Lin Che tapped the table with his fingers. According to the original plot, Xuan Dao Sect should have destroyed Heng Yue Sect, but with his appearance, the male protagonist Wang Lin would not leave Heng Yue Sect and would continue cultivating here.
And there should be no cycle of cause and effect between Wang Jia Village and the Teng Clan, let alone the later plots involving the Extreme Realm Divine Consciousness and the Land of the Ancient God.
---
At this time, the people who had left the main hall of Heng Yue Sect breathed a sigh of relief but began blaming Teng Huayuan, even hating why the one kneeling just now wasn't themselves.
The chance to have guidance through Diety Transformation is rare and can even save a hundred years of detours. None expected to miss it today.
"I say, Teng Huayuan, you really are a fence-sitter. Not long ago, you claimed loyalty to Envoy Lin Yi, and now you're loyal to Senior Lin Che in the Soul Transformation stage. If the envoy finds out, I'd like to see how you explain yourself."
Chen Huan, the head of the Hehuan Sect, blocked Teng Huayuan and mocked.
"Humph."
Teng Huayuan snorted disdainfully and said smugly, "So what? I, Teng Huayuan, still obtained this opportunity. You couldn't even get it, so don't act superior in front of me."
"You!"
Chen Huan was furious too. If Teng Huayuan hadn't pledged loyalty first, the chance to have guidance through Diety Transformation wouldn't have gone to him but to them.
---
In the grand hall, the Heng Yue Sect powerhouses clapped in excitement.
There are many sects in the Country of Zhao and countless cultivation families. If each contributed 30% of their resources, Heng Yue Sect would surely have many Nascent Soul ancestors again in a hundred years.
Liu Wenju stroked his pale goatee and said with a bright smile, "If Senior Lin Che weren't here, our Heng Yue Sect might've already been swallowed by other sects."
Lin Che didn't care much for Zhao's resources. After all, Zhao was only a third-level cultivation country, and the strongest cultivators were only at the Nascent Soul stage—almost as weak as trash compared to someone in the Soul Transformation stage.
He vaguely remembered that hundreds of years ago, all the Nascent Soul stage masters in Zhao—23 in total—had gone to the extraterritorial battlefield under pressure from a fourth-level cultivation country.
But except for Punnan Zi, all Nascent Soul stage cultivators had fallen in that extraterritorial battlefield, which was why Punnan Zi dared to attack Heng Yue Sect upon returning to Zhao.
Without support from Nascent Soul cultivators, the sect would only become lamb waiting for slaughter, eventually fading from history.
Lin Che looked at Li Muwan beside him, and with a slight motion of his fingers, several pill formulas appeared in front of her.
"I got these formulas in the Land of the Ancient God. I haven't used them. I'll give them all to you."
Li Muwan smiled sweetly, glanced at them, and was surprised: "Fifth-grade pill formulas? These are extremely valuable."
Lin Che nodded and said, "So far, these are the only ones I've gotten. If you like them, I'll find more for you in the future."
"Thank you, senior brother~"
Li Muwan had a natural passion for alchemy. She was able to refine fifth-grade pills while still in the Core Formation stage. With proper training, she could reach ninth-grade pill refining in the future.
At present, Lin Che himself was a sixth-grade alchemist. Though he wasn't obsessed with alchemy, had he focused, he could've reached seventh grade long ago.
After leaving the hall, Lin Che took Li Muwan back to his room, located in the bamboo forest behind Heng Yue Sect.
He preferred quiet, so Master Huang Long had arranged for bamboo to be planted here years ago and personally excavated the lake shore to nourish the place.
Now, even after a hundred years away, the scenery remained unchanged—full of vitality, with a refreshing autumn breeze.
"Time flies, a hundred years have passed, and this place is still so full of vitality."
Lin Che stood by Qing Shan Lake, looking at the sparkling water, his heart full of emotion.
A hundred years might be a lifetime for mortals, but for cultivators, it's just a blink.
Yet in those hundred years, he'd experienced so much—rising from a mere foundation-building cultivator to a powerful Soul Transformation stage cultivator, capable of controlling the fate of a third-level cultivation country.
"Are you planning to stay in Heng Yue Sect?"
Lin Che turned, looked at Li Muwan, and asked softly.
Li Muwan pursed her tender lips, tucked her long black hair behind her ears, and gently answered, "I never forgot the grace of being saved. If you think I'm too noisy, I can leave anytime."
"That's not what I meant." Lin Che shook his head. "If you like it here, then stay and cultivate. If I leave, you can come with me."
"Yes!" Li Muwan smiled happily.
Looking at her smile, Lin Che felt something stir in his heart. In the original novel, Li Muwan sacrificed her life force to create a jade slip for Wang Lin.
She was supposed to condense her Nascent Soul and ascend higher, but overusing her life force damaged her foundation, making her future path harder.
Though Li Muwan achieved much in alchemy, her cultivation journey was full of trials.
She tried breaking into the Nascent Soul stage many times from late-stage Core Formation Realm, but failed every time.
Each failure severely hurt her body, reducing her lifespan.
Within her limited 500-year life, she kept challenging herself, eventually dying from exhaustion.
Now, with her by his side, she would not die—nor from a shortened lifespan.
---
As night fell, Li Muwan slept on Lin Che's lap. Lin Che looked up at the bright moon and stars, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"I left in a rush back then. That was the key to my Soul Transformation breakthrough, so I didn't retrieve the Inheritance of Knowledge. Seems I'll have to return to that bloody place, the Land of the Ancient God, someday."
Lin Che raised his eyebrows, then glanced at Li Muwan under the moonlight.
There were countless powerhouses in the Land of the Ancient God. Back then, he was hunted by Duo Mu and others. Had he not used a low celestial treasure—burning 30% of its life force—he'd been dead by now.
If he'd gotten the Inheritance of Knowledge back then, with Tuo Sen's nature, he'd definitely be hunted after breaking the seal.
"Seems I must raise my cultivation quickly. If I can reach the peak, the chances of success in the Land of the Ancient God will greatly improve."