Chapter 170: Why Wasn’t Your Existence Recorded in History

“Do I look like someone who lacks brains to you?”

Lin Feng handed a chicken leg to Chen Xiyi, his tone tinged with frustration.

“You don’t seem to lack brains right now, but who’s to say about the future?” Chen Xiyi took the chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing noisily.

“So, you mean after I went through all that trouble to become what’s called ‘The Immortal’ and established that so-called Sequence, I went so far as to send people back from the future to mess with my present self? Does that sound reasonable to you?” Lin Feng was completely skeptical.

“Not entirely reasonable, but not impossible either. Look at the Wandering Light Sword and the Ascension Ritual—poof!—and you’re an Immortal, right?”

Chen Xiyi casually took out the Ascension Ritual he had just written from memory and placed it on Lin Feng’s Wandering Light Sword.

“You can practice it whenever you get a chance. Then history wouldn’t go off track,” Chen Xiyi said indifferently.

“What about you? Where were you in history? If I am the First Sequence who suppressed the mortal world for thirty thousand years, the Immortal Wandering Light, then which Sequence’s Immortal would you be?” Lin Feng didn’t look at the Ascension Ritual but stared straight at Chen Xiyi.

If he could become the Immortal Wandering Light, what about Chen Xiyi?

“Oh, maybe I’m the mastermind behind everything,” Chen Xiyi thought for a moment and replied.

“Didn’t you manage to ask about the other Sequences?” Lin Feng felt a bit helpless. It was clear from Chen Xiyi’s answer that he wasn’t among the Twelve Temporal Cycles.

“I asked, but it seems the future version of you—who lacks brains—must have erased them. So they don’t know what the remaining eleven Temporal Cycles are, but it’s likely I’m not one of them.”

Chen Xiyi spoke honestly. He knew there couldn’t possibly be a version of himself in that world because he couldn’t stay there for long.

Even ten years would be insignificant compared to thirty thousand years.

“Damn, so the future me really does lack brains.” Lin Feng thought it over and realized it might actually be possible.

“But do you really believe what they said is true—that I made the concept of the sword my identity and embedded it into history, making sword techniques the mainstream throughout history?”

Chen Xiyi rolled his eyes. “How would I know? I’m just a scholar who can’t even fight. If you want to find out, try it yourself after you master this Ascension Ritual. I’m not you.”

Lin Feng’s Ascension Ritual at least had traces to follow; where could Chen Xiyi even find his own?

Chen Xiyi knew that Lin Feng’s concept was definitely the sword, but he didn’t know what the other two elements were.

And a crucial factor in forming the concept of the sword must be closely tied to his Wandering Light Sword. Otherwise, those three outsiders wouldn’t have identified Lin Feng as Wandering Light.

“Have you ever thought that maybe it wasn’t me who underwent the Ascension Ritual to become an Immortal, but the Wandering Light Sword itself?” Lin Feng suddenly blurted out.

Chen Xiyi’s chewing paused. “That’s possible. Maybe we should break this traitorous sword.”

“Damn, I was just saying.” Lin Feng couldn’t help but complain.

“I was just suggesting. What if breaking the Wandering Light Sword didn’t stop you from becoming Wandering Light but instead, I ended up preventing it? Would the future you come back and stab me with a sword?” Chen Xiyi also thought it wasn’t very feasible.

“The future me probably wouldn’t do that.”

“I think he would. He’s so lacking in brains that he sent people to mess with the current you. Do you think he’d hesitate?”

Lin Feng found Chen Xiyi’s words hard to refute. He couldn’t help but reflect on whether he really was brainless.

“Where do you plan to go next? Will you test your sword skills or stay and study the Ascension Ritual? I’m not leaving. I plan to stay and study those three outsiders,” Chen Xiyi said.

“Aren’t you going to study the Ascension Ritual?” Lin Feng was puzzled. He hadn’t expected Chen Xiyi to say that.

“I’ll think about it later. You can study it first. I’m more curious about those three outsiders. One is above Xiantian, and the other two are Xiantian. They can help me understand martial artists better.”

Mostly, Chen Xiyi’s martial arts dreams had been shattered, so he had to take matters into his own hands.

“Also, I suspect the Ascension Rituals for the other eleven Temporal Immortals were probably left behind by you, not like this one that came from who knows where. I don’t know why you’d create eleven more Immortals, but I’m sure you had your reasons.”

“So my advice is that you should stop testing your sword and focus on this Ascension Ritual. This so-called ritual isn’t just a ritual—it’s also a Sword Art. Likely because of your own influence, the concept of the sword has already merged into the Ascension Ritual. It might suit you better.”

Chen Xiyi kindly explained.

After a long silence, Lin Feng said, “But that’s the future me, not the current me, right?”

“Right. You make your own decision,” Chen Xiyi said without pushing. It was Lin Feng’s problem, not his.

The Ascension Ritual was useful to Chen Xiyi, but not right now. He didn’t know much about martial arts, so he had to wait until he finished studying martial artists.

“By the way, have you ever wondered where this Ascension Ritual came from? I don’t think it’s just a martial art technique,” Lin Feng said.

