The so-called Path of Forgetting Emotions isn’t about being indifferent to everything.
If a person is indifferent to eating, indifferent to sleeping, indifferent to anyone who comes along without any reaction, then how is that different from a silicone doll with body heat?
The purpose of the Path of Forgetting Emotions is to allow cultivators to be single-minded—focused only on one or a few specific matters.
To achieve this, severing attachments and breaking off love is the best method.
Some completely cut ties with their families, dying without contact. Some kill their husbands or wives to prove their cultivation path.
In short, no matter the method, as long as one can put down everything except the Dao in their heart, it’s all worth it.
Because of this ruthless cultivation approach, some people end up taking it to the extreme of “everything is worth it for cultivation.”
Yes, everything.
This includes those indescribable, unspeakable things some might imagine, though the price for such things would be exorbitantly high.
This also explains why the Path of Forgetting Emotions can still have Dao Companions. To put it bluntly, it’s essentially a transactional relationship.
Dongfang Xiaotian once saw a brother who spent a fortune to “buy” a cultivator who had mastered the Path of Forgetting Emotions—meaning she was indifferent to everything except cultivation.
Then this Path of Forgetting Emotions cultivator became a cute catgirl who would wake that brother up every day, meowing to get him out of bed.
Well, the “cute catgirl” was Dongfang Xiaotian’s own idea. That brother claimed his wife was of the Path of Forgetting Emotions, so Dongfang Xiaotian just pulled something out of thin air.
Who knows if he was brave enough to actually try that?
Of course, there was positive feedback, but the brother knew very well that his wife didn’t love him.
For the brother, though, happiness was what he wanted.
For the female cultivator of the Path of Forgetting Emotions, cultivation was paramount. As long as someone could provide the cultivation resources she wanted, what did dignity matter?
What was more important than her Dao?
Therefore, Dao Companions of the Path of Forgetting Emotions are mostly “strong-worshiping and gold-worshiping,” but have no obvious shortcomings.
They rank among the top cultivation routes in the Dao Companion lists, and most importantly, they have clearly marked prices.
A hundred spirit stones per time, no bargaining, and guaranteed proper service.
At some point, high-end cultivators of the Path of Forgetting Emotions stopped looking like cold-faced, otherworldly beauties or handsome gentlemen and instead more like obedient, service-providing robots.
Of course, there were some who went too far.
Because the other party’s Path of Forgetting Emotions comprehension was unqualified, they took the humiliation suffered at their master’s place as insult, and in the end went insane and wiped out another family.
But in reality, going insane is a common occurrence even without the Path of Forgetting Emotions, so for Shenghua’s huge population base, it had no real impact.
As for Beichen Yue, it was clear she also took cultivation as her top priority. And naturally, for a sword cultivator, the top priority was sword training.
It was only natural that she came to ask for guidance after seeing her own sword strike.
But her Path of Forgetting Emotions was obviously unqualified.
“You traded your own maid for my Immortal Technique. Do you think that’s appropriate?”
Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help but glare at Beichen Yue, but seeing she was a wealthy noble, he held back.
After all, the Path of Forgetting Emotions was the most willing to spend money in this world.
Although this was one reason Ice Ling Immortal Palace, one of the Four Great Sects, was so poor, it didn’t stop Dongfang Xiaotian from earning a little pocket money for his junior brother.
“She’s a bit slow, but her appearance is good and her aptitude isn’t bad.”
Beichen Yue saw nothing wrong with this and said, “I have to find her a good place, don’t I?”
“Isn’t being by your side a good place?” Dongfang Xiaotian found it amusing.
Beichen Yue’s expression clearly faltered for a moment. After a brief struggle on her otherwise calm face, she said, “I hadn’t planned to tell anyone about this matter, but since you ask…”
“Stop!!”
Dongfang Xiaotian immediately covered his ears. “Sounds like a long story. I’ll give you three hundred breaths to convince me, then I have to go find my junior brother!”
Dongfang Xiaotian thought it would be a quick tease, but that opening sounded like a long tale, and he wasn’t interested in being someone’s therapist.
Three hundred breaths—about five minutes—was the maximum respect Dongfang Xiaotian could show for her wallet.
“Fine, I’ll be brief.”
Beichen Yue nodded and said, “What do you think of my cultivation compared to real geniuses?”
“Weak, very weak.”
Dongfang Xiaotian gave a merciless evaluation.
