Chapter 445 - 441: Born of Destiny

Just as Qin Li was about to speak, he suddenly sensed a strange spiritual fluctuation probing the Storage Ring on his hand. His mind stirred, and feigning ignorance, he instantly laid out a counter-attack of Spiritual Spikes around the ring.

At that moment, the fatty’s junior sister, Li Ping, let out a sudden cry. She clutched her head, fighting back the stabbing pain originating from her Sea of Consciousness, her eyes flashing with utter horror.

Qin Li, pretending to know nothing, asked in surprise, "What’s wrong?"

The fatty gritted his teeth in silent fury. He knew what his junior sister had done, and he understood that this guy before them was definitely playing dumb. While inwardly cursing his junior sister for her recklessness, he also gained a new understanding of Qin Li. ’This guy isn’t just immensely powerful with an incredibly mystical movement technique,’ he thought, ’he’s also damn... devious!’

Despite his thoughts, the fatty forced a smile, his eyes filled with a worried sigh. "Alas, my junior sister may look healthy, but in reality, she’s ill!"

"Ill?" Qin Li was amused. ’Let’s see what this fatty can cook up,’ he thought.

"Yes, a sickness she was born with. There’s no telling when it will act up. We went to a famous Physician, but he... he said my junior sister won’t live past the age of twenty-five." As the fatty spoke, he even managed to squeeze out a couple of tears. His expression was one of utter agony; anyone who didn’t know what had just happened would have certainly been fooled.

Qin Li also put on a solemn face and said, "Is that so? What a pity. Such a fine young woman!"

Li Ping, whose head was splitting, was filled with an ever-growing hatred for these two damned, hypocritical men. ’My head is killing me, and you two bastards are just pretending nothing happened! You damn fatty, you even cursed me! Just you wait!’

Fortunately, Qin Li hadn’t gotten serious, or Li Ping would have long been reduced to a drooling idiot, let alone have the capacity for thought. After a short while, she gradually recovered. This time, she became completely docile, realizing that the handsome young man before her was not only exceptionally powerful but also outstanding in other aspects, just like his looks!

With a lively character like Hu Xiaopang around to animate the atmosphere, the three of them had a very cheerful meal. By the time they parted, Hu Xiaopang was already addressing Qin Li as a brother.

"Brother Qin’s strength is truly admirable. However, I’ve heard you come from a Mysterious Land. The people of the Land of the Far West have always been arrogant and look down on Martial Artists from the Mysterious Lands the most. That’s secondary, though. What you really need to worry about is that Martial Artists from the Land of the Far West—some Sects or families—will, after finding an entrance to a Mysterious Land, directly attack, burning, killing, and looting... they stop at nothing! Brother Qin, you must be careful!" the fatty said, looking at Qin Li with a sincere expression. What he was truly thinking, however, was anyone’s guess.

Qin Li nodded very seriously and said in a low voice, "Many thanks for the warning, Brother Hu. I will be careful!"

"Just call me Fatty!" Hu Xiaopang patted his own well-endowed chest and said boisterously.

After parting ways, Hu Xiaopang and Li Ping returned to their room. The moment they entered and closed the door, Li Ping shoved Hu Xiaopang against the wall, pinning his hands as she glared at him viciously.

The fatty’s small eyes showed a dazed look, and his expression seemed utterly terrified. He stammered, "My dear junior sister, I... I know your senior brother has always enjoyed taking small advantages of you, but... but I’m really not that kind of person! But... but if you insist, then your senior brother... I’ll have no choice but to submit... WAH!"

"Go to hell! You damn fatty! Stop putting on an act for me! You haven’t forgotten what you said today after just one meal, have you?" Li Ping stared daggers into the fatty’s eyes and sneered. "Oh, brilliant. So I’m sick, and I won’t live past twenty-five. You’ve really outdone yourself... you damn fatty! If I remember correctly, you’re already sixty-seven this year, and I’m already fifty-four! I won’t live past twenty-five? Then what am I, a ghost?"

Although many disciples from the Sects in the Land of the Far West looked very young, some even like teenagers, those who were truly young and could still achieve great heights were as rare as a phoenix feather. After all, not everyone could have the almost miraculous luck that Qin Li possessed.

Almost all who appeared young were cultivated from childhood with all sorts of Spiritual Medicine and had their bodies tempered with various Top-Grade materials. Only after many years of closed-door cultivation could they possess immense strength at a young age, which also made their aging process extremely slow. The passage of time left almost no trace on their faces.

Similarly, although these people might be old, their appearance reflected their mind. Therefore, disciples who looked young also had temperaments very similar to those of young people.

