Zhang Fan's plan to propose to Qin Luoshui filled her heart with both nervousness and anticipation, but wasn't he feeling the same?
Despite living for over a thousand years in his previous life, enduring countless trials, and achieving a state of unshakeable composure where even facing death was met with equanimity, there was the matter of proposal.
And to his first love, the woman he had cared for for millennia, he felt a tremor of nervousness mixed with overwhelming anticipation.
Therefore, even though his parents told him not to worry about anything, Zhang Fan found it hard to settle his mind.
After much thought, Zhang Fan decided to personally craft a special gift for Qin Luoshui.
After bidding his parents farewell, Zhang Fan descended into the basement alone...
"Master is preparing to propose, and I'm even a year older than Master. Shouldn't I be preparing too?" Lin Haotian murmured to himself, watching Zhang Fan's retreating back.
Hong Binglan, standing beside him, paused slightly upon hearing Lin Haotian's words, then nodded, "You should indeed prepare. My grandfather is already rushing me."
"I thought you'd be shy and blush like Madam when you heard," Lin Haotian said, glancing at Hong Binglan, who showed no reaction and instead agreed, his curiosity piqued.
Hong Binglan shot him a glare and ignored him.
...
After spending a day and a night in the basement, Zhang Fan emerged. No one knew what he had been doing in there.
Due to an agreement with the Dark Emperor, Zhang Fan set off alone the next day for the appointed location to meet the person he had always been curious about.
A hundred miles outside Yan Jing City lay a tranquil valley. It was deep, with cool pools and air so pure that a single breath felt invigorating.
Logically, given its proximity to Yan Jing and its natural advantages, this place should have been a bustling tourist destination.
But it was not.
Ancient paths wound through the quiet valley. Beside a deep pool, an old man in simple hemp clothing was fishing.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, and the old man looked up thoughtfully. A young man in black casual wear descended from the sky, landing lightly beside the old man.
The old man showed no surprise. He turned to carefully examine the newcomer, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
The young man stood by the pool, composed and unconcerned by the old man. He scanned the surroundings of the valley before finally speaking.
"I never expected there to be such a place in the Yan Jing region. It's rare indeed," a smile of admiration touched the young man's lips as he said softly.
"Even if this place is good, how can it compare to Senior Master Zhang's lake island?" the old man chuckled proudly.
"You, are you a cultivator from the Myriad Domain Starry Sky?" Zhang Fan asked directly, his gaze fixed on the old man in hemp.
"And Senior Master Zhang, are you not?" the old man in hemp replied with a light laugh, not denying it.
Zhang Fan remained noncommittal, offering no explanation for the old man's words.
Though he was indeed a native of Earth, who with even a modicum of knowledge would believe him if he said so?
What Earthling could cultivate to the Golden Core stage on this planet?
"You came to Earth, why haven't you left? The spiritual energy on Earth is scarce. With your current cultivation, staying on Earth might mean you can never take that final step in this lifetime," Zhang Fan inquired.
He could tell at a glance that although the old man in hemp had only condensed a third-grade Golden Core, his cultivation had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage. To remain on Earth without a breakthrough would be to await death in vain.
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, the old man in hemp paused slightly, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes. This was the first time in hundreds of years that someone had asked him this question.
"Over two hundred years ago, I was exploring a cosmic secret realm, seeking a final opportunity to break through from Golden Core to Nascent Soul."
"Within the secret realm, I probed continuously, only a step away from my destined encounter, when a suddenly appearing spatial rift sucked me in. When I awoke, I was on Earth."
"Initially, I thought this was a place of fortune, searching everywhere, only to despairingly discover it was a planet in the age of Dharma decline, with incredibly thin spiritual energy. On this planet, even condensing a core was incredibly difficult, let alone a Golden Core, which was almost impossible."
"I did consider leaving, but I eventually gave up. My lifespan was already nearing its end. Drifting through the vast, boundless starry sky, I might have died of old age before even finding a planet with a star system teleportation array."
The old man in hemp held his fishing rod and chuckled self-deprecatingly, his tone relaxed.
Zhang Fan nodded, indicating his understanding.
Although cultivators at the Golden Core stage could survive in space with their physical bodies and drift through it, they generally relied on star system flying ships. The universe was truly vast; the Milky Way alone was over a hundred thousand light-years in diameter. Without a star system flying ship, even a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage might not be able to traverse the Milky Way in their lifetime.
"So, I settled here. Although this planet's spiritual energy is thin, it is incredibly beautiful. These past two hundred years, I have been away from the strife and killings among cultivators, filling my heart with peace. This might be the happiest time of my life."
Having spoken, the old man in hemp turned his gaze to Zhang Fan, teasingly asking, "Senior Master Zhang, a genius of your caliber, why have you descended upon this remote and humble place like Earth?"
"Have you heard of True Immortal Zhiwu?" Zhang Fan asked.
The old man in hemp faltered slightly, then reacted, his fishing rod trembling. Ripples stirred in the deep pool.
"Senior Master Zhang means to say that Earth is the planet where True Immortal Zhiwu's fortune lies?" the old man in hemp asked repeatedly.
As a cultivator from the Wu Shan Star Domain, and a Golden Core stage cultivator at that, how could he not have heard of the legend of True Immortal Zhiwu?
He also knew that True Immortal Zhiwu had left a fortune somewhere in the Milky Way, but he had never imagined that this place of fortune would be on Earth.
After all, there were trillions of planets in the Milky Way. The probability of him being caught in a spatial rift and landing on a place of fortune was almost negligible.
But, some things were just that coincidental.
"Has Senior Master Zhang found the fortune left by True Immortal Zhiwu on Earth?"
The old man in hemp inquired curiously. Regarding that legendary fortune, he hadn't held much hope, for he was well aware of his own strength.
Such a fortune was far beyond the reach of a third-grade Golden Core cultivator.
If it were obtained by a third-grade Golden Core cultivator, it would be a waste of talent and an insult to True Immortal Zhiwu.
True Immortal Zhiwu left that fortune to nurture Golden Core stage cultivators with potential from his homeland. Those who were considered potential needed to have at least condensed a second-grade mid-tier or even a second-grade high-tier Golden Core.
Otherwise, even if a third-grade Golden Core cultivator obtained the True Immortal Zhiwu Yuan Fruit and cultivated to a second-grade Golden Core, what would be the point?
In the Wu Shan Star Domain, second-grade Golden Core cultivators were rare but still present. Only first-grade Golden Core cultivators were like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns in the vast Wu Shan Star Domain.
"No," Zhang Fan shook his head.
"Although I haven't found it, I believe that soon, the place of fortune will naturally appear," Zhang Fan stated.
"Why does Senior Master Zhang say that?" the old man in hemp asked curiously.
"Earth's coordinates have been exposed to the universe by that Arbitrator from the Holy See. In a few years at the shortest, or several decades at the longest, the Golden Core stage cultivators from the Wu Shan Star Domain who are searching for the place of fortune in the Milky Way will certainly discover Earth. I believe they will be the catalyst for unlocking the place of fortune," Zhang Fan said calmly.
...