Rise of The Abandoned Husband

"You're telling me that a twenty percent success rate makes someone a master at deducing heavenly secrets?" I scoffed, staring incredulously at The Man with the Mustache. After my humiliation at Baldwin Daniels' dismissal, I was in no mood for more disappointments.

The Man with the Mustache twirled his facial hair between his fingers, looking mildly offended. "Twenty percent is actually impressive in this field. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to perceive the Great Dao?"

"And what's your success rate?" I challenged.

His chest puffed out with pride. "Thirty percent, which is why I'm considered exceptional." He leaned against a nearby rock, smugness radiating from his posture. "Most people train for decades just to catch a glimpse of the Great Dao's patterns."

I frowned, my curiosity piqued despite my skepticism. "So what exactly are we looking for when 'deducing heavenly secrets'?"

"You perceive the fundamental rules governing our world," he explained, waving his hands dramatically. "When something extraordinary is about to happen—like the birth of a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herb—it creates ripples in these patterns. Masters like Baldwin can detect these anomalies."

I glanced across the basin where Baldwin Daniels stood with his eyes closed, deep in concentration. Ms. Hayward and her purple-robed lackeys formed a protective circle around him.

"Let me try," I said suddenly.

The Man with the Mustache burst into laughter. "You? Just like that? People spend their entire lives—"

"Just tell me how to start," I interrupted, already settling into a cross-legged position.

He sighed dramatically. "Fine. Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Try to perceive beyond what your five senses tell you. Look for something like... strings of light in the darkness."

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing, allowing my consciousness to expand outward as I'd learned during cultivation. At first, there was only darkness, the ambient sounds of the basin fading into background noise.

"This is ridiculous," I heard The Man with the Mustache mutter. "Even if you had the talent, it would take months of practice before—"

"I see something," I said quietly. "Faint strings of light, like threads woven together."

His skeptical snort was immediate. "You're just saying that because—"

"They're pulsing," I continued, focused on the ethereal sight within my mind's eye. "Some move faster than others. They intersect at certain points, forming what looks like nodes."

The Man with the Mustache fell silent. I could feel his stunned gaze upon me.

"That's... that's impossible," he finally whispered. "You can't possibly be seeing the Great Dao already."

I ignored him, concentrating on the intricate pattern unfolding before my inner vision. The light strings were beautiful, flowing in harmonious currents that somehow felt fundamental to the very nature of existence.

"What do I look for to find treasures?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed.

He hesitated before answering. "Anomalies. Disruptions in the pattern. Places where the lights bend unnaturally or cluster together."

I nodded slowly, my mind fully immersed in the cosmic display. "And how do I interpret what I'm seeing? How do I know where the treasure will appear?"

"The anomalies usually point in a direction," he explained, his voice closer now as he leaned in. "You have to follow the disruption to its source. But it takes years to learn proper interpretation—"

"I'm going to keep looking," I said firmly.

For what felt like half an hour, I remained perfectly still, tracking the movements of the light strings, searching for any irregularity in their flow. Gradually, I began to notice a subtle distortion in the southeastern section of the pattern—a place where the lights seemed to cluster and twist around something unseen.

"There," I said, opening my eyes and pointing confidently. "Southeast. The Ten-thousand-year-old Medicinal Materials will appear there."

The Man with the Mustache stared at me with his mouth agape. He quickly collected himself, clearing his throat. "That's... that's impossible. You can't have deduced that so quickly."

"What did you deduce?" I challenged.

He frowned, then reluctantly admitted, "Southeast as well. But that's after years of practice! You can't possibly—"

"What's going on?" Clara approached, returning from her exploration of the perimeter.

"Liam is claiming he can deduce heavenly secrets now," The Man with the Mustache explained, his tone dripping with skepticism.

Clara tilted her head, studying me with curious eyes. "Can you really do that?"

"Apparently," I replied, surprised myself at how clear the vision had been. The light strings had almost seemed to call to me, as if they were eager to reveal their secrets.

"It must be a fluke," The Man with the Mustache insisted. "Or maybe you just guessed the same direction I did."

I closed my eyes again, wanting to confirm what I'd seen. The patterns reappeared almost instantly now, clearer than before. The distortion in the southeast was even more pronounced, pulsing with potential energy.

"It's definitely southeast," I said with growing confidence. "About two hundred paces from where we're standing."

The Man with the Mustache stood abruptly. "That's exactly where I calculated it would appear! How are you doing this?"

I shook my head, equally mystified. "I don't know. I just see it."

"See what?" Clara asked, her small face scrunched in concentration as if trying to perceive what I could see.

"The Great Dao," I explained, attempting to describe the indescribable. "It's like... seeing the blueprint of reality. The fundamental rules governing everything."

Clara's eyes widened with wonder. "Can you teach me?"

Before I could respond, a ripple of movement spread through the crowd. Baldwin Daniels had opened his eyes. He stood slowly, his weathered face betraying nothing as he surveyed the basin.

Every cultivator fell silent, watching the legendary master intently. Even Ms. Hayward's perpetual look of superiority was replaced with respectful anticipation.

