The beggar wore tattered rags and nothing but a worn-out jacket, revealing a back covered with countless scars. His bare feet were thickly calloused.

Clutching a cracked bowl, the beggar sat beneath the office building, his lifeless eyes gazing at the murky sky.

Many of the white-collar workers in the building held their noses and steered clear of him, murmuring about bad luck. Some even contacted security, intending to have the beggar removed.

Xu Lai was silent for a moment.

After parking his car in the lot, he sat down next to the beggar. "What are you looking at?"

"The sky."

"What's in the sky?"

"There's a path, but it's broken. No one can walk it anymore."

As the beggar spoke, his vacant eyes never turned to look at the man who had sat down to talk with him, showing no curiosity about his appearance. It seemed that in the beggar's eyes, only the sky mattered. Everything else was insignificant.

Xu Lai observed the beggar.

The Spiritual Energy within the man is incredibly abundant, comparable to the Peak of Golden Core. Yet his Boundary is sealed by chains! As a result, the beggar appears no different from an ordinary old man. But I know that if this old man wished it, he could instantly transform into a god of slaughter. At the Peak of the Golden Core Realm on Earth, one can go almost anywhere unimpeded.

"Three hundred years ago, a child asked me to guard a city. I went and guarded it for a hundred years. He promised me a path, a path to leave Earth," the beggar murmured. "But he deceived me. He never showed up again. I've waited two hundred years. I don't have many years left…"

"Hmm." Xu Lai nodded. "You really don't have many years left."

Those at the Golden Core Realm have a lifespan of five hundred years. This old man had sustained grievous injuries when he was young. Sealing his Boundary allowed him to live a few more years; otherwise, he would have passed away long ago.

"Eh?"

The beggar finally turned to look at Xu Lai. That lifeless and turbid gaze slowly filled with emotion and confusion. In his years of wandering, he had always liked to talk to people, but in doing so, he was often treated like a madman. After wandering for two hundred years, this was the first time he wasn't being regarded as a lunatic.

"You're Xu Yanyang," Xu Lai said softly. "So you didn't die."

"..."

The beggar stared at Xu Lai for a long time. Suddenly, his lips parted into a sinister, unsettling smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "You're not from Earth. And you have seen the Heavenly Dao!"

Xu Lai neither confirmed nor denied it, continuing on his own. "I once heard an old blind gentleman in a teahouse tell your story. Having you in the martial world... is a fine thing indeed."

It truly is. I once thought that with Earth's scarcity of Spiritual Energy, the Martial Dao was the absolute limit. But unexpectedly, there are indeed exceptionally gifted individuals who have attained the Golden Core Realm! A planet can only be considered a cultivation civilization if someone reaches the Nascent Soul Realm. If not… then it's just an abandoned star. Xu Yanyang, at the Peak of the Golden Core Realm, is just one step away! Moreover, for the man to deduce I wasn't from Earth based on that one brief statement… his astuteness is truly frightening!

Checking the time, he saw it was almost ten o'clock. Xu Lai stood up as if to leave.

The beggar also scrambled to his feet, his expression anxious. "You have seen the Heavenly Dao! Where is he? Where is the path beyond the Golden Core!"

Xu Lai looked at him deeply. "The path has always been beneath your feet."

THUMP!

The beggar's heartbeat suddenly quickened. He looked down at his feet, calloused from walking hundreds of thousands of miles, and his mind instantly cleared. It was as if something had taken root and was sprouting wildly in his heart, breaking through the mental cage that had trapped him.

The old beggar covered his face and suddenly laughed, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his cheeks. The tears were filled with bitterness, regret, the frustration of his sudden realization, and the relief of seeing through his own obsession.

"I've wasted two hundred years! Two hundred years, and I've only just understood! How laughable…"

"I, Xu Yanyang of the Blade Sect, have no need to walk a path others have trod! Standing guard alone in the Exotic Realm for a century, one man and one blade—that is my path!"

"The Heavenly Dao… he didn't deceive me…"

As the inner conflict that had plagued Xu Yanyang for two hundred years dissolved, a vast amount of Spiritual Energy surged toward him. The sky instantly filled with roiling black clouds, shot through with flashing lightning. Having conquered his inner demons, Xu Yanyang was on the verge of a breakthrough.

It was the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation!

A Ten-Colored Heavenly Tribulation, is it…

Xu Lai nodded and said, "You have good talent. I look forward to seeing you in the Immortal Domain one day."

"Who are you?" Xu Yanyang shouted.

"Xu Lai."

As Xu Lai spoke, a gentle breeze swept through. It scattered the dark clouds, dispersed the Heavenly Tribulation, and cleared away the layers of gloom and oppression in the air. A ray of sunlight shone down from above, landing on Xu Yanyang. Bathed in the dazzling light, he stood with a vacant gaze, his pupils constricting rapidly.

The Heavenly Tribulation… it was scattered by a breeze!

However, it hadn't completely disappeared but was merely postponed for one month. The sensation was marvelous, and Xu Yanyang could feel it clearly.

He suddenly came to his senses and bowed with clasped hands toward Xu Lai's retreating figure. "Thank you, Senior, for your great kindness!"

This kindness gave Xu Yanyang a month to prepare for his tribulation. Otherwise, in his current state of depleted vitality, the ordeal would have been perilous.

*Those who once admired the flowers with me…*

*Looking around now, not even half remain.*

The path of cultivation is a lonely one. So lonely that when you look back, you might find not a single friend or family member by your side. Even your old enemies may have perished in the long river of time. That was why Xu Lai never minded lending a hand to a few of heaven's chosen now and then. He considered it a bit of support for them and a small pleasure in his own long life. But how far they could go depended on their own destiny.

Xu Yanyang watched the figure depart.

Xu Lai. Like a gentle breeze… I, Xu Yanyang, owe you a favor. The next time we meet, I will repay it!

***

"The Boss Lady is here!"

"Boss Lady, I heard your cooking is amazing! Can we freeload a meal?"

"You little sneak, peeking at President Ruan's chat history with her friends. You got a death wish?"

"I didn't peek! I just happened to see it when I went in to give a report."

"..."

The women in the company, chattering like orioles, flocked around Xu Lai. They had spent all morning discussing just how delicious his cooking must be.

"Sure," Xu Lai said with a smile. "You can come over for a party at my place sometime. I'll cook for you."

"Oh, yeah!" the group of young women cheered, clapping their hands.

"Don't you all have work to do?" a cold voice interjected, and the office fell silent.

The speaker was Ruan Tang. She stood by the door, her face devoid of expression. "It seems your workload has been too light recently."

The young women stuck out their tongues playfully and scattered. Xu Lai then followed his wife into the office.

Ruan Tang locked the door and glared at him, her eyes sharp. "What were you thinking, recklessly agreeing to that? A party at our place? What if Beibei gets discovered? What if Xiao Hei gets discovered?"

One was a monster. The other was a giant panda. The discovery of either would be a massive incident.

"We have a dragon at home, too," Xu Lai said offhandedly.

Ruan Tang stomped on his foot. "Don't you try to change the subject."

Xu Lai grinned. "Right, you wanted to see me. Was there something you needed to tell me?"

Ruan Tang stared at Xu Lai without speaking, her intense gaze seeming to bore right through him.

Xu Lai hesitated. "Honey, in the office… wouldn't that be a little inappropriate?"

Ruan Tang was left speechless.

What's inappropriate? Xu Lai, you bastard, what are you fantasizing about now!

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