Fuxuan, standing to the side, was shaken to his core and stared at him in disbelief. Chi Buzi, however, showed no surprise and let out a cold laugh. "I knew it was him!"
Only now did Chi Buzi lower his gaze onto the [Xinyou Pristine Marsh Seal], a profound look of calculation surfacing in his eyes as he murmured, "...With both sides' dissent cut off, whether it be the lord or the Dragon Clan, all are now waiting for me to draw out this wisp of Metallic Essence..."
The implication was clear. His path lay with one of these two sides!
As expected, Wei Xuanyin smiled and said with a nod, "You cultivate Pristine Water, so you surely understand this better than I do. The matter of dissolving Pristine Water into Converging Water carries an immense karmic weight. If you were to dissolve your cultivation and turn to Converging Water, with your talent, you would surpass ninety-nine percent of all people! Your cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds!"
Chi Buzi replied curtly, "That is only if the transition succeeds!"
The other man smiled. "As long as the Dragon Clan is willing to assist you, there will be a chance. Dissolve your cultivation and convert to Converging Water, and with the principles of the Dao supporting you, your future holds promise. As for pledging yourself to the lord... you may also attempt to seek a Surplus Position. The choice is yours."
Whether his words carried jest or not, the meaning was clear. Only two paths lay before him, and both required extracting the Metallic Essence. Either he joined the dragons, reincarnated, and cultivated Converging Water, or he aligned with Pristine Water and sought a Surplus Position.
Chi Buzi's expression grew colder as he stared at the small golden seal for a long time, unable to look away.
Though Converging Water favors the Intercalary Position, would the Dragon Clan truly tolerate me? My lord's heart is unfathomable. How could Pristine Water allow the Surplus Position? Neither path is an easy one...
And besides... attainment is not something one achieves just by saying so... Where are the principles of the Dao to come from? Where is the method to seek the Metallic Essence?
Yet Fuxuan's earlier words still echoed in his mind. His judgment of Ning Tiaoxiao's predicament now extended to himself.
How could the lord allow one not to cultivate? How could the Dragon Clan allow it? Some opportunities, once obtained, cannot be questioned as to their origin, and must be used, no matter what!
He could only silently put away the jade box before him and raise his eyes to meet Wei Xuanyin. "My thanks, Lord Wei."
Wei Xuanyin also let his smile fade. "It is nothing."
For people like them, standing on the brink of perfected divine abilities, with a chance to contend for Fruition Attainment and attain Intercalary or Surplus Positions, who had not wagered their lives against the current of the age for a chance at the Dao?
Whether it is me or Chi Buzi, the older generation like the Two Zis, Yuanshang, Yuandao, or Yehui, at least we still have some room to maneuver. Unlike Li Zhouwei... no matter how exalted his fate, he can only wait for death like livestock penned in a corral!
At this moment, he felt a trace of shared fate and no longer teased Chi Buzi, watching as he dissolved into Pristine Water and vanished.
Once Chi Buzi left, Fuxuan's gaze grew complicated. He did not know whether he envied Chi Buzi for being able to stand within the great current and make a choice, or marveled at his sharpness, which allowed him to rise within it and see more clearly.
With a sigh, he said, "I think I finally understand why Master could see that Xiao Jinzhou was a seed of Dao attainment. There really are people like that."
"He rose with the tide. He was always an ambitious man." Wei Xuanyin replied briefly before continuing, "He certainly has no intention of living beneath others. As for his final divine ability, who knows where it will settle. In any case... it is unlikely to be the Orthodox Position of Pit Water, which does not suit his breakthrough.
"As for the surplus paths of Converging Water, Pristine Water, Mansion Water, and Valley Water, the lord already has measures within his soul. Converging Water clearly leans toward the dragons. Pristine Water will not come without cause, and even if it does, he would not dare cultivate it, since it would raise suspicion of using dragon power to seek the Pristine Water Fruition Attainment. He might even die on the spot. Most likely, he will choose a Mansion Water close to Pristine Water to seek a Surplus Position, or perhaps select a safer Valley Water and reincarnate."
Wei Xuanyin's Dao conduct was exceedingly profound. He cut straight to the heart of the matter in just a few words and laid everything bare. His earlier probing might well have been an attempt to test Chi Buzi's final divine ability.
Now, he finally turned his gaze toward Fuxuan and said with a hint of helplessness, "You were willing to step in personally and help push this matter through... It must still be for that same reason..."
"Lord Wei is perceptive." Fuxuan's gaze was steady and his voice clear as he replied, "The Supreme Yang Dao lineage is ultimately my fellow sect... Now both sides have withdrawn into seclusion and no longer interfere. I ask that you all show mercy... Do not wipe them out completely!"
"Wipe them out completely..." Wei Xuanyin only said, "That is not something we do... If you are looking for someone, you should go to the Underworld's judiciary!"
Fuxuan lowered his gaze and said, "I ask Lord Wei to point out a path forward!"
Wei Xuanyin rose and drifted away, leaving behind only a single question. "Stop concerning yourself with the mortal world. If you had upheld the separation between immortals and mortals back then, instead of controlling territories and carving up the Yue State, how would things have come to this today?"