Though at fifteen or sixteen years old, half-step Dao Foundation in Lingtian City was impressive, even Li Yuze, that wastrel, had managed to reach Qi Refinement Stage 9 by stacking countless heavenly materials and treasures. Not to mention Beichen Yue, who was called a prodigy.
Dongfang Xiaotian simply didn’t care much, but that didn’t mean he was unaware.
After such a blunt critique, Beichen Yue felt a slight flutter in her heart. Others might have danced around the point, but Dongfang Gongzi was so direct… no wonder he was the Eastern Young Master!
Beichen Yue nodded. “Yes, my cultivation has stagnated for three years, so I hoped to get some guidance from Dongfang Gongzi.”
“Then go find your maid, she’s already Foundation Establishment. I haven’t capped my realm.”
Dongfang Xiaotian shrugged helplessly. “If worse comes to worst, you can take Foundation Establishment Pills, or those Scarlet Pills from the ruins. Those are much stronger than Foundation Establishment Pills.”
The spirit pill ruins Dongfang Xiaotian was standing on belonged to a second-tier ruin, producing pills suited for Foundation Establishment. Pills for cultivation beyond that stage had diminishing effects.
The Scarlet Pill was like an Experience Pill: once consumed, it directly boosted cultivation smoothly, even ignoring cultivation bottlenecks.
In Lingtian City, many treated Scarlet Pills as Foundation Establishment Pills—when cultivation was stuck, taking one could directly raise the level.
These were ancient divine era pills, and even second-tier pills were still from the ancient divine era.
“Indeed, if I hadn’t had other unexpected encounters this trip south, I would have tried your method,” Beichen Yue shook her head.
“But pill-based Foundation Establishment can only get me to Earth Dao Foundation Establishment, which isn’t what I want. I now understand true Foundation Establishment is divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human Dao.”
“First is Human Dao Foundation Establishment, the simplest. Once cultivation reaches a certain point, you can establish Foundation Establishment with effort and refinement, even without Foundation Establishment Pills. But the foundation is shallow, and the highest achievement is merely Nascent Soul.”
“Today’s encounter with that evil cultivator leader and the three-stage Foundation Establishment evil cultivator were both Human Dao Foundation Establishment. Their foundation was so shallow even I could kill the latter alone.”
“But in these backwater places, even Golden Core cultivators can dominate and become local tyrants, let alone Nascent Soul. So Human Dao Foundation Establishment is enough in Lingtian City.”
“Then there’s Earth Dao Foundation Establishment, which requires some investment. Its foundation is steadier due to heavenly materials, treasures, or Foundation Establishment Pills.”
“The spirit refinement is also higher than Human Dao Foundation Establishment at the same level, and the upper limit is higher. History has even seen Earth Dao Foundation Establishment Emperors.”
“Chun’er is Earth Dao Foundation Establishment, which is why she can hold out despite a six-tier gap.”
“Finally, the strongest is Heaven Dao Foundation Establishment. The spirit refinement is more solid, cultivation speed faster, and strength far surpasses Earth Dao Foundation Establishment at the same level.
Xiao Yuanqing, a Heaven Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator, can crush Human Dao Foundation Establishment evil cultivators three tiers below him with one hand.”
“But both Earth and Heaven Dao Foundation Establishment require investment. Besides spending on heavenly materials and treasures, you need talent and must comprehend your own ‘Yi’ to integrate into your Dao Foundation and resonate with Heaven.”
“And this ‘Yi’ is the key.”
“It can be sword intent, fist intent, or even chaotic things like ‘I want to protect the world.’ As long as you comprehend it and integrate it into your Dao Foundation, you succeed.”
“Though it doesn’t greatly affect later stages, reaching this comprehension is difficult. Many fail after integrating the ‘Yi,’ remaining Earth Dao Foundation Establishment only.”
Beichen Yue nodded. “I’m called a genius not because of my cultivation but because of my sword dao comprehension. That allows me to fight as well as an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, even at half-step Foundation Establishment, without losing to most peers.”
“Mm, I know.”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded. “I can see that once you break through Foundation Establishment, your strength will leap. So, are you going to pay up or not?”
Dongfang Xiaotian didn’t understand why she rambled so much. Is her Path of Forgetting Emotions really qualified?
Feeling Dongfang Xiaotian’s growing impatience, Beichen Yue slightly trembled, her heartbeat quickening.
—Knowing she was such a genius, yet receiving such an impatient gaze—was this the famous Azure Dragon Sword Immortal?
The way he treated her the same as ordinary people was strangely thrilling.
