Chapter 602 : The Price of Eternal Youth

For a cultivator to maintain perpetual youth, they must continuously nourish their physical body with their magical power [the energy harnessed and refined through cultivation arts]. This process significantly impacts their cultivation progress.

Clear Heart Path Master has forsaken the preservation of youthful appearance and entered the State of Dustless Path Heart [a profound state of mental clarity and detachment from worldly distractions]. No wonder his cultivation speed is so astonishingly swift.

Although abandoning eternal youth offers such benefits, Ethan Chen still shook his head and said, "Cultivating the spirit while neglecting the body is the foremost ailment on the path. To refine only the ancestral nature without forging the elixir [a metaphorical core of power and longevity] is to condemn a heroic soul to fail in achieving sainthood across ten thousand kalpas [immense cosmic cycles]."

"I understand."

Clear Heart Path Master nodded. If the physical body is not strong enough, or if its Vitality [the fundamental life force and vigor] withers and depletes, then even with overwhelming magical power and soul, it would likely be impossible to sustain oneself.

Even for those who walk his path, to advance further in the future, they would inevitably have to expend a far greater price to reverse aging and return to their peak state to have any hope of breaking through the Infant Soul Realm [a major realm where the cultivator's nascent soul is formed and nurtured].

Yet, knowing this full well, he remained resolute in his choice. He spoke with serene detachment, "A human life is like a leaf upon a tree: it sprouts, buds, grows, matures, then withers and falls, carried away by the wind."

"I do not seek the path of Longevity [a metaphorical realm or state of extended life]. To experience the sensations of birth, aging, sickness, and death is meaningful in itself."

Ethan Chen was taken aback for a moment. After a long pause, he shook his head and said, "In a single lifetime, if one lacks a Spiritual Root [the innate talent that allows one to sense and absorb spiritual energy], it is one matter. But since you possess a Spiritual Root, to not strive for a chance at Immortal Fate [the destiny or opportunity to attain immortality] would be to waste this life entirely."

"Your journey to this point has not been easy. Do not squander the opportunity granted by this incarnation." Read the full novel exclusively on *audio-novel.com*.

Clear Heart Path Master shook his head without speaking, then began, "I have long pondered, for what purpose is a human life lived?"

"Is it for the love between husband and wife, for children gathered around one's knees, to experience the joys of family?"

"Or is it to impart the Path and resolve doubts, to instruct disciples and followers, to slay demons and monsters, expanding the territory for the Human Race?"

"Or perhaps it is to climb ever higher, sparing no cost, to ultimately achieve the status of the Nine Heavens Celestial Immortals and Demons?"

At this point, Clear Heart Path Master shook his head again, asking with a trace of confusion, "Husband and wife can turn on each other. And what of managing a sect and expanding territories? No matter how splendid a life, it all returns to dust in the end."

"And even if one becomes a Nine Heavens Celestial Immortals and Demons, attaining Longevity [eternal life], what one might gain is perhaps nothing but everlasting solitude."

"I do not know how to answer these questions of yours either," Ethan Chen frowned, yet his gaze was earnest as he spoke. "But in this one lifetime, one should act according to one's capabilities and, more importantly, follow the dictates of one's own heart."

"If one day I truly can have a loving spouse and many children, possess the ability to expand the territory for the Human Race, and even ascend to become a Nine Heavens Celestial Immortal [an immortal dwelling in the highest heavens], then I shall return to your graveside and give you my answer."

"Hahaha!"

Clear Heart Path Master was also amused. For a minor cultivator at the Golden Core [a solidified core of spiritual energy] realm to question the meaning of life was no different from an ant questioning the heavens—how could one expect a reply?

If one truly could, one day, ascend to become one of those deathless Nine Heavens Celestial Immortals and Demons [the supreme, immortal beings residing in the highest heavens], only then would one be qualified to ponder such profound philosophies.

Ethan Chen chuckled. Though he had matured greatly over the years, a spark of youthful idealism still burned within his heart. He couldn't bear to see his friend so weighed down by gloom. "My clan uncle has summoned you," he said, a playful glint in his eye. "If you have the nerve, go and debate these matters with him."

"Clan uncle?"

Clear Heart Path Master [a master of the Clear Heart cultivation path] felt a tremor in his heart. Within the Chen Immortal Clan, only three cultivators of the Nian Generation [the 'Remembrance' generation of the Chen Clan] remained: Seraphina Chen, Kael Chen, and Eldrin Chen.

Among these three, the two male cultivators were both True Lord [a high-ranking cultivator title] figures whose names shook the world.

With this thought, Clear Heart Path Master inquired, "For what purpose has he summoned me?"

"For you, it may be a stroke of fortune."

