Chapter 47: The Artificial Child of Destiny

Chu Feng’s threat truly frightened the Solar Divine Fire. It had been struggling desperately to break free from his control, but in an instant, it became docile, even actively displaying affection by nuzzling gently against his palm—just like a loyal puppy seeking its master’s favor.

“At least you know what’s good for you,” Chu Feng said.

He easily refined the Solar Divine Fire.

Heaven and Earth’s Divine Fire—Chu Feng accepted it with a smile.

Fu Wangtian really was a bringer of fortune. In Fu Wangtian’s storage pouch, there were tens of millions of spirit stones and a multitude of treasures, all of which were at or above the Nascent Soul level. There were even quite a few treasures suited for the Integration Realm.

Then there was the Flower of the Other Shore.

Chu Feng was quite surprised. The Flower of the Other Shore, a tribulation-crossing level treasure, also known as a sacred medicine, was rumored to grow alongside the Yellow Springs Road and could enhance the strength of one’s soul. With this, and the secret soul-cultivating technique “Underworld Visualization” he had obtained, Chu Feng would soon be able to reach the “small accomplishment” stage.

Yun Niang was scheming to draw him into an illusion.

Composing his thoughts, Chu Feng realized that in his pursuit of the Solar Divine Fire, he had run a great distance without noticing.

“This is the Qinling Range,” Chu Feng determined, scanning the landscape.

He hadn’t been to the Qinling Range in over two centuries. The range lay tens of thousands of miles from the Tai Xuan Dao Sect, its mountains perilous yet rich in resources.

Beyond the Qinling Range lay Qingzhou, one of the nine provinces of the Eastern Wasteland.

Qingzhou’s strength far surpassed that of Sword Province. It was precisely the natural barrier of the Qinling Range that allowed Sword Province to remain relatively isolated and disconnected from other powers. Otherwise, how could their Tai Xuan Dao Sect have become the dominant force in Sword Province?

“If I recall correctly, Yanran’s Nangong clan is located in this region,” Chu Feng mused.

Nangong Yanran had accompanied him for a month. She had left three days earlier, seemingly because the Nangong clan was about to hold its triennial family competition. Perhaps it would be interesting to go and have a look.

In the next moment, Chu Feng descended upon the Nangong clan’s city.

As the foremost family in Sword Province, the Nangong clan was a preeminent local power. The family competition was a rare and grand event for them. Nearly all clan disciples returned for the occasion, and countless cultivators from afar flocked to witness the contest.

The competition was divided into three levels.

The first division was for those under thirty-five years of age.

The second for those under one hundred.

The third and most crucial was for those under three hundred.

The under-thirty-five group mainly competed at the Qi Refining stage; the under-one-hundred group, at the Foundation Establishment stage; and the under-three-hundred, at the Golden Core stage.

The Nangong clan boasted five Golden Core stage cultivators.

Most matches were friendly sparring, serving two purposes: first, to display the martial prowess befitting the leading family of Sword Province; second, to give the younger generation a clear understanding of the practical application of their cultivated techniques and divine arts.

The event even attracted members of the three major Daoist sects.

Chu Feng, glancing around, spotted several familiar faces.

Of course, the strongest among the Nangong clan was none other than Nangong Yanran herself, who had just reached the early Nascent Soul stage. The others present were merely at the Golden Core stage.

Chu Feng did not make his presence known to Nangong Yanran, but instead found a random seat and sat down.

The family competition was also a lucrative opportunity for the Nangong clan. Tickets to watch cost a thousand spirit stones each, while the best private boxes fetched tens of thousands. For this, the clan had built a grandstand for fifty thousand people, resembling a modern football stadium.

When Chu Feng entered the arena, even he was a little surprised.

“Fellow Daoist, may I ask your name? I am Zhao Dong from the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect,” said a young man sitting beside Chu Feng, who was at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Chu Feng appeared to be in his thirties, his cultivation completely concealed. To someone at the Foundation Establishment stage—or even a powerful cultivator at the Soul Formation stage—he would seem utterly unremarkable.

At first, Chu Feng paid little heed, nodding slightly in response.

But the next moment, he was taken aback.

[Zhao Dong, Luck Value: 90,000.]

Foundation Establishment, with 90,000 luck. That was extraordinary.

A luck value of 100,000 marked the unmistakable “Child of Destiny,” the protagonist template. Even 90,000 was the mark of a significant supporting character.

More importantly, people with such luck often became friends, brothers, or sisters to a Child of Destiny.

Which meant that this person was likely to be closely connected to one.

Suppressing or subduing a Child of Destiny or a Daughter of Destiny promised generous rewards—an opportunity Chu Feng found enticing.

The Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect was a sword-centric sect, second only to the three great Daoist sects. Its patriarch, Heaven-Splitting Ancestor, was a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

Before Chu Feng acquired his system, he had not been the ancestor’s match. In fact, Chu Feng and the patriarch were acquainted—they had once explored a secret realm together.

Responding to Zhao Dong’s enthusiasm, Chu Feng nodded and asked, “Is your Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect’s ancestor, Zhao Tian, still alive?”

Zhao Tian was the ancestor’s name. He was more than a hundred years younger than Chu Feng. Without a breakthrough in a hundred years, he too would return to dust—perishing and fading from the Way.

By that age, the body would begin to fail, and unless a miraculous opportunity arose, breaking through was all but impossible.

The Nascent Soul stage was difficult; reaching Soul Formation was even harder. Countless cultivators fell at this very step.

Upon hearing Chu Feng mention his ancestor’s name so directly, Zhao Dong’s expression changed. He frowned, emotions churning within, and a sudden thought occurred to him: Could this person before him be some remarkable old monster?

Not daring to be careless, he tentatively asked, “Senior, do you know my grandfather?”

“So Zhao Tian is your grandfather,” Chu Feng replied, surprised. “If I’m not mistaken, Zhao Tian only has a granddaughter. You must be Little Chubby.”

As Chu Feng spoke, he cast an Infinite Divine Eye upon Zhao Dong and chuckled.

So Zhao Dong was actually a woman—her real name should be Zhao Dongdong.

Little Chubby was evidently her childhood nickname.

She hadn’t heard anyone call her that in ages. With an incredulous look, she asked, “Senior, you know me?”

Chu Feng nodded. “Indeed. If memory serves, I once held you as a child. It seems you’ve cultivated the Heaven and Earth Concealment Technique quite well.”

The Heaven and Earth Concealment Technique was an unnamed cultivation method Zhao Tian had stumbled upon. It could suppress one’s aura, and Chu Feng had coveted it at the time, but Zhao Tian had refused to teach it.

Sure enough, as soon as Chu Feng spoke Zhao Dongdong’s true name, the system chimed in.

[Beep, beep, beep.]

[Detected: Daughter of Destiny, Zhao Dongdong. Luck Value: 120,000.]

[Zhao Dongdong, third among the ten great beauties of Sword Province, peak Foundation Establishment stage. Originally possessed only supporting character-level luck, but after encountering the host, her luck increased, elevating her to Daughter of Destiny status.]

Because of me, she became a Daughter of Destiny.

Chu Feng was inwardly shaken.