“Don’t know, haven’t thought about it. But I’m sure it’s real. I’ve done some simple calculations.”

Of course it was real—it could become a Module. If it were fake, it wouldn’t explain the three outsiders from the future, nor would the Home Game recognize it as a Module.

If anything could become a Module, Chen Xiyi would just create an overpowered one himself and ascend instantly.

“Aren’t you concerned about its origin?” Lin Feng asked again.

“How can I be? It was originally a bone fragment, and it disappeared as soon as I got it. Where would I even look?”

“Besides, that bone fragment looked ancient. Searching for its origin isn’t as useful as considering whether it might have been created out of thin air by the future you. Remember, this isn’t the original—it’s mixed with the concept of the sword.”

Chen Xiyi saw no point in worrying about its origin. Knowing it wouldn’t change anything.

“From what those three outsiders said, this isn’t the first time people have been sent to different points in history. Countless previous outsiders have already become fixed parts of history. Every time the future you triggers the Twelve Temporal Cycles disaster, you grow stronger. Eventually, this Ascension Ritual, which was originally your source, will completely transform into a Sword Art.”

“History is changing; it’s just that those outsiders haven’t noticed. They only see the fixed history because their minds accept the fixed version, not the altered one.”

“As history continuously shifts and solidifies, the concept of the sword becomes the mainstream in history—even your Ascension Ritual is affected.”

“When your source, this Ascension Ritual, completely becomes a Sword Art, it’s likely the Twelve Temporal Immortals won’t appear at all. The future you will have erased them at the root, and you’ll successfully fix the flaws left by the original Ascension Ritual, becoming the sole Immortal spanning all of history.”

As an outsider, and under pressure, Chen Xiyi’s intelligence kicked in, allowing him to analyze more deeply.

He had seen the Ascension Ritual mixed with the sword concept. Even if he hadn’t fully learned it, his sharp Primordial Spirit gave him the computational and logical abilities to deduce this.

The path of a Qi Refiner wasn’t just about pursuing combat strength—it was a system that derived power from knowledge and practice.

“So, I need to be independent, not follow the future me?” Lin Feng sounded confused.

“No, you need to overwrite the future you, solving the problem at its root.”

“There are two ways. First, abandon anything related to the sword, remove all Sword Art elements from the Ascension Ritual, and forge a new path. But there’s a high chance you’ll end up in the same situation as the future you.”

“Second, take the extreme approach—evolve the Ascension Ritual into a Sword Art, completing the final transformation. Let you ascend instantly as the sole Immortal, overwriting him. Walk the future you’s path so he has nowhere to go.”

Besides these two methods, Chen Xiyi actually had a third: kill Lin Feng, and everything would end.

But he wouldn’t do that. Lin Feng was his 4.5-star friend. How could he just kill him? He’d rather face the future First Sequence Wandering Light than do that.

“If you take the first path, I can help you as much as possible. But the second path relies on you alone. I’m not into swords, so I can only offer limited help.”

If Lin Feng chose the first path, it would align better with Chen Xiyi’s research on the Ascension Ritual. He wouldn’t push the ritual toward a Sword Art but remove sword-related elements to study the original Ascension Ritual.

In his eyes, the original Ascension Ritual was far better than any Sword Art derived from the concept of the sword.

“I understand. I’ll think it over carefully,” Lin Feng said, not committing immediately. The shock of today had shattered his previous beliefs.

“Wait, then what about my Peach Blossom Destiny? Could it be related to the future me?”

Lin Feng suddenly realized something so bizarre it was hard to believe.

Chen Xiyi was also reminded by Lin Feng’s words. “Good point, Watson. You found the blind spot.”

It seemed that besides the concept of the sword, one of the other two elements for the future Wandering Light was likely related to Peach Blossom Luck.

“Damn, so I really am brainless.” Lin Feng couldn’t help but curse.

Practicing swordsmanship was one thing, but adding a Peach Blossom Destiny to the mix?

“So the future you might not only be incredibly strong but also surrounded by beauties… Wait, given your Peach Blossom Destiny, could the other eleven Temporal Immortals be your wives?”

“And the reason you erased the outsiders’ memories was to prevent anyone from targeting your eleven wives, right? Wow, I thought I’d seen it all, but you really know how to play.”

Chen Xiyi couldn’t resist teasing.

“Oh… that might actually be possible. So if I succeed, would I end up ruining my eleven wives?” Lin Feng thought about it and felt… it might not be such a loss.

“As the saying goes, ‘With no women in your heart, your sword strikes with divine might,'” Chen Xiyi quoted without missing a beat.

“Right! Women would only slow down my sword. So I’ve decided to perfect the Sword Art. Besides, this is just the path the future me set for the current me. I won’t walk that old road again.”

“Wait, something’s not right. History doesn’t have your existence!!!”

Lin Feng suddenly realized: if Chen Xiyi existed in other histories, how could he have failed? That meant in all the previous histories, Chen Xiyi was never there. That’s why he became the First Temporal Immortal, and why the three outsiders didn’t recognize Chen Xiyi.

If Chen Xiyi had been present, he wouldn’t have been the First Temporal Immortal—Chen Xiyi would have been. After all, he had already seen Chen Xiyi’s brilliance.