Chapter Fifty-Nine: There's No Choice But to Leave Seclusion

When the list of Heaven's Chosen tasks refreshed, those who remained in Vengeance City finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At last, they had waited it out; if the new tasks had taken any longer, their gap with those who had already left would have grown even wider.

But as they looked at the newly posted tasks, the relief they had just felt was quickly replaced with anxiety.

Wang Li, too, was compelled to end his seclusion because of these new tasks.

More than three hundred tasks had appeared in the quest area—slightly more than the first wave—but unlike before, most of them were group tasks this time, requiring someone to step forward and lead all the candidates to completion.

Group tasks meant that lower-ranked cultivators had little chance to gain resources for their cultivation by completing tasks alone. The odds of seizing opportunity during this round were slim, and not everyone was content to be passive; those with ambition found this especially stifling.

For Wang Li, who was, at the moment, being reformed into a passive by Lord Sheng, these tasks were equally unfriendly. He had promised Lord Sheng to remain in seclusion and avoid unnecessary entanglements, yet now he was forced to emerge and take charge.

The reason was simple: in the two days between the end of the first stage and the arrival of the new tasks, not a single person who had previously left the city had returned.

If the Lin brothers and Ling Xiao were still present, Wang Li would not have had to come out himself.

Although Wang Li felt some resentment toward those experts who had left, his concern outweighed his annoyance. The commotion raised by the refresh of the tasks was no small matter—surely someone outside must have noticed. That so many days had passed without a single return made it hard not to suspect something had happened to those who left.

Wang Li instructed Luo Heng and Jiang Yu to gather all cultivators of Foundation Establishment level and above who still remained in Vengeance City to discuss how they might complete the group tasks.

In the end, fewer than fifty people gathered in the main tent—a pitifully small number compared to the hundreds who had been there before, making the scene feel both desolate and chilly.

“Report the situation in the city,” Wang Li said, “so I can decide how to organize things.”

He needed first to understand Vengeance City’s current strength before planning which tasks to accept.

Luo Heng replied, “Deacon Wang, there are five thousand four hundred and thirty-two disciples of Pure Yang Temple remaining in the city, with twenty-six at Foundation Establishment, and only one at Core Formation. There are five hundred and twenty disciples at or above the fifth level of Qi Refinement, and over thirteen hundred between levels one and five. The rest are Body Tempering disciples with little combat strength.”

Wang Li frowned. “How is it that only twenty-six of Foundation Establishment remain? Have so many gone out recently?”

He instinctively felt something was wrong. Pure Yang Temple was known for its strict discipline and organization; it was unlikely so many would leave unsupervised. This was one reason he hadn’t bothered to try persuading them to stay.

But the current situation obviously exceeded his understanding of their discipline, so he pressed Luo Heng for details.

With an embarrassed expression, Luo Heng said, “Deacon Wang, I have advised my fellow disciples to avoid venturing out, but many reported feeling an inexplicable pull within the Heaven’s Chosen ruins—a sense that opportunity awaited them outside. When word spread that such opportunities existed, many decided to leave Vengeance City despite all discouragement.”

Wang Li was surprised. “You mean many felt the presence of opportunity?”

“Yes,” Luo Heng confirmed. “There are at least a dozen I know of.”

“Did you feel it yourself?” Wang Li asked.

“I did, but only faintly. After my last meeting with you, I haven’t sensed it at all.”

Wang Li turned to Jiang Yu and Jin Lan; the remaining disciples from other sects were even fewer, with only these two as leaders.

Before he could ask, the two spoke up.

Jiang Yu said, “Nearly all disciples from the Pavilion of Five Elements sensed the opportunity. Senior Sister Huang Tao felt it most strongly—she said it lay a thousand miles to the northwest, and immediately left with her fellows. Now, only I and my junior brother Wu Youqi remain in Vengeance City.”

“As for the disciples of Divine Weapon Valley, I am the only one still here. The others all left after sensing the opportunity as well,” Jin Lan added, her tone somewhat downcast.

Wang Li asked, “Did either of you sense any opportunity?”

“No,” both shook their heads.

Wang Li turned to the others. “And you?”

All shook their heads.

Lightly drumming his fingers in his sleeve, Wang Li inwardly asked Lord Sheng, Is there truly some opportunity out there?

“Whether there’s an opportunity or not, I don’t know,” Lord Sheng replied. “What I do know is that you shouldn’t go, and you shouldn’t be meddling in these affairs. If these young people won’t listen, don’t bother me about it!”

Lord Sheng was clearly annoyed—Wang Li had just promised to keep his head down, but now he’d stepped out again without so much as a word. It was unreasonable to expect Lord Sheng to be pleased.

Wang Li felt a bit embarrassed.

Just then, someone spoke up. “Deacon Wang, I sensed the presence of an opportunity.”

“Oh?” Wang Li looked over.

It was none other than Zhou Qian, who had bested Wang Li countless times in simulated combat scenarios. Until now, Wang Li hadn’t even noticed Zhou Qian was present. This piqued his interest, and he asked, “If you sensed an opportunity, why didn’t you go?”

“Um…” Zhou Qian looked around sheepishly, scratched his head, and said, “All my life, my sense for opportunity has always been the exact opposite of reality. Based on decades of experience, if I sense opportunity outside Vengeance City, then there’s an eighty percent chance the real opportunity is inside. So… I stayed.”

“I see.” Everyone understood at once, but quickly lost interest in Zhou Qian. In a world of cultivators numbering in the millions, all sorts of oddities existed—Zhou Qian’s peculiarity was hardly unique.

But Lord Sheng was quite intrigued by Zhou Qian’s words, and told Wang Li, “Ask him if he can sense the exact location of the opportunity.”

Wang Li hesitated. “Why? Is it possible to sense the precise location?”

“Just do as I say—stop asking stupid questions!”

Wang Li had no choice but to ask Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian nodded. “It’s right around the main tent here.”

“Damn, he really can!” Lord Sheng swore, then said to Wang Li, “This doorstopper is definitely one of the backups. Keep him close, don’t let him take the lead, not until the little fatty Ling Xiao returns!”

Wang Li was bewildered. “Isn’t this too much? Wouldn’t the karmic ties be too great?”

“Nonsense! What are you afraid of from a backup?” Lord Sheng replied. “The little fatty is the primary candidate. If he can smoothly fulfill the World Will’s plan, your cost will be minimal. If a backup rises, things are bound to get noisy. While you’re here in the Heaven’s Chosen ruins, do your best to find the other backups too, and make sure the little fatty becomes the final victor!”

“What? How is that even possible? The rankings on the Heaven’s Chosen list aren’t fake! I’m just a weak Foundation Establishment cultivator—what can I do?” Wang Li protested.

“Since you’ve already stuck your neck out, treat finding the backups and boosting the little fatty as your own mission. When you’ve had your fill, you’ll calm down eventually,” Lord Sheng said.

Wang Li was incredulous. “Are you really letting me cut loose for once?”

“If I don’t let you run into a wall yourself, you’ll never settle down. While the World Will’s attention isn’t on the Heaven’s Chosen ruins, go ahead and make a mess—otherwise, you’ll always treat my words as wind in your ears.”