Chapter 284: Chapter 8 Karma Collection, Let me see your limits
Iron Pillar Temple, Three Pure Ones Hall.
Before the solemn statues of the Three Pure Ones, Zhang Daoyi sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, clearly having entered a dream state to participate in the Promotion Ceremony.
Beside him sat the Fourth Prince, Ji Chengyuan, and Meng Xiwu, facing each other and quietly waiting.
Outside the hall, a large number of guards stood vigilant.
A middle-aged eunuch with a pale, beardless face entered from outside the hall, came forward, and whispered, "Your Highness, there’s news from the palace that His Majesty is meeting with Elder Tianxuan of the Dinghu Sect."
The Fourth Prince did not respond, only nodding slightly as an indication he understood.
Inadvertently, he seemed to casually look outside the hall. There, a flash of invisible sword momentum swept by.
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"At 23, Jiang Li went to sea to do business. With his exceptional calculation power and extraordinary scheming, he earned his first pot of gold, and then... almost went bankrupt."
"Even with memories unsealed and the calculation power and wisdom from his cultivation and Dao Fruit still intact, Jiang Li still almost experienced bankruptcy due to unfamiliarity with some rules of his former life."
"Therefore, Jiang Li chose to collude with government officials."
"At 24, Jiang Li became one of the top ten outstanding youths."
"At 34, Jiang Li achieved success and fame."
"At 35, Jiang Li retired."
"Afterward, time seemed to accelerate, and in the blink of an eye, more than thirty years had passed."
The red light of the setting sun shone through the transparent glass, illuminating the graying strands of hair, as Jiang Li quietly watched the text automatically emerge in front of him, a kind of enlightenment rising from his heart.
All in all, it had been forty years.
Initially, whether to let go of obsessions, Jiang Li had always hesitated.
Because in his view, the way back might only be found at First Grade, and by then, after the long years, would he still cherish memories of his family?
Time could erode everything, including emotions.
The twenty-odd years of his former life weighed against the unknown many years to come were clearly outweighed by the latter.
Based on this thought, Jiang Li always harbored concerns. And these concerns deepened his nostalgia for family ties, trapping him in a cycle, leading him to temporarily shelf the idea, effectively escaping it.
This was his only mental vulnerability.
Yellow Millet Dream revealed this vulnerability and forced Jiang Li to make a choice: to let go of the obsession, focus on cultivation, sever worldly ties, or to hold on, keep the burden, and continue forward.
At that time, Jiang Li did not make a direct decision but left the answer to time.
If time truly could dilute everything, then there would be no need for a decision when the time came; Jiang Li would have let go.
If not, then he would keep it, even if it meant he couldn’t ascend to the Daoist Dao Fruit of Pure Yang. After all, could a man really be confined by a Uniqueness Dao Fruit?
Now, time had indeed given Jiang Li his answer.
His aged face gradually became younger, the vicissitudes of the years washed away.
"If one is to let go, it should not be because they fear the negative impacts of obsession."
"If one cannot let go, it should also not be with a burdened heart that they choose to keep it."
The answer brought by the years was detachment. To let go or not was entirely up to one’s own heart, not because of some influence on their decisions.
"True flawlessness is unaffected by externalities and also does not fear the erosion of time."
Jiang Li did not need to let go; after spending a long time, he had already looked past time. There was no need to worry about the impact of obsessions or the wear of time.
As he struggled with whether to let go, any choice made would be wrong.
The Karma Collection automatically opened to a new page, before the record from three and a half years ago, comprising a note from Jiang Li’s past life.
"If one day I can reach First Grade, then I should try to find a way back. But for now, I should focus on how to surpass my master and senior sister. That is what I should care about."
"Jiang Li embraced the past and also let it go."
New text appeared on the Karma Collection, and the surrounding scene gradually faded away.
By the time Jiang Li had fully regained his youth, he detached from the dream and was about to wake up.
...
...
Books lend length, absence shortens it.
Years went by in the dream, but in reality, the Yellow Millet was not yet ripe.
A faint luster converged in mid-air, manifesting the phantom of a Daoist. Clad in a bright yellow Dao robe and topped with a Huayang Cloth, Pure Yang flawless, his spirit clear, the Daoist’s appearance immediately brought a sensation of Perfection, as comforting as the sun and as nourishing as the spring rain.
The phantom of the Daoist then moved toward the small pavilion.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, an invisible pull from the Three Pure Ones Hall slightly delayed the phantom.
"Both of them have passed the Yellow Millet Dream?!"
Tong Yuanzi couldn’t help but clutch his beard, "And the timing is almost the same?"
If that were the case, it would be quite a headache, but fortunately, the one who needed to worry was not him, but the Daoist’s phantom.
Even better, the phantom of the Daoist had no worries of its own.
So, after a brief hesitation, the Dao Fruit of the Pure Yang True Man still followed its original trajectory towards the small pavilion.
"How dare you!"
Tong Yuanzi suddenly shouted, and with a flick of his Palm Leaf Fan, a vortex of Gang Wind surged, striking at an empty spot on the right.
"Bang!"
The Gang Wind exploded, seemingly striking nothing, yet it cleaved like hitting a sword blade, then exploded outward, whipping up a wild gust.
"Assassin!"
Ming Yue cried out sharply, while the gentle breeze pulled a companion and dodged behind Tong Yuanzi.
"Dao Fruit ascension is by merit, sir, do not deceive yourself."
Tong Yuanzi spoke sternly, his beard and hair fluttering, no longer the relaxed demeanor he once showed, displaying an elevation of presence.
But what responded to him was an even more elevated Sword Light.
The Sword Light seemed to originate from the void, opened and divided all creation, and wherever it passed, all ways changed, slicing through everything.
It merely appeared, yet it split the small pavilion in half, the sword momentum so mighty and sharp it seemed to sever the heavens and shatter all existence.
Stimulated by this sword momentum, the starlight on Jiang Li’s body couldn’t stop fluctuating, almost prompting the defense system to withdraw the True Qi from his body automatically.
But if that were to happen, it was very likely to interrupt Jiang Li’s ascension, potentially ruining the Promotion Ceremony.
"Fourth Grade Killing Move!"
Tong Yuanzi faced the sword momentum head-on, his body covered in fine sword marks, and he couldn’t help but cry out, sweeping his leg and breaking a gap in the sword momentum, allowing him to quickly move aside with two Daoist boys.
Thus, Jiang Li faced the mighty and sharp sword directly, seeing the light streaming across the sky, and in an instant —
Moonlight shone upon Jiang Li, an inexplicable connection pulling him to depart from the dream prematurely. Sitting up, he opened his eyes, his body covered in starlight, as the phantom flew into Jiang Li’s body like swallows returning to their nest.
"Karma Collection, let me see your limits."