Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Heart that Seeks the Dao

Hong Jian left Sun Yougong’s cave and returned to Snowpile Cliff, casting aside those troublesome matters and immersing herself in rigorous cultivation day and night.

After breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, she felt her divine sense had grown much stronger, opening up vast empty space in her sea of consciousness, and her true essence became ever more solid and substantial. Now was the perfect time to focus on advancing her cultivation.

The next day, when Master Ying left Evening Tide Peak, Hong Jian hid in her room and pretended not to notice. She didn’t go out to send off the plague goddess, secretly praying that she wouldn’t see that wicked woman again before forming her golden core.

Jian Hui had met with disaster in the sect’s secret realm, but with Chen Zaizhi apprenticed to Yan Changqing, Yan’s disciples were still four in number.

After moving to Snowpile Cliff, Chen Zaizhi discovered that aside from occasional encounters at Yan Changqing’s abode, he rarely saw Hong Jian. He tried several times to visit and establish rapport with his former junior sister, now senior sister, but was met with closed doors every time. When he managed a few words, Hong Jian was cold and distant, utterly changed from before. Chen Zaizhi was baffled, almost suspecting that Senior Sister had somehow been possessed by Qi Xiuning.

Chen Zaizhi was struggling with the barrier between the sixth and seventh levels of Qi Refining, yearning for guidance. The two senior brothers, following Yan Changqing’s instructions, kept a close eye on the cultivation of their junior brother and sister, especially Ding Chunxue, who had just formed his core and was particularly diligent in supervising the pair.

One day, Ding Chunxue summoned them to train in the Endless Sea. Having just formed his core, he had not yet refined a flying artifact. Owing to cultivation needs, the sect possessed many ship-shaped magical tools. Ding Chunxue casually chose a brocaded sail flying boat, anchored it on the sea’s surface, waited for Hong Jian and Chen Zaizhi to board, then steered it deeper into the Endless Sea.

Hong Jian recalled the mysterious stranger’s warning. Seeing Ding Chunxue stop far from the deep sea—though further in than when Qu Changhe led the group for training—she deliberately asked, “Senior Brother, I’ve never been to the deep sea. Can we fly a bit farther in so I can see it?”

Ding Chunxue, clearly aware of the taboos of the Endless Sea, replied, “That’s not possible. There’s a barrier in the deep sea; the energies become extremely chaotic beyond it. It’s dangerous, and you won’t be able to train properly. With my current cultivation, this is as far as we can safely go.”

Hong Jian remembered the dangerous mission of Shi Qingxiang and the others, feigning curiosity, “Why is there a barrier in the sea? Who could have such tremendous power?”

Ding Chunxue patiently explained, “You didn’t know? That barrier is called the ‘Heaven Curtain,’ set up thousands of years ago by the great Nascent Soul master Shang Qingzui. Back then, the cultivation world was full of talented individuals, and Daoists and Demonic cultivators slaughtered each other relentlessly. Even Nascent Soul masters often perished, entire sects with ten-thousand-year legacies were uprooted, their disciples massacred, and many treasured supreme techniques were lost forever. Later, Daoists gained the upper hand, forcing tens of thousands of demonic cultivators, including several demon lords, to the far side of the Endless Sea. When the demons threatened to return, Shang Qingzui entered the Mirage Temple. In the final chamber, he petitioned the temple for one thing: to erect this barrier in the center of the Endless Sea, separating Daoists and Demons. Only then did peace return to the land.”

“So that’s how it is,” Hong Jian mused dreamily, then reconsidered: “But things aren’t so absolute. Elder Jin and Sect Master Dai clearly found a way to cross the Heaven Curtain. Why must it be Qi Refining apprentices?”

Unable to understand, she set aside the question and asked Ding Chunxue, “Senior Brother, does the Nascent Soul master Xing Wuyai live near the Heaven Curtain? Can he break through it?”

Ding Chunxue was emphatic, “He definitely can’t. But Xing Wuyai has free run of most of the Endless Sea on this side of the Curtain. Upon reaching Nascent Soul stage, he has nothing to fear. Remember: never provoke him.”

Senior Brother’s words were a clear warning to Hong Jian and Chen Zaizhi that even Elder Jin was likely no match for Xing Wuyai now. Both were chilled and responded in unison.

Having answered their questions, Ding Chunxue returned to the main topic: “All right. I brought you here today to share some of my own cultivation insights. You may not need them now, but after you build your foundation, these will help you face inner demons and advance smoothly.”

Hong Jian and Chen Zaizhi were moved. Senior Brother’s insights—surely the secret to his repeated breakthroughs—were now to be imparted without reservation. It was wholly unexpected.

Seeing their eyes wide as bronze bells, Ding Chunxue laughed, “In truth, it’s simple, but it depends on whether you can truly do it. The first point is focus. You’ve reached the sixth and seventh levels of Qi Refining at such young ages; not only are your methods sound, but you’re more diligent than most. At fourteen, I had only just reached the third level. But what I mean by focus isn’t just this. Smart people think about many things, and we live much longer than ordinary folk, so distractions multiply. The first thing to cultivate is your Dao heart. Why do you cultivate? To grow stronger and avoid humiliation? To seek true immortality and eternal life? You’re still young; I hope your thoughts remain pure. Otherwise, cultivation becomes exhausting. If you can simply find joy in it, you’ll naturally stay calm and fearless before inner demons.”

Chen Zaizhi bowed to his teachings. Hong Jian pondered deeply—what Senior Brother described sounded easy, but to truly focus solely on the Dao was difficult indeed. She was always self-aware; her motivation for cultivation was precisely the desire to become strong, especially after surviving Jian Hui’s attack and suffering at Master Ying’s hands. These two experiences had affected her profoundly, prompting her to shift her focus from Fang Zheng to herself.

When she was determined to enter the sect’s secret realm, Master Yan Changqing had spoken similarly, warning her that impatience in seeking breakthroughs was harmful. But such things are tied to one’s nature; even knowing they’re unwise, letting go suddenly is never easy.

Ding Chunxue said, “Now, both of you enter meditation and practice. Ignore any changes around you; expend your true essence completely.”

Hong Jian and Chen Zaizhi complied. The brocaded sail flying boat beneath them began to sway slightly, clearly as Ding Chunxue guided it away from its original position. Sea breezes brushed their faces, and the cries of seabirds occasionally sounded from afar. Hong Jian calmed her mind and closed her eyes to cultivate. Following Ding Chunxue’s instructions to exhaust her true essence, she exerted herself fully. After some time, she gradually felt disordered mind and depleted energy, uncomfortable as her essence ran dry.

She opened her eyes and saw Ding Chunxue casting a spell; thin mist flowed from him, enveloping herself and Chen Zaizhi. Instantly, her mind cleared, and her true essence surged back rapidly. Senior Brother’s primary cultivation, it seemed, was the art of restoring others’ true essence.

Just then, the boat rocked violently. Hong Jian felt large drops of water suddenly fall from the sky, splattering onto her body, as Ding Chunxue steered the brocaded sail flying boat into a rain cloud hovering above the sea.