Another year passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Dongbo Xueying was still reading through ancient scrolls, and the more he read, the more he enjoyed it.
Each half-god was a legend in their own right, and their experiences were often filled with profound and wondrous tales. These stories greatly expanded Dongbo Xueying’s knowledge, and deepened his understanding of deities and the Dark Abyss.
“…On that day, Palace Master Hewen was pondering over magical formations in his garden when suddenly a divine world projection descended. This deity was none other than Emperor Yunhai, an ancient ancestor of the Xia Clan and also a revered elder of the Sea God Palace.” Dongbo Xueying was reading the chronicle of a half-god, and also a former Palace Master of the Sea God Palace—Palace Master Hewen.
“Palace Master Hewen was overjoyed and immediately greeted the projection with utmost respect! For Emperor Yunhai to project his form into the mortal world, he must have attained an even greater level of cultivation than when he first became a god.”
“Emperor Yunhai bestowed three supreme secret techniques, and Palace Master Hewen immediately requested guidance from the Emperor.”
“Emperor Yunhai said… If you wish to become a god, I cannot offer you guidance. In the past, I believed I had sufficient cultivation experience and my power grew rapidly. I once guided a close friend who had just ascended to godhood, but tragically, my friend fell into a spiritual disaster, his divine essence shattered, and he died instantly. I was heartbroken and filled with regret. From that moment on, I realized that cultivation is a deeply personal journey. In the early stages, perhaps some guidance is acceptable, but as one advances, it becomes increasingly dangerous to offer unsolicited advice. Every powerful transcendent, and every deity, has walked their own unique path. To force guidance upon another will only lead the cultivator into confusion and uncertainty.”
“If you insist on seeking my advice, then I can only say… ask your own heart! The stronger your conviction and the more steadfast your perseverance, the clearer your path shall be. Perhaps the destination of this path may not be the greatest, but if you do ascend to godhood by walking your own resolute path, at least you will not fall into madness or suffer the collapse of your divine essence.”
“As for detailed instruction in cultivation, I dare not speak further. To do so might only hinder your progress.”
When Dongbo Xueying read these words, he was deeply shaken.
He had found it!
The very content he had been desperately seeking—he had finally found it!
“Emperor Yunhai was a divine ancestor who had already ascended. And the fact that he could project his divine form into the world meant he was clearly a powerful god! His words must carry great truth.” Dongbo Xueying was overwhelmed with excitement.
Over the past year,
Dongbo Xueying had read countless scrolls, and from them, he could sense the debates among the Xia Clan’s ancestors regarding the direction of cultivation.
A few ancestors believed—that cultivation should follow one’s heart! Even hardships should be experienced personally. Many of history’s most extraordinary half-gods, and even those who ascended to godhood, had walked this very path.
Yet the majority of ancestors believed otherwise—that cultivation must follow a defined direction, progressing step by step along that path, with each insight strengthening one’s power. This method was considered more efficient. Most half-gods followed this approach, and many deities did as well.
The latter method was more efficient.
It allowed the Xia Clan to produce more half-gods, and thus, the clan elders publicly encouraged all transcendent beings to follow this path.
However—
The truly extraordinary ones were often those who followed their hearts. Like ‘Chi Qiu Bai’.
Chi Qiu Bai first cultivated the ordinary mysteries of the wind, but then astonishingly mastered the ‘Spatial Severing Will’, and had the potential to challenge the strongest cultivator in the world. Therefore, those who followed their hearts had indeed given rise to many extraordinary figures throughout history, such as the legendary ‘Infernal Knight’ Jie Li, who was nearly the strongest half-god in history, and who had walked his path entirely by his own will.
Such half-gods could rival entire armies of their peers!
…
“Emperor Yunhai is right—cultivation is indeed a deeply personal journey.”
“It should never be forcibly guided.”
Dongbo Xueying’s heart steeled with conviction.
Even someone of Emperor Yunhai’s immense power hesitated to offer guidance to a half-god, fearing that it might mislead them. Yet Sikong Yang, though powerful, was still far inferior to Emperor Yunhai, who could project his divine form into the mortal world.
If Emperor Yunhai stood before him, he would surely encourage Dongbo Xueying to follow his own heart.
…
In the Chiyun Mountain World,
A major event had recently occurred. The eldest among them, Situ Hong, had finally broken through to the third stage of the Ten Thousand Things Realm! He immediately rose to the second position in the rankings, and in terms of potential, he was even more promising than the current top-ranked cultivator, Yourou.
Reaching the third stage of the Ten Thousand Things Realm meant that one was only a single step away from mastering a Will.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
In the distance, two figures flew side by side.
One was a man, tall and handsome, the other a woman, radiating endless allure. They flew together in unison.
On a distant mountaintop,
Dongbo Xueying, Yu Feng, Puyang Bo, and Zhang Peng were gathered together, feasting and drinking.
“Look at how smug Situ Hong looks—I really can’t stand him,” Puyang Bo sneered.
“Strength and character don’t always go hand in hand,” Yu Feng chuckled.
Sighing, Zhang Peng said, “I just don’t understand how Sister Zhuoyi ended up choosing him.”
“Brother Zhang, are you still pining for Senior Sister Zhuoyi?” Dongbo Xueying teased with a grin.
The four of them were very close.
In truth, Puyang Bo and Yu Feng had long been at odds with Situ Hong. Situ Hong held great disdain for those weaker than himself, and had always looked down on Puyang Bo. Since Dongbo Xueying had destroyed his own path of Water-Fire Will, Situ Hong had openly turned against him.
“Yeah, it’s a shame Senior Sister Zhuoyi didn’t choose me,” Zhang Peng said helplessly.
“Who told you to be so weak? If you could advance to the third stage of the Spatial Mysteries, Senior Sister Zhuoyi might look at you differently,” Yu Feng laughed.
“What’s so great about that woman anyway? I don’t even care for her,” Puyang Bo scoffed.
“I do care, but she ended up with Situ Hong,” Zhang Peng shook his head.
“Don’t worry,” Dongbo Xueying said. “Senior Sister Zhuoyi has very high standards. Right now, she’s just close to Situ Hong. I bet you—if Situ Hong really wants to win her over, he’ll have to master a Will first.”
When Dongbo Xueying was first declared to have destroyed his future, Senior Sister Zhuoyi immediately distanced herself from him without hesitation. A woman like that wouldn’t be easily won over.
In the distance, Situ Hong and Zhuoyi were laughing and chatting as they flew together. Situ Hong even turned his head toward Dongbo Xueying and sneered arrogantly.
“Fool,” Dongbo Xueying muttered, not even bothering to look.
He had never held any affection for Zhuoyi, so naturally, he didn’t care that she was now close to Situ Hong.
…
Cultivation life was peaceful. It had already been six years since Dongbo Xueying was demoted to the ninth rank. His strength had grown steadily, yet his ranking remained unchanged.
In this year, the Anyang Province astonishingly produced two new transcendent beings.
One was the extremely young Yuan Qing, only thirty years old.
The other was Yu Jingqiu!
What amazed the entire Xia Clan was that a single province had produced two transcendent beings in the same year—it was truly rare.
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