Journey of True Cultivation-Chapter 94: Where the Path Begins

The moon sank beyond the horizon, and the sun rose to take its place, casting golden light across the land. A new day had arrived, as it always did. But for Yuan, this day was not a beginning. It was an end.

The end of his mortal life.

The day he would leave everything behind and walk the path of cultivation.

He didn't say anything to his parents. No goodbyes. No farewells. In his heart, he wasn't even sure if this world was real. Perhaps it was just another illusion, one created to trap him. So why should he care about family or friends that might not exist at all?

Yuan moved through the morning as he always had, carrying out his routine without a word. Then, wearing only his simple robes, he left the house. As he passed through the village gate, a few people noticed him. Some even greeted him. But his cold expression remained unchanged. His eyes never wavered.

Memories rose to the surface, unbidden.

These past four years of mortal life had not been ideal. He hadn't lived as he wanted. Yet they had given him something valuable: time to heal.

When he first came into this life, he was unstable, paranoid. He had trusted no one, not even the world itself. A falling leaf near him? He thought it might be an attack from Truth. A kind word from a villager? He suspected it was an illusion meant to deceive him.

If his body hadn't been so weak at the time, he likely would've killed everyone around him, driven by fear and fury.

But he wasn't the same anymore.

He had changed.

He was calm now. Focused. Rational.

And he understood something had happened to Truth. That was the only explanation for how he'd managed to escape the soul sea's suppression. There was no other way. Either Truth was gravely injured... or dead. Anything else made no sense.

Even now, he didn't understand why Truth had created the illusion in the first place. What was the purpose behind it all? Why trap him in this false world?

He had no answers.

Only questions.

And yet, none of it mattered anymore.

Whether this world was real or fake, whether he was still dreaming or finally awake, none of it mattered.

Because the only way to find the truth was to become stronger, to walk the path of cultivation.

To break free of whatever chains still bound him.

Maybe he was still being manipulated by Truth, completely or partially. He didn't know. Maybe even his current thoughts were planted, part of a grand design orchestrated by Truth. Who could say for sure?

But none of that changed what he had to do.

He had to walk forward. He had to take control of his own life.

That was his goal now, absolute control over his fate. Never again would he suffer the helplessness he had felt in the past.

As he walked farther from the village gates, the only sounds that accompanied him were the whispers of nature, the rustle of leaves, the chirping of insects, the wind brushing against the trees.

Until suddenly, a voice broke through it all.

A loud, familiar voice, one he had heard for hours every day over the past four years.

"LUAN YUAN, STOP! WAIT FOR ME!"

It was Lin Xiaoyu.

Yuan didn't react. He kept walking, unmoved by the call.

But he wasn't running, nor was he in a hurry. So, eventually, Lin Xiaoyu caught up to him, grabbing hold of his sleeve, panting for breath.

"Brother, why are you going so far outside the village? If I hadn't asked a few elders where they saw you last, I'd have never known where to find you!"

Lin Xiaoyu's chest rose and fell quickly as he tried to catch his breath, his small body tired from running. But once he could breathe again, he smiled and started talking cheerfully, just like always.

Yuan's face remained cold and impassive. He didn't even glance at Lin Xiaoyu.

The two walked together, one speaking, the other silent.

But after a while, Lin Xiaoyu's words began to slow. He looked over his shoulder and realized something. They had come far, much farther than usual.

"Brother, are you going somewhere out here? It's really far from the village now. It'll take us hours to walk back. We should stop here and head home," he said, tugging lightly on Yuan's sleeve.

But Yuan didn't stop.

Confused, Lin Xiaoyu tightened his grip. "Hey, Brother... what are you doing? I can't figure it out. Wait... are you leaving the village?"

His voice wavered slightly with unease.

Yuan stopped.

For the first time that day, he turned to look Lin Xiaoyu in the eyes.

There was no warmth in that gaze. Only emptiness, cold and detached.

Lin Xiaoyu froze. He knew that look, he'd seen it before.

Yuan had given it to many villagers over the years, but he had never seen it aimed at him, until now.

Lin Xiaoyu stood frozen under Yuan's cold gaze. He didn't understand it, but he couldn't look away. He stared into those deep black eyes... and in them, he saw his own reflection.

