Cultivation begins with the Druid panel

Looking out the window, Lu Lin saw that the carriage was surrounded by bushes on both sides, and the road surface was muddy as if it had just rained. When Lu Lin looked up again, he saw that the sky was covered with dark clouds, and it looked like a torrential rain was brewing.

The scholar glanced out the window and, seeing the sky, smiled, "With the rain falling, isn't it wonderful to be here in this carriage?"

Lu Lin was taken aback, closed the curtains, and asked curiously, "How do you know?"

The scholar chuckled softly, flicked his sleeve in front of Lu Lin, then took out two jars of wine from his trunk and placed them on the table. He then took out wine cups, poured wine for Lu Lin and himself, and said, "I wonder if young master can trust me? If you can, why don't we drink together?"

Lu Lin glanced down at the wine cup in the scholar's hand. A faint aroma of wine wafted into his nostrils, making him feel slightly tipsy, but not pungent. It must be good wine.

The druid's natural senses did not give any warning, which meant that the wine was not poisoned. Lu Lin took the wine cup and smiled, "Thank you for your hospitality, fellow Daoist."

The scholar laughed heartily, increasingly finding Lu Lin to be a good match for him. He took a sip of wine and asked, "We are strangers who have met by chance, but in the past, the cultivators I've encountered were either afraid I would poison them or thought I had ulterior motives, and never dared to accept this cup of wine from me. You are the first one who dared to accept it."

Lu Lin said, "Fellow Daoist's state of mind is beyond the reach of ordinary people. You are definitely not a wicked person. Even if you wanted to harm me, you would not stoop to such petty methods."

The scholar was taken aback by Lu Lin's unexpected answer and looked at him with a deeper meaning, asking, "You don't need to lie to me. This is indeed your first time coming down the mountain, isn't it?"

"How do you know?" Lu Lin didn't understand. Did he really make it that obvious? It was true that he and Shen Luo were naive that time in Peacock City, but now he felt that he had hidden it very well.

"You have a good personality, but your knowledge doesn't match your personality. A lack of knowledge means you haven't experienced much," the scholar explained to Lu Lin with a smile. "We cultivators of the Path of Literature emphasize reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles. Cultivators of other paths are actually quite similar. I can see that you've read a lot of books, but... you haven't traveled much."

Lu Lin was taken aback.

That makes sense.

The scholar continued with a laugh, "How many steps you take isn't something you can fake."

Lu Lin raised his wine glass, and the scholar also smiled and raised his hand. The two of them drank the wine in their glasses in one gulp.

Lu Lin said, "I have learned a lot."

If Lu Lin still can't tell that the person in front of him is not simple, then he is not just naive, but simply stupid.

Lu Lin, unwilling to miss this opportunity for growth, leaned closer and asked, "Sir, I've read in books that outstanding people are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Are they all as excellent as you?"

Lu Lin's use of "sir" had nothing to do with cultivation level; it was simply because he genuinely felt that the person before him had something he could learn from.

The scholar was not stingy at all, and answered Lu Lin's question generously: "Since you call me 'sir,' then I will tell you something. The so-called genius has two aspects: first, innate talent, and second, acquired mindset."

"At the top, there are those who possess the twenty-four solar terms of the Mountain Cliff Academy; at the bottom, there are those who possess the abilities of independent cultivators in the folk. The so-called prodigies are not only distinguished by their strength, but also by their state of mind."

You just said my state of mind is beyond the reach of ordinary people. If I told you that among the thousands of cultivators in the world, those whose state of mind is comparable to mine are like fish in a vast ocean or stars in the sky, would you believe me?

Lu Lin was taken aback upon hearing this.

He shook his head unconsciously.

This is naturally unbelievable.

If all cultivators in the world were like this scholar, he dared not imagine how difficult the path of cultivation would become.

The scholar chuckled and said, "Your current level is still a bit lacking. Once you're stronger and actually see those people, you'll believe it."

Lu Lin fell into deep thought. Just then, the scholar poured him another cup of wine. This time, it was the scholar's turn to ask: "Tell me, what do you think is the purpose of cultivation?"

Lu Lin did not rush to answer, because he knew that with his current knowledge, even with the memories from before his transmigration and his understanding of cultivation, his answer still could not match the answer and insights of the scholar in front of him.

But Lu Lin finally revealed his answer: "I seek immortality!"

Lu Lin revealed the answer to the question about cultivation in the afterlife, but the scholar's eyes remained calm, as if he had already known Lu Lin would say this.

This made Lu Lin, a transmigrator, feel somewhat disheartened and frustrated.

The scholar said, "Cultivation is for the sake of action. Action is experience, and through experience, one develops the seven emotions and six desires. Only by developing the seven emotions and six desires can one become a human being. One must first be a human being before one can become an immortal."

Lu Lin was stunned for a moment.

His master had said something similar to him, but at the time he only said the last eight words. He never expected that there was a reason behind the first eight words.

However, this also shows that the scholar's insights were probably inferior to his master's.

Lu Lin understood the principle that the greatest truths are the simplest.

At this point, the scholar added to Lu Lin, "Of course, evil spirits are not included. Those who slaughter civilians in order to break through realms or to prolong their lives are not considered immortals."

Of course, such people cannot even see through life and death, so they cannot go far and cannot even establish a foundation. They can only be encountered in the Foundation Establishment stage and below.

However, no cultivator below the Foundation Establishment stage, even those in the Qi Refining stage who are independent, is simple. It should be understood that they are all individuals who have distinguished themselves from countless ordinary people.

If you can't see through life and death, what's the point of cultivating immortality?

Lu Lin seemed to be deep in thought.

The scholar smiled and looked at Lu Lin: "If you can't figure it out, you can go to the Cliff Academy to ask for some Taoist classics. The Taoist principle of following nature is closest to the concept of 'cultivating immortality'."

When Lu Lin heard the word "Taoism," his eyes glazed over for a moment. Before transmigrating, he was familiar with the word "Taoism," but he didn't expect that it also existed in the world of cultivation.

"I am deeply grateful to you for telling me all this, sir," Lu Lin said, feeling that he had asked enough questions.

"There's no need for that. These are just principles from books, not mine. I'm telling you this only out of a sense of obligation," the scholar waved his hand.

The more the scholar acted this way, the more Lu Lin felt that the path of cultivation was difficult to walk.

The books in the other world all describe the world of cultivation as full of fighting and killing, struggling against heaven and earth, but in the world of cultivation he transmigrated to, who fights and kills with him?

Everyone seems to be genuinely practicing 'spiritual cultivation'.

Moreover, this difference in mindset made Lu Lin feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

After all, there's a difference in strength. He has the Druid panel, so even if he's not as good now, he can eventually surpass him by accumulating proficiency. But the difference in mindset is something he can only figure out for himself.

Otherwise, if his mindset can't keep up, he will be left far behind by these people, and may not even be able to catch up with them.

However, at that moment...

A loud bang suddenly came from outside the carriage, followed by the neighing of the Fiery Sun Horse. Lu Lin's expression changed abruptly. He put down his wine glass on the table and looked out of the carriage.

But the scholar remained unhurried.

The coachman then looked towards the carriage and said to the two men with a slightly apologetic expression:

"My lords, the thunder and rain have startled our animals. Even though the Fiery Sun Horse is a spirit beast, it is not immune to this. We cannot continue our journey for the time being and need to rest for a while."

Lu Lin raised an eyebrow.

He thought someone was coming to rob him.

It was such a simple reason.