At this moment, within Tang Feng's body, at the core of the Clear Sky Domain, a faint, cold sensation remained, proving that what had just happened was not a dream.
The words of the Asura God echoed clearly in his mind: Sea God Island, the ten-year period, the qualification for inheritance...
What followed was a profound sense of loss and emptiness upon learning that he could not return to his hometown, a heavy weight pressing on his heart, almost suffocating him.
Tang Feng slowly got up, walked to the window, and opened it.
A cool mountain breeze, carrying the unique dampness of the Cloud Mist Mountain, brushed against his sweat-covered face and neck, bringing a refreshing coolness and slightly relieving the tightness in his chest.
The night sky was clear and sparkling with countless stars. Did each star represent a distant and unattainable world?
Which one is his hometown? He can't find it, and perhaps he never will.
ten years...
Sea God Island...
Asura Demon Sword...
Titled Douluo...
God Trials...
Becoming a god...
Spacetime coordinates...
These words, like cold boulders, collided and tumbled in his chaotic and tormented mind.
The path ahead seemed to have been pointed out: to accept the supreme inheritance, to do everything in one's power to pass the trials, and to achieve the position of a god.
But then what? Without a coordinate system, the path after becoming a god seems even more uncertain than becoming a god itself, more like a road of no return.
Where is the hope? Where is the goal? What have I been persisting for all these years?
Is the ultimate goal simply to reach the summit in this unfamiliar world?
An unprecedented sense of powerlessness and self-doubt Entanglement his heart like a poisonous vine.
The thought of giving up, like a shadow, swept across my mind so clearly for the first time.
If returning home is hopeless, what is the point of all this frantic training, adventure, and pursuit of ultimate power?
Tang Feng stood blankly by the window, his shadow stretched long in the dim room, appearing incredibly lonely, as if he had merged with the boundless night outside that swallowed everything, silently enduring the pain that no one in this world could confide in or understand.
I don't know how long I stood frozen by the window.
The mountain wind had long since dried the cold sweat from his forehead, leaving only his icy skin and a deeper weariness.
The stars in the night sky seemed to have grown tired of being gazed upon, quietly disappearing behind the fading darkness, as a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.
Tang Feng's thoughts, which had seemed frozen, finally began to flow again, extremely slowly, as his body grew cold.
Extreme pain and confusion often give rise to a strange, almost Nothingness peace.
He slowly turned around, leaning against the cold window frame, his gaze sweeping across the familiar yet unfamiliar quiet room.
A futon, a low table, simple furnishings... Is this one of his "homes" in this world?
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: How many years have I been in this world?
Memories surged. From the shock and resistance of infancy, to confirming her identity and interacting with her parents in this life, to their deaths in that great battle, and then to her almost obsessive, goal-oriented, and frantic cultivation.
Become stronger, stronger, and stronger still! For survival, for protection, for the day when he can have the right to explore the path home... Everything revolves around the two core concepts of "power" and "return," like two mountains constantly pressing down on him, driving him to never stop for a moment.
He was familiar with the operation of Soul Power, proficient in various combat techniques, understood the distribution of power on the continent and the intelligence of top experts, and even had some knowledge of the secrets of the divine inheritance.
but...
What is this world like?
How do ordinary people in this world spend their day? When they're not worried about their Soul Power Level, what makes them laugh? And what makes them frown?
What is the greatest wish of an old farmer toiling in the fields? Does a street vendor, hawking his wares, ever dream of seeing the world beyond? In teahouses, besides legends of Soul Master, are there also tales of love and heartbreak among talented men and beautiful women?
What are the lives, joys and sorrows, hopes and despair of the vast majority of people who lack Innate Soul Power and are destined never to become Soul Master?
Tang Feng was startled.
He suddenly realized that although he lived in this world, breathed its air, trod its soil, and interacted, fought, and built bonds with its people...
But deep down, there seems to be an invisible barrier standing there.
He was like a nervous, purposeful traveler, hurrying across the stage of this world, his gaze always fixed on that distant "hometown" he could never return to, but he never truly calmed down to understand the world he was already living in.
He struggled, fought, found companions, and took on responsibilities here... but did he truly "accept" this place? Or did he merely see it as a long, unavoidable "mission scenario"?
He always considered himself a "passerby," a lonely traveler desperately trying to save enough money for the journey, find a ticket, and return to his true home.
Therefore, all the joys and sorrows of this world seem to be separated by a layer of frosted glass, not so real, and unable to truly shake his heart that is tied to the distant other shore.
At this moment, the reality that he might never get the "ticket" was like the cruelest verdict, shattering the mental support he had built up over the past decade.
After the pillars collapsed, what was revealed was a desolate inner world and a world he had never truly "knew".
"Perhaps... I was wrong." A faint voice stirred ripples in Tang Feng's lifeless heart.
Perhaps, from the very beginning, that obsession was both a driving force and a form of escapism?
To escape from truly facing this unfamiliar world, to escape from dealing with the complex and profound connections and emotions that arise with this new world.
Now, the escape route seems to be blocked.
Since the possibility of "going back" is as slim as searching for sand in a sea of stars... then what about "staying"?
This is not the kind of "temporary stay" where one's body is in Cao Cao's camp but one's heart is in Han's camp, but a true "stay".
Go and understand this land beneath your feet, listen to the breath of all living beings in this world, and feel the most simple and authentic human life that has nothing to do with the Soul Power.
"Perhaps... I should go and see this world properly," Tang Feng murmured to himself, "To get to know it again, to accept it."
Perhaps, only when he truly lets go of that "passerby" mentality, stands firmly on the pulse of this earth, and opens his heart to the world, can he find a new meaning in his existence.
The road ahead may still be long, and strength itself can be used to protect the people and things worth cherishing, and to freely explore this vast and unknown world.
On the eastern horizon, the first line of pale white gradually tinged with a faint golden-red.
Tang Feng took a deep breath, the slightly chilly and fresh morning air filling his lungs, carrying the scent of awakening plants.
He closed the window and walked back to the center of the quiet room.
He did not immediately return to his bed or meditation cushion, but stood quietly for a moment. The pain and confusion in his eyes had not completely disappeared, but deep within, there was a hint of calm and determination.
The meaning of life may not lie in the destination of one's obsession, but in the journey itself, in the scenery seen along the way, the people met, and the experiences.
It's almost dawn.
After that night's encounter with the consciousness of the Asura God, and the subsequent shattering of hope and reconstruction of his inner self, Tang Feng spent several more days in seclusion within the sect.
He no longer cultivated frantically, but often wandered alone in the Cloud Mist Mountain, watching the clouds gather and disperse, listening to the birds singing in the streams. Occasionally, he would walk to the edge of the sect and look at the faint smoke rising from the village below, where he would stay for half a day.
A calm and slightly aloof demeanor gradually replaced his former sharpness.
On the morning of the seventh day, Tang Feng took the initiative to go to the place where Sect Master Tang Xiao, his grandfather Tang Lie, and his maternal grandfather Yang Wudi were.
At the same time, he also invited his closest partners in the sect: Tang Jian, Oscar, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Tai Long, and Bai Chenxiang.
"Sect Master, Grandfather, Maternal Grandfather, everyone," Tang Feng said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "I plan to leave the sect for a while."