Sun Lingtong continually reminisced, trying to find a way to help Ning Zhuo.
Then he realized—
It was his countless injuries, many of which endangered his life!
It was the numerous sleepless nights over more than a decade!
It was the prolonged pain and suffering.
It was… Ning Zhuo!
Yes, Sun Lingtong had also once been greedy for success, trying by all means, regardless of the consequences, to improve his cultivation level, to recklessly increase his combat power, all to facilitate the search for his master.
Sometimes, the physical pain and wounds he suffered provided a strange sense of solace.
Numerous times, the pain forced him to interrupt his cultivation practice, lying idle on the sickbed all day long, which ironically became a rare chance to rest and recuperate.
If a person's heartstrings are stretched too tightly, they will eventually snap completely.
Sun Lingtong deeply understood that physical pain could sometimes serve as an outlet for the anguish of the soul.
"Little Zhuo has repressed himself too harshly, for too long."
"If his mother had died completely, it would have been over and done with—and that would be better. But Meng Yaoyin survived, albeit in the form of a mechanical artifact."
"Alas, in order to save her son, a mother was willing to transform herself into a mechanical artifact. And now, the son, for the sake of his mother, is recklessly cultivating other techniques to such an irrational extent!"
"However, if it were me and my master, I would do the same."
"Ah… in truth, it was Little Zhuo who saved me."
Upon reflection, Sun Lingtong suddenly realized that it was the continuous growth of those around him, their increasing presence in his life, that distracted his energy and directed it towards Ning Zhuo, thereby preventing Sun Lingtong from entering a dead end.
Over the past decade, Sun Lingtong had adjusted bit by bit, no longer being so extreme. In the balance of his heart, through Ning Zhuo on one side, he gradually balanced out the side of his master.
From Ning Zhuo's perspective, Sun Lingtong had brought him tremendous help.
From Sun Lingtong's perspective, Ning Zhuo's very existence was preventing Sun Lingtong from deviating.
Precisely because of this, by the time the competition at the Lava Fairy Palace concluded and Meng Kui assumed the role of Immortal Palace Master, Sun Lingtong was able to calmly accept the answers still beyond his master's reach.
Seeing Ning Zhuo in such a state, Sun Lingtong empathized deeply. It was for this reason that he had punished Ning Zhuo with confinement, forbidding him any form of cultivation.
In doing so, by simulating his own past injuries that left him bedridden and immobile, he forced Ning Zhuo to rest, hoping the latter would comprehend Sun Lingtong's painstaking intentions.
"Little Zhuo's pain has persisted for too long, he is luckier than I am, yet also more unfortunate!"
"Because in his mother, there truly still lies hope."
"But in this damned thing called life, sometimes hope can make the suffering even more intense."
"As the boss, I cannot stand idly by."
Sun Lingtong left part of his mind to monitor the progress of the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, then he took out a jade slip and began to comprehend the "Fetal Breathing Technique" copied onto it.
Before long, Sun Lingtong's eyebrows slightly lifted: "This cultivation technique is truly exceptional!"
Ning Zhuo returned to the solitude of his cabin, also pondering over the problems that had arisen within him.
Sun Lingtong's recent scolding and the decision to confine him took him back to the past.
In the Fire Persimmon Immortal City, over the past decade or so, he had not been without fault. Whenever he made a particularly serious mistake, Sun Lingtong would scold him like this.
With each scolding, Ning Zhuo felt Sun Lingtong's concern for him.
This time was no exception.
"I went too far," sighed Ning Zhuo.
"The dantian is established, you cannot cultivate other techniques… This is the most basic common sense, yet I stubbornly went my own way."
Remembering his state of mind at the time, Ning Zhuo also felt he had made a grave mistake!
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"It was my mindset that was wrong,"
"The trip to Ten Thousand Medicine Valley greatly benefited me. My close combat weakness was substantially remedied, now considered up to standard for my peers."
"My ability to use spells for long-range combat has skyrocketed, increasing tremendously."
"I also developed two sets of Mechanical Fist and Feet as new trump cards."
"The strange encounter with the Luminous Mirror has allowed my Five Elements Realm to achieve unbelievable growth! This has given me a huge boost in combat and refinement, among other aspects."
"I also discovered that I do indeed harbor a second Innate talent, and it's even an Immortal Aptitude!"
"So, I became arrogant and started to let my pride swell, feeling a brashness in my heart. That's why, when I began to comprehend the 'Fetal Breathing Technique,' the Spirit Hidden Willow came to mind first."
"This thought contains the impetuousness and restlessness of my heart."
"By the time I studied the 'Fetal Breathing Technique,' my impatience muddled my thoughts, and I lost my rationality to the point of personally practicing the 'Fetal Breathing Technique.'"
"I was utterly foolish!"
Ning Zhuo deeply reflected and eventually concluded, "I became conceited! I forgot the care and guidance Boss Sun has always shown me."
"What am I, really?"
"What do I have to be proud of?"
"Even if I possess Immortal Aptitude, don't others have it too? Meng Chong has it, Yuan Dasheng has it, but what became of them? Immortal Aptitude doesn't amount to much."
"Even with my advanced Five Elements Realm, so what? It's not like I accumulated it through my own efforts alone. I've been lifted by the legacy of the sages and aided by the Spirit Hidden Willow. What's there to be proud of?"
"I must be humble, I must be cautious!"
Several days later.
The strands of silver in the void gradually thinned, and suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness ahead.
"We're about to reach our destination," Sun Lingtong saw and hurriedly put away the Jade Slip in her hand, intently watching the front.
The light expanded rapidly, engulfing the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon almost instantaneously.
Sun Lingtong's view changed suddenly. She was high in the sky, overlooking an entire forest.
Here stood towering trees like pillars, known as Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees. Each one rooted firmly in the ground, reaching high into the clouds, their trunks built up with rocks, resembling mountains.
Thousands of Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees combined to form an immense forest. Vast and shadowy, they blocked out the sun, with an aura that was chilling to the heart.
"Thousand Peak Forest, here we are!" Sun Lingtong muttered to herself, her expression growing cautious.
The Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees originated from Jianmu.
The latter is a well-known Wood Element treasure of virtue. It grows between heaven and earth, hundreds of feet tall, straight without branches, with nine twists and nine turns below, its fruits like hemp seeds, and its leaves as sharp as awns, where gods ascend to the sky.
Jianmu is even taller than the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees, linking heaven and earth as a ladder of Qiankun, with which one could climb from the ground to the sky.
The source of the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees is Jianmu. Jianmu is sacred, and the Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees share this feature.
Therefore, these giant trees are excellent places for the birth of gods.
Additionally, Liangzhu Country was established later than others, so the Thousand Peak Forest has long been inhabited by indigenous Barbarian Clans. Coupled with the natural environment and public worship, it has resulted in numerous and various gods spread like stars in the night sky.
The Barbarian Clan split into hundreds of groups, competing against each other. The gods supported some and led wars, fighting each other for offerings.
As a result, Thousand Peak Forest has always been in a state of incessant struggle throughout history.
Today you fight me, tomorrow I fight you.
In such a chaotic state, it naturally became the preferred hiding place for serious offenders on the run and a lawless land where heretics linger without return.
"There are people below." Sun Lingtong, controlling the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, noticed a group of cultivators moving on one of the nearby Heavenly Pillar Giant Trees.
These cultivators, each dressed in black robes with faces hidden under hoods, walked with chilling winds, like ghosts roaming, sending shivers down the spine.
"Let's go have a look." Curiosity rose in Sun Lingtong.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, already inconspicuous in size, flew down directly, starting to follow undetected.
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