Chapter 587: Limit (I)
Time flowed unnoticed in cultivation. After returning to the Martial Alliance, Lin Zheyu settled into a leisurely routine. Aside from his daily cultivation, he spent his time exchanging insights on the martial path with other martial artists, and his days felt exceptionally fulfilling. It gave him the strange sensation of returning to his student years in his previous life. Relaxed, carefree, yet immensely rewarding.
Early that morning, Lin Zheyu arrived at the library. More than a month had passed since his return to Yanwu City. During that time, he had become a frequent visitor, regularly exchanging contributions for texts related to martial cultivation.
Although he had yet to advance into the Shackles realm, he had already reached the point where he needed to begin exploring the road that lay beyond. The Heavenly Dao Shackles within him had undergone a strange transformation, growing incomparably powerful. As a result, breaking free of them had become far more difficult than he had ever imagined.
Because of this, while searching for alternative ways to break his shackles, Lin Zheyu had also begun charting the future course of martial cultivation. Or rather, that journey had already started the moment he created the Primordial Golden Body technique.
The Martial Alliance library contained a vast collection of books. Research records left behind by predecessors who had explored the frontiers of martial cultivation, along with manuals from countless other cultivation systems, provided Lin Zheyu with tremendous assistance. Whenever he encountered a problem in his cultivation, he would come here to search through the relevant texts in hopes of finding an answer.
His footsteps rang crisply against the wooden staircase as he climbed to the third floor of the library. Upon seeing the figure on duty that day, a respectful expression immediately appeared on his face.
"Greetings, Senior." Lin Zheyu bowed respectfully to Xia Ping, who was sitting with his eyes closed in quiet meditation.
After returning to Yanwu City for so long, he had finally met Xia Ping again. The cultivation notes and research records that Xia Ping had gifted him, particularly those concerning the divine repositories and their unexplored depths, had been an enormous help.
Without that jade slip, Lin Zheyu estimated that he would have needed to spend well over a hundred additional units of Origin Force before he could have opened the three great divine repositories.
"Mm." Xia Ping opened his eyes and gave a quiet acknowledgment, his gaze settling upon Lin Zheyu.
He had always thought highly of this junior. Otherwise, he would never have gone out of his way to gift him that jade slip back then. As he examined Lin Zheyu, a slight frown formed between his brows.
A trace of suspicion crossed Xia Ping's mind. What is this? The aura of shackles?
From Lin Zheyu, he vaguely sensed a familiar aura that closely resembled the power of shackles. Yet it was exceedingly faint, so faint that it was nearly imperceptible. It was also very different from the power that leaked out when a martial artist shattered their shackles. Instead, it felt more like the aura emitted when Heavenly Dao Shackles first condensed within the body during the transition from the Divine Repository realm to the Shackles realm.
Strange... What kind of technique has this little fellow cultivated? He can actually conceal even the power leaking from shattered shackles to such an extent, Xia Ping thought in surprise.
Normally, no one could sense the shackles within a martial artist before they were broken. Only during the process of breaking them, when the Heavenly Dao Shackles had shattered but had not yet fully dissolved into the flesh, could the escaping power be detected. As a result, Xia Ping instinctively assumed that the faint trace he had sensed was simply being concealed by one of Lin Zheyu's techniques.
What he could never have imagined was that the shackles within Lin Zheyu had become so powerful that, despite remaining completely intact, the aura they emitted was already strong enough for him to detect. The very idea was simply too unbelievable.
"You've started breaking the shackles within your body?" Xia Ping asked slowly.
A faint sense of disappointment surfaced in his heart. Once a martial artist began breaking their shackles, they lost the qualification to continue exploring the unknown regions of the divine repositories. Xia Ping had devoted immense effort and countless years to the Divine Repository realm, hoping to use the three great divine repositories as a breakthrough point to discover an entirely unprecedented path of martial cultivation. In the end, however, he had failed.
Xia Ping had discovered that the only opportunity to enter the unknown depths of the divine repositories existed before one broke free of their shackles. Once the shackles shattered, the mysterious power contained within them fused into the physique, causing the divine repositories to become completely stabilized.
He had indeed uncovered a hint of the secrets hidden within the divine repositories, but by then he had already broken his first shackle. The voids of his divine repositories had fully stabilized, and with that, he permanently lost the ability to continue exploring those uncharted realms.
"Yes, Senior," Lin Zheyu replied calmly.
