Chapter 31: As Soon as You Close Your Eyes, You Become an Immortal Ancestor |
On the way back, Wang Xianmao's expression remained calm, but Yu'an guessed the Patriarch was definitely gathering his strength to deliver a ten-hit combo of discipline once they returned.
Wang Yulou remained silent as well, his expression even more solemn than Wang Xianmao's.
Yu'an trailed behind them, his heart gripped by sheer panic.
"Patriarch, we really just went to drink a pot of spirit tea. We were going to leave right after. We didn't expect you to arrive right then."
"Shut up!"
Yu'an didn't dare utter another word.
"Patriarch, what is the lifespan of a Purple Palace cultivator?" Yulou asked.
"We will discuss it when we get back!"
The Patriarch shot Yulou a stern glare, his eyes even more severe than when he had told Yu'an to shut up.
Danri was here; the words and actions of every cultivator in Clear Stream Market were completely within her sight and hearing!
Yulou had actually already understood the Patriarch's answer.
His face pale, he followed the Patriarch out the gates of the Hundred Treasures Workshop.
All around them, the cultivators attending the Clear Stream Festival were beaming with joy, looking utterly delighted.
The bright moon in the sky cast a gentle glow, illuminating the gravel on the ground so brightly that it gleamed.
Yet, amid this bustling and beautiful night, Yulou felt a bone-deep chill that pierced straight through to his soul.
This was a cultivation world where high-level cultivators could easily live long lives and witness the passing of ages!
Grand cultivators could join forces to alter the rules of heaven and earth, restricting the cultivation speed of those who came after them.
Without even needing to investigate, Yulou could imagine the factions, families, and organizations revolving around those Purple Palace Grand Cultivators and Golden Core True Persons, monopolizing every path of ascension in the cultivation world.
In a world like this...
The Wang Clan, with its so-called Foundation Establishment Ancestor, was not an immortal clan, but merely a slightly larger ant, a slightly thicker stalk of chives waiting to be harvested!
The conversation between the Patriarch and Danri replayed in Yulou's mind over and over again—once, twice, three times... Yulou increasingly understood the Patriarch's fear.
---
Upon returning to Fortune Source Residence, Wang Xianmao did not deliberately raise any defensive formations to block probing.
He knew very well that under the surveillance of a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator had few secrets.
Sitting in his chair, he looked at the two young men who had dared to visit the Beautiful Pavilion, noting that one's face was paler than the other's. He felt a slight urge to laugh.
"Alright, there is no need to be nervous. I am not going to hit you, Yu'an."
Yu'an was no longer nervous, but Yulou still looked as if his soul had left his body.
Wang Xianmao felt a bit melancholic.
Extreme intelligence brings harm; extreme intelligence brings harm. Yulou was too smart, seeing the most cruel side of the cultivation world far too early.
Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse, a brief moment in time, he had still clearly seen the elephant hidden in the room.
That elephant was incomparably massive, possessing extraordinary might, and no one dared to look directly at it.
Yulou had seen that elephant for the first time. Wang Xianmao believed he understood the despair the boy was feeling.
He deliberated for a long time before speaking solemnly.
"A cultivator's failing does not lie in cowering before power and authority, nor does it lie in hesitation when faced with a choice, and even less does it lie in feeling inadequate beside those more outstanding.
"The sayings 'timidity leads to failure' and 'panic leads to ruin' are nothing but arrogant nonsense.
"Our Wang Clan has passed down its legacy for over twelve hundred years, and we conduct ourselves by prioritizing the changes of dragons and snakes.
"What are the changes of dragons and snakes?
"It is nothing more than biding our time and waiting for the right moment. This moment is not the will of heaven, but our own time.
"This world has its own rules, but those rules can be altered by others.
"In the midst of change, the only thing we can rely on, the only thing we can be certain will never change, is ourselves.
"Yulou, do not overthink it.
"Yu'an, cultivate diligently alongside your older brother.
"You must reach Qi Refining as soon as possible, because our Wang Clan does not lack the courage to forge ahead!
"With twelve hundred years of accumulation, the Wang Clan has prepared everything needed for the journey for every descendant who wishes to forge ahead boldly!
"Before Foundation Establishment, the resources you receive will not lose out to those of a Purple Palace Clan, nor to the disciples of the Ten Sects, and will not even fall below what the descendants of Immortal Alliance families receive!"
---
In the end, Yulou never asked the Patriarch what he had exchanged for at the Merit Hall branch. He knew clearly that his own experience was definitely lacking compared to the Patriarch's.
However, lying in bed, Yulou simply could not fall asleep.
When he first transmigrated to a world where one could cultivate to become an immortal, he had been thrilled. He fantasized about becoming the most powerful immortal in the world, dreaming of the legendary freedom of transcending the Three Realms and escaping the Five Elements.
Later, as he gradually grew up, he realized that his initial dreams were as laughable as a child debating whether to attend Tsinghua or Peking University.
Now, at the Clear Stream Festival, he had seen the vastness of the world, and he had also seen the terrifying power of a Purple Palace True Person.
That plain-looking girl in golden robes was a cultivator who was at least a thousand years old.
Why at least a thousand years old?
The Wang Clan ancestor Wang Yinghua was the fourth son of the founding ancestor Xuanjing, part of the first generation of Wang Clan descendants after the clan was established!
And Wang Yinghua was Danri's senior martial brother!
If Danri was a thousand years old, then how old was Mang Xiang?
And how old were the Golden Core True Persons in this world?
