Apart from Feng Hanyue and Zhao Yufei who had shown truly exceptional results, Lord Guanjun didn't find anything worth noting about the other youngsters.
They didn't have what he was looking for. They lacked what it takes to be his disciples.
Many in the room had faces of disappointment for not being chosen. Their dreams shattered before their eyes.
It was truly disheartening.
Each one of them had envisioned themselves being chosen as they were pretty much confident in their talents.
But alas, reality liked to one-up everyone's expectations.
Not everyone could be talented and specific limitations existed for a reason. Only the heaven-favored, lucky, or truly tenacious individuals could break such limitations.
Luck was a very important aspect of life. Even though hard work and talent could lead to success, the driving factor of most successful outcomes was ultimately, luck.
Zhao Wei understood this himself. He wasn't exempted from such a rule. He was lucky. It wasn't bad to be lucky but you can't always depend on it.
Luck couldn't be controlled unless one had access to heaven-defying means capable of influencing probability.
"Feng Hanyue, normally, I wouldn't have chosen you but since my mood has been elevated by the talents of this year's Sky Guards, I think it won't be bad if I take in an additional outer disciple." Lord Guanjun called out to Feng Hanyue who was restraining his excitement from exploding.
Feng Hanyue hurriedly knelt before Lord Guanjun. "I greet the master."
Lord Guanjun beckoned him to rise.
"Good." Then, Lord Guanjun continued to look at the remaining unchosen with slight pity.
Their disappointment, unresigned expressions, all of it mirrored the face of his past self when he had thought he was on top of the world. When he was just a mere youth with hopes and dreams of greatness.
It was during his youth that he also came to realize his own limitations and how powerless one could be in the face of an enviable talent.
His past still filled him with regrets and longings.
"For those who have failed to be chosen by me, do you want to know the reason?" Lord Guanjun said in a serious tone as his gaze swept through everyone.
"What I am about to say may apply to all of you." He added.
Everyone listened carefully to what Lord Guanjun had to say.
"What is potential? It is the determinant of how far you might reach in your respective cultivation journeys. It is your future."
The room was totally silent as everyone began to think about Lord Guanjun's words with each one of them coming to his or her own conclusion.
Zhao Wei listened but he was by no means puzzled by Lord Guanjun's words. Through his higher computational abilities, he could already anticipate the trajectory of Lord Guanjun's words.
"Your current achievements against your peers don't attract me as much as your cultivation progression. Cultivation is a ladder and for one to improve their strengths, they are forced to climb the said ladder…consistently."
Lord Guanjun's symbolic speech stuck in everyone's head and they instinctively tried to decipher the inner meaning. Some understood while some found it hard.
"The ladder is so long that even I, Lord Guanjun, don't know about its full extent."
"Martial Learner, Martial Artist, and Martial Master are just the tip of the iceberg. These three realms are all about fortifying one's foundation and tempering one's physique to meet the conditions necessary for what you all know as the Holy Path."
Lord Guanjun shared this important piece of information and it seems he was steadily approaching the climax.
"I value your future more than your present and that signifies that you have the chance of climbing higher on the ladder without stagnating or falling off." His momentous words finally ended.
Lord Guanjun looked at the changing expressions in the faces of those in the room but one particular person caught his attention.
He was expressionless, more like dying from boredom if one concentrated on him.
Lord Guanjun felt wronged somehow by his new core disciple.
What? Am I that boring?
"Zhao Wei, what is it? It seems you have something important bugging your mind." Lord Guanjun decided to ask. He wanted to know what was inside his mind.
This disciple of his was quite eccentric, more than even an old coot.
Zhao Wei raised his brows before supporting his cheek with his left-fisted hand.
He then squarely gazed at his supposed master. His demeanor quickly shifted into one of astuteness.
"Future? I think cultivation isn't all about the future and potential as you like to call it."
Everyone in the room was astonished at Zhao Wei's straightforwardness and courage.
Zhao Yufei cast away all her initial worries when she sensed that bastard's incoming sagely nonsense.
She slightly smiled at whatever facts he was going to cook. That was the troublemaker she had always known.
There was no way he was going to change because of the sudden elevation in his status, Zhao Yufei thought.
She still wanted to stand by his side and surpass him…literally.
Her crystal eyes shimmered slightly as she stared at Zhao Wei.
"And what's your opinion? I want to hear about it." Lord Guanjun narrowed his gaze at Zhao Wei as a small smile made its way across his lips.
'I wonder what he has to say. Is he going to present a baseless different opinion? Ah, youth,' Lord Guanjun mildly thought.
"What is the future?" Zhao Wei calmly asked Lord Guanjun.
"It is something that has yet to come," Lord Guanjun replied, unbothered by such a simple question.
"Something that has yet to come, right? If what you are looking at is only the future - a mere possibility - then, you are sorely mistaken," Zhao Wei said slowly.
"And how am I wrong?" Lord Guanjun curiously asked.
"You are not wrong but it is just a difference in our perspectives. The future isn't the ultimate determinant of one's cultivation journey."
"There are simply many factors at play. Luck, time, opportunities, life, and death - these are some factors that determine an individual's path."
"I value potential and its guaranteed effect as much as you since it means that I would advance faster in cultivation than some of my peers."
"But what if the future that only awaits the genius full of potential is…Death. What does that mean? It's unpredictable."
"The future is never set in stone and potential is just a means of present evaluation."
"The past, present, and the future are interconnected and I believe they mold an individual into something much more."
"With each decision that we make, we create different possibilities in our future."
Zhao Wei took his sweet time to explain his thoughts. That was him exercising what it felt to be free. Freedom of expressing your views without any hindrance. It wasn't a matter of asserting his opinions on others.
His words were entirely subjective, woven from a web of various experiences, from both his past life and present one.
"Lastly…" Zhao Wei slowly looked at the gaping mouths of everyone in the room before he settled on his master.
Lord Guanjun watched him in slight disbelief, amusement, and thoughtfulness.
"Master-" Zhao Wei didn't get to finish his words before he suddenly whipped his head toward a certain direction.
The door.
Lord Guanjun also did the same before his expression turned to anger.
'Ah, my dear future, why have you decided to mess with me?' Zhao Wei closed his eyes momentarily with utter calmness, unbothered by the storm approaching the Spiritual Martial Hall.
***
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