Chapter 154 The Way of Proving the Dao:

Rong Xie felt a headache coming on.

If Elder Bai had asked for something else practical, he would have found a way to do it. But at this critical juncture, Elder Bai was still arguing over trivial matters.

Shen Bingsi never loses in verbal battles; however, this approach results in neither side gaining anything, only causing mutual harm.

"Cough cough," Shen Bingsi coughed and laughed at the same time, as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous. "I was wondering where Shang Gan learned to be so eager for quick success and instant benefits and to have no cultivation of the ruthless path. After listening to Elder Bai's words today, I finally understand. As expected of the Ruthless Path Palace of the Xuantian Sect, it is truly a lineage."

"You!" Elder Bai choked, his face flushed with anger. "Fine, Shen Bingsi, if you're so capable, then go find the solution yourself!"

"Elder Bai..." Rong Xie wanted to say something, but suddenly felt a heavy arm pressing down on his shoulder. Shen Bing Si had gotten off the couch at some point and came behind him: "Never mind, let's go."

"Wait a minute." Rong Xie turned around and gently shook his head at Shen Bingsi, signaling him not to speak yet. He had a plan. Shen Bingsi was puzzled for a moment, but he trusted Rong Xie's decision, so he stepped back and let Rong Xie handle it.

Rong Xie turned around and bowed to Elder Bai, who was still angry, and said, "Elder Bai, your request is too much. Put yourself in my shoes. If your disciple had any difficulties in the future and went to ask someone for help, and that person insisted on belittling you before they would help him, how would you feel?"

"Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that Sword Saint Shen has repeatedly threatened our Ruthless Dao Palace in his position as Judge, why would I have made such a request? It's just an eye for an eye." Elder Bai flicked his sleeve.

“That’s not how it works. When Shen Bingsi was the adjudicator, you were the leader of the Ruthless Dao Palace and Elder Bai, the one who had the final say in the Xuan Tian Sect. But after Shen Bingsi stepped down, was your position still secure?” Rong Xie sighed.

"This..." Elder Bai choked, "This is also because you and Shen Bingsi investigated the Lu family first!"

“Master—” Lu Yingqi was about to say something when Rong Xie spoke first: “Even so, when Shen Bingsi was in office, he never thought of making things difficult for anyone with this matter. Now that Shang Gan has taken office, everything is different. Not only does he want to confine Senior Brother Lu, but he also wants to impeach you. Is this what you want to see?”

"Of course not!" Elder Bai was furious at the mention of Shang Gan.

“Yes, so to resolve the current predicament, we must get the adjudicator back as soon as possible and help Shen Bingsi through this difficult time. That would be helping Senior Brother Lu and yourself!” Rong Xie said.

After Rong Xie finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Elder Bai's face was still flushed, but his emotions calmed down. He stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.

Lu Yingqi glanced at Rong Xie again. If Elder Bai hadn't been there, he would definitely have said, "You and Shen Bingsi are indeed from the same family; both of you have incredibly sharp tongues."

Xiaozhi stared wide-eyed at Rong Xie in astonishment, never expecting that the situation could change so quickly with just a few words.

Shen Bingsi stared intently at the figure in front of her, a slight smile playing on her lips. A metallic taste rose in her throat, the pain of the backlash tinged with a hint of sweetness.

“What you said… isn’t entirely unreasonable,” Elder Bai said.

Rong Xie breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, Elder Bai, though a superior, at least listened to what he was told.

The atmosphere in the room became much more relaxed.

"Thank you, Elder Bai." Rong Xie said immediately. "If Elder Bai can help Bing Si overcome this difficulty, it will be a great story if it gets out. Elder Bai, if there is anything you need to do, you can instruct Bing Si and me to do it in the future. We will do our best."

"Hmph," Elder Bai stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over Rong Xie, and said, "The method for dealing with a shattered Dao Heart is a closely guarded secret of our sect. I couldn't tell you that... You must first swear a solemn oath that you will never tell a second person."

"Me?" Rong Xie was surprised.

“Yes, it’s you. This method can’t be known to Shen Bingsi.” Elder Bai beckoned. “Come out with me. I’ll teach you privately. We’ll also make a contract. You can’t reveal this secret.”

"But..." Rong Xie was puzzled. The method to break the shattered Dao Heart couldn't be known to the person who broke it? How could it be broken then?

"Stop talking nonsense. I have my reasons for calling you here. Are you going to listen or not?" Elder Bai looked impatient.

"Rong'er." Shen Bingsi reached out and tugged at Rong Xie's sleeve.

Rong Xie squeezed his hand in return, indicating that he didn't need to worry, and then said to Elder Bai, "Since the elder has said so, this disciple will obey without question."

The Palace of Ruthless Dao, the Hall of Righteous Heart.

Elder Bai used invisibility magic to bring Rong Xie here, dismissed all the disciples, and after forming a pact with Rong Xie to ensure that the secret would never be revealed, he solemnly told him:

"Our sect has only one way to resolve the shattering of one's Dao heart: kill one's wife to prove one's Dao!"

"..."

Rong Xie fell into a deep silence. He thought, after all this trouble, it's still the same old method. So how can such a well-known method be called a "secret of our sect"?!

Seemingly sensing Rong Xie's thoughts, Elder Bai coughed and said, "You may already know this method, but our sect's method is more detailed than you know, and can guarantee success on the first try!"

"Is...is that so?" Rong Xie thought of his precognitive dream. Did this thing even have any steps involved? Wasn't it just a matter of stabbing someone in the face and that was it? Shen Bing Si didn't know the steps, but she still succeeded, didn't she?

