56: Persuade to leave

"How could this be..."

His consciousness frantically scanned every detail of the Formation patterns, like the most precise probe, instantly locking onto the source of the cracks—a faint yet extremely sinister, hate-filled, and cursed resentful Qi, clinging stubbornly to the most fragile parts of the Formation pattern structure like persistent grime, continuously eroding and corrupting it.

It was the lingering poison of the "vengeful womans lamp"!

Although he had used every means to Seal and suppress the main soul, trapping it deep within his consciousness, during the process of devouring and refining it, it was ultimately unavoidable for that trace of the most fundamental and purest resentful Qi to permeate him, like a virus, even defiling this foundational Spirit Gathering Array!

This malevolent poison, like a festering wound, slowly but surely destroyed, and even continuously absorbed the Spirit Gathering Array's own power to strengthen itself.

What was worse, the instability and weakening of the Spirit Gathering Array caused the stability of the entire ring space to be severely affected. The six blood-colored Texture on the inner wall, formed by the intense resentment and vital blood of the previous host upon death, now glowed faintly, like sharks smelling blood, subtly echoing the cracks and stirring restlessly. Their ominous and inauspicious power was seizing the opportunity to permeate, thread by thread, accelerating the ultimate collapse of this life-saving Formation!

(Inner thoughts: "I'm screwed! When it rains, it pours! The house is collapsing, and there are termites in the load-bearing walls! This broken ring is completely uninhabitable! If I don't move out soon, I'll be buried alive! I won't even get a chance to reincarnate!")

Lin Yu's heart was already in turmoil, a raging storm, but the voice transmitted to Su Ming's mind forcefully suppressed all panic and despair, leaving only a few deliberately emphasized, heavy tones of solemnity.

"Disciple."

"Disciple is here." Su Ming keenly noticed that his Master's tone was different from usual; there seemed to be something extremely suppressed within that voice.

"I ask you," Lin Yu's voice slowed, each word seemingly carefully considered, "Do you... wish to see what lies beyond the mountains? To see what kind of world exists in these four directions?"

Su Ming was startled, completely disengaging from the village's troubles.

Beyond the mountains?

This thought, like a bubble beneath the water, occasionally surfaced but he never dared to dwell on it, always feeling it was a distant and vague dream. The village elders often spoke after meals about the county town and prefecture city beyond the mountains, with tall city walls, countless brick and tile houses, bustling streets, and the legends of immortal Masters who could summon wind and rain, fly, and escape into the earth, as told in operas.

But he had never thought of going now. He was only fourteen, his family's fortunes had just begun to improve, and his parents and elder brothers were all by his side. Leaving home and hearth sounded like a fantasy.

"Master, why do you suddenly speak of this?" he asked, puzzled, vaguely feeling that his Master was exceptionally different today.

"The time is approaching." Lin Yu's voice deepened, carrying an undeniable certainty, as if stating an established fact. "You should know that the Dao of Cultivation is like sailing against the current; one either advances or retreats. Its crucial elements are naught but wealth, companions, techniques, and location—none can be lacking."

"Wealth is the sustenance for Cultivation; without wealth, one cannot nurture the Dao. Companions provide support; traveling alone easily leads astray. Techniques are the fundamental Legacy; without them, one is like a blind person fumbling for an elephant. Location refers to a blessed land; without it, one is like rootless duckweed."

"And now, though you have just glimpsed the threshold, received the Breath Concealment Art, and your Heart-Nature has been tempered and is considered steady. However, this place—" Lin Yu's voice deliberately paused here, emphasizing, "Su Family Village, has become a predicament, shackling your limbs."

"Firstly, the Spiritual Qi here is sparse and barren; for your Cultivation, it's merely a drop in the bucket. You must have felt it recently, that the meager Spiritual Qi you absorb daily is gradually becoming insufficient, unable to sustain the consumption of Body Refining and Spirit Refining, correct?"

Su Ming fell silent, subconsciously looking inward at the faint light in his Dantian. His Master's words accurately struck the vague unease and confusion in his heart. Indeed, he felt his body was like a vessel almost full but always just short, becoming increasingly "hungry" for the sparse Spiritual Qi of the surrounding world.

"Secondly," Lin Yu continued to analyze, his voice as calm as if discussing an unrelated matter, "the hearts of the villagers are restless, undercurrents surge, interests are entangled, and murderous intent lurks. Long trapped in such a muddy whirlpool, not only is it unhelpful for Cultivation, but it's also easy to get entangled in mundane affairs, eroding one's ambition for advancement and wasting precious time. You have personally witnessed Zhao Dequan's schemes and methods; this place is absolutely not somewhere to stay long."

(Inner thoughts: "Listen to me, kid! This wretched place has nothing, the Spiritual Qi is ridiculously thin, and there's a bunch of messy affairs and rotten human relationships! If you stay any longer, your cultivation won't just fail to increase, it'll be good if you can even maintain what you have now! That issue with Zhao Dequan will explode sooner or later, and by then, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!")

Su Ming pursed his lips. His Master's analysis was clear and logical, every word making sense. He could feel an invisible crisis tightening like a net. But... "Father and Mother..." Su Ming's throat tightened, unable to speak the rest of his words. He couldn't imagine the expressions on his parents' weathered faces, who had just begun to see better days, if he were to propose a distant journey. In this land where people were reluctant to leave their homes, a son's distant journey, with an uncertain future, was almost equivalent to a separation in life, which would cause his parents immense worry.

"Foolish!" Lin Yu's tone suddenly sharpened, like a thunderous reprimand. "Do you want them to keep you tied to their apron strings forever, anxiously watching you struggle and flounder in this deepening mire, or do you want them, one day, to stand tall, respected by their neighbors, simply because their son is an extraordinary figure who brings glory to the family?"

"True filial piety is not about daily greetings and constant companionship, but about becoming their true reliance! Only when you become a towering tree that can shelter them from wind and rain can you protect them completely and securely. If you are merely a vine that can only cling to other things, when the storm comes, you can barely protect yourself, let alone your family?"

Every word, like heavy drumbeats, struck Su Ming's heart coldly and harshly, making his Divine Soul tremble, and the hesitation born of familial affection was almost shattered.

Yes... could he truly protect his family by staying here? Faced with the increasingly profound and unpredictable Zhao Dequan, whose desire for control grew stronger, he still needed to be cautious, treading on thin ice. If that evil cultivator who refined the "vengeful womans lamp" truly came knocking one day, following that eerie tracking mark, what could his meager abilities do? Wouldn't that bring an even greater disaster directly to his family's doorstep, implicating them all?

Seeing Su Ming's mind wavering intensely, with increasing struggle on his face, Lin Yu's tone quietly softened, even deliberately tinged with a subtle, hard-to-detect weakness and helplessness.

"Furthermore, I... alas, am merely a remnant soul, in a peculiar state. Many more profound and mysterious techniques are not that I am unwilling to impart them to you, but rather that they cannot be done without the aid of specific external spiritual materials. Within a hundred-li radius of this place, the mountains and wilderness are barren; the necessary items simply cannot be found. A clever housewife cannot cook without rice."