Weakness Is a Sin
Zhuo Ning has been kneeling in the Origin Return Sect's square for four days, during which time he has not eaten or drunk a drop of water.
Fortunately, Zhuo Ning was Great Grandmaster at this time. If it were an ordinary martial artist, their body would have collapsed long ago after not eating or drinking for four days.
Upon hearing the message from the disciple of the Origin Return Sect that Yi Xuan had finally agreed to see him, Zhuo Ning hurriedly got up and followed the disciple to the Origin Return Sect's Scripture Pavilion.
Upon entering the library, Zhuo Ning saw Yi Xuan lying on his side on the floor, flipping through a book in his hand.
Upon noticing Zhuo Ning's arrival, Yi Xuan looked up at him.
Zhuo Ning quickly knelt down and said, "Zhuo Ning greets Immortal Master Yi! I hope Immortal Master Yi will not reject me; Zhuo Ning is willing to become your follower from this day forward, serving you faithfully!"
Although Yi Xuan was lying on his side, seemingly reading a book, every word Zhuo Ning reached his ears.
On the surface, Yi Xuan seemed to care nothing about Zhuo Ning's words, but inwardly he was overjoyed, thinking to himself that yet another free laborer had come to his door.
Yi Xuan slowly stood up, walked to Zhuo Ning, and handed him the book, saying, "Here! Take a look at this manual and tell me your thoughts on it."
Zhuo Ning was, after all, Great Grandmaster of Martial Dao. What Yi Xuan considered obscure and difficult-to-understand secret manuals were as simple as elementary school math to him.
In less than half an hour, Zhuo Ning had read through the entire manual. Seeing this Yi Xuan showed no outward expression, but tears were already streaming down his face. You see, although Yi Xuan had copied all the manuals in the library over the past four days, this one in his hand was the result of Yi Xuan careful reading over those four days.
Unexpectedly, this secret manual, which Yi Xuan had only half-understood after four days, fell into Zhuo Ning's hands, and she read it through in just half an hour. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious.
Handing the manual back to Yi Xuan, Zhuo Ning said, "Forgive my bluntness, but the Martial Dao manual the Immortal Master gave me is utterly mediocre. In the martial arts world, it's just a common, worthless manual. Even those third-rate martial artists might not be willing to practice this kind of martial art."
Yi Xuan was well aware of the level of martial arts he possessed, as the elders of the Origin Return Sect had given Yi Xuan when they brought him here.
Yi Xuan only wanted to use this manual to test Zhuo Ning's abilities, but he never expected that this introductory manual of the Origin Return Sect would be worthless in his eyes.
I wonder what Sect Master Fang would think if he heard Zhuo Ning's remarks, but none of this has anything to do with Yi Xuan.
Looking at Zhuo Ning, who was kneeling before him, Yi Xuan reached out and helped him up, asking, "With your strength, becoming a cultivator's follower shouldn't be difficult, and you might even gain the favor of Nascent Soul ancestor. Wouldn't that be much better than following me?"
Zhuo Ning glanced at Yi Xuan and said in a deep voice, "Yes, but those Nascent Soul elders couldn't defeat me when they were in the Qi Refining Realm!"
Yi Xuan nodded and said, "Indeed, so what is your purpose in wanting to follow me? It's not just because I defeated you, is it? Although I heard that you haven't suffered a single defeat in the Western Jiang Kingdom this past year, I believe that for someone like you, one defeat won't be enough to discourage you!"
Zhuo Ning is certainly not the kind of person who can't accept failure; otherwise, he wouldn't have the strength he has today.
Zhuo Ning pondered for a moment before asking, "Does the Immortal Master have any knowledge of the Central Continent?"
As a cultivator who has lived in this world for more than 20 years, Yi Xuan has never been to the Central Continent, but he has some understanding of the Central Continent from other people or books.
It is said that Central Continent is the center of this world, while the Southern Frontier where Yi Xuan is located is merely a corner of the southern part of this world.
It is said that the southern part of the Central Continent is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. Moreover, there are countless sects of immortal cultivation in the Central Continent.
In the Southern Frontier region, cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm are considered experts, but in the Central Continent, there are countless experts even at the Mahayana Realm, including many peerless geniuses with Ninth-Grade Spirit Root.
"So what if it's Central Continent?" Yi Xuan curiously. Why would Zhuo Ning mention Central Continent? Could it be that the other party came from the Central Continent?
As expected, Zhuo Ning's next words proved Yi Xuan's guess.
"Immortal Master Yi, I am from the Blazing Sun Immortal Kingdom of the Central Continent, and I am Zhuo Ning, the 125th prince of the current emperor of the Blazing Sun Immortal Kingdom!"
"Huh!" Yi Xuan never expected that his casual help to solve a small problem for the Origin Return Sect would actually lead to the discovery of an immortal kingdom in the Central Continent.
Although he didn't know what this immortal kingdom was, Yi Xuan knew from the name that this kind of power was definitely not comparable to the Azure Cloud Sect.
"The Immortal Kingdom?" Yi Xuan murmured with some curiosity.
Zhuo Ning nodded and explained, "That's right, it's a Celestial Kingdom. The situation in the Central Continent is completely different from that in the Southern Frontier. In the Southern Frontier, all the countries are subject to the constraints of various cultivation sects. But in the Central Continent, there are many countries whose strength far surpasses that of the cultivation sects. These countries are called Celestial Kingdoms!"
"So, how powerful is this immortal kingdom?"
Zhuo Ning shook his head and said, "I don't know. I was diagnosed with a first-grade Spirit Root when I was young, so..."
Zhuo Ning fell silent before he could finish speaking, and Yi Xuan understood the meaning behind his words.
After all, in this world of cultivation, for a prince of an immortal kingdom to possess a first-grade Spirit Root, Yi Xuan could already imagine what Zhuo Ning had gone through to survive to this day. Yi Xuan could also imagine how brutal the competition was within royal Lineage that followed the path of cultivation.
Just like Zhuo Ning, although being born into such an environment was not his fault, his mediocre talent from birth became a mistake.
Of course, such mediocre talent may also bring him some advantages, namely that he doesn't have to worry about getting involved in the intrigues of the royal family, nor will he be targeted by other members of the royal family.
"So, since you couldn't cultivate immortality, you switched to Martial Dao?"
Zhuo Ning nodded and said, "Yes, Immortal Master, but I have never been reconciled. Why is it that because I cannot cultivate immortality, I have never been able to see my father since I was a child? Why is it that because I cannot cultivate immortality, my mother has to grovel before others in the palace? Why is it that because I cannot cultivate immortality, my brothers who grew up with me disdain to even utter a single word to me?"
Zhuo Ning shouted out her thoughts to Yi Xuan as if venting her frustration.
This wasn't the first time Yi Xuan had encountered this situation. He still remembered the Grandmaster Yun in the capital half a year ago, who also tearfully complained to Yi Xuan.
But what good is being born into this world? Zhuo Ning already has a higher starting point than most people. Compared to the vast population of this world, cultivators are still extremely rare. Just like the Western Jiang Kingdom under Yi Xuan's feet, with tens of millions of people, how many of them are capable of cultivating immortality?
Yi Xuan shook his head and said the same words he had said to the Grandmaster Yun before, "Weakness is a sin!"