Chapter Two: Perseverance and Miracles

Li Xingyu sped across the rocky surface of this unfamiliar planet, no longer caring to conserve his true energy, instead using it in place of the martial artists’ internal force to perform lightness skills and hasten his journey. It had been nearly ten days since he arrived, yet he had found neither a teleportation array nor any other sign of life or artifact. Over these ten days, Li Xingyu had traveled nearly ten thousand miles, gaining a rough understanding of the planet. From his observations, it was a world composed purely of stone, devoid of soil, water, or air, and naturally bereft of life. The planet’s size, by his estimation, was almost half again larger than the moon.

Regret began to stir in Li Xingyu’s heart regarding his earlier decision. His choice to teleport could no longer be considered a calculated risk; it was reckless, relying solely on luck. In retrospect, he had assumed that he would arrive either in the cultivation world or at a location with another teleportation array—assumptions grounded in ordinary reasoning. But cultivation itself is a path that defies the natural order; how could it be predicted by common logic? More importantly, he had acted too hastily, considering only the favorable outcomes for himself and neglecting the potential dangers or what actions he should take if things did not go as he expected. People often think only of what benefits them, seeing only what they wish to see, and ignoring or refusing to acknowledge what might harm them. He knew his understanding of the cultivation world was extremely limited, almost nonexistent, and his decision to teleport was based on conclusions drawn from conventional reasoning. This experience had deeply affected him, making him far more cautious on his path of cultivation—an attitude that would help him walk farther along that road.

Though regret and reflection weighed on him, they did not stop his relentless search for a way out—perhaps another teleportation array. Even if there truly was no array, he would continue to seek other solutions. As long as he lived, he would search every inch of this planet. When facing crisis, one should not panic, nor surrender to despair; Li Xingyu possessed such resolve. His determination was steadfast, knowing that as long as one does not give up, hope remains, no matter how grave the crisis or how difficult the circumstances. If one abandons hope, even if salvation lies just a step away, it will forever remain out of reach.

If miracles exist in this world, if they ever occur when people face insoluble dilemmas, then those who encounter miracles and have them help overcome adversity are surely those with unwavering resolve who never give up. Li Xingyu was precisely such a person. Because of his persistence, his unyielding spirit, and his constant search for hope on this planet, hope—or rather, a miracle—finally descended upon him.

When Li Xingyu once again felt his true energy nearly depleted, uncertain whether he could recover before his strength failed, he suddenly sensed the Fire Rain in his arms shoot out as if it had discovered something, racing toward a spot not far away. This behavior told Li Xingyu that something unusual lay ahead, a discovery that invigorated him, for until now, he had seen nothing to differentiate any part of the planet’s surface—it all seemed identical, composed of the same rocks and cratered by meteor impacts.

Summoning the last thread of true energy from his dantian, he dragged his weary body after Fire Rain, determined to investigate the anomaly. Perhaps this was his chance to escape crisis. After a while, he saw Fire Rain circling a pit over two meters wide. When Li Xingyu approached, Fire Rain barked a few times before squatting by the pit’s edge. As Li Xingyu drew nearer, he used his spiritual sense to probe the pit’s interior. The information flowed back to his consciousness as if he saw it with his own eyes—real and clear. The pit appeared to have been formed by a meteor about a meter in diameter. Amid the rubble at the bottom, what truly caught his attention was an object the size of a basketball. Its surface resembled metal, though Li Xingyu could not identify the type. Even more intriguing, the metal emitted waves of energy—surely what had attracted Fire Rain. Li Xingyu realized this was no ordinary object, likely a material used by cultivators for artifact forging, and given its ability to emit energy on its own, it must be quite precious. Yet, this discovery offered him no immediate help to escape his predicament, leaving him with a bitter, self-mocking feeling.

But as he continued to scan the surroundings with his spiritual sense, hoping to find similar items nearby, his attention suddenly shifted to another spot not far away. With anticipation and excitement, he ran toward it, for his spiritual sense had detected something akin to a teleportation array on the ground. Upon arrival, he found a flat rocky surface with an array, and careful observation confirmed it was a one-way teleportation array. This discovery rekindled his hope; regardless of where the array might send him, even if the destination was worse than here, he had to try, for remaining was hopeless, but departure might offer a sliver of hope.

Testing the array, he determined it was functional, and the feedback indicated it would teleport him to a much larger planet—even larger than Nastar by a factor of two. This increased his confidence in escape, for such a large planet with a teleportation array was likely inhabited, perhaps even by cultivators. Having confirmed this, Li Xingyu returned to the pit and, after some consideration, stored the mysterious ore in his storage ring. By now, Li Xingyu had divided his belongings into two groups: those he could not use yet or whose purpose was unknown but seemed important were kept in the storage ring, while items needed for frequent use were placed in a storage pouch. This arrangement was meant to avoid drawing attention, since the black-clad man had told him that storage rings were rare in the cultivation world, and Li Xingyu dreaded the thought of inviting trouble through possessing one.

After calming himself, Li Xingyu gritted his teeth and took out some precious medicinal herbs he had brought from the Valley of Ten Thousand Medicines, swallowing them. While these herbs were considered treasures among mortals, they contained some spiritual energy and could help low-level cultivators restore their true energy. He had kept them as a backup, reluctant to use them until now, but with hope of escape, he finally took the plunge, understanding the critical importance of ample true energy for teleportation. Next, he reluctantly took out a piece of red jade—a spirit stone—and held it as he began meditation. From the royal records, he knew that spirit stones not only powered arrays but could also restore a cultivator’s true energy, making them the most sought-after and valued resource in the cultivation world, even serving as a medium or currency for transactions.

Seeing Li Xingyu meditating to restore his energy, and with the object in the pit taken away, Fire Rain played around Li Xingyu and the array for a while before curling up nearby and falling asleep. Had Li Xingyu not entered meditation, he would have noticed a faint fiery glow rising from Fire Rain’s body, making it look more like a ball of flame. Fire Rain had been stimulated by the extraterrestrial environment, awakening dormant potential within its body, and after absorbing spiritual energy from Li Xingyu, this potential was unleashed.

Li Xingyu donned his spacesuit once more and stepped onto the array, Fire Rain lying motionless in his arms as if awaiting something. After performing the same incantation, a flash of white light enveloped the array, and Li Xingyu vanished from sight.

The fourth update is complete for today, and at last I can breathe a sigh of relief. These four chapters are a token of gratitude for everyone’s continued support of this novel! Tomorrow, the book will officially launch, so I ask all readers who enjoy it to give it their support—Crystal thanks you once again!

Jointly recommended by the editors at Zhulang, the comprehensive list of hot novels on Zhulang is now online—click to bookmark!