens that the Son of the Heavenly Mandate, chosen by our ancestor master, also needs to make a name for himself when he leaves the mountain."

"Does the sect leader mean that we should spread the news that Tan Shuchang killed his master, the Heartless Old Man, throughout the Jiawu Realm, to build his fame, and then let the Son of the Heavenly Mandate decreed by the ancestor master, under the guise of eliminating evil and defending the path, slay him?"

"Exactly that. Elders, I wonder how you feel about this plan?" Su Huan'an nodded in agreement.

"If the sect leader has decided on this plan, then it is indeed timely. Although we had selected a few devils, they were not quite as suitable compared to Tan Shuchang, especially since they were connected to the Jiaxia Sect. However, without that magical treasure, the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead, the Son of the Heavenly Mandate selected by the ancestor master will find it more difficult to bring together the power of the world," replied an elder.

The Chaotic Life Dharma Bead, when in the Heartless Old Man's possession, could only be used to save his life and repel enemies. But to those at Sword Cultivator Mountain, it promised much greater possibilities.

Indeed, the true use of this magical treasure lay in its core: creating chaos!

However, many in the Jiawu Realm knew that the Heartless Old Man possessed the magical treasure, the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead, but they were unaware that, although he had obtained it, he was limited to only three uses.

After all, would the Heartless Old Man ever reveal such critical information about something that was tied to his own life?

Had it not been for the fact that the Heartless Old Man was convinced that Tan Shuchang was dead, and that the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead was about to leave him, he would never have uttered those final words, not matter how enraged he was.

"A little adversity is to be expected. Even though the ancestor master has decreed the Son of the Heavenly Mandate, it's impossible for him to mature smoothly without any hardships. However, we are all aware of the location of the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead, and we can simply let our disciples attempt to acquire it in the future. Perhaps, after the Heartless Old Man's ordeal, the criteria for the magical treasure to choose its new owner have changed."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

...

Of course, Tan Shuchang was unaware that because he had killed the Heartless Old Man, he was being discussed and his "future life path" strategically laid out at a renowned sword cultivation holy site.

At this moment, he had returned to Black Heart Mountain

Though he only needed to capture two more fierce ghosts to increase his cultivation by twelve years of power, he wouldn't stop his daily cultivation. Despite the unique situation, it was a habit he wouldn't abandon.

He was able to kill the Heartless Old Man when facing certain death, largely due to having assimilated a fierce ghost, but if it weren't for his persistent and rigorous daily cultivation, he wouldn't have been able to achieve this feat!

Thus, with patient anticipation, Tan Shuchang finally received the long-desired invitation to the bizarre game after two days of waiting.

"What you long for, you will eventually get!"

Tan Shuchang was overjoyed, barely able to restrain an excited exclamation.

After all, the bizarre game provided him with the cultivation resources he needed most, and the quality of each resource was exceptionally high!

While Tan Shuchang had also coveted the ghosts that others held, those ghosts paled in comparison to those in the bizarre game. The only ones that could compete were probably from the Land of Yin and Darkness.

As the distortion of the surrounding environment ceased, Tan Shuchang immediately surveyed his surroundings, and he couldn't help but show a look of surprise.