Most importantly, Rong Xie did so much to avoid knowing the ending of the dream, but Elder Bai's method still resulted in the same mistake. So what was the point of all his scheming?

Perhaps it was Rong Xie's disheartened expression that irritated Elder Bai's pride, for he directly revealed the key to the "secret": "The advantage of this method is... that it doesn't require actually killing one's wife to prove one's Dao! Without creating karma, it's easier to directly attain Dao and ascend!"

"What?" Rong Xie immediately perked up, forgetting all manners, and grabbed Elder Bai's sleeve. "Elder Bai, what method is it? Tell me quickly! ... I mean, the Xuan Tian Sect truly lives up to its reputation as the number one sect in the world. It actually has such a method that is entirely beneficial. Shen Bing Si doesn't need to explain. If you ask me, Zhi Lan Ling is the best in the world."

If what Elder Bai said was true, Rong Xie genuinely believed it—and saying a kind word wouldn't hurt him, so the most urgent thing was to flatter Elder Bai and get him to reveal the method.

"Hmph, finally you admit it," Elder Bai was clearly in a good mood. "But your admission isn't enough; Shen Bingsi has to admit it herself—I'm looking forward to that day. Now I'll tell you how."

Elder Bai explained at length how to set up the formation, how to cast spells, and how to determine the auspicious time, which Rong Xie memorized in detail.

"With the right timing, location, and people, as long as Shen Bingsi's little lover stands in the center of the formation, her soul will not be able to escape the formation's range." Elder Bai stroked his beard and smiled smugly. "After Shen Bingsi successfully attains enlightenment, his power will surely increase greatly. When we join forces to rescue his little lover, we will not leave any karma behind, and it will naturally be easier for him to ascend in the future."

“This method…” Rong Xie paused, “is simpler than I imagined, but doesn’t this really count as cheating?”

"How can it be considered fake?" Elder Bai's eyes widened. "The Path of Ruthlessness is a path of cultivating the mind. One can comprehend the Dao even in an illusion. Why can't it be real? As long as the person involved truly felt the urge to sever ties at that moment, it is real. Therefore, this matter cannot be told to Shen Bing Si."

Rong Xie now understands why Elder Bai entrusted the task to him instead of Shen Bingsi.

“And Lu Yingqi and that page,” Elder Bai said solemnly, “we must especially not tell them.”

Rong Xie forced a smile: "Elder, rest assured, I will never tell a second person."

"Of course, you're bound by the contract curse and can't utter a single word, otherwise I wouldn't have told you." Elder Bai chuckled, then leaned closer to Rong Xie and asked in a low voice, "It's not that this old Daoist is being nosy, but do you know who Shen Bing Si's little lover is? Just who is so capable as to shatter his Dao heart?"

"..." Rong Xie suddenly felt his jaw tighten as if it weighed a ton. Under Elder Bai's probing gaze, he said, "Actually, this disciple feels that there are still some issues with this method that need to be discussed. I wonder if anyone in the Dao Palace has successfully attained Dao using this method before? Why have I never heard of it? And Elder Hong, he—"

"Don't mention Elder Hong, that traitor, to me!" Elder Bai was furious. "Of course, some people have succeeded before. Do you think a mere disciple of the Spirit Mirror Sect knows all the history of our Ruthless Dao Palace? If you don't believe it can succeed, then don't use it. Come back to me when Shen Bing Si's Dao Heart is shattered and she suffers the Five Signs of Decay, and it will be too late!"

"Elder, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant," Rong Xie quickly reassured Elder Bai. "Since someone has successfully attained enlightenment, it means this method is feasible... However, there might still be some details to consider. For example, even if that formation can lock the soul, is there really a spell that can bring the soul back into the body? If the body is pierced by a sword, even if the soul returns, can it be saved? Also... what if Shen Bing Si doesn't agree to kill that person?"

Elder Bai sneered, "What nonsense! Do you think a broken Dao heart is a joke? Without the resolve to kill one's wife to prove one's Dao, how can one possibly escape the demonic obstacle of a broken Dao heart? If he can't bear to part with his little lover, then he should just wait to die. Don't come here to tarnish the reputation of our Ruthless Dao Palace. Every disciple here is a master of severing all emotions and love, a disciple who cherishes purity and self-respect—"

“Elder Bai, although I am just an outer disciple and do not know the detailed history of the Dao Palace, but…” Rong Xie looked troubled, “I also personally heard Madam Mei cursing. She mentioned something about the Hehuan Pavilion and Little Mei, and even asked me to ask Elder Bai if he remembered when he broke through the emotional barrier back then…”

"Ahem!" Elder Bai coughed twice, interrupting Rong Xie, "Why are you talking about such nonsense? Don't change the subject! The Dao Palace only has this one method. Whether you use it or not is your business. I've already told you. My business is finished. You can leave now!"

Rong Xie sighed inwardly. He didn't want to be so indecisive, but Elder Bai's method had too many flaws, so he had to consider its feasibility. After all, he was the one who would be stabbed. Although he didn't want Shen Bingsi to die, he didn't want to die either.

"Elder Bai, I have another question," Rong Xie looked at Elder Bai, "Did Elder Hong really use this method to deal with the shattered Dao Heart?"

Elder Bai had probably never encountered someone as inquisitive as Rong Xie before, or rather, as someone in a high position, he had never been questioned like this by a junior. A surge of anger and embarrassment rose to his head, and Elder Bai flicked his sleeve: "That traitor used evil and heretical methods, and has already fallen into demonic possession! Do you want Shen Bing Si to learn from him? Even if it means being despised by the righteous path, you don't care?!"

"..."