TGDS Chapter 75.2

The Good Dad System (Arc 10) Chapter 75.2: The Villain’s Dad in the Cultivation Novels (14)

Immersed in listening and comprehension, the class moved quickly. As Pei Mingzhen progressed, he gradually settled into his groove. He hadn’t been a student for long, but he’d been showered with the attention of the master, elders, and fellow disciples. They eagerly sought out their most treasured secrets and poured them into his head. Even a casual remark from him could enlighten many. Even Xiang Wentian, half preoccupied with ten contribution points and half with Lin Lianxing, listened intently, achieving a sudden enlightenment that ultimately earned Pei Mingzhen praise for his quick comprehension.

He didn’t think much of it, simply scrambling out in a daze. He rushed with a group of outer disciples to the library. The library disciples, aware of their class, had already made preparations, requesting notes and distributing copies. While they wouldn’t use the contribution points themselves, they still felt a sense of accomplishment each time they collected them.

Xiang Wentian, a swift runner with excellent stamina, snatched a front-row seat and snagged a copy of the “Five Elements Law.” This copy was pristine, spotless, its pages pure white as snow, tinged with the subtle fragrance of South China Sea sandalwood, the signature of the library.

He didn’t even bother returning to his room, but simply stood by the roadside and began flipping through the pages. He wasn’t out of place, as there were many other fellow practitioners who were just as eager.

The pages were light, but his hands trembled just by turning them. With great difficulty, he finally turned a page, and his heart skipped a beat.

The first page, identical.

The second page, identical.

He had memorized the Five Elements Law by heart, reciting it by heart. Flustered, he reached the end, and surprisingly, the copy matched the one he had with him. Sweat dripped down the pages, splashing onto them. However, the ink used in the cultivation world, unlike that used in the mortal world, was waterproof, so it didn’t smudge.

“What’s wrong, Junior Brother Xiang? Is there something wrong with this book?” Someone nearby, who had just exchanged a book, glanced over worriedly. While contribution points weren’t much, it was their shared hope.

“No…” Xiang Wentian managed to pull himself together and walked out. “No problem.”

“Then Junior Brother Xiang, what’s wrong with you?” the disciple couldn’t help but ask, but Xiang Wentian didn’t hear him. He simply walked out, leaving the others puzzled.

For Xiang Wentian, the fact that there was no problem was the biggest problem. If these two books were placed next to each other, with the same aged look, he probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if they were presented to the Five Elements Elder. Yet, these two identical books, one for just ten contribution points, less than a day’s wages at the Spirit Beast Farm; the other he had dug out after night after night, secretly risking his life, jumping off a cliff, and leaving himself covered in wounds.

How could they be the same? How could they be the same? But the truth was… they were the same.

“Junior Brother Xiang, you’re back!” Li Dahai was packing his luggage in the house. On school days, he didn’t have to go to the assigned work place, which was equivalent to a holiday. Whether he wanted to go down the mountain to play or practice on his own, it was all up to him. He planned to go down the mountain to visit his parents with the spirit stones given by the sect. Selling one spirit stone could cover the expenses of a mortal family for ten years!

He remembered something and smiled naively: “By the way, junior brother, you also went to exchange for the Five Elements Dharma today, right? When the time comes, you should purify your spiritual roots first, and then start practicing the mental method. Don’t be afraid of wasting time, as sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood!” He didn’t have much talent in practice, but he did know a few tricks.

“Senior brother also knows the Five Elements Dharma?” Xiang Wentian’s originally confused thoughts suddenly became clear, and he looked back at Li Dahai in astonishment.

“Of course I know.” Li Dahai fished under his pillow and pulled out a similar book, only it was a bit older than the new one. “…Are you feeling like your senior brother didn’t give it to you and made you spend ten contribution points? Let me tell you, these contribution points are meant to burn incense to the Five Elements Elder, as a way of thanking him for inventing this technique. That’s why we usually don’t exchange old books with each other outside the sect. If you’re short on money, you can sell the books outside the mountain. One book can be exchanged for a lot of spirit stones.”

He hurriedly explained that he had been depressed before, wondering why he couldn’t just give it to them. Later, he heard from his senior brothers that the old man was buried here, unknown to the public. They should remember the person’s name and do something for him since they had received a favor. This way, they wouldn’t have any inner demons in their future cultivation.

Xiang Wentian just stared at the pillow. He had been so cautious these past few days, sneaking up in the middle of the night to flip through books under the moonlight. Why? There was actually such a book under the pillow of the bed next to his? But no matter how panicked he was, he managed to say, “It’s okay, Senior Brother. I just thought you had a strong spiritual root.”

“That’s good.” Li Dahai smiled magnanimously and continued to clean up.

“By the way, Senior Brother Li,” Xiang Wentian said quietly, “I saw a cliff in the back mountain. There are always many senior brothers and junior brothers gathered there. I was quite curious, but I was embarrassed to go close, so I wanted to ask you about it.”

“Well,” Li Dahai’s voice was filled with laughter. “You can go too. The master once jumped off a cliff there! Everyone says that digging some soil from there and placing it by your bed is good for your cultivation. If you encounter something unpleasant, you can go there, touch the ground, and pray, and it will always be resolved.” As if by magic, he turned his hand and pulled out a crystal glass bottle from nowhere. Inside was a small piece of dry soil. “Look, I have one too.”

“So that’s how it is.” Xiang Wentian didn’t know how he could make a sound. His throat was blocked, making it difficult for him to even speak.

So that’s how it was.

