Chapter 521: Reaching the Pinnacle Chapter 33: Pursuing the Strong's Dao Heart!

  In the summer of 1909 in the Kalan calendar, on this continent, the Gate of Blood Prison was reopened once more.

  This day was the day when all the major powers of the Great Qin Dynasty gathered together, Tianlong City, Wansheng City, Yin City, and Ziyu Fang, all the famous families and forces gathered together. This day was also the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Great Qin Dynasty.

  The Gate of Blood Prison, being opened at this time, is indeed extraordinary.

  All parties must come to an end, it's time to leave.

  He still remembered that day, the table was full of sumptuous dishes, but no one had picked up their chopsticks. The long-awaited day, at that moment, the atmosphere seemed unusually heavy.

  At the age of sixteen, he had already entered adulthood and had his own independent judgment. He should have been a strong member of the family, getting married and having children. But at this time, Zhuo Yifan had to choose to part with Zhuo Wentian, Zhuo Hanlan, Cai Dama... every person in the Zhuo family who had helped him.

  "Take it one step at a time on your path, in the midst of hardships, find your own moral integrity, seek the true meaning of Tao, and you will become stronger! Grandfather believes in you!"

  Zhuo Yifan remembered the last words his grandfather said to him before he left.

  That's right, cultivation is not just about constantly meditating and fighting to improve one's state. One must also cultivate "gong" and "de", pursue the unity of heaven and man, seek the mind of the Tao, and pursue the true self. This is the true meaning of cultivation. No matter how high one's state is, without the mind of the Tao, it will ultimately be like a dream, an illusion, or a fleeting shadow.

  Breaking up is not goodbye, but a starting point for becoming stronger.

  He has always believed that by walking this path of the strong, he will cultivate his nature with the Tao. In the process of tempering, he will find the Tao heart that belongs only to him. The Tao heart that belongs only to the strong!

  A young man wearing white clothes, with a black cloak draped over his shoulders, moved swiftly, carrying a bundle on his back and an icy blue sword hilt hanging from his waist. Fully armed, he rushed towards the Gate of Blood Hell. This person was none other than Zhuo Yifan, who had just bid farewell to the Zhu family members.

  Arriving at the prairie, that astonishing gate was still there, motionless.

  At this moment, there were already sporadic figures around, all of whom had set out early in the morning. However, many people stopped in their tracks at a distance, staring blankly at the "Stronghold Shortcut" they had been looking forward to for so long, and gazing at the ferocious demon statue on the door, a strong sense of fear arose in their hearts, and the intention to retreat was born.

  "Inside are all poisonous fruits and flowers, fierce beasts, I'm not skilled enough, I'll go back home to practice for two more years before coming again."

  "Ah, I remember now. My sword skills are not yet refined enough. I'll go back and practice some more." The two young masters who had traveled together for several days turned their heads and left.

  "It's too dangerous inside, what a shortcut for the strong, going in is simply sending yourself to death! Let's go, whoever wants to go can go, I haven't said goodbye to Ben Shao and the sisters of Xingchun Building yet."

  "Who wants this IOU? Cheap sale! Exchange it for some money and hide out for a while, or else Dad will scold me."

  It is said that these young masters, who had gathered from all directions at great cost, retreated one after another. They didn't even see the true face of Blood Prison before they were defeated and retreated.

  "The weak will always use countless excuses to justify themselves, while the strong only need to stick to their heart." Looking at these people, Zhuo Yifan shook his head silently.

  Those who retreat in defeat without even facing difficulties, even if given a hundred years to prepare, would still be far from enough.

  Since this is a shortcut for the strong, it should be full of all kinds of crises and dangers. Heaven and earth are not benevolent, with all things as straw dogs. No one was born to be rich and noble, only brave adventurers can become heroes!

  "Break through the bloody prison and soar into the sky! Even if I enter the Yellow Springs, I will still be a man!" Zuo Yifan couldn't help but sigh.

