“What of the rest of you? Where is your resolve?”
Wang Qi gave everyone a cold smile as he looked around. The usually noisy ss hall was now silent as a grave.
No one spoke; no one replied.
Wu Fan regarded his fearful schoolmates and lost all interest in lingering. He pushed Wu Fan aside and left the ss hall with books under his arm.
Outside, it ca to Wang Qi he hadn’t eaten. He rubbed his belly, grumbling, “That’s why I hate underachievers…”
For a split second, he considered going back in to eat, but he quelled that thought the mont it ca. [You kiddin’? The badass way I left is gonna turn into a joke if I go back now! My image as a bookworm will be ruined.]
Since eating was out, reading would have to do. With that thought in mind, Wang Qi went to the library.
The library was aweso. One thing he liked the most was the limitless supply of paper. Cultivating in the modern system used a whole lot of paper. Seeking one’s path was impossible without extensive and elaborate calculations and writing. It just so happened that Immortal Institute didn’t have Earth’s advantage of people-oriented schools with kiosks to make it more convenient. Wanna go shopping? Run for half an hour to Argent Apex, and that’s done with movent arts too.
Wang Qi heard hasty footsteps approaching from behind. He looked back to find Wu Shiqin following him.
“I have a newfound respect for you.”
“Huh?”
Wu Shiqin’s smile turned forced. “I took you for a recalcitrant, talented stuck-up, though not repulsive due to your skills. Only now I realize you’re a person of real character.”
Wang Qi laughed. “You’re not the only one.”
Wu Shiqin was left stunned. “Eh?”
“I used to think you beca a disciplinary officer so you’d have a license to beat others up.” Wang Qi shrugged. “You look just like those terrorists that can’t sit still without bashing soone’s face in. I find it astonishing how you ended up putting your life on the line this ti.”
Wu Shiqin’s mouth twitched. “Why is it that I find your complint irritating?”
Wang Qi gave her a cautious look as he took two steps back. “Cause you’re petty?”
The sky flashed with blue lightning.
Wu Shiqin held her forehead and sighed, deciding not to bother with this topic anymore. “You said all that to remind Wu Fan, didn’t you?”
Wang Qi t her gaze. “In passing. I said it more as a self-reminder.”
The two entered the library as they talked. As most of the freshn were in the ss hall, the place was empty. Wang Qi sat at a random table.
The table, big enough to seat eight, had a large stack of paper at the center. Wu Shiqin sat next to him, asking, “Why?”
Wang Qi considered his words. “Do you know empathy? Aside from having a common friend,
and Yang Jun had similar experiences.”
Wu Shiqin didn’t understand. “You seem to hate him.”
“Hate had nothing to do with it. I hate all overly emotional underachievers, yet that doesn’t change one fact: Yang Jun and I share so similarities in our experiences. I can’t deny that I empathize with him to so extent.” Wang Qi sighed. “So when I heard the rumor, I was shaken up a little.”
Wu Shiqin shook her head with a smile. “You’re really weird. You didn’t hesitate at all when you were about to strike him down.”
Zhen Chanzi sighed from his ring. “You’re heavy-handed with a soft heart.”
Wang Qi continued, “Anyway, it got to . I thought of myself as being determined enough… to not let hatred blind
or sway . I should hold a grudge and not let it get a hold of , because I seek Dao and not beco an avenger.”
“If I were you, I’d have cried ages ago, resolve or not.”
Wang Qi gave her a look, following with a most infuriating reply to the girl. “I’m not you. I at least have a goal, alright?”
Wang Qi went on before Wu Shiqin flipped. “These stirrings aren’t natural. While I understand harmony in self, endurance in purpose, I can’t just pursue my desires with no regard to the rules. I need a jolt from ti to ti so that I don’t get a heart demon. Reminding others was only in passing. It doesn’t cost
anything to let out the sudden jolt I felt through words.” ??
[Besides, showboating is useful and healthy for the mind.] Wang Qi left that part out.
Wu Shiqin rested her chin on the table, sighing. “It feels so weird and perfect… resolve this, resolve that, a firm state of mind. But I just don’t get it… the human heart I an.”
[Are you king or sothing?] Wang Qi bit back, saying, “Grasping your heart is just as simple as it sounds.”
Wu Shiqin shook her head. “The human heart is unpredictable and elusive… Hold up, even Elusive Palace’s elusive path can be represented through calculations. The human heart…”
“Can be as well, or what do you think Radiant Divinity Pavilion is for?”
“The soul, spirit, and the human heart…” Wu Shiqin muttered. “Resolve is just a branch of the path of the heart. Sohow it sounds like the ancient ways.”
Another voice replied before Wang Qi could. “Radiant Divinity Pavilion is delving into the path of the heart and not the ancient way. These three days, Radiant Divinity Pavilion Eminence cultivators’ lectures are mostly angled toward the resolve part of the human heart theory. Young lady, if you wish to know more, you’ll have to give The Principles of Heart and Matter a read.”
A grizzled cultivator sat across from them with a book in hand. He had a neat appearance but a gentle smile. His every gesture gave an air of elegance and nobility. Wu Shiqin and Wang Qi found him familiar, though certain he was not an Immortal Institute teacher.
[A Radiant Divinity Pavilion Eminence then?]
The Principles of Heart and Matter was Brilliance Palace’s Fechner’s work. In his early journey as a cultivator, he forced himself to observe the sun in a vain attempt to understand the path of brilliance, leading to madness. In his insanity, he had a vague insight. And this notion was born: “There’s substance to one’s heart. I must discern it.” For a long long ti, the immortal community doubted this thod of seeking the path of the heart through the principles of observing celestial phenona, believing the young cultivator to be truly insane. It wasn’t until the Brilliance Palace was established that this path gained recognition.
Wang Qi thought deeply. “I’d also like to borrow it when I have enough rits. Today’s event made
realize how complex resolve is. Especially when my experiences are nothing like everyone else’s. Introspection and self-reflection are crucial.”
The old man smiled. “For you to say that proves you have a lower possibility than others of walking astray. Regarding the lack of rits, why not take on a few trials?”
Wang Qi sighed. “I have many more books taking precedence… I’d rather not do it. I plan on borrowing Calculator Mind Theory next. It also includes a segnt about the human heart. It’ll have to do.”
The old man gave his book to Wang Qi. “If so, I can lend you mine.”
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