Chapter 216 - Then I Will Become the Light

December 6th.Jiang Man gazed at the gray, oppressive sky and stopped his Cultivation.

He felt the atmosphere around him had changed.

He wouldn’t gain anything more by continuing his Cultivation.

Before, his efforts had yielded double the results, but now it felt like he was putting in twice the work for half the reward.

The environment here had completely succumbed to darkness, compelling people to move forward.

So he had no choice but to stop.

"Are you all right?" Ji Yifei asked curiously.

Logically, Jiang Man should be dejected and exhausted right now.

But why did he look both regretful and so full of Spirit?

Qin Yihan was even more perplexed. She knew from ancient texts that the longer one cultivated in a place like this, the heavier their heart was supposed to become.

It was as if everything around them was closing in, crushing them.

It would become hard to breathe, their Cultivation would be affected, and nothing would feel right. Then, they would be forced to stop cultivating, their Spiritual Qi falling into chaos, their Heart Spirit becoming restless, and their Spirit growing weary.

That was the normal reaction.

And yet...

The man before them showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, he stared at his surroundings with a look of helpless resignation.

’How should I put it?’

Disappointment.

It was like a disappointment that the Evil God’s methods hadn’t lasted long enough.

’But twenty days should have been a very long time.’

"Oh well. A man can’t be too greedy," Jiang Man said.

Ji Yifei glanced at Qin Yihan.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

As if to say, ’Who do you think you’re mocking?’

It was truly strange. ’A man can’t be too greedy’—who could say such a thing in an Evil God Domain like this?

’Is he even human?’

Jiang Man paid them no mind and continued walking forward.

He had a strange feeling.

’It’s like I’ve become someone else.’

’A person who stayed up all night cultivating, striving to improve.’

But as he reached Foundation Establishment Perfection and neared his breakthrough, his body grew weary, and his Heart Spirit seemed to encounter a thick fog.

At this moment, Jiang Man was walking through that very fog.

It was as if he was walking the path that other person had once trod.

Oppression. Pain.

But he was still gritting his teeth and pressing on.

He wasn’t the only one. Right now, Zhuo Bufan was drenched in sweat.

It felt as if a thousand-pound weight was bearing down on his Heart Spirit, pinning him in place.

But he still gritted his teeth and moved forward.

’Is this really a moment for despair?’

"Why bother?" the woman beside him said, shaking her head. "No matter how you persist, the result will be the same. Even if you stand still, you’ll fall into the abyss."

"I want to see how one enters this abyss," Zhuo Bufan said.

"And what then? In the end, your Heart Spirit will be damaged, you’ll fall into the abyss, never to see the sun again, and you’ll be stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection for the rest of your life," the woman stated calmly. "Ultimately, your family will send you into an ancient well-type Secret Realm to be used as bait to attract an Evil God.

"Since you received so many resources from the family, you must secure some benefit for the family in the end."

"Why does my dear cousin believe I will fail?" Zhuo Bufan asked without turning his head.

His body began to sway, as if he could barely walk.

This was because he had been in constant Cultivation for twenty days.

He desperately wanted to rest, but the thought of the third, fourth, and fifth-ranked cultivators all pulling all-nighters to train made him afraid to stop.

’These people are insane. The efficiency of Cultivation here is doubled; how could they possibly let this chance go?’

Especially Lin Qingshan. He would be desperately trying to catch up.

If he stopped for even a moment, his second-place position would be in jeopardy.

Having all received guidance from Mr. Ji, the gap between them—the top-ranked cultivators—wasn’t actually that large.

"Why will you fail?" The woman’s brow furrowed slightly. "I thought you were reasonably intelligent, but now it seems you’re just stubborn.

"It’s not that I think you will fail.

"It’s that it has always been this way."

"A fellow Sect member once said to me, ’Just because it has always been this way, does that make it right?’" Zhuo Bufan asked softly.

The woman was silent for a moment before saying, "So you think you’re going to write a new answer?"

"I can’t do that," Zhuo Bufan said honestly, shaking his head.

"If you can’t, then what has always been is correct," the woman said calmly.

Zhuo Bufan smiled faintly and didn’t respond.

’He knew in his heart whether it was right or wrong.’

’Besides, someone will come along to prove it eventually.’

He didn’t need to say anything more.

Zhuo Bufan’s attitude, however, made the woman frown.

She felt the man before her was being obstinate.

But...

...his ability to persevere for so long surprised her.

Especially since, as they advanced, those who had stayed up late felt an intensifying oppression, like an unquenchable fire of rage trapped in their hearts.

It would eventually be suppressed deep inside, weighing down their hearts and making it impossible to take another step.

Their bodies and Heart Spirits would sink into the abyss, unable to see the light or the path to the future.

Despair was the main theme for these people.

But Zhuo Bufan felt no such despair.

It was as if a ray of light in his heart was constantly supporting him.

"Cousin," Zhuo Bufan said suddenly.

The woman frowned, not knowing what he was about to say.

But a moment later, Zhuo Bufan asked, "Have you ever seen the light?"

The woman fell silent.

’The question was absurd. There was no need to answer.’

Zhuo Bufan didn’t say anything more either.

He continued forward.

But soon, he saw an endless darkness.

CRUMBLE!

His foot suddenly slipped, but he immediately steadied himself.

Stones tumbled from the edge where he stood.

Looking down, he realized he had unknowingly reached the edge of a cliff.

Before him was a bottomless abyss.

Behind him...

Zhuo Bufan turned his head.

He saw that the darkness was rapidly consuming the path behind him.

Before long, he would be enveloped by the darkness and fall into the abyss.

This was the future that the hand in the darkness had arranged for him.

「Outside the Dabi Islands of the Sect Competition.」

At this moment, a seven-colored auspicious cloud hung dazzlingly in the sky, circling endlessly.

The people nearby had long since noticed it.

Even those participating in the grand competition were no exception.

But with numerous Demon Beasts attacking the area, they couldn’t get close.