  "Brother, your grand words and heroic speech this time must mean you have some great deeds planned in the bloody prison!"

  As soon as the words fell, he heard a flattering remark. His body slightly tilted to one side, and he saw a man wearing a light iron soft armor walking towards him, who also happened to block his way, "Brother is great, I am Xue Shi Kai, the eldest son of General Xue of Tian Long City."

  Xue Shikai? Upon hearing this name, Zhuo Yifan nodded his head. He had heard of General Xue of the Tianlong City, who was the previous Grand Marshal of the Zhenyuan Army and led a million-strong Imperial Guard. He had made many contributions to the Great Qin Dynasty and was renowned outside the country. It's said that his actual strength is almost on par with that of a Golden Elixir cultivator. Now retired from public life, he runs an Iron Blood Wine House, which is very famous.

  Upon seeing Zhuo Yifan's appearance, Xue Shikai was delighted in his heart. His own father's reputation was renowned outside, who wouldn't give himself a bit of face? He hastily said: "I sincerely invite brother to join my team, and also take care of each other in the Blood Prison."

  "Xue Ge, this kid's background is unknown, and he looks so weak with such a small build." Before Zhuo Yifan could respond, a young man in black stepped forward, looking at him disdainfully.

  "Don't underestimate him! Anyone who dares to enter the Blood Prison is worthy of respect!"

  Xue Shikai looked very angry, rolled his eyes at the young man, meaning to shut him up, and then eagerly pulled him over: "The Blood Prison is treacherous, brother, you have a heroic ambition, certainly not afraid of danger. I am sincerely representing General Xue to invite you to join my team!"

  "Oh." Zhuo Yifan nodded slightly, responding indifferently, neither refusing nor agreeing. In fact, he looked down on people who relied on their father's reputation to bully others and didn't even bother to pay attention.

  "Brother, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

  Xue Shikai still had a smile on his face, but in Zhuo Yifan's eyes, this was a hidden killing intent.

  "A traveler in a foreign land, fallen on hard times. What's the point of meeting if we didn't know each other before? You've been chattering for half a day, and I never said I wanted to join you." Zuo Yifan couldn't muster up even a fraction of interest in this group of people, let alone waste his breath talking to them. After saying these four sentences, he was about to leave.

  In a desperate situation, it's hard to even take care of oneself, let alone form a team.

  Don't be fooled by his smiling face, he's actually a wolf in sheep's clothing. Once danger arises, he'll definitely push his companions out and save himself. Zuo Yifan had long been on guard against this kind of person.

  From the moment he stepped out of his house, he only believed in what he saw and felt. As for all sorts of flowery words, they were completely blocked out of his ears. At the moment before entering the bloody hell, he had to make sure that no one could be easily trusted, otherwise he would die even faster.

  These were all experiences summarized by Zhuo Father in "Blood Prison Record".

  "Hum! What an ungrateful person! Brother Xue is being so humble and courteous to you, yet you dare to refuse him." The young man from just now was displeased again.

  "Let me see what you're capable of!"

  Bang!

  The young man in black said that as soon as he made his move, a palm strike came out like a thunderclap on flat ground. Zhuo Yifan's eyes flashed and he felt that this was an early-stage cultivator, about the same age as himself.

  "Stop!"

  Xue Shikai saw this scene and revealed a sly smile, shouting loudly with a stern face.

  He also stretched out a palm to meet the black-shirted youth, as if an empty cave came with the wind. Looking at this momentum, it seemed like he wanted to stop him, but in fact, he was adding his own spiritual power to the youth's palm, increasing his palm strength, and then deliberately pretending to be defeated and falling to the ground.

  "Never thought I'd run into such a sly character before even entering..."

  With Zhuo Yifan's eyesight, he naturally saw through the situation, but this palm, even with Xue Shikai's support, only had the power of eight trigrams, which was not enough to look at. Just as he was about to make a move, a deafening shout came, like a tiger's roar echoing through the mountains and rivers.

