Tempering

"Do you truly not understand?" Wei Yuan asked, his large eyes wide with innocence as he gently guided him along. Ji Liuli turned around and sat facing the wall. Xiaoyu looked toward Star Lord Shaoyang. The Star Lord wore a conflicted expression, clearly feeling that Wei Yuan was just playing mysterious. Yet bitter past experience had taught that one must always take Wei Yuan's words seriously and think thrice before replying. You could assume the absolute worst of Wei Yuan in any shameless, bottomless direction imaginable, but you could never assume he was foolish. Still, after thinking it over, Star Lord Shaoyang found himself agreeing with Xiaoyu. Where on earth was there an opportunity for Scenery Command? If there were even the slightest disturbance in the heavenly dao, how could an avatar of a star lord fail to notice? As for where the Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Pagoda went, go ask Ji Liuli! Why ask me? How would anyone else know where she put her own things? Taking in Xiaoyu's expression, Wei Yuan instantly felt his dao heart clarify by another fraction. Smiling, he said, "It doesn't matter if you can't figure it out. Keep thinking—" Immediately, however, Wei Yuan sensed an unmistakable trace of murderous intent. Realizing that playing coy any longer would capsize the fragile boat of their friendship right into the pond, he changed his tune on the spot: "—but if you truly can't grasp it, I can offer a hint. Still, a sudden insight of your own will benefit your future cultivation far more." Xiaoyu thought earnestly, to no avail. Fortunately, Wei Yuan kept dangling him no longer, saying, "In truth, nearly everyone in this world harbors obsessions of one kind or another. One such obsession is the obstruction of knowledge—clinging to past knowledge and experience, unwilling to step out and look upon a new world. "Therefore, if you wish to reach the pinnacle of the cultivation path, you must break before you build, and the crux is breaking. Naturally, this process is bound to be excruciatingly painful, especially the first time. But once you begin, you will stand in a whole new world, with boundless prospects ahead." Xiaoyu only half-understood. He felt he was getting close, yet instinctively sensed danger. Most importantly: would Wei Yuan really be so kind-hearted? Just then, the dim crimson world shook as the external assault grew fiercer, breaking Xiaoyu's train of thought. Subconsciously, Xiaoyu blurted, "Shouldn't we fend off the three out there first?" The moment the words left his mouth, Xiaoyu wanted to slap himself— Sure enough, Wei Yuan was never one to pass up an opportunity like this. He smiled and said, "My true spirit is now established, and I have already reached the middle Scenery Command realm. "Mere three late Scenery Command cultivators—I could swat them dead with a single palm. Why bother with them? They can't run away anyway. It's your enlightenment that matters more." Xiaoyu didn't know whether Wei Yuan could truly swat three late Scenery Command cultivators dead with a single palm, but he definitely felt an urge to swat Wei Yuan dead with one palm—and Ji Liuli likely shared the feeling. Thankfully, Wei Yuan's dao heart clarified once again, so he chose not to make things too hard on Xiaoyu. He said, "The Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Pagoda has long been absorbed into the Glazed Yangming World—that is the 'break.' An innate spiritual treasure like the Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Pagoda possesses formidable might, but its innate ceiling is fixed. If you want to take another step forward and truly ascend to the very summit, you must break it. "Look at Eldest Senior Sister. She understood this, so upon reaching Scenery Command, what awakened was a glazed world, not some pagoda realm." Xiaoyu was greatly shaken. Did Ji Liuli truly destroy the Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Pagoda herself to reach the peak? Finding it hard to believe, he asked, "Eldest Senior Sister, is that true?" Ji Liuli replied calmly, "Back then, thanks to a certain someone, my soul was nearly blasted apart during my tribulation. Exactly when the Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Pagoda shattered, I don't even know myself." Xiaoyu was stunned, never expecting such an answer. Wei Yuan let out a dry laugh and quickly chimed in: "Eldest Senior Sister planted a willow branch unwittingly, only to find shade and blossoms down the road—she stumbled upon the right path by pure chance. "Otherwise, with the ceiling of the Nine-Layer Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, one could only say she had the makings of an immortal, and beyond that was anyone's guess. "Eldest Senior Sister was able to do this only because her karmic luck defied the heavens." Xiaoyu grew even more perplexed. "Isn't Eldest Senior Sister's innate karmic luck negative? How could this happen? Could it be that misfortunes piled up past the negative limit, bringing about extreme adversity followed by good fortune?" Wei Yuan cleared his throat. "Let's not dwell on things of the past. The focus right now is you!" Xiaoyu turned to look at Star Lord Shaoyang. The Star Lord's face twisted, and he gritted his teeth. "This Star Lord answers to heavenly destiny and comes with dao authority upon reaching Scenery Command! Even after