Chapter 35: What Ancients Dare Not, Descendants Must Not
Chapter 35: What Ancients Dare Not, Descendants Must Not
"Senior Brother Feng, are you alright?"
As Lin Yuan sorted through his thoughts, Qingping, the little Taoist disciple, cautiously approached him.
The other three little disciples stood at a distance, not daring to come closer.
"I'm fine," Lin Yuan shook his head.
Compared to the intrigue and deception outside, Longhu Mountain felt like a breath of fresh air.
The four little disciples from the True Martial Library usually got along well with Lin Yuan.
Even when Lin Yuan was scolded by Master Cang Qing, they didn't mock him but instead showed genuine concern.
Even Master Cang Qing himself, upon realizing Lin Yuan's 'deviation', didn't immediately give up on him but instead thought of a way to bring him back through the body tempering technique, despite the irreversible damage it would cause to himself.
"The Master must have made a mistake," Qingping said softly.
"I've only managed to comprehend one aspect of the Taiyin Infinite and Taiyang Infinite, and it was already so difficult," he continued.
"For Senior Brother Feng to comprehend two at once, you must be incredibly talented," another disciple added.
Qingping wasn't lying. After barely scratching the surface of Taiyang Infinite, he tried to comprehend Taiyin Infinite and found it immensely challenging.
Before he started cultivating either of the two, he could still vaguely sense the Taiyin and Taiyang energies through the fire and ice pearls.
But once he gained a foothold in Taiyang Infinite, he couldn't sense the Taiyin energy at all.
If he couldn't even perceive the Taiyin energy, how could he hope to comprehend Taiyin Infinite?
Thus, in Qingping's eyes, Lin Yuan's ability to cultivate both Taiyin Infinite and Taiyang Infinite simultaneously was an extraordinary feat.
"Is that so?" Lin Yuan smiled faintly.
He chatted with the disciples for a while before immersing himself in cultivation once more.
To be precise, with his heaven-defying comprehension talent, Lin Yuan gained new insights and epiphanies constantly.
Especially after reading the insights left by the previous generations of Celestial Masters on the stone walls.
While the Celestial Masters of the Celestial Master's Mansion may not have cultivated both the Yin and Yang paths like Lin Yuan, their insights often inspired him.
"Marvelous!"
"Who knew the power of the sun could be harnessed in such a way!"
Lin Yuan sat in front of the stone wall of the first Celestial Master, his eyes shining with excitement.
After spending so much time perusing the stone walls, Lin Yuan had categorized the Celestial Masters of the mansion into three tiers in his mind.
The first tier belonged to the first Celestial Master, whose strength was undoubtedly the most formidable among all the Celestial Masters, setting him apart by a wide margin.
Especially on the path of Taiyang Infinite, the first Celestial Master had delved into its depths.
Following the first Celestial Master were the second, third, fifteenth, and twenty-eighth Celestial Masters, who comprised the second tier.
While they may not have matched the prowess of the first Celestial Master, they were still noticeably more accomplished than the rest.
Each of them had achieved a significant level of mastery in either Taiyin Infinite or Taiyang Infinite.
As for the remaining Celestial Masters, they paled in comparison to the first two tiers and seemed somewhat 'ordinary'.
However, even the weakest among them possessed strength far beyond the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, capable of dominating the world.
"My path should not be limited by the predecessors. I shall surpass all the Celestial Masters," Lin Yuan vowed, his determination unwavering as he sat cross-legged.
Just then, Lin Yuan's heart stirred, and he turned his gaze toward the entrance.
Moments later, a Celestial Master from the mansion hurried in.
"Disciple Zhang, someone is looking for you," he said.
Even though Master Cang Qing had lost faith in Lin Yuan and even considered giving up on him, Lin Yuan's status in the Celestial Master's Mansion remained unparalleled.
As the chosen disciple recognized by the True Martial Glowing Sabre, once he became a Celestial Master, he would preside over the entire mansion. And even if he failed to attain that position, no one could command him, not even the current Master of the mansion.
"Uncle Changqing?" Lin Yuan stepped out of the library and saw Daoist Changqing.
Lin Yuan held Daoist Changqing in high regard. After all, if it weren't for him, Lin Yuan wouldn't have survived all those years ago; he would have either frozen or starved to death.
While his heaven-defying comprehension talent allowed Lin Yuan to break through limits and grasp various secret arts, there were still boundaries to what he could achieve.
Even with his extraordinary talent, an infant's body couldn't withstand prolonged starvation, even if he did enter a state of 'hibernation'.
Moreover, Daoist Changqing had been on good terms with his father, and although he hadn't arrived in time back then, he had treated Lin Yuan well over the years.
"Feng'er, I heard that you upset the Master quite a bit," Daoist Changqing said with a hint of amusement as he looked at Lin Yuan fondly.
"I have indeed fallen short of the Master's expectations," Lin Yuan nodded.
Master Cang Qing's hope for Lin Yuan was for him to become a Celestial Master.
But Lin Yuan's ambition went beyond that—he aimed to surpass all Celestial Masters.
"Hahahaha!" Daoist Changqing burst into laughter. "The Master usually keeps his emotions well-hidden. It's quite amusing to see him so ruffled by you."
Then, Daoist Changqing's expression turned serious as he asked, "Feng'er, do you know why I'm here today?"
"Did the Master ask you to persuade me?" Lin Yuan guessed.
"Indeed," Daoist Changqing nodded. "The Master wants me to convince you to accept the body tempering technique and follow in the footsteps of the previous Celestial Masters. He hopes that you will embark on the path of a Celestial Master."
