Chapter 144: Let Me Calculate That for You
Chen Huaiâan never imagined the day would come when he achieved true milk tea freedom.
Though, to be fair, he didnât even need to add milk.
His tea sachets had a special effectâonce brewed, they naturally infused the tea with a faint, creamy fragrance.
Too much milk would overpower the teaâs essence, making it cloying.
A subtle, lingering creaminess was the real key to a perfect cup.
Like the one he was drinking now.
A flavor that, he was certain, no one else in the world could experience.
But in reality, he wasnât in the mood to enjoy it.
Because the latest update to
Main Quest 3.0
had just delivered a brutal reality check.
[Main Quest 3.0: Countdown to the opening of the Zhongzhou Secret Realmâ21 days remaining. Please increase your Virtual Girlfriendâs survival rate in the dungeon! Every 30% increase in survival rate grants a Heavenly Divination hint. Current survival rate: 61%.]
[Heavenly Divination Hint 1: Available to unlock]
[Heavenly Divination Hint 2: Available to unlock]
Chen Huaiâan had assumed that Li Qingran, who had already reached the
Foundation Establishment Stage (Mid)
, possessed a
Supreme-Grade Dantian
, a
Pure Water Spiritual Root
, the
Su Xian Sword
, and a solid set of sword techniques and internal cultivation methods, would have a
100% survival rate
in a minor secret realm like this.
Worst case scenario, she still had
Thunderfire Talismans
for self-defenseâthose things could
obliterate Golden Core cultivators
!
Yet, when he checked the quest logâŠ
Her survival rate was a mere
61%.
61%.
That was basically the same as
zero
in his eyes.
For a moment, Chen Huaiâan felt as if the sky had collapsed.
What the hell was wrong with this
Zhongzhou Secret Realm
?
How was it so difficult that even his
Schrödingerâs Cheat Code
couldnât guarantee a
100% clear rate
?!
He tapped on
Heavenly Divination Hint 1.
[Heavenly Divination Hint 1: After entering the dungeon, the player will be completely unable to interfere in any way. Only observation is permitted. (Tap for more details)]
No interference allowed?
That was a first.
He opened the expanded description.
<Explanation: The Zhongzhou Secret Realm is an independent micro-world with its own Dao Laws. Players cannot interfere across three different worlds to alter anything within this realm.>
Great.
Just this one rule had already cranked the difficulty up to
hell mode.
He then checked
Heavenly Divination Hint 2
and its corresponding explanation.
[Heavenly Divination Hint 2: A large number of demonic cultivators and some monster cultivators will appear within the Zhongzhou Secret Realm.]
<Explanation: The demonic cultivators are extremely powerful and employ a divide-and-conquer strategy. The Sword Pavilionâs disciples will be slaughtered one by one. Li Qingran will fight with all her strength but ultimately be overwhelmed.>
Chen Huaiâan: â???â
Excuse me?
Itâs THAT bad?!
This was a
massacre
!
He had previously heard from Su Qinian that the Zhongzhou Secret Realm was a
grand event
for all righteous sects in the
Cangyun Realm.
Minor secret realms opened every year, while major secret realms opened once every ten years.
This year was a rare occurrenceâboth were opening simultaneously, an unprecedented spectacle.
If it was a righteous sect gathering,
how the hell were demonic cultivators and monster cultivators infiltrating it?
If he didnât know about this, fine.
But now that he
did
, he had to do something about it.
After some thought, Chen Huaiâan decided on a two-pronged approach.
First,
strengthening Li Qingran
was the top priority. No amount of strategy mattered if she wasnât strong enough.
Second, he needed to
warn Su Qinian in advance.
He didnât know who the enemy was yet or where theyâd strike from, but Su Qinian could alert the other sects to prepare.
Yes, this might tip off the demonic cultivators.
But that was still
better
than letting them infiltrate unnoticed.
Besides, he had
Heavenly Divination.
If it worked, maybe he could
eliminate
some threats before they even had a chance to act.
With that in mind, he activated his
Transmission Talisman
and spoke to Li Qingran, who was focused on sewing a pillowcase.
âQingran, go summon Pavilion Master Su. I have something important to discuss with him.â
â
A short while later.
By the water pool atop
Luoxia Peak.
Su Qinian and Li Qingran sat across from each other.
Well,
Su Qinian
sat.
Li Qingran was just eavesdropping.
Meanwhile, Su Qinian respectfully bowed to the air above Li Qingranâs head.
âPatriarch, what instructions do you have for me?â
[This old one observed the celestial signs last night, calculated the heavenly fate, and discovered that a great calamity will befall the Zhongzhou Secret Realm!]
Su Qinianâs mouth twitched.
Oh great, youâre doing divinations now?
Was the mysterious grand cultivator who had been constantly divining the
Cangyun Realm
latelyâŠ
actually their Sword Pavilionâs Patriarch?
The thought passed quickly.
He believed the Patriarch had the power to perform
Heavenly Divination.
But for him to be
so far away from Cangyun Realm
, still able to predict its fate and even
shake the heavens
âthat seemed a bit exaggerated.
However, Chen Huaiâanâs next words made Su Qinianâs body go rigid.
[This calamity may result in nine out of ten Sword Pavilion disciples perishing!]
âWhat?!â
Su Qinian slammed the table and stood up, his eyes flashing with sharp sword intent.
âWhich sect dares to slaughter my Sword Pavilion disciples within the Zhongzhou Secret Realm?!â
Fights between disciples were common in the secret realm, but overall, the atmosphere among the righteous sects remained relatively harmonious.
Sure, rivalries existed, but outright massacres? That was nearly unheard of.
[It is not the righteous sectsâit is the Demonic Sect!]
The moment those words landed, Su Qinianâs first instinct was disbelief.
The
Demonic Sect
had been almost completely eradicated in
Cangyun Realm.
Any demonic cultivator who dared to appear wouldnât last
three days
before being hunted down by the disciples and elders of the righteous sects.
How could a
large force
of them suddenly show up, strong enough to threaten the entire
Zhongzhou Secret Realm
?
âPatriarch, do you have any concrete details?â Su Qinian asked, clearly troubled.
[Very well. Let me calculate that for you.]
Chen Huaiâan activated
Heavenly Divination.
He only got
one
free calculation per day.
Would it reveal the locations of the demonic cultivators?
He wasnât sure.
But so far,
every single prediction
had given him useful information.
If worst came to worst, he could just
make something up
and tell the Sword Pavilion to stay on high alert.
The fate of other sects?
Not his problem.
He typed his query:
âShow me the locations of all demonic cultivators! Display them on the map!â
A loading circle appeared in the
Heavenly Divination System.
After a long pause, a bright red warning popped up.
[Are you certain you want to divine the locations of
all
demonic cultivators? Be warned: The resulting karmic backlash will cause massive fortune depletion!]
Fortune depletion?
Chen Huaiâan sneered.
Big deal.
What could possibly go wrong?
He was already stuck in
Containment Room Zero.
âConfirm. Calculate it for me.â
[Performing Heavenly DivinationâŠ]
â
BOOMâ!
The skies over
Cangyun Realm
darkened in an instant.
Atop
Luoxia Peak,
storm clouds churned, lightning crackled, and an overwhelming pressure descended from above.
From within the ominous clouds, a colossal golden vertical eye slowly opened.
The moment its gaze swept over
Su Qinian
, he felt as if his very soul had been
laid bare.
Stunned, he gawked at the sky, unable to form words, his throat tightening as if a boulder had lodged in it.
Oh heavens aboveâŠ
The mysterious cultivator divining the heavens
this whole timeâŠ
Was actually our Sword Pavilion Patriarch?!