He was inwardly surprised that Xia Ping could sense the aura of shackles on him. His shackles were extraordinarily powerful, but they had only recently condensed and were still far from the point of being broken. The power contained within them had not leaked out in the slightest. By all logic, Xia Ping should not have been able to detect them.
"Perhaps that's for the best. The unknown regions hidden within the Divine Repository realm are as elusive as mist. Spending too much time pursuing them is not wise. Perhaps... it was never the right path to begin with." Xia Ping let out a soft sigh, his voice carrying a trace of disappointment.
Another one had failed! Xiao Yu was undoubtedly one of the most gifted martial artists Xia Ping had encountered since joining the Martial Alliance. The others before him had all failed as well. Xia Ping had placed great hopes on Xiao Yu, yet it seemed he had reached the same dead end.
Hearing this, Lin Zheyu hesitated. He was unsure whether to tell Xia Ping about the vast expanse concealed beyond the void space behind the divine repositories. If he revealed it, Xia Ping might be unable to resist investigating it himself, which would create complications. After all, Lin Zheyu carried far too many secrets that could not be exposed.
"The Shackles realm is both the end of martial cultivation and its true beginning. Now that you have stepped onto this path, it is time to start considering what your future marital road will look like," Xia Ping said calmly.
"Please enlighten me, Senior," Lin Zheyu replied respectfully, returning to the present.
In the end, he decided not to reveal the secret hidden within the divine repositories. Once he grew stronger, there would be plenty of time to tell Xia Ping later. With Origin Force at his disposal, that day would not be far off, and Xia Ping could certainly afford to wait.
"I wouldn't call it guidance. Every martial artist who reaches the Shackles realm ultimately walks a different path. Even today, the martial world has yet to produce a universally recognized road beyond the Shackles realm, one suitable for everyone to follow. We, old fellows, may have grown stronger after forging our own paths, but...
"The strongest among us can even rival Deity Transformation realm cultivators. But combat strength and cultivation realms are two entirely different things. No one knows whether the roads we've walked are truly correct. That is why we cannot guide you too deeply. We do not know whether our own paths are right, and if we impose too much of our understanding on you, it may leave traces of our influence on your future martial road.
"Whether that influence proves beneficial or harmful is impossible to predict. No matter which senior you consult in the future, or whose notes you study, never allow their Dao to shape your own martial path.
"To put it politely, these paths simply haven't been proven correct. Their validity remains unknown. But after all these years, none of them have been fully traversed, nor has a subsequent major realm beyond the Shackles realm emerged. The obvious conclusion is that most of them are probably wrong..." Xia Ping said slowly.
Time passed quietly. Lin Zheyu listened attentively as Xia Ping shared his thoughts. He spoke at length about methods for exploring one's future martial path, possible directions to pursue, and pitfalls to avoid. Rather than handing over answers, he was teaching Lin Zheyu how to find them himself.
After listening to everything, Lin Zheyu bowed deeply. "Thank you for your guidance, senior. I will remember your words."
Without Xia Ping's guidance, he would likely have wandered down many unnecessary detours before arriving at these realizations on his own.
"I have my own selfish motives as well. I devoted my entire life to martial cultivation, hoping to carve out a grand road for martial artists, one that could stand alongside the Immortal Dao itself. But I failed. I couldn't even discover the next major realm beyond the Shackles realm. And now, I do not have much time left.
"In the years I have left, I no longer dream of seeing martial cultivation become a supreme path equal to the Immortal Dao. I only hope to witness a truly extraordinary martial artist extend the road of martial cultivation and uncover the next great realm beyond the Shackles realm. I want to see what lies beyond it, and what the next stage of martial cultivation truly looks like." Xia Ping smiled faintly as he spoke, his tone calm and unhurried.
One could say that Xia Ping had lived his entire life for martial cultivation. Gifted beyond measure, he rose from the mortal world, joined a martial sect, and advanced into the Martial Innate realm. He turned down invitations from the major Immortal Dao factions and instead entered the Martial Alliance, devoting himself wholly to the pursuit of martial arts ever since. His greatest regret remained the same; he had failed to extend the path of martial cultivation and discover its true road forward.
Hearing those words, Lin Zheyu opened his mouth, only to find himself at a loss for words. With Xia Ping's strength and realm, there were few things he had not already seen through. He had no need for comfort, nor was Lin Zheyu in any position to offer it.
"I will do my best," Lin Zheyu said after a moment's thought, his tone solemn.