Chapter 1881: Guidance

The universally acknowledged top genius in the Battle of the Ten Seats, the one even Ba Zun'an had to temporarily avoid, must be that person, right?

Xu Xiaoshou, while experiencing his past during his 'red dust' enlightenment, saw a person completely opposite to his decades-long state of self-imprisonment and destitution. This person was also incredibly arrogant, refusing to be subservient to anyone his entire life.

"Que Leihan?"

"Precisely," Ba Zun'an nodded slightly and said, "The first appearance of the Divine Punishment Tribulation truly astonished me. Those who transformed the Dao from intangible to tangible, achieving feats like spirit refinement and spellcasting, existed in ancient times, and ultimately all were deified and revered as ancestors. Just as earlier generations plant trees for later generations to enjoy the shade, future cultivators always progressed by building upon the various ancestral deity systems of the past, standing on the shoulders of giants. However, the 'Thorough Divine Thought' forged a new path, focusing on the 'thought' of the self. A single 'thought,' when one desired to implement it, could effortlessly transform the intangible into the tangible, while also embodying the principle of body aligning with will, and will aligning with qi, successfully manifesting abstract ideas into reality... Cao Yihan, a role model for our generation!"

Ba Zun'an marveled, then turned back to himself: "Isn't this precisely the method I've been searching for all along?"

"Your path, it turns out, was also cobbled together from various sources..." Xu Xiaoshou muttered, out of place.

He didn't mean to belittle, but hearing this, he felt a sense of relief and let go of a certain reservation in his heart. After returning from the world behind the Three Doors, even though he knew he wasn't the Fallen Body of the Name Ancestor, Xu Xiaoshou still deeply cared about one thing: The 'Name' path he had been walking had, in fact, already been trodden by someone else! And the things he had cultivated through his own understanding along the way, someone had already reached that endpoint! While having a clear direction at the end of the Dao was certainly gratifying, for a 'genius,' it felt somewhat unsettling.

"I was clearly the first to cultivate 'Name'..."

This thought, while a bit arrogant, was truly how he felt. After all, before he had summarized and categorized his 'Name' path, Xu Xiaoshou had never even heard anything about 'Name' power on the Saint Divine Continent. Upon returning from the world behind the Three Doors, he was told that his path had been guided from the very beginning, and no matter how he detoured, he would ultimately return to the path of 'Name' due to his connection with the Name Ancestor. But now, looking at Ba Zun'an, this veritable genius pig of the Five Regions, who also had to agonize for so many years, drawing inspiration from Shen Yi and Que Leihan to finally summarize the answer... Xu Xiaoshou felt he had finally emerged from his narrow-mindedness.

"Indeed, Dian Nuo once said that those possessing qualities like 'discovery' and 'steadfastness' could achieve extraordinary things after several reincarnations. However, he never mentioned the probability of perishing midway, as there are countless prodigies in the Five Regions with similar abilities and qualities; you could find a handful just by reaching out. Therefore, without the assistance of the Gate of Reincarnation and the Black Turntable, even if I could stand out in this life, on the timeline, I would have to be pushed back by several decades, even a century? Or even, if Time Ancestor hadn't intervened and things followed their predetermined fate, this life might have been one of decline, requiring several more reincarnations to have a slim chance of comprehending the marvel of deification and ancestral veneration through self-reliance..."

As for cultivating 'Name' first, becoming famous midway, and then disliking 'Name' after gaining knowledge — that would be hypocritical, and Xu Xiaoshou was not like that. In his early rise, besides his shrewd strategic intelligence, didn't he also reap about ten percent of the 'Name' bonus? Harvesting passive points from others' emotional fluctuations, effortlessly achieving his grand Dao – whoever knew about it would surely be envious, their eyes turning purple. On Qingyuan Mountain that night, when secrets were exchanged, only the flashy old Daoist was reserved enough not to ask too many questions. If someone were to truly dig deep, even using the Dao of Super-Daoized Memory to uncover his secrets, their 'Dao Ancestor' path might well need to be altered midway, perhaps to first experience the joy of the 'Name Ancestor.' The power of the Name Ancestor was indeed too suitable for passing through the early stages. Honestly speaking, its assistance truly accounted for seventy percent of his success. To walk the path of the Name Ancestor because of this, and then at the end, resent that this path had already been trodden by someone else — that's not right. Xu Xiaoshou wasn't that kind of person.

