"This is clearly a lake, so why is it called the North Sea?" Meng Hao suddenly asked.
The old man pondered for a moment, then smiled and continued, "Lakes can dry up, and usually remain still, so they cannot encompass all things. The sea, however, is different; it can embrace thousands of rivers. Perhaps people don't want it to disappear, or they simply choose to call it that. In short, if you, sir, consider it a lake, then it is a lake. If you consider it a sea, then it will surely be a sea."
These words fell into Meng Hao's ears, shaking his mind. The hand holding the wine cup trembled slightly as he gazed at the lake, seemingly forgetting the passage of time.
After an unknown period, the boat docked on the other side. He took out the silver he had earned in the Kao Shan Sect to pay, then clasped his hands tightly and bowed deeply. He watched the boat drift away, a strange glint appearing in his eyes.
He did not leave immediately but sat cross-legged by the water, gazing at the lake and the solitary boat moving into the distance. The old man's laughter still echoed in his ears.
"If you consider it a lake, it is a lake. If you say it is a sea, then it is a sea..."
The old man's voice lingered, gradually reverberating, as if... he hadn't gone far, but had merged into the surface of this North Sea, as if... he had entered the bottom of the lake.
Meng Hao sat there, looking around. One sitting lasted for three full days.
For three days, Meng Hao remained motionless, silently gazing at the water. The old man's words still echoed in his mind.
"Lakes can dry up, and are usually still, so they cannot encompass all things. The sea, however, is always moving and can embrace hundreds of thousands of rivers."
Meng Hao's eyes grew brighter. The golden Dan Lake within his body seemed boundless, just like the lake before his eyes...
"If I consider it a lake, then it is a lake. If I consider it a sea, then from now on... It is a sea!"
Something within Meng Hao seemed to explode with a resounding boom. In an instant, the Dan Lake within him churned violently, expanding continuously without the use of elixirs.
Meng Hao, however, did not perceive these changes. His eyes were tightly shut, still immersed in that state. In his mind, only the old man's words remained. He paid no attention to the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth that was now rushing towards him. They swirled around him, continuously surging into his body, causing the previously calm surface of the North Sea to ripple. A swirling mass of spiritual energy burst forth from the North Sea, dissolving into Meng Hao's body.
North Sea enlightenment!
At this moment, if any Core Formation cultivator were to witness this scene, they would surely be terrified, because enlightenment was a realm that only Spirit Severing cultivators could approach, and it required great fortune and serendipity. Yet, at this moment, Meng Hao had clearly reached that threshold.
His success was also greatly linked to that demon core. It was the core of an Ying Long, an ancient beast whose tail could transform into a demon. In fact, during the dream of the Ying Long that year, he had already achieved enlightenment.
Three days later, when Meng Hao opened his eyes, a golden light flashed within them. The Dan Lake within his body seemed to have doubled in size. It looked like a lake, but Meng Hao saw that it was not a lake, but his Dan Sea!
Because he felt it was a sea, then that place... was a sea!
The seawater roared, the waves churned, causing the demonic core within to bob up and down. Streaks of silver spiritual energy permeated Meng Hao's entire body, circulating according to the method described in the "Condensing Qi Scroll - Grand Spirit Scripture." In an instant, his entire body transformed into a golden glow. Explosions resonated in his mind, as if his entire body had been opened up. Golden light radiated from him, instantly exceeding three zhang.
After a while, his cultivation directly advanced, breaking through the bottleneck of the sixth level of Condensing Qi and stepping into the seventh level of Condensing Qi!
Furthermore, this seventh level of Condensing Qi, though newly attained, was comparable to the peak of the seventh level of Condensing Qi, because in his dantian, it was not a dantian lake, but a dantian sea...
A moment before, the North Sea had transferred an unknown amount of spiritual energy accumulated over many years, helping him to break through.
A long time later, the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy gradually dissipated, and the North Sea's spiritual energy also vanished. The golden light around Meng Hao's body slowly receded. He returned to his original appearance, sitting silently there. The golden light was gone from his eyes, but his demeanor was radiant.
Meng Hao slowly stood up, looked at the North Sea, clasped his hands, and bowed. A passage from the ancient texts he had read in the Kao Shan Sect appeared in his mind: "All things with life in heaven and earth are called demons. All who are demons can be transformed from mountains, from rivers, or even from plants, trees, and myriad beasts."
"Today, thanks to the North Sea, I have attained the Dao. In the future, when this Meng's cultivation is complete, I will return to help you transform into a sea!"
Meng Hao looked at the North Sea. He didn't know if this lake, wishing to transform into a sea, truly possessed life as described in the books. If it did, it must have already become a demon.
But, no matter what, this place had helped his cultivation break through, turning his dantian lake into a dantian sea. Therefore, this kindness must be repaid, and the way he chose was to transform the lake into a sea...!
Later, Meng Hao turned around, faced the Great Green Mountain, and began to walk...
In the northern Zhao State, on the Great Green Mountain, autumn winds blew, and the dry leaves on the mountain gradually fell. Each leaf fell into the great river at the foot of the mountain. He wondered if they would be like the gourd from that year, thrown into the Heavenly River Sea, flying all the way to the Eastern Lands of the Great Tang.
At the foot of the Great Green Mountain were three towns. Among them, Yun Jie County was the most prosperous. The town was not large, but it was quite lively. People came here every day, making the place bustling daily.
Today, a young man dressed in clean blue scholar's robes quietly walked into Yun Jie County. His face was quite familiar, but his figure was strange. He was Meng Hao.
Familiar streets appeared, familiar shops, houses. Walking in this mortal realm, Meng Hao recalled many old memories. This place held memories of his childhood, when he was a poor youth, when he was determined to study—all memories he could hardly forget.
"This is Miss Sun's boudoir..."
Meng Hao walked past a large courtyard, peering over. There was a high wall here, but now it seemed low. He remembered that behind that wall was Miss Sun's house, a place he had once dreamed of several years ago.
He had often fantasized that one day he would be favored by Squire Sun, who would marry his incredibly beautiful daughter to him.
Only three years had passed since then, which didn't seem long, but he felt as if several lifetimes had gone by.