A sudden shudder of dread surged through Zeng Nu. He felt that Chao Huan truly intended to do this. He could not help taking a step back. "You..."
Chao Huan stood where he was, unmoving, and said leisurely, "Let me tell you something. So-called fate has no fixed number; at most, it can help you in the greater tide. But human hearts are ever-changing. Thus, Dao methods have always been easy to cultivate, while human hearts are hard to subdue. Though I suppose you would not understand that."
Zeng Nu could not help gritting his teeth.
At first, when he heard "Dao methods are easy to cultivate, human hearts are hard to subdue," he had seemed deep in thought. But the sentence that followed felt like a stab to the heart. He had repeatedly been criticized precisely because his mental fortitude lacked steadfastness. Though he himself had never encountered an obstacle because of it, he always felt that he might encounter one in the future.
He stubbornly retorted, "Cultivation depends on oneself. Like drinking water, only the drinker knows whether it is cold or warm. How could others understand?"
Chao Huan smiled. "A few days ago, someone from Origin Xia requested a spirit essence fruit from Celestial Xia. If I have not guessed wrong, it was for you, wasn't it? It should be related to your next step in cultivation. Without that thing, could you cultivate to the higher realm on your own? And you still talk about how only the drinker knows whether the water is cold or warm. If I gave you filthy water to drink right now, you would still have to swallow it. If you dared say you did not want it, I would at least admire your backbone."
Zeng Nu's anger flared. Just as he