MTLNOVEL Chapter 144: Let Me Calculate That for You
Chen Huai'an never imagined the day would come when he achieved true milk tea freedom.
Though, to be fair, he didn't even need to add milk.
His tea sachets had a special effect—once brewed, they naturally infused the tea with a faint, creamy fragrance.
Too much milk would overpower the tea's essence, making it cloying.
A subtle, lingering creaminess was the real key to a perfect cup.
Like the one he was drinking now.
A flavor that, he was certain, no one else in the world could experience.
But in reality, he wasn't in the mood to enjoy it.
[Main Quest 3.0: Countdown to the opening of the Zhongzhou Secret Realm—21 days remaining. Please increase your Virtual Girlfriend's survival rate in the dungeon! Every 30% increase in survival rate grants a Heavenly Divination hint. Current survival rate: 61%.]
[Heavenly Divination Hint 1: Available to unlock]
[Heavenly Divination Hint 2: Available to unlock]
Chen Huai'an had assumed that Li Qingran, who had already reached theFoundation Establishment Stage (Mid), possessed aSupreme-Grade Dantian, aPure Water Spiritual Root, theSu Xian Sword, and a solid set of sword techniques and internal cultivation methods, would have a100% survival ratein a minor secret realm like this.
Worst case scenario, she still hadThunderfire Talismansfor self-defense—those things couldobliterate Golden Core cultivators!
Yet, when he checked the quest log…
Her survival rate was a mere61%.
61%.
That was basically the same aszeroin his eyes.
For a moment, Chen Huai'an felt as if the sky had collapsed.
What the hell was wrong with thisZhongzhou Secret Realm?
How was it so difficult that even hisSchrödinger's Cheat Codecouldn't guarantee a100% clear rate?!
He tapped onHeavenly Divination Hint 1.
[Heavenly Divination Hint 1: After entering the dungeon, the player will be completely unable to interfere in any way. Only observation is permitted. (Tap for more details)]
No interference allowed?
That was a first.
He opened the expanded description.
<Explanation: The Zhongzhou Secret Realm is an independent micro-world with its own Dao Laws. Players cannot interfere across three different worlds to alter anything within this realm.>
Great.
Just this one rule had already cranked the difficulty up tohell mode.
He then checkedHeavenly Divination Hint 2and its corresponding explanation.
[Heavenly Divination Hint 2: A large number of demonic cultivators and some monster cultivators will appear within the Zhongzhou Secret Realm.]
<Explanation: The demonic cultivators are extremely powerful and employ a divide-and-conquer strategy. The Sword Pavilion's disciples will be slaughtered one by one. Li Qingran will fight with all her strength but ultimately be overwhelmed.>
Chen Huai'an: "???"
Excuse me?
It's THAT bad?!
This was amassacre!
He had previously heard from Su Qinian that the Zhongzhou Secret Realm was agrand eventfor all righteous sects in theCangyun Realm.Minor secret realms opened every year, while major secret realms opened once every ten years.
This year was a rare occurrence—both were opening simultaneously, an unprecedented spectacle.
If it was a righteous sect gathering,how the hell were demonic cultivators and monster cultivators infiltrating it?
If he didn't know about this, fine.
But now that hedid, he had to do something about it.
After some thought, Chen Huai'an decided on a two-pronged approach.
First,strengthening Li Qingranwas the top priority. No amount of strategy mattered if she wasn't strong enough.
Second, he needed towarn Su Qinian in advance.
He didn't know who the enemy was yet or where they'd strike from, but Su Qinian could alert the other sects to prepare.
Yes, this might tip off the demonic cultivators.
But that was stillbetterthan letting them infiltrate unnoticed.
Besides, he hadHeavenly Divination.
If it worked, maybe he couldeliminatesome threats before they even had a chance to act.
With that in mind, he activated hisTransmission Talismanand spoke to Li Qingran, who was focused on sewing a pillowcase.
"Qingran, go summon Pavilion Master Su. I have something important to discuss with him."
—
A short while later.
By the water pool atopLuoxia Peak.
Su Qinian and Li Qingran sat across from each other.
Well,Su Qiniansat.
Li Qingran was just eavesdropping.
Meanwhile, Su Qinian respectfully bowed to the air above Li Qingran's head.
"Patriarch, what instructions do you have for me?"
[This old one observed the celestial signs last night, calculated the heavenly fate, and discovered that a great calamity will befall the Zhongzhou Secret Realm!]
Su Qinian's mouth twitched.
Oh great, you're doing divinations now?
Was the mysterious grand cultivator who had been constantly divining theCangyun Realmlately…actually their Sword Pavilion's Patriarch?
The thought passed quickly.
He believed the Patriarch had the power to performHeavenly Divination.
But for him to beso far away from Cangyun Realm, still able to predict its fate and evenshake the heavens—that seemed a bit exaggerated.
However, Chen Huai'an's next words made Su Qinian's body go rigid.
[This calamity may result in nine out of ten Sword Pavilion disciples perishing!]
"What?!"
Su Qinian slammed the table and stood up, his eyes flashing with sharp sword intent.
"Which sect dares to slaughter my Sword Pavilion disciples within the Zhongzhou Secret Realm?!"
Fights between disciples were common in the secret realm, but overall, the atmosphere among the righteous sects remained relatively harmonious.
Sure, rivalries existed, but outright massacres? That was nearly unheard of.
[It is not the righteous sects—it is the Demonic Sect!]
The moment those words landed, Su Qinian's first instinct was disbelief.
TheDemonic Secthad been almost completely eradicated inCangyun Realm.
Any demonic cultivator who dared to appear wouldn't lastthree daysbefore being hunted down by the disciples and elders of the righteous sects.
How could alarge forceof them suddenly show up, strong enough to threaten the entireZhongzhou Secret Realm?
"Patriarch, do you have any concrete details?" Su Qinian asked, clearly troubled.
[Very well. Let me calculate that for you.]
Chen Huai'an activatedHeavenly Divination.
He only gotonefree calculation per day.
Would it reveal the locations of the demonic cultivators?
He wasn't sure.
But so far,every single predictionhad given him useful information.
If worst came to worst, he could justmake something upand tell the Sword Pavilion to stay on high alert.
The fate of other sects?
Not his problem.
He typed his query:
"Show me the locations of all demonic cultivators! Display them on the map!"
A loading circle appeared in theHeavenly Divination System.
After a long pause, a bright red warning popped up.
[Are you certain you want to divine the locations ofalldemonic cultivators? Be warned: The resulting karmic backlash will cause massive fortune depletion!]
Fortune depletion?
Chen Huai'an sneered.
Big deal.
What could possibly go wrong?
He was already stuck inContainment Room Zero.
"Confirm. Calculate it for me."
[Performing Heavenly Divination…]
—
BOOM—!
The skies overCangyun Realmdarkened in an instant.
AtopLuoxia Peak,storm clouds churned, lightning crackled, and an overwhelming pressure descended from above.
From within the ominous clouds, a colossal golden vertical eye slowly opened.
The moment its gaze swept overSu Qinian, he felt as if his very soul had beenlaid bare.
Stunned, he gawked at the sky, unable to form words, his throat tightening as if a boulder had lodged in it.
Oh heavens above…
The mysterious cultivator divining the heavensthis whole time…
Was actually our Sword Pavilion Patriarch?!