Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Without a Calm Heart, the Dao Cannot Be Attained

This scene sent chills down the spine of the thirteen remaining individuals.

Except for Li Jizhou, everyone else bit their tongues hard.

Constantly reminding themselves that this was a test of inner peace, and everything else was illusory. They must not get distracted.

Ye Jingyu cast a deep glance at Li Jizhou, with gratitude overflowing in his eyes.

Yang Yutong looked at Li Jizhou with lingering fear, feeling a great sense of relief.

“Ah, each generation is worse than the last!”

At this moment, a long-awaited voice sounded.

Xu Jiuge mysteriously appeared again in the hall without anyone noticing.

He surveyed the twenty-six individuals who had fallen into madness, and the twenty-eight who were disemboweled by puppet warriors, and sighed in disappointment.

“Cultivation begins with cultivating the mind. If you can’t even calm your mind, even if you enter the cultivation world, you will easily be disturbed by the external world, failing to achieve a calm mind and establish your path!”

“It’s a pity, the task given to me by my uncle-master… Eh, there’s actually such good potential here, not bad at all!” As he sighed, Xu Jiuge glanced unexpectedly at Li Jizhou, nodding in appreciation.

“The first round of testing is over, now proceed to the second test, the way of cultivation treasures perseverance!

Persistence!”

With that said, Xu Jiuge waved his wide sleeves.

The great hall suddenly disappeared,

and the remaining thirteen were instantly standing by the boundless sea.

“All you need to do is charge ahead, I’ll meet you on the opposite shore!” The ethereal voice drifted away, leaving no trace of Xu Jiuge’s figure.

Leaving the thirteen people to look at each other in dismay.

“Eh, I’m not hungry at all, it feels like the calming test just happened in an instant.”

“Indeed, the cultivation techniques and secret skills I remembered just now left no trace.”

“The more I think about it, the more scared I am. I almost got trapped here like those fellow cultivators.”

“Fellow cultivator, you’re the only one who didn’t waver from beginning to end. Could you share your experience with us? I promise to repay you handsomely once we leave this place!”

“Yes, fellow cultivator, you seem the most extraordinary among us; please share your insights.”

“I am a registered disciple of Master Lu, willing to befriend you as a brother.”

…

Soon, the survivors gathered around Li Jizhou with lingering fear, first offering compliments, then humbly seeking guidance.

Li Jizhou smiled faintly, cupped his hands to the crowd: “Fellow cultivators, you flatter me, I’m just a lonely loose cultivator, not worthy of the word extraordinary. As for experience, truth be told, I am dull by nature and very receptive to advice, never daring to disobey my elders.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s all!” Li Jizhou nodded.

“What? So he’s just too honest, doing whatever he’s told, so that’s why he so earnestly transcribed the scriptures, nothing extraordinary!” Yang Yutong’s eyes widened in an instant, lamenting that she had initially thought he was exceptional.

Ye Jingyu, however, did not agree.

There are indeed people like Li Jizhou in the cultivation world.

They often aren’t very sharp but are earnest, executing every word from their elders without a hitch.

However, it was clear that Li Jizhou wasn’t such a person.

Aura cannot be faked.

Li Jizhou gave Ye Jingyu the impression of someone who had experienced much, comprehended deeply yet moved forward with hope and caution.

He was definitely not someone with a dim wit.

Once the others left with their varying thoughts, Ye Jingyu smiled and walked over to Li Jizhou.

“Brother Li, I am Ye Jingyu, I cannot thank you enough for your earlier guidance, a life-saving favor is irrepayable! If we manage to leave, whatever Brother Li needs in the future, I will tirelessly repay. You can also visit the Yang family by the Qingshui River.” With that, Ye Jingyu bowed deeply, showing genuine sincerity.

“The Yang family by the Qingshui River?” Li Jizhou looked at him in surprise, acknowledging that this young man was indeed unusual.

“Brother Yu!” Yang Yutong looked at Ye Jingyu in disbelief.

“Aren’t you going to thank Brother Li for saving your life?” Ye Jingyu shot Yang Yutong a meaningful look.

Yang Yutong’s bright eyes widened, and under Ye Jingyu’s scrutiny, she lowered her head to Li Jizhou: “Thank you, Brother Li, for saving my life!”

“Brother Li, this is the third young miss of the Yang family by the Qingshui River, greatly favored by the Yang family’s ancestor.” Ye Jingyu introduced with a smile.

Li Jizhou nodded slightly, internally acknowledging that what Lin Chaobei said six years ago might indeed be true.

Looking at the third miss of the Yang family, her looks were indeed a notch above Lin Caiwei’s, the most important being, despite being seventeen or eighteen years old, she was rather well-developed.

However, none of this had anything to do with Li Jizhou, and without further ado, he turned, gazing at the vast blue sea, taking a step, he found himself already on the water,

then pressing forward, without a second thought.

Among the other twelve on the shore, some frowned at the endless sea.

“Who knows how wide this sea actually is? We are all early-stage Qi cultivation practitioners, walking on the sea, magical power may not last long, how could we possibly cross? Is Xu Jiuge up to something again?”

“I’m even wondering if there are some great terrors in the sea!”

“Why think so much? Have you forgotten the painful lessons of those before us? We must heed Xu Jiuge’s words and strictly follow his instructions!” Although some were clear-headed, even with a bitter face towards the boundless sea, they nevertheless began stepping on the sea like Li Jizhou.

“Brother Yu, I won’t last long walking on the sea!” Yang Yutong looked pitifully at Ye Jingyu.

Ye Jingyu also felt sorrow looking at the vast ocean, knowing he too could not walk on the sea powered by magic alone.

“No worries, I promised your grandfather, I’ll bring you back safely.”

With those words, Ye Jingyu grabbed Yang Yutong and also stepped onto the sea.

——-

On the vast ocean, time seemed to lose its meaning.

Li Jizhou continued not hurrying nor slowing, treading on the blue water, unsure how long had passed.

Until his dantian was completely empty of magical power, unable to draw out a single drop more,

he plummeted into the sea with a splash.

Yet for a cultivator, even without magical power in the dantian, their body, nourished by magic for years, instinctively moved through the water like a fish.

This swim covered another endless stretch of time.

During this time, his eyes saw only the sea, with no point of reference, almost as if the world was frozen save for his own existence,

In the vast ocean, journeying alone,

This solitude mirrored the helplessness, bewilderment, and resentment of his past life’s final moments.

Although he knew in his heart that following Xu Jiuge’s instructions to press forward, the outcome was already predestined.

Yet in such an environment, an inexplicable sense of despair would occasionally emerge.

Suddenly, he would feel in doubt, straying from the path, wondering if he should give up?

Debating if this persistence was a mistake from the start?

“Hoo~” Yet every time such emotions arose, Li Jizhou would take a deep breath.

Then he would swiftly clear all negative sentiments.

“This is just like my path to reincarnation and eternal life! Once the goal is set, there should be no doubt, hesitation, or regret!”

“Persistence and perseverance, this is what it means to persist!”

With sun and moon turning, time flying by,

One year,

Two years,

…

Who knows how many years truly passed.

Until Li Jizhou’s hair turned gray, his limbs withered, yet he constantly battled against the occasional emergence of negative emotions, persisting in swimming forward unwaveringly…

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