The Programmer Cultivator

Guk Liancai frowned as he watched. Just as he was about to speak, he felt Gan Zili’s sharp gaze.

He pursed his lips and simply closed his eyes to rest.

Qian Ruyan looked at the slightly chubby Yang Xiaoyang and said, ”Are you going to tell them, or should I?”

Yang Xiaoyang stammered in a panic, ”I... I...”

Seeing this, Qian Ruyan shook her head and began, ”It was quite a coincidence. On my way here, I happened upon a disciple of your esteemed Sect being besieged by a group of people. The situation was already quite perilous.

”Since I saw it, I couldn’t just stand by and watch. So, I sent one of my disciples to check on the situation and ask what was happening.

”Who would have thought that upon getting closer, we’d discover the attackers were a group of mortals.”

Yuee Mengsheng and the other two frowned in unison. Zhang Deming’s eyes, however, flickered, and he instantly understood why the disciple was so terrified.

’In the Hongmeng Cultivation Realm, the disdain for mortals was something that, over tens of thousands of years, had been etched into the very bones of Cultivators.’

’That description alone might not convey the full picture. To make a vivid comparison, it’s like the deep-seated historical enmity between certain rival nations from my past life. Barring a few exceptions, most people would understand that feeling.’

’It might not come up in daily life, but the moment it’s mentioned, a visceral aversion surfaces from deep within.’

’And the disdain Cultivators in the Hongmeng Realm held for mortals was just as strong, if not stronger.’

’And many matters, once they involved such a situation, became difficult to view with any fairness.’

’Therefore, being robbed by mortals was an extremely shameful affair for a Cultivator. The higher their status, the truer this held, and the more it was taken for granted. This was the result of cultural Inheritance.’

’That was why this Yang Xiaoyang was in such a pathetic state. Although he had survived, he had lost face—and not just his own, but the face of the entire Sect.’

Yuee Mengsheng’s brow was tightly furrowed. ”Mortals?” he asked.

Qian Ruyan nodded. ”Yes, they were indeed mortals. Not many of them, either—only seven.”

Guk Liancai, who had planned to keep his eyes closed and rest, snapped them open. Ignoring Gan Zili, he looked at Yang Xiaoyang and said:

”With that build of yours, you must be practicing the Resources Department’s *Fire Separation Body Cultivation Method*, aren’t you?

”With your Cultivation and all those resources, you still couldn’t handle a group of mortals?

”Just how much have you neglected your Cultivation while busy with graft and extortion in the Resources Department?”

The *Fire Separation Body Cultivation Method* was a Tier Five Cultivation Technique of the Celestial Spirit Sect—referring to the complete set, of course. Practicing it tended to make one slightly chubby, which was related to the technique’s unique properties.

Coupled with the fact that it was mainly controlled by the Resources Department, hehe, it was a common joke in the Sect that everyone in the Resources Department was busy with graft and extortion—you couldn’t find many thin people in the entire department!

This time, even Gan Zili didn’t say anything, but merely looked at Yang Xiaoyang with a slight frown.

Yang Xiaoyang knew he had brought shame upon them, so he’d lost all composure and was extremely flustered.

At that moment, however, Zhang Deming spoke up. ”Martial Artists?”

Qian Ruyan looked at Zhang Deming in surprise, sounding rather taken aback. ”Fellow Daoist Zhang seems to know a lot about this group?”

Zhang Deming shook his head. ”I don’t. It’s just a guess.

”No matter how useless this disciple is, he’s still a Tai Chi Cultivator. If they were ordinary people, he could have just activated his Spiritual Shield and let them hit him without any effect.

”So, if they were indeed mortals, that’s the only possibility.”

Hearing this, Guk Liancai continued, ”Even so, this is something a mere Apprentice could have handled. To end up in such a state... he’s truly brought shame to the Sect.”

Zhang Deming shook his head. ”Not necessarily.”

Guk Liancai and the other two turned to look at Zhang Deming in unison. Zhang Deming didn’t elaborate, instead turning to Qian Ruyan. ”Fellow Daoist, were you able to see the condition of the attackers?”

Qian Ruyan shook her head. ”Not very clearly. We were watching from a distance. Before we could get closer to figure things out, those people burst into a ball of fire.”

As she spoke, Qian Ruyan flicked her left hand, and a ball of light floated before them. She said:

”All of them turned into a pile of ash, just like that. My proficiency in the Incense Dao makes me a decent tracker, yet I couldn’t find a single trace of them. I imagine they were all completely wiped out.”

The men frowned slightly. Yuee Mengsheng beckoned with his hand, and the ball of light drifted to him. He then nodded at Qian Ruyan.

Qian Ruyan waved her hand, and the ball of light, wreathed in green smoke, vanished.

The ashes within the ball of light, however, did not scatter. Instead, they were caught by a single snowflake.

As the ashes slowly seeped into the snowflake, the crystalline flake turned a grayish-black.

Spiritual Light surged from Yuee Mengsheng. After a moment, however, he shook his head. ”I don’t detect anything controlling this. It seems to be an ordinary self-immolation technique.”

Hearing this, Guk Liancai looked at Yang Xiaoyang and said, ”What are you still standing here for? Get lost and head straight back to Cyan Peak to receive your punishment.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaoyang reacted as if he’d received a great pardon.

’My lips twitched. I had wanted to casually mention that these kinds of incidents seemed to have become rather common in the Sect recently.’

’But considering the high status of everyone present, it seemed like something I shouldn’t say. Moreover, it would be extremely out of character for me and my current persona.’

’It would be like me, in my past life, showing up in a patriotic forum and saying, ”Hey, those guys from the rival nation are pretty handsome.” It wouldn’t just be jarring...’

’I’d be flamed into oblivion. It would even escalate to questions about my character, my worldview, and my moral upbringing—escalating to a very high level.’

’Why?’

’No particular reason. It’s just that some things are already so deeply ingrained they’re practically buried in the Bloodline.’

’Madam Qian’s actions, on the other hand, are quite interesting. This was such a minor incident; she clearly could have just rescued him and forgotten all about it.’

’But she insisted on bringing the person here to talk about it. And yet, she acted so nonchalantly, as if she didn’t really care.’

’Her attitude truly puzzled me, leaving me unable to grasp her specific intentions.’