We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Xu Zhou placed his right hand on the hilt of the short sword, his mind constantly on edge, ready to summon the iron golem at any moment.

However, Chi Feng seemed to really just want to chat, walking ahead casually and revealing his back to the world without any precautions.

To be honest, Xu Zhou hesitated.

Given the current distance, wouldn't it be enough for the iron golem to just punch him and end the battle on the spot?

"No, with that old fox's cunning, there's no way he would let his guard down so easily. Nine times out of ten, he deliberately created this opening."

Since we're already here, we might as well make the best of it and just play along for a while!

"So you think you've completely understood this world?" Xu Zhou asked sarcastically, "as a mere priest?"

Chi Feng put his hands in his pockets and didn't turn his head.

"Of course, otherwise, how do you think I, with my humble origins, managed to climb the ranks within the Zoroastrian Church for over a decade and achieve the extraordinary level of the Third Awakening?"

"The Three Awakenings?"

Xu Zhou didn't pretend to know what he didn't. He asked questions directly when he encountered unfamiliar terms. Besides, the other party already knew his background, so putting on airs was pointless in this situation.

Chi Feng naturally had no motivation to fabricate such common information.

"It's obvious that your young companion isn't a very competent teacher."

Chi Feng chuckled, but didn't try to hide it.

"After an ordinary person transcends the mundane and becomes extraordinary, they can continue to awaken through certain methods. Each awakening will accumulate a supernatural power. Under normal circumstances, the number of awakenings means the number of supernatural powers one possesses."

"So you now have three supernatural powers? Didn't you dismantle the Blood Burning Secret Technique? What level of awakening were you before that?" Xu Zhou raised an eyebrow.

Just then, the two of them arrived at a staircase. Chi Feng did not go downstairs, but stepped up the stairs. He then turned around and extended his arm to Xu Zhou in a gesture of "please".

Xu Zhou rolled his eyes, but didn't move an inch.

Seeing this, Chi Feng smiled and scratched his head, ceasing his tricks and continuing to lead the way.

He did not answer the question directly.

"This is what I told you before: ordinary people have no power, no background, and no talent. How can they possibly ascend to the extraordinary? By dreaming? Don't make your Uncle Priest laugh. Without a strong enough backer, it's not easy to regain lost supernatural powers, let alone take another step forward."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Zhou was slightly startled.

"Does Zoroastrianism possess a method for transcending mortality that can provide a pathway?"

"Of course." Chi Feng nodded, turning back with a meaningful smile. "And it's free."

free?!

Xu Zhou finally understood. No wonder the Zoroastrian Church was able to build outposts in the so-called desolate outer ring; it turned out they relied on this free method.

"But what's free is often the most expensive," Xu Zhou scoffed.

Before his transmigration, he played a lot of mobile games and was very familiar with this kind of gameplay.

Chi Feng glanced at him with some surprise.

"I thought you'd be excited and ask me what method it was. You're definitely different from those idiots who're obsessed with ascension."

Xu Zhou did not respond.

The two had already reached the third floor, but Chi Feng did not stop and went straight to the fourth floor.

"I want to climb the path so badly, I really want to." Chi Feng's voice was deep. "Ever since I was a child, after witnessing the saint split the heavens with a single sword, I've thought about it my whole life, and I still think about it today."

"But you lacked a path to awakening, so you turned to Zoroastrianism?"

"Yes, I used to be a proud member of the Alliance. I admit that it was a paradise for mortals, but the Alliance did not provide a way to transcend mortals, so I had no choice."

Chi Feng took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed it to Xu Zhou, and gestured with his chin.

Xu Zhou sternly stopped him: "Smoking is prohibited in public places. Please be civilized."

Chi Feng paused for a moment, then smiled and put the cigarette away.

"As you said, what's free is the most expensive. Using the Zoroastrianism's Transformation Method means being forever branded with the Zoroastrianism and having no choice but to go down this dark path."

"What's the problem? Isn't it a case of one party willing to hit and the other willing to be hit?" Xu Zhou asked, puzzled.

"It's normal that you don't understand now. I just want to tell you that all the methods of transcending the mortal realm in this world are traps! We are nothing more than prey raised by the powerful, and sooner or later we will become their path to enlightenment and nourishment!"

Chi Feng almost gritted his teeth as he uttered the last few words. He stepped heavily onto the last step, his voice filled with suppressed resentment and anger.

"Human medicine..."

These words once again refreshed Xu Zhou's understanding of the world.

He originally thought that the so-called path was to climb one step at a time, relying on hard work, perseverance, and a little bit of luck, and eventually transcend the ordinary and attain sainthood, proving the Dao in the heavens.

Unexpectedly, what awaited them at the end of the journey was not the main road, but a seasoned veteran, with food laid out and waiting for the feast to begin.

Xu Zhou walked up the steps and stood two meters away from Chi Feng.

"Is this the case for all methods? That can't be!"

"Just remember, the easy path is never a good one, and the difficult path is never your problem."

"What kind of philosophy of life is this, a middle-aged priest?"

"Haha, there's one more thing." Chi Feng held up two fingers, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket; you have to bet on both ends to go further."

Xu Zhou largely agreed with this statement, but of course, it also depends on the actual situation; sometimes, belief is far more important than choice.

Chi Feng had already taken more than ten steps, and Xu Zhou temporarily suppressed his thoughts and quickly followed.

The fourth floor of the mansion was mostly storage rooms and servants' rooms. Chi Feng found one of them with a clear purpose and calmly pushed the door open and entered.

Xu Zhou hesitated for a moment, stood by the door and braced his shoulder against the door panel, and did not go in.

"So that senior you met in the infinite world is your new backer? Your second gamble?"

Chifeng answered while rummaging through the clutter.

"That's right. In fact, I should thank you. If you hadn't taken the fragment of the Silent Death, I wouldn't have been able to achieve my goal so quickly."

"What's the purpose?"

"Ah, found it, this is it."

Chi Feng rummaged through the box and pulled out a roll of kraft paper. He unfolded it, examined it for a moment, then rolled it up again and casually tossed it to Xu Zhou.

Xu Zhou didn't reach out to catch it. He dodged and watched the parchment fall to the ground. After confirming that there was no abnormal reaction, he used his True Words Hair to pick it up.

The paper is yellowed and brittle, but the lines of the pattern are clear. The edges are curled and frayed, and a piece of it will be worn away with the slightest touch.

Upon unfolding it, it turned out to be a structural floor plan of the entire mansion.

Chi Feng scratched his head, somewhat speechless, his eyes filled with an indescribable mix of admiration and helplessness.

"Your caution is just as good as mine."

"Not even a fraction as good as you."

Xu Zhou gave a perfunctory reply, silently memorizing the structure on the blueprint, and then tossed the parchment aside.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"Oh, yes, that's my purpose."

As he spoke, Chi Feng took off his glasses and then began to unbutton his shirt, revealing his muscular body underneath.

Xu Zhou was taken aback and instinctively took a half step back.

"Hey Chao, what are you doing?!"

Chi Feng paused, looking at him with a strange expression.

"Didn't you ask? Isn't this what I'm showing you?"

"I have no interest in your shady dealings with other people!" Xu Zhou said righteously.

Chi Feng laughed in exasperation, pointed to his eyes, and then poked his skin.

"Damn it, open your eyes wide and look closely. Can't you see any difference between me and a few days ago?"