Danri still looked like a young girl. Did that mean she had reached Foundation Establishment at the age of thirteen or fourteen a thousand years ago?
Yulou didn't dare to think about it.
Patriarch Mangxiang, relying on over a thousand years of cultivation in the Purple Palace realm, was attempting to attain Golden Core. To that end, he had drained all the resources of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, forced a change in the sect master, and replaced him with a descendant of the wealthy merchant Huang Clan, who specialized in squeezing resources dry just for him.
From the rogue cultivators on the streets of Clear Stream Market, to Hongmei in Forge Peak Residence, to the Wang Clan that had been a vassal of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for over a dozen generations—all the people, families, and vassals were seen by Patriarch Mangxiang merely as a part of the price to be paid.
Legends said that grand cultivators had altered the rules of the world, making it impossible for cultivators in the Qi Induction realm to ever increase their cultivation through consuming pills again.
That matter was too distant. Yulou had already grown used to it and felt no real connection to it.
But Mang Xiang and his disciple Danri had given Yulou a boundless, undeniable sense of reality.
In front of Danri, Wang Xianmao had been like nothing more than a toy!
It was so cold. Yulou pulled his blanket tighter around himself.
He felt the warmth of the blanket, but his heart remained just as cold.
The road ahead was difficult. The road ahead was difficult.
He had originally thought that with the Wang Clan's support, he was already standing far ahead of many people.
But now, he saw things clearly—there was no starting line at all.
Unless one reached the Purple Palace realm, they would forever remain an ant!
Rogue cultivators were being exploited ruthlessly by Gao Jian, and the vassals of the major sects were squeezed by those sects until even their future possibilities were sold off.
The rogue cultivators couldn't hide from Gao Jian's oppression, and the disciples within the major sects couldn't hide from the oppression of the descendants of the Purple Palace families within their own sects.
Yet, the disciples of the major sects and the followers of the Purple Palace realm similarly couldn't hide from the conscription of the Immortal Alliance.
In this meticulously designed, tightly sealed cultivation world where the paths to ascension were practically blocked completely, how far could he possibly go?
Would he become an immortal?
Never mind that. Would he even reach the Purple Palace realm?
Probably?
Yulou wasn't sure. At this moment, after figuring out how terrifying Danri was, his Dao heart wavered.
When alone, a person always had to face themselves, confronting the mundane struggles and fears that their realistic self was forced to face.
Fortunately, Yulou was staying in a double room, and lying next to him was his idiot brother, Yu'an.
"Brother, a Purple Palace True Person can actually live for a thousand years. We will definitely become Purple Palace Grand Cultivators too!"
Yu'an had tossed and turned for a long time but still couldn't sleep, so he struck up a conversation with his older brother.
"How do you know True Person Danri has lived for a thousand years?"
"She literally said so. You couldn't have missed it, right? She said that even after a thousand years, our Wang Clan is still the exact same."
"Yes, but as True Person Danri's master, Patriarch Mangxiang is currently trying to attain Golden Core. That means a Purple Palace cultivator's lifespan is more than a thousand years."
"Huh? That makes sense. But why wouldn't the Patriarch tell us exactly how long a Purple Palace cultivator's lifespan is?"
"That question was too offensive."
"Offensive to whom?"
"Stop asking and go to sleep."
"Brother, if I become an immortal and you don't, I'll resurrect you."
"Alright, alright, feeding me empty promises, huh?"
"What's an empty promise?"
"Never mind. When the time comes, don't forget the Patriarch, Uncle Rongyuan, your father, your mother... you have to resurrect all of them, got it?"
"My parents can definitely become immortals too. They might even do it before me!"
"Just go to sleep. You have everything in your dreams. Who knows, as soon as you close your eyes, you'll become an immortal ancestor in your sleep."
The Wang Clan, boasting a so-called Foundation Establishment Ancestor, was no true immortal clan. They were merely slightly larger ants, slightly plumper leeks waiting to be harvested!
The conversation between the Patriarch and Danri replayed in Yulou's mind over and over again. Once, twice, three times... With each repetition, Yulou increasingly understood the Patriarch's dread.
——
Upon returning to Fortune Source Residence, Wang Xianmao didn't bother activating any defensive arrays to block prying senses.
He knew perfectly well that under the surveillance of a Purple Palace grand cultivator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator had few secrets.
Sitting in his chair, he looked at the two young lads who had dared to stroll into Beautiful Pavilion. Each boy's face was paler than the other's, and he felt a sudden urge to laugh.
"Alright, relax. I won't hit you, Yu'an."
Yu'an immediately relaxed, but Yulou still looked completely out of sorts.
Wang Xianmao felt a touch of melancholy.
Extreme wisdom brings sorrow; extreme wisdom brings sorrow. Yulou was simply too clever, having seen the most brutal side of the cultivation world far too early.
It was merely a fleeting glimpse, a passing shadow, yet he had still managed to spot the elephant hidden in the room.
That elephant was incomparably colossal and wielded extraordinary power; no one dared to look directly at it.
Yulou had seen that elephant for the very first time. Wang Xianmao believed he understood the boy's despair.
He pondered for a long while before speaking solemnly:
"A cultivator's failing does not lie in cowering before power and authority, nor in hesitating when faced with a choice, and certainly not in feeling inadequate when standing beside someone exceptional.
"The saying that 'timidity leads to failure, and panic leads to ruin' is nothing but nonsense.
"Our Wang Clan has been passed down for twelve hundred years. In everything we do, we prioritize the changes of dragons and snakes.
"What are the changes of dragons and snakes?
"It is nothing more than preserving oneself."
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