Inverse Refinement of the Heart

Right then, Li Fan, who had been seeking the answer to heart refinement, experienced a sudden flash of inspiration as an idea struck him. His mind cleared completely, analyzing the situation with the rational detachment of a cold bystander. "Is this truly my inner instinct?" "When cornered in such a desperate plight, some might choose to venture into the white mist, seeking a glimmer of hope amidst catastrophe." "Others might choose ruthless self-preservation—better you die than me—striking preemptively with underhanded schemes to butcher the rest before they can act." "Still others would rather die than lay a hand on their companions." "Yet my subconscious reaction was to bide my time in hiding, waiting quietly for the others to finish tearing each other apart so I could reap the spoils." "..." "This is the optimal strategic choice based on my current circumstances, and it also stems from everything I have experienced so far." "Everyone makes different choices. To my mind, this is dictated by personality, with no inherent superiority or inferiority." "This is what is called one's true heart." "Refining the heart... heart refinement..." Li Fan murmured to himself, lost in thought. He forgot about the perilous demonic sound tide churning outside the outpost, and forgot about the grim predicament within that was fast approaching its wit's end. As if enraptured, his mind became completely immersed. Even a few minor surges of the demonic sound failed to disturb him. Time slipped swiftly by amidst Li Fan's deep contemplation. Thus came the fiftieth day following the outbreak of the demonic sound tide. Leng Yingyi had still not returned. To prolong their endurance as much as possible, the cultivators gathered for discussion and decided to abandon most of Outpost Jiaxu, preserving only a few essential structures. Doing so reduced the consumption rate of the Black Death Talismans by nearly half. Although their living space shrank dramatically, being cramped together was a trivial price to pay compared to staying alive a little longer. However, the once-familiar group grew palpably guarded against one another. On the surface, everyone remained polite and courteous, but what truly churned in their hearts was something only they themselves knew. Surging undercurrents and veiled intent to kill. When Li Fan noticed that the atmosphere around him was turning amiss, an instinctive warning from his body finally roused him from his reverie. With a brief glance around, Li Fan understood the current state of affairs. Since ancient times, such dramas of being trapped in desperate straits and turning on one another to survive were hardly uncommon. Even Li Fan, upon assessing his own present situation, felt a surge of killing intent. This killing intent arose from his own true will. It was not a stray thought, and thus even the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation could not dispel it. Li Fan closely examined the thoughts continually surfacing in his mind. "Survival is human instinct. To kill for the sake of living is to act in accordance with one's heart." "In accordance with the heart... in accordance with the heart..." Suddenly, Li Fan froze, muttering and repeating those words within his mind. After a long while, an unusual gleam flashed in his eyes. "Heart refinement... If everything always aligns with the heart, how can one ever refine it?" "To temper the Dao heart, must one not forge it through adversity and opposition?" "Adversity... opposition..." Like a bolt of lightning cleaving through dense fog, Li Fan understood in an instant. "To achieve Longevity, one must defy the principles of Heaven and Earth." "And to refine the Dao heart..." "One must defy the true intent of the self." "Perhaps I have been practicing it wrong all along." Li Fan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "Following my whims and crushing every stray thought merely keeps me at the level of the Heart-Clearing Incantation at best." "To genuinely cultivate the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation, one must temper one's true heart." "Does that mean fighting against my own instinctive choices?" As this thought occurred to him, Li Fan felt a sudden sense of enlightenment, the stagnation in his chest swept completely away. In that instant, the circulation of the Heart-Refining Incantation accelerated to several times its previous speed. "It seems my accidental guess was true after all." "Inverse refinement of the Dao heart." "What a peculiar method of cultivation." "Taking this crisis at Outpost Jiaxu as an example, if I wish to use it to refine my heart, I cannot act according to my instincts." "In fact, I must do the exact opposite." "The further I diverge from my true heart, the more torment my inner self endures, and the more remarkable the results of cultivating the Heart-Refining Incantation will be." "Then the optimal choice should be..." Li Fan's thoughts whirred rapidly, reaching a judgment in a split second. And the ever-smoother circulation of the Heart-Refining Incantation corroborated his deduction. "Still, is it worth doing this?" "In True Reversion's evaluation, the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Incantation is ranked even above the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique..." After a moment of deliberation, Li Fan reached his resolve. Shortly thereafter, within the Deliberation Hall of Outpost Jiaxu. Li Fan summoned everyone together and voiced the question in his mind. "The feasibility of forcibly returning to the Eternal Immortal Bastion? Master Li, why do you ask this?" a Qingxuan guard named He Chen inquired, looking puzzled. However, he quickly realized what it might mean, assuming that Li Fan wanted