Looking back, it was all like a fairyland.

He hadn't done anything evil, nor had he harmed innocent people; he even possessed a sincere heart. When the City God mentioned it, Su Mu couldn't even remember it; it could only have been an unintentional act on Su Mu's part.

An unintentional act to repay a favor, isn't this a sincere heart?

The more Cao Chen looked at her, the happier he became. This might be a matter of chemistry. As for talent, while he didn't blindly believe in the theory of fate, since it was a fateful attraction, she should be suited to this path.

However, no matter how fate may exist, it ultimately depends on the other party's choice.

Back in the cave, he had wanted to take Blind Xu as his disciple. They had the destiny and the qualifications, but in the end, they still missed each other. So it often happens that there is a destiny but no destiny.

"Who am I? My name is Cao Chen, from the Tianyan Sect, and I currently serve under you, sir. I've come to see you." Cao Chen said.

"Sir? See me?"

"Yes, this is where you used to live, sir. You should know this place. This place is different for you. I'm here because I feel we are destined to meet, so it was I who came."

The young man's eyes lit up when he heard the first half of the sentence. He knew what Cao Chen was talking about. He had sensed that gentle aura when he had stumbled upon this place. He couldn't mistake it for anything. After all, the method he was cultivating was ultimately derived from the Taoist scriptures Su Mu had mentioned, a direct descendant of his lineage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in this Taoist temple for two or three years.

"Do you know where the gentleman is? Um, may I call him 'gentleman'? I searched for a long time before finding this place, but it seems the gentleman hasn't returned for a long time. Will the gentleman be angry if I take it upon myself to do so?"

The little fox asked a lot of questions in one breath, and the vigilance in his eyes immediately disappeared.

"Haha, sir, you won't mind."

"Speaking of which, why do you want to repay a debt of gratitude?" Cao Chen was also curious, but Su Mu didn't remember, which was quite awkward.

The young man chuckled: "What might have been a casual remark to you, sir, and perhaps you don't even remember, was the beginning of my journey."

"When we first met in the jungle, I was just beginning to awaken my senses and could only instinctively worship the moon. However, perhaps due to good fortune, I met the Master. The Master said he had given us a predestined opportunity."

"It was indeed that chance encounter that showed me the way forward."

"Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to survive the heavenly tribulation and shed my beast form. My mind is filled with thoughts of that immortal from back then—perhaps to repay a debt of gratitude, perhaps to express my thanks, or perhaps to do something within my power."

"Unfortunately, the world is too big; I can only explore as I go."

"How did you find this place?"

Logically speaking, it was impossible for this little fox to find this place. Not to mention a little fox, even those big monsters would find it unlikely to find any traces of Su Mu's past.

"Actually, it was all by accident." The little fox demon scratched his head.

From this single sentence alone, Cao Chen, with his current strength, could gauge the past with his eyes. The golden thread drooped, twisting into a known past. A master of fate wouldn't trust in unprovoked favors. While the little fox itself might not be a major problem, and while he quite liked it, the involvement of Su Mu made matters more complex.

After Su Mu showed up in the cave, those who were traveling outside began to look at her vaguely.

This known past constantly splits off into new branches, which then split off again. No matter how powerful the person driving it, some traces will always be left behind, whether concealed or not.

Sure enough, the forks of fate connected into a web, and the unknown appeared in the web.

Someone is looking for Su Mu.

As Cao Chen spoke with the little fox, he gleaned insights from its words, recalling the past. The fox's methods were highly sophisticated, instantly reminding him of the innate deities. Whether it was a test or some kind of conspiracy, he didn't know for the time being. He learned that Su Mu was involved.

He never found out in the end and only saw a fog.

"Still too weak," Cao Chen sighed. As time went on, these kinds of tests became more frequent, and the days of peace and tranquility were numbered.

Thinking this, Cao Chen casually severed the arm that had appeared out of nowhere, and asked the little fox in front of him with a smile: "What's your name?"

"My name is Akatsuki."

"Ranked ninth?"

Akakyu nodded: "I originally wanted to name him Nine, but many demons are named that, so I chose something different."

"So, would you like to be my disciple?" Cao Chen didn't waste any words and asked directly. Taking a demon as a disciple is not uncommon in the cultivation world, but it is also rare, belonging to the unorthodox category.

Cao Chen didn't care, but Chi Jiu shook his head and refused without thinking.

He came to repay a favor, not to become someone else's apprentice. Besides, starting out like that was unreliable. Furthermore, his method relied on Su Mu. If Su Mu was willing to accept him as a disciple, he would be happy to do so, but forget about others.

Cao Chen had already foreseen this outcome and wasn't discouraged: "No need to be in such a hurry to refuse."

He looked around and said, "If you wish to see the master, I can take you there. Afterwards, you can follow me; I will stay in this Taoist temple for a long time, and you can observe me carefully."

"Why...?" Akakyu asked.

"Because nobody wants to be my disciple," Cao Chen said honestly. Perhaps it was fate that he hadn't encountered any geniuses since leaving the Heavenly Evolution Sect. However, destiny was fickle; all the disciples he had chosen had various reasons for rejecting him.

This may be the result of playing with fate, and fate is also playing with him.

So when he met Chi Jiu, he already knew that Chi Jiu would refuse, and every reason he had encountered in the past was very sufficient.

"So why do you want an apprentice?" Akaki asked curiously.

Inheriting the mantle might be important, but the old man before me was truly remarkable. I didn't know why, but I had a hunch. A man like him, if not as long-lived as heaven and earth, would likely live for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. How immense!

Cao Chen chuckled: "I haven't had many hobbies in my life, but I've always been obsessed with fate. Compared to the battlefield, I enjoy this kind of confrontation above fate much more. Fate says I have no followers, so I'll see if my fate is truly like that. I don't believe it."

"This can be considered a kind of fun, I suppose."

"To fight against fate is to find endless joy."

"This..." Chi Jiu didn't even know what to say. This reason really left him speechless.

"So, how about giving it a try?" Cao Chen invited him again.

Chi Jiu still shook his head. He didn't want to be someone else's apprentice for such a strange reason. Even if Cao Chen was honest, he didn't want to do that.