Ning Wangshu's final teasing remark immediately left Water Yuanzi feeling awkward.
He rolled his eyes and said crossly, "I told you, those few ruffians only managed to bully me because I'd suffered a Dao injury. Otherwise, how could they possibly have been my match?"
Seeing that Ning Wangshu had not gone into detail about what happened after he ascended to the Immortal Realm, including how exactly he had returned to the Cangyuan Realm, Water Yuanzi wisely refrained from pressing him.
Instead, he followed Ning Wangshu's lead and changed the subject.
Ning Wangshu paid no mind to Water Yuanzi's indignant expression. Smiling, he said, "If I'm not mistaken, old fellow, your Dao injury was probably caused by trying to force your way through the Immortal Gate to ascend, wasn't it?"
Water Yuanzi spread his hands and sighed. "What else could it be?"
After a moment, he glanced at Ning Wangshu again and said, sounding somewhat aggrieved, "Besides, before I tried to ascend, I'd already brought myself into peak condition."
"And my power had reached the absolute limit of the Human World. There was no way to improve it by even the slightest amount."
"I truly can't understand it. Since you managed to open the Immortal Gate and ascend back then, why did I fail—and suffer Heaven and Earth's backlash, leaving me with a severe Dao injury?"
Ever since his failed attempt to ascend, Water Yuanzi had been unable to make sense of it.
In his view, since Ning Wangshu had broken the Cangyuan Realm's million-year-old barrier that had kept everyone from ascending, he should have been able to succeed as well.
How could he have failed?
Looking at Water Yuanzi's puzzled expression, Ning Wangshu opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally said slowly, "Actually, there's a good chance my success in opening