"Eat it." The expert handed the box containing the black pill to Chen Jing.

Chen Jing swallowed again, almost imperceptibly.

"You might not know this, but once you eat it, there's no going back," the expert couldn't help but say.

This surprised Chen Jing. He had never seen his teacher like this before. In Chen Jing's mind, experts were always decisive and capable, and never hesitated.

"Teacher, I had no choice," Chen Jing said truthfully, revealing his true feelings.

Yes, there was no choice. Should we give up on Wan Tong? That wasn't even an option, so there was no choice at all; there was only one path to take.

The expert withdrew his hand, allowing Chen Jing to hold the box.

"Although I don't know its methods of practice, the core is all about one's true nature and principles," the expert said. "The most fundamental principle for using all power is to master its power, not to be mastered by it."

Chen Jing nodded, looking confused, and then asked, "Teacher, are there any precautions to take when eating it?"

"There definitely is," the expert nodded in confirmation, "but I don't know."

Chen Jing sighed and asked again, "Teacher, what did you feel when you ate it before?"

After a moment's thought, the expert said, "We have seen a deity."

What does it feel like to see a god?

Seemingly noticing Chen Jing's confusion, the expert explained, "In the cultivation theory of the ancient Song Dynasty, the human mind is called emptiness."

"The void is not empty. The reason why we feel that there is nothing but ourselves is due to human limitations. In fact, there are three selves in the void: the divine self, the ego, and the evil self. The divine self is the pure, supreme, and most rational part. The ego is the self that people usually recognize. The evil self is the self that is only pure instinct and desire."

"Looking down at oneself from the void is actually seeing oneself from the perspective of the divine self, while the evil self is hidden, hidden in the shadow of the self and in the deeper void."

Chen Jing frowned as he listened, but since he had another memory, and combined with some psychological knowledge from that memory, he thought about it and seemed to understand.

"The 'divine self' seems to refer to the superego in psychology, while the 'evil self' is the id... Is the 'ego' the id?"

The superego is the "perfect self," representing the most morally and worldly perfect person; it is the moral code and behavioral standard within an average person, the purely rational side. The id, on the other hand, is the self formed by bodily instincts, possessing various desires. The ego, situated between the two, is the self that manifests itself…

"Do you understand what I mean now?" the expert asked.

Chen Jing nodded: "I think I understand."

"No, you don't." The expert shook his head: "Think about it again. Usually, when we examine ourselves internally, we are standing from the perspective of our divine self, looking down at ourselves. So, when and under what circumstances will we see the divine, see our divine self?"

Chen Jing pondered for a few seconds, and then it suddenly dawned on him.

"It's when you look up from your own perspective!"

Then, Chen Jing felt a wave of unease and fear, not knowing where this fear came from. He stared at the black pill that was radiating temptation to him, and suddenly felt repulsion and disgust.

"Seeing the divine is the first step to becoming a cultivator after consuming the elixir." The expert said, "You will stand on your own ground, rather than the rational divine self. If you can see the divine self, it means you are moving away from Him, while the evil self is in the shadows, trying to drag you in."

"If one were to succumb to this, one would either go astray and become a demon or a slave to the Dao. However, there is not much difference between the two; one is physical death, and the other is spiritual death."

The expert continued, "Do you know why I said this stuff is contaminated? Because it can further amplify the pulling power of the evil self! It's not pure; it can be used as an ingredient in elixirs."

Is this kind of attraction what's called pollution? Chen Jing wondered. In the past, when the hunting party harvested items like demon cores, nothing had ever attracted him like this.

"Then how can we prevent ourselves from going astray in cultivation?" Chen Jing asked.

"Practice methods." The expert answered without hesitation: "Each school has its own practice methods. The practice method I know is the one that was most widely circulated during the Song Dynasty."

"The details are complicated, but the core is to imagine yourself as a warrior, never give up, never surrender, fight against heaven and earth, and fight against yourself!"

As the expert spoke, a hint of pride and nostalgia flickered in his eyes.

Then it disappeared.

“But this cultivation method is ineffective for you. I can tell you clearly that the cultivation system of the original owner of the Black Core is completely different from the mainstream cultivation system of the former Song Dynasty. However, I don’t know which sect or country it belongs to. It is neither like the Celestial Masters of the world nor like the Confucian scholars of the An Dynasty.”

"Therefore, I can't give you any guidance; you have to face it yourself. Do you still want to eat it?"

Chen Jing did not answer. He reached out and took the black pill, then put it in his mouth.

Chen Jing had no choice; he simply made a choice.

The black chocolate melted in his mouth, and in an instant, a sour and astringent feeling spread through his heart, followed by a strange bitterness. This reminded Chen Jing of another memory: the 100% pure dark chocolate he had bought out of curiosity.

Thump, thump, thump!

Chen Jing heard a heartbeat, then felt a tightness in his chest, difficulty breathing, and a feeling that he was about to suffocate and die.

It was like sinking into a deep, dark ocean.

"Is this the void...? No, shouldn't it be described as the Black Sea? Why use the void?" Chen Jing wondered.

Yes, this place should be called the Black Sea, the Sea of ​​Darkness. It shouldn't be called the Void.

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