Ethan Chen sighed and told him about the matter of the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in forming the Nascent Soul, a core stage of cultivation]. "However," he continued, "with your State of Dustless Path Heart [a state of spiritual purity and clarity, free from worldly dust], if you can find some Earthly Path Energy [a rare and potent spiritual energy connected to the earth's ley lines], you might still retain a sliver of hope for a future breakthrough to the Path Lord [a master of a specific cultivation path] realm."

"Consider it carefully."

"..."

Clear Heart Path Master followed behind Ethan Chen, their steps bringing them to the shores of Spirit Isle Lake.

A youth, upon seeing the two, offered a slight bow to Ethan Chen and said, "Greetings, Elder Brother."

"No need for such formality." Ethan Chen nodded, then asked, "Brother Literature Abyss, is our clan uncle present?"

Literature Abyss Lu smiled faintly and replied, "Master is playing the zither. However, he instructed me earlier that you may proceed directly to him upon your arrival."

"My thanks."

Ethan Chen gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and stepped onto Spirit Isle Lake. Immediately, the ethereal strains of a zither melody reached his ears, like celestial music drifting from beyond the heavens, possessing an indescribable, sublime beauty. Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel*com.

The ground was carpeted with fallen peach blossoms. Clear Heart Path Master followed closely behind, their footsteps carrying them through the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Grove. There, beneath the gnarled boughs of an ancient peach tree, they saw a youth clad in robes white as snow, a zither resting upon his knees. His eyes were lowered, his expression serene as his fingers danced across the strings.

The figure resembled a banished immortal, plucking the strings in tranquil silence. An ineffable, divine aura seemed to linger between his brows.

Clear Heart Path Master suddenly felt that a person of such extraordinary grace as the one before them was likely impossible to find elsewhere in this Mortal Dust [the mundane, mortal world]. Perhaps only the Immortal [celestial beings who have transcended mortality] dwelling within the Nine Heavens Celestial Immortal Domain [the legendary realm of the highest heavens] could possess even a fraction of his divine bearing.

The lingering notes of the zither gradually faded into silence. After a long while, Eldrin Chen opened his eyes. He cast a calm, measured glance at the two visitors and then spoke.

"Sit."

"My thanks, True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator who has attained a high level of enlightenment]."

Clear Heart bowed respectfully, then settled himself upon the peach blossom petals.

Eldrin Chen regarded Clear Heart with a placid gaze, observing him in silence for a long moment before finally inquiring, "Regarding the matter of the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary elixir that aids in the formation of a cultivator's Nascent Soul, a crucial breakthrough], I presume Ethan has already informed you."

"Indeed."

Clear Heart nodded. After a moment of contemplative silence, he spoke, "That pill... perhaps it would be better bestowed upon another."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes grew faintly distant. It was the first time he had ever heard someone refuse the gift of a Nascent Soul Formation Pill. "And why would you decline it?" he asked.

"For me, cultivation is its own purpose. I have never truly aspired to advance further," Clear Heart stated plainly. He then posed a question of his own: "I have three inquiries. Might I trouble you, Senior, to dispel my doubts?"

With that, he shared his three questions with Eldrin Chen.

After listening, Eldrin Chen did not answer immediately. He merely smiled and said, "Those who possess the Dustless Path Heart [a state of spiritual purity where one's heart is untainted by worldly affairs] often pay little heed to the churning tides of Mortal Dust Affairs [the mundane affairs and tribulations of the mortal world]."

"An Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] remains unstained by the aura of the Mortal Dust [the mortal realm], sitting in serene contemplation upon a Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with potent spiritual energy] to watch the clouds unfurl."

"Such cultivators, their minds free from distraction, often advance in their cultivation with remarkable swiftness. Thus, this is considered the ideal Immortal's [the core state of mind and spiritual resolve of a cultivator]."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen shook his head again. "However, in my view, this is merely mortal fancy about Immortal. A true Immortal may not be so."

"Oh?"

Clear Heart's eyes flickered slightly. "I beg you, Senior, to elaborate."

"Blossoms number in the billions, each year's flowers are unique. Human lives are myriad, each one singular. How much more so for a Nine Heavens Celestial Immortal [an immortal who has ascended to the highest of the nine heavenly realms]?"

Eldrin Chen offered a serene smile. "You observe the vein of a single flower and believe you have seen the entire world, thinking that mortals, and even Immortal, are all just so. This is the perspective of an ant gazing at the sky."

"Contemplating the Great Path [the supreme, fundamental principle of cultivation and existence] of life and comprehending the philosophies of heaven and earth is indeed an excellent . But you must understand one principle."

"It is akin to a mortal gazing at the starry heavens; one must remember their feet are planted firmly on the earth. To truly understand the nature of the cosmos, one must ascend step by step."

"If I were you, I would carry these three questions with me on my journey, walking forward until the day I experience the answers firsthand, rather than sitting idly in a corner, lost in empty contemplation." For the best reading experience, visit audio-novel*com.