Destiny is ashes

Chapter 949 The Heart of Eternal War (43, thanks to Alliance Leader Not Just Watching Chess for the reward!)
—From oneself, the teacher of nature!

Without a single unnecessary guess, the moment Yu Feng regained his ability to think, he realized that the young man lecturing was none other than An Jing, the 'Nature Master' who had been the subject of discussion, vigilance, attention, and curiosity among all the geniuses attending the grand banquet!

"Look, this is a vermilion fruit."

An Jinghun didn't care. He casually took out a fruit, its crimson interior clearly containing a vast amount of life energy, causing all living beings to subconsciously look at it and reveal their desire: "It is full of spiritual energy. Eating it can strengthen the blood and internal organs, prolong life and increase vitality. You naturally desire it and want to devour it."

"And now..."

With his five fingers together, in an instant, the Vermilion Fruit transformed into a cloud of red mist in An Jing's palm. He whispered, "You want to 'breathe'."

With a casual wave of his hand, the red mist drifted towards the many creatures present, causing many to take deep breaths, hoping to absorb more of the Vermilion Fruit's spiritual energy, which made him shake his head slightly.

"Sunshine and rain, delicious food and delicacies nourish you and make you happy and thirsty, but in the end they are nothing more than physical instincts."

"You rejoice because of external things, you grieve because of external things. Where is your 'self'? Is it the brain and soul that issue commands? Or is it the body that is controlled by commands and reacts to external things?"

"Or perhaps, something deeper, something beyond the body, the brain, and even the soul, something that is neither real nor unreal, a 'true thing'?"

Anjing's gaze swept over the many true spirits. He did not preach any principles, but instead kept asking questions: "Only by seeing your reflection in a mirror can you know your own appearance. Only by touching your hair and skin can you feel your own body. But if you are separated from the mirror and lose the sense of touch, can you still be sure that you are yourself?"

"Today, the Dragon God has entrusted me to give you a lecture. I know that you are all the most gifted true spirits among all the beings in the Nine Seas. You have transformed your mortal bodies into dragons and are extremely familiar with your own bodies—but when they decay and decay, and your breath gradually fades away, will you feel any doubts when you touch your cold and stiff faces again?"

"Whose body is this...?"

At this point, An Jing's voice suddenly took on a cold, sharp edge: "Don't wait until that moment to have doubts!"

"All familiarity, all desire, are illusions! The true self lies hidden beneath layers of instinct in the body and soul, imprisoned by this cage bestowed upon us by heaven and earth!"

"My path to ascension is to transcend mortality and break free from shackles!"

He slowly stood up, as if a mountain had roared and risen from the ground. An Jing raised his hand, pointing to the sky, to the earth, to the surrounding sea of ​​qi and all the spirits within, and finally, to himself: "This is the eternal battlefield! Not a battle against heaven, not a battle against earth, not a battle against all spirits! This battle is a battle against 'himself'!"

"To overcome the 'joy' that is innate and deeply rooted in your flesh and soul, driving you to depend on external things, and to overcome your instinct to be happy or sad because of external things, start with your breath and ask yourself: Why do I exhale? Why do I inhale? What do I exhale? What do I inhale? What does this breath bring, and what does it deplete?"

"Is it possible to optimize, modify, or even... discard it?"

"The same principle applies to eating and sexual intercourse. Every desire you have needs to be examined and you need to ask yourself honestly. Otherwise, you will not find yourself and will not find the answer to your 'true self'!"

An Jing's words were like a heavy hammer, making it hard for Yu Feng to breathe—whether it was the Furnace Method, the ancient immortal path, or Huai Xu's martial arts, none of them had ever been so resolute and crazy!
The young martial artist's voice, still as resounding as a great bell, echoed in the ears of all the spirits on the Sky Island: "Every drop, every breath, every drink is a battlefield! Analyze, understand, conquer, and reconstruct these desires, crush these innate instincts, reclaim your body from the heavens and earth, and make it a creation of your will, a part of your true self!"

"The Path of Ascension, seemingly a 'heretical art' that involves forging an external physical body to replace oneself, is indeed both appearance and reality."

"But this spirit of eternal war is the true essence of my Dao!"

"When you can breathe without relying on external air, eat without being affected by external things, and feel joy and anger without being swayed by external circumstances, a unique inner world will naturally arise within you!" "This inner world is not the same as the other inner world; it is the 'inner realm' that belongs only to you, reconstructed with absolute dominance after you have cut off all external desires and defeated your true self!"

"At this point, you are the will of Heaven, and the will of Heaven is you. You need not seek anything external; your supernatural powers are self-sufficient! This is the method of ascending to immortality..."

"This is also my path to ascension, the path to becoming a True Person!"

Yu Hua said.

At this moment, Yu Feng finally understood that what An Jing had created was by no means another kind of martial arts or another kind of skill.

This naturalist has created a completely new path that is on par with the Dao of Immortality and the Dao of Martial Arts!
The Immortal Path redefines itself, the Martial Path is reborn, and the Ascension Path... rediscovers itself!
"Go back and think about these questions carefully. If you can truly understand them, you can go to the Eastern Sea General's Mansion in the future. I left behind a legacy there that is enough to teach you."

With a wave of his hand, An Jing's figure suddenly disappeared, while the many dragon-blooded beings who had been listening with rapt attention let out a long, regretful sigh, but gradually dispersed and returned to the endless sea surrounding the Ancestral Dragon Palace.

Only Yu Feng stood there blankly. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but he had a feeling that made him realize he should... stay.

"Um……"

Without knowing when, Yu Feng suddenly found himself on that small island, and a figure materialized from the void—it was An Jing.

It was this peculiar teleportation that made Yu Feng feel a sense of familiarity. He looked up in astonishment at the young martial artist sitting on the bluestone beside him: "Wait, this feeling... could it be the person who added the cosmic light changes to the Tianhai Dragon Gate?!"

"it's me."

An Jing casually replied, "The Dragon God said that since so many geniuses came because of me, let me try my hand. After all, I'm beholden to the Ancestral Dragon Palace, so let me test you."

“But…” Yu Feng murmured, “Wasn’t it said that there were only four seasons of Heavenly Dragons…”

"It is not only the Heavenly Dragon who can master the Divine Power of the Cosmic Light."

An Jing lowered his gaze, thoughtfully examining Yu Feng, before calmly asking, "From the Great Wilderness Realm?"

"what?"

Shocked and then struck by lightning, Yu Feng, who had originally intended to respectfully bow to the natural master, was dumbfounded. He never expected that his most fundamental and deeply hidden secret would be revealed in this way.

An Jing waved his hand, indicating that the other party should not look so silly: "Alright, there's nothing to be surprised about. What was sent to you was probably the Demon-Subduing Sword Intent of the Great Wilderness Realm, or perhaps a test by the Great Wilderness Heavenly Dao itself... It's all a small matter."

"You're not bad. Although you tend to overthink things, it seems you've actually absorbed some of the true meaning of the Ascension Dao... If you encounter any trouble later in the Mirror Scale Realm, you can come find me."

(End of this chapter)