Baldwin Daniels raised his arm, pointing deliberately toward the east—not the southeast.

"According to my deduction," he announced, his voice carrying effortlessly across the basin, "the Ten-thousand-year-old Medicinal Materials will be born there."

A murmur swept through the crowd. Immediately, cultivators began repositioning themselves, edging toward the eastern section of the basin where Baldwin had pointed.

"He's wrong," I whispered, surprised by my own certainty.

The Man with the Mustache looked horrified. "Keep your voice down! That's Baldwin Daniels you're contradicting."

"But he is wrong," I insisted. "The anomaly is clearly in the southeast."

"Impossible," he hissed. "Baldwin has never been wrong about a treasure location. Never."

I watched as Ms. Hayward directed her purple-robed cultivators to secure the eastern area Baldwin had indicated. Other powerful factions quickly followed suit, jostling for position.

"What do we do now?" Clara asked, looking between me and the shifting crowd.

I hesitated, weighing our options. If I was right and the herb appeared in the southeast, we'd have a clear advantage with most cultivators focused on the wrong location. But if I was wrong...

"We split up," I decided. "You two go to the east with everyone else. I'll head southeast."

The Man with the Mustache grabbed my arm. "Are you insane? You're betting against Baldwin Daniels—the greatest treasure hunter alive!"

"I know what I saw," I said firmly, gently removing his hand.

He stared at me for a long moment before sighing dramatically. "Fine. We'll split up. But when you're standing alone in the southeast while everyone else claims the treasure in the east, don't say I didn't warn you."

Clara tugged at my sleeve. "I want to go with you."

I shook my head. "No, stay with him. If I'm wrong, you'll still have a chance at the herb."

As the crowd continued to shift eastward, I began moving deliberately against the flow, heading toward the southeastern section of the basin. Several cultivators gave me curious looks as I passed, clearly wondering why I was moving away from Baldwin's designated spot.

I caught sight of Lowell Pauley smirking at me. "Look at Knight," he said loudly to Preston Elliott. "Too good to follow Master Baldwin's guidance."

I ignored them, continuing toward the spot where I'd sensed the anomaly. The southeastern section was rapidly emptying as more cultivators crowded toward the east, giving me ample space to position myself.

Once I reached the area, I closed my eyes again, seeking confirmation. The light strings appeared immediately, and the distortion was even more pronounced now—a swirling vortex of energy that seemed to be building toward something imminent.

I opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings. I was practically alone in this section of the basin, with only a few confused-looking junior cultivators who seemed unsure whether to follow the crowd or stay put.

Across the basin, I could see Ms. Hayward directing the setup of what appeared to be an energy-gathering formation. Baldwin Daniels stood at its center, his eyes closed once more in concentration. The Noble family cultivators had positioned themselves strategically around the perimeter, ready to move in when the moment came.

And there, making their way through the crowd, were The Man with the Mustache and Clara. He kept looking back over his shoulder at me, his expression torn between concern and exasperation.

Minutes passed. The tension in the air grew palpable as everyone waited for the first sign of the medicinal materials. Cultivators shifted restlessly, hands hovering near weapons, eyes darting suspiciously at potential rivals.

Then I felt it—a subtle vibration in the earth beneath my feet. I looked down just as a hairline crack appeared in the soil, glowing with a faint golden light.

My heart raced. This was it.

Across the basin, I saw Baldwin Daniels suddenly open his eyes, his brow furrowed in confusion. He turned, slowly, his gaze sweeping past the eastern section where everyone was gathered... until it landed directly on me.

Our eyes met across the distance. In that moment, I knew he sensed it too—the impending emergence, not where he had predicted, but exactly where I stood.

Ms. Hayward followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing when she spotted me. She said something urgent to Baldwin, who shook his head slightly, his expression troubled.

The crack in the earth widened beneath my feet, the golden glow intensifying. I stepped back cautiously as the ground began to tremble.

"The herb!" someone shouted from across the basin. "It's appearing in the southeast!"

The reaction was immediate and chaotic. Cultivators turned en masse, abandoning their carefully claimed positions to rush toward my location. Ms. Hayward's purple-robed guards broke formation, sprinting ahead of the crowd.

The Man with the Mustache's jaw dropped in visible shock before he grabbed Clara's hand and began elbowing his way through the stampede of cultivators.

I stood my ground as the crack continued to widen, golden light pouring forth like liquid sunshine. The first delicate leaf emerged from the fissure, shimmering with an otherworldly radiance that marked it unmistakably as the Ten-thousand-year-old Celestial Grass.

Baldwin Daniels wiped sweat from his forehead, his weathered face showing the first traces of genuine shock I'd seen from any master. He stared at me from across the basin, his expression unreadable but intense.

The onrushing crowd of cultivators was still fifty yards away, but closing fast. I had perhaps seconds before they reached me—seconds to claim the herb that was now beginning to fully emerge from the earth.

The southeastern location—exactly where I had deduced it would be.

Baldwin Daniels raised his hand, pointing directly at me as the chaos unfolded. His voice cut through the din of shouting cultivators:

"According to my deduction, the Ten-thousand-year-old Medicinal Materials will be born there."