  Right then, a powerful and tall figure appeared in front of him, shielding himself.

  "You're so tall and strong, bullying a little shorty! Don't you have any shame!"

  Judging from the back, this person has a sturdy build, with broad shoulders and a strong waist. From his breathing and voice, Zuo Yifan judged that he was not much older than himself, probably also a young master from a wealthy family. However, his height was at least a head taller than Zuo Yifan's, perfectly blocking his line of sight, and quite robust.

  "Boom!"

  The air was heavy with anticipation, the orange spiritual energy coiled around his fist like a mighty vortex, emitting a low, muffled sound. The waves of spirit crashed against each other, causing dizziness as fists and palms clashed.

  A loud cry of despair, the young man in black clothes flew backward with a fierce momentum.

  "This man is indeed a person of temperament, worth getting along with." Zhuo Yifan stared at the back figure and nodded secretly.

  At this moment, Xue Shi Kai's line of sight has completely peeled off from Zhuo Yi Fan's lean body, shooting out a sharp light as if he wants to swallow this sturdy young man in one bite. "Haha! Brother, you're indeed skilled. I'm Xue Shi Kai, the eldest son of General Xue of Tian Long City."

  "In the lower left corner of the city, Music House, Music Stone!"

  The young man named "Le Shi" had a bright and cheerful voice, and he gave a hearty hug.

  "It's Brother Le, forgive me for the rudeness. This young man in black is actually my younger brother Xue Xiong. I was just about to exchange blows with that brother, but it turns out there are even stronger experts among the strong!"

  Xue Shikai must have been trained, he came up and started saying good things, flattering the tall and sturdy young bear to the point where his face was full of shame, rubbing his head and saying "Brother Xue is overpraising."

  Seeing the young man's reaction, Xue Shikai was overjoyed in his heart. He knew that this person had potential and quickly used his glib tongue, along with flowery language and persuasive words, to present a very enticing team formation plan.

  "Brother Le's strength is exceptional, after entering the Blood Prison if we meet, we'll form a team and travel together. Brother Le will be our safety captain. Of course, food and water will be taken care of, ensuring Brother Le eats his fill, as for the harvest and gains, Brother Le can pick first, also..."

  Listening to Xue Shikai's words, Zhuo Yifan chuckled and shook his head. After entering the Blood Prison, everyone would be scattered all over the place. At first, it was impossible for them to travel together, and Xue Shikai was trying so hard to win him over just to have more lives to trade with.

  That sentence just now should be understandable by anyone with a bit of common sense.

  Safety captain? Don't be kidding!

  This is clearly sending Leshi to its death!

  Zhuo Yifan's impression of Leishi wasn't bad, but now that this person has opened his mouth, Zhuo Yifan can't help but doubt the man's IQ.

  This sturdy youngster doesn't know the danger of Blood Prison, or is he born with a few screws loose in his brain, and yet he nodded in agreement to this low-intelligence scam?

  "Whatever, whatever... It's pointless to say anything now. Let's just see how things go." Zhuo Yifan shook his head in a mixture of laughter and tears, thinking to himself that there really were people in this world who would risk danger just to satisfy their stomachs.

  Xue Shikai thus won over more and more people with his words, and over thirty people joined his ranks.

  What to eat and drink is enough, mutual support and so on, in the extremely dangerous environment of Blood Prison, it still sounds good.

  "Huh? Brother Xue, where did that little guy just go?" Xue Xiong gave a sharp smile, his eyes scanning the crowd like searchlights, but he didn't see Zhuo Yifan's figure.

  "It's enough to have attracted so many people, let that little guy rush to reincarnate if he wants!"

  Xue Shikai's face sank as he coldly sneered, "He already took a step ahead and entered first, now he should have been eaten by the spiritual beasts inside. Hmph, I, the son of a general, humbled myself to win him over, yet he ignores me. What an ungrateful thing."