"To most of us, Dao is what we cultivate, it is what defines us as we try to define in, but in the end, rare are those who had been able to glean an understanding of such abstract notion as Dao. To be able to obtain something one must understand, for having something without understanding it is the same as not having it. Many of us sitting here, even if they hadn't realized it yet had already arrived and achieved their own Dao and they have yet to know of it.
We seek knowledge of the heavens to reflect it upon ourselves. We seek perfection while we're imperfect, it is this very search and this very pursuit that will one day open our eyes to the real truth behind Dao." Master Rain gave his introduction rather calmly before he took another breath and waited for the cultivators around him to grasp the meaning of his words.
For me, however, all I heard was utter bullshit, he didn't say a single meaningful thing and everyone around us is acting as if they heard the words of heaven themselves.
I was so obviously unconvinced by what Master Rain had said that I was the only one that wasn't nodding their heads up and down like a chicken pecking for crumbs.
"You seem to be unable to understand what I've just said, Shen Bao, if you have a question ask before I move on," Master Rain said.
"Right, so you said that Dao is what defines us, as we're trying to define it, doesn't that mean that anyone can choose their own Dao and seek it? What is Dao if it's not a goal or objective, many would tend to seek immortality as their own Dao but is Immortality the true purpose of Immortals? We're called Immortals since we live forever, but that is achievable without needing to be at the peak of Cultivation. Seeking Dao? Does that mean to seek the truth? The truth of the world, and if so, if seeking Dao is seeking the world's truth, then to what end? Why should we as cultivators seek the truth of this world if there is any?" I asked.
Master Rain didn't interrupt me even once, and apparently, from the snickers of the cultivators around me, I asked some idiotic questions.
"Why do you cultivate, Shen Bao?" Master Rain said.
"Why? Well, simply because I can," I said.
My reply caused a pretty interesting chain of reactions from all cultivators around me.
"What? Is that wrong? You all probably cultivate to grow stronger, to overtake your peers, to rule over dominions and lands, and perhaps to even wrest away the control of heavens upon your mortal bodies, you all have your own goals, goals that you defined as 'Holy' and sacred, goals that you yourselves had made, they shouldn't reflect upon me if you're seeking your own Dao through your own convictions and goals, why should I be like you?" I said back to all the snickering people.
My reply was simple, I wasn't like you, I didn't seek your own goals, so don't judge me based on your own goals.
"Then your Dao is simple," spoke someone next to me.
He was wearing black robes and seemed to have a long beard, when he spoke everyone seemed to be paying attention, even Master Rain.
"You seek selfishness and Greed, it isn't such a bad thing as the name implies, you seek your own vanity and self-satisfaction. You're greedy, and you'll probably fail your Mortality Severing, Master Rain, is this the disciple you gathered us all for? He is rather weak-willed," spoke the old man.
Master Rain didn't reply and looked at me waiting for an answer.
"I've talked and discussed this fact to someone about this, and you're wrong," I said.
The fact that I told the elder he was wrong was probably enough to have my head fly off, but thanks to Master Rain's grunt, the people who rose up had to get down.
"Then care to explain, junior, explain to this old man how he is wrong, and you better be convincing. For who can you talk to and who can you discuss with that will have greater knowledge of the Mortality Severing than this council?"
"He is a scholar," I said.
Master Rain isn't stupid and he immediately realized who I was talking about, after all, who is the 'Scholar' that I would know and is able to discuss Dao of this level, no one but Zhang Tian, of course, the Son of the Wind King and one of the strongest people in the Vast Expanse.
"A scholar, hah, so you really are a foolish person, mortal scholars aren't capable of giving facts over Dao matters, you may glean some understanding of Dao but you will not be able to fully understand the Mortality Severing without experiencing it," the old man in black spoke.
I looked around and said, "Of the people here, how many have gone through their Mortality Severing?" I asked as I looked at the massive group of cultivators around us.
"Perhaps everyone with a blue robe and a good portion of the yellow, but definitely none of the white," I said.
"Then," I turned to master rain and said, "Is it possible to cut off the sound from the yellow robes and below, what I'm about to say may bring down their whole belief in cultivation to shatter," I said.
"Who do you think you are to speak words as heavy as those? Do you honestly believe that cultivators have no right to hear your words, or do you think that the measly words of some mortal scholar are enough to shack the belief of cultivators who peruse the Dao their whole lives?!" the old man in black said.
"Shen Bao," Master Rain said, "Were those his words?" he said.
And only I knew who master rain was talking about, "The words I spoke to him were mine, and his reply was that whatever I told him was enough to make everyone's ability to cross the divider of Mortal Severing an impossible feat, so it is only for the ears to those who have already crossed safely," I said.
"So you're telling me, that the words you're so confident in speaking are not even those of a scholar but yours? How much value and weight do you think I'll give to the words of someone who is yet to severe his mortality? Master Rain, this has been a disappointing waste of time!" the old man said.
Master Rain didn't even bother with replying to the old man as he raised his arm and the world seemed to turn blue. A massive curtain of divine sense spread around the whole of the avenue and carefully selected people from all over the avenue.
Many of the yellow robes were excluded and surprisingly a few white robes were included.
It seems that some of them already made it through the Mortality Severing.
"Speak," Master Rain said.
"Liang Yu, could you cover your ears, this might harm your cultivation," I said.
She didn't argue and I could feel her using her Qi to cover her ears.
I then collected my thoughts and spoke.
"Man's nature is greed, it is undeniable. It is a fact ingrained in us, we are people who are born due to greed, live in greed, and will die to greed. We are born from the greed of a man wanting to obtain kin, or perhaps from the greed of a man and a woman to have intercourse and satisfy their own desires. We live in greed, seeking fortune and welfare, to gain wealth and to rule, either in a household, a town, or even an empire, we live to satisfy our basic desire to obtain more of what we have or more of what we don't have. We're creatures that adore hoarding goods. We die to greed as we die wanting to live more, wanting to see more wanting to experience more, we die unable to take our eyes away from life." I said.
"It is only natural, thus we severe our mortality, Greed is nothing but a mortal wish," the old man said.
I turned to him and looked him in the eyes, "You speak as if you're void of greed," I said.
"All those who have escaped the mortal life are void of greed, we proved it by severing our link to the mortal world."
"That's pretty contradicting don't you think," I said.
"How so?"
"What would you give to obtain the seat of one of the four kings?" I said.
"I have no will or wish to obtain such a thing," the old man said.
"Perhaps you don't, but the people next to you might not have the same idea, your greed may not be the same as others, but it is there, you do not wish to be a king and rule over the vast expanse, but don't you wish to live forever?" I asked
"Immortality is overrated," the old man said.
"I can agree to that, then tell me, how old are you?" I asked.
The old man frowned and said, "Ten thousand and three hundred years old," he said.
"Then why are you still alive? Why don't you just die?" I asked.
"You damn bastard!" the old man said as he stood up, "Are you cursing me?!"