Seeing that he couldn’t escape, the fatty hung his head. When he lifted it again, his eyes were filled with deep affection. He gazed into Junior Sister Li Ping’s beautiful but furious eyes and said in a sorrowful tone, "Ping’Er, you were too reckless today! Don’t you know that fellow Qin Li was already holding back? Do you know what would happen to me if something happened to you? Do you know that without you... I can’t live at all!"

The fatty’s three "do you knows" left Li Ping stunned. Then, her eyes reddened, welling up with tears as she looked at him. Her entire bellyful of anger instantly dissipated. Leaning gently into his embrace, she said softly in a somewhat coquettish tone, "I... I was just curious! Besides, I did it for you, you ungrateful fatty! If you want to become the Sect Leader, it’s impossible without an achievement that will convince everyone! You say our Sect is a small one, and唉, if only it really were. But the truth is..."

Li Ping sighed again. "Right now, who knows how many people are just waiting for you to make a mistake!"

The fatty patted Li Ping’s back and chuckled. "Let them wait for Master Pang to make a mistake? Then let them wait! But Ping’Er, I have an idea I want to discuss with you."

"What idea?" Li Ping lifted her head from the fatty’s chest, her eyes gazing at him like tranquil water. Though their ages seemed great, in truth, they had spent over forty years in closed-door cultivation.

This type of cultivation was utterly monotonous, with no contact with the outside world whatsoever. Therefore, whether it was the Land of the Far West or the various Mysterious Lands across the Celestial Essence Continent, the Martial Artists who emerged from these places could not be judged by their age in terms of experience and mentality.

Many elders over a hundred years old actually had very little experience in the Martial World, and their temperaments were no different from those of young people.

The fatty spoke slowly, "The fact that I have an Ancient Map is something that, aside from my master, the Sect Leader, no one else—not even the Sect Elders—knows. This matter is passed down from one Sect Leader to the next. The only reason I know is entirely because of you... So, my original intention in wanting to obtain a few more Ancient Maps wasn’t to secure my position in the Sect, but to see what magic these maps held. But now, you’ve seen it too. This map is not a good thing to have in our hands. The slaughter caused by the Ancient Maps is already too much!"

"So, you mean?"

Li Ping frowned slightly at the fatty. The "master" he spoke of was the Sect Leader of their Sect, who also happened to be Li Ping’s father!

"I mean, let’s just give our Sect’s map to that fellow Qin Li!" the fatty said, dropping a bombshell.

"Ah? Absolutely not!" Li Ping said decisively. "Forget my father, I won’t agree either! You damn fatty, what are you thinking? Why should we give our map to someone else? Nobody knows we have an Ancient Map! And even if you wanted to divert the disaster onto someone else, there’s no need for that. Qin Li himself is already in everyone’s crosshairs..."

"Ping’Er, you still don’t understand what I mean." The fatty chuckled lightly. "We grew up together, Ping’Er. Tell me, is your senior brother the type to take a loss?"

Li Ping blinked and thought for a moment. It was true, they had been together since childhood, and this damn fatty was really not the type to suffer a loss. While his strength wasn’t the top in the Sect, his intelligence was definitely among the highest! Anyone who tried to scheme against him usually ended up being outsmarted by him.

It was precisely because of this that he had offended many of his fellow disciples, causing many to oppose his succession as Sect Leader. Their reason was very simple: if such a cunning person became the Sect Leader, would there be any room left for others in the Sect to survive?

Although this sentiment didn’t represent the vast majority of the Sect, it was a force to be reckoned with. That was why Li Ping had brought the fatty along, hoping to obtain a few Ancient Maps to contribute to the Sect. With such a huge achievement, even if there were objections, the Sect Leader would have a solid retort.

But now, not only did the fatty not want to snatch any more new Ancient Maps, he actually wanted to give the one they had to Qin Li, a stranger with whom they had no deep connection. This was very difficult for Li Ping to understand.

The fatty continued, "You probably haven’t studied Qin Li’s history, but I have. He is a true, peerless genius! Do you remember when we were little, there was a Supreme Elder in our Sect who was skilled in the Divination Skill?"

Li Ping frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "I think there was such a person, but didn’t he pass away when we were still young?"

The fatty nodded. "Indeed, he passed on long ago. But do you know what his last divination was, right before he passed?"

Li Ping thought for a moment and said, "I think Father once mentioned it. Before that Supreme Elder passed, Father had asked him about the future of the world. The Supreme Elder said... When the Divine Temple appears, gift the map. The destined one is in the East..."

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