Zhou Yan snapped back to his senses, and his body, which had turned transparent, returned to its normal state. Suddenly, he felt that obtaining the Three Remnant Souls of the Lei Yan King from Heavenly Soul Mountain was imperative and that he must take them immediately, by overwhelming means, and refine them to quickly unlock the last inheritance from his master and elder brother, Lee Ran.
At this time, Zhou Yan noticed that the runes that had been quite poor in Yilan’s execution were now taking shape. Indeed, after pouring energy into the Heavenly Dao Soul Stone, it began to glow faintly and emit heat.
Yilan seemed unchanged, like an automaton set on a pre-defined course, tirelessly working on its own, meticulously correcting every mistake.
Zhou Yan’s somewhat heavy body relaxed a bit due to Yilan’s focus.
Tai Chu text was not Tai Chu runes. The ancient words of Tai Chu were merely ancient text, while runes were the ascension of text. Yilan’s understanding of the ancient text was poor, and trying to derive runes from such a level was like a fool’s dream. Zhou Yan had seen her attempt to sense the Heavenly Dao Soul Stone before. Although he kept silent and did not discourage her, he didn’t believe she had the slightest chance of success.
However, seeing Yilan almost find the way in a short time and continuously correct her mistakes, Zhou Yan felt a shock in his heart, astonished by the woman’s abilities and resolve.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan realized—even if there was no hope in the eyes of others, as long as one remained relentless and never gave up, the goal would invariably draw closer.
What did it matter if one had many thoughts and concerns? If one knew the outcome would be good, would it materialize without effort? If one knew the outcome would be miserable, would one give up in advance and halt in their tracks?
Just like Yilan, did she not know how poor her Tai Chu text was? Did she not realize that trying to gather Tai Chu runes with such a level of understanding, let alone to trigger the secrets of the Heavenly Dao Soul Stone, was laughable? With her intelligence, she surely knew, yet she continued to focus on her task without caring about the outcome.
"Life is limited, and the path of cultivation is boundless. If one were to cultivate the boundless Tao with a limited life, one would inevitably fall on the path of cultivation. The outcome is almost determined, yet cultivators still press on tirelessly—"
"So what if it’s a breeding ground? So what if the Netherworld Goddess wants to kill me? As long as I have the power, I can defy fate and change my destiny. Let the Heart of Invincibility awaken now."
Zhou Yan’s heart, after enduring the cold, silence and confusion of derivation, finally retrieved his Heart of Invincibility and Path of Invincibility after opening the Eye of Destruction and the Nine Orifice Exquisite Heart.
"Only I Am Supreme, with me, there is invincibility. Those who follow me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish. Stop killing with killing, control killing with killing!"
Zhou Yan’s gaze shifted from bewilderment to enlightenment upon seeing Yilan, and then his Taoist heart became resolute, undergoing a true transformation.
By this time, he exhaled a cloudy breath, which was impurities from the Heavenly Destiny Enlightenment Tea.
It was a reddish vapor with a faint scent of blood.
With Zhou Yan’s constitution, there should be no such waste gas in his body, which meant it was the impurities of the soul, the impurities of fate.
The effect of the Heavenly Destiny Enlightenment Tea unfolded, allowing Zhou Yan to comprehend too much in an instant, to ponder various outcomes while purifying his spirit, inexplicably cleansing his soul.
That is to say, this comprehension, derivation, and all feelings were a result of the Heavenly Destiny Enlightenment Tea.
Perhaps, without the Heavenly Destiny Enlightenment Tea, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Zhou Yan to ponder these matters, but that might have taken a long time. By then, what changes would occur, nobody knew.
Heavenly Destiny Enlightenment Tea, like a catalyst, expedited what was to happen, allowing Zhou Yan to face the various great changes more calmly and composedly.
"I’m one step closer to a perfect soul," Zhou Yan muttered to himself, sensing something.
After such changes, he composed himself and went to Yilan’s side. He decided to put aside his prejudices and treat this woman well—even if someday they had to oppose each other due to factional reasons. If not for her, Zhou Yan knew he would have been lost for a long time.
This was a favor he owed Yilan, unseen.
"Yilan, the ancient text of Tai Chu originates from the Ancient Array Runes; the Ancient Array Runes, in turn, stem from Ancient Array Text. Text is the foundation of runes, while runes are the ascension of text. Your runes have deviated from the right path, all self-learnt; they differ greatly from those derived in the Ancient Times by the Heavenly Dao. Since you’re so interested in this area, from now on, the master will teach you the real runes," Zhou Yan suddenly said.
Yilan, who had been absorbed in her trials and errors, jolted at his words, her eyes flashing with obvious delight.
She stared at Zhou Yan, seemingly stunned.
After a moment, Yilan called out with excitement, and unexpectedly hugged Zhou Yan’s arm, "Master, are you serious? Are you really going to teach Yilan the real runes?"
Due to her excitement, she shook his arm several times, inadvertently causing her ample bosom to rub against Zhou Yan’s arm more than once.