Cultivation Begins with the Heart (Seeking Collections, Seeking Reads)

Time flies like an arrow; another year has passed.

Inside the small courtyard of the White Tiger Duke Mansion's woodshed.

"Cultivation is not for the sake of winning fights, nor is it to earn praise from girls. It is meant to cultivate a healthy body and mind, making life more fulfilling and meaningful."

"Becoming stronger isn't about defeating others, but about overcoming yourself. If you lose yourself because of your own power or that of your opponent, you will never truly mature."

Little Huo Yuhao, sitting on a small wooden stool, blinked his eyes, only half-understanding.

Baili Du smiled at him. "Are you wondering why I don't teach you how to cultivate, but instead teach you these things that seem useless?"

Little Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment before nodding silently.

Over the past year, Baili Du had not taken him to obtain a spirit ring. Instead, he had imparted a vast amount of knowledge, told many stories, visited several interesting places, taught him a cultivation technique called the Spirit Ice Art, and then let him control his spirit power on his own at night to explore the path of cultivation.

To be honest, although listening to Baili Du's lectures wasn't exactly boring, the fact that his spirit power showed no signs of breaking through still left little Huo Yuhao feeling somewhat anxious.

Obtaining a spirit ring meant he could become a true Spirit Master, possess powerful strength, and seek justice for himself and his mother!

"You must always remember one thing: to cultivate the path, you must first cultivate the heart," Baili Du said calmly. "If you do not have a proper understanding of your own power, then once you become strong in the future, you will only fail the power you possess and bring disaster to this world."

His words were deeply earnest, as if he were speaking not just to Huo Yuhao, but to his former self.

Huo Yuhao looked at his small hands in confusion; he did not understand the meaning behind these words.

Truth be told, even for an adult, such principles were difficult to grasp, let alone for a six-year-old child.

"It's fine if you don't understand yet; just remember them for now. When the time comes, you will naturally comprehend them. Now, let me tell you about the history of Spirit Hall and the Tang Sect—and, of course, the Rakshasa God and the Angel God."

Little Huo Yuhao immediately sat up straight. He knew that Uncle Baili Du was incredibly knowledgeable, truly well-versed in everything from astronomy to geography, and familiar with both ancient and modern history.

Children, after all, always love listening to stories.

"Spirit Hall was established nearly twenty thousand years ago by the first Angel God, with the purpose of..."

"As for this Tang Sect, it was founded by that Sea God Tang San. I believe your mother has told you many stories about him, so I won't repeat them. The founding of the Tang Sect was..."

After Baili Du finished his narration, little Huo Yuhao wore a thoughtful expression.

Watching him, a look of satisfaction appeared in Baili Du's eyes. He could clearly see that the little fellow had taken everything he said to heart.

"In your opinion, regarding the entire continent and the common people, which had a greater impact: the Tang Sect or Spirit Hall?"

Huo Yuhao did not hesitate and said loudly, "Spirit Hall!"

"Why?"

"Because they provided free spirit awakening for commoners and gave subsidies to Spirit Masters. But the Tang Sect just sold hidden weapons to nobles and Spirit Masters; their contribution to human development is practically meaningless."

Baili Du nodded silently. "Then, in your view, why did both the Tang Sect and Spirit Hall fade from the stage of history?"

This question stumped Huo Yuhao, and for a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

Baili Du merely smiled. "Your talent is the same as the former Angel God Qian Renxue—innate full spirit power of level twenty—but you have seen what her outcome was."

"I am not saying that what Qian Renxue did was wrong; she simply lost. Because she lost, the history of Douluo Continent judged her as wrong. Along with her, the contributions Spirit Hall made to humanity were all completely denied."

"Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Whoever treats the people well, the people will naturally side with them. What the Tang Sect did could hardly be called fair or just, and its development held no significance for society, so it naturally faded away on the wheels of history."

Baili Du was convinced that in this era, the Tang Sect could never rise again without Huo Yuhao!

Just like Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect ten thousand years later—on the surface, they were destroyed by the Holy Spirit Cult using a level-twelve God-Slaying Shell, but in reality, it was a joint effort by the upper echelons of the Douluo Federation, the Spirit Transmission Tower, and the War God Hall, who spared no cost to ensure their destruction.

Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect deserved to be eliminated from the stage of history.

Let the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, hailed as the "Restorer of the Tang Sect and Shrek," drive the final nail into their coffins!

Little Huo Yuhao nodded thoughtfully. "Uncle Baili, are you telling me that there is no such thing as good or evil in this world, and that the side that loses is simply labeled as evil?"

Baili Du nodded slightly in approval. "Very good! As long as you understand this, you will be able to view all things in the world dialectically."

I really am something else! I can't help but admire my own brilliance.

Before Baili Du could continue his lecture, a harsh, unpleasant barking sound came from the doorway.

"You bastards, are you blind? Don't you know the Young Master has returned? Get out here and welcome him!"

The door to the dilapidated woodshed was kicked to pieces. From the entrance, one could see eight sturdy White Tiger Guards with tiger patterns embroidered on their chests standing on both sides of the path, looking every bit like loyal lackeys.

Huo Yuhao looked toward the door. He had almost forgotten that the Duke Mansion required servants to kneel on both sides of the path to welcome masters like Dai Huabin or Dai Yueheng when they returned.

No matter where one goes, people are always divided into ranks...

Because Baili Du had been guiding his cultivation all day, he had naturally forgotten about this.

Of course, since meeting Baili Du, Huo Yuhao had never done such a thing a second time.

Baili Du had taught him that while one should not be arrogant, one must not lack backbone; one must live with self-respect and pride.

These words had been firmly etched into little Huo Yuhao's mind.

A young man wearing a white embroidered python-patterned robe walked up to the woodshed door.

He was strikingly handsome, with double pupils in his eyes, and carried an air of haughty, overbearing nobility, his gaze cold and stern.

"Hmm?" The young man in the fine robe stopped and glanced into the woodshed with disgust. "Don't even know the rules... Beat them."

After saying this, he walked away quickly, as if afraid of dirtying his own eyes.

Four of the eight White Tiger Guards lunged toward the woodshed, their expressions ferocious, as if they harbored some irreconcilable hatred toward Huo Yuhao.

Baili Du shook his head with a smile, then patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "The purpose of power isn't just to overcome oneself; more importantly, it is to protect oneself."

"Go, Yuhao. Let them see your power!"

Young Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment, but his expression immediately turned resolute, and he nodded heavily.

"...Come on!"

With a surge of thick soul power throughout his body, young Yuhao's small frame grew taller. His hands transformed into sharp, blue dragon claws, and four pairs of deep blue dragon wings unfurled from his back, while a thick, illusory dragon tail lashed out behind him with a hint of brutality.

His eyes, in particular, transformed into cyan-gold vertical pupils, releasing an indescribable and terrifying pressure.

Deep blue water light and black-purple lightning snakes danced across his dragon claws. With a casual wave, a purple radiance streaked through the air, carrying a scorched scent. The four White Tiger Guards who had charged in were instantly struck by a numbing sensation, leaving them unable to move from where they stood.