022 Test of the Heart

[POV: Kang Wen]

It was an unbelievable sight. A Core Formation expert and a scion of a major sect had been killed so easily, almost casually. Kang Wen’s legs gave out. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed deeply, forehead pressing into the dirt.

“Senior… this junior thanks you from the bottom of his heart,” Kang Wen said, voice thick with emotion. “You have slain a terrible enemy in a war that threatens my people and my sect. Your strength is truly heaven-defying. This Kang Wen will never forget this kindness.”

Kang Wen remained bowed, staring in awe as the silver-haired stranger casually turned to the squirrel on his shoulder and murmured, “So, somewhere around here?”

The stranger unearthed a small, lifeless squirrel from behind a fallen log. He addressed Kang Wen without looking up. “I don’t know about your war, but I guess, in the end, it’s a matter of perspective. I am still growing both as a person and as an individual. I don’t know if my right is right for everyone, but I guess I’m just doing my best to be responsible with the power I possess.”

Qi stirred violently around him as he raised his staff. “Revive Life.”

He placed the dead squirrel on the ground. The earth itself swallowed the tiny body for a moment, then pushed it back to the surface, alive and chittering. The two squirrels nuzzled each other briefly before scampering off into the underbrush.

Soon after, the sky darkened. Heavenly Tribulation stirred, clouds roiling with crackling lightning that struck the stranger without mercy. Yet he simply declared, “Wild Shape: Primal Nature Elemental,” and endured the heavenly punishment as if it were a light rain. When the tribulation ended, he reverted to his silver-haired form and walked over to Kang Wen.

“Lifepulse.”

A gentle wave of verdant energy washed over Kang Wen. His wounds closed at an incredible pace, broken bones knit together, and even his exhaustion melted away. He stared up at the stranger in pure awe.

“Senior, please!” Kang Wen begged, still on his knees. “Help my Steel Sky Sect! We are under siege by multiple powers, including the Stone Spire Sect. I promise you treasures beyond imagination, rare spiritual herbs, ancient artifacts, wealth that could rival kingdoms, even beauties from the finest clans if that is your desire. Anything! Just name your price!”

The stranger simply shook his head, declining without a word.

Kang Wen spent the next hour desperately trying to convince him. The stranger sat calmly under a large tree, eyes half-closed as he breathed in the surrounding qi and recovered. He would politely nod at Kang Wen’s increasingly frantic offers of the most incredible treasures, rare resources, peerless cultivation manuals, beautiful dual cultivation partners, and mountains of spirit stones, but never once showed the slightest temptation.

Finally, the stranger sighed. “I thought cultivators are supposed to be aloof, but lately I’m thinking your lot is too stuck on your ways. And here I thought you were supposed to cultivate immortality and discard your basest desires.”

He stood up and waved his staff once more. “Revive Life.”

Just like that, Xu Lei’s severed body was pulled back together as it was swallowed by the earth. When Xu Lei was spat back by the earth, he was whole again. The young scion shortly woke with a gasp, crying and trembling as he stared at the stranger with pure terror in his eyes.

The stranger looked down at him impassively. “Go. Leave.”

Xu Lei kowtowed repeatedly, voice shaking. “Thank you, Senior!”

He then fled into the forest as fast as his legs could carry him.

Rage, confusion, and hate bloomed violently in Kang Wen’s heart. He brandished his sword, ready to chase after the fleeing enemy, but a firm hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

It was Xing Ning, the young master he had been searching for all this time.

With a gentle shake of his head, Xing Ning remarked softly, “Please… don’t…”

…

..

.

I cleaned up the battlefield with a sweep of my hand, using phytokinesis to prop up the damaged trees and straighten their trunks. Then I injected fresh life qi into the soil and surrounding flora, coaxing the forest back to vibrant health. The air smelled sweeter almost immediately, and the faint sounds of returning wildlife filled the canopy. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but lately I had realized I was losing memories of Earth. Faces, places, even the taste of certain foods were fading. It felt so pointless now to want to live this camping life to make up for my past life. The druid part of me was honestly starting to erode my will. I was becoming Nevle, and Wally was slowly vanishing.

We walked back to the camp with a new addition trailing behind us in respectful silence.

Xing Ning cleared his throat as we reached the small clearing. He sounded proud as he gestured toward the middle-aged swordsman. “Senior Wo Li, this is Kang Wen the Sword Frenzy, one of the strongest swordsmen of my Steel Sky Sect and a man who has protected me with his life more than once. He is renowned across the continent for fighting with nothing but pure sword arts.”

Kang Wen immediately dropped into a deep bow, cupping his fists. “This junior pays his respects to Senior Wo Li. Your power is beyond anything I have witnessed. However… this junior is curious. Why did you resurrect Xu Lei despite him trying to kill you?”

I shrugged lightly. “Because murder upsets the balance, and at its core, it is unnatural.”

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There was a short silence. I could feel the weight of judgment in Kang Wen’s gaze.

He pressed on carefully. “Then what if there was someone stronger, or your match, who attempted to kill you? Would you still spare them?”

I answered honestly, “If they were a real threat to me, then I would kill them. But Xu Lei was not.”

“What about Xu Lei’s sect?” Kang Wen asked next. “They will surely seek revenge for their scion.”

I met his eyes. “If they are indeed a threat to me, then they would have to die too. Were they a threat to me? No, they are not. Moreover, grounds for revenge only sound reasonable if someone did die. Did Xu Lei die? Who died? No one. And if they did come for me, I would deal with them then. Why make demons you must fight when they are not even in front of you?”