"I never expected anyone to be able to reach such a stage. A person who can reach the six-hour mark is a talent that appears once every few generations! Is this boy's potential truly so great? Is the Human Emperor of our sect, dormant for so long, finally appearing on Earth again? Xuanming, I believe you would be overjoyed if you knew."
Yun Jinghong said, as he felt overjoyed and sad at the same time. He was pleased with Wang Bugui's potential, but felt his heart wrench as he thought of the boy's father, who had also been said to possess a demon-like amount of talent.
Suddenly, Wang Bugui could feel the pressure on his body gradually ease off. In fact, the longest it could exist was for six hours. He howled with joy as he stood up and channeled his blood vigor with whatever strength he had left at the receding aura. He heard a sound as the pressure surrounding him dispersed, unexpectedly not attacking him.
"Sheesh--! How could he still have so much strength left, and how dare he attack the aura?"
The boy's actions made Yun Jinghong, who was standing not far away, take in a cold breath of air. It was the first time he had seen a younger sect member actively attack the aura of their forebears, and unexpectedly the surviving will of his ancestors did not retaliate.
"Ah!"
Wang Bugui let out a low growl as he realized the test was finally over. Yun Jinghong nodded in approval at his direction, and the man then fed him an effective pill, before channeling his own power to help the boy absorb the medicinal properties of the pill. The fragrant medical strength of the pill soon covered Wang Bugui's body, and he could clearly feel his bones re-connecting, and he could visibly see his wounds rapidly healing.
"Crack, crack, snap, pop."
The bones on Wang Bugui's body were completely fixed, the sounds of his joints popping back into place filling the air. In a few minutes, his body had completely recovered, and he marveled at the potency of the pill.
"Elder Yun, please take me as your disciple!" Wang Bugui said as he knelt down before Yun Jinghong the moment he recovered.
"First, tell me why are you seeking Tao?" asked Yun Jinghong.
"What else? I wish to become stronger and eradicate the world of vampires to avenge my clan!" growled Wang Bugui.
"Slap!"
The sharp sound of a slap rang out. Yun Jinghong had given the boy a slap the instant he heard his explanation, and he chided Wang Bugui coldly, "Fool! Kneel down here and reflect carefully on where you're wrong! No matter how talented you are, you should get out of here if you can't figure it out!"
Yun Jinghong flicked his sleeves and left after he finished speaking, leaving Wang Bugu kneeling on the floor in a daze. He did not understand what he had done wrong. Was trying to become stronger and avenge his clan wrong? If it was, what was the right reason to learn the ways of Tao?
Unfortunately, Yun Jinghong would not give him any advice. He observed the palace with his mind and hoped that Wang Bugui would realize where he had gone wrong. To seek for truth was to seek for the truth behind Tao on one's training journey, before one could rise into the Heavens and attain immortality.
If a trainee's heart was consumed with revenge and bloodlust, he or she would never achieve much in Taoism, much less become an immortal. That is, unless this person took the other path and turned into a demon by achieving immortality by killing everyone in sight and using the souls of countless beings as his or her stepping stone. As such, Yun Jinghong wanted the boy to reflect. If he went on like this, he would be consumed by his inner demons when he reached the later stages of his training, even if he started off with only wanting to kill the vampires to avenge the death of his people.
If that happened, one would either be destroyed and lose all of one's achievement in Taoism, or become a bloodthirsty demon if one survived. Naturally, Yun Jinghong did not want to see this happen, as it would be harder to steer talented individuals back to the proper path in the future if they did not start on the right track.
Of course, Wang Bugui was not aware of such complications and did not know what his mistake was. If he could not begin training in the ways of Tao without casting aside his desire and vengefulness, what was the point of it? He recalled the tragic scenes of his clansmen and parents dying, as well as the horrible death of Hanae Chiou, the person whom he trusted the most.
"Ah!"
Wang Bugui howled in agony as he recalled the scenes of death and sorrow. Gradually, he calmed down and kept trying to figure out what his mistake was, as well as his actual intention of learning the ways of Tao. He remained to kneel until late in the night, and even though the palace seemed to exist in a separate pocket of space, he could still see the Sun and the Moon. Also, the Moon appeared to be extremely close to Yuxu Palace. The boy's brows were furrowed as he wracked his brains to understand why he had wanted to immerse himself in Taoism.
He had already understood why he was wrong. He should not have been consumed by hate- his father had told him before that man should never be directed by their hatred, or else they would only be heading toward their own demise. That said, if he cast his hatred aside, what would be the driving force for him in the future? Longevity? Immortality? This were things that he did not aspire to achieve, however, as he fished out the pendant and tried to figure it out.
The silver glow of moonlight was absorbed by the pendant, and it gave off a bluish glow. Wang Bugui could feel a warmth radiating from it onto his palm, and he opened his eyes wide suddenly, as if some thought had hit him. The bluish glow coursed through his body and gathered at his heart, the resting place of Hanae Chiou's soul. He could feel her soul absorbing the glow to repair itself, and even though it traveled so slowly that it was nearly unnoticeable, the repair process had already begun.
HIs soul observed Hanae Chiou's tiny soul lying peacefully within his heart and noticed that her broken soul was still smiling. He could vaguely hear her telling him not to give up, as he had not fulfilled his promise to her. "Was this an exchange of souls after we have bound ours together in a contract?" he thought.
He recalled everything that Hanae Chiou had done for him, as well as the hope his clansmen had entrusted him with and the expectations his parents had for him. In an instant, everyone's words reverberated within his mind, and hot tears rolled down his cheeks. He finally understood why he had to learn the ways of Tao. "So, I've been wrong all this while, terribly wrong!" he thought.
He was so fixated on avenging the terrible deaths of his loved ones that he neglected the hope they entrusted him with. At their very last moment, his clansmen had reminded him to take good care and to bear the responsibility of their people, while his parents had trusted him to protect the Earth. His mother was proud of him, and Hanae Chiou had sacrificed her life for him without regrets, because she believed that it was worth it.
After having figured out what his correct intentions should be, Wang Bugui got up slowly and gazed toward the inner chamber of the palace. At this moment, Yun Jinghong also had a realization and came walking back out.
"Have you figured it out?" Yun Jinghong asked, appearing before the boy in an instant.
"I understand. I've been so foolish; I was wrong at the very beginning," said Wang Bugui as he shook his head and derided himself.
"Where were you wrong?" Yun Jinghong continued asking.
"Everyone placed their hopes on me, but I was blinded with hatred and only thought of revenge, going against their final wishes. I neglected the sincere advice those that sacrificed their lives for me had given. If I continue to make the same mistake, how can I ever grow to be someone they expect me to be?" said Wang Bugui as he furrowed his brow and repented.
Wang Jinghong nodded slowly as he heard the boy speak. The boy had seemed to realize where he was wrong, and what followed next would be for him to find his own path ahead.
"Follow me outside of the palace. I want to hear what your intentions of learning the ways of Tao are," Yun Jinghong said as he walked toward the exterior of the palace. Wang Bugui followed behind at a normal distance.