603: Chapter 603 The disease is terminal; let's just cut it off.

"It seems you are not ready yet, so we shall meet again in a while."

The old man with the white beard waved his sleeve, and the ink marks in this world began to dissolve as if they had encountered water.

Before long, Zhou Yan saw his own hands faintly emerging within these ink-style hands, and immediately after, his body began to expand, squeezing out the ink.

Looking up again, Zhou Yan had returned to that pink ocean, with the scene still frozen at the moment Xiao Ai had her finger pressed against his forehead.

"How do you feel about your own story?"

His arms turned into bubbles, and after popping with a series of sounds, it seemed to jolt Zhou Yan out of his daze.

"Wait, no, what was that just now?"

Faced with that inexplicable plot just now, Zhou Yan was completely baffled.

He now only remembered a group of brats listening to an old man tell a story, a story about Beast Nature, Human Nature, and Divine Nature; he knew nothing else.

"I was just helping you face your own inner self, allowing you to understand your current condition from a different perspective."

"Humans are divided into three natures. Those who possess all three natures in balance will have smooth cultivation, while those whose three natures deviate will find their cultivation hindered; in severe cases, they may even deviate seriously from the Dao."

"Back when you first came in, I already performed an examination on you. Your three natures have seriously deviated, going against your original heart."

"I can only give you an analysis: your three natures are in a ratio of six to two to two."

After Xiao Ai finished speaking, she deliberately paused to give Zhou Yan space to think.

"Human Nature, Beast Nature, Divine Nature, seriously deviated."

Countless images shattered and reorganized, rapidly reconstructing in Zhou Yan's mind.

He understood; everything was clear now. The so-called 'waking the dreamer with a single word' was likely just like this.

The old man telling the story, as well as those three children and their reactions while listening to the story, were dismantled scene by scene.

After confirming the thoughts in his heart, Zhou Yan couldn't help but swallow hard.

Xiao Rou, Xiao Hu, and Xiao Zhi—they were not just supporting characters in the story; they were the true protagonists of the story.

Xiao Rou had a gentle disposition and was easily guided by others; she was the very representation of Human Nature.

Xiao Hu was a mischievous child who did things mostly without restraint; he was the manifestation of Beast Nature.

And Xiao Zhi, with his appearance that exceeded that of an ordinary child, was likely Divine Nature.

Although the story just now was short, there was a clear Rank division among the three children.

A fellow like Xiao Hu, who feared nothing in heaven or earth and didn't even put that white-bearded old man in his eyes, could yet be subdued by a single glance from Xiao Zhi.

Xiao Rou had a gentle disposition; even when Xiao Hu was around, she talked quite a bit, but only when she was with Xiao Zhi did she just smile and say nothing, her presence dropping sharply.

Six to two to two.

Zhou Yan gradually broke away from his thoughts, and Xiao Ai's mirror-like face also nodded humanely.

"It seems you have figured out the meaning of this ratio."

"What does this ratio mean? What will happen if I continue like this? What exactly is this illness you speak of?"

Zhou Yan wanted to continue asking, but he realized he was a bit too impatient, so he had to suppress his emotions first, wanting to hear what kind of answer the other party could give to his questions just now.

"I know you might have understood something, so you are a bit afraid in your heart, but as I just said, we have plenty of time, you don't need to rush."

After speaking, Xiao Ai took out a small mirror, and a PPT began to play automatically on the mirror.

Under the guidance of her manifested finger, two charts appeared on the mirror.

"The three natures of ordinary people are stable because their lifespans are relatively short; before their three natures can have large fluctuations, their lifespans often end first."

"Therefore, unless influenced by the environment or deliberately shaped by others, the three natures of ordinary people can mostly be precise to three decimal places."

A chart appeared, in which the three natures were basically all 33%, with only some differences after the decimal point.

"But Cultivators are different; Cultivators possess more powerful strength and also have longer lifespans."

"Ordinary Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Stage may perhaps still be no different from ordinary people, but once they reach the Core Formation Stage and condense a dao body, their three natures will quickly deviate, breaking everything they initially shaped."

