Paragon of Sin

Chapter 1629 1622: Sacrifice (2)

Several hours passed as Su Mei stood at the edge of the ship, staring at the vast starry sky. A strong sensation of eerie familiarity coursed through her mind as if she had done this before, relying on the beauty and serenity of the stars to ease her turbulent emotions. It was inexplicable and mysterious. Silently, her fists clenched tightly with great strength.

'I-We will overcome this.' Her inner voice was remarkably firm and steel-like. After cultivating this far, seeing so much of this vast world, and knowing that there was so much more out there, how could she possibly resolve herself to forfeit that chance? How could she even fathom doing so?

Wei Xiaotian sat down lazily on a prayer mat, adopting the sitting posture of the stargazing elders of a particular human tribe. Normally, she would be tasked to meditate upon the stars and guess the movements of the world. It was an intermediate-level method for Oracles, with beginner-level methods resembling reading streams of moving water or the flow of world qi, otherwise known as mana. Unfortunately, she hadn't gained sufficient proficiency in reading the world's flow using this method despite her origins and innate talents.

Within her mind, over the last few days, a natural phrase kept arising within her thoughts: 'Cultivation is difficult,' followed by a 'ugh' or 'haa' that originated from her very soul. She was extraordinarily talented, and while she was most assuredly leaping across stages and challenges that she faced at light speed, those obstacles left her stumped for a while until she genuinely devoted her time and effort to overcoming them.

She eventually gave way to adding another add-on to that instinctively thoughtful sentence: 'Alchemy is unparalleled when assisting on the path of cultivation.' Wei Xiaotian had begun to take Wei Wuyin's gifted products with vigorous excitement. She only needed to test out a few days of cultivation to realize these truths, and each stump on her path left her with an unforgettable realization that those obstacles would only become harder and harder.

While she might have the knowledge and insight, she was slowly realizing something that Wei Wuyin had discovered just a few hours earlier, and that was possession did not equate to utilization. She still had to comprehend those things, relying on her intelligence and wisdom to navigate. It was a wondrous and equally daunting sensation. And there were a few alchemical products that directed that mental focus to certain aspects, intensifying and highlighting those areas to see and understand better.

"Sister Su," Wei Xiaotian called out after taking a break from stargazing and attempting to read the world. Her words attracted Su Mei's attention. After staying with Wei Xiaotian for a few hours, seeing her cultivate, the first Valkyrie had a good impression of this young girl who felt very, very similar to Wei Wuyin. She even had a softer scent that resembled him.

"Are you scared?"

"..." Wei Xiaotian's words caused Su Mei to receive a slight shock as she was taken aback by such a direct question. However, her inner calm wasn't so easily disturbed, and she didn't feel offended as Wei Xiaotian had the purest gaze of child-like curiosity. So she responded without hiding anything, "Always."

"Always?" Wei Xiaotian did not expect that sort of answer. "What do you mean by that? How can you always be afraid?" In her mind, someone in constant fear would be crippled and obliterated by the intensity of their strained psyche. This was part of her innate knowledge.

Su Mei didn't retract her openness or retreat from those questions as she turned her gaze back to the stars, replying with a clear tone and a strong, resounding voice suffused with a hint of calm.

"I once, no-Lord Wei once fought against an enemy. A cheeky subordinate by the name of Chu Yan, who was killed by a sneak attack from an assassination attempt on Wei Wuyin's life, had once asked Wei Wuyin before his men if he was scared of the heavens punishing him for his hand in hunting down a sect once known as the Violet Moon Sect.

"He was intending to challenge Wei Wuyin's dignity before the crowd to stir chaos and questioning. I believe he wanted to reason that Wei Wuyin's actions were pushing things too far despite having been given explicit orders by the sect. He wanted to shake the foundation of Wei Wuyin's subordinates' trust. Instead, he received a reply that still sends shivers down my spine to this day."

Wei Xiaotian was listening intently as she grew increasingly curious. Was this during Wei Wuyin's younger years?

"What did he say?" She found herself upright without realization, her posture attentive and focused.

Su Mei continued, "He said: Fear? I am always afraid. I fear the heavens. I also fear the earth. I fear the judgment of the people. I fear the sharpness of my enemy's blade. I fear the dissatisfaction of my superiors. I fear the hatred of those I've slain. I fear nature at its kindest and I fear nature at its most wicked periods. I fear...everything I see, hear, taste, touch, and feel. But by knowing this fear, I can see it with my heart. And so, I can face it with everything I am.

