Zhang Fan's intention to propose to Qin Luoshui filled her heart with both nervousness and anticipation. But wasn't he feeling the same?
Even though Zhang Fan had lived for over a thousand years in his previous life, enduring countless trials, his state of mind had long reached a level where nothing could shake him. Even facing death, he could remain composed.
But, a proposal?
And to his first love, the woman he had cherished for a millennium? A hint of nervousness, coupled with immense anticipation, stirred within him.
Thus, despite his parents telling him not to worry about anything, Zhang Fan found it difficult to calm his mind.
After much thought, Zhang Fan decided to personally craft a special gift for Qin Luoshui.
After informing his parents, Zhang Fan retreated alone into the basement…
"Master is already preparing to propose, and I'm a year older than Master. Shouldn't I also start preparing?" Lin Haotian murmured to himself, watching Zhang Fan's retreating back.
Hong Binglan, standing beside him, paused slightly upon hearing Lin Haotian's words before nodding, "You should indeed prepare. My grandfather is also urging me."
"I thought you would be shy and blush like Madam, Master's wife," Lin Haotian said, glancing at Hong Binglan, who showed no reaction and instead agreed. He spoke with curiosity.
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 designated location to meet the person he had always been curious about.
A hundred miles outside Yanjing City lay a serene valley. The valley was deep, the pool water cool, and the pure air made one feel refreshed with every breath.
Logically, this place, being adjacent to Yanjing, should have been a bustling tourist destination given its natural advantages.
But it wasn't.
Ancient paths wound through the quiet valley. By a deep pool, an elder clad in simple, coarse cloth was fishing.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew, and the elder looked up thoughtfully. He saw a young man in black casual wear descend from the sky, landing lightly beside him.
The elder showed no surprise. He turned to scrutinize the newcomer, his eyes filled with a hint of curiosity.
The young man stood by the pool, at ease, paying no attention to the elder. Instead, he scanned the surroundings of the valley before finally speaking after a long while.
"I didn't expect there to be such a place near Yanjing. Remarkable," a hint of appreciation touched the young man's lips as he spoke softly.
"No matter how good this place is, can it compare to Master Zhang's island in the lake?" the elder chuckled proudly.
"You, are you a cultivator from the Myriad Domain Starry Sky?" Zhang Fan stared at the elder in coarse cloth and asked directly.
"And is Master Zhang not?" the elder in coarse cloth replied with a light laugh, not denying it.
Zhang Fan remained noncommittal to the elder's words, offering no explanation.
While he was indeed a native of Earth, who among those with even a modicum of knowledge would believe him if he said so?
What Earthling could cultivate to the Golden Core realm on Earth?
"You came to Earth, why haven't you left? The spiritual energy on Earth is scarce. At your current realm, staying on Earth, you'll likely never take that final step in this lifetime," Zhang Fan inquired.
He could tell at a glance that although the elder in coarse cloth had only condensed a third-grade Golden Core, his realm had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage. To remain on Earth without breakthrough would be akin to waiting for death.
Upon hearing Zhang Fan's words, the elder in coarse cloth was momentarily stunned, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes. This was the first time in hundreds of years that someone had asked him this question.
"More than two hundred years ago, I was exploring a cosmic secret realm, seeking a final opportunity to break through from Core to Nascent Soul."
"In the secret realm, I searched tirelessly, only one step away from fortune, when I was engulfed by a sudden spatial rift and fell unconscious. When I awoke, I was already on Earth."
"I initially thought this was a land of opportunity and searched everywhere, only to despairingly discover that it was a planet with declining spiritual energy, where condensing a Natal Core was incredibly difficult, let alone a Golden Core."
"I did consider leaving, but I ultimately gave up. My lifespan was already dwindling. Drifting in the vast, boundless starry sky, I might have died of old age before I could even find a planet with a stellar teleportation array."
The elder in coarse cloth held his fishing rod and chuckled self-deprecatingly, speaking casually.
Zhang Fan nodded in understanding.
Although cultivators, once they reached the Golden Core stage, could survive in the star system with their physical bodies and drift through space.
However, they would generally utilize star system ships, as the universe was truly vast. The Milky Way alone had a diameter exceeding a hundred thousand light-years. Without a star system ship, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might not be able to leave the Milky Way in their entire lifetime.
"So, I settled down here. Although the spiritual energy on this planet is thin, it is incredibly beautiful. For the past two hundred years, I have been away from the conflicts and battles among cultivators, filling my heart with peace. This might be the happiest time of my life."
The elder in coarse cloth finished speaking, his gaze shifting to Zhang Fan, and he asked teasingly, "May I ask why a prodigious talent like Master Zhang has descended upon such a remote and humble place as Earth?"
"Have you heard of the True Immortal Zhi Wu?" Zhang Fan asked.
The elder in coarse cloth was briefly taken aback, and then his fishing rod trembled slightly, causing ripples on the surface of the deep pool.
"Does Master Zhang mean that Earth is the planet where the fortune left by True Immortal Zhi Wu is located?" the elder in coarse cloth asked repeatedly.
As a cultivator from the Wu Shan Star Domain, and moreover a Golden Core cultivator, how could he not have heard of the legend of True Immortal Zhi Wu?
Simultaneously, he knew that True Immortal Zhi Wu had left a fortune somewhere in the Milky Way, but he had never imagined that the place of fortune would be Earth.
After all, there were trillions of planets in the Milky Way. The probability of him being swept into a spatial rift and landing in the place of fortune was almost negligible.
However, some things just happen by chance.
"Has Master Zhang found the fortune left by True Immortal Zhi Wu on Earth?"
The elder in coarse cloth asked with curiosity. Regarding that legendary fortune, the elder in coarse cloth didn't hold much hope, as he was well aware of his own strength.
Such a fortune was far beyond what a third-grade Golden Core cultivator could covet.
If it were obtained by a third-grade Golden Core cultivator, it would be a waste of resources and an insult to True Immortal Zhi Wu.
True Immortal Zhi Wu left that fortune to cultivate Golden Core cultivators with potential from his hometown. Those considered potential needed at least a second-grade mid-tier or even a second-grade high-tier Golden Core.
Otherwise, even if a third-grade Golden Core cultivator obtained a True Immortal Zhi Wu Natal Fruit and cultivated to a second-grade Golden Core, what would be the significance?
In the Wu Shan Star Domain, second-grade Golden Core cultivators, though rare, still existed. Only first-grade Golden Core cultivators were like rare phoenix feathers in the vast Wu Shan Star Domain.
"No," Zhang Fan replied, shaking his head.
"Although I haven't found it yet, I believe that the place of fortune will naturally appear soon," Zhang Fan stated.
"On what basis does Master Zhang say this?" the elder in coarse cloth asked curiously.
"The coordinates of Earth have been exposed to the cosmic starry sky by the Arbitrator of the Holy See. Within a few years at the shortest, or decades at the longest, the Golden Core cultivators from the Wu Shan Star Domain who are searching for the place of fortune in the Milky Way will surely discover Earth. I believe they will be the catalyst to unlock the place of fortune," Zhang Fan said calmly.
…