Chapter 136: Grief and Fury

“What!” Duo Rourou, Wen Yong’an, Zhuo Yi, Yu Feng, and others—all Transcendents—stared at Dongbo Xueying in shock. “He dares to be so reckless!”

After all, they were all cultivators who had mastered their own respective profound mysteries—Spatial Mysteries, Life Mysteries, and so on. They were not particularly skilled in Water, Fire, or Wind Mysteries! Thus, although Dongbo Xueying’s spear techniques were fierce and bizarre, they failed to realize… Dongbo Xueying had already integrated the Wind Mystery into the Water and Fire Mysteries. The three had completely fused together, complementing each other as one unified whole!

“Dongbo Xueying, tell me,” Master Sikong Yang spoke up. His expression remained icy cold, and his voice was equally frigid. “How dare you do something like this? Don’t you even know the basics of cultivation?”

“I do know,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

“The path of cultivation is arduous and treacherous. Most Transcendents can only reach the Flying Immortal level. Few manage to ascend to the Saint level. And those who become Half-Gods are even rarer!” Sikong Yang stared at Dongbo Xueying, his voice unwavering. “You possess extraordinary talent and insight. At such a young age, you’ve already combined the Water and Fire Mysteries, and even mastered the second stage of both with such ease! At this rate, you could grasp the True Essence of Water and Fire within a hundred years. Even if your progress slows, you will surely succeed within two hundred. Reaching the Saint level would be as simple as reaching into a pocket.”

“A Saint-level Transcendent enjoys a lifespan of one thousand five hundred years. You will surely grasp the True Essence of Water and Fire within two hundred years! If you continue cultivating diligently, refining the True Essence further, you might even ascend to the Half-God realm within a thousand years.”

“You have a bright future, and our Xia Clan could gain another Half-God!”

“We all have great expectations for you!” The cold gleam in Master Sikong Yang’s eyes flared. “But what have you done?! You’re destroying your own future!”

“Don’t you understand? One wrong step on the path of cultivation, a single misstep, and it’s nearly impossible to turn back?” Sikong Yang roared, his heart filled with fury, disbelief, and sorrow.

The other Transcendents watched silently from the sidelines.

They all thought Dongbo Xueying was simply mad.

“The Water and Fire Mysteries, if cultivated continuously, will lead directly to the ‘True Essence of Water and Fire,'” Sikong Yang raged. “But now you’ve integrated the Wind Mystery into them! Water, Fire, and Wind? What kind of path is that? Do you have any confidence that this path won’t lead to a dead end? Although you’re young, what if you realize later that your path has gone astray? Do you think you can then return to studying the Water and Fire Mysteries again?”

“A blank sheet of paper is the best for painting.”

“But a canvas already filled with colors is hard to modify.”

“It’s the same principle—”

“Dongbo Xueying, your cultivation of the Water and Fire Mysteries was originally going well.”

“Now you’ve integrated the Wind Mystery into them! Completely fused, as one!”

“Even if Dongbo Xueying decides to abandon the Wind Mystery in the future, he cannot forget it! His understanding of the natural world has reached a new level. It’s hard to retreat to his former state. One’s comprehension of the heavens and earth isn’t something that can simply be erased!”

“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying spoke. “But during my cultivation, I discovered that the Water and Fire Mysteries are not perfect!”

“So you turned to the Wind Mystery and integrated it into your path?” Sikong Yang countered. “What were you thinking?”

He truly couldn’t understand.

How could such a prodigy commit such a fatal mistake?

The cultivation basics were clearly outlined in books given by the Xihuo Palace to every Transcendent. All Transcendents knew them.

“Don’t you realize how difficult the path of cultivation already is? The natural world is profound and unfathomable! Choose a direction and advance steadily along it—that’s how you maximize your chances of success!” Sikong Yang couldn’t comprehend. “But you? Your path through the Water and Fire Mysteries was clear and promising. Why did you turn to the Wind Mystery and integrate it? Water, Fire, and Wind? Throughout the entire history of the Xia Clan, no one has ever achieved greatness by cultivating these three Mysteries together!”

History serves as a mirror.

By choosing a direction already proven successful by powerful predecessors in Xia Clan history and advancing steadily along it, one’s chances of ultimate success are much greater.

If one simply buries their head in training, dabbling in this and that without focus, one might occasionally find a rare genius among a thousand Transcendents—but nine hundred and ninety-nine would likely fail.

“Tell me, what direction is your cultivation taking?” Sikong Yang fixed Dongbo Xueying with a piercing gaze. “Among our Xia Clan’s many ancestors who have achieved greatness, which True Essence have you chosen as your goal?”

