Chapter 330: Choice
Joyce glanced at Tyrone in surprise and continued, “If we talk about the realms after Heart Fire, we must discuss this current era. Our era is known as the golden age of warrior cultivation, where geniuses emerge one after another like ocean waves, each wave higher and stronger than the last!”
The children’s eyes shone as they listened with infinite fascination. Joyce took a sip of wine and continued.
“Forty-five years ago, Lord Bisso, the strongest Heart Fire Warrior of the Western Continent at the time, created the Heart Reflection Visualization Method. As the saying goes, Blood Qi as the mirror, Heart Fire as the body, reflect oneself, visualize the will, and illuminate the spirit.
“These are the three realms after Heart Fire: Heart Reflection, Visualization, and Spirit Illumination.
“The so-called Heart Reflection means the Heart Fire constantly hangs above the sea of Blood Qi, using Blood Qi as a mirror to reflect oneself. The key to this realm is that the Heart Fire must constantly hang there.
“Once the Heart Fire leaves the Blood Qi, it is very likely to extinguish. You must know that Heart Fire is the embodiment of your inner will; if it extinguishes, it is tantamount to self-destruction.
“If you pass this trial, you will advance to become a Heart Reflection Warrior.
“Legend has it that achieving Heart Reflection will bring about incredible changes; the body’s vitality will be greatly extended, and combat power will also greatly increase.”
Saying this, Joyce took a few fierce gulps of wine, looking fascinated and saying no more.
The children were unhappy and shook Joyce one after another, hoping he would continue.
Joyce said with a dejected face: “Visualization and Spirit Illumination… I want to know about them too. Unfortunately, I only know their names, not their forms, let alone their principles.
“Let me tell you about the three major cultivation schools in the Western Continent today—the Ascetic School, the Natural School, and the Faith School.
“The Ascetic School believes that cultivation is like planting a tree. To make the tree grow straight and tall, one cannot do without fixing the trunk direction and pruning branches and excess leaves.
“This school advocates the goodness of human nature, but kindness is easily tempted and corrupted by evil. One must constantly correct and fix oneself, igniting the fire of kindness in the heart to ensure a smooth path of cultivation.
“The Natural School believes that cultivation requires learning from nature. One does not need and cannot prune. Nature is human nature; there are tigers that devour people, and lambs that kneel to suckle.
“This school believes that human nature is ever-changing. As long as one follows their heart, whether for evil or good, the key is to have no hindrance in the heart and no regrets. Therefore, people of this school are a mixed bag. There are many with evil thoughts, but there are also some righteous and magnanimous people.
“The last school is the Faith School. Legend has it that this cultivation method was passed down by a Saint from the Eastern Continent who flew across the elemental storm. The key to this method lies in faith, purifying the heart, and dedicating oneself to the gods. I do not like this path, so I will say no more.
“That’s all for today. Bring some wine tomorrow, and I’ll continue telling you.”
The other children left with unsatisfied faces, but Tyrone continued taking notes and did not leave.
In the following month, the children often pestered the bard Joyce to listen to stories. After his stories were exhausted, no one except Tyrone bought him wine.
“I have no stories to tell you. Why do you still give me wine?” Joyce asked with a smile after taking a sip of cloudy wine.
“Because I want to learn the warrior cultivation method. You are knowledgeable and must know the way to seek learning. I want to ask for your guidance!”
Tyrone did not hesitate. He performed a standard grand salute for elders, prostrating himself completely as he spoke to Joyce.
Joyce seemed to see his former self. He sighed deeply and said leisurely: “Do you know that once you step on this path, you will never return to such peaceful and leisurely days?”
Prostrate on the ground, Tyrone did not perceive Joyce’s complex thoughts and said firmly: “Please guide me.”
Joyce drank the remaining cloudy wine in one gulp, breathed out alcohol fumes, squatted down, and said to Tyrone: “Since you want it, I’ll give it. Not only will I show you the way, but I will also teach you the basic method of warrior cultivation, the Blood Food Transport Method!”
Tyrone looked at old Joyce in disbelief, then kowtowed forcefully and shouted: “Teacher!”
A smart little kid. Joyce smiled and helped him up.
Afterward, Tyrone’s philandering father Kent made a decision that changed the fate of the family.
As a dashing prodigal son, he had always flirted around even after marriage, a complete scumbag. Yet he happened to be tall and handsome, with a glib tongue for sweet talk, keeping Tyrone’s simple mother happy.
Tyrone’s mother even told Tyrone that as long as Kent didn’t mess around with other women in front of her, she would pretend not to know, even taking pride in being Kent’s official wife.
But ever since Tyrone started practicing the Blood Food Transport Method, his father’s carefree days ended.
As the saying goes, “poor scholar, rich warrior.” The key to the Blood Food Transport Method lay in blood food and transport. So-called blood food meant eating plenty of meat—good meat, fresh meat. Transport meant exercising and adjusting constantly according to certain postures, finally birthing Blood Qi.
Although Kent was philandering, he loved his only son dearly. Since his son wanted to cultivate, and after seeing Joyce’s palm turn red hot and burn through a wooden plank—confirming Joyce was not a fraud—Tyrone’s father decided to make money to buy meat for his son.
For this reason, their whole family moved to Tuyi City. For the first time, Kent begged the fat woman he had previously looked down upon, Baroness Elaine Tuyi, the only daughter of Count Tuyi, to find him a lucrative job.
After a nauseating night of passion, the satisfied Elaine Tuyi, in order to keep her lover, directly appointed Kent as the mayor of Narr Town in her territory and the head of her household, to serve by her side.
From then on, the life of Tyrone’s family gradually became luxurious, and Tyrone’s cultivation resources were more than sufficient. Tyrone’s mother was initially very unhappy and threw tantrums a few times, but was eventually easily coaxed by Kent, happily giving birth to another son and daughter.
Three years passed quickly. Tyrone’s cultivation talent was excellent, and he soon achieved perfect Blood Qi, only one step away from igniting Heart Fire.
“Heart Fire is the choice of the path. I once told you that there are three schools of cultivation: Ascetic, Natural, and Faith. You must clarify your choice. Once this path is chosen, it is difficult to change!”
Old Joyce looked much ruddier due to eating meat freely in recent years. He stared at Tyrone’s handsome face and spoke seriously.
Tyrone replied respectfully: “Teacher, I wonder what advice you have.”
Old Joyce seemed to recall something, coughed twice, and said: “If you ask me for advice, I only tell you to follow your heart. If you love God, choose Faith. If you agree with the pruning view, choose Ascetic. If you want to release your heart and pursue yourself, choose Natural!
“Even if I make enemies with the world, what does it matter to me? I only seek a lifetime of freedom, not wasting a trip through life.”
After speaking, old Joyce turned and left. Every step he took trod on flames. Tyrone could not catch up, and in the blink of an eye, old Joyce was gone.
(End of this chapter)
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com