Walking the Great Dao Alone

Chapter 36: Walking the Great Dao Alone

Seeing his father's increasingly serious expression, Xu Zimo quickly replied, "I really haven't thought about marriage. Don't talk about parental arrangements or matchmakers anymore. Free love is all the rage now."

"Don't you understand yet?" Xu Qingshan explained, "Baili Xiao is destined for great cultivation by the sect, even to contend for the Mandate of Heaven. I'm doing this for your own good. Besides, feelings can be cultivated slowly!"

"So, you and Mom's relationship was also cultivated slowly?" Xu Zimo asked.

"How could that be?" Xu Qingshan quickly replied, "A gentle breeze, a riverside lined with willows, a dashing young man, a delicate maiden. Your mother and I fell in love at first sight."

"Then I want to find someone to fall in love with at first sight too," Xu Zimo said.

"Are you trying to contend for the title of Great Emperor?" Xu Qingshan asked Xu Zimo seriously.

"Who wouldn't want to be a Great Emperor?" Xu Zimo retorted.

"I understand," Xu Qingshan said after a moment of silence. "You may go. In about six months, the sect will hold a Grand Competition of the Seven Sects. You should prepare for it in advance. If you win the competition, I can legitimately make you the Holy Son."

In truth, Xu Zimo wasn't interested in the position of Holy Son, but he still nodded and left Green Mountain Peak.

Afterward, he took Lin Ruhu and Xiao Guizi to Shili Town.

The group first went to the Beast Taming Pavilion, rented a Desert Steed each, and then grandly departed from the True Martial Sacred Sect.

It was springtime, and the willow trees by the roadside had sprouted new buds, with flowers blooming in abundance. A few wisps of spring breeze blew from afar, kicking up a cloud of dust.

On the martial arts stage in Qingyang Village, a fierce competition was underway.

Chu Yang looked at the young man before him, drew his Dragon Sword, and unleashed the Thirteen Shadow Sword Style taught to him by Old Mo. The sword hummed in the air, transforming into thirteen afterimages that attacked the opposing youth.

The young man on the other side held his saber with both hands, struggling to block the sword shadows. He retreated as he fought, and just as he was about to step off the edge of the stage.

Chu Yang's eyes flashed with a sharp light. The speed of the sword shadows increased, and he seized the opportunity to kick his opponent off the stage.

"I announce that Chu Yang is the winner of the Qingyang Village martial arts competition!" Coach Mo shouted with satisfaction from the side. He had witnessed this young man's rise firsthand, from being so weak he couldn't even hold a horse stance to now being at the fifth level of the Spirit Vein Realm and a leader among the younger generation of Qingyang Town. And this young man had only taken a few weeks. He was neither hasty nor impatient, showing no pride in his minor achievements. His future was promising!

"Coach Mo, I think it's time for me to leave Qingyang Village. Thank you for taking care of me during this time," Chu Yang found Coach Mo after the competition and earnestly expressed his thoughts.

Coach Mo was stunned for a moment, then relaxed and smiled, "That's right, I should have expected this. A hidden dragon in the abyss will eventually soar to success. The world of Qingyang Village is too small for you; it shouldn't be your destination. I just didn't expect this day to come so soon. You have the best talent I've ever seen, not inferior even to the scions of the great families in the Imperial City."

"No matter what happens in the future, I will always remember that I am from Qingyang Village," Chu Yang replied firmly.

"Good, good!" Coach Mo smiled heartily and asked, "Where are you planning to go? Have you thought of a place?"

"I don't know. I want to head north, to the Imperial City, to broaden my horizons," Chu Yang said with a smile.

"When I was young, I worked in Xuanyuan City. If you don't mind, I can recommend you go there," Coach Mo said.

"Okay, I'm heading to the Imperial City anyway, and Xuanyuan City is on the way," Chu Yang replied with a smile.

Then, Coach Mo took out half a jade pendant and handed it to Chu Yang, saying, "Take this half of the jade pendant to the military camp in Xuanyuan City and find a man named Du Tianyin. Tell him you are Mo Tianqi's nephew, and he will understand."

Chu Yang took the jade pendant and thanked him solemnly.

Coach Mo smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Go. A wider stage awaits you outside. Your journey has just begun!"

The next morning, as dawn broke and the sky was still a pale grey, Chu Yang had already packed his belongings. He left Qingyang Village, stepping through the fading night. The young man looked back at the small village where he had lived for over a decade, a simple village that had stood for decades amidst storms and hardships. Chu Yang's eyes were filled with endless longing and reluctance.

"Xiao Yangzi, stop looking. We need to go," Old Mo's voice echoed in his ear.

Chu Yang turned his head, shouldered his luggage, and slowly walked into the distance.

"Old Mo, in your life, have you ever encountered someone or something that you missed?"

"You're so young and already prone to sentimentality," the old man's hearty laughter rang out. Then, he suddenly fell silent and slowly asked, "Xiao Yangzi, do you know what 'Walking the Great Dao Alone' means?"

"Walking the Great Dao Alone?" the young man's voice was full of confusion.

"The pinnacle of the martial path..."

It is loneliness, It is solitude, It is a long, arduous search, It is the chilling height of being unmatched."

The old man replied with emotion, "The path of martial arts is ultimately a solo carnival; the strong are always alone.

When you stand at the beginning of this road, many people will accompany you.

So you walk forward silently. Along the way, you will lose some people and make new friends.

You endure the scorching sun, face the wind and rain, shedding blood and tears, treading on mountains of knives and seas of fire.

When you look back, you will find that the people who once accompanied you have all disappeared.

Some have given up their martial arts, started families, and found attachments, choosing to live an ordinary life.

Others have reached the end of their lifespan and ultimately fallen on this road, becoming piles of white bones.

This road is long. The further you go, the more lonely you will become, and the fewer people will be by your side.

Until finally, you either follow others, reach the end of your lifespan, and add another skeleton to this road.

Or you step onto the pinnacle of martial arts. Only then will you understand how, how lonely it is to be invincible."

Xu Zimo and the others had been walking for half a day when the sounds of fighting suddenly came from not far ahead.

"Senior Brother Xu, it sounds like there are bandits robbing people up ahead," Xiao Guizi said.

"Interesting," Xu Zimo chuckled and said, "Let's go take a look."

The group rode their Desert Steeds to the location of the fight. They saw a group of people dressed in black and wearing masks had already taken control of the scene.

In the center, a rather luxurious-looking carriage was surrounded.

The guards escorting the carriage were almost all killed, with only a few struggling to hold on.

"This is a carriage from the Situ Family! Have you bandits eaten bear hearts and leopard gallbladders? Aren't you afraid of the Situ Family's revenge?" the old man guarding the carriage said sternly.