Chapter 395
Chapter 395
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 395
>Chapter Title: Past Events
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“True cultivation?” Li Huowang mulled over the familiar yet unfamiliar term in his mind, as if struck by a blow to the head.
He knew about so-called cultivation novels, but he could say for sure that this was absolutely not the same thing!
Sitting Oblivion Dao cultivated the false, while Heart Elementals cultivated the true? Were they sworn enemies? Was that why they hated Heart Elementals so much? In that instant, Li Huowang felt like he understood a lot. And yet like he understood nothing at all.
“No, no, Brother Zhuge, wait while I sort this out.” Li Huowang closed his eyes, clutching his aching head as he tried hard to think.
Seeing his reaction, Zhuge Yuan wasn’t in any hurry. He pushed the chessboard aside and once more set out the tea set, slowly brewing tea.
By the time his fresh cup of tea was ready, Li Huowang spoke again.
“Brother Zhuge, I still feel like something’s off. Look, Sitting Oblivion Dao cultivates the false, so they want to turn everything else into falsehoods too. But if we Heart Elementals can cultivate the true, doesn’t that mean we have the power to create something from nothing? I clearly don’t have any such power!”
“Do you really not?”
“Absolutely not! All I’ve gained from this Heart Elemental identity is those inescapable hallucinations around me, or abilities that displace things!” Li Huowang’s answer was resolute. He knew his own body well.
Li Huowang had been in this bizarre world for over a year. He’d gone through many things and gained many extremely strange abilities as well.
But he’d never gained any true cultivation abilities. If he really had such powerful abilities, why would he have suffered so much hardship and torment?
This was a major matter concerning his life—he couldn’t just believe whatever others said. He had to ask thoroughly.
“Brother Zhuge, is this so-called Heart Elemental true cultivation method reliable? Does it really exist?”
Hearing this, Zhuge Yuan thought carefully before speaking again. “Actually, this humble one only saw it mentioned once in a miscellany. I don’t know if it’s real or fake.”
“But judging from what those Sitting Oblivion Dao folks have done, this humble one thinks there’s at least an eighty percent chance that this true cultivation method is real.”
“Besides, have you truly never experienced anything like cultivating the true from the false? That shouldn’t be. From what I know, nothing is strange when it happens to a Heart Elemental. Maybe you’ve done it but didn’t notice?”
“The person involved is bewildered, while the onlooker sees clear. Why don’t you tell me your experiences, and this humble one will help you sort them out.”
Li Huowang looked at Zhuge Yuan before him and thought it over carefully before finally nodding.
Since he even knew he was a Heart Elemental, there was no point hiding other secrets.
“Alright then, Brother Zhuge. I’ll start from Clear Wind Temple. Back then, there was this evil cultivator named Danyangzi—a illiterate madman. No idea where he got this bullshit Heavenly Book from, but he was obsessed with becoming an immortal, nearly driven mad by it...”
In the serene bamboo building, accompanied by wisps of breeze, Li Huowang recounted the story that had happened to him over a year ago.
Li Huowang had been through a lot. He thought it would take a long time to tell, even preparing himself for an all-nighter. But when he reached An’ci Nunnery, Zhuge Yuan stopped him.
“Brother Li, take a look. Is this the pill formula you gave your master Danyangzi back then?” A sheet of rice paper covered in densely packed writing was pushed in front of Li Huowang.
Though Li Huowang didn’t know much about calligraphy, he could tell Zhuge Yuan’s handwriting was beautiful. It was neatly copied with the Immortal Ascension Pill formula he’d given Danyangzi, and at the bottom were detailed steps for circulating the inner and outer great cycles.
Li Huowang glanced at it twice. “Yes, that’s it. What about it?”
Hearing Li Huowang’s question, Zhuge Yuan—whose tone had always been gentle—raised his voice unusually. “What about it? This pill formula is just like your chess skills. Do you really think something like this could help your master cultivate into a half-immortal?”
“Yeah, I was curious about that too. How could Danyangzi possibly succee—” At this point, Li Huowang stopped, his eyes widening as he suddenly understood what the other meant.
“You’re saying I used my Heart Elemental power to make Danyangzi become an immortal? No, no, I hate Danyangzi to the bone. I’d let anyone become an immortal before him!” Li Huowang spoke resolutely.
“But Danyangzi did become one. Brother Li, think back carefully. What was in your belly at the time?”
“In my belly? I had half of Danyangzi’s face in my belly then. How—” The moment he said it, Li Huowang instantly understood.
Zhuge Yuan nodded, voicing what was in Li Huowang’s mind. “Exactly! Though it was only half a face, he was still alive! His flesh and blood existed in your abdomen! It was his obsession with immortality that borrowed your Heart Elemental power to make himself an immortal.”
Those words exploded in Li Huowang’s mind like thunder. Some of the previously unresolved knots instantly came undone. He truly hadn’t expected that the fluke reason Danyangzi had become an immortal was actually due to him.
Zhuge Yuan nodded in agreement. “See? That’s why they say the person involved is bewildered while the onlooker sees clear. Though your master’s use of the Heart Elemental was too crude, turning him into that neither human nor ghost state, it was still a half-immortal, wasn’t it?”
“Even if you knew nothing, someone else borrowing your body could turn an ordinary man into an immortal. Do you still think Heart Elementals lack the power to cultivate the true from the false?”
With the facts laid out before him, Li Huowang could no longer argue. As a Heart Elemental, he did indeed possess some special power. He just hadn’t known it when he’d used it in the past.
“Wait! Since I have this power, besides making Danyangzi an immortal, have I used it anywhere else?”
Li Huowang racked his brains. He’d been through so many things along the way, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t distinguish which were real and which were realities he’d created with his power.
“What exactly is real?”
As Li Huowang pondered this, he saw Zhuge Yuan wave his folded fan in front of his eyes.
“Well, Brother Li? Now do you understand? Besides seeking a way from Beifeng, you have another path to take, right?”
Li Huowang quickly gathered his thoughts and nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Brother Zhuge, for showing me the way! With this, I do have another option. So, may I ask how this so-called true cultivation method is practiced? And how does it make use of this innate primordial qi within me?”
“Well...” A hint of difficulty appeared on Zhuge Yuan’s fair face. “On this, this humble one truly can’t be of much help. I just happened to see it mentioned once in a miscellany and noted it down. As for where to find it, I really didn’t pay attention.”
(End of chapter)