Chapter 26: Stealing the Protagonist’s Right-Hand Man
Chapter 26: Stealing the Protagonist’s Right-Hand Man
Exiting Destiny Vision, Su Ming’s expression turned complicated.
First, he now clearly understood what core opportunity Chu Fan was about to obtain.
Second, he currently had no effective way to stop the other party from acquiring that item.
Because the location was too far—at the northernmost tip of the Heaven Primordial Continent, the most desolate and perilous region.
Beasts roamed freely, and demonic sects stood like forests.
That was the truest depiction of the northern reaches.
A thousand years ago, led by the Three Saints Sect, the orthodox sects of the Heaven Primordial Continent drove all demonic factions into exile.
Had the demonic path not possessed some formidable means, they would never have been able to hold their ground in the north until today.
For normal cultivators of the Heaven Primordial Continent, that place was an absolute forbidden zone.
In the original novel, the Devouring Demon Lord, driven to desperation, fled to the northern reaches and ultimately obtained that artifact forged from the mythical beast Taotie, becoming the true Devouring Demon Lord.
Who would have thought that, under the guidance of fate, the protagonist Chu Fan would tread the same path as the Devouring Demon Lord?
Even knowing the situation now, it was already too late to stop Chu Fan.
First, the journey was too long—even if Su Ming sent his Battle Puppet racing day and night, it would still take two days to arrive.
Second, the northern reaches were teeming with demonic factions, their sinister methods endless. Even with the Battle Puppet, there was still a risk of failure.
If he wanted to interfere with Chu Fan now, he would have to rely on the system.
“System, combining the 100,000 Destiny Points I’ve already spent, I need a plan to stop Chu Fan!”
That artifact was also a formidable cheat in the original novel, allowing the Devouring Demon Lord to catch up to Chu Fan—who had obtained resources from the Tower of Ascension—in cultivation.
Its only drawback was that excessive devouring would lead to impure and chaotic spiritual energy.
The Devouring Demon Lord could forcibly refine his spiritual energy using the Supreme Chaos Body and Innate Dao Bone, but Chu Fan had no such capability.
[Customizing solution… Please wait, Host.]
Seeing this prompt, Su Ming finally relaxed slightly.
Since he wanted to interfere with Chu Fan, the more Destiny Points he had, the better.
With that in mind, Su Ming turned his gaze to the disciples below.
If improving his reputation earlier had earned him Destiny Points, then continuing to earn their trust and further enhancing his standing would undoubtedly yield even more.
The amount might be small, but every little bit counted—what if he ended up just a few points short?
It was a pity Luo Ningshuang wasn’t by his side right now, or he wouldn’t have to scrape together such meager gains.
After all, just two batches of pills from Luo Ningshuang would net him 3,000 Destiny Points.
While waiting for the system to finalize its plan, Su Ming approached the gathered disciples.
Clearing his throat, he spoke: “We still have some time before arriving at the Canghai Sword Sect. Coincidentally, my cultivation has stalled recently—I’d like to spar with you all.”
As he spoke, he placed a bottle of Qi Condensing Pills on the ground.
“Ten pills in this bottle. If you defeat me, they’re all yours.”
Hearing this, the disciples began to stir.
They had Qi Condensing Pills too, but only one every two or three days—and that was only after completing sect-assigned missions.
This bottle alone would last them half a month!
“Alright! I’ll go first!” A tall, broad-shouldered disciple with a square-jawed face stepped forward.
His skin bore faint stone-like patterns, clearly indicating a body-refining cultivator.
Studying the disciple’s angular face, Su Ming asked, “State your name!”
“Chiyang Peak, Shi Qiang! Sixth level of the Longevity Realm! Please enlighten me, Holy Son!”
Hearing the name, Su Ming smiled faintly. “I’m currently at the second level of the Longevity Realm. Let’s begin!”
This disciple was a named character in the original novel—Chu Fan’s right-hand man.
With that identity, the Destiny Points he could earn would surely be substantial.
Seeing the impending duel, Elder Zhao wisely reinforced the flying vessel with spiritual energy to prevent damage from the disciples’ clash.
Shi Qiang wasted no time on pleasantries—he launched his attack immediately.
Each punch carried fierce gusts of wind, making some of the watching disciples shudder.
If one of those blows landed on them, lying bedridden for half a month would be considered a light injury.
But Su Ming’s performance shocked them even more—from the start of the fight until now, Shi Qiang hadn’t landed a single hit.
With a four-level gap in cultivation, there was no reason Shi Qiang shouldn’t have touched Su Ming even once.
Yet Elder Zhao wore an expression of understanding.
Having witnessed Su Ming’s performance in the secret realm, he knew exactly how terrifying the Holy Son’s strength was.
A beast comparable to the eighth level of the Longevity Realm had been killed in two punches—dealing with a sixth-level disciple was child’s play.
As expected, Su Ming effortlessly caught Shi Qiang’s fist with one hand and, under the latter’s stunned gaze, sent him flying back several meters with a single palm strike.
After steadying himself, Shi Qiang stared silently at the slight dent in his chest muscles.
He had already grasped the gap between them.
“When refining your body with spiritual energy, try focusing on one part first before moving to the next. It should yield better results than refining your entire body at once.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Holy Son… I admit my defeat wholeheartedly…”
Clasping his fists, Shi Qiang bowed before retreating into the crowd and immediately testing Su Ming’s advice.
After just one cycle, he found the results indeed superior to his previous method, deepening his admiration for Su Ming.
Before this, he had held some dissatisfaction toward Su Ming as the Holy Son—but now, he felt nothing but respect.
[Host successfully steals the protagonist’s right-hand man. Destiny Points obtained.]
“Steals? I merely guided him onto the right path,” Su Ming retorted inwardly before speaking aloud again: “Who’s next?”
“I’ll go!”
“Me too!”
More and more disciples stepped forward to spar with Su Ming.
Those who had previously disapproved of him changed their minds after these exchanges, while those who had remained neutral now acknowledged him as well.
[Host gains recognition from some sect disciples. Destiny Points obtained.]
[Destiny female protagonist refines a perfect-grade pill for Host. Destiny Points +1000.]
[Plan to alter Chu Fan’s core destiny has been formulated. Consume the currently held 300,000 Destiny Points to proceed? Y/N]