383: I get it!

Wang Zhan's lonely and resolute back finally disappeared completely into the twilight deep within the wasteland!

But the shock he brought, and his final deep bow, remained like a brand, etched deep into everyone's hearts.

However, when the crowd turned their gaze back toward Ling Xi, the horror regarding absolute power that had just been suppressed swept back in an even more surging manner!

"How can this Azure Rakshasa be so strong?!"

Finally, someone couldn't hold back, their voice dry and filled with a lingering disbelief, breaking the dead silence.

"Does the gap between the King Realm and the Saint Realm truly not exist before her?!"

This question was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up countless long-suppressed echoes.

"Battle Asura, the Wang Zhan who once fought across realms as a Heavenly Human Realm to defeat a Peak King Realm, was already a miracle that shook the Eastern Region!"

"Sword White Robe is equally brilliant and amazing! I thought that was already the limit of a Prodigy..."

"But now, another Azure Rakshasa has appeared! King Realm, defeating a Saint with a single finger!"

"This isn't just being stronger; this is simply ridiculously strong! Strong beyond all reason!"

Exclamations, doubts, and sharp intakes of breath rose and fell, every voice filled with a sense of absurdity and deep awe.

Ling Xi's strength had already exceeded the scope of what they could understand.

"Exactly what kind of terrifying sect could cultivate such Prodigies one after another?!"

Thinking of this, countless gazes involuntarily turned back toward the mountaintop where Ruo Bai, Fang Hanyu, and the others were, filled with inquiry, awe, and even an unspeakable trace of fear.

Their eyes first swept over the calm-faced Ruo Bai and Fang Hanyu, who seemed to have expected this long ago; these two were already recognized as peerless Prodigies.

Then, their gazes naturally fell upon Wang Xiaopang, who was standing on tiptoe, neck craned as he watched with great interest, his face flushed with the excitement of 'Third Martial Sister is so cool'.

This one also seems to be Battle Asura's Junior Brother, so...?

Being stared at by these hundreds upon thousands of suddenly focused, complex gazes, Wang Xiaopang, who was immersed in the excitement of 'my Senior Sister is invincible', suddenly shuddered all over.

He looked left and right, and upon realizing those gazes were indeed fixed on him, his voice took on a hint of wariness:

"Wh-what are you all looking at me for?"

"My Third Martial Sister is over there! Look over there!"

"I-I'm warning you, I'm very powerful! Don't you go getting any funny ideas!"

This reaction, in stark contrast to his declaration of being 'very powerful' and his instinctive dodging movements, was particularly jarring.

In the midst of the surrounding atmosphere of dead silence and shock, it appeared exceptionally out of place and amusing.

Looking at his display of being tough yet cowardly and cowardly yet tough, many people were momentarily speechless, and it even diluted some of the palpitations in their hearts.

Fortunately, fortunately, this one doesn't seem to be that strong!

However, just within this atmosphere that had become slightly strange and stagnant due to Wang Xiaopang's reaction...

"I understand now!"

A voice, trembling yet filled with a certain strange excitement, suddenly rang out from the crowd!

Everyone followed the sound and saw a Prodigy only forty years old, whose cultivation was already in the Heavenly Human Realm, with a face currently flushed red and eyes flashing with a light that was a mixture of Epiphany, excitement, and determination!

He stared fixedly in the direction Wang Zhan had departed, and yet seemed to see something more essential through him, his voice hoarse with excitement:

"We have always pursued being invincible among our peers, fearing failure and avoiding risks!"

"But today I realize what a great mistake that was!"

"Wang Zhan loses more as he fights more, yet because of this, he may have found the true path!"

"Then what about us? If we don't even dare to face defeat, if we don't even dare to look our own deficiencies in the eye, trapped all day by hollow fame and fear, how can we catch a glimpse of the true Dao?!"

"True strength, perhaps, begins with the courage to face failure!"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of many!

Especially for those Cultivators whose talent was not top-tier and who struggled on the path of cultivation, complex lights lit up in their eyes one after another.

Yes, they painstakingly pursued that illusory invincibility among peers, yet they didn't even have the courage to fail. Wasn't this putting the cart before the horse?

For a moment, a brand new concept, carrying a bit of madness yet seemingly containing profound truth, began to quietly sprout on this wasteland.

"Indeed!"

In another spot, a middle-aged Cultivator with a weathered face and a steady aura slowly exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

"I have been stuck at the Peak Heavenly Human Realm for ten years. Today, seeing Wang Zhan temper his heart through defeat, I realize that what I lack is perhaps precisely the courage to charge forward, to dare to break and then rebuild!"

"This battle, to me, is nothing less than a wake-up call!"

"Defeat is also a form of cultivation?"

Someone else murmured to themselves. Their Dao Heart, which had nearly been driven to despair by witnessing Ling Xi's terrifying strength, had strangely stabilized, and even a sense of sudden enlightenment was born.

"We Cultivators contend with heaven for our lives; it is inherently an arduous journey. If we feel fear just because there is an insurmountable mountain ahead, how can our path go far?"

"Wang Zhan dares to lose, Azure Rakshasa dares to fight, so why should I not dare to face my own weakness?"

An agitated yet heavy atmosphere spread across the wasteland.

The eyes of many had changed; no longer was it just the shock and envy of looking up at those few dazzling figures on the mountaintop, but more of a sense of introspection and resolve.

A strange trend of using defeat as a mirror to temper the heart and seek the Dao quietly surged among these outstanding members of the Eastern Region's younger generation.

"Li the Third! Come, come, come, fight me! Please, you must grant me a defeat! Help me break through my realm!"

A Cultivator who had been stuck at a Bottleneck for many years struck his palms together as if he had suddenly seen the light, then looked with burning eyes at a long-time rival beside him.

"Senior Brother Zhang! Usually you're always a head above me. Today, this Junior Brother also wants to taste the flavor of defeat! Please grant me this, Senior Brother!"

"Junior Sister Zhao! I know I can't beat you, but please grant me a defeat! I need the pressure!"

For a moment, the style of the scene on the wasteland changed abruptly!

Various requests to 'please grant me a defeat' rose and fell. The originally solemn and tragic atmosphere vanished, becoming somewhat chaotic and comical.

Many Cultivators with obviously lower cultivation, and even those with no connection at all, summoned their courage one after another.

They launched challenges for defeat toward those Prodigies or rivals they would never have dared to provoke on ordinary days, their eyes filled with sincere desire.

Even some of the great sect Elders watched with twitching eyes, wanting to scold them yet feeling that something wasn't quite right.

How did the style suddenly skew toward a universal quest for defeat, taking pride in losing?

Did these fellows misunderstand something in their Epiphany?

Sigh, this generation of young people really has quite the peculiar way of thinking.

I just checked the gifts, and I probably, maybe, possibly really owe another chapter... everyone, put it on my tab for now, and I'll make it up next week. This week's updates were a bit intense, and I need to properly organize some story ideas.

Everyone, take it slow too; we'll push the plot forward step by step!

Thank you all for your gifts and support!