"In the north, in a country called the Water Nation, there is a lake. At the bottom of the lake, there is a ring. This ring has the ability to enhance lightning techniques and conjure true lightning," Yan Yu said, then closed her eyes again, as if she had just mentioned something trivial.

Liu Xing pinched his chin. His entire fighting style revolved around lightning, and even though he already had his overpowered gun, information about another treasure that could make him stronger was valuable.

"You're thanking me?" Because if it was a thank you, it felt too good to be true. He had just carved a hole and brought her here, a feat he had accomplished in less than five minutes, and yet, the reward was valuable information. Was it a trap? Was his act of helping her so meaningful to her?

"Yes," Yan Yu said simply.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing smiled. He started to change his mind about Yan Yu. Maybe she wasn't a bully, maybe she wasn't as bad as he thought. She might still be a ruthless cultivator to her enemies, but perhaps she was good to her friends. He jumped out of the cave and ran towards his sect at full speed. He didn't know where the hell the Water Nation was, so he needed to check his sect's library again.

***

Inside the cave, lying on the cold ground, Yan Yu murmured, "If he survives, I might befriend him. He's stronger than I thought and could be a powerful ally when the time comes."

If Yan Yu was not mistaken, the Palace of the Unbroken Tournament would be held in a few years. If Yan Yu wanted to take revenge and change the world, she needed to start preparing now.

One of the preparations she had in mind was to gather powerful pawns and strengthen them, and Liu Xing was perhaps one of the strongest of her generation. She wondered what had happened to Liu Xing in her past life, but she soon dismissed the thought and focused on recovery.

***

"Finally, back to the sect," Liu Xing said as he arrived at the base of the white stairs. Tilting his head, he could see the white staircase snaking around several mountains.

He took one step, then another, and another. He could easily run to the gate, but he chose to climb these stairs slowly. After all, he had run at full speed from the Dragon Skull Forest, and while his body was still full of energy, his mind needed rest. The mountains rising to the sky, the green that covered them, as well as the blue sky, the white clouds, and the breeze would refresh his mind.

As he walked, he observed his surroundings and breathed deeply, feeling his mind become calmer. He walked with his hands behind his head and began to whistle a random melody. Sometimes a bird would answer him, and he would try hard to answer back, creating a random bird song. After about half an hour, he noticed something new in his vision. In front of him was a boy carrying a sack of rice. He was walking slowly, his back bent, and although Liu Xing couldn't see his face, the skin on his neck and arm was red. He raised his eyebrows. He did not feel any qi from this boy, which meant he was a mortal.

Looking back, Liu Xing couldn't see the bottom of the stairs, so this boy had probably already walked for hours, and since there was no end in sight, this boy would walk for dozens more hours. Hell, it would probably take him a whole day to get to the gate.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Liu Xing asked.

Hearing his voice, the boy jumped. The sack on his back fell onto the stairs. When the boy realized that the sack he was carrying had fallen, his eyes widened. He tried to reach for the sack, but then he stopped as if he had realized something important, and then bowed deeply to Liu Xing.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Greetings, esteemed cultivator. My name is Chu Zen. I'm here to deliver this sack of rice!"

"You don't have to bow to me," Liu Xing said.

From the perspective of mortals, a cultivator was a living legend. They could fly, possessed unfathomable strength, and performed feats that no mortal could accomplish. It was normal for mortals to be extremely polite to cultivators. After all, a cultivator could kill a mortal with a simple flick of his finger. But Liu Xing had also been an ordinary human once, and although he could do crazy things now, he did not think that he needed to be respected just because he was a cultivator. As long as people were polite to him, he would repay that politeness.

"My name is Liu Xing, and I would not eat you or kill your entire family if you offended me. So you don't need to be as polite as if you were talking to an emperor."

Beads of sweat fell from Chu Zen's forehead, glistening in the sun. His red face looked like a cooked lobster, and he glanced at Liu Xing as if wondering if Liu Xing was telling the truth or just making a sarcastic remark. To prove his point, Liu Xing grabbed the sack on the stairs and hoisted the sack of rice onto his shoulders.

Seeing this, Chu Zen's eyes widened. "Esteemed cultivator, you do not need to help me!"

"Why not? You are a mortal, aren't you? And since we are climbing the same stairs, our destination is the same."

Chu Zen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." Liu Xing started to walk, and Chu Zen followed. Seeing this, Liu Xing asked Chu Zen to walk beside him, and he complied. As they walked, he observed Chu Zen. Chu Zen's clothes were gray, and white powder had stained his clothes. From his appearance, he could deduce that he was not wealthy, but not poor either, since his gray clothes had no tears or permanent stains.

"So, Chu Zen, why are you delivering this rice?"

This boy was about ten or eleven years old. His red cheek still had a hint of chubbiness, and this sack of rice was considered large for a child to carry.

"Esteemed Cultivator--"

"You can call me Liu Xing, or if you want to be polite, add 'Senior' before my name."

He nodded. "Senior Liu Xing, the reason I am carrying this sack of rice is because a cultivator from your sect ordered it."

Liu Xing's eyebrow rose, "Really?"

"Yes," Chu Zen nodded.

He could not feel qi from the sack he was carrying, so it wasn't spiritual rice, it was just ordinary rice. Why would someone, possibly a cultivator, want ordinary rice?

"Who ordered it?"

"A cultivator named Shen Ye comes to my father's shop and orders a sack of rice. After paying for it, he leaves."

Liu Xing remembered this name. When he ate in the Dining Hall, a certain group gossiped about extraordinary new disciples. One of them was Shen Ye. This Shen Ye was a prince of an empire, had a high level of cultivation, and would probably become an inner sect disciple soon. He did not understand why Shen Ye needed a sack of rice, but people had their own secrets, and Liu Xing would not pry too much.

"So? Why are you the one to deliver this rice?" The town near the Purple Moon Sect must know that this white staircase was long. Surely, a father would not want his young son to go up those long stairs. "Are you hated by your father?"

"No!" Chu Zen replied immediately. "My father loves me. He cherishes me and is the greatest father in the world! The reason I am the one who delivered the rice is because we have no employees, and my father is not well."

"Is that so? Is your father sick?"

"Yes. My father's health has been declining for several years. His hair has turned white even though he is only forty years old. So the one who takes care of the shop is me. It's not a big deal because our customers are usually just people in our town, but... I never expected a cultivator to come to our shop one day."

"I see," Liu Xing nodded. "I take it this is the first time you have climbed these stairs?"

Chu Zen nodded. "I have heard about this staircase. People say it reaches to the sky! That's obviously an exaggeration, right?" He asked with anxious eyes.

Liu Xing smiled. "Well, it is indeed an exaggeration, but for a mortal like you, I think even if you walked seven nights and six days, you wouldn't reach the top of the stairs."

Hearing this, Chu Zen's eyes widened. "Are you serious, senior?"

"I'm joking, of course," Liu Xing said.

Chu Zen sighed in relief. "Don't joke like that! The pay might be good enough that I can close the shop, but walking for a week is still hell for a little kid like me!"

"Good thing you met me then, because I will help you carry this sack."

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