Chapter 386 The Price of Becoming Stronger 2
I've never worried about how to gain more power before, but now, I seem to finally be facing the challenges of a Witcher's training, and right from the start, it's the most difficult level.
In my own experience, if the sole purpose is to gain power and be willing to sacrifice oneself to create a new self, the most efficient method is to completely abandon any risk.
I reflexively rejected this idea, but at the same time, out of curiosity, I tentatively considered how I could give up the risk.
First, simply telling those around me that I won't continue taking risks and then locking myself in my room to become a shut-in doesn't really mean I've completely given up on adventure; it only means I've paused it. Because I could very well change my mind at some point and embark on another adventure. I still have a huge mental safety net.
You must first give up the necessary conditions for taking risks, such as voluntarily relinquishing your superpowers and becoming an ordinary person.
It's not that losing my superpowers will make me lose the courage and desire for adventure. It's just that I know very well how dangerous the supernatural world is, and how easy it is for a powerless mortal to die. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of taking the first step on my adventure and dying before I've even had a chance to experience the many storms it has to weather.
Therefore, for me, having superpowers is a major foundation for adventures in the supernatural world. To voluntarily give up superpowers on my own will, I must have the same mindset as voluntarily giving up the adventure.
This is clearly putting the cart before the horse.
To take one's superpowers to a higher level, one must demonstrate through actions the determination to completely relinquish them, which sounds contradictory.
More importantly, before even discussing whether I could voluntarily give up taking risks, I couldn't even imagine myself voluntarily giving up taking risks.
Of course, I have a second path: to abandon Asaha and become a cold-blooded scoundrel who cares about nothing but the adventures he dreams of. I would even sacrifice Asaha's future safety and happiness, using her purely as a tool to carry my jinxed nature.
In the past, I felt only indifference when I saw people regretting the choices they made. Now, while I still don't regret the choices I've made in the past or might make in the future, I've gained a bit more understanding.
I've started to overthink my choices, but if I had a feeling that when the choice actually comes my way, I'd still make a decision without hesitation and quickly rationalize my actions in my mind. I'm fully aware of my cold-blooded side, and on the other hand, I might also secretly despise it.
I think this isn't because I've become weak, but because I've discovered a side of myself I hadn't noticed before. Humans are inherently contradictory, and we suffer from these contradictions; I am also a collection of contradictions. Perhaps this contradiction will lead to internal conflict, lowering the upper limit of my magical power.
By letting go of my love for Asahi, I can sever my inner conflicts and reshape myself into a more powerful self.
"If you wish to attain the correct understanding, do not be influenced by others. Look inward and outward, and kill whatever you encounter..." I recited the words of the old fist god, "Kill the Buddha when you encounter the Buddha, kill the ancestor when you encounter the ancestor, kill the Arhat when you encounter the Arhat, kill your parents when you encounter your parents, kill your relatives when you encounter your relatives, and you will be liberated, not bound by things, and completely free and at ease."
If I remember correctly, this seemingly menacing statement is quoted from the Tang Dynasty text *Linji Lu*, which had a significant influence on later Zen Buddhism. I wonder if the Old Fist God ever did the same thing in the past—killing anyone who hindered his pursuit of enlightenment without mercy?
Now, the one he had been killing without mercy has finally become the one he sought.
I don't quite understand Old Fist God's motivation for pushing open the fourth door. He clearly wasn't very interested in magic power, and even considered it an obstacle to practicing martial arts. So why is he now pursuing a breakthrough in magic power? Has he finally decided that magic power is better than martial arts? But if that's the case, then the object he's giving up shouldn't be martial arts, but magic power.
Personally, while I crave greater power, unlike Yuchi, I'm not so impatient as to prioritize progress at the cost of abandoning adventure or even sacrificing my own. The path the Old Fist God pointed out to Yuchi and me, in a sense, might be the righteous path of cultivation, but it's also a demonic path within the bounds of normal morality. Right now, I still have techniques and "slag"—two ways to become stronger—so there seems to be no need for meddling in such things.
I thanked the fortune teller, said goodbye, and returned to my place of residence.
-
I haven't encountered Shenzhao again these past few days, but I did encounter Yuchi once more.
He is currently assisting Shenzhao in preparing for the assassination of the Lord of the Divine Seal. Shenzhao seems to intend to enter the Void Realm within the formation set up by Yuchi, using the formation to extract the power of the unclaimed Divine Seal fragments to support himself after entering the Void Realm.
Shenzhao certainly couldn't control the timing of entering the Void Realm; he probably intended to stay inside the formation until he was pulled into it. However, I also heard from Fazheng about his recent plans, saying that he also planned to join Fazheng's attack on the Humanity Division's main stronghold. I guess Shenzhao is interested in Ying Lingyun's technology using the power of the Divine Seal fragments and wants to absorb and digest it to supplement his plan to assassinate the Lord of the Divine Seal.
