The Great Karma triggered by Wang Mingyue - Li Hanfeng jokingly called it the protagonist route, with Wang Mingyue as the "female lead." Since she was the 'female lead,' how could she be ordinary?
Upper Grade spiritual roots might just be the most insignificant trait about her.
Even though the karma was severed, her special qualities still existed, which was why the Spiritual Sword Peak Master noticed her.
He just didn't know what this special quality was.
Meanwhile, Wang Mingyue had already chosen her technique, saying: "That pretty sister said for the three techniques - one offensive, one protective, and the last one could be utility techniques like Rain spell or Seedling Growth spell, convenient for doing missions and earning resources. When I was tested today, I asked the teaching elder about this, and he said this choice was correct."
Li Hanfeng snapped back to attention. Hearing the advice, he nodded. Offensive plus protective was indeed a common approach.
Only the final technique choice surprised him.
The utility techniques Wang Mingyue mentioned weren't the same as what he'd imagined.
But this was definitely one approach. The Shushan Sect had many resources, but beyond basic resources, you had to earn more yourself.
Even he was no exception. Right now, the Qi Refining Pills from severing karma were enough, but if his realm improved, forget two pills a day - twenty pills a day wouldn't be enough.
He planned to choose a protective technique, then look at utility techniques.
"Since you've chosen, practice well. You'll be more confident facing the trials in two months."
"Mm-hmm, I know, Big Brother Hanfeng. The pretty sister said the same thing." Wang Mingyue nodded seriously, then continued: "Big Brother Hanfeng, you have to practice hard too. I don't want to be separated from you."
"Look who's talking. What if I become a servant disciple while you become a formal disciple?" Li Hanfeng said with a smile.
"No way, you have to become a formal disciple!" Wang Mingyue immediately got anxious. She knew servant disciples and formal disciples were kept far apart and easily grew distant.
These words were actually what Li Hanfeng had said before to motivate Wang Mingyue. He didn't expect the boomerang to fly back at him.
"I said what if!"
"There's no what if!"
Seeing Wang Mingyue getting anxious, grabbing his hand and not letting go, insisting he pinky promise, Li Hanfeng finally said with a laugh: "Okay, okay, no what if! Let go first so I can look at techniques."
"You promised, okay!"
"Yeah, I promised!"
Chatting with Wang Mingyue, Li Hanfeng picked up the technique Wang Mingyue had chosen.
Mysterious Shield - uses spiritual qi to construct a protective shield. Advantages: fast casting speed and thick, heavy shield. Disadvantage: slightly high cultivation difficulty.
He looked at the cultivation comments from previous practitioners. There were quite a few, and they were all pretty good reviews. Even the mediocre reviews were just complaining about the high cultivation difficulty.
Li Hanfeng thought about it and decided to try this technique.
High cultivation difficulty wasn't the technique's fault.
With a girl's temperament, emotions came and went quickly.
While he was reading Mysterious Shield comments, trying to remember the cultivation experiences, Wang Mingyue had already cheered up and started talking about other things.
"Big Brother Hanfeng, remember the mission I asked you to do together a few days ago? Good thing we didn't go then."
Li Hanfeng's attention immediately left the technique.
He might not care about other missions, but the mission Wang Mingyue mentioned was suspected to be the protagonist route.
"Did something go wrong?"
Wang Mingyue's face showed both fear and relief: "It was originally just going down the mountain to help villagers drive away wild boars, but I heard the people who went on the mission encountered demonic cultivators. If one disciple hadn't had a breakthrough, the whole mission team might not have made it back."
Demonic cultivators!
Even though Li Hanfeng had glimpsed some things from those various karmas, he was still shocked after confirmation.
He didn't know what demonic cultivators were like in other worlds.
But in this world, demonic cultivators literally ate people - in the most literal sense.
They believed humans were the most spiritual of all creatures, containing unique spirituality that had tremendous effects whether for increasing cultivation or refining magical treasures.
Even these newly-joined, still-confused probationary disciples were taught that demonic cultivators deserved death.
"How did those demonic cultivators get near the Shushan Sect?"
Wang Mingyue shook her head and answered: "I don't know about that!"
Li Hanfeng wasn't surprised.
Right, Wang Mingyue hadn't even participated, so how would she know the details?
Being able to know about this was because demonic cultivator matters were extremely serious.
"But I do know something else! They say the person who suddenly broke through and saved the situation was also a probationary disciple named Lin Chen, with Lower Grade aptitude. But because of this mission - not only did he save the beauty, now everyone's saying Lin Chen performed so well exposing the demonic plot that he's already earned formal disciple status early."
There it is!
Li Hanfeng's heart stirred.
He'd severed the karma, so someone else had to take it on.
Now it seemed the person who inherited the karma had appeared!
And from this disciple named Lin Chen's information - whether his name or aptitude - he looked much more suitable as a "protagonist" than Li Hanfeng.
"Being able to break through and solve the demonic cultivator problem, that's what he deserved. If it were someone else, the outcome might have been very different."
Honestly, he had no idea how he would have handled encountering that situation.
Maybe he would have encountered opportunities during the mission, maybe gotten treasures from his golden finger, getting deeper and deeper entangled in karma.
But before it happened, everything was unknown.
This was also an important reason he refused to take on karma.
He didn't dare gamble with his life!
Wang Mingyue also nodded, saying seriously: "Right, safety is the most important thing."
The two looked at techniques while discussing other matters, not continuing to talk about the mission since Wang Mingyue didn't know much more anyway.
It wasn't until half an hour later that they separated at the Technique Pavilion entrance. No matter how reluctant Wang Mingyue was, she knew cultivation was more important now. Without cultivation, future meetings would only be harder.
Right after Wang Mingyue left, Fang Yu appeared.
Li Hanfeng was a bit surprised - he thought Fang Yu had already left.
"You were waiting for me this whole time?"
Fang Yu shook his head: "Just happened to run into you when I came out. Who was that with you just now?"
Li Hanfeng remembered that although Wang Mingyue had come looking for him many times, she'd never been seen by the other three people in the courtyard. So he nodded and introduced: "Childhood friend from the same village. We have a good relationship."
Hearing this, Fang Yu was silent for a moment, then said: "You really deserve to die!"
How could such a winner in life exist!
Not only was his cultivation ridiculously fast, but he had a childhood friend too.
Li Hanfeng: "?"
Of course, Fang Yu was just joking and didn't say more. After all, their relationship wasn't deep enough for that - speaking too intimately when barely acquainted wasn't good.
Before long, they returned to Courtyard No. 22 together and went back to their respective rooms.
Having just gotten techniques, both Li Hanfeng and Fang Yu were eager to try them out.