After hearing this, Yunxi kept shaking her head.
"Master, these cultivators know full well that evil cultivators are like rats scurrying across the street. Why do they still join forces with them? Is it really all just for ascension?"
Yuling set down his teacup and said:
"They merely lost to their ever-swelling desires. Ascension is nothing more than the most high-sounding excuse.
The path of cultivation is long and fraught with obstacles. Cultivation requires accumulation and is affected by many factors, such as aptitude, cultivation resources, and fortune. All these things may either hinder one's path or become an aid upon it.
Yet cultivators who truly pursue the Great Dao wholeheartedly only strive to improve themselves. If their aptitude is lacking, they find ways to make up for it. If they lack cultivation resources, they earn them themselves. There will always be a path of cultivation suited to them.
Only cultivators with unstable Dao hearts are beguiled by evil cultivators and give rise to resentment and jealousy. They resent the unfairness of the Heavenly Dao, envy other cultivators for having better aptitude, and envy those who have families to support them.
Such people can always find excuses for their wrong decisions, and those excuses are always found in others. Then betrayal follows as naturally as water flows downhill."
Yunxi nodded earnestly after hearing this. Some people were simply like that. When they failed, they never looked for the reasons within themselves. They always pinned the blame on others, then deceived themselves as they continued down a dark road to the bitter end.
Seeing that Yunxi had taken it in, Yuling continued:
"Yunxi, it has been nearly ten years since you entered my tutelage. I have watched your growth over these years. You are the disciple I am proudest of. You