WBICDPH Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Diverging Paths of Light and Shadow

With the year-end assessment approaching, Lin Jin once again started hoarding life-saving magic artifacts into his storage ring like a frantic little hamster.

This time he would be facing a seventh-tier mission. Although he had Miss Hua accompanying him—and Senior Brother Xiao Yunkong, one of the top combatants in the cultivation world, overseeing the task—his life was still on the line. There could be no room for carelessness.

Clearly, his two masters felt the same way. They stuffed him full of magical tools and pills, repeatedly reminding him that it didn’t matter if he failed the mission. If danger arose, he was to hide behind Xiao Yunkong. As long as he came back safe and sound, that was enough.

On the day the assessment officially began, Lin Jin got up early. He prepared breakfast, delivered portions to Mo Yuzi and Liu Xun, said his goodbyes to his two masters—enduring another round of instructions from each—then hurried back to his own courtyard to eat with Hua Nanzhi and Han Ao before the three of them headed to the Mission Hall together.

“So… you two are really going down the mountain with Xiao Yun—uh, with Senior Brother—for the assessment?” Han Ao scratched his head as they walked.

“Of course,” Lin Jin replied with a light laugh.

“Oh…” Han Ao nodded. After thinking for a moment, he couldn’t help adding, “You… be careful.”

“What? It’s just a seventh-tier mission. With Senior Brother there, what’s there to be careful about? Last time Lin Jin ran into demonic cultivators, it was Senior Brother who saved his life!”

Before Lin Jin could answer, Miss Hua jumped in indignantly.

Lin Jin had long since figured it out—Hua Nanzhi was a top-tier admirer of strength. If someone were only a little stronger than her, she’d refuse to accept it. But if they were far stronger, she’d turn into an instant fangirl.

This time, when she learned Xiao Yunkong would be supervising their assessment, she could barely eat or sleep. Whenever she had a spare moment, she practiced her blade techniques, afraid she wouldn’t be able to show her strongest side in front of him.

Lin Jin smoothed things over. “He means I should be careful not to drag Senior Brother down.”

Miss Hua seemed satisfied with that explanation. “That’s more like it!”

Lin Jin gave Han Ao a knowing look. Of course, he understood what Han Ao really meant.

He meant Lin Jin should be wary of Xiao Yunkong.

Xiao Yunkong was extraordinarily gifted. His spiritual root was the rare mutated ice attribute, and his personality was just as cold and distant as frost. He was known as “Xiao Yunkong, who rinses ice and washes snow.”

Having transitioned from the martial path to the Path of Emotionlessness, he had already become one of the only three Sword Sovereigns of the current age at a young age. The other two were Lin Jin’s master, Sanzong Yu, and the book’s primary heroine, Jiang Xianrou of Piaomiao Pavilion.

By all accounts, he was one of the ceiling-level fighters of this world. Yet in the original novel, his portrayal had not been flattering.

Though he and the male protagonist were fellow disciples, one mountain could not house two tigers. There could only be one favored child of fate. With the protagonist rising, Xiao Yunkong’s brilliance dimmed.

The novel described how, hindered by an unstable Dao heart, Xiao Yunkong’s cultivation stalled at a bottleneck. Meanwhile, the protagonist’s meteoric rise began to threaten his position. From then on, jealousy took root. He targeted the protagonist repeatedly, sometimes even standing by in life-and-death moments—or worse, actively pushing him toward danger.

The Path of Emotionlessness required detachment and freedom from desire. The darker and more jealous Xiao Yunkong became, the more his Dao heart wavered. It was a vicious cycle that eventually gave birth to a heart demon.

In the later stages of the book, the protagonist’s growth skyrocketed. Fearing being surpassed, Xiao Yunkong grew increasingly reckless in his cultivation, ultimately succumbing to deviation. His Dao heart shattered, his cultivation was lost, and the once-brilliant prodigy faded into obscurity.

He was the classic foil character—outwardly elegant and virtuous, inwardly jealous and hypocritical. A stepping stone for the true genius.

But perhaps because Xiao Yunkong had once saved him, Lin Jin didn’t feel the man was as terrible as the original story made him out to be.

