Chapter 1655: May You Attain the Dao

Days passed quickly.

Xiao Feng stayed briefly in the dark castle for two months.

Throughout that period, someone always kept him company; everyone worried about his mental state, so at least three people were with him at all times.

If he cultivated and sought enlightenment, those around him would follow his practice beside him.

When he had free time, they would indulge in worldly pleasures with him, forcing him to stay busy with farming and leaving no room to dwell on worries.

Day after day, Xiao Feng had actually already emerged from his unhappy state.

He still missed Xun Shuang in his heart, but he no longer grieved over it.

Now Xiao Feng is full of motivation to grow stronger; he devotes his whole day to training, earnestly seeks enlightenment, and even while farming, part of his mind hones his will, never letting up for a second.

He never logged out of the game, living entirely within it.

His family held no grudge; they knew his physique was extraordinary and he wouldn't go hungry. Moreover, everyone now resides in the Myriad Heavens Battlefield, able to communicate with him without needing to log off, so they take it lightly.

After two months of effort, the conditions for unlocking the second stage of the Innate Dao Body had long been satisfied.

Merely comprehending the laws of 200 points of water-element magic, he actually met the requirement within half a month.

Even the third barrier, the Nascent Soul stage, is now nearly achieved.

That day, the war goddess Xiao Mi and Xiu Fu were training with him, while a disobedient ice deer was being held by its tiny antlers, fussing.

Xiao Feng had been busy for a while when he suddenly sensed a mysterious aura entering the castle, though the others seemed not to notice.

This aura was very strong; if it weren't actively emanating, he might not have detected it at all.

Moreover, it felt somewhat familiar, as if he had encountered it many times before.

"Is it her……"

Xiao Feng's heart stirred, and a black-clad figure appeared in his mind.

He quickly stopped, had Xiao Mi and Xiu Fu take care of the ice deer, then rose and rushed toward the source of that aura.

In a storage chamber deep within the castle, a black-clad woman was waiting for him.

"Chen…… Lord of Time, how did you come here?"

Seeing Chen Jie, Xiao Feng's mood grew somewhat complex.

This Dao Ancestor had a great influence on him; the change in his relationship with Xun Shuang was precisely orchestrated by Chen Jie.

"Come to tell you something."

Chen Jie turned her back to him, not facing him.

"What is it?" Xiao Feng asked.

After two months apart, this Dao Ancestor's temperament seemed to have changed slightly, no longer as aloof and cold as before.

But she had not become affectionate; instead, she was purely indifferent.

She stood with her hands behind her back and said lightly, "Actually, your talent was erased by me."

"Uh…… ah?"

Xiao Feng startled, thinking she had come to apologize, but instead she said that.

As a Dao Ancestor, she had taken the form of the Ghost Fish Clan Venerable to strike at Xiao Feng, destroying his talent and wiping out his three major aptitudes.

This act actually violated the tacit rule observed among Dao Ancestors of all civilizations.

But she is a human Dao Ancestor, dealing with a human; other Dao Ancestors, even if aware, would not intervene.

Xiao Feng didn't understand why she would do this, yet upon hearing her say that, he unexpectedly felt it was rather normal, as if he had long anticipated it, prepared himself, and wasn't overly shocked.

Earlier he had speculated many possibilities, and had once guessed that the loss of his talent was someone's doing, with motives perhaps not entirely malicious.

Now that Chen Jie admitted it openly, he asked, "Why did you do this?"

Xiao Feng's calmness made Chen Jie feel slightly surprised.

But she did not turn, remaining with her back to him, and explained: "I want you to become stronger. Do not rely on talent anymore; talent is a shortcut we set for the young of all races to easily contact the rules and touch the threshold of the Controller. And you will not stop at the Controller realm."

Xiao Feng nodded slightly.

It seems his guess was correct; everything has been made clear.

Just……

"Why did you have Mo Long Lao Zu do it? You could have come yourself; I couldn't resist." Xiao Feng asked again.

Chen Jie took a few seconds to reply, saying: "Because…… I don't want to create grudges with you, leading to deep entanglement, and at the same time I wanted to blame the Water Civilization, making you fight them."

Xiao Feng doubted: "Do you have a grudge against the Water Civilization?"

Chen Jie nodded, then shook her head: "There was one before, but we've had a ceasefire for a long time."

Xiao Feng understood.

Surely she hadn't gotten enough of fighting last time and wanted to continue, but with the peace agreement in place she couldn't act openly, so she staged this.

As for grudges and entanglements…

Now, does that not count?

"Why tell me now?" Xiao Feng asked her.

She clenched her fingers, lowered her gaze, and her voice weakened a little: "I made a mistake; a Dao Ancestor should not interfere in so many matters. Your road is still long, and now forcing you to contemplate the Controller—a power hard to master—is unfair to you. But…… things have come to this, you seem to be accepting it fairly well, so I won't help you revert it. Xiao Feng, may you attain the Great Dao, surpass all beings, and become the strongest."

After speaking, she stepped forward and her figure gradually faded away in place.

"Wait!"

Xiao Feng wanted to call out to stop her, but she left decisively, leaving not a trace of aura.

"Chen Jie……"

These words were her final explanation, making the issue clear.

At the end she even issued a blessing that seemed friendly and sincere.

But this does not match her character!

Could it be that she was also affected by the recent events?

"Sigh..."

Xiao Feng let out a sigh.

The Great Dao, anomalies, heavenly mandate...

What in the world is all this?

Sometimes he really wants to split the universe open to study just what kind of place he lives in, and why so many strange, inexplicable things happen every day.

"Forget it, continue cultivating and seeking enlightenment."

Chen Jie's appearance this time resolved many of his inner doubts.

It seems she won't appear again; her purpose in explaining things clearly was to cut ties, so she won't show up to see him in the future.

Xiao Feng's mood was somewhat complicated, but facing a Dao Ancestor, he had no initiative to decide anything.

Since Chen Jie hopes he will comprehend the Great Dao and transcend worldly existence, this also aligns with his pursuit, so he should keep striving.

She also hopes to fight the Water Civilization.

Hmm… no problem, the Myriad Heavens Battlefield is where myriad races contend for supremacy; sooner or later they'll fight.

Xiao Feng opened his physique panel and checked the latest progress of his Innate Dao Body.

【Innate Dao Body】

Description: The 《Myriad Heavens》's eight extraordinary physiques are foremost; the strongest battle physique, when cultivated to perfection, yields inconceivable power.

Unlock progress: Second stage.

Current effect: extra damage reduction 99.9%; HP and MP limits increased 10x; free potential points gained on level up increased 10x.

Next stage: Nascent Soul (trait: ignores realm suppression from a 1000-level difference).

Unlock condition: level 300, in seclusion without any combat for at least 60 days (still lacking 12 days).

"After unlocking the Nascent Soul trait, let's see what the next stage is. If we can fight, let's start contending for the Myriad Heavens; anyway, it won't delay cultivation." Xiao Feng muttered.