Chapter 39: Chapter 39

On the road to the Blackstone Sentry Post outside the territory, Ron continuously recalled his past experiences, especially the time since his transmigration. He was very clear about one thing:

Unwavering willpower could never be built upon deception.

An old adage from his homeland also said, “A person can deceive others, but can never deceive themselves.” You know your own business best. On this basis, a person might tell lies, but in their heart, they always know they are lying.

The situation Ron was currently facing, though its root cause originated from the outside, was actually acting upon his inner self.

In other words, if he could not truly firm up his willpower, then relying on mere pretense might fool Morris and the others, but it could never fool himself.

That spiritual pressure which had struck him so profoundly could only be endured by a genuinely resolute will.

But firm willpower was not something that could be achieved through a bit of self-affirmation, much like how many people firmly resolve to lose weight, only to hold on for a mere two or three days.

There were two main reasons for this: one was insufficient external pressure, and the other was that inner resolve could not be sustained. Ron believed the latter was likely the more critical factor.

So, given the urgent need to fortify his willpower, Ron first analyzed the necessity of doing so. Clearly, his current environment left him with no choice but to steel his resolve.

The two apprentices who had just been eliminated were the most vivid examples.

As for his true inner drive, Ron wasn’t lacking in that department either. He desperately wanted to establish himself in this world, to achieve transcendence, and to figure out what the Light Orb was really all about.

He refused to be trapped within a fortress of mediocrity that appeared solid but was in reality utterly fragile. He wanted to face the truth of the world with his own two eyes!

…

“Original aspirations are not easily held!” [1]

Ron recited this maxim in his heart, ultimately choosing to anchor it to the path of transcendence. Not just the Knight Path, but to ceaselessly climb higher.

Gradually, a light appeared in Ron’s eyes, much like those selfless public servants from his homeland who served the people. What they shared was willpower; what differed was that Ron, for now, sought only his own liberation.

Of course, this was merely his current mindset.

The sages of his homeland had long proclaimed, “In obscurity, cultivate your own virtue; in success, benefit the whole world.” Having grown up in that environment, Ron was naturally influenced by it. When he possessed the power to change this world, he would naturally do what he ought to do. [2]

…

Ron’s transformation did not escape the eyes of Instructor Morris, who had been observing him all along. Morris couldn’t help but smile with gratification. Since taking on the role of an apprentice instructor, he had seen far too many examples of exceptionally talented individuals who ultimately failed to achieve transcendence.

He thought highly of Ron, but achieving transcendence wasn’t something that could be accomplished just because he thought highly of them. Even the assistance of any outsider was merely supplementary. In the end, it all came down to the individual themselves.

From body to mind, there could not be the slightest flaw.

This “flaw” didn’t mean a physical deformity, but rather referred to the inability to have any component that was beyond one’s control.

Regarding the body, it meant achieving total mastery, able to enter the Sword Stance state at any given moment.

Regarding the mind, it meant facing one’s own inner self with candor, accepting that the person you once were was simply who they were, and then establishing a conviction you were willing to dedicate yourself to and sacrifice for.

Only then could it be considered true perfection from body to mind. Only then could one achieve transcendence.

Prior to today, Ron, in Morris’s eyes, had already secured half a ticket to transcendence. But now, Ron was even more outstanding than he had anticipated, confronting the truth of the world head-on and leveraging the pressure of the real world to temper his willpower.

A person like this, at this age, he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

…

From the northern end of the territory to the southern end, people collapsed at intervals along the way, hauled to the side of the road by instructors. By the time the main force could catch sight of the forests beyond the territory’s borders, fewer than ten squads remained.

Six squads, to be precise, totaling thirty people.

“Instructor, will all those people be eliminated?”

Just as they were about to leave the territory’s borders, Ron ultimately couldn’t hold back from asking this question.

He hadn’t originally expected Morris to answer this question that had already been asked once before, but to his surprise, Morris replied quite readily:

“Those who collapsed on the north-south road might still have a chance, but those two who collapsed shortly after leaving the training ground are beyond hope. It’s not that they weren’t given a chance.

“Why do you think their instructor tossed them by the roadside? He was waiting for them to wake up on their own! But those two are probably hopeless. I’ve never seen anyone who collapsed on that stretch of road wake up by themselves. Not a single one!

“The few who collapsed later do have a certain chance, but it’s hard to say. It still depends on them. Once the instructor steps in, that means they’re eliminated.”

So that was how it was!

In truth, Ron had previously wondered why the collapsed apprentices were being left by the roadside, but at the time, the external pressure had already made it impossible for him to dwell deeply on any single question. He could only brush past it hastily.

Thinking of this, another question suddenly occurred to him. Seeing that Morris was being relatively approachable at the moment, he hurriedly asked:

“Instructor, what would ordinary people feel if they came outside the territory?”

“If we’re talking purely about the environment itself, they wouldn’t feel anything special. At the very least, the mental pressure they perceive wouldn’t be as intense as what you are all feeling. The outside environment would, at most, make them a bit depressed. Nothing more.”

But there were also entities like Evil Spirits out there. If ordinary people could still barely manage against Aberrant Beasts, then Evil Spirits were existences that ordinary people absolutely could not contend with.

“If ordinary people could also forge their willpower, would they be able to sense the truth of the outside world?” Ron asked again.

“Of course not!”

Morris gave an unexpected answer. Ron had assumed that as long as one’s willpower was sufficiently firm, it could be considered approaching transcendence, and then they would be able to sense the truth of the world!

But Morris immediately continued, “The questions you’re asking aren’t what a typical apprentice would ask. Honestly, I don’t fully understand these things myself. It’s all just what I’ve heard from others, and it’s not necessarily the most accurate.

“If you want to know more, wait until you’ve achieved transcendence yourself and then look into it slowly!”

Hearing this, Ron nearly rolled his eyes. Leaving aside the fact that encouraging learning seemed to be an instructor’s core nature, when a student asks you a question, could you at least confirm your answer before responding?

Although what Morris said wasn’t necessarily complete, Ron could still feel this world’s favoritism toward ordinary people, as well as its malice toward Transcendents.

But the sages of his homeland had also once said, “When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a person, it must first frustrate his spirit and will, exhaust his sinews and bones, starve his body and skin, deprive him of resources, and confound his every endeavor, so as to stimulate his mind, harden his nature, and enhance his abilities beyond what he previously possessed!” [3]

So, given the circumstances that Transcendents in this world faced, was it the world’s malice after all? Or was the world trying to bestow a great responsibility upon these Transcendents?

…

[1]: “Original aspirations are not easily held” (初心不易) is a classical Chinese philosophical concept related to the broader notion of “never forgetting one’s original aspiration” (不忘初心), a well-known Confucian-derived maxim about staying true to one’s founding principles despite hardship or temptation.

[2]: “In obscurity, cultivate your own virtue; in success, benefit the whole world” (穷则独善其身，达则兼济天下) is a famous quote from Mencius (孟子), one of the most influential Confucian philosophers. It describes the dual moral obligation of a scholar: personal cultivation in times of hardship, and service to society in times of power.

[3]: This is a celebrated passage from Mencius (孟子), from the chapter “Gaozi II” (告子下). It articulates the Confucian belief that hardship is Heaven’s method of testing and preparing those chosen for greatness, a concept that deeply permeates Chinese cultural attitudes toward suffering and perseverance.