His relief came from hearing Ba Zun'an's words and realizing that while the Name Ancestor stood at the end of the 'Name' path, the Name Ancestor did not *represent* the 'Name' path itself. The Name Ancestor had fallen. He hadn't persisted to the very end, unlike Dian Nuo. Even if it was just half a step away—if, as the name 'Nine Lifetimes Boundary-Breaking Fruit' implied, one could break through the boundary after nine lives and successfully 'discern oneself' upon return, that was merely a hypothetical. The truth was that while someone stood at the end of the Dao, that person was crippled. Xu Xiaoshou felt that now, with all his faculties intact, he might very well be able to surpass him. Name Ancestor? Xu Xiaoshou would not become the Name Ancestor. And even if the Name Ancestor could represent the 'Name' path, he no longer cared. He had made up his mind: he would seize the path of 'Name,' integrate everything outside the system of 'Name' power, and forge a different path, becoming the "Shou Ancestor!"

Lord Shou... Evolution! Shou Ancestor!

"Heh, heh heh." Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou grinned, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"What are you laughing at?"

Ba Zun'an detected mockery in the air. This kid, looking down on his own path to cultivating 'Sword-Me'?

"While there might be elements of 'copying,' there's no need to put it so harshly, is there? Whose path isn't built on borrowing?" Ba Zun'an glared at the boy: "Did the Saint Ancestor achieve it in one go? Didn't he also stand on the bones of his predecessors, distilling the 'Saint Dao' and progressing step by step to today, subdividing it into 'spirit refinement'? Was the Art Ancestor born knowing spells? Didn't he also build upon the Saint Dao, forging a new path, specializing in spellcraft, and succeeding in becoming an Ancestor? The forbidden techniques of the Ominous Shadow are even built upon the Art Ancestor's sacred arts. And Cao Yihan, did his 'thought' system just appear out of nowhere? The principles of body aligning with will, and will aligning with qi, were mentioned long ago; he merely perfected them, blending them into the 'Thorough Divine Thought' philosophy of 'manifestation through thought'..."

Ba Zun'an wanted to say more, but Xu Xiaoshou, snapping back to attention, waved his hands repeatedly: "I know, I know!"

Qin unified the six states, his might shaking all directions. Did he just pick up a broom and sweep? The lingering might of six generations accounted for at least half the weight! But these aren't important. How... even you, Ba Zun'an, can get flustered! You are Ba Zun'an!

"That's not what I meant, you misunderstood, I just..." Xu Xiaoshou said, then squinted his eyes and chuckled, "I thought of something funny."

Ba Zun'an opened his mouth, almost taking the bait. But he knew nothing good came out of Xu Xiaoshou's mouth, so now was definitely not the time to chime in.

Kong Yuhen, his curious head poking forward, asked, "What funny thing?" For it to be thought of during a discussion of the Dao, it must be of utmost importance!

Xu Xiaoshou immediately bared his teeth: "Kong Yuhen, what happens if a banana falls from the third-story attic of the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower?"

"What?"

"It turns into an eggplant! Because it falls and gets all bruised and purple! Hahaha, hahahaha, haha... Uh, not funny?"

Silence fell over the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower. Kong Yuhen's eyes were vacant, as if he couldn't connect 'Dao discussion' with 'eggplant' in any meaningful way. Ba Zun'an's mouth twitched, his gaze fixed on Xu Xiaoshou, his expression seeming to say: *Xu Xiaoshou, are you insane?*

"Cough, where were we?" Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his nose. "Oh, right! Sword-Me! Mr. Ba Zun'an, please continue with Sword-Me! Please!"

Sword-Me... Ba Zun'an didn't even know how to continue 'Sword-Me.' His mind was now constantly flashing with images of bruised and battered eggplants. All the Dao discussions that needed to be had were done. Xu Xiaoshou also knew the subsequent details about 'Sword-Me.'

After a long moment of contemplation, Ba Zun'an finally suppressed his wandering thoughts and spoke again, summarizing the Dao of Sword-Me: "Sword-Me transcends space and time, does not create the Three Powers. I wish to enter the Dao from the Two Poles, point my sword towards the One Venerable, and transform into the Boundless..."

He paused here, pursed his lips, his heart a mix of emotions. Logically, after such a long prelude, saying these words now should have been like a clap of thunder from a clear sky. At the very least, the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower should have shaken thrice.

Eggplants... Ba Zun'an took a deep breath, his eye twitching. The Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower was clearly antique and permeated with a golden glow. For some reason, now when he looked around, everything had turned into bruised and battered eggplants, all purple, eggplant purple.

"Sword-Me, it is both the sword and I. It is the youth of then, and the vicissitudes of the future. It is..."

Ba Zun'an couldn't continue his discourse. He picked up his wine cup and drained it in one gulp. Then he heavily placed the cup on the tea table, stood up, and looked out the window of the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower, his brow deeply furrowed: "Hua Changdeng must be growing impatient. Xu Xiaoshou, do you have anything else?"

*Heh heh...* Xu Xiaoshou covered his mouth, stifling a laugh: "Friend, you seem a bit anxious?"

Ba Zun'an instinctively reached for his waist. Finding nothing there, he took a deep breath and, