âboom!â she gathered all of her willpower for an eruption.
ârumble!â alas, she found it to be an ant trying to push up a great boulder.
this was a futile task but li qiye was kind enough to gradually pull his power back, letting her have a taste of using the dao heart.
eventually, she was able to use her dao heart to stand up.
âbam!â however, he added more willpower and forced her to the ground again.
she utilized everything she could in combination with the dao heart but it amounted to nothing.
âdo you see the strength of your dao heart now?â he finally stopped the test and recalled his willpower. his dao heart had reached a state of simplicity, making him look like a mortal yet always fearless and composed.
she became paralyzed and didnât have the strength to get up. she felt all of her willpower being crushed by him. her physical strength was still there so it was a mental problem.
it took a while before her dispersed will came together once more, allowing her to stand up. she took a look internally and found her cultivational foundations the same as before. alas, she could no longer feel her dao heart.
âwhy?â she became startled, feeling that she was one step from a metamorphosis.
she was a cicada with its shell cracked. alas, she couldnât break out and finish the process.
âcultivation makes many things possible but its powers made you forget about the dao heart.â li qiye smiled.
after a moment to regain her wits, she got up and asked li qiye: âjust who are you?â
âjust a passerby.â li qiye said.
âa passerby?â she repeated in confusion but this answer made sense. he didnât seem to belong to her world.
âc-can i cultivate that dao heart?â she eventually asked.
âeveryone is already doing it after starting cultivation.â li qiye said without looking at her, walking toward desolate hall instead.
this palace gave the impression of being a single block. its gate has not been opened since desolate ancestorâs departure.
an immortal artifact and a special source were rumored to be inside. bathing in this special source could change someoneâs constitution, allowing them to become up to a supreme overlord.
of course, these were mere speculations since none had entered. it wasnât that future descendants didnât want to. primal ancestors have tried before to no avail. everlasting jiang and xianting didnât know how to do it either. thus, everyone believed it would only open with her return.
âcreak.â however, li qiye talked up the ten steps and pushed the gate, opening it effortlessly.
âimpossible!â the woman became slack-jawed.
everlasting jiang had tried before to no avail despite being only one step away from becoming a supreme overlord.
how did this passerby open it? furthermore, it looked like he was opening the door to his own home, not desolate hall.