"Little Daoist, long time no see."
As the deep, resonant voice rang out, the solid ice covering Gu Daotian's body melted away completely. Billowing white vapor rose from him like clouds, and before long, his entire body had dried.
Such vigor of blood and qi, such Vitality, made Xuanzhenzi's brow throb violently.
To cultivate martial arts alone without attaining the Dao, and yet achieve such fruition.
On the path of martial arts, even the Overlord whose name had echoed through the ages was likely inferior to the man before him.
Perhaps the Overlord's talent for martial arts truly had been unmatched throughout all time. Even Gu Daotian fell short of the Overlord by a measure; after all, the Overlord had lifted a cauldron when he was fourteen.
But compared to Gu Daotian, the Overlord lacked one thing—the most crucial thing: a heart that sought martial arts at the cost of everything else.
Indeed, in this world, talent often mattered more than disposition. But no matter what one pursued, if one wished to climb its highest peak, or even surpass that summit, talent became less important than one's disposition.
The Overlord had no equal through the ages, yet he lacked the heart to seek martial arts. To him, martial arts were merely a tool for contending for supremacy under heaven. Though he practiced them, his mind was set upon imperial ambitions; his heart was no longer pure.
If Gu Daotian had likewise chosen the road of conquest, he might not have been unable to achieve a hegemon's dominion. Yet he had never shown the slightest intention of dividing his attention. Neither fame nor profit could outweigh martial arts.
Such single-minded obsession was undoubtedly terrifying.
As for that "little Daoist," it stemmed from an old matter. In his early years, Xuanzhenzi had