Chapter 84 - 59: So Confident

Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes glinted as she spoke softly. "Third Senior Brother, we’ve already wasted too much time on this trip to the Secret Realm. If we can’t find enough resources, I’m afraid Master will be displeased."

Chang Le’an’s expression shifted.

The thought of Master Lingxu made his brow twitch with a hint of worry.

He had a vague sense that his master’s path was somehow related to Spirit Stones. Now that Master had been forced to give a large sum of Spirit Stones to Li Shuang, he would inevitably have to recoup that loss from somewhere else.

’And if he can’t...’

’...life will be difficult for all of us.’

Chang Le’an quickly stood up. "We’ll set out right now. Don’t worry, Junior Sister. With my luck, I’ll gather enough resources in no time."

Speaking of luck, Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes flickered.

’Is this Chang Le’an’s luck really as incredible as the stories say? If it is, then why have we found nothing since entering the Secret Realm? Instead, we ran into an enemy we couldn’t possibly fight and had to flee for our lives.’

Chang Le’an seemed to sense Ye Zhaozhao’s doubt and said anxiously, "My luck is incredible; there’s no doubt about it. Perhaps we encountered the Lion Wing Beast so that we could discover the Demon Clan’s plot ahead of time and prepare for it."

Ye Zhaozhao smiled. "Of course I believe you, Third Senior Brother."

Chang Le’an breathed a sigh of relief and said with a look of deep affection, "Don’t worry, Junior Sister. I will never betray your trust in me."

Ye Zhaozhao said gently, "Third Senior Brother, I just had an idea. With your immense luck, isn’t it a waste for us to stick to the outer zone? If we went to the inner zone, or even the core zone, wouldn’t we be able to gather resources much faster?"

The color drained slightly from Chang Le’an’s face. He hesitated. "But..."

Everyone knew the inner and core zones had more resources, and with them, more opportunities.

But... there was also far more danger.

’Setting aside my luck,’ he thought, ’my actual strength gives me no real advantage.’

And that wasn’t even mentioning the Demon Clan’s involvement this time.

He could only imagine that leaving the outer zone meant entering a hunting ground.

Aside from a few supreme prodigies, who could possibly be a match for those demons?

It was strange, though.

Members of the Demon Clan were generally stronger than humans of the same rank.

But their cultivation was much more difficult. The Langya Secret Realm had an age limit of fifty. For a member of the Demon Clan, being fifty was like being a human infant.

That Lion Wing Beast from before, for example, couldn’t possibly have been only fifty years old.

’Could it be?’

’Are the Langya Secret Realm’s age restrictions different for the Human Clan and the Demon Clan?’

Chang Le’an’s mind raced, a thousand thoughts coalescing into a single idea: ’It’s too dangerous out there. I’m scared!’

Seeing his reaction, a flicker of contempt crossed Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes, but her voice remained soft and gentle. "Third Senior Brother, your luck can only truly come into play in places like that, don’t you think? Besides, our mission this time is incredibly demanding. We have to make up for Master’s losses and repay the resources that Eldest Senior Brother used. On top of that, we need to make some gains for ourselves. In the outer zone, all our findings have to be split evenly with the sect. But anything we find in the inner and core zones... that’s all ours."

"With your incredible luck, Third Senior Brother, you made huge gains last time just by staying in the outer zone. This time, if we go to the inner zone, who’s to say you won’t get your hands on some legendary treasures? If that happens, we’ll achieve meteoric success."

Ye Zhaozhao continued her bewitching spiel, lacing her words with abundant praise for Chang Le’an.

Chang Le’an’s resolve wavered as he listened.

He still had unshakable faith in his luck. ’Encountering the Lion Wing Beast must have been a warning. Now that we’ve been warned, our path forward will surely be smooth. There won’t be any more problems.’

’This time...’

’...my haul has to be even bigger than last time if I’m going to get out of this mess for good.’

Looking at Ye Zhaozhao’s worshipful and dependent expression, Chang Le’an nodded emphatically. "Alright, Junior Sister, we’ll do as you say! But from now on, you have to stick close to me. Once we leave the outer zone, the Tokens won’t work anymore."

Ye Zhaozhao agreed with a docile expression.

Then, she glanced at the red dot that represented Li Shuang.

Li Shuang was moving fast; she was already nearing the inner zone.

’I have to catch up to her as soon as possible.’

’Chang Le’an is naturally foolish and easy to control.’ With a few subtle tricks, she had him heading in the direction she wanted to go.

They didn’t encounter any other members of the Demon Clan along the way; the journey was completely smooth.

Chang Le’an’s confidence was fully restored. "See, Junior Sister! My luck is kicking in, isn’t it? We haven’t run into a single demon, have we?"

"Third Senior Brother truly is amazing," Ye Zhaozhao replied with a smile.

Inwardly, however, she found it rather funny.

’On the surface, Chang Le’an chose this path, but I was the one who suggested it.’

’I watched the little red dot representing Li Shuang travel this very path. Even if there were any demons, Li Shuang would have already cleared them out.’

’Since we’re just following her, of course we won’t run into any trouble.’

By now, Ye Zhaozhao was highly skeptical of Chang Le’an’s supposed extraordinary luck, but he himself was growing ever more confident.

He had been a little scared at first.

Now, he was walking tall.

"Junior Sister, you were right! I never should have stayed in the outer zone. I should have charged right into the inner zone last time. You don’t know about that Li Shuang—she’s jealous of anyone talented and capable. Last time, she was probably worried I’d outshine her, so she told me my Cultivation wasn’t high enough and that it was best not to leave the outer zone. You hadn’t joined us yet, so we were all fooled by her. I actually thought she was looking out for me; I even felt a little grateful for her advice. Looking back now, I realize how badly I was tricked," Chang Le’an lamented.

At the mention of badmouthing Li Shuang, Ye Zhaozhao perked up.

She said in her softest voice, "With your luck, Third Senior Brother, is there anywhere in this world you can’t go? Li Shuang held you back. Just imagine, if you had entered the inner zone last time, you might have found some world-shaking treasure. Your Cultivation would have advanced by leaps and bounds long ago!"

Chang Le’an nodded again and again as he listened.

’That’s exactly what I think!’

He, too, felt that his immense luck was completely at odds with his currently mediocre Cultivation.

Now it seemed Li Shuang had completely held him back!

The more Chang Le’an thought about it, the angrier he became.

’Thank goodness Junior Sister helped me see the root of the problem. Otherwise, I’d still be deceived by Li Shuang even now!’

’That woman’s malice truly runs deep.’

’If you don’t look closely, you’d never notice it!’

With his doubts completely erased, Chang Le’an followed Ye Zhaozhao into the inner zone.