Beichen Yue took a deep breath to calm herself and continued, “But I still can’t comprehend a sword intent truly unique to me, so I want Dongfang Gongzi to demonstrate a breakthrough sword strike to aid my Foundation Establishment.”
Beichen Yue recalled Dongfang Xiaotian’s sword strike.
“You still have a hundred and fifty breaths left, so say something practical.”
“Chun’er is yours.”
“No.”
“She may be slow, but she’s devoted and loyal. I guarantee that. You really don’t want her?”
“How afraid are you that no one wants her? If you get married, just make her a maid for dowry.”
“Fine, whatever.”
Beichen Yue took out two spirit cards and a pouch of spirit stones. “This is my entire fortune. Is it enough?”
Dongfang Xiaotian counted. The pouch was ordinary, holding no more than twenty spirit stones, probably “cash.” Altogether about two hundred spirit stones, with some paper currency mixed in.
The two spirit cards…
Dongfang Xiaotian didn’t think Beichen Yue was lying.
That meant the genius from a great family had access to just over a thousand two hundred spirit stones on her person, including the thousand she gave Dongfang Xiaotian earlier.
This amount was huge compared to outer disciples of the Four Sages Academy, who only got ten spirit stones a month, but inner disciples and direct disciples had much better treatment.
For example, in the Lingtian City branch, inner disciples had a monthly stipend of 100 spirit stones, not to mention Beichen Yue, a direct disciple of Ice Ling Immortal Palace.
Beichen Yue seemed aware her sum was small, her face awkward. “If it’s not enough, I can owe you first.”
“No need, this will do.”
Dongfang Xiaotian needed money now but didn’t want to rip anyone off.
“I don’t have much time. I’ll demonstrate once and explain once. How much you comprehend depends on you.”
Dongfang Xiaotian led Beichen Yue out of the Four Sages Academy camp and found a quiet spot. Then he took out a rusted iron sword with tetanus bonus from his spatial artifact.
Beichen Yue first thought it was some ancient divine weapon, but on closer look, it was just a third-tier spirit weapon, and a rusty one at that.
“Gongzi, this sword… why not use mine?”
Beichen Yue frowned slightly at the rusted iron sword in Dongfang Xiaotian’s hand.
Generally, excellent sword cultivators wouldn’t easily replace their weapon, as it laid the foundation for their future.
For example, Beichen Yue intended to use the sixth-tier spirit weapon gifted by her master for life.
But Beichen Yue clearly remembered Dongfang Xiaotian had used a bone long sword before, and now suddenly switched to a rusty iron sword.
She marveled at how many secrets Gongzi carried.
Dongfang Xiaotian was unfazed. “Teaching tool. Either sword would do.”
He casually picked a target—a three-meter-high boulder—and began charging energy while pointing at it.
“This sword strike is my own creation. It doesn’t require any spirit attribute, no cultivation method requirements, and isn’t bound by sword dao. It’s simply a way to accumulate spirit power for a burst.”
“But what you have to learn isn’t this, but the pure ‘Yi’ at the exact moment my sword strikes.”
Beichen Yue felt Dongfang Xiaotian’s aura soaring, and the sword intent radiating from him made her, a sword dao cultivator, slightly uneasy.
She had only glimpsed such pure sword intent on her master before. Could this be the sword intent of a sword-abandoning cultivator?
Just when Beichen Yue thought Dongfang Xiaotian’s aura would rise to rival Foundation Establishment, it instantly collapsed, becoming unremarkable.
“Did your Immortal Technique fail?”
Beichen Yue assumed Dongfang Xiaotian’s cultivation realm wasn’t high enough and needed a secret technique to boost his power for the strike, feeling sorry for him.
She wanted to urge him to recover and try again, but Dongfang Xiaotian spoke with a serious tone.
“This sword’s ‘Yi’ exists only to slay enemies, break spells, and exterminate evil!”
Dongfang Xiaotian’s last words were slow and deliberate. Before the sound finished, he swung his sword. The long sword roared as a flash of white light passed. The boulder split instantly in two!
Buzz!
The giant rock was sliced as if made of paper, and the sword intent left a long mark on the ground, extending thirty feet.
The miasma around seemed cut apart and lingered, unable to touch the sword scar for a long time.
As before, in terms of power, she could swing a stronger sword strike, but it would be impossible to do the same with so little spirit power!
For a moment, Beichen Yue’s mind couldn’t help but think: this sword could rival Golden Core!
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