But Su Kang wasn't willing to lose a spiritual vein.
With this treasure, his family could nurture several Core Formation cultivators in the future.
The road ahead was long, and a resource like this could shape the future of the Su family for generations.
This vein wasn't just valuable—it was essential.
"Fate, this thing is essential to my family." He stated firmly.
"You will get more opportunities related to your family in the future," Fate countered, its voice steady.
"Right now, you should focus on gaining strength."
"If you are powerful enough, then your family is untouchable."
"Remember, spiritual items and resources are for your use; use them to get stronger."
"This world bows to the strong, and that should be your only aim."
Fate's words hung in the air, it's weight pressing on him.
Su Kang remained silent, his fingers tightening into a fist as he processed them.
Fate believed this spiritual vein was replaceable—that in the grand scheme of things, there would be better treasures, better opportunities.
Su Kang had to choose, a more stable future for his family or more strength and power for his current self.
His mind flashed back—to the burning Su manor, to the screams that tore through the night.
He could still see the cruel smiles of the demon cultivators, their eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure as they tortured his family before his very eyes.
He could still see the cruel smiles of the demonic cultivators, their eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure as they tortured his family before his very eyes.
The death of his parents. The humiliation of his clan.
Women violated, their pleas for mercy drowned beneath laughter.
Mothers forced to beg for their children's lives, only to be given a twisted choice—consume the raw flesh of their dead husbands or watch their children be slaughtered.
Although Fate had told him that his soul hadn't time-traveled, it was just future vision. But the pain in his heart remained as fresh as the day it was carved into him.
His hatred for demonic cultivators has increased too much. He tried to forget about this but he failed.
His breath came unevenly, and without realizing it, his Qi stirred violently.
The temperature of the chamber plummeted, an unnatural cold seeping into the air.
Bai Yunxi gasped, clutching her arms as the oppressive aura pressed against her like an invisible weight.
The Moonlight Butterfly trembled, its delicate wings losing their usual glow as it cowered in the corner, sensing the overwhelming shift in Su Kang's presence.
Just as suddenly as it had descended, the pressure vanished.
The air returned to normal, but its impact lingered. Bai Yunxi's legs buckled slightly, and she staggered.
Su Kang reached out and pulled her into an embrace.
"Again, I have lost control of my emotions." he realized grimly.
Bai Yunxi tilted her head up, her jade-green eyes filled with concern.
"What… was that sudden, terrible feeling?" she whispered, her voice tinged with worry.
Su Kang exhaled slowly, pushing down the emotions threatening to consume him.
"Don't worry," he said softly, his arms still around her.
"Everything is fine now."
Bai Yunxi didn't respond immediately. He could feel the tension slowly leaving her body, her heartbeat gradually calming.
The Moonlight Butterfly, however, couldn't bear to remain any longer. With a soft flutter of its wings, it flew toward the exit.
Su Kang watched its retreating figure for a moment before turning to Bai Yunxi.
"Wait for me outside," he gently instructed.
She hesitated but nodded, stepping out of the chamber.
Only after she left did Su Kang turn back to the spiritual vein.
He decided to go ahead with Fate's plan. But he was going to confirm something.
"If we go through with this," he murmured.
"I need confirmation. There won't be any backlash from the Heavenly Dao, correct?"
"Do not worry about this," Fate reassured him.
"I merely intend to utilize it; you will not face any hindrance in your breakthrough. I will extract its blessings and luck from the Heavenly Dao and it will turn into a lower-grade vein."
"So it won't affect the earth's core or surrounding veins?" He questioned further.
"I can move it into my personal space pocket without causing any damage to the earth veins," Fate confirmed.
Su Kang narrowed his eyes, studying the swirling energy of the spiritual vein.
After a moment of contemplation, Su Kang stepped forward.
The spiritual vein pulsed, radiating an ethereal glow.
As Fate took action, runes of intricate design bloomed in the air around the vein, glowing with a golden light.
They danced and twirled, forming a protective cocoon around the spiritual source.
The crystal rose into the air, suspended in the magical embrace of the runes, before vanishing in a flash of golden light.
The ground where the vein had once pulsed was now dull and lifeless, the spiritual energy slowly dissipating into a fine mist.
Without this vein, the array formation guarding this cave will disappear soon without spiritual energy.
He went outside and took Bai Yunxi with him.
"Let's go. I have already taken this vein with me. You will also get your share." He said.
Bai Yunxi shook her head, smiling gently. "I don't need anything."
The Moonlight Butterfly, sensing the abrupt absence of the spiritual vein, felt a pang of loss. This cave had been its home, its sanctuary.
The Moonlight Butterfly saw Su Kang coming out of the chamber, but it didn't asked anything.
It knew it couldn't question the change. It had sensed the immense pressure from Su Kang, and it recognized his power.
"You will come with us." Su Kang told it.
The Moonlight Butterfly lowered its head, silently accepting its fate.
As they walked away from the now-defunct chamber, the butterfly's light grew dimmer, as though it were mourning the loss of its home.
Su Kang visited his cave in the mountain to pack their belongings.
Soon, they set off toward the Su family, the Moonlight Butterfly trailing behind them.
...
The journey back to the Su family's manor was nearing its end. Only a couple more days remained.
Fate had fully absorbed the destiny of the spiritual vein. As a result, the third-level vein had now degraded into a first-level vein.
Fate also recovered some of his abilities. It was slowly getting used to it.
Su Kang felt an odd pang of sadness, but his mood lifted when Fate revealed the results.
The vein had yielded sixteen thousand destiny points—a massive gain.
"Fate, how are we going to divide these destiny points?" Su Kang asked.
"You can add 2000 destiny points in your destiny. I will give you cultivation resources." Fate suggested.
Fate has used most of the destiny points to recover so it was planning to compensate him with cultivation resources.
If he added those two thousand points, Su Kang's total destiny would reach ten thousand.
Li Fang had 32,000 when he left the Jiang state. Su Kang felt he would never be able to catch his shadows in this way.
He voiced his thoughts to Fate. After listening to Su Kang's words, Fate responded,
"Stop trying to compete with people who are blessed by heaven."
"You just have to become strong by different methods and think of ways to collect more destiny."
"Now, tell me… what kind of cultivation resources do you want?"
Su Kang thought about this. His most important priority right now is cultivation techniques. He needs superior qi cultivation techniques.