"However, it seems that I don't need to persuade you anymore."
"As long as you're happy, don't worry too much about becoming a Celestial Master or not."
As he spoke, Daoist Changqing seemed to recall something, and his eyes glazed over as if he were lost in thought.
"Back then, your father and I were good friends. When your mother was pregnant with you, I wrote to him asking what he hoped his son would achieve in life."
Daoist Changqing continued in a soft voice, "I thought your father would say that he wanted his son to become a famous hero, renowned throughout the world, or at the very least, inherit the Zhang Family Castle."
"But your father only wished for you to live a happy life."
"In this life, one can choose to live happily or live with pressure. The Celestial Masters of the Celestial Master's Mansion were unrivaled in the world, but look at them now—they're all dead and gone."
"What's the point of worrying about legacy when you're dead? All that matters is how you choose to live."
Daoist Changqing heaved a sigh. "I just hope that you won't regret the path you've chosen."
Lin Yuan was taken aback by Daoist Changqing's words. He had expected the latter to be an envoy of Master Cang Qing, trying to persuade him to change his ways.
But instead, Daoist Changqing was speaking from his perspective, offering him advice without any prejudice.
After Daoist Changqing left, Lin Yuan once again immersed himself in cultivation and enlightenment. With the insights left by the previous generations of Celestial Masters on the stone walls and his own heaven-defying comprehension talent, Lin Yuan's cultivation speed increased significantly.
According to Lin Yuan's estimations, it would take him at most ten years to push both the Taiyin Infinite and the Taiyang Infinite to a level beyond the Heavenly Phenomenon realm.
On this day, as Lin Yuan was cultivating, a scruffy-looking Taoist priest appeared silently behind him.
"Uncle Pingyang," Lin Yuan exclaimed, feigning surprise, and quickly greeted the newcomer.
Compared to Master Cang Qing, Lin Yuan was much more familiar with Pingyang Zhenren. Before the journey to the Sword Tomb, Pingyang Zhenren often chatted casually with the disciples at the waist-level courtyard, showing none of the aloofness that one would expect from a Heavenly Phenomenon realm cultivator.
"Remarkable!" Pingyang Zhenren exclaimed, nodding his head in admiration. "Cultivating both the Taiyin Infinite and the Taiyang Infinite simultaneously is something that none of the Celestial Masters of the Celestial Master's Mansion have achieved."
Among the thirty-six Celestial Masters, only the third Celestial Master had considered cultivating both the Yin and Yang paths. However, he attempted to introduce the Yin energy after becoming a Celestial Master, and the outcome was not favorable.
The fact that Lin Yuan was already contemplating and experimenting with this idea even before becoming a Celestial Master indeed showed that he was worthy of the True Martial Glowing Sabre's recognition.
"Thank you, Uncle Pingyang, for your praise," Lin Yuan said calmly.
"But have you thought about the path ahead?" Pingyang Zhenren asked. "While cultivating both the Taiyin Infinite and the Taiyang Infinite may allow you to reach the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, if you wish to become a Celestial Master and transcend that realm, your true qi will need to undergo a transformation. As you juggle both Yin and Yang, once this transformation begins, the two forces will repel each other, and you know what the consequences will be."
The consequence he was referring to was what happened to the third Celestial Master—instant death due to the explosion of his body.
"Uncle Pingyang," Lin Yuan said, "I've already thought about this."
"The reason why the Yin and Yang forces repel each other during the true qi transformation is that they are not unified."
"If I can merge the Yin and Yang forces and create an entirely new power before breaking through the Heavenly Phenomenon realm once again—"
Lin Yuan shared his idea, which he had been contemplating for many days, using his heaven-defying comprehension talent to deduce the possible outcomes.
"Merge the Yin and Yang forces?" Pingyang Zhenren interrupted. "You mean to merge the Taiyin Infinite and the Taiyang Infinite into one?"
"Are you insane? These are two completely opposing forces. If merging them is impossible, how can you even think of blending them?"
Pingyang Zhenren's mouth went dry as Lin Yuan's idea truly startled him. It was like trying to merge fire and water. The best-case scenario would be partially extinguishing the fire or evaporating some of the water. More likely, the water would be entirely evaporated, and the fire would be severely weakened. The most probable outcome, however, was the mutual destruction of both elements, with no other possibility.
"You're insane! Absolutely insane!" Pingyang Zhenren exclaimed. "Merging the Taiyin Infinite and the Taiyang Infinite is absurd! No one in the history of cultivation has dared to attempt such a thing!"
"Not even the first Celestial Master could achieve this!"
"Throughout the ages, no one will ever have such a thought!"
Pingyang Zhenren muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on Lin Yuan, filled with disbelief.
While it might be barely possible to temper these two extreme forces through the human body and cultivate them separately, merging them was akin to courting death. It was something that ancient cultivators dared not try, and no one in the future would be able to accomplish it either.
Pingyang Zhenren opened his mouth as if to say something more, but he ultimately held his tongue. He could see the determination in Lin Yuan's eyes, a resolute will to merge the Yin and Yang paths.
"Ai!" Pingyang Zhenren sighed and turned to leave.
Lin Yuan watched Pingyang Zhenren's retreating figure and then stepped out of the library, gazing down at the mountain below.
"What the ancients dared not do, the descendants must not attempt," Lin Yuan said, lifting his head slightly as the Taiyin and Taiyang forces interwove and clashed within his eyes.
"But I will."
(End of Chapter)
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