Cultivation Online novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37 - Quest Complete

"Brother Yuan is truly... unfathomable..." Xiao Hua could barely stand still at this moment, feeling as though her common sense regarding the Cultivation world had been flipped upside-down by Yuan’s profound existence.

"Are you okay, Xiao Hua? Your expressions are more exaggerated than usual." Yuan suddenly said to her, completely unaware of how heaven-defying his own existence is.

"X-Xiao Hua is fine..." she nodded a moment later, and she continued, "But is Brother Yuan really fine? Does your body feel weird? You did just breakthrough three times in the blink of an eye, after all..."

"I feel perfectly fine," he said. "In fact, I feel even better than normal!"

And then he said, "By the way, Xiao Hua, remember that Spirit Crystal you bought from the auction house? Since it’s similar to a monster core, maybe I can eat it too?"

When Xiao Hua heard his words, she immediately shook her head with a horrified expression and spoke in a stern voice, "Absolutely not, Brother Yuan! You cannot eat the Spirit Crystal! It contains spiritual energy that rivals even Spirit Grandmasters! And it’s nothing like a monster core! Brother Yuan will definitely explode into a million pieces after eating it!"

"If you say so..." Yuan said with a slightly disappointed expression, as he was curious about the Spirit Crystal’s taste.

__

A few minutes later, Xiao Hua suddenly said, "Brother Yuan, he’s coming back."

Yuan turned to look at the cave, and the middle-aged man slowly walked out of the cave with an emotionless expression, almost as though he’d lost all of his will to continue living.

When Yuan saw the hopelessness in the middle-aged man’s blank eyes, he also felt a slight pain in his heart, as he understood what the middle-aged man was feeling at this moment very well.

After living for so many years as a cripple who cannot even leave his own bed without another’s assistance, even the world’s toughest man would experience depression, much less someone as young and innocent as Yuan, and it was inevitable that he would have thoughts about ending his own life to make things easier for his little sister.

"That man... he’s lost the will to live," Yuan mumbled in a low voice. "If only there’s something we can do to relieve that sorrow."

Xiao Hua gently shook her head and spoke, "There is nothing we can do for him, Brother Yuan. This is the harsh reality for those without power — the weak will be consumed by the strong. There’s only one way to avoid this kind of situation, and that is to become strong enough to protect the things you love."

"..."

Yuan was speechless, but he was beginning to understand this world better and why people—Cultivators thirst for power. If one was weak, they might experience the same situation as this middle-aged man, losing their loved ones to a stronger existence that’s beyond their own abilities.

And somewhere within Yuan’s heart, the desire for strength—the desire to protect this peaceful life he’s living—began to bud.

"Ah... you’re still here..." The middle-aged man stopped in front of Yuan and Xiao Hua.

"I’m sorry for your loss... If only I came to this place earlier..." Yuan sighed.

The middle-aged man shook his head and spoke in a low voice, "No, this is entirely my fault. If only I didn’t bring her to this dangerous place to pick herbs with me..."

"But for poor people like us, this is the only way for us to continue living."

"Anyway, I would like to apologize for tricking you into the Demonic Spider’s cave." The middle-aged man got on his knees and kowtowed to them with a sincere feeling, not daring to lift his head even many moments later.

"Please, you don’t need to apologize for something you were forced to do. If I were in your shoes, I would’ve done the same thing." Yuan said while pulling the man off the floor.

"Then allow me to thank you for killing the Demonic Spider — for avenging my daughter’s death..."

The middle-aged man reached into his pockets before taking out a beautiful plant with seven colorful leaves that resembled a rainbow.

"That’s the Seven Colored Herb, Brother Yuan!" Xiao Hua immediately recognized this beautiful plant and said in an excited voice while pulling his sleeves.

"Is it valuable?" he asked.