Chapter 114: Cursed Weapon (4)

  Inside his inner world, Xu Mo stood before the sixth bucket.

  It was made of worn steel—slightly dented, water-stained, and humble in form. The kind of bucket he had once used to carry river water, scrub temple floors, or catch rain from a leaky roof. Not elegant. Not sacred. Just familiar.

  But now, it held something far more precious than water.

  His refined Qi, in its gaseous state, swirled above the bucket like a faint silver mist—shifting, restless, abundant but unruly. The first five buckets had already been filled and settled. The sixth remained unfinished, the mist refusing to become more than vapor.

  He exhaled.

  And then began the process.

  With deliberate control, Xu Mo summoned his will and compressed the mist. Not by force—but by focus. He imagined both hands tightening around the vapor, not to crush it, but to gather it inward. The same way one might squeeze the last drops of water from soaked cloth… or press air from a wineskin before sealing it shut.

  The Qi trembled.

  It resisted.

  But Xu Mo was patient.

  Bit by bit, the silver vapor began to thicken. Molecules drew closer, shivering under pressure. The motion slowed, weight began to form. The gaseous Qi pressed against itself, folding inward like breath caught between clenched teeth.

  Then—

  Drip.

  The first drop fell into the bucket.

  It rang like memory. Like water meeting steel.

  More followed.

  Slow at first, then faster—silver-golden droplets coalescing until a shimmering pool of liquid Qi formed at the bottom of the sixth bucket. Heavy. Dense. Stable.

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  The transformation was complete.

  Xu Mo sat cross-legged in the void of his mind, watching the rippling surface of liquid Qi settle.

  No divine technique. No fiery tribulation. Just the quiet art of turning breath into rain.

  Half a Day Later

  Xu Mo had managed to fill up half of the sixth bucket—meaning he would be able to break through to the next minor realm in a few days at most, or as soon as the next day at minimum.

  Opening his eyes, everything looked much cleaner and sharper than before.

  Ding—

  [Investment successful: Target — Son of Destiny, Ruishi.]

  [As this is the Host’s first investment in a destiny-marked individual, the rewards have been amplified.]

  [Reward Multiplier: 10x (First-Time Bonus)]

  [Calculating returns… please brace for incoming fortune.]

  ‘…Hmm, so that old man's name was Ruishi. Old man Ruishi. It suits him quite well, actually.’

  He smiled again.

  He didn’t regret not giving something more valuable to the old man earlier—something that could now have returned ten times the value. But so what?

  It wasn't that Xu Mo wasn’t tempted to invest heavily and receive generous rewards, but he was very familiar with the word “gambling.” He had seen many old uncles in his neighborhood lose everything—themselves, their families—just because they believed they could win one more time. Lured in by gambling houses promising quick money with minimal investment, they kept playing. And when those houses saw their victims become reliant—when they believed that luck was everything—that was when the house would quietly retract its support.

  And then, the customer would lose everything. Go mad. Repeating to themselves, “Just one more time… just one more time…” But those with wisdom knew: that moment never comes.

  The System was doing the same thing.

  If he had invested a low-grade spiritual weapon or even his own Threadspike Capsule and received a 10x return, then the next time he made an investment, Xu Mo would unconsciously hope for another tenfold return. And there was an immortal vs. mortal kind of gap between 10x and 2x. Even a two-year-old could tell which one tasted better.

  [Reward: 5 Mid-Grade Spiritual Stones.]

  [The reward has been stored in the inventory.]

  "I used to think only young people could be chosen by destiny," Xu Mo mused aloud. "But now, looking at what happened with old man Ruishi... happy days can come at any point in life."

  He started to think more positively.

  Maybe he still had a chance. Maybe one day, he could become a chosen one too. And then others would come to him—offering gifts, flattering him, seeking his goodwill. Just like he was trying to do now.

  A faint rush of excitement traveled from his brain to his spine.

  "Long Chen... stay alive. Jin Meiyu, Xue Lingxi… You two too, wait for me. I might be a late bloomer compared to you all, but I’ve got a chance now. Who knows? Maybe my future self will be reborn inside my present body."

  He grinned.

  "Oh? That would be interesting too."

  Xu Mo was once again distracted. He failed to notice the shadowy figure watching him from a distance with an intrigued look—as if it had found a new toy.

  And just like that, with Xu Mo still unable to break through to the seventh level of Qi Condensation…

  The day of departure had already arrived.