Then Yuan spoke.

"Yes. I'm leaving the village. Go back and forget this day."

His voice was as cold as ever, but for Lin Xiaoyu, it was the longest sentence he had ever heard Yuan speak. Normally, Yuan said one word. Maybe five, at most. But now... a complete sentence.

It left Lin Xiaoyu stunned and then the words truly hit him.

Yuan was leaving.

He remembered the question he had asked yesterday.

"So... you really are a cultivator?" he whispered, eyes still fixed on Yuan's.

Yuan didn't hesitate.

"Yes."

That single word, short and cold, answered everything.

Lin Xiaoyu had always been curious. He asked questions constantly, chatted endlessly, and had heard countless stories from the village elders. Tales of immortals, of cultivators who passed through their village long ago. He knew the myths, the customs, the truths buried in legends.

And one of those truths echoed now in his mind.

"The moment one walks the path of cultivation... they cut all mortal ties."

He murmured the words instinctively, as if they had been etched into his heart long ago.

Yuan heard him.

And though a storm of emotions briefly stirred inside him, he crushed them under his will. His face remained cold as he gave a single reply.

"Yes."

With that word, everything clicked, Lin Xiaoyu finally understood what was happening.

He had imagined that Yuan might become a cultivator one day, but not that he would leave so soon. Not that he would leave him behind.

His hand slipped away from Yuan's sleeve, he stood there, stunned, overwhelmed and then the tears came.

They slid silently down his cheeks. He didn't sob, didn't wail or cry aloud. He just stood there, still, eyes wide, as emotion welled up from deep inside and fell quietly onto the dirt path beneath his feet.

He fell silent.

And the world seemed to lose its color.

Everything dulled, muted, stiff, as if time itself had paused. For Lin Xiaoyu, it felt like something had broken inside him.

Yuan was his only friend in the entire village. The other children had always cast him aside, annoyed by how much he talked. But Yuan... Yuan never minded. Yuan never told him to stop. He simply let him be.

Talking, gossiping, sharing stories, those were Lin Xiaoyu's favorite things. But because of that, he was labeled annoying and kept at a distance by everyone except Yuan.

And now, even Yuan was leaving.

The moment that truth settled in his heart, the world stopped making sense. It was as if the sky was falling, like the heavens themselves were tearing apart.

Still, through the rising ache in his chest, Lin Xiaoyu gritted his teeth and looked one last time into Yuan's deep black eyes.

"Will I ever see you again?" he asked softly.

Yuan didn't hesitate.

"If the heavens allow us to meet, we shall meet," he said. Then, without another word, he turned and began to walk away, leaving Lin Xiaoyu standing alone in the dust.

But before Yuan could take more than a few steps, Lin Xiaoyu cried out.

"Then I'll become a cultivator too! Let's go together!"

His voice cracked, thick with emotion. Tears streamed down his face freely now, his body trembling as sobs began to escape his chest.

But Yuan only shook his head.

That small gesture hit Lin Xiaoyu harder than any words could. It was rejection, the same cold rejection he had always felt from the other children, only now it came from the one person who never pushed him away.

Yuan's voice came again, steady and unfeeling.

"If you want to cultivate, then do it for yourself. Walk your own path. Don't cultivate for me or anyone else. If you do, it will become a flaw in your Dao... and that flaw will one day break you."

He paused for a moment.

"If you truly want to cultivate, do it alone. And if you have talent... maybe we'll meet again."

Nothing more needed to be said.

Yuan turned and left.

No matter how much Lin Xiaoyu cried, no matter how badly he wanted to follow, Yuan didn't stop. He didn't look back. He didn't care.

He just walked away.

And when he had finally put enough distance between them, Yuan muttered under his breath:

"The path of the Dao is cruel. If I had taken him with me... would I have fallen for the illusion again Or was all of this real, and I rejected the only friend who truly wanted to walk beside me? A path filled with darkness... and I turned away from the light."

"Was that foolish... or wise?"He didn't have an answer. But the silence around him did not stop his steps.

Yuan kept walking, same pace, same path, eyes fixed ahead.