Because Yu Chi has been visiting Shen Zhao too frequently, there are rumors circulating at the Luo Shan headquarters that he plans to switch sides to the Transcendental Movement. Yu Chi has complained about this in private conversations with me, but he shows no sign of giving up. For his plan to become stronger in order to kill the Old Fist God, assisting Shen Zhao seems necessary at this stage.
"The basis for Shenzhao's successful assassination of the Lord of the Divine Seal is that 'the Lord of the Divine Seal is just a mortal, and therefore cannot skillfully manipulate the power of the Divine Seal.' But I have a question..." I said, "What if the Lord of the Divine Seal made a wish upon the Divine Seal, allowing himself to perfectly and skillfully manipulate the power of the Divine Seal, or wishing that his own body would also possess power far exceeding that of the Great Impermanence, and be able to perfectly and skillfully manipulate it? Wouldn't the very premise of Shenzhao's assassination plan immediately collapse?"
“Shenzhao also considered this possibility, but he ultimately said it was impossible. The Lord of the Divine Seal exhibits the characteristics of a powerless mortal forcibly manipulating immense power, which is enough to prove that the Lord of the Divine Seal had not made a similar wish to himself before,” Yuchi said. “Of course, since we cannot completely rule out the possibility that he may make another wish later, it is crucial to decide the outcome with one decisive blow.”
"Why didn't the Lord of the Seal make such a wish before?" I asked.
"Ignoring the possibility that the Lord of the Divine Seal was careless, the most likely scenario is that... when the Lord of the Divine Seal obtained the Divine Seal, it was already in a fragmented state, thus rendering the wish-granting function ineffective or inconvenient," Yu Chi said. "In fact, judging from the Lord of the Divine Seal's past performance, it is highly probable that he is unable to use the Divine Seal properly."
"And it is precisely in order to restore the Divine Seal to its complete state that he needs us, the Void Realm Apostles, to help him collect the fragments of the Divine Seal."
I agree with his speculation: "If he could have all his wishes now, he wouldn't need us, the Void Realm Apostles, at all... From this perspective, the possibility of him wishing again that he could perfectly control the power of the Divine Seal is almost nonexistent. Even if he doesn't achieve a decisive victory in one strike, he might not lose the chance to win."
“That’s what I think too. However, although Shenzhao keeps belittling the Lord of the Divine Seal as a mortal, he doesn’t actually look down on the Lord of the Divine Seal. He really has armed himself to the teeth.” Yuchi also sighed, “Sometimes he would come up with some ideas on the spot and ask me to help him implement them. He also personally made a lot of arrangements.”
"I'm afraid even Xuanming, if he saw that Shenzhao, whom he usually doesn't get along with, had made so many murder preparations in his own home, would be completely afraid to approach him."
The Divine Illumination's wariness of the Lord of the Divine Seal may have other aspects as well.
It's important to understand that fragments of the Divine Seal are divine objects that even those without the corresponding destiny cannot touch. So what about the complete Divine Seal? It's incorrect to simply view the owner of the Divine Seal as "a mortal who just happened to find a divine artifact by luck." Even if he was truly a mortal, he was a mortal burdened with an immense destiny beyond the comprehension of ordinary reason.
However, it's also possible that the setting that "Divine Seal Fragments require a specific destiny to acquire" was created by the Lord of the Divine Seals himself. Judging from his past claims that he could replenish new Void Realm Apostles, although not entirely arbitrarily, he seems to be able to influence other Divine Seal Fragments and their holders to some extent.
Incidentally, of the three unclaimed divine seal fragments that Shenzhao gave me, I entrusted two to Ma Zao and Zhu Shi for safekeeping.
As expected, Ma Zao can access the fragments of the Divine Seal. My connection with the fragments of the Divine Seal was most likely formed under her influence. In the past, she could even touch the Divine Seal fragments that were bound to me. Zhu Shi can also normally touch the unclaimed Divine Seal fragments. Considering that Xiao Wan, who is probably the same person as her, is a Void Realm Apostle with a great connection to the Divine Seal fragments, it is not surprising that Zhu Shi can also do this.
Unlike me, neither of them experienced a binding reaction upon contact with the Divine Seal fragments; they could only touch them. This was also within the calculations; the Divine Seal fragment implanted in Dr. Silver Mask's heart was also treated as an unclaimed Divine Seal fragment by the Divine Seal fragment bound to me.
To avoid the risk of being forcibly recruited by the Lord of the Divine Seal as an Apostle of the Void Realm in the future, I suggested that Ma Zao and Zhu Shi not keep the Divine Seal fragments close to their bodies, but the two of them seem to have different opinions on this.
(End of this chapter)
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