Chapter 33: The Reality of Cultivation World.

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: The Reality of Cultivation World.

Han Jin and Su Qin did not notice the look in his eyes.

They were still immersed in the change inside their bodies.

For outer disciples, a stable path to Foundation Establishment was enough to change their entire future.

Once they broke through, they would no longer be ordinary outer sect members.

Their status, resources, and lifespan would all rise with that single step.

Li Jian finished putting on his robes and checked the spatial ring on his finger.

The dual cultivation jade slip was safely stored inside, along with the earlier herbs and leftover items he had kept for himself.

"We should leave," he said. "The pool is used up. Staying here any longer is meaningless."

Han Jin nodded, the happiness on his face gradually settling back into a calmer expression.

"You’re right. The wolf pack may still be above. We need to find another way out instead of climbing back through the same hole."

Su Qin also fixed her soaked robes as best as she could.

She still looked tired, and faint marks remained on her chest under the fabric, but her mood was clearly much better than before.

"If this cave has a spirit pool and leftover treasures, there should be another exit. The cultivator who died here didn’t fly in through that cliff."

The three of them left the exhausted pond behind and continued along the remaining passage.

The pressure in the air was gone now.

What remained was only a damp stone tunnel that sloped slightly upward.

After walking for a while, a faint breeze brushed against their faces.

Han Jin’s eyes lit up.

"There’s airflow."

They followed it.

Before long, the tunnel opened into a crack covered by vines and loose rocks.

Han Jin cut the vines away with his sword, pushed through, and the light of day spilled in.

They stepped out onto a forested slope.

The sky above was already leaning toward afternoon.

Birdsong had returned, and the heavy killing intent of the wolf pack was no longer nearby.

From the terrain, they were still in the same mountain range, but clearly on another side of the cliff they had fallen from.

Su Qin looked around and let out a breath of relief.

"We got out."

Li Jian glanced back at the hidden crack, then at the two people beside him.

Han Jin and Su Qin now owed him more than six or seven thousand Favor Debt points each.

Combined with the dual cultivation technique, the spatial ring, and the tempered foundation of his own body, this so-called death mission had turned into one of the biggest harvests since he obtained the system.

He smiled faintly.

"Let’s return to Qinghe Village first. After we show the beast core, the mission can be considered complete. We should also tell them to move away... the area is too dangerous. Better to let the sect send a group of more powerful cultivators to deal with these demonic beasts."

Han Jin agreed.

Soon,

As they walked down the slope, Li Jian’s thoughts were already moving further ahead.

’Once we return to the sect... Zhao Ming will learn that I didn’t die.’

’And these two... with this much debt, and if they manage to become Foundation Establishment cultivators, they might prove more useful than I first thought.’

Li Jian began to think about the future while following Su Qin and Han Jin.

_

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The forest ahead gradually opened, and far in the distance, the faint outline of Qinghe Village came into view again.

But the closer they got, the more something felt wrong.

There was no smoke emanating from the cooking fires.

There were no voices... No villagers cautiously peeking from behind their doors as they had before.

Only a dense, metallic scent was carried on the wind.

When they stepped out of the tree line, Li Jian’s feet stopped.

Because in front of them, Qinghe Village was... in ruins.

"What...?"

Several houses had been torn open.

Fences were smashed apart.

Dark blood covered the dirt paths, and corpses lay scattered between the broken buildings.

Some had been dragged and some had been ripped apart.

And even the old man who had brought them blankets last night was among the dead, his body slumped near a shattered doorway, eyes still wide.

The beast core in Li Jian’s storage ring suddenly felt meaningless.

Han Jin looked over the village, then only let out a short sigh.

"It seem the pack came here after we fell."

Su Qin’s expression tightened for a moment, but it quickly faded into something closer to regret than grief.

"What a pity. These villagers were unlucky."

That was all.

Neither of them rushed forward.

Neither of them showed any real shock.

To them, this was just another miserable scene that appeared too often in the wilderness.

Mortals lived near danger, cultivators passed by, and when a demon beast pack went out of control, a village like this disappearing overnight was not rare.

Han Jin even crouched down, checked one of the claw marks, and nodded.

"Yes, it was those wolves. After losing us at the cliff, they turned back and vented it on the village."

Su Qin glanced at the corpses, then looked away.

"There’s nothing we can do now. The mission target is already dead. We should take the proof and return to the sect before night falls."

While listening to their casual tone, Li Jian stood there in silence.

"..."

Back on Earth, a scene like this would have been a disaster that occupied the news for days.

Here, two outer disciples only sighed once and already started thinking about the return trip.

That was the harsh part.

In this world, strength decided whose death mattered.

A whole mortal village being wiped out was just a regrettable background detail.

If they had been stronger, maybe they could have stayed and protected the village.

If they had been weaker, they would have died with these people.

No one would even blame them.

Li Jian’s hands slowly clenched.

He was a transmigrator.

He had already known, in theory, that the cultivation world was cruel.

Reading it in novels was one thing.

But... standing in the middle of a ruined village, smelling the blood, and watching Han Jin and Su Qin remain this calm was another.

He now realized that... this world would not wait for him to feel ready.

If he stayed at the 3rd Stage of Qi Refinement, then one day he would be no different from these villagers... just another corpse other people sighed over and walked past.

He looked at the destroyed houses one last time, then forced himself to move.

"...Let’s collect what we need and leave."

Han Jin glanced at him, a little surprised by the stiffness in his voice, but did not ask.

Su Qin also said nothing more.

The three of them walked through the ruined Qinghe Village, took the remaining proof of the Ironback Demon Wolf, and turned back toward the mountain path leading to the Purple Shade Sect.

Behind them, the village stayed silent and empty.

In Li Jian’s chest, however, a cold understanding had already settled.

’In this world, pity without strength is useless.’

’If I want the right to care... I have to become strong enough first.’