to dispatch someone else to seek help. His expression turned somewhat grim, though he still answered honestly, "Lately, not only has the demonic sound tide shown no sign of weakening, but it has grown increasingly ferocious." "With our current strength, if we wish to force our way through the white mist amidst this demonic sound tide, I'm afraid..." He Chen shook his head repeatedly. Another Nascent Soul cultivator from the Martial Practice Hall named Kong Yu rejected it outright: "Absolutely not!" "I know Fellow Daoist Leng's strength well. If even he failed to bring help, there is no chance we could succeed. We would do better to wait until the demonic sound tide weakens before making any decisions." The others chimed in with advice as well. "Let's wait a little longer. Who knows, perhaps Captain Leng will be back any moment?" "Indeed, Master Li. It is best not to make a hasty decision. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. Although our outpost doesn't have many hands right now, we can still barely watch each other's backs. If we divide our forces any further, we won't have the strength to cope should any unexpected emergency arise!" ... The cultivators in the outpost assisting with the formation's construction, even those at the Nascent Soul realm, all addressed Li Fan as "Master." Although Li Fan had consistently maintained that his formation mastery was ordinary and undeserving of the title, persistently demurring, he could not change how they addressed him. Over time, he had simply resigned himself to it. Seeing that all the cultivators opposed the idea, Li Fan thought to himself, *In truth, I think the exact same way as all of you. Unfortunately, I have an experiment to conduct.* *I can only do the opposite.* Yet he did not argue with them. He simply waited for everyone to quiet down, gazing at them with a solemn expression. Only when the cultivators began to avert and dodge his gaze did Li Fan speak slowly: "Everyone, let us speak plainly. Before the demonic sound tide, a standard round trip between Outpost Jiaxu and the Eternal Immortal Bastion took only two to three days." "Even now, with the tide raging and progress arduous, if everything had gone smoothly, a round trip would take at most ten days or so." "Failing to return after so long can only mean an unforeseen disaster has struck, and the outcome is grim." "We cultivators struggle against Heaven for our lives. Life and death are routine matters; there is no need to avoid the subject." "In fact, before Captain Leng departed, he left specific instructions with me." This was not a fabricated claim; it was the simple truth. Several Qingxuan soldiers present had witnessed it firsthand. Thus, upon hearing Li Fan's words, a look of sorrow flickered in their eyes. The hall fell into dead silence, and no one offered a rebuttal. Only then did Li Fan continue, "Right now, the outpost's supplies are nearly exhausted, and the demonic sound tide shows no sign of abating..." "An inescapable question lies before us: once our supplies are completely gone, what shall we do?" "Perhaps we won't even have to wait until then." "Seeing the stock of Black Death Talismans dwindle day by day, I suspect some among us can already barely suppress the urge to kill in order to seize that final sliver of hope for survival." Seeing Li Fan unmask the dark thoughts lurking within their hearts without the slightest pretense, one cultivator could no longer sit still and immediately stood to profess his loyalty. "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Rest assured, Master Li. For us of the Qingxuan Army, duty comes before life itself." "Exactly! Master Li, since we were ordered to protect your safety, we will see it done. If anyone wishes to harm you, they will have to step over our corpses first!" Several Golden Core cultivators belonging to the Qingxuan Army spoke out with righteous indignation. Seeing this display, the other cultivators from the Martial Practice Hall and Heavenly Secret Hall grew visibly tense. "Master Li..." Just as someone was about to speak, Li Fan waved a hand to cut them off. With a faint smile, Li Fan said candidly, "There is no need for this, everyone. Even an ant seeks to cling to life, let alone cultivators like us." "Having cultivated to our current realm, who among us hasn't weathered a thousand trials and ten thousand tribulations?" "There is no fault in the desire to live." "However..." Li Fan paused briefly, drawing the attention of every cultivator in the room. With a grave and utterly righteous countenance, he declared, "We are all brethren of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. If we were to fall in battle against the Five Elders Association, it could at least be called a worthy death, leaving no regrets behind." "Yet if we were to perish in fratricidal slaughter, I fear I would die with unclosed eyes." "It is precisely to prevent such an outcome that I believe we must make another attempt to seek aid from the Eternal Immortal Bastion before our provisions run dry." "Just as our brothers from the Qingxuan Army said, this demonic sound tide struck with unprecedented ferocity. The Eternal Immortal Bastion is likely struggling to defend itself right now, and we cannot count on them dispatching reinforcements on their own." "Trapped in a dead end, rather than sitting here waiting for death, it is better to take a gamble." Li Fan's words rang out with resounding force, yet the cultivators present wore strange expressions upon hearing them. Everyone understood the reasoning, but even Leng Yingyi—the strongest among them at Outpost Jiaxu—had likely succumbed to the demonic sound tide. Who could guarantee they could accomplish what Leng Yingyi had failed to do? By staying inside the outpost, they could still drag out an ignoble existence for a while longer. Venturing outside into the white mist and the sound tide meant an almost certain death where both body and Dao would be extinguished. *You speak so righteously, Li Fan, but aren't you merely trying to egg the rest of us into walking to our deaths?