Lion Appearance Sect people are a group of beasts.
What is the mindset of a pack of beasts?
The strong are respected.
So it was simple: the first thing Li Dingxun felt when he saw his parents in the Pure Land was a fleeting joy.
This joy was like a sugar coating, briefly enjoyed, then broken through by the bitterness it enclosed.
Number one under heaven, second in history.
Li Dingxun, the Lion Appearance Sect's bane of ten thousand men.
His parents were wary of him, and Li Dingxun understood that they simply hadn't adapted to the speed of their child's growth.
Fortunately, this emotion would slowly dissipate with time spent together—however, this very companionship was precisely what Li Dingxun was most stingy with.
Sheep flock together; fierce beasts always walk alone. This was the label the outside world gave to strong individuals like Li Dingxun, and it also reflected the living situation of people who are socially reclusive.
In fact, the prophecy of the 'lone star of calamity' was not wrong.
Since Li Dingxun stood at the highest point, he had to endure the greatest winds and frosts.
Estrangement from relatives and friends, it was nothing less.
Fortunately, Li Piguang and his wife were, after all, rare heroes under heaven. After quickly stabilizing their emotions, they neither reprimanded nor praised Li Dingxun, only saying that he could return home whenever he wished.
Additionally, Li Dingxun also met his younger siblings; they truly held both respect and fear for their elder brother.
He exited the Pure Land.
At this moment, the sun showed a sliver of itself on the horizon, its golden-red brilliance igniting the east, with a few strokes of dark clouds pressing against the sky. At first glance, it seemed as if the sky and sea merged into one, those dark clouds like undulating rocky shoals emerging from the water, and the sea like an extension of the sky, blending into a golden river.
The sun rose a little higher, and Li Dingxun calmly met its gaze.
The layered clouds around the sky were scattered at varying heights, some illuminated, some still maintaining a lead-gray, heavy color, as if there were mountains in the sky, black mountains overflowing with misty aura, above the sun.
All things in the world, man is all things.
Li Dingxun knew one thing: he was definitely not simply Li Dingxun. His past life was like the morning sun before him, about to rise and dominate the firmament.
However, besides that, Li Dingxun was still Li Dingxun. He was him, and also Simon.
Simon never left, and Li Dingxun would not disappear.
What defines the self is merely the obsession in one's heart.
I am, therefore I exist.
That is all.
He rubbed his face, vaguely revealing a solemn expression, which then vanished.
It's not time yet. "Simon" muttered to himself.
His younger sister drew back the curtain and saw the man's backlit figure.
The clouds on the horizon were a kingdom in the sky.
This man was a god on earth.
...
"Brother Li, we'll be in Ryukyu soon. By then," Xixi pinched the corner of her clothes, looking up at Li Dingxun, "the Taoist and Brother Bai will leave. Grandfather and I will wait for them for half a month..."
"You want to roam the martial world, don't you?"
"Ah! How did you know!" Xixi stood on her tiptoes, swaying gently, "Yes, but Grandfather doesn't agree."
Li Dingxun asked her, "Do you want to learn martial arts? I can recommend you to the Xuan Nu Sect."
"Brother Li, do you know the fairies of the Xuan Nu Sect?"
"No, I don't."
"Then how can you recommend me?"
"If I say you can learn, then you can learn."
"So domineering!" Fu Xixi bit her fingertip, "But I'd rather learn your martial arts."
"Your talent isn't suited for my martial arts. Forcibly cultivating it would be twice the effort for half the result, and you'd only be a third-rate figure even in old age."
The Taoist ran over and said to Fu Xixi with a playful smile, "Don't dream of such a good thing as reaching the sky in one step, alright? Brother Li letting you join the Xuan Nu Sect is already a great blessing. How can you be so insatiable? He's a very busy man, how would he have time to care if your martial arts are up to par? So, it's best to send you to a sect for further study."
