A Few Tales of Cultivation

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“Cultivators, though living alongside ordinary mortals in this world, exist as a separate order entirely unto themselves. Mortals are bound to the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and a human life may last but a fleeting few decades—those who live past a hundred are exceedingly rare.”

“But for cultivators, it is not so. With a mortal body, they seize the fortunes of heaven and earth, study the supreme arts, and seek the very source of the Dao. In the end, if they attain the Dao and become immortals, they share the lifespan of heaven and earth, shine alongside the sun and moon, and achieve ultimate freedom. Such is the cultivator!”

Father Yu spoke gently to his two children.

Yu Daoyi’s eyes glittered with longing, deeply moved by his father’s depiction of living as long as the heavens and earth, shining with the sun and moon.

Mother, if I could truly cultivate to such a level and become that powerful, even father wouldn’t dare to strike me anymore. Then I could finally walk tall and proud!

That’s all this fellow aspires to...

Even Xiao Yunfan, who had at first worn an indifferent expression, was now visibly excited, a look of yearning flickering in his eyes.

“All those who reach the great realm of cultivation possess the might to move mountains and fill seas, to command heaven and earth with a gesture. If one can overcome the Three Tribulations of Ascension, they may soar to the Immortal Realm and become an immortal!”

“The Immortal Realm? Does it truly exist? Is there really another world different from ours?” Yu Daoyi was filled with doubt. Though he had read many novels in his previous life that spoke often of such things, the certainty of an immortal realm still left him astounded and questioning.

“Do you know what this world we inhabit is called?” Father Yu looked at his children’s puzzled faces, feeling a surge of pride. “The Mortal Dust Realm—that is the name of this world, said to be bestowed by the first being who shattered the void and ascended to the Immortal Realm.”

“The Mortal Dust Realm is divided into eight dominions, named after Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow, Universe, Flood, Wilds, and Wasteland.”

“Since ancient times, countless prodigies have emerged in the Mortal Dust Realm, yet such talents often meet with untimely ends.”

“The Mortal Dust Realm is vast, so vast that in every era, a new generation of heaven’s chosen arises. But how many truly ascend to the pinnacle, survive all tribulations, and achieve immortality? Most merely serve as stepping stones for those with the potential to become immortals, or worse, are all destroyed, and not a single cultivator of an age steps into the Immortal Realm.”

As Father Yu spoke, Xiao Cai and Xiao Yunfan’s gazes grew resolute.

Xiao Yunfan: To attain the Dao and become immortal!

Xiao Cai: To be awesome! One must show off in youth! Oh, and to avoid father’s beatings!

Seeing that his children were undaunted by his words, Father Yu was somewhat pleased. A true strong one must possess the resolve and perseverance to fear no hardship.

Yes, just like himself!

“As the saying goes, there are three thousand ways of the Dao, each manifest as a world. The realm we inhabit is but an appendage of one of these three thousand worlds. The universe is vast beyond imagination; there are countless such small worlds as ours. The Mortal Dust Realm is, in the end, but dust. Compared to the Three Thousand Worlds, its systems and laws are incomplete, let alone when set against the Six Great Realms among those three thousand.”

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“The Six Great Realms are the Immortal Realm, Human Realm, Demon Realm, Netherworld Realm, Devil Realm, and Buddhist Realm.”

“These six realms, within the Three Thousand Worlds, surpass all others in the perfection of their natural laws and heavenly order.”

“In this world, at most, beings below the level of immortals can exist. When one’s cultivation reaches a certain level, the world’s heavenly laws will forcibly send them to the Three Thousand Worlds—that is ascension.”

“What if a cultivator who reaches the immortal realm tries to remain here?” Quiet until now, Xiao Yunfan posed his question.

“If a cultivator attains immortality and forcibly stays in this world, only two outcomes are possible: either the world’s heavenly order erases them, or they destroy this world.”

“Destroy this world???” Yu Daoyi stared up in disbelief.

My word, how terrifying.

“That’s only a theoretical possibility. After all, this world is small and can contain nothing above the level of immortals. Otherwise, it would collapse under the burden of such power. An immortal’s strength is far beyond our imagination. After passing through the tribulation, when their spiritual energy transforms into immortal essence, a mere gesture could lay waste to heaven and earth.”

“Of course, this is all but impossible—unless one’s foundation is so deep that, before ascending, they already possess power equal to an immortal and can resist the will of this world.”

“In nearly all cases, it’s simply a snap—the heavenly order will annihilate anyone who tries to remain. The heavenly order is, after all, the heavenly order. A newly ascended immortal cannot stir up much. Even with the power to destroy worlds, a newborn immortal who does not yet know how to wield such strength is only somewhat stronger than before the tribulation, still far from a true immortal.”

So this is what it means—father will always be father, unmatched in his might! Xiao Cai mused to himself.

“Father, you just spoke of the three thousand ways of the Dao, each becoming a world. Does this mean there are three thousand great Daos? But I have heard the saying that the Dao is fifty in number. Isn’t this a contradiction?” Yu Daoyi asked.

Father Yu looked at his son in mild surprise, not expecting such erudition from his own child.

“The three thousand Daos refer to the three thousand ways, which manifest as worlds; this is the Law. The fifty Daos refers to the total of all things’ operation and development between heaven and earth; this is the Way. The three thousand ways are merely evolutions from these fifty Daos.”

“Alas, of the fifty great Daos, heaven reveals only forty-nine, keeping one hidden.”

“Through the ages, through countless millennia, how many have tried to grasp the elusive Dao? How many have sought that single chance of escape? Yet how many have fallen along the path, and how many have truly comprehended the Dao?”

“This world is never short of prodigies, nor is it lacking in the fallen.”

Listening to their father’s explanations, Xiao Cai and Xiao Yunfan half-understood, but at least grasped that this path was paved with the bodies of the fallen; to walk it is to be surrounded by peril, death a constant companion.

The cold moonlight falls, and you’re left with nothing but a box...

Page 3 of 3

“Ahem, let’s return to the matter at hand. I digress.”

“Today, I will lead you both to step truly into the world of cultivation. Do you wish to take this path?”

Father Yu regarded them seriously, knowing this would shape the rest of their lives. If they refused, he would protect them all their days, let them marry and have children as ordinary mortals, and live out their lives in peace and safety.

But if they chose to walk this road, he would become their guide, impart all that he could, and truly lead them into the world of cultivation.

Yu Daoyi and Xiao Yunfan saw the gravity in their father’s eyes and understood that this was a turning point in their lives.

“I wish to cultivate!” Xiao Yunfan looked at his father with unwavering determination.

“And you?”

Yu Daoyi looked at his younger brother, then at his father, and suddenly smiled.

“Yes.”

In my former life, I never truly had a family, nor did I know my birth parents. In this life, I was born into this home, blessed with the bonds of blood, and I know that you before me are my dearest kin, the ones I wish to protect with my very life.

Last life, I left before I could properly repay those who helped me. Though I died without regret, I left behind endless longing. In this life, I will not allow regrets. I will cherish this hard-won kinship and stay by your side to protect you.

Before, at the end, I was utterly alone, with no attachments. In this life, I will give everything! Only so as not to be a burden, only so I may always remain by your side!

I made this choice long ago—when my brother was born five years ago, no, from the moment I became your child.

No matter how perilous the road ahead, no matter how many tribulations or how hopeless it may seem, I will press forward without hesitation, never forgetting my original intent. This is the path I have chosen!

Outside, night falls. A gentle breeze stirs. All is still; no cicadas sing, no fireflies glow.

Within, the lamplight flickers, casting shadows of a few figures upon the walls.

I am no longer alone.