Alex's carefully chosen words left the Sword Saint temporarily silent. He could clearly see that Alex possessed not only human blood flowing through his veins but also powerful alien blood. This perfect fusion of two distinct bloodlines was clearly the natural product of a human and another race's forbidden love.
However the Sword Saint did not know exactly what that mysterious bloodline might be. As the ancient saying goes, those not of our race must have different hearts. After all Mount Shushan was an orthodox cultivation sect deeply rooted in the Central Plains traditions.
"Senior Brother?" The Drunken Sword Immortal who knew exactly what his senior brother was carefully considering, looked at him questioningly while urging him to come up with a definitive decision.
Without rushing to answer immediately, the Sword Saint extended his hand deliberately. The concentrated power of his divine consciousness slowly spread toward Alex like invisible tendrils while penetrating through every limb and bone.
"Hmm? The Sword Saint's divine consciousness has completely enveloped me but the Mind Pendant did not react at all. Could it only automatically react to offensive mental attacks?"
Looking down thoughtfully at the Mind Pendant hanging around his neck, Alex wondered silently inward.
After a long careful moment, the Sword Saint slowly withdrew his extended hand and spoke with finality "The blood flowing in your body contains genuine divinity and it is truly sacred in nature. If you sincerely wish to join Mount Shushan then I as the head of Mount Shushan formally welcome you."
"Greetings Sect Leader!" Alex said respectfully while bowing properly after hearing the Sword Saint's accepting reply.
Hearing that Alex's blood contained sacred divinity, the Drunken Sword Immortal thought there would be absolutely no problem with acceptance. He secretly breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. Then he patted Li Xiaoyao beside him as a signal.
"Hey old man let me tell you something important. I did not come to Mount Shushan to recognize my ancestors and return to my roots. I came specifically to save Ling'er. Where exactly did you lock Ling'er up..." However when it was Li Xiaoyao's turn to speak, he did not stop at anything shocking. He shouted directly without any respect.
"You bastard!" Hearing Li Xiaoyao's incredibly disrespectful words, the Drunken Sword Immortal beside him rolled his eyes helplessly with exasperation.
Even if you desperately want to save someone, you absolutely have to think about your approach carefully right? What is the point of shouting so directly and rudely?
However the Sword Saint having already attained complete enlightenment remained as calm as a perfectly still pond. Ordinary events rarely stirred his tranquil mind anymore.
Therefore even at Li Xiaoyao's rude words, the Sword Saint remained neither sad nor happy. He shook his head calmly and said "Do not dwell on Zhao Ling'er's affairs any longer. She must remain here in Mount Shushan for twenty years. I am doing this for your own good."
"Twenty years?! That is impossible!" Li Xiaoyao shrieked with obvious outrage.
The Sword Saint showed absolutely no reaction to Li Xiaoyao's loud emotional screams. His expression remained perfectly calm and unchanged. His demeanor suggested the image of a prudent parent quietly observing a rebellious youngster's futile wrath.
"Senior Brother you said this was for Xiaoyao's own good. Why exactly is that?"
The Drunken Sword Immortal after all was more naturally inclined toward supporting Li Xiaoyao. Seeing Li Xiaoyao's tantrum becoming unbearable to witness, he asked on his behalf.
"Although the laws of nature are utterly unpredictable, some things are nevertheless destined by fate..."
The Sword Saint glanced meaningfully at the Drunken Sword Immortal. Naturally he was willing to answer his junior brother's sincere question. Regarding the profound Dao, he genuinely hoped his junior could also grasp it for himself. "It was like that back then with certain events and it remains just like that now. If Li Xiaoyao takes Zhao Ling'er to Nanzhao Kingdom then what is destined by Heaven itself will not change regardless."
"Hmph I do not care about that nonsense Dao philosophy. Just because something supposedly cannot be changed means I should not even try? Is this what you call the Dao?" Li Xiaoyao who stood beside him could not help but exclaim angrily at the Sword Saint's fatalistic words.
"The Dao of Dao is all around us constantly. All things operate under the natural influence of Dao. All beings are fundamentally equal and what is destined by fate cannot be changed by mere human power..." Shaking his head with patient wisdom, the Sword Saint replied calmly.
Alex stood aside silently and said nothing at all about the philosophical dispute between Li Xiaoyao and the Sword Saint.
In actual fact when looking back at the original story, the Sword Saint's actions were not necessarily wrong from his perspective. He had successfully grasped the Dao of ruthlessness. While he genuinely believed in compassion for all living things, too much compassion paradoxically became ruthlessness.
So the Sword Saint of that past time could even let go completely. He allowed his beloved woman to leave him, marry and have children with someone else entirely. And even when she was dying painfully, he did not offer a helping hand.
He firmly believed everything was destined by fate. Any intervention would ultimately be futile.
But what about Li Xiaoyao? He tried with all his might, he resisted fate, he fought against destiny. Although in the very end, Lin Yueru, Zhao Ling'er and even the Drunken Sword Immortal still perished tragically, it must be acknowledged that after enduring all this unbearable pain and suffering, Li Xiaoyao too had eventually attained enlightenment.
And his chosen path was the Dao of compassion.
Alex remembered the ending of the original story quite clearly. Li Xiaoyao walking alone with his young daughter encountered the Sword Saint in the wilderness. Li Xiaoyao remained perfectly calm but the Sword Saint was visibly shaken. Li Xiaoyao said nothing elaborate but simply asked four simple yet profound questions:
"Do you understand?"
Finally Li Xiaoyao ignored the Sword Saint completely and simply left, leaving him standing behind with tears welling in his weathered eyes.
Yes he understood at last. He had entered the Dao with a heartless detached heart while deliberately abandoning those he loved most. He had successfully entered the Dao but he had also lost all the precious emotions that belonged to a normal human being.
And what about Li Xiaoyao? He entered the Dao with a heartfelt compassionate heart. Though he had lost so much along the way, he still retained all the emotions that belonged to a human being.
Back then the Sword Saint could have done the same thing. But he had been obsessed with letting go of everything.
Letting go of emotions and abandoning everything certainly made it considerably easier to enter the Dao. But was such a path truly worth it?
Alex stood aside quietly not interjecting during the heated argument between the Sword Saint and Li Xiaoyao. But recalling the tragic events of the original story, Alex pondered thoughtfully for a moment before speaking "I just heard the Sect Leader speak eloquently of the Dao. I would like to ask respectfully, Sect Leader what exactly is the Dao?"
Alex's unexpected philosophical question caught the Sword Saint's full attention.
This profound question was typically pursued by cultivators only at an extremely high level of cultivation. It arose when they became lost in their own understanding of themselves and the universe around them. But Alex had unexpectedly asked at this particular moment.
However since someone asked sincerely, the Sword Saint naturally answered "The Dao is extremely difficult to explain properly in mere words. It can only be truly understood by an individual through experience. All things in the world including the sun, the moon and the stars are all manifestations of Dao. The Dao also has love but its love for all things in the world is perfectly equal. Just like water itself. Water benefits all things without competing against them. Therefore the highest good is like water."
"The Dao has love for all things in the world equally but it is ruthless to itself and to everyone around it" Alex said immediately as the Sword Saint finished speaking his explanation.
These insightful words made the Drunken Sword Immortal next to him shudder slightly with realization. He looked at Alex seriously and nodded silently in agreement.
Indeed judging from what Senior Brother Sword Saint did to Qing'er after he successfully entered the Dao, his words and deeds could indeed be accurately called "ruthless."
Alex's words were extremely insightful and struck at the heart of the matter.
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