Sure You Can!

Cursed to bring ruin to both his father and mother. Quan Juehua accepted that. After all, the moment his mother conceived him, his father had been killed by a venomous serpent, and when his mother gave birth to him, she had died of difficult labor. Cutting the bonds of karma with his own two hands—he accepted that as well. After all, Meng Changxi, the palace master of the Lunar Divine Palace, had indeed died by his blade. He had also truly lived his entire life without sons or daughters. But to say he was deficient in wealth? That he would never concede. He had never once in his life fretted over money or riches. “You claim I lack wealth? Look at this and tell me what you see!” Quan Juehua spread his hand. Boundless gold cascaded down, followed by an endless shower of currencies from all manner of worlds. Materials that countless cultivators could only dream of obtaining poured incessantly from his grasp. He possessed wealth beyond measure. No matter which world he visited, he never lacked money. How could he possibly be devoid of wealth? “Is this truly wealth?” Dui Tianji gazed at the gold, jewels, and heavenly treasures drifting through the void, asking in an ethereal voice. “Why shouldn’t this count as wealth?” Quan Juehua knit his brow, his voice deepening. “If I play a game, do game coins count as wealth?” Dui Tianji chuckled, countering with a question of her own. Quan Juehua had made it to where he stood today entirely on ruthless cunning and merciless brutality, but he had never been someone favored by fortune. In his youth, he had lacked clothes and food, coming close to starvation several times. It was only by stealing, swindling, robbing, and murdering that he had scraped together the barest morsels of sustenance to stay alive. Later on, because he possessed natural talent, a sect took him in as a disciple. Yet every single one of his fortuitous encounters had been seized through underhanded, sinister means, always leaving fellow disciples dead in the wake of his schemes. The food he had dreamed of as a starving boy was his for the taking once he became a cultivator. The miraculous pills and herbs he had desperately coveted as a fledgling cultivator were his for the asking once he became a great cultivator. Yet every single time, whatever he needed most in the present remained forever out of his reach—or if he did obtain it, it was meager beyond belief. Coming back to the present, were the gold, silver, jewels, and heavenly treasures he had conjured truly wealth to him? “...” Quan Juehua stared at the treasures he had produced, falling into silence. To him, these things truly could be had in whatever quantity he desired. If he shattered a world, he could instantly reap vast amounts of gold and limitless resources. Yet were any of these things of use to him? Useless. Completely and utterly useless. He had no need to spend money. Ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of the material universe could be created by his own hand. These objects were indeed just like game coins in a virtual game, devoid of any genuine value to him. “Then what about fate?” Without realizing it, Quan Juehua clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he spoke. If it was lifespan, he was immortal. If it was destiny, he had risen to become a Mighty One. How could his fate be called poor? “You harbor so many regrets, and the things you yearn for remain forever beyond your grasp. How could your fate possibly be called good?” Dui Tianji regarded him, a sliver of pity creeping into her tone. She was beginning to comprehend human hearts and see into human nature. Quan Juehua’s face flushed crimson as he growled, “Then what of power? With my might, if I wished, I could wield world-shaking authority! Surely you have nothing to say to that!” “Power is might, and might is completeness, yet you will never achieve transcendence. Everything you just claimed is nothing more than flowers in a mirror or the moon on the water. In your heart of hearts, you already know this. Why bother asking?” Dui Tianji replied ethereally. Quan Juehua clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. With his innermost truths laid bare, he let out a furious roar and struck out boldly, slamming a palm toward Dui Tianji. “Sure you can.” Suddenly, Dui Tianji slowly opened her eyes and spoke as she looked at him. A mere handful of words, yet they froze Quan Juehua dead in his tracks, his palm halted just inches from her. Dui Tianji had originally possessed no eyes, but now eyes had grown in her face. They were extraordinary—countless golden rings spun irregularly within her pupils, as though recording every principle and truth of the cosmos. “Heh... hehehehe... hahahahahaha!” Quan Juehua’s laughter began as a low chuckle, then grew increasingly uninhibited until he was throwing his head back and roaring with laughter toward the void. This was the answer he had longed to hear! No matter how many times he had asked in the past, that being’s answer had always been: *‘Nope, you’re no fun at all.’