His younger sister pouted, and the light in her eyes dimmed a little. "Alright."
Li Dingxun waved his hand, "No need to act. You can't learn what I practice. I'll just create a set of martial arts specifically for you."
Fu Xixi was stunned, and the Taoist chuckled.
His younger sister hastily clarified, "I wasn't acting!"
"Yes, I was talking to the little Taoist."
The Taoist gave an awkward smile, muttering to himself: You're about the same age as me, why do you call me 'little Taoist'...
Then he compared their physiques.
Alright, I'm the little Taoist, and you're the big mighty warrior.
"Big mighty, uh, ahem, I mean, Brother, how do you plan to go to the Realm of Extinction?"
"Walk there."
"Walk?" The Taoist was stunned. "Walk on water?"
"I could also walk on the seabed. But walking on the water's surface is indeed quicker."
This is too hardcore, the Taoist wiped his sweat. Is this the world of the strong?
Bai Zimo walked over and said, "To be honest, Young Sect Master Li, we two also plan to go to the Realm of Extinction overseas. We wonder if we could travel together? We can take care of miscellaneous tasks along the way, hoping that Young Sect Master Li can ensure our safety at critical moments. Of what we gain from this trip, we will only take one item; the rest will belong to you."
"You two are fated with me, I agree." Li Dingxun looked at the two, vaguely sensing their past lives.
The Taoist cheered upon hearing this, and his younger sister's eyes darted around, wondering what she was thinking.
...
There were still three days of travel to Ryukyu.
Fu Xixi made different dishes every day, greatly showcasing her skillful craftsmanship. The Taoist curiously asked her where she learned to cook, and his younger sister said she had apprenticed with a master at the Eastern Culinary Academy of the Fulong Altar in the Pure Land.
Speaking of the Fulong Altar, this old established evil cult, built on Chixing Island in the East Sea, had two lines of inheritors: the Situ clan excelled in sabers, and the Long clan in fist and palm techniques. These two clans were the main families, and the remaining disciples with different surnames were servants. The management system was very patriarchal and also very cruel.
There was a natural volcano on the island, and the martial arts of this sect were also of pure Yang attribute. Practitioners often trained inside the volcano, so most of them had fiery and upright temperaments. Besides martial arts, everyone also enjoyed practicing cooking. Due to their precise control over heat, the dishes they made were also said to be exquisite.
After the Pure Land era, due to the arrogant and perverse conduct of the Fulong Altar, it was severely suppressed by the rising righteous sects, to the point of being on the verge of dissolution. However, they barely managed to hold on. The last two generations of island masters, having learned from their pain, decided to temper their sharp edges and treat people kindly. Now, there is a trend of transformation. The "Eastern Culinary Academy" in the Pure Land was a gentle signal released to the public.
Abandoning darkness for light is always welcomed, and this also proves the outstanding results of Lu Yuan Bodhisattva's teachings to the world.
Li Dingxun asked his younger sister, "I wonder if your academy teaches 'Heavenly Sword Slice,' 'Dragon Slaying Cut,' or 'Fire Cloud Palm'?"
"Ordinary students like us don't have such good treatment. However, I've never heard of those three techniques either."
Li Dingxun sighed, "Then won't I be unable to eat Super Invincible Sea View Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Sad and Sad Rice ? What a pity."
"What are you talking about, Brother Li?"
Li Dingxun scrutinized the delicate fishing girl, then suddenly clapped his hands, "Excellent, young lady, I see you have great talent. Learn to cook with me!"
"What? I want to learn..." His younger sister didn't finish her sentence, then suddenly remembered something, glanced at the old man drinking, lowered her voice, and whispered into Li Dingxun's ear, "Martial arts, not cooking."
Li Dingxun didn't care, "If you can cut vegetables, you can cut people. Haven't you heard of Pao Ding dismembering an ox with ease? This is inherently a high-level martial arts principle."
"Wow! Really?"
"If I say it is, then it is."
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