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"Master’s meaning is... even if we never thought of ascending, would ascension come looking for us?" Ji Lian’s first reaction was surprisingly not fear, but she murmured thoughtfully, "Ji Yun and I never considered this point."

"No... you’ve actually already thought about it, in the future." Chen Xuan shook his head.

Ji Lian was momentarily stunned, then she too understood.

He was referring to this Grotto Heaven.

Although its original intent was to be used as a refuge for the Sect, relying on the Sect’s protective formation and soulless bodies to fend off the attacks of Inner Demons, suppressing and dispersing cultivators’ power, maintaining the cultivation system at a relatively low level, in itself delayed the moment of ascension’s arrival.

Even though Ji Lian did not understand the principle behind it, her strategies implicitly aligned with the theory Chen Xuan speculated.

The true mission of the Mountain Disciples was not to save the world and soothe the people, but in stirring the whirlpool of the mundane world, to prevent the scattered Loose Cultivators from forming a new Immortal Alliance.

A hint of bitterness flashed in Ji Lian’s eyes.

"I don’t know... Perhaps the future me never thought this far. Ji Yun is a genius, but I’m not. Maybe I just want to protect everyone, to leave a spark for the Lotus Cloud Sect."

Chen Xuan sighed, walked over, and gently patted her head, just as he used to do with the siblings of the Wei Family, "Don’t blame yourself, you’ve already done very well."

She had not given up hope.

The Sect disciples’ generations of descending for training was her effort to break the deadlock.

Could cultivators find a way out while suppressing the level of Techniques?

When their souls returned to the core of the Grotto Heaven, could the continuously accumulated experiences of past generations surpass the wisdom of their predecessors, creating a true Technique that is not afraid of the threat of Inner Demons?

For this, she even sacrificed herself.

Of course, now all these questions had answers, and her efforts were in vain.

As long as they continue cultivating, as long as they use the power of Spiritual Qi, the ascension crisis will inevitably manifest; even without Inner Demons, other enemies of ascension will arise.

"Isn’t there no solution to this!" Xu Xuanling lamented bitterly, "Are we supposed to make all cultivators in the world stop cultivating? We can’t possibly do it with just a few of us."

Chen Xuan didn’t respond.

He also couldn’t think of a countermeasure for now—whether it’s cutting off technological development or banning cultivation, essentially it’s a form of racial self-harm, and self-harm is never a good choice.

"So if we want to survive, we must defeat the enemies of ascension?" Honglian asked.

"According to this theory, yes."

"But didn’t the Celestial Patrol say they completed ascension... Could it be the enemies of ascension are also seeking ascension?"

"Regarding this point..." Chen Xuan hesitated, "Perhaps to them, we are their enemies of ascension."

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

"The nano-living bodies have independent consciousness, which can already be considered a new form of life. Since they are life forms, it’s not surprising they also face ascension challenges."

This competition has nothing to do with the form of life.

It’s like the topmost ecological niche, which can only accommodate one position.

"That’s unfair." Honglian couldn’t help but question, "Why should we win over the nano-living bodies? No matter how bad they are, they have bodies of steel, can merge with each other, and even possess mysterious force fields. Once they grow large enough, they’re impervious to swords and spears. Do humans really have the right to be their enemies?"

"Survival is never a fair thing at any time."

The one who spoke was not Chen Xuan, but Liuli.

Honglian frowned and looked at her.

"Am I wrong?" Liuli said calmly, "For most species, humans are considered newcomers, right? Compared to the hundreds of millions of years of terrestrial animals’ history, humans stood at the pinnacle in just tens of thousands of years. Their teeth and claws, no matter how sharp, couldn’t possibly compare to guns and artillery. Do you see them complaining to any effect?"

"I’m not human, so I can say it without burden, the nano-living bodies are indeed superior to humans on many levels."

"You—" Honglian was momentarily speechless.

"But if you ask me to choose, I still prefer humans." Liuli smiled, "Because my identity is that of a swordsman."

"According to this, wouldn’t Inner Demons also count as life forms?" Xu Xuanling posed a new question, "They are as indistinguishable from Demon Fiends, completely unlike something we can communicate with."

"Perhaps we just haven’t found the method to communicate." Ji Lian shook her head, "I’ve destroyed more than one out-of-control Inner Demon. Although they can’t speak, their actions and commonly used Spells are similar to the disciples who nurtured them, and before being killed, they also show a look of fear."

"I always thought this was just the Inner Demons’ clumsy imitation of a cultivator’s state of mind. Listening to Master, I now realize perhaps they do have their own thoughts."

"Which means, we have a chance to bring back Ji Yun?" Xu Xuanling’s spirit lifted immediately.

"Unclear, the best method is still to avoid such a situation from happening." She thought for a moment and said, "However, doing this might change history."

"Speaking of history, the Celestial Patrol said that once ascension is successful, the related event nodes will be frozen, and no one can change them." Chen Xuan pondered, "Although I don’t know how this mechanism operates, I feel like it’s not lying to me."

The four of them cast peculiar glances, "When did it say that?"

He then remembered, they weren’t aware of the events that happened subsequently.

After Chen Xuan recounted the story of the Celestial Patrol leaving him alone, the atmosphere at the scene became a bit heavier.

Whether it was Ji Yun transforming into an Inner Demon, or Liu Shuyue using her life to repel the Star God, seemed to be pieces of the puzzle for the Celestial Patrol’s completion of ascension. At first, everyone always thought that if all else failed, there was the last card of changing history, but if this card didn’t exist at all, it also meant that once they made the wrong choice, the sacrificed lives were irreparable, and the world would be beyond redemption.

"Don’t worry, we still have time, at least the Lotus Cloud Sect is still here now, and this world hasn’t been destroyed by Inner Demons." Chen Xuan comforted everyone, "According to the Celestial Patrol, ascenders can transcend worldly rules, possessing unimaginable power. If we can find a suitable path to ascension, maybe we can save Liu Shuyue and Ji Yun without changing history."

He wasn’t sure if the Ability Store could achieve that.

But it seemed that this ability was indeed his greatest reliance now.

"Let’s call it a day, you guys do need to rest too." Liuli agreed.

In the end, except for Ji Lian who decided to return to Hot Pepper Village to inform Immortal Master Liu of the situation, the remaining three went back to the Community Store with Chen Xuan.

It happened to be the early shift moment.

Looking at the busy, bustling yet vibrant street scene, Chen Xuan felt an unreal sensation. What he experienced in one day seemed to surpass the total of over twenty years in the past... piloting the Wind Song to Kunlun Peak, solving the mystery of the Lotus Cloud Sect, battling with the Star God, finally witnessing the ascension of a giant nano-living body, almost all occurred within these twenty-four hours.

The future had perished in 2108, but in 2026, it still thrived.

Oh yes, there’s also the store manager’s promotion...

Chen Xuan hurried to the counter, opened the computer. Even though his body and mind were quite exhausted at the moment, his consciousness refused to stop. Because as long as he stopped, memories of being with Liu Shuyue would involuntarily surface to his mind. He knew it was reality, yet he couldn’t adjust to this emptiness in his heart.

Quickly filling out the promotion application, Chen Xuan pressed the send button.

Unexpectedly, only a few seconds later, an email reply popped up in the bottom right corner of the computer.