Another chart appeared on the other side of the mirror, forming a stark contrast with the ordinary person's chart.

The fluctuations that were originally only a fraction of a percent directly multiplied dozens of times; some people's Divine Nature ratio reached nearly 40%, and some people's Human Nature ratio could also fall below 30%.

Looking only at the ratios, the gap was not large, but when compared with the ratios of ordinary people, it became incredibly exaggerated.

Xiao Ai spoke up to this point, then shrank both pictures and placed them together, leaving an empty area, and displayed a new picture in the vacated area.

"The Core Formation Stage possesses a dao body; many dangers they would originally avoid, or experiences they would find interesting, will become vastly different because of the dao body."

"For example, ordinary severed hands or feet, before the Core Formation Stage, still require various expensive treatment methods to heal, so people still have some fear of this kind of injury."

"But after Core Formation, this is no different from normally losing some hair or trimming fingernails, as long as the vitality is not lost too much and the Origin is safe enough."

"Even if one's head is moved, it won't stir up the slightest ripple."

"Therefore, Beast Nature will also mutate because it has reached a new level of life; if not handled well, it will indirectly affect the other two natures."

"Um, I have a question."

Zhou Yan raised his hand as if he were in class, and after Xiao Ai nodded to signal him, he said.

"My question is, you are being too long-winded; is there a simplified version?"

Xiao Ai's expression stiffened, then the face on the mirror constantly transformed, finally changing into the face of a rascally middle-aged uncle.

"Simply put, your body structure has changed, those minor injuries don't hurt anymore, you've become arrogant, perverted, and fear nothing in heaven or earth."

"So at this time, either your Beast Nature is infinitely magnified, pursuing more stimulation, or you are bored and dull, having seen through the mortal world like a monk."

"Oh, doesn't that make sense now that you've put it that way?"

Through Xiao Ai's explanation, Zhou Yan also knew the answer to one of the questions.

Simply put, his strength had undergone a heaven-shaking change, his worldview couldn't quite keep up with his Realm, and the sudden change had a great impact.

Seeing that Zhou Yan understood, Xiao Ai coughed lightly twice and continued.

"When your three natures fluctuate greatly, Heart Demons will be bred, so after Core Formation Stage comes the Heart Demon Tribulation, because this is the first time you have completed such a life transition, it is easiest to breed Heart Demons."

"And this is also the answer to your second question."

"When you pass the Heart Demon Tribulation, you will set your Dao Heart. If your three natures gradually become unbalanced, you will definitely deviate from the Dao Heart you initially set."

"You are still young now and may not notice anything, but when your cultivation is high enough and you are old enough, everything will be impossible to turn back."

"What you might have to face is the same as those teachers of yours, becoming a bit eccentric."

"As for your illness, it's that you have too much Divine Nature. Although I don't know how you understand it, that is the fact."

"If the current you were to face the past you, you would probably only be able to face him tremblingly."

"So what is your meaning?" Zhou Yan revealed a smile, looking at Xiao Ai with some amusement.

Xiao Ai sighed, manifested two hands, and made a shrugging gesture.

"So you are already terminally ill; might as well just cut it off."

"Cut off a part of your Human Nature and feed it to your Beast Nature, let the Beast Nature fight against the Divine Nature; that's better than letting the Divine Nature dominate alone as it is now."

"Otherwise, when the Divine Nature suddenly makes a move in the future and wipes out your Beast Nature and Human Nature, you will have plenty to cry about."

Up to this point, all three questions had been answered, but Zhou Yan had no new questions.

"Why aren't you asking any more questions?"

Xiao Ai was still a bit curious; clearly Zhou Yan had seemed to have many questions just now, so why was he silent now?

Zhou Yan curled his lips and gave a crooked smile.

"If the Great Power of Love were here in person, I would definitely ask, but she isn't here, is she?"

"Since she isn't here, if I sit here asking and answering my own questions, wouldn't that be just as you said—unbalanced three natures, acting like a lunatic?"

"Xiao Ai" paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You figured it out?"