ascending to immortality, as long as you help me defeat my other avatars and return to my true body, I will be at the level of a mighty immortal at the very least. How can mere worlds compare to such a future?" "Mere worlds?" Wei Yuan sneered. "The ultimate destination of the true Great Dao has always been four words: 'I am heaven and earth.' Clinging to artifacts and true spirits is already falling into an inferior craft. In the Yuangu era, human cultivators were few and far between, but each wielded earth-shattering power precisely because what they cultivated was heaven and earth! "In later ages, to allow more people to embark on the path of cultivation, techniques grew increasingly specialized, and the goals of cultivation gradually degraded. From heaven, earth, sun, and moon, and the origin of the Great Dao, they declined into famous mountains and great rivers, various bizarre realms, and only later into immortal beasts, spiritual objects, and spirits of all kinds. The so-called Star Lords are merely on this tier—and I'm talking about your true body!" Star Lord Shaoyang's face flushed crimson, and he stayed silent. Turning to Xiaoyu, Wei Yuan said solemnly, "The heavenly and earthly restrictions have been lifted, and the path of the Immortal Lord has reopened. How can you limit yourself to the rank of an ordinary immortal before even ascending? Although the Immortal Sword Great Sun you cultivate is merely an artifact, the Great Sun true intent within it holds limitless potential. To neglect cultivating the Great Sun in the Sky and instead cultivate some star lord or spirit is simply throwing away your future." Star Lord Shaoyang could bear it no longer. "Am I really that pathetic? Those true spirits of yours—" "What about my true spirits?" Wei Yuan asked. Star Lord Shaoyang fell silent. Truth be told, among the true spirits in Wei Yuan's cave heavens, although Taiyin had not fully awakened, pummeling this avatar of his would be effortless. Yet while Star Lord Taiyin was nominally one of the true spirits, she effectively lived under someone else's roof; the ancient full moon had another master. Star Lord Shaoyang did have some self-awareness. If he truly entered the Splendor of the Many Realms, he probably wouldn't even secure the position of a true spirit. Among Wei Yuan's eight great cave heavens, only the Central Wutu cave heaven was temporarily masterless, but just looking at the status of the other seven cave heavens, Star Lord Shaoyang would be too embarrassed to take that seat himself. Thinking carefully, Xiaoyu realized that Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli had both cultivated realms of heaven and earth. Even though Zhang Sheng possessed a world-dominating concept and true intent like Where Ten Thousand Swords Return, she still cultivated a heaven-and-earth realm like Sword Families Under Heaven. Bao Yun and Feng Tingyu had cultivated the World of Wondrous Forms and the Realm of Return to Silence respectively—both also concept realms of heaven and earth. Even someone like Xu Wenwu had cultivated a City of the Void, yet he had left a vast expanse of blank void around it, clearly intending to add things to it. What if he added stars and celestial bodies? A sudden cold sweat broke out across Xiaoyu's back. Could he actually be overtaken by Xu Wenwu? He would rather bash his head into a wall and die! Seeing that Xiaoyu had finally attained some comprehension, Wei Yuan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Your Great Sun true intent has grown stronger; it seems you've finally figured it out. We have the Splendor of the Many Realms, so if there is anything you don't understand in the future, ask more often. You cannot make a cart behind closed doors. You have both natural talent and karmic luck; your comprehension is just a bit lacking, but that won't hinder your path." With his dao heart in turmoil, Xiaoyu didn't find the comment particularly grating. But looking at Star Lord Shaoyang, he felt a pang of reluctance. "Yet the Star Lord has accompanied me for so long. To abandon him just like this... I feel uneasy." "I didn't tell you to destroy him, nor is there any need to abandon him. He carries his own authority and will still be useful in the future. It's just that he can forget about being your sole true spirit. Your core true spirit must possess authority related to the Great Sun. You can comprehend and refine that once you reach Scenery Command; there's no rush right now." Xiaoyu said, "Although Star Lord Shaoyang is merely an avatar, his spiritual nature is innate, and his wisdom, experience, and cultivation are all top-tier. Besides, after all these years of companionship, I would like to find him a position in the Dao Court of the Three Realms. That way, he can be of use and accumulate merit along the way, which will also benefit his eventual return to his true body." Wei Yuan nodded and mused, "That isn't hard; accumulating merit is easy enough. However, although the Dao Court system is not yet fully developed, its final ranks are already set. If the Star Lord wants to join, he would have to start from the grassroots—oh, considering his connection with you, we can skip the grassroots. But an Arhat is a bit too high... How about this: we make him a Deputy Arhat. What do you think?" Star Lord Shaoyang could bear it no longer and slashed a sword at Wei Yuan.