Wang Ping agreed with the principle of equal exchange, especially when he was weaker. But making a deal with the powerful was like walking a plank over a cliff’s edge—the plank could be pulled away at any mont.
Yu Cheng Taoist’s words also had a point. For those in power, the optimal thod was to leverage their authority—a show of righteous dominance—rather than break the rules. For them, the cost of breaking the rules was far greater than the cost of upholding them.
"I know a few things about the Third Realm..."
Yu Cheng Taoist trailed off before his tone shifted. "When you fused with the Locust Tree Divine Soul, did you receive any special mories?"
"I did!"
"This is normal. A small number of people receive special, chaotic mories. They have a much higher chance of reaching a higher realm, as it signifies a deeper bond between you and the Locust Tree Divine Soul."
Yu Cheng Taoist said slowly, "My eldest senior brother once told that to advance to the Third Realm, the first step is to completely fuse with the Locust Tree’s Divine Soul. But to do so, you must withstand the ancient mories it has inherited over countless ages. There are two ways to suppress these mories..."
"The first thod is the simplest: temporarily seal these mories, or sever them completely. Doing this, you could complete the fusion in just a few months. However, I don’t recomnd it. These mories might be incredibly important—they could even be the key to advancing to the next Great Realm."
"The second thod seems simple but is actually more troubleso: taking an elixir to calm the soul. Since you’ve already reached the Second Realm, a dicine potent enough to soothe a Second Realm soul does exist. It’s called Holy Heart Grass, and it grows in Yu Lian’s holand... the Sacred Heart Swamp, west of Hu Mountain Country."
"My holand? What’s my holand like?" Yu Lian, who had been listening quietly, suddenly grew interested.
"A swampy jungle, a place Hu Mountain Country uses to exile criminals. I was able to take you from your parents because our founding master and your ancestor once made an agreent. Your mother used to serve at my master’s side, until my master..."
Yu Cheng Taoist couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. His emotions flared whenever he recalled these events.
Sensing Yu Cheng Taoist’s emotional turmoil, Yu Lian didn’t ask any more about her parents.
After a brief silence, Yu Cheng Taoist continued, "Holy Heart Grass is useful to many Second Realm Cultivators. Its soul-calming effects can even allow cultivators who have gone berserk to temporarily regain their sanity. Because of this, fights inevitably break out every ti it matures, and it’s almost never sold on the open market."
At this, Yu Cheng Taoist glanced first at Yu Lian, then back to Wang Ping. "You can have the Daoist Scripture Hall inquire about it to confirm when the Holy Heart Grass will ripen, then you can head over. Once you’re in Hu Mountain Country, you can seek out Fellow Daoist Yuan Zheng. The Upper Dan Sect harvests Holy Heart Grass every year. If you agree to act as their Guardian, you can receive a share. You could also go to Yu Lian’s parents. For her sake, they would most likely agree to help you."
Wang Ping was deeply moved. Yu Cheng Taoist had thought of and planned for everything on his behalf.
As he spoke, Yu Cheng Taoist took a map from his storage bag and spread it out, pointing to a waterway. "This is the Gray Water Pond in the Sacred Heart Swamp..." He then took a tal bell from his bag. "When you get close to the Gray Water Pond, ring this, and Yu Lian’s mother will appear..."
...
「Back at the Mountain Peak Dojo.」
Wang Ping sensed the shift in Yu Lian’s emotions and asked, "Are you thinking about your parents?"
"I’ve never even t them, so I don’t really miss them. I’m just a little curious what they’re like. By sensing the Spirit Veins in your body every day, I feel like I can advance to the Second Realm in two years at most. You think I’ll be able to beat them in a fight by then?"
"..."
"Why would you even think that?"
"In my mories, we settle things by fighting. Whoever is strongest gets to be in charge!"
Well, this was a topic Wang Ping couldn’t relate to Yu Lian on. After exchanging a few more words, Yu Lian soared into the air, apparently off to find Hu Qianqian at Baisui Lake.
"Don’t forget to be back before morning!" Wang Ping called out.
"I know!"
Wang Ping gazed at the completely dark night sky, then with a wave of his hand, ignited the surrounding Spiritual Qi for light. He then awakened the puppets in his woodworking shop, had them move about to work the stiffness from their joints, and directed one to bring over and light a stove.
He hadn’t brewed tea in a long ti...
That night, he sat alone in the small courtyard, thinking about the past, the present, and the future.
Before dawn the next day, Yu Lian descended from the sky. She hastily drank two cups of tea, then shrank down and slipped into Wang Ping’s sleeve, coiling around his wrist to fall into a deep sleep.
「After sunrise.」
Wang Ping had an attendant summon Zuo Xuan from his guest room. After a simple breakfast, the two of them flew swiftly toward Jinhuai Prefecture.
Having to slow for Zuo Xuan, it was already afternoon when they landed at the foot of the Six Heart Sect’s mountain. Zuo Xuan bid farewell to Wang Ping and continued toward Jinhuai Prefecture, while Wang Ping ascended to the gates of the Six Heart Sect alone.
His audience with the Xiao Shan Lord went smoothly; he wasn’t made to wait for days this ti.
In that sa simple, forested courtyard, Wang Ping saw the Xiao Shan Lord basking in the sun, still dressed in loose-fitting clothes.
"Sit anywhere..."
Just as he had the first ti they t, the Xiao Shan Lord invited Wang Ping to sit.
Wang Ping didn’t stand on ceremony. He found a spot nearby and sat down, just as before. He then heard the Xiao Shan Lord say, "Your progress is surprising, even to . It seems you are truly suited for cultivating the Taiyan Talisman. I once ditated for a full sixty-year cycle, nearly to the end of my lifespan, before I finally grasped the opportunity to advance."
"I wouldn’t dare compare myself to you, my Lord," Wang Ping said humbly. ’Superiors may not care if their subordinates are modest and unassuming, but just try not being either and see what happens.’
"But you *are* more talented than ..." The Xiao Shan Lord was remarkably open-minded. After the jest, he asked, "When you fused with the Locust Tree Divine Soul, did you also access a portion of its mories?"
"Yes!"
"Hmm..."
The Xiao Shan Lord mulled this over for a few monts before speaking. "A small number of cultivators in the Five Sects of Xuann encounter this. But the mories are different for everyone. So rember a glorious, longed-for golden age. Others, a slumber in darkness. Still others, endless war. And so have seen civilizations capable of crossing entire galaxies."
"What I saw back then was an impossibly vast city. I couldn’t see the people inside, but the buildings were crystal clear—towers that pierced the heavens, warships that crossed space itself. You... what did you see?"
Wang Ping paused for a beat, then cupped his fist and asked, "Why do these mories exist?"
"Good question..."
The Xiao Shan Lord maintained his smile. "Perhaps it is as the ancient texts of the Demon Race record: the Five Elents Spiritual Objects we are familiar with today were propagated from five Sacred Bodies born of the Five Elents Rules. That is why the mories they inherit are chaotic and inconsistent. So, what mory did you see?"
"Destruction. The kind where the heavens fall and the earth sinks!" Wang Ping answered truthfully.
The Xiao Shan Lord didn’t seem surprised to hear this. He smiled and said, "Two Saints created this world and gave rise to countless splendid civilizations, but they were ultimately destroyed by an unprecedented catastrophe, leaving behind the broken, dilapidated world we see today."
He looked at Wang Ping and asked, "What do you think of my deduction?"
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