Chen Wentian opened his eyes at the first light of dawn. He brushed the morning dew from his clothes and stood up from the wide tree branch where he had slept all night. With one hand against the massive trunk of an ancient tree, he took in a deep breath of cold air and looked around at his surroundings.

He was in the middle of an endless forest, one of many that populated the various provinces of the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent. This particular forest in the Snake River Province had no name and not much of interest. But it held something useful to him, an unknown entity with a powerful soul that could become his next power-up.

It was early spring and he had just turned twenty-two years old. His attire was clean but plain, consisting of pale green robes of a nondescript design, a simple waist sash, leather boots, and black hair that was cut short and casual. He seemed like an ordinary farmer or a talentless scholar, which conveniently hid a shocking cultivation and unfathomable secrets.

He was just twenty-two years old and yet he was already past the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm. He had already reached the lesser realm of Spiritual Growth!

He was a rare genius, with a level that few cultivators could even dream of. It was a level that even the best geniuses of immortal sects had to struggle and claw towards for years. He was already this strong when others were barely beginning their cultivation journey. It was a testament to his heavenly luck and the sheer power of the secrets he held.

He found the blue dragon soul at age twenty and that soul helped him rapidly advance. He was peerless in the Mind Focusing Realm and crossed the whole realm in half a year. The Flames of the Arcadian Sky was equally peerless in the Spirit Initiate Realm and he reached the peak in another year. Another half-year and countless defeated foes later, he was well on his path toward immortality.

What he needed now was souls, powerful souls to feed the Anatta Soul Nirvana Art. He had heard of one such potential soul in this forest and he was on the hunt.

“Huuuu…”

Chen Wentian followed the sound of snoring and caught sight of his pet, his shadow fox, his only friend. Chen Mo was stretched out on a branch above his head, sleeping without a care. The shadow fox's dark grey fur and its diminutive stature meant that any stray spirit beast or demon passing by would go after Chen Wentian and ignore the almost invisible fox.

He pursed his lips in annoyance and tossed a stick at the beast.

“Ow!” The fox barked and jumped up, “What happened?”

Chen Mo spun around excitedly for a moment before jumping down onto Chen Wentian’s shoulders.

“Wentian! Hurry, I’m starving. Where’s breakfast?”

Chen Wentian flicked the fox’s forehead, “Are you a fox or a pig? You were supposed to be on guard duty, not enjoying whatever dirty dream is occupying your brain these days. No breakfast for you!”

“No! I’m sorry!”

Chen Wentian ignored the fox’s yapping and pulled out several meat pancakes from his spatial bag. With a small burst of blue flames, the pancakes were crisp and steaming.

He took a few bites and made deliberate noises of satisfaction. “Mmmmm, delicious!”

“Wentian! Wentian! Brother Chen! Come on!” Chen Mo clambered all over Chen Wentian but wasn’t able to find a bite.

Chen Wentian finished a whole pancake and was about to start on the second when Chen Mo finally gave in.

"Fine, fine! If I tell you, will you give me a bite?" The fox pleaded, "You were right about that innkeeper the other night. After you rejected her offer, she found other guests and made the exact same offer, even ones that were much older or uglier than you.”

“And then?” Chen Wentian asked, trying but failing to hide his interest.

The shadow fox’s snout twisted into a smirk, “Well, of course, they accepted. All of them. She was busy all night making money off the poor souls."

"And?"

"She visited four rooms in all and had sex with six men in total, one after another.”

“Really…”

“She had a surprising amount of stamina. I tell you, it was shocking. She also made a lot of noise, unlike most other women in that situation. One guy, in particular, made her scream like a slut and they went at it for as long as the other five put together!”

“Shit… really?” Chen Wentian asked incredulously.

“Would I lie to you?” Chen Mo laughed, “Honestly though, I don’t know why you won’t just get it over with. You could have done it with her. You could have done it with plenty of other women. You have the money. Are you that cheap…”

Chen Wentian scowled and stuffed a pancake into the fox’s offending mouth.

“It’s not a matter of money or convenience." He said, maintaining a serious face, "It’s a matter of principle. My woman has to be beautiful, unique, and she can only love me! How can I have my first time with that innkeeper? Did you see her face? She looks like a horse!”

“Sounds to me… like you are a bit shallow…” Chen Mo said with his mouth full, “When it’s dark and you can’t see anything… does it matter?”

“It does!”

"Loser!"

Chen Wentian was indeed still a virgin. He wanted to have sex but it couldn’t be with just anyone. He had standards!

He was also preoccupied with the difficult task of reaching the immortal realms. He had already decided years ago that worldly pleasures could wait for the time when he could lord over all mortal souls.

The human and fox pair argued through breakfast until both stomachs were satisfied.

“You done? Alright, let's go!”

Chen Wentian leaped down, with Chen Mo clinging to his shoulder. They set off at a brisk pace, returning the well-trodden forest path and heading deeper into the mountains. Their target was a famous haven for sword cultivators. It was called Dugu’s Cavern, a proving ground for mortals seeking the Dao of the sword that was purportedly established by the legendary sword god Dugu Qiushen himself.

He wasn’t particularly interested in sword Dao but he was interested in the potential for a powerful soul that resided at the site.

“Keep an eye out. I know this is a place popular with human cultivators but don’t let your guard down. Anything can happen anywhere.”

“I know, I know.” Chen Mo said and slid off of Chen Wentian’s body.

Chen Mo melded into the bountiful shadows of the forest floor and began to scout ahead and all around. Even though the shadow fox was only at the 2nd level of the Spirit Initiate Realm, few things could catch it or even detect it. Such stealth abilities fit perfectly with Chen Wentian’ s cautious style. Even though they only had each other, the pair made for a powerful team. 

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