The old madman was puzzled, but he could not get any useful words out of Ye Chu, so he could only drop the matter.
“Where is Weak Water?” Ye Chu still could not figure out what Weak Water meant, but seeing that she showed no intention of settling scores later, he felt temporarily relieved. He was not particularly afraid of her anymore.
“She left!” the old madman replied.
“She left?” Ye Chu was stunned and could not help glancing towards the direction down the mountain.
The old madman took out a jade box from his chest, handed it to Ye Chu and said, “She asked me to give this to you!”
Ye Chu took it curiously without opening it. The old madman then said to him, “Although I do not know why she gave such instructions, from now on you will be treated as a disciple of all the peaks of Qing Mi Mountain.”
“A disciple of all the peaks of Qing Mi Mountain? What does that mean?” Ye Chu did not understand.
“She summoned all the peak masters and suggested that every peak should look after you. She even indicated that the disciples of Qing Mi Mountain outside should give you special assistance. This kind of treatment is only given to core disciples recognised by all the peaks. In the entire Wuxin Peak, only Sleeping Ancient has such treatment. Logically, you should never have received this kind of treatment. Among the one hundred and eight peaks, fewer than ten disciples have such status. But since Weak Water spoke, the peak masters could only agree. In other words, you have suddenly become a disciple of Qing Mi Mountain.” the old madman said.
“What benefits does this bring?” Ye Chu still did not fully understand.
“Within Qing Mi Mountain, you can use the resources of every peak and visit all one hundred and eight peaks freely. You can even enter their forbidden areas. Outside Qing Mi Mountain, with this identity, disciples of Qing Mi Mountain will give you appropriate help. In short, you have become one of the most respected and special people among the disciples of all the peaks.” the old madman said. “You should be able to imagine the benefits.”
Each of the one hundred and eight peaks was unique, with its own intent realm and heritage. Being able to move freely between them would bring great benefits to refining one’s own intent realm. It was a rare cultivation resource. Most importantly, entering the forbidden areas of each peak might allow him to obtain secret techniques left behind by them. This was an incalculable fortune.
Moreover, countless disciples had been trained by Qing Mi Mountain, and many cultivators walked the world. Having their help would also be a huge advantage.
At the very least, Ye Chu would no longer be bullied by just anyone outside, and he would now belong to an organisation.
This was indeed a great gift from Weak Water. “You talked about all this for so long?”
The old madman shook his head and said, “There were other matters too. You do not need to know about them. However, there is one thing I want to ask you about today.”
“What is it?” Ye Chu asked in confusion, wondering why the old madman suddenly sounded so serious.
“You now possess the supreme intent. With the Floating Life Palace pattern combined with the pattern from the Ancient Nightmare Forbidden Land, and with my assistance, as long as your strength does not advance further, I can guarantee you will not lose yourself for sixty years.” the old madman said. “But I can only protect you for sixty years. Of course, for ordinary people this is already not short. It counts as one lifetime.”
Ye Chu stayed silent. Sixty years was indeed not short. If he were still on Earth, that would roughly match his natural lifespan. But in this world, where others lived for hundreds of years, it really was too short.
“There is another choice. You can work hard to increase your strength. There is a slim chance you can break through the supreme intent. At that time, you will surely become a powerful expert with a long lifespan. But the probability is low. You may lose yourself during your cultivation journey. The intent of a supreme being is not something to take lightly, especially the intent that surged when he ended his own life. It is far more terrifying than the intent left by other supreme beings.”
Ye Chu remained silent. He naturally knew all this. He knew how difficult it was to break through the supreme intent. Even the ancestor of the Floating Life Palace ultimately failed. What confidence did he have to succeed?
Yet Ye Chu was unwilling to remain stuck at his current realm, living idly for sixty years on Wuxin Peak while waiting to die.
“If I cannot break through the supreme intent but my strength increases, causing the supreme intent to grow stronger as well, will I die even faster?” Ye Chu asked.
“You may die faster, or you may be able to suppress it, just like the ancestor of the Floating Life Palace, and live for a very long time. Of course, the chance of losing yourself is much higher than the chance of suppressing it.” the old madman replied.
“Then do I even have a choice? Having a possibility is better than living sixty years and waiting to die.” Ye Chu smiled bitterly. “Since others have found ways to suppress it and continue living, I believe I can too.”
“Having confidence is good! But I must remind you that if you take that path, you will need to work hard to become stronger, and there is a high chance you will lose yourself. You may not even last ten years, or even one year.” the old madman said. “Do not think I am exaggerating. Right now your supreme intent is still weak. When your strength increases, it will grow stronger too. If you can comprehend yourself alongside its growth and walk your own path to resist it, that is fine. If you cannot, then you will most likely lose yourself.”
“With my talent, what do you think my chances are?” Ye Chu asked.
“If you were Ou Yi, the golden doll, or Sleeping Ancient, with their talent I would support them in fighting hard. But you only have a special constitution that is not afraid of evil energy. For the supreme intent, comprehension ability is the most important. Constitution comes second.” the old madman said. “Your talent is really quite ordinary.”
Being told by the old madman that he was inferior to those madmen, Ye Chu glared at him and said, “My qi sea may not be as vast as theirs, but in terms of comprehension, they may not surpass me. They are just a few madmen. It would be too embarrassing if I could not compare to them.”
Ye Chu had confidence in his comprehension talent. His soul was not the original soul of this body.
“It is best that you have confidence!” the old madman said. “I only suggest that living sixty years is not bad. But if you insist on fighting, then go ahead and cultivate. I also hope you can reach the peak on the path of cultivation. I hope you can truly break through the supreme intent, uncover the secrets of the emotion domain, and solve the mysteries of Wuxin Peak.”
“I do not care about the rest. I only want to live more years.” Ye Chu said. “As for any responsibility towards Wuxin Peak, it has nothing to do with me.”
“If you walk this path far enough, you will eventually encounter it.” the old madman said. “Since you have chosen this path, I will say no more. I only hope you will not regret it later.”
Ye Chu stayed silent for a while. In his mind he could not help thinking of Bai Xuan’s figure.
“Bai Xuan has an extraordinary background. Even though she has just started cultivating, the years she has lived far exceed sixty years.” the old madman said.
Hearing the old madman say this, Ye Chu finally made up his mind. Although he knew the supreme intent was difficult to face, he did not want to wait for death every day. He wanted to fight for it so he could stay in this world with Bai Xuan for longer.