Chapter 1033: Heart Demon
Another month passed, and Shi Yue still hadn't discovered who possessed the Heaven Controlling Bead.
That evening, at dusk, Shi Yue dragged his exhausted body back to his residence.
He lay on the stone bed, carefully recalling everything that had happened over the past month.
After a long while, Shi Yue realized he had fallen into a misconception. Perhaps the problem wasn't with the Heaven Controlling Bead.
The Crimson Scale Python and the Blood Moon Fruit Tree were both gone. That meant the Heaven Controlling Bead didn't exist in this world.
In essence, no matter what form the Inner Demon took, it was testing his resolve to pursue the Dao.
If one's Dao heart wasn't firm, it was easy to become entangled in other things—family ties, friendship, love, obsession, power, and so on.
Once he understood this, Shi Yue knew what he had to do.
He sat cross-legged on the stone bed, silently reciting the second level of the Great Void Art as he began to cultivate.
Without the Heaven Controlling Bead, his cultivation progressed slowly—agonizingly slowly.
He didn't mind. When it was time to water the Spirit Grain, he watered the Spirit Grain. When it was time to cultivate, he cultivated. When it was time to look for Spirit Herbs, he went looking for Spirit Herbs.
Even without the Heaven Controlling Bead, his resolve to pursue the Dao remained firm.
Before long, the Blackening Disease broke out. Shi Yue had prepared for it well in advance, and seized the opportunity to make a fortune. He also managed to catch the sect leader's attention.
He used the Spirit Stones he'd earned to go into business with Chen Xing'er. Their income was steady every month, enough to support him, and his cultivation speed began to pick up.