"'I can allow it to pass through me and when each of these things has gone past me, I find myself understanding that fear is the festering death that kills the mind, infects the soul, and corrodes the potential to be strong. And when the fear is there yet unable to affect me, I will be able to purify my will to push forward without doubt.

"'All my men here', I can remember how Lord Wei turned to those drawn by his voice, even those captured and held prisoner, turned to him and he asked, 'What are we?!' It was as if their inner voice was called to action. They all said, myself included, from the bottom of our hearts-Afraid!

"When he followed up with 'When are we afraid?' and as if by instinct, we came to realize a collective truth, we replied-Always! The harmonious voices disturbed Chu Yan to the point his expression turned incredibly and hilariously unsightly.

"While Wei Wuyin had trained us in this way for a long time, to always feel fear, to revere all things, and to see where fear leaves its mark so that we may better understand ourselves, it was incredible how even those uninvolved knew what to say. It was then that I realized that cultivation isn't about just growing stronger but a pursuit of personal conquest against things known and unknown."

"..." Wei Xiaotian was silent. It was as if she was right there at that very moment, seeing Chu Yan's distorted expression laced with anxiety and a clear realization of his plan backfiring. Her eyes were sparkling and the light of unfathomable and profound insight emanated from her aura. Her Heart of Cultivation had solidified. Many of the things that had baffled her before, even some of her more confounding questions found clear answers.

After several minutes, Wei Xiaotian's eyes slowly regained their normality. Su Mei waited a little while until she digested her mental gains, then said:

"So I always fear, and I am always afraid-just like him. Because only by being afraid can I conquer the next challenge and understand what it means to me. Only then can I draw my saber with confidence against the unknown and known."

"I understand," Wei Xiaotian firmly nodded as her posture became upright and her astonishingly mouth-watering curves were unintentionally accentuated.

"Good," Su Mei smiled.

She only imparted a little knowledge of cultivation that was hard to realize without continuous exposure to the dangers and realities of this arduous path of cultivation. Those who've come to understand this can not only challenge others but vie for benefits amidst any obstacle. It was this cultivated will that allowed those Ascendants to challenge her repeatedly despite her superiority that had never been beaten.

It was cultivated by their Neo-Dawn Visualization Method, their Mental Incantation that held up their psyche against incredible, mind-crushing forces.

Without losing the fear, everything can be met with the full force of your heart, mind, and body. Nothing could paralyze you. Not even the heavens.

In another timeline somewhere perhaps, it would be this cultivated strength of willpower that allowed Su Mei and Wei Wuyin to draw her saber against a representation of a greater entity.

The two chatted a little more. Their relationship improved greatly as an invisible obstacle was seemingly obliterated by Wei Xiaotian. That obstacle was the fear of trust and friendship.

"What are you two discussing so animatedly about?" Wei Wuyin waltzed over seeing them carrying chuckling smiles on their faces. To see this on the eve of her ascension, Wei Wuyin was both relieved and intrigued.

"Nothing," Wei Xiaotian pouted.

But Su Mei answered, "I was telling Wei Xiaotian about our city bandit, cookie-stealing, gate-busting day at Jade Circle City."

Wei Xiaotian was stunned. She truly kept no secrets from him. But she couldn't and didn't blame her for being openly honest. After all, she didn't use a transmission to transmit the truth and said it aloud.

Wei Wuyin's eyes lit with an interesting brilliance. It contained a tinge of embarrassment and a wave of pride intermixed within that light.

"Hands down the best cookies I've ever had!"

Su Mei nodded in confirmation. It wasn't just beyond delicious, but it was because...they were...

If Su Mei was a typical girl, she would be blushing at the thought, but only her pure, black eyes gave way to the smile in her heart.

"OH! Did you tell her about..." Wei Wuyin joined in almost naturally as he began retelling their adventures. Wei Xiaotian eventually became enthralled by their stories, especially after Wei Wuyin brought out some of those square cookies that were called 'Mystic Cookies' from the Jade Circle City and other snacks to share, shocking Su Mei as her expression visibly livened and she ate without restraint. Even refreshing beverages appeared out of nowhere.

It was as delicious as they remembered.

On the eve of a calamity born by the heavens' will, the three enjoyed each other's company to the fullest.