* Now, Dui Tianji’s simple *‘Sure you can’* instantly swept away the gloom that had weighed on his heart across endless ages. He felt an invigorating warmth coursing through his entire being, overwhelmed by joy from the depths of his soul. “If you wish to transcend, there is only one way,” Dui Tianji said, speaking only after Quan Juehua had laughed his fill. Quan Juehua slowly sank to his knees, prostrating himself with deep reverence. “Please, guide me!” “If you wish to transcend, you must first become an Origin Returner. Return to Oneness is beyond your reach, and Perfection is something you can scarcely attain. But Origin Return still holds a sliver of possibility.” Dui Tianji looked at him, her voice devoid of both sorrow and joy. Quan Juehua’s expression turned increasingly frenzied. First attain Origin Return, then seek transcendence—could his path truly lie here? “Originally... you had no chance of attaining Origin Return. But right now, an opportunity sits right before you. “This is the interior of the Transcender Whale. Whale was once an Origin Returner. Though Whale dispersed the root source upon transcending, its body was immersed in origin essence for so long that this space can be called the most ideal ground for Origin Return. “In the Tree Universe, you would never have the chance to condense an Origin Seed, but here you can. Once you have condensed the Origin Seed, you can return to the Tree Universe, seize enough origin essence to nourish it, and then stake everything on one bold gamble to become an Origin Returner in a single stroke. “Isn’t that simple?” Dui Tianji explained the method to Quan Juehua in precise detail. Quan Juehua felt a sudden flash of profound realization. So this was where his fortuitous encounter lay—this was actually the internal space of a Transcender! If that was the case, he truly might be able to attain Origin Return! “Don’t tell me you don’t even possess a wisp of origin essence?” Dui Tianji asked, seeing him standing there dazed and motionless. Quan Juehua nodded hurriedly. “I do, I do! I have some!” At this moment, his attitude was entirely different from before. His mind was wholly consumed by the thought of Origin Return. “Then begin!” Dui Tianji looked at him and nodded. “Understood!” Quan Juehua immediately assumed a cross-legged meditative posture. But the moment he entered deep contemplation, his reason reclaimed the high ground of his mind. Once he cooled down, suspicion sprouted in his chest. Why was this counterfeit Dui Tianji helping him? What did she have to gain, and what manner of creature was she really? Thus, instead of condensing an Origin Seed, he slowly opened his eyes to look at Dui Tianji. He had been too agitated earlier, so much so that he had overlooked many of her changes. Though she remained stark naked, the contours of her face had softened, becoming even more exquisite. Her eyes carried an aura both mysterious and noble. Her nose now possessed nostrils, and her lips could finally part to speak. Her skin was smoother and more flawless than fine jade. By human standards of beauty, it bore not a single blemish, more breathtakingly lovely than any woman Quan Juehua had ever laid eyes upon. Furthermore, she had lacked nipples before, yet now she possessed them. She was... becoming more and more human. Quan Juehua’s heart grew increasingly heavy, an inescapable sense of horror creeping over him. Unable to help himself, he probed, “May I ask... what manner of existence are you truly?” “Me? I am Dui Tianji!” Dui Tianji smiled faintly and replied. A chill ran down Quan Juehua’s spine. For a fleeting instant, he had genuinely seen her as Dui Tianji—the palace master of the Lunar Divine Palace, his white moonlight, Meng Changxi. Had his vigilance not remained sharp, had he not stayed constantly mindful of his own state, he might have completely succumbed right then and there. Yet at this very moment, he dared not ask any further. If he pushed any deeper, he feared he would lose himself entirely to Dui Tianji’s voice. He had to find a way to rid himself of this thing as soon as possible.