I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 431 We are adding fuel to the fire of the heart candle.

"You haven't finished... You're going to die!"

With a sharp gasp from Fina, Feng Xue and Liu Yunxi's research was abruptly interrupted. Feng Xue straightened her clothes, stood up as if nothing had happened, and calmly said:
"Would you believe me if I said we were researching heart candles before?"

"Do you think I believe you or not?" Fina stared wide-eyed, her face showing an expression that said, "You didn't invite me to the party," or rather, "You sent me away just to have a party."

Seeing her like this, Feng Xue sighed and turned to Liu Yunxi, who was turning her snagged stockings (transformed from her natal magic item) back to normal, and said:
"Give her a light!"

"Maybe we shouldn't?" Liu Yunxi glanced at Fina, shook her head somewhat hesitantly, and Feng Xue sighed.
"If you don't order, she'll always think we're trying to fool her!"

"..." Liu Yunxi hesitated for a moment, then looked at Fina again, her face asking, "Do you really want to experience this?"

Seeing Liu Yunxi's expression, Fina, for some unknown reason, immediately reverted to her manic state and said:

"Don't think you can scare me! Our world also has historical records of previous civilizations! How could a world focused on scholarship have something like dual cultivation... uh?"

Before Fina could finish her confident words, she suddenly frowned, a subtle feeling growing in her heart, as if guiding her to understand what "offering oneself in return" meant.

"So why repay me with your body?" Fina quickly broke free from that mysterious and absurd feeling, and Liu Yunxi pointed to her head and said:

"Because this is who I truly am!"

"Ahem, let me explain." Feng Xue coughed twice, took out the children's test paper that Xiao Lingdang had translated earlier, and pointed to the contents, saying:

"The so-called Heart Candle in this world can be understood as something similar to the 'Dao Heart,' which is the cornerstone and guiding light for cultivators in this world. What Yunxi just did was the wondrous ability that can only be possessed when the Heart Candle reaches the second level. It is precisely because of this ability to 'show one's own path to others' that this level is called 'Passing on the Flame.' In this world, only those who have reached this level are qualified to be teachers and impart knowledge."

"It sounds reasonable, but don't you think teaching others how to repay kindness with their bodies is too abstract?" Fina felt her face was about to cramp, but she still couldn't help but complain.

Feng Xue remained silent, because he also found it abstract.

But it was precisely because of this abstractness that Feng Xue understood that this was indeed the cultivation system of this world.

With Liu Yunxi as a reference, the children's answers seemed much easier to understand.

First of all, the system of this world is indeed based on the self-sufficiency of willpower. The reason why people have not become as diverse as the Hexing people is because of the establishment of authenticity and the candle of the heart.

Although the children used different metaphors to describe spiritual practice, such as "sailing in the sea," "finding a path in the wilderness," and "groping in the fog," the core of the metaphors was to describe the path as dark or invisible.

The candle of the heart is described as a light that illuminates the way ahead. When it is first lit, it can only light the way for itself. When the flame is passed on after the fire is extinguished, it can guide others. If it can shine as brightly as the sun and moon, it can illuminate a region, dispel the fog or darkness, and make the road unobstructed.

According to Liu Yunxi's own account, this "heart candle" should represent a sufficiently firm belief. Although she ignited the strange belief of "definitely finding a way to repay the kindness," it was still ignited. Based on this, Feng Xue, by adding "fuel" to Liu Yunxi's heart candle to compare the similarities and differences with the self-sufficient willpower system, finally deciphered the core of cultivation from the children's extremely abstract metaphor—

In this world, when a person firmly develops the belief or obsession of "what I want to do," he can ignite the candle of his heart. The so-called "illuminating the way forward" is actually to ensure that he does not get lost on the path of cultivation. To put it more bluntly, it means that he will not be distorted by his own willpower in the process of self-sufficiency.

The true function is to process the willpower before it becomes self-sufficient, transforming it into the fuel needed for the heart's candle. In Shinto terms, it is to ensure that the poison of faith within the willpower remains at an acceptable level.

In short, the "candle of the mind" is "what I want to do"; while the "true nature" is "how I want to do it". The role of schools of thought, knowledge, and learning is to help practitioners to more clearly deconstruct their true nature in order to obtain more targeted resources.

Take Liu Yunxi as an example. Her heart candle is "I want to repay kindness". After the heart candle is lit, her will will be transformed into fuel for the heart candle to burn through various acts of repaying kindness.

However, for different practitioners, even with the same inner candle, the suitable fuel will differ. Therefore, it is necessary to find one's true self and determine how one should repay kindness.

After much practice and internal struggle, Liu Yunxi chose to dedicate herself to the cause. Having accumulated sufficient experience in this path, she reached the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment, becoming a guiding light for all who aspire to follow this path.

This sounds a bit outrageous, so let's change the style—

The beginning of a child's spiritual journey is reading. After a basic general education and moral education, he will face a problem—

What kind of person do I want to become?

This question is difficult to answer at first, or it is mostly an unrealistic wish or dream, such as wanting to be an astronaut, a pilot, or a scientist. At this point, the idea is just an idea.

But as learning continues and more knowledge is acquired, this question will gradually become more specific. It may be elevated to "I want to become a useful person to society," or it may degenerate to "I want to become someone who can bully others at will," or it may become mediocre to "I want to become a rich person."

But no matter what, this goal will become more and more specific, until the moment you truly accept it from the bottom of your heart, the candle in your heart will be lit.

Then, we will face the second problem—

How to become this kind of person?

This is not something that can be easily understood, so we need to learn from the wisdom of our predecessors and see how they succeeded. In the process of learning from the paths of our predecessors, people will think, summarize, and finally come to their own conclusion, which is the essence of authenticity.

Afterwards, by continuously practicing one's true self, one gets closer and closer to that goal. This process will produce fuel, making the candle of the heart shine brighter and one's strength increase.

However, this system also has a problem: once you give up your dream, your cultivation will dissipate overnight.

(End of this chapter)