After all, Zhe Yu’s reputation in the novel had been awful too. Yet in reality, Lin Jin had found him reliable and decent—hardly deserving of the label “bad.”

So Lin Jin refused to judge someone solely based on foreknowledge of the plot. The future wasn’t set in stone. No one had the right to condemn someone for crimes not yet committed.

Meanwhile, Hua Nanzhi and Han Ao were still bickering, and by the time they reached the Mission Hall, she had forced Han Ao to declare three times that “Senior Brother is number one under heaven” before finally letting him go.

Lin Jin wisely stayed out of it. As they argued, he walked beside them, absentmindedly listening while feeding small pieces of fried meatball to the fluffy creature perched on his shoulder, enjoying a moment of quiet peace.

After collecting their respective fifth-tier and seventh-tier missions from the elder, the three headed down the mountain together.

On the way, Han Ao sighed. “Sigh… Doing a mission alone this time means no Lin Lin writing the mission report for me. Just thinking about it makes me miserable.”

“See? I told you you’re lazy!” Hua Nanzhi shot back.

But mid-lecture, she suddenly spotted a pale-robed figure waiting by the mountain gate in the distance. Her eyes lit up like stars.

“Senior Brother—!”

She dashed off like an overexcited fan chasing her idol, leaving Lin Jin and Han Ao behind.

Han Ao nudged Lin Jin. “You arranged to meet him here? I’m taking a detour. And remember—be careful. Hua Nanzhi may not know what kind of person he is, but we do.”

Lin Jin shrugged lightly. “The original novel isn’t necessarily accurate. No need to be so tense.”

Han Ao frowned. “If we already know the story, it’s always safer to be cautious.”

After a few more exchanges, Han Ao suddenly turned serious. “Lin Lin… have you noticed? You’re getting more and more immersed.”

He paused. “Don’t forget. This isn’t real. It’s not home.”

Lin Jin froze for a moment.

Then he smiled. “Of course.”

Han Ao gave him a casual two-finger salute and disappeared down a shaded path.

When Lin Jin reached the gate, Hua Nanzhi was already glowing with excitement. Xiao Yunkong stood in pale robes, his expression cool and detached.

After brief greetings, Hua Nanzhi excitedly declared, “Let’s set off!”

Silence.

After an awkward pause, Xiao Yunkong looked between them and gently echoed, “Set off.”

Still no one moved.

A crow flew overhead.

Finally, Xiao Yunkong raised a brow slightly. “Destination?”

Lin Jin sighed. “The mission jade slip is with you, Miss Hua. You didn’t forget… did you?”

Flustered, she quickly infused spiritual energy into the jade slip. Crimson text appeared:

[Ghostly Mist Village Incident]
Mission Rank: Seventh Tier
Location: Shuangxi Village, Mortal Realm
Target Type: Ghost
Danger Rating: Red-Robed
Time Limit: Nine Months
Times Accepted: Nine

Nine.

That meant nine groups had taken this mission before. None had completed it within the time limit—or they had died.

For a mere seventh-tier mission, wasn’t that number… excessive?

Xiao Yunkong glanced at it. “You chose this?”

Apparently, they’d been allowed to pick from five options.

“I’ve never fought a ghost cultivator before,” Hua Nanzhi explained brightly. “And this one’s a red-robed ghost! It looked the hardest, so I picked it. Suits my strength and status.”

Xiao Yunkong nodded calmly. “It is the most difficult, most troublesome, most dangerous, longest-standing, and highest-fatality seventh-tier mission in the hall.”

With each “most,” Lin Jin’s vision seemed to darken a little more.

Then Xiao Yunkong added, “Good choice.”

Lin Jin couldn’t tell if that was sincere praise or subtle mockery.

He only knew his future suddenly looked bleak.

Chose it out of curiosity.
Chose it because the difficulty “matched her status.”

He regretted everything.

He should never have trusted Hua Nanzhi.
And he definitely should not have left something as important as selecting the mission to her.

Staring at the blood-red words floating before him, Lin Jin felt faint.

You two can keep striving for greatness.

I’ll just go die first.