Qingfeng Pavilion's ferry slowly adjusted its hull, tilting slightly downward, beginning its upwind landing, preparing to dock at Zhi Shui Country's Immortal ferry port—Zangzhou Pu.
After catching his breath, Zhao Rong responded to Liu Sanbian's concern with a few acknowledgments, and agreed to disembark together later, before returning to his own cabin.
Before leaving, he glanced around and noticed that the little Fox Demon was no longer there, unsure when it had left, but Zhao Rong didn't pay it much mind.
"Did you intentionally not tell me that the lord of Fu Yao bore the surname Zhao?"
"Haha, why should I tell you? A scholar of the Confucian sect speaking up for the Demon Race, this is something I've truly never encountered before. Today has truly been an eye-opener."
"Hmph, besides, what's the use of telling you? You would still go and rescue that little fox, wouldn't you? I know you, young man; you're just lusting after her body!"
"I've seen plenty of such cases—you folks freeze in place at the mere sight of a fox spirit. But well, someone like you who risks his life for a damsel in distress is indeed rare. Lucky for you, that person also has the surname Zhao. Otherwise, I would have 'died' once again, hahaha."
What a lunatic.
Zhao Rong's mouth twitched, but he didn't bother to argue.
At that moment, he had stood up.
Perhaps it was the righteous indignation of a scholar, perhaps a momentary impulse to play the hero, possibly pity for a beauty in distress, or even the subtle hope of repayment for helping another.
But regardless of the motivation, Zhao Rong didn't feel ashamed.
In his past life, he had wanted to stand up against many injustices, but for various reasons, he ended up staying within the crowd, never taking that step forward.
This lifetime, he wanted to live differently. The shout of "Stop!" Zhao Rong had made was incredibly satisfying.
"Can the affairs of scholars be called greedy?"
Zhao Rong retorted as he started to pack up the belongings in his cabin—it was almost time to disembark.
He carried a bookcase in one hand, and with the other, he gently patted the scholar sword at his waist that had saved half of his life, walking over to the window to look down. The port of Zangzhou Pu in Zhi Shui Country was becoming larger and larger in his field of view.
Unlike many other Immortal ferry ports in Wangque Continent, Zangzhou Pu was not situated on a Spiritual Mountain conducive to ferry departures but on an island with a bustling market, set atop a lake that extended for miles.
At this moment, from Zhao Rong's perspective overlooking the port, dozens of massive Immortal ferries were moored in midair, their reflections in the tranquil lake surface below.
"Gui."
"Hmm?"
"I want to cultivate."
"The pressure of a Nascent Soul Realm Sword Cultivator indeed weighs heavily on your body. You should find a place to rest after disembarking…"
"I want to cultivate."
"Say that again."
"I want to cultivate!"
"You?"
"Yes, me. I want to give it a try. Maybe I'm actually someone you can never see..."
"A hidden peerless constitution, right?"
"..."
"Don't dream—it's impossible. Do you think I haven't thoroughly checked? When I first awakened, I too harbored a sliver of hope and repeatedly used my Soul Power to check your Qi Sea and meridians, but the result is as I told you—you have a useless constitution."
"Well, not the worst. Actually, among the vast masses of ordinary people, you are mediocre. But does that make a difference? It's just comparing who is less bad."
"Your Qi Sea does not meet the minimum standard for accommodating the Spiritual Energy of the Vast Realm. Among tens of thousands of ordinary people, only an extremely small portion can meet this standard, have the hope to break through the bottleneck of the Fu Yao Realm, and officially enter cultivation. Among this tiny fraction, most will spend their lives stuck at the Vast Realm, only to become the common populace of the Cultivation World. But your situation is such that you can't even become a commoner of the Cultivation World."
"Furthermore, I found out that your mother must have suffered a serious trauma while pregnant with you, leading to your inherently deficient constitution. Although it doesn't affect your lifespan, your meridians are extremely blocked and atrophied. You never had a chance to enter the Vast Realm, and now, even advancing within the Fu Yao Realm is extremely difficult. Even if you had resources piled up, it would be useless because the Fu Yao Realm requires meridian continuity—other people's meridians are like rivers, while yours are like a reed pipe; no matter how much resource you receive, you can't use it. It would be a waste!"
Zhao Rong fell silent for a while, but not discouraged.
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"Can I cultivate in the Ascending Realm, then?"
"The Ascending Realm is possible, because that realm does not depend on talent, or rather, talent has very little influence. It is actually about training the body. As long as one has the willpower and can endure hardship, ordinary people can reach the Ascending Realm."
"Then I want to give it a try. Although you said my cultivation in the Fu Yao Realm will be fraught with difficulty, at least it is not a dead end. What does it matter if my meridians are like reed pipes? How do I know it won't work if I don't try?"
"Heh, what's the point of trying when you already know you're going to fail?"
"In the memory of this seat, people in the Xuanhuang Realm with your condition have never been able to defy... defy..." Gui's voice suddenly halted.
Zhao Rong's hand that was patting his sword abruptly clenched.
"Defy what?"
After a moment of contemplation, Gui decided to still tell the truth.
"...defy fate. Hiss, it's not that it's absolutely impossible, heh, but now it's almost impossible."
"I've heard of that legendary method and have some recollection of it, but it's useless. The main ingredient required to execute it has long been extinct in the Xuanhuang Realm. In the era of this seat, only a few ancient Cultivation families might have preserved some, but who knows how many years have passed by now, they have most likely used it all up, heh, and even on the off chance that a little is left, you don't even have the qualifications to see it, let alone get your hands on it. Why would they give it to you?"
"Stop dreaming, my boy, and just accept your fate."
"What is that method for defying fate?"
"It's no use telling you. It will only add to your worries. Don't ask anymore."
"Gui, tell me!"
"The ship is about to dock. Go out, stop indulging in these wild fantasies..."
"Why do you always persuade me to accept my fate? Aren't you the one who has always looked down on the weak with no ambition? Look at yourself now, what's the difference between you and them!"
Zhao Rong interrupted it urgently but immediately felt some regret after speaking.
Sure enough, a brief silence ensued in his mind.
"Zhao Rong!"
"What right do you have to lecture this seat? If it weren't for your worthlessness, would this seat be so pessimistic? Everything stems from you!"
"Advising you to accept your fate is for your own good. Do you understand the feeling of hopelessness, of having exhausted everything and yet never being able to change your fate?"
"This seat once abandoned everything and left the Xuanhuang Realm for a fleeting piece of destiny, but what was the result?"
Gui let out a wry smile.
"In the end, I ended up in this wretched state. I... this seat doesn't want you to follow in my footsteps!"
Zhao Rong listened silently to Gui's words, his brows deeply furrowed.
"Gui, what was the reason you left the Xuanhuang Realm in the first place, and what is that fate you mentioned? Is it... does it have something to do with it?"
"Heh, you seem to remember my words very clearly."
What Zhao Rong referred to as "it" was something Gui had mentioned on their wedding night. At the time, Gui had only touched on it briefly, but since it was Zhao Rong's first encounter with Gui, he was wary and took note of it. In fact, he had always wanted to ask, but there was never a suitable opportunity.
"You said it chose me, but what exactly is it? And what is its relation to you, and to me?"
Having spoken, Zhao Rong waited for Gui's response, but there was no sound for a long time.
Just when Zhao Rong thought Gui might no longer pay him any heed, a faint voice came through.
"It's called Fu Shi, located in the brow chakra."
"This seat is... a Sword Spirit."
"And also the previous Sword Master of Fu Shi."
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