He was just stupid. If he wasn’t stupid, why would he be so suspicious beforehand, afraid that asking others would leak the information? If he wasn’t stupid, why didn’t he wait two days, after class, to think about it?

Child of Destiny? This didn’t even apply to him!

While Xiang Wentian was feeling angry and hating the world, Pei Mingzhen had just left his junior brothers and sisters. Lin Lianxing said she had a question about cultivation and had been following him. Pei Mingzhen finally dealt with it hurriedly, saying that he was going back to Shengyun Palace, and that was the end of it. He watched his junior brothers and sisters fly away on their swords, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mingzhen, you did very well today.” Pei Naochun did not cancel the effect of the invisibility talisman, but just followed his son.

Pei Mingzhen smiled, without any trace of the spirit of a senior brother in front of others just now, full of childishness: “Don’t you say whatever I do is okay?” He thought for a while and asked again, “Master, when I was practicing sword yesterday, I seemed to vaguely feel the sword intent, elusive and unpredictable…”

He frowned and gestured with his hands. In this life, he was really focused. Although he often had to go on missions for the sect, he didn’t need to rack his brains. He just pointed and hit where he was told. When teaching his junior brothers and sisters, he could also review the problems he encountered during his practice. If there was a problem that his senior brothers couldn’t solve, there was no need to worry. He could just go to his father directly. Even if his father didn’t understand, he would help him ask.

Pei Naochun felt helpless. After helping his child shed the burden of being the Sect Leader in this life, he’d been completely absorbed in his sword practice, completely unstoppable. It was true, however, that he’d achieved greater success than at the same time in his previous life. Even the elders in the sect had spoken of his unlimited potential.

He changed the subject, though that was also where his curiosity truly arose. “Mingzhen, I saw today that new junior sister you’re getting along really well with…”

“Master, please stop talking about that.” Pei Mingzhen couldn’t help but sigh, struggling internally. “I know I have to care for my junior brothers and sisters, but they’ve really taken away a lot of my time for sword practice. I finally found a place in the back mountains where I can focus on my sword practice without being disturbed.”

Pei Naochun was stunned. The events of his previous life seemed like passing clouds. Now that he was with him in this life, things would naturally develop in a different direction. He didn’t even intend to interfere with his son’s future relationships.

He wasn’t optimistic about Lin Lianxing, though.

Unexpectedly, even without his intervention, Pei Mingzhen hadn’t fallen in love with Lin Lianxing, as described in the original novel.

But Pei Naochun soon realized that Pei Mingzhen was only twelve or thirteen years old. Mortals matured earlier because of their limited lifespans, similar to the ancient ways they’d been living. In the world of cultivators, living for two or three hundred years wasn’t a problem. Furthermore, cultivation was free-spirited, and there was no pressure on children to find a Daoist partner. Consequently, most children in the world of cultivators didn’t mature that early, especially boys. Unless they were nearing adulthood, they were generally unaffected by relationships.

His worries were unfounded.

Seeing his father in a daze, Pei Mingzhen pressed on, “Father, what’s going on?” Little did he know that his junior sister had only exchanged a few words with him, yet his father had already contemplated forming a Daoist partner. He was now focused solely on the sword intent that might be captured.

“Okay, okay, wait, show me your sword techniques.” Pei Naochun came back to his senses and smiled at Pei Mingzhen. At least in this life, as far as cultivation was concerned, he wouldn’t let his son stray.

…

After officially entering the cultivation sect, outer disciples would be given the opportunity to redeem contribution points for access to the forum. This was also determined by Pei Naochun from the beginning. After all, disciples who hadn’t officially entered the cultivation sect had a limited lifespan. If they spent their limited lifespan as internet addicts, it would go against his original intention.

For most disciples, inner and outer, the Jiumen Forum was like a whole new world unfolding.

They had once considered the Lanyue Sect their be-all and end-all, but after opening their eyes, they discovered that this world was far more vast. It turned out that besides the Lanyue Sect, there were so many other sects, and beyond the sects, there were also independent cultivators. This continent was filled with so many secret realms and treasures that a cultivator might spend a lifetime exploring them all. There were countless masters whose strength far surpassed their own teachers.

Across such a vast continent, so many cultivators strive for the same goal throughout their lives—do you see that day? Above the heavens, there’s the Upper Realm, a realm unknown to all. Whether reaching that realm is good or bad, it’s a one-way passage, in and out. Once there, there’s no return.

But so what? This is the fate of cultivators: cultivate, grow stronger, and then, upon reaching the Upper Realm, continue to face challenges. Whether cultivating elixirs, refining weapons, chanting Buddha’s name, or cultivating the true self, everything points to the same goal. Only those who reach the highest realm can reach the ultimate power.

Xiang Wentian, similarly amazed upon seeing the forum, felt this more deeply than any of his classmates.

When he was young, his parents were among Xingyun City’s most formidable masters, enjoying the privilege of being honored. Even the City Lord admired them. Whenever there were demonic cultivators, cultivators they couldn’t handle, or demons, they would offer countless treasures, begging his parents to come out and deal with them. He had thought this would last forever. The world of cultivation his parents spoke of was vast, but it was nothing compared to life in the mortal realm. But once the demons arrived, his parents were dead.

He understood that above his parents, there were demons.

As a teenager, living under the care of others in Xingyun City, living a miserable existence, neglected. To him, the position of City Lord was the highest point in the universe. But the arrival of the cultivators from the Lanyue Sect was like a platform rising from the clouds. They didn’t even need to come down to greet the City Lord; they simply waited there, and countless children rushed to climb it.

He understood that above humanity, the cultivators were the ones to be reckoned with.