Yu Changchun noticed nothing amiss. Instead, he earnestly urged him:
"Fellow Daoist, you really shouldn't rush. Our Heavenly Gate Sect has quite a few cultivation methods that offer quick success, but if you chase speed now, you'll slow down later."
"Think about it. Our Heavenly Gate Sect has twenty Gold Core elders in the open alone, yet only the sect leader has actually attained Nascent Soul."
"And our sect has four true methods that lead straight to Nascent Soul."
Suddenly hearing such secrets, Wang Ba was surprised, but a suspicion also faintly arose in his heart:
"Could it be because of that fast beginning and slow progress later that you mentioned?"
"Exactly!"
Yu Changchun nodded.
"I won't dress it up. Of our Heavenly Gate Sect's twenty-four legacies, more than half follow the Demonic Dao. With sufficient resources and the right compatibility, one can grow and break through quickly."
"But why is the sect leader our only Nascent Soul True Lord?"
"Because the sect's cultivation methods do indeed make Foundation Establishment and core formation easier than conventional methods. That's how we've produced so many Gold Core True Persons."
"But once you actually enter Gold Core, every step is a trial, every turn a hurdle. Without exceptional talent, ample resources, and tremendous perseverance, further improvement is difficult."
"To be honest, if I hadn't seen how unlikely I was to establish my foundation, I wouldn't have chosen the Blood Bone Dao either."
"The Profound Puppet Dao's techniques might indeed seem sinister to outsiders, but its cultivation methods follow the orthodox Five Elements Dao. My cultivation, too, came from painstaking practice, one step at a time. There's nothing hollow about it."
"Unfortunately, my talent is limited..."
Yu Changchun's lone eye was filled with regret.
Hearing this, Wang Ba understood, but also felt somewhat moved.