* *Could it be that you intend to brave the danger and step forward yourself?* Every cultivator present harbored that exact thought. Yet since matters had not devolved into an open rupture, they exchanged glances, and Kong Yu cleared his throat, preparing to dissuade him once more. However, Li Fan's next words shocked every single one of them to their feet. "Captain Leng sought to ensure my safety, and he has likely perished within the demonic sound tide." "My heart already aches with guilt over this." "I know full well how perilously fraught seeking reinforcements is. If any more of you were to perish on my account, I would have no face left to look upon you all." "Therefore, I have resolved..." Suppressing his internal discomfort, Li Fan uttered words that ran completely contrary to his Dao heart. "I shall set forth alone for the Eternal Immortal Bastion to seek aid." "If I do not die, I will surely secure a path of survival for you all!" Li Fan spoke with absolute decisiveness, his expression resolute. Kong Yu, He Chen, and the others had never imagined in their wildest dreams that this young formation master would make such a choice. They stared at one another in disbelief, wondering if their ears had deceived them. Yet as they looked upon Li Fan's steadfast gaze and determined face, all doubt vanished from their minds, replaced by overwhelming shock. In truth, as the master formation crafter in charge of erecting the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation, Li Fan possessed only Golden Core cultivation, yet his status within Outpost Jiaxu was supreme. This was because every single cultivator present—whether from the Qingxuan Army, the Martial Practice Hall, or other departments—had been dispatched here specifically to assist Li Fan in constructing the Spirit-Locking Formation. If he had insisted on forcing the others to send out scouts for rescue on the pretext that "the construction of the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Formation brooks no delay, and should I perish, the entire project's progress will inevitably be crippled," then nine times out of ten, they would have had no choice but to yield. Yet now, not only did he refrain from doing so, he volunteered to take on this near-certain death sentence to carve out a path to survival for everyone else. Discarding all thought of personal life and death, selflessly sacrificing himself for others... Could such a person truly exist in this world? Even the ancient sages were no greater than this! To think they had stayed by his side for so long without noticing in the slightest! It was true that only at the brink of life and death could one see a person's true nature. Remembering the vile thoughts that had churned within their own hearts, the cultivators could not help but feel secretly ashamed. Humbled and humiliated by their own pettiness, they now began to dissuade him with genuine sincerity. "Master Li, why must it come to this! Though the situation is deteriorating, it has not yet reached the point where you must risk your life!" "Indeed, Master, please reconsider! Facing both the demonic sound and the white mist simultaneously is simply too dangerous! The chances of survival are slim!" ... Confronted by their clamorous pleas, Li Fan said resolutely, "My mind is made up; say no more." "You have spent years stationed in the Chizha Abyss and possess rich experience in surviving the demonic sound and white mist. If you truly wish to help, you would do better to tell me every precaution I must take along the way, giving me a slightly better chance of returning alive." Li Fan spoke with complete nonchalance. The others feigned hesitation and urged him a little longer, but seeing that they truly could not sway Li Fan's will, they could only sigh in defeat. While secretly breathing a sigh of relief, they generously imparted every shred of survival experience they possessed regarding the Chizha Abyss. Li Fan listened with rapt attention, engraving every word in his mind. Afterward, carrying twenty days' worth of supplies needed for a single person to survive in the white mist, he embarked upon the journey alone toward the Eternal Immortal Bastion under their reluctant, sorrowful gazes. It was worth mentioning that, perhaps moved by Li Fan's noble righteousness, the Qingxuan guard He Chen had offered to accompany him before departure. However, after extolling the man's high virtue, Li Fan declined his kind offer. Amidst He Chen's gaze of deep admiration and emotion, Li Fan donned his Black Death Talisman, identified the direction of Broken Palm Immortal City amidst the vast white mist, transformed into a streak of light, and plunged headlong into it. The remaining cultivators inside Outpost Jiaxu watched Li Fan's vanishing figure, complex expressions on their faces. "To think that such a person of noble character and unyielding integrity still exists in today's cultivation world. It truly puts us all to shame." "I have lived three hundred and forty-eight years in vain. Only today have I witnessed such a figure; what a tragedy to have met him so late." "If Master Li survives, from this day forth, I will follow his lead without question." ... After a moment of silence, everyone sighed with heartfelt emotion. "Hmph!" Only He Chen cast a look of utter disdain at the crowd before sweeping his sleeve and turning away. The others looked more or less awkward. And so they scattered like birds and beasts.