Jiang Lan's gaze was deep as his slender hand rested over his heart, feeling its steady beat.
But this heart was not his.
'In the original storyline, Jiang Ruxian's cultivation level eventually became unparalleled. It wouldn't have been difficult for her to investigate the full story of what happened back then. But she never did. She remained stubbornly convinced that the gentle, kind, and courteous youth from their past had dug out her Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart, and she was dead set on revenge…'
'She wouldn't let him off the hook, even after he was dead.'
'After all these years of watching him degenerate into a hedonistic wreck, did she never have a sliver of doubt? Or was she simply unwilling to accept the truth?'
An unreadable curve, somewhere between a sneer and indifference, touched the corner of Jiang Lan's mouth.
As for whether his predecessor ever figured out the truth or tried to explain things to Jiang Ruxian in the original story…
…to the current Jiang Lan, it was completely unimportant. There was no need.
Once a fissure of doubt appears in a relationship, it is destined to widen until everything shatters completely.
What good would an explanation have done? It was too late. Nothing could be changed.
Besides, his predecessor's heart had died the moment Jiang Ruxian ran him through with that sword.
'Knowing his personality, if he had found out Jiang Ruxian's Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart was inside him, he would never have chosen to live on alone…'
'He was meant to be a heaven-blessed prodigy, dazzling and admired by all. Why did he have to live such a miserable, stifled life? Even in death, he was still misunderstood and despised by the very person he had once admired most…'
'Hah…'
Jiang Lan let out a soft sigh.
As he absorbed these memories, he felt no anger, only a sincere pity for his predecessor. It was such a waste.
Beyond that, there was only a placid calm.
As for hating Jiang Ruxian?
Jiang Lan felt no such emotion. At most, he felt a detached indifference.
The world isn't black and white. Jiang Ruxian's Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart was, in fact, inside his body. It was understandable that she hated him and wanted to kill him.
He, in turn, had almost been killed by her—a trip to the Ghost Gate and back.
His predecessor, however, had a clear conscience from start to finish. He had done everything he possibly could and owed Jiang Ruxian nothing.
Even after she tried to kill him and fled, his predecessor—agonized and confused as he was—never asked his parents to send anyone to hunt her down.
If he could be said to owe her anything, it was that her former Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart was still inside him, beating to this very day.
Jiang Lan was no Saint. He certainly wasn't going to rip the heart out of his chest and give it back to Jiang Ruxian.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't want this so-called Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart anyway.
'This whole misunderstanding truly ended the moment my predecessor's spirit broke. He suffered just as much pain as Jiang Ruxian did. She nearly died, and he nearly died at her hands…'
While Jiang Lan could understand Jiang Ruxian's actions, that didn't mean he approved of them.
He had no reason or right to condone or forgive the harm she had caused his predecessor.
'It's understandable that she wants to kill me. By that same token, it's only right that I want to kill her…'
His thoughts returned to the present.
The next moment, Jiang Lan's consciousness sank into the deep, dark expanse of his Mud Ball Palace.
There, a lush, green vine that seemed to be carved from flawless jade was rooted, shrouded in a mysterious aura.
The vine wasn't thick. Its leaves were a crystalline, translucent green, shimmering like jade with a gentle luster. Wisps of a misty substance coiled around it.
At the end of the vine hung something that looked like a fruit.
It was now the size of an adult's fist and emanated a profound and inscrutable aura.
It was bluish-green all over, and a mysterious, surging Life Force pulsed from within.
'I didn't expect it to mature so quickly. It seems Su Qinghan really did supply a huge amount of destiny while I was unconscious…'
'But this is only the first stage of maturation.'
Jiang Lan gazed at the vine, pleasantly surprised. He had actually sensed the abnormality in his Mud Ball Palace when he first woke up.
But since Su Qinghan hadn't left, he didn't let on or investigate further.
'It just goes to show, Su Qinghan is the female lead for a reason.'
'Our relationship has only gotten a little closer—she hasn't fully committed to me yet—but she's already provided this much destiny.'
Before he lost consciousness, the Destiny Dao Fruit had only been the size of a baby's fist. In just a few days, it had grown a full size larger and could now be considered mature.
The Destiny Dao Fruit has five stages of maturation.
The first stage is blue, the second is green, the third is purple, the fourth is gold, and the fifth is red.
Although it was only at the first stage, that was enough for Jiang Lan. He didn't hesitate, immediately merging his consciousness with the Destiny Dao Fruit.
In an instant, a vast and surging Life Force rushed forth like a mighty river flowing into the ocean.
"Life."
An immense, torrential concept, like a divine decree, flooded Jiang Lan's Mud Ball Palace.
In that instant, Jiang Lan felt as though every cell in his body had been starved for ten thousand years, greedily devouring the boundless, endless Life Force.
The sixty-some trillion cells of the human body seemed to awaken all at once.
Each cell seemed to gain a will of its own, surging as it devoured the essence of life.
That life essence transformed into wisps of vital energy and blood that coursed through his organs. It was an endless, powerful surge, like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea, reaching every corner of his body.
The process felt like the roll of heavenly thunder and the roar of a thousand seas, yet it was utterly silent.
Jiang Lan sat cross-legged on the bed, the white inner robe he wore fluttering gently in a nonexistent wind.
He didn't know how long the process lasted.
When Jiang Lan's consciousness returned, he realized it was already noon.
The aching pain, exhaustion, and frailty that had plagued his body were long gone.
His body was brimming with boundless Life Force, yet his frame remained thin and pale, showing no outward change.
He had never experienced such a strange, saturated feeling of power, not even in his memories.
'The Dao Fruit of Life, evolved from the Destiny Dao Fruit. This so-called "Life" is not merely Life Force, but a form of control over life itself. For me, it's a terrifying Undying Body—and this is only the first stage…'
Jiang Lan marveled quietly.
He had known the Destiny Dao Fruit was extraordinary, but he never expected an effect this bizarre.
He rose and took a Long Sword from a decorated wall nearby.
The blade was bright and incredibly sharp. Without a moment's hesitation, he slashed it across his arm.
A clean, visible wound instantly appeared.
But with a mere flicker of his will, the skin on either side of the wound began to writhe. The blood that had flowed out seemed to reverse course, sucked back in as the gash healed completely in an instant.
Not even a skilled Cultivator could hope to match this astonishing level of Life Force.
Jiang Lan then looked out the window. On a nearby willow tree perched a few pairs of sparrows.
With another flicker of his will, one of the sparrows suddenly went rigid and fell straight from its branch.
As it fell, all of its feathers silently sloughed off, as if ignited by an invisible Netherworld Fire that had emerged from the Void. Soon, only a skeleton remained.
The moment it touched the ground, the skeleton disintegrated into a cloud of fine dust and vanished without a trace.
Jiang Lan could clearly feel a faint wisp of Life Force being added to his own body.
Mixed within that faint wisp of Life Force were bits of the sparrow's memories, experiences, and even its innate talents…