"Fellow Daoist, what is the highest realm of power this counter-sword of yours can deflect?" Sensing the reflected attack, its might nearly doubled, Li Fan's expression shifted slightly. With a wave of his broad sleeve, he suppressed the water sword and looked at Shuo Feng.
Shuo Feng seemed to be savoring the way the wooden sword had just protected him of its own accord. Only after a long while did he come back to his senses.
"A counter-sword..." He shook his head. "To my eyes, it is a sword to halt conflict, a sword of non-battle."
Without elaborating further, Shuo Feng changed the subject. "It can easily counter the ordinary power of a Nascent Soul grotto-heaven without any strain. If it were a full-power strike from a Soul Formation cultivator, it would be a bit strained. As for Dao Integration and above..."
"You are currently only at the Foundation Establishment realm, yet you can achieve something so shocking. If you advance to Soul Formation, wouldn't you be able to contend against Dao Integration?" Li Fan feigned immense astonishment.
"It isn't that simple. Even between one Dao Integration cultivator and another, there is a world of difference. The anima of Heaven and Earth is divided into..."
Li Fan's heart stirred, and he pricked up his ears to listen intently. But he saw only Shuo Feng's lips moving; no sound came out.
Shuo Feng realized this immediately and snapped his mouth shut.
Li Fan pondered thoughtfully and tactfully refrained from pressing the matter.
"In short, even though I possess a wonder of Heaven, I still have a very long road ahead if I want to surpass my mother," Shuo Feng said with a bitter smile.
"Moreover, although using a wonder of Heaven for Foundation Establishment is formidable, it has its own drawbacks. For instance, advancing through the realms is far more difficult and sluggish than for ordinary cultivators. Even with abundant resources and the aid of the new method, it remains so."
This was the first Li Fan had heard of such a thing, so he promptly asked, "Why is that?"
Shuo Feng answered candidly, "A wonder of Heaven is fundamentally a law of Heaven. Establishing one's foundation with a wonder of Heaven leaves no room for anything else.
"Ordinary cultivators must peer into the laws of Heaven and Earth, seize the essence of Heaven and Earth, extract the marrow of Heaven and Earth, and offer sacrifice to the anima of Heaven and Earth, advancing step by step. But cultivators of wonders of Heaven are different. They use the wonder of Heaven as their law, as their grotto-heaven, as their celestial transformation, and as their anima of Heaven and Earth.
"One need only comprehend their wonder of Heaven to its utmost limit, and the path ahead lies open and unimpeded, leading straight to the Dao Integration realm."
Hearing this, Li Fan could not help asking, "Isn't that a good thing? Why do you say cultivating this way is actually harder?"
Shuo Feng countered, "Between plundering external things and relying solely on one's own comprehension to cultivate, which speed do you think is superior?"
"Naturally, it would be..." Li Fan seemed to realize something and abruptly caught himself.
"Brother Shuo, do you mean to say that after establishing a foundation with a wonder of Heaven, one's cultivation resembles that of the ancient method?" Li Fan casually shifted his form of address and asked in haste.
"To be precise, it is cultivating via the ancient method while bearing shackles," Shuo Feng sighed softly. "That is where the advantages and disadvantages lie. But I have no regrets. Though the journey is far more arduous, its upper ceiling is higher!"
As if struck by an idea, Li Fan asked, "If one attains Dao Integration through a wonder of Heaven, then the next step would be reversing the principle of that wonder of Heaven?"
A glimmer of admiration flashed in Shuo Feng's eyes. "Indeed! Where does the difficulty of the Longevity realm lie? The principles of Heaven and Earth are ethereal and insubstantial, merely abstract concepts that ordinary people can scarcely perceive. To reverse them—how could that ever be easy?
"Seeking the principles of Heaven and Earth, familiarizing oneself with them, mastering them, and reversing them...
"All of these must be completed within the Dao Integration realm. Although Dao Integration cultivators possess immense lifespans, taking every single one of these steps demands an agonizing price. Since ancient times, how many dazzling talents have fallen before that very last step?
"Establishing a foundation with a wonder of Heaven skips the first step entirely. In the course of cultivating from Foundation Establishment onward, one is already practicing the second and third steps. It essentially saves nearly half the effort."
Shuo Feng explained in language as accessible and permissible to be heard as possible.
Li Fan also gained a faint understanding.
*Seeking, familiarizing, mastering, reversing—perhaps these correspond to stages within Dao Integration.*
Li Fan suddenly remembered what Ji Hongdao had once said when facing Senior Sister Zhao: *After a Heavenly Venerable has achieved 'Fixing Principles,' they should no longer interfere in mundane disputes.*
*Fixing Principles means having already reversed the principle of Heaven and Earth, ultimately replacing it and transforming oneself into a part of Heaven and Earth. That is truly stepping into the Longevity realm.*
*And before that, a Dao Integration cultivator still has four steps to take.*
Seeing Li Fan lost in deep thought, Shuo Feng could not help cautioning, "What I shared today was only to repay your kindness in guiding me, which is why I revealed it. Brother, you must not aim too high and lose your bearings because of this. If that happened, my good intentions would only bring harm."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Li Fan smiled and replied, "Brother Shuo worries too much. I am not someone who fails to appreciate good will. It is just that in the past, I believed the Longevity realm was separated from us mere cultivators by only a few major realms, and that it might not be entirely out of reach.
"Now it seems there are several chasms between us, each enough to drive one to despair."
"One has to leave people with hope, doesn't one?" Shuo Feng nodded in agreement, tossing out the remark out of nowhere.
"By the way, I still do not know your name. Judging by your character and natural talent, you shouldn't be an unknown figure," Shuo Feng asked with curiosity, looking at Li Fan.
Li Fan cupped his hands. "I am Li Fan!"
Shuo Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he immediately scrutinized Li Fan from head to toe.
"Merely a shared name! It has caused plenty of misunderstandings in the past!" Li Fan explained.
Shuo Feng nodded slowly.
"I am skilled in observing qi. Passing through here, I noticed something strange about this area, so I descended to investigate. Who knew that before I could uncover anything, I would nearly lose my life at your hands?" Li Fan took the initiative to explain the circumstances.
"Now that you mention it, I also felt something was off nearby." Shuo Feng caught on at once and looked toward the distance.
His gaze fell in the exact direction of Han Yi's stone statue.
Yet it seemed he had not detected the statue's existence either, merely noticing the anomaly through sheer instinct.
"Interesting..."
"Why don't you accompany me to take a closer look?" Li Fan suggested.
"My thoughts exactly." Clearly not one to shrink from trouble, Shuo Feng agreed on the spot.
Just as the two were about to head over, the sky suddenly turned entirely pink.
Shuo Feng's expression changed abruptly.
Scarlet snowflakes drifted slowly down.
A melodious female voice rang out: "Feng'er, you have been away from home for a long time. It is time to return."
Shuo Feng's face stiffened slightly.
Yet he dared not defy his mother's will, offering Li Fan only an apologetic look.
"Understood, Mother," he answered.
Catching a snowflake, the scarlet color dissolved into Shuo Feng's palm.
A moment later, his figure blurred.
He slowly faded into thin air.
Suddenly, a communication talisman dropped from the sky and flew toward Li Fan.
"Brother Li, if you ever need help in the future, feel free to contact me."
Shuo Feng's voice drifted faintly from afar.
Chapter 660