Chapter 83: The Gate to Cultivation (Part One)

Cultivators of the Immortal Path.

Why?

Xu Xuan took a deep breath, a rare trace of innocence flickering in his eyes, and in a peculiar tone replied, "Because when I was very young, I heard that those immortal cultivators... could fly."

To fly!

The remnant soul from his past life nearly choked at this answer, then burst into laughter. "Just because they can fly?"

"Yes, to soar freely, unbound through the skies."

Within this mysterious space of consciousness, Xu Xuan seemed to immerse himself in a childhood dream.

"Let me tell you... Regardless of the path of cultivation, once you reach a certain level of power, all can fly, though the methods differ. In fact, that is only the beginning of supernatural powers," the remnant soul explained earnestly.

"All can fly?" Xu Xuan was taken aback, snapping out of his reverie, his expression calm and rational once more.

"In that case, which path would you choose to follow?" the remnant soul tempted gently.

"Naturally, I would choose the strongest," Xu Xuan replied without hesitation. "Only with sufficient strength can I protect my family and friends; those who offend me must be punished!"

"There is no absolutely strongest path of cultivation in this world," the remnant soul replied with a wry smile. "Perhaps, in terms of attack power, sword cultivators are unmatched."

"Sword cultivators!" Xu Xuan's eyes lit up as he recalled the day Nie Han displayed the might of a single sword, instantly defeating an opponent of equal rank, and even suppressing the one-eyed Boss Cao who was stronger by a level.

"Heh, sword cultivators may be powerful, but they walk a razor's edge; either the enemy dies, or they themselves perish. The smallest lapse in concentration could mean death. Their survival rate in the cultivation world is not high. More importantly, with your talent and temperament, you are not suited to be a sword cultivator," the remnant soul added with a smile.

Xu Xuan pondered at these words. Sword cultivation was indeed too perilous, offering little protection; if the enemy wasn't slain, he himself would die. It truly didn't suit him.

He suddenly thought of Nie Han—perhaps only someone like that was truly fit to be a sword cultivator.

"I'm afraid of death, so it seems I'm not cut out for the sword," Xu Xuan laughed, accepting it with ease.

Upon reflection, the paths that truly suited him seemed only the Immortal or Martial ways.

After all, these were the ones he had cultivated in a previous life. To cultivate them again in this life would be smooth as water flowing downhill, allowing him to progress at a rate comparable to a so-called 'genius.'

Noticing Xu Xuan's thoughts, the remnant soul nodded. "In your previous life, you mastered both the Immortal and Martial paths, and even dabbled in other great ways of cultivation. You were an all-rounder, with hardly an enemy in the world who could not be defeated."

To cultivate both Immortal and Martial arts!

Xu Xuan had long sensed the power of these two forces from those fragmented memories.

A powerful physique and unmatched close combat ability, combined with the myriad mystical transformations of the Immortal path, was nearly a perfect and invincible combination.

Now, Xu Xuan's heart was stirred. "With the insights from my past life, if I simply follow those memories in cultivation, will I one day become a peerless figure who can shake the heavens and earth?"

"You can," the remnant soul replied without hesitation.

With the help of memories and insights from his previous life, this life's cultivation would be like a second chance at life.

It was like the 'Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent'—an ordinary person would find it difficult to reach the eighth transformation even after ten years, let alone the ninth. But Xu Xuan had mastered it with ease in just a few short months.

If this trend continued, Xu Xuan could hope to achieve accomplishments equal to his previous life.

"But if you merely follow the path of your past memories, retracing the same steps, the final result will be this—you will never surpass your former self," the remnant soul said abruptly.

Never surpass his former self!

Xu Xuan felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, jolting him awake as if from a nightmare.

"No matter your talent or perception, your past self far exceeded you. If you simply follow the fixed memories of your past life, how could you ever surpass who you once were?" the remnant soul sneered.

Xu Xuan fell silent, his hands clenched and trembling.

"Moreover, what meaning is there in following an old path that cannot be surpassed? What challenge or passion remains in walking it again?" For the first time, the remnant soul's tone grew urgent and impassioned, his gaze fixed intently on Xu Xuan. "If you are content to live forever in the shadow of your past self, you may choose that road."

"Living in the shadow of the past, never able to surpass it..."

Xu Xuan's face turned deathly pale, his body shaking, a trace of terror in his eyes as if he could foresee that day in the future when, upon reaching the same heights as before, only regret, helplessness, and bitterness awaited him.

Without question, for someone as ambitious and unwilling to settle as he was, that path would be nothing short of a nightmare.

Noticing Xu Xuan's turmoil, the remnant soul's lips curled ever so slightly, as if satisfied with the outcome.

A sudden glint flashed in Xu Xuan's eyes as he landed his gaze on the remnant soul, his tone indifferent. "Why don't you be direct... What path of cultivation do you want me to take? Or what contingency did my past self leave for me before his demise?"

The remnant soul stiffened, then laughed heartily. "Heh, you're not a fool, after all."

By now, Xu Xuan could tell—one by one, the remnant soul had dismissed all the conventional cultivation paths, clearly harboring his own intentions, merely waiting for the right moment to reveal them.

He seemed to be subtly guiding Xu Xuan all along.

Thinking of the 'Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent,' Xu Xuan suddenly had a guess.

Under Xu Xuan's cold and piercing gaze, the remnant soul took a deep breath and, in a tone filled with profound yearning, spoke, "You must know... this vast and boundless sea of memories, and even this very remnant soul, are treasures left behind by the master of your past life. All of this exists only to pave the way for you, so that you, the master of this new life, may go further, stand taller... and ultimately, surpass who you once were!"

To surpass who he was before!

Hearing these words, Xu Xuan's heart was shaken to its core.

So, all of this was a grand design laid out by his defiant former self, for his own sake in this life.

After a long silence, Xu Xuan's voice was heavy with difficulty and bitterness. "My past life's talent was greater than the finest spiritual roots, his perception was monstrous; if even he could not do it, can I truly achieve this?"

So far, in this life, Xu Xuan had yet to see anyone whose talent matched his former self—not even Yu Qin, whose spiritual roots were of the highest quality.

"With the countless treasures your past self left behind, all the resources prepared in life, the impossible can become possible," the remnant soul declared with absolute confidence.

"Having mastered both the Immortal and Martial paths, nearly unrivaled, what path did he intend for me to walk?"

Xu Xuan drew a deep breath, experiencing for the first time a fierce sense of anticipation and curiosity.

"Long, long ago, before the countless spaces of this world of cultivation were born, before all the paths of cultivating immortality, sword, demon, and others existed, there was once an ancient and primeval way of cultivation—that was... the Ancient Body Refining Path!"

The remnant soul's tone was more solemn than ever before, like a cultivator's reverence for the legendary River of Immortals.

"Ancient Body Refining."

Xu Xuan's spirit stirred, his eyes shining with a bright, smooth light, filled with indescribable curiosity and excitement. Was this not the very path the 'Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent' was meant to unlock?

"Why, in this life, have I never seen or even heard of body refinement cultivators?" Xu Xuan asked, perplexed.

If someone as powerful as his past self revered body refinement, there could be no doubt as to the strength of this path.

"Hmph, what you call 'body refinement' in these later generations may be rare, even extinct, in your 'Small Fish Realm,' but in the wars of the cultivation world, they once formed the main force of the cannon fodder," the remnant soul said with a trace of disdain in his gaze.

Cannon fodder!

Xu Xuan nearly choked, a chill settling in his heart.

(Please keep the votes for Sanjiang and the recommendations coming—not only do they support Fast Food, but they're free experience points as well, haha.)