"But—"
Zhang Ling still wanted to speak, but Chen Changsheng made a shushing gesture.
"No buts!"
"When I guided your master back then, the reason I guided him to enter the Dao through talismans was because he truly had talent in that regard."
"Looking at it now, your master did not disappoint me either."
"But there is one thing you must understand: orthodoxy is orthodoxy, and extremity is extremity."
"Extremity is a path walked by only a few, and it does not suit everyone."
"There have been a few people in the historical records who entered the Dao through their fists, but in truth, exceedingly few ever truly made it through."
"Feng Zhi wanted to enter the Dao through fist techniques, yet ultimately fell halfway down the road. The Phoenix Empress Fist could pierce the heavens, but in truth, she did not enter the Dao through fist techniques."
"I have seen some who wanted to walk the Great Dao of extremity, but almost none of them succeeded."
"Your master's generation was a special case. They had no choice but to take such a path."
"With no measures left to take, they turned their swords toward the edge. That is called placing oneself in death's ground before finding life."
"Refusing to walk the broad road and instead taking muddy little paths is called stupidity."
"If you dare use these hopelessly stupid reasons to argue with me again, I'll whip you right now. Believe it or not?"
Looking at Chen Changsheng before him, Zhang Ling cupped his hands and bowed once more. "Thank you for your guidance, sir. This junior understands!"
"It's good that you understand!"
"You comprehended one hundred and thirty-seven lifetimes of Reincarnation. Even though you deliberately chose them, you only comprehended the Talisman Dao in thirty-seven lifetimes."
"In the