Stronger with Crimson Modifier

"They lack Spirit Roots, and being advanced in age, they have long missed the optimal time for cultivation. Even if they took a Life Spirit Pill to forcibly grow a Spirit Root, they would be stuck at the Qi Cultivation Realm for the rest of their lives, unable to make any further progress."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Wang Zhiyuan’s eyes.

"I understand. It’s just... they are my family, the people closest to me. If there’s any chance at all, I hope I can find a path for them."

Seeing this, Songling Zi let out a soft sigh, his tone softening.

"The path of cultivation is, by its very nature, an act of defying the heavens. To force it is often futile and may even result in a backlash.

If you truly have their best interests at heart, it would be better to let them live out their mortal lives in peace, free from the hardships of cultivation."

Songling Zi was not the least bit dissatisfied with Wang Zhiyuan’s concern for his family; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.

After all, no one wants to accept a cold-blooded, ungrateful traitor as their disciple.

’The more he’s like this, the easier he’ll be to control later.’

At these words, the complicated expression in Wang Zhiyuan’s eyes gradually calmed.

He nodded and said in a low voice,

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I understand."

Just then, Songling Zi seemed to think of something.

He spoke again.

"However, there is one person in this residence who can cultivate."

"Who are you talking about, Master?"

Hearing this, Wang Zhiyuan’s eyes lit up, and he asked hastily.

The path of cultivation is long and lonely.

Once you embark on this path, your lifespan increases, and you are destined to watch your loved ones pass away one by one. This was the one thing he was most unwilling to face.

Now, hearing that someone could walk this path with him, a sliver of hope naturally sparked in his heart.

Songling Zi didn’t answer right away. Instead, he raised a hand and made a few calculations with his fingers.

A moment later, he spoke slowly.

"Her name is Jin Ling’Er."

"Jin Ling’Er?"

A look of pleasant surprise flashed in Wang Zhiyuan’s eyes.

’I can’t believe it’s Jin Ling’Er.’

Songling Zi gave a slight nod.

"Precisely."

’This Jin Ling’Er is Wang Zhiyuan’s destined confidante and mount. Not only that, she is also set to inherit the fortune of the Demon Race, a fortune borne by the Golden Dragon in Tai Ze Lake. Naturally, I must recruit her into Taiqing Palace.’

...

Just as Wang Zhiyuan was taken in by Songling Zi as a disciple...

「In a remote mountain village」

The village was built against a mountain, with tendrils of cooking smoke curling into the air and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoing about.

Three young boys stood under the pagoda tree at the village entrance.

They were quietly speaking with their parents.

Suddenly, a Scholar dressed in white robes approached at a leisurely pace.

He had a lean face, and his brow carried a refined, scholarly air.

He held a folding fan, its surface faintly decorated with a pattern of mountains, rivers, clouds, and mist, seeming to hold all the mysteries of the universe.

"Teacher!"

Upon seeing him, the three boys quickly wiped their reddened eyes and called out respectfully.

The Scholar’s gentle gaze swept over the three of them as he asked softly,

"Well? Are you willing to leave with me?"

"We are!"

The three boys exchanged a look and answered in unison.

At this, the Scholar smiled faintly, took three heavy pouches of silver taels from his sleeve, and handed them to the boys’ parents.

The parents took the taels of silver. Though their eyes were filled with reluctance, they ultimately nodded.

Though they didn’t understand cultivation, they knew this was far better than having their children remain in the village, destined for a life of toil in the fields just like them.

Besides, the silver taels were enough to improve their family’s circumstances.

The Scholar folded his fan and turned to leave.

The three boys followed close behind, their figures gradually vanishing down the mountain path, seeming to melt into the vast expanse of the world.

...

「Inside a manor」

The screams were incessant.

A moment later, everything fell silent.

What was once a prosperous manor had now become an Asura Hell.

Blood stained the flagstones crimson. Bodies lay strewn about, and the thick stench of blood filled the air.

Two boys cowered in a corner, trembling uncontrollably, their eyes wide with terror.

They watched the dozen or so men in black, who were wielding blood-soaked long sabers, and tried to back away.

But backed into a corner, they had nowhere to go.

"Don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame your Celestial Sword Manor for provoking people you shouldn’t have."

The leader of the men in black let out a low chuckle.

As soon as he finished speaking,

He gestured to two of his men, ordering them to finish the boys off.

"Amitabha Buddha. Such sin! The Buddha is merciful, so allow me to deliver you all to Paradise!"

But before the two men could act,

WHOOSH—

A light breeze swept through the area, and a red-robed old monk suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Hmph. Where did this old bald-ass monk come from? How dare you meddle in our affairs..."

Seeing this, the leader’s eyes went cold. Inner Energy erupted from his body, and his killing intent flared.

He raised his long saber and slashed down at the old monk.

SPLAT!

The next instant, the bodies of all the men in black—including their leader, whose cultivation had reached the Inner Qi Realm—exploded into clouds of bloody mist.

The stench of blood in the air grew even thicker.

Despite this, the red-robed old monk’s expression remained benevolent. He held a string of Buddha Beads from which a faint golden light flowed.

"Amitabha Buddha!"

The old monk glanced at the corpses strewn across the ground and sighed softly, then turned his gaze to the two boys in the corner.

"You two have an affinity with the Buddha. Come with me,"

the monk said softly, his voice carrying a power that could soothe one’s soul.

The two hesitated for a moment before finally getting to their feet and following the monk out of that place of slaughter.

...

These five were none other than the remaining ones destined to undergo tribulation.

Now, as fortune began to resurge in the world, their destinies were turned upside down.

Among the five of them—three men and two women—each had now embarked on the path of cultivation.

Because Jue’an Temple was a sacred place of the Buddhist Sect, it had always accepted only male disciples.

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