“The Hell Knight Xie Li!” Dongbo Xueying suddenly declared. “Emperor Tianfeng Yuanshan! Emperor Zi Lei Yao Qingtian!”

He named three individuals.

Each was a legendary figure in history.

Two had ascended to godhood, and one was nearly the strongest Half-God in Xia Clan history.

“What nonsense are you spouting!” Sikong Yang angrily snapped. “The Hell Knight Xie Li mastered the Hellfire Essence, a destructive flame Essence! Emperor Tianfeng Yuanshan mastered the Tianfeng Essence, a Wind and Space combined Essence. Emperor Zi Lei mastered the ‘Zi Lei Essence,’ a combination of Thunder and Life Essence. All three possessed Third-Rank Essences, and none are anything like you!”

Destructive Flame, Wind and Space, Thunder and Life…

But Dongbo Xueying had Water, Fire, and Wind!

They were completely different.

“Senior Hell Knight Xie Li,” Dongbo Xueying said. “He vowed to burn and destroy all evil in the world. He pursued ultimate destruction… and ultimately grasped the Hellfire Essence, the ‘Hell Essence.'” Dongbo Xueying continued, “Emperor Tianfeng roamed freely and joyfully across the world. He disliked conflict and loved wandering freely, embodying the freedom of the wind and the omnipresence of space… thus grasping the Tianfeng Essence. Emperor Zi Lei healed the sick and saved lives. Originally a physician, even after awakening his ancient Thunder Bloodline, he still used thunder to heal people’s bodies… and mastered the mysterious Zi Lei Essence.”

Sikong Yang looked at him, already knowing all this.

The records of those who ascended to godhood in Xia Clan history were widely read by most Transcendents. Xie Li had participated in the most life-or-death battles among Transcendents and was said to be nearly the strongest Half-God. His records were read by many.

“What are you trying to say?” Sikong Yang stared at him.

“They never deliberately pursued any particular Essence!” Dongbo Xueying declared. “Senior Xie Li never knew of the Hellfire Essence! Emperor Tianfeng was free and easy, never deliberately cultivating. Emperor Zi Lei was devoted to saving lives. Before him, no one had ever combined destructive thunder with life. The Zi Lei Essence was his own creation.”

“These three never deliberately pursued any particular Essence.”

“And neither do I!”

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed with brilliance. “Since childhood, I have pursued the ultimate in spear techniques! I felt my spear techniques were too rigid and prone to breaking, so I grasped the Water Mystery. Combining Water and Fire Mysteries! I felt my spear techniques lacked agility, variation, and depth, so I grasped the Wind Mystery and integrated it.”

“I never deliberately pursued the Water and Fire Essence! I pursued… the ultimate in spear techniques!”

“As for the Essence?”

“Whatever Essence I can grasp in the future, that will be my Essence!”

“The path of Transcendence is a difficult one. It is precisely because of my passionate love for it that I can fearlessly forge ahead!” Dongbo Xueying declared. “If I were to set the Water and Fire Essence as my goal, pursuing power for power’s sake, cultivating for the sake of cultivation? I would find such a life unbearable!”

Dongbo Xueying voiced his thoughts.

“Foolish!”

“Reckless!”

“Arrogant!”

Master Sikong Yang was truly enraged. The pressure radiating from his fury enveloped everyone present. “Do you think you’re extraordinary? Just because of your inner passion, you recklessly cultivate without restraint? Yes, Emperor Tianfeng cultivated freely and became a god. Emperor Zi Lei focused on saving lives and also became a god! But how many like them are there? You only see their success, but you ignore the countless failures! The majority of powerful cultivators who became Half-Gods or Gods followed a clear direction, advancing steadily along it. That’s how they achieved success with half the effort!”

“Now that you’ve integrated the Wind Mystery into the Water and Fire Mysteries, you’ve destroyed your own path!” Sikong Yang lamented bitterly.

Among the nine.

He favored Dongbo Xueying the most, because Dongbo Xueying had a great chance of becoming a Half-God! A Half-God with a Fourth-Rank Essence was still very powerful, and he had even hoped Dongbo Xueying might inherit his position as the Master of the Shuiyuan Sect in the future.

But now, that clear and promising path of the Water and Fire Essence had already been destroyed by Dongbo Xueying himself.

How could he not feel sorrow and anger?

He was even more furious than Gong Yu!

“Chao Qing, our senior brother, strongly recommended you, making you a candidate elder and bringing you to this Chiyun Mountain world!” Master Sikong Yang raged in sorrow. “But you’ve betrayed Chao Qing’s expectations! If I had known you would be so foolish and arrogant, I never should have allowed you into Chiyun Mountain!”