Chapter Seventy-Three: A Sudden Revelation

Li Sibai had always been hesitant. On one hand, he had grown up within the Xuanyan Sword Sect, where he’d been taught from childhood that his duty was to rid the world of demons and evildoers. One of the key traits of demons and monsters, he’d learned, was their cultivation of battle energy.

When Li Sibai discovered that he himself possessed battle energy, he was torn and conflicted. He could hardly believe it was true, yet he was forced to accept the fact—especially since that energy had saved his life on more than one occasion. Eventually, he came to a decision: through tireless effort, he would purge himself completely of the battle energy within and become a proper disciple of the Xuanyan Sword Sect.

But today, the ancient tree spirit told him it was precisely his innate battle energy that had safeguarded him once again, allowing him to escape death by a hair's breadth. What’s more, if he persisted in refusing to cultivate this energy, as it gradually diminished, he would once again face the threat of death. In that moment, Li Sibai was left speechless. He did not know how to describe the turmoil churning within his heart.

Conflicted? Yes, intensely conflicted. Ridiculous? Yes, it was also utterly ridiculous. A so-called disciple of a righteous sect, forced to rely on the battle energy of demons and monsters just to stay alive.

Sometimes, fate seems to play cruel jokes.

Li Sibai pondered in silence for a long time.

He sat there, unmoving, for the entire night. The ancient tree spirit and Caiyao remained quietly by his side, unwilling to disturb him at such a time. They understood that he was engaged in a fierce inner struggle and would, in the end, reach his own conclusion.

After all, the path ahead is one that must be walked alone.

..........

At dawn, perhaps from sheer exhaustion, Li Sibai, his eyes red from sleeplessness, drifted off on the soft grass and fell into a deep slumber.

In a hazy state between dream and waking, Li Sibai seemed to see a man standing before him. The man wore pale blue Daoist robes and bore an ancient sword on his back. Seated before him was a beautiful woman, a baby cradled in her arms, her blue eyes shining with gentle affection.

The two conversed and laughed together, sometimes speaking to the baby, sometimes seemingly to Li Sibai himself. Lying quietly there, Li Sibai felt as if time had come to a standstill, the air around him filled with warmth and serenity.

He lay there silently—it was impossible to tell how much time had passed.

Then, Li Sibai heard someone calling, “Brother, brother…”

He opened his eyes blearily to see a young girl with a neat ponytail and big, bright eyes looking down at him. Who else could it be but Caiyao?

Seeing him awake, Caiyao smiled. “Brother, at last you’re awake! You slept for ages—night is about to fall again. You must have been dreaming; I saw you crying and laughing in your sleep. It took me ages to wake you.”

Li Sibai was initially annoyed at being woken, but hearing her words, he realized his eyes were damp. Had he really been dreaming? The dream had felt so real, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall the words spoken in it.

Just then, a gnawing hunger made itself known—he had not eaten in a long time. He hadn’t felt it while asleep, but now it was unbearable.

He took out some dried rations and began to eat, while Caiyao sat beside him.

“If something’s troubling you, just say it,” Caiyao suggested. “Maybe it will help to share it with us.”

Li Sibai looked at her and nodded. Yes, rather than wrestle with these thoughts alone, perhaps it was better to hear the opinions of Caiyao and the ancient tree spirit. Perhaps they could help.

“Caiyao, what do you think I should do? As a disciple of a righteous sect, I cultivate true qi, yet now I rely on the innate battle energy within me to survive. I once hoped I could expel this energy through cultivation. What should I do?”

Caiyao smiled. “Brother, let me ask you: do you consider me a demon or an evildoer?”

“You are a celestial beast—of course not.”

“And the ancient tree spirit? He cultivates battle energy!”

“Well…” Li Sibai hesitated. Not only had he received the tree spirit’s kindness before, but it hardly seemed fair to brand someone as evil simply for cultivating battle energy.

“Of course not.”

“Exactly. I cultivate true qi, the ancient tree spirit cultivates battle energy. By your logic, we should be at odds. Yet here we are, friends despite the difference. We’ve never harmed the innocent—isn’t that enough?”

“Is that enough?” Li Sibai murmured.

“Brother, you possess both true qi and battle energy—a gift from the heavens themselves. Your body is a gift from your parents; you owe it to them to take care of yourself. Use your unique constitution to do good. As long as your actions benefit the common people, why worry whether it’s true qi or battle energy?” Caiyao’s smile had faded, her expression now solemn.

Li Sibai was struck by her words. “A body is a gift from one’s parents…”

Yes, how could he betray the gift given him by his parents? They had given him this body for a reason—his duty was to make the most of it, to repay their kindness.

If he were to recklessly expel the battle energy within him and die as a result, how could he ever fulfill his aspirations? How could he face his parents who gave him life, Uncle Da who raised him, or the sect that taught him the Dao?

Li Sibai’s eyes sparkled as he stared at Caiyao. “Sister, thank you for telling me this. I feel much better now.”

Caiyao beamed, her smile radiant. She was truly happy for Li Sibai, and for her own ability to help him.

The ancient tree spirit, who had remained silent throughout, secretly praised Caiyao’s wisdom.

“Young man, I’ll say it again—whenever you wish to learn the art of cultivating battle energy, come to me. I’ll always be here. This is your destiny. As the ‘chosen one,’ you must bear what others cannot.”

“Elder, I understand now. The method itself is not important; what matters is how you use it. Please, teach me the way to cultivate battle energy. I am willing to acknowledge you as my master.”

With that, Li Sibai prepared to kneel in respect.

A tree branch quickly stopped him. “No need for such ceremony. You are Caiyao’s friend, and thus my friend as well. I am simply passing on this technique to you, not taking you as a disciple. Listen carefully, boy!”

And so, the ancient tree spirit began to teach Li Sibai the method of cultivating battle energy.