Chapter 35: Steadfast Blue Sky, Yearning for the Abyss

Chapter 35: Steadfast Blue Sky, Yearning for the Abyss

These five short words carry profound meaning.

“Knowing fate but not being bound by it” literally means understanding one’s destined path but not yielding to it.

Isn’t this a direct response to her words? It completely penetrates her mental state.

To know one’s fate means to be aware of their righteous path, and not yielding means not to submit willingly to this pre-arranged path of righteousness.

This phrase encourages her to follow her true feelings and not blindly stick to the predestined righteous path of cultivation, advancement, and monster-slaying, receiving rewards and accolades, only to repeat the cycle of slaying monsters and receiving favors. She shouldn’t keep walking this road, or else she would just be resigning herself to fate.

She has not completely lost her wits; aside from that stubborn thought in her heart, she still possesses reason. Not yielding does not mean she utterly abandons the bright righteous path to obey her whims entirely, but rather seeks a balance between the righteous path and her misguided notions.

Moreover, these five words do not urge her to follow her heart to an extreme.

The two words “know fate” merely advise her to clarify her own position—she is a person of righteousness, and no matter what choice she makes, it must not contradict this position.

Understanding this, she realizes that she has been wavering between the azure sea and the endless abyss, yet this is not a multiple-choice question but rather an essay question: how to uphold a steadfast position in the azure sea while journeying towards the abyss in search of her own life’s meaning.

Perhaps this is her own trial, a significant hurdle that is far tougher than any challenge she has faced before.

Qin Shili broke into a rare smile, akin to an icy mountain in winter encountering warm sunshine.

With that, things became quite interesting; this presents an unprecedentedly challenging task. The existence of this goal dispels her previous confusion, at least it has given her direction.

Qin Shili felt much better; not only had her strange thoughts been understood, but they were also met with kind responses and guidance.

But what kind of person could use just five short words to steer her, who was so lost?

Qin Shili glanced around, seemingly feeling that this mysterious power was watching her from some distant corner.

Close yet far away.

[Thank you]

Qin Shili wrote three words on a piece of paper, then gently flipped the pages, closing the book.

There’s no need to seek him out deliberately; one day, she will meet him, and the arrival of that day will signify her success in overcoming this barrier and finding her own definition of life.

……

Tianling Mountain, Zhoudao Valley.

[Shuqin, you aren’t in good form; it is advised to rest well before continuing your cultivation.]

Han Fairy’s reminder echoed in Liu Shuqin’s mind. Indeed, her condition had not been great lately, and her cultivation had come to a standstill.

Master Han Fairy told her to rest first, but she couldn’t stop.

She did not possess exceptional talent; she merely entered early and worked diligently, step by step reaching the sixth level of spiritual realm.

But once she hit the sixth level, she stagnated and couldn’t grasp higher spirit techniques or formations, perhaps due to her aptitude and wisdom.

If it comes to wisdom, she is far behind her two junior sisters. Qin Shili, needless to say, is recognized throughout the sect for her seventh-level strength, while the little junior sister Su Kexin has made rapid progress since she returned from Candle Star Town.

As for Lin Nuo, that goes without saying. His strength is unclear, but judging by his accomplishments in Wind Sea Forest, he might far surpass her.

As the eldest senior sister, how could she become the weakest? Where would her pride be then?

She couldn’t rest; she had to seize the time to cultivate. If she continued lagging behind her junior brothers and sisters, she might genuinely hit rock bottom.

“Today, I must successfully practice the Wind Spirit Array.”

Liu Shuqin arranged the formation, holding her breath, concentrated, and channeled her spiritual energy into the array.

The sixth-level Wind Spirit Array is a large formation capable of covering several miles, but Liu Shuqin hadn’t yet grasped it. She could only attempt a smaller array. Yet, even the small array had eluded her success time and again.

[It must succeed!]

Liu Shuqin kept praying in her heart as the array glimmered with dazzling spirit light, and a strong wind began to swirl.

The wind grew fiercer, sweeping up leaves from the ground.

Is it about to succeed?

She felt thrilled; this time, the array seemed more promising than before, surely success was on the horizon.

However, the gust subsided, and the spirit light vanished.

“What the…?”

She had thought she was in a great state, yet she still failed…

Continuing on, she could only try again and again.

As she practiced the Wind Spirit Array, the result remained the same; it started off seeming successful but ended up failing miserably.

“Why…”

She fell into despair once again. Perhaps this truly was her limit—her wisdom and insight lack; the sixth level had already been her ceiling.

Her spiritual energy was running low; she could probably only attempt it once more.

Never mind, let’s give it one last shot.

Returning to the array’s front, she was about to channel her energy when suddenly, a stone fell near the edge of the array.

[What is this…?]

Liu Shuqin looked at where the stone had dropped and instantly understood.

She had been focusing her energy into the center of the array, neglecting the edges.

No wonder it had always struggled to hold; it turned out the energy on the edges was insufficient to maintain the Wind Spirit Array.

In her last attempt, she shifted her focus to the edges, channeling her energy, and the spirit light shone brilliantly as a whirlwind converged, sweeping up branches and leaves.

After a long while, the fierce wind continued without interruption.

I did it!

Liu Shuqin felt ecstatic.