An "Exception" That Might Not Be an Exception

When all was said and done, what did it matter whether there was a road ahead? What did it matter whether the broader conditions of the material universe allowed it?

To seek transcendence, to seek eternal existence—these had never been matters of simply "going with the flow." Was it not perfectly normal to face troubles from within and without, to find oneself trapped in the ordeal of imprisonment?

—The one thing in this world that was never easy was "change" itself.

Li Yun understood this principle very well.

What was called "change" was transformation, flow. And among all things, this state of flux was the eternal truth.

In terms of truth, an ordinary person could replace every cell in their body over six or seven years. Even seemingly unchanging inanimate objects, when examined on a microscopic level, gradually ceased to resemble what they once were.

When you yourself were constantly changing, constantly gaining and losing, gradually shedding your original appearance and forgetting what had once been, how could you claim to have grasped every part of yourself?

All the past vanished like smoke. Past and future alike seemed both me and not me.

And to break free from such a law, to achieve something truly "unchanging" amid the illusions of endless change—to stand beyond it all, live long, gaze upon rolling clouds—how could that possibly be easy?

What was more, even within their respective original worldviews, did those "cultivators" of all these extraordinary systems not face countless calamities in their pursuit of a ladder upward?

In the end, it was still nothing more than fighting heaven, fighting others, and fighting oneself.

There was no avoiding it.

Thus, Li Yun had not meant to be overly demanding. He had merely tossed out a few remarks in jest, asking the Main God