Chu Songyun remained confused: the Path of Dispassion or the Nirvana Tree Path, which one should it be? Why was he reluctant to move away from the Path of Dispassion? Did he not hate it?
Lu Yin shouted, "What do you truly hate, the Path of Dispassion, or the current Crimson Starshade?"
That sentence struck Chu Songyun like thunder, cleaving through his confusion. He froze in place, staring blankly at the ground.
Below, Ku Wei rolled his eyes and nudged Hui Can. "Look at this kid putting on a show. Making such a huge fuss just to be accepted by Master."
Hui Can replied, "Exactly! When we were accepted by Master back then, we didn’t get this kind of treatment. He is way too good at grabbing attention. Isn’t that right, Senior Brother?"
Tuo Lin was worried. "Is our junior brother alright? He looks like he’s in pain.
"What? Oh, Little Ruyu, you’re right. With Master here, how could anything happen?
"I understand. Little Ruyu, you are the best. Master is proud of you."
Ku Wei and Hui Can rolled their eyes in unison. Lunatic.
The people outside the Heavens Sect did not know what was happening. Chu Songyun looked as if he had gone mad. Was it possible that he had gotten too excited about accepting Lu Yin as his master and his mind had broken?
Everyone waited. Lu Yin was not in a hurry, and everyone else was even less so.
Before long, Chu Songyun lifted his head to look at Lu Yin. Clarity had returned to his eyes, as well as resolve. He slowly knelt. "Master, your disciple is guilty."
"What are you guilty of?"
"Your disciple no longer wishes to cultivate the Nirvana Tree Path."
The moment he spoke those words, the crowd erupted. One after another, they all stared at Chu Songyun as though he were an idiot.
Not cultivate the Nirvana Tree Path? Had he completely lost his mind? Throughout multiple megaverses, who would choose to not cultivate the Nirvana Tree Path? It was a cultivation path that did not affect a person’s original cultivation while fusing everything that a person had cultivated, allowing their strength to erupt by an incredible amount in a short time. It could be said that the existence of the Nirvana Tree Path had elevated the top experts of the Human Trio by an entire level.
The clearest example was Awe Gate. With the help of the Nirvana Tree Path, she had even managed to surpass Greater Sancte Blood Tower while suffering no effect to her own cultivation.
This cultivation path did not affect one’s existing cultivation while allowing them to experience a leap in power, and yet someone refused to cultivate it when given the chance? Not only that, but he was even doing do so publicly at the creator’s disciple-acceptance ceremony; was Chu Songyun not slapping Mr. Lu in the face?
Many people’s expressions fell, and even Tuo Lin frowned.
Yet Lu Yin did not get angry. Instead, he smiled. "Why not?"
Chu Songyun knelt even lower. "Your disciple wishes to continue cultivating the Path of Dispassion."
Many people looked at Chu Songyun with confusion or mockery in their eyes, though there were also quite a few who admired him. It was not easy to firmly choose one’s own path under such circumstances. Still, why did it have to be right at this moment? They looked up at Lu Yin. Right, because of the Nirvana Tree Path. Lord Lu had only just shared the Nirvana Tree Path with Chu Songyun at this exact moment.
Moreover, what Lord Lu had said earlier had been to offer guidance to Chu Songyun, and he had never insisted on Chu Songyun cultivating the Nirvana Tree Path.
Of course, people were still unable to understand Chu Songyun’s decision. The Nirvana Tree Path did not affect the cultivation of other powers, so why not cultivate both?
No one understood Chu Songyun except for Lu Yin. This was the Path of Dispassion, a domineering human legacy. Once one started cultivating it, they could cultivate only it. If someone wanted to cultivate other powers, they would have to abandon the Path of Dispassion.
Lu Yin’s words cleaved through Chu Songyun’s confusion and caused him to hold fast to his true heart. For that, even if he rejected the Nirvana Tree Path under the gaze of countless people, Chu Songyun was willing to bear that price.
He continued to kneel low, knowing his choice must embarrass his master. He was willing to accept any punishment. He knew that he was guilty.
Lu Yin smiled, looking absolutely delighted. "Chu Songyun, as your master, I was wrong."
Everyone stared at Lu Yin in astonishment. Had he lost his mind due to his anger?
Chu Songyun lifted his head, looking at Lu Yin in confusion.
Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back, still smiling. "I first said that I would not demand that you be invincible under heaven, nor that you be the strongest through past and present. Now, I retract my words."
His voice spread across the universe, ringing in countless ears. "As an heir of the Nine Ramparts, a genius of the Second Rampart’s Path of Dispassion, your will is firm, and your true heart remains as it was in the beginning. As your master, I now demand that you be invincible under heaven, the strongest through history!
"This is the requirement that I place upon you for taking me, Lu Yin, as your master.
"You must shoulder the responsibility of inheriting the Second Rampart’s Path of Dispassion. The Path of Dispassion itself is not wrong as it still distinguishes between right and wrong. The Path of Dispassion can also include emotions. This is a legacy of human civilization. Since you have chosen it, I require you to pass it on.
"Can you do this?"
Chu Songyun’s breathing was ragged and his heart was pounding as he looked up at Lu Yin and shouted, "Your disciple can do it!"
Lu Yin nodded. "Good. I await that day. When it comes, you will be the blade of our civilization."
Chu Songyun prostrated once more. "Your disciple will surely die before our civilization falls, fighting for the continuation of human civilization!"
***
The disciple-acceptance ceremony ended, and everyone dispersed. What happened would allow many people to see something new.
It appeared that Lord Lu was very pleased with the Path of Dispassion.
People had clearly heard before that he was absolutely disgusted by the Crimson Starshade Civilization’s Path of Dispassion, so why did he have such a reaction?
Also, was it possible that the Path of Dispassion could not fuse with the Nirvana Tree Path?
Many people wanted to ask Chu Songyun about this, but even if his identity as Lu Yin’s disciple was ignored, the man’s own strength was enough for him to stand among the most powerful people in the human civilization beneath the Immortal realm. Not just anyone could approach him.
Ku Wei and Lu Yin’s other disciples were exceptions.
Lu Yin returned to the mountain behind the Heavens Sect, and Ku Wei and his fellow disciples went to find Chu Songyun. They kept calling him junior brother. Even though seeing Lu Yin’s newest disciple accept him as a master might have caused the others to grow jealous and their voices sour, he was still their junior brother.
Tuo Lin was thrilled, as he had gained another family member.
Chu Songyun was also very happy. He now had a family of his own, which was something that he had never been able to experience in the Crimson Starshade Civilization. But was there something wrong with Senior Brother Tuo Lin’s head? Who was Little Ruyu? Where was she?
On the mountain behind the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin sat at a stone table, looking up at the starry sky, lost in his own thoughts.
The Path of Dispassion that Chu Songyun hated was not the true Path of Dispassion. The fact that he had wanted to abandon the Path of Dispassion was not his own fault, but rather the fault of the Path of Dispassion, or rather, the Path of Dispassion of the current era.