With Lü Xuan's approval,
Chu Xingchen didn't hesitate and casually tossed the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade from his hand into the formation.
Since he hadn't figured out what this thing was useful for anyway, if Wanban said it would work, there was no harm in trying.
Lü Xuan also watched as Chu Xingchen threw the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade in like he was discarding a broken plate, not treating it as something precious at all.
But the moment that broken plate entered the ritual orbit, it instantly transformed.
The Principle Crystal immediately radiated light. The crystallized solid instantly scattered into a stream of sand-like luminescence, beginning to swirl around the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade, its energy pouring into it.
The Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade also emitted a faint, subtle glow.
The power of the Principle Crystal surged toward the fractured areas within the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade.
In just a brief moment, before either Chu Xingchen or Lü Xuan had even recovered their senses, the Principle Crystal—possessing boundless, mighty power—was completely absorbed by the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade.
The disc, originally covered in dense crack patterns, now had far fewer fissures.
Chu Xingchen fell slightly silent and turned his head to look at Lü Xuan beside him.
Lü Xuan also turned his head in silence, meeting Chu Xingchen's gaze.
At this moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Just as Chu Xingchen was about to open his mouth and ask—could they try extracting the Principle out again—
the system's voice rang out in his ear.
[Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade charged once]
[The heavenly mechanism is not yet complete; how can there be a Principle of becoming immortal?]
[All dharmas follow order; without accumulation, how can it be complete?]
[Noble and orderly—what is the purpose of this and that?]
[Only by returning to order today can there be a sliver of a path to transcendence.]
[Usage opportunity +1]
The sound of the system's voice made Chu Xingchen swallow the words he was about to say.
He now understood what this thing was likely useful for.
Lü Xuan also stared at Chu Xingchen in silence. Seeing no answer coming, he finally spoke in a drawn-out tone:
"How are we supposed to explain this when we go out?"
Chu Xingchen coughed lightly and raised his hand to retrieve the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade:
"If I said it just returned to the Heavenly Dao, do you think that would sound believable as an actual explanation?"
Lü Xuan said nothing at his words, only staring silently at the plate in Chu Xingchen's hand. After a moment, he finally said:
"That sounds even less credible than you picking up this broken plate off the side of the road."
Chu Xingchen couldn't help but nod:
"Then what should we say? We can't exactly hold up this plate and say it got absorbed by this thing, can we?"
Lü Xuan raised his hand slightly:
"Can I take a look at this plate first?"
Chu Xingchen hesitated briefly, but still handed the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade over to Lü Xuan.
Lü Xuan reached out and stroked it gently, sweeping his divine sense across it, condensing a bit of spiritual energy in his hand.
Before long, Lü Xuan discovered that this plate was completely seamless—his divine sense couldn't probe it, and its own energy formed a self-contained system that didn't blend with spiritual energy.
In terms of attributes alone, it was an entirely new type worthy of study.
Add to that its ability to fuse with a Principle…
Lü Xuan's gaze swept over the area that had just been cracked. It was now smooth as new. He gently ran his finger across it, yet he couldn't sense any of the Principle's vast dao resonance or power.
If he hadn't witnessed what just happened with his own eyes, even Lü Xuan wouldn't have believed that this plate could contain a Principle within it without leaking any dao resonance outward.
This thing seemed as if it had been specifically made to absorb Principles.
Lü Xuan naturally knew Chu Xingchen's background. The Tianyan Sect had even gone to great lengths to cover up quite a bit of his information.
This item had undoubtedly cost an enormous amount to create. With Chu Xingchen's current financial resources, it would have been impossible for him to forge it.
And something capable of containing a Principle would certainly require an exquisitely refined design.
The fact that it was shattered in order to hold a Principle…
was also not something Chu Xingchen alone could have accomplished.
Lü Xuan hesitated slightly. This really might have been something he just picked up.
With Chu Xingchen's kind of fortune…
it could only mean that this coming great tribulation was truly beyond estimation.
If it weren't this difficult, how could someone be blessed with such tremendous luck?
Lü Xuan didn't dwell on it further. He returned the Shattered Spirit Butterfly Jade to Chu Xingchen and then spoke calmly:
"I don't know what this thing is useful for, but I assume you do."
"I also know that many of your own secrets can't be shared with anyone but yourself. I naturally understand the principle of keeping a treasure hidden on your person."
"So you don't need to explain anything to me. Just do what you need to do."
"I'll handle the explanation for what happened here. After you leave, just say that I have a plan for studying the Principle."
"After you depart, don't ask too many questions about this place. I have my own ways of making sure they don't suspect you."
"Of course, all of this comes with conditions."
Chu Xingchen fell silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and asked:
"What conditions?"
Lü Xuan smiled freely: "Next time Bai Xuanling says my mouth is like a rag that can't even hold in spit, you'd better rebut her properly for me."
"This sect master peers into the heavenly mechanism and understands all manner of secrets, yet can keep them locked within his heart unspoken."
"It's Bai Xuanling who doesn't understand. She's simply too foolish."
Chu Xingchen nodded firmly: "I will. I'll tell Senior Bai—Sect Master Lü says you're an idiot who doesn't understand the mysteries."
"Wait! Is that what I meant?"
"That's the simplified version."
"Wouldn't Bai Xuanling simplify that even further for me? Isn't your simplification a bit too simplified?"
A smile appeared on Chu Xingchen's face:
"I'll tell Senior Bai that the Sect Master covered a big secret for me and is absolutely reliable. Thank you for your trouble, Sect Master Lü."
A smile also appeared on Lü Xuan's face. He reached out and gently patted Chu Xingchen's shoulder:
"Heaven has placed a great burden on you. You'll probably work harder than me in the future. Go on, get some rest. There may not be many more peaceful times like this ahead. Go listen to the ditty you want to hear, while I can still hold things up for a while longer."
"Thank you, Sect Master. I'll take my leave first."
Chu Xingchen cupped his hands once more, then turned and departed.
Lü Xuan watched Chu Xingchen turn and leave with a calm gaze. After a moment, he slowly turned back to face the empty center of the formation.
After a while, he finally chuckled softly and shook his head.
In this world, there always had to be someone to take the blame. Only then could the person walking ahead do so without a burden, and only then could they go further.
Hadn't Lü Xuan taken the position of sect master for the same reason? This was just carrying one more burden on top of that.
Lü Xuan understood that his aptitude was good, but it still fell just a hair short of a true genius.
Just like Cui Hao among Chu Xingchen's disciples.
Even among the Eighteen Immortal Sects, it couldn't be considered low.
But there was still a gap between that and a true heaven's chosen—and that tiny gap was one a person could spend their entire life trying to climb and never reach.
Looking at the many things in life, so many matters came down to being just a little bit short.
If Lü Xuan hadn't taken the position of sect master, perhaps he could have climbed to the Tribulation Transcendence realm.
But to ascend to immortality? That wasn't something effort alone could achieve.
There was no shortage of cultivators in this world, but since ancient times, how many cultivators had truly become immortals?
Heaven's chosen…
Heaven's chosen!
Everyone wanted to be heaven's chosen, to be the one person all eyes were on.
But in this world, there were only a handful of them.
Lü Xuan had once wanted to be heaven's chosen too, and had given everything toward that goal.
But precisely because he had tried, he knew how wide the gap was.
And that was why he was willing to carry the burdens no one else wanted to carry.
Yanyun didn't know that back then, he had volunteered to become sect master.
Someone who had wanted to be heaven's chosen.
Had given up that dream to become sect master.
Lü Xuan gently traced the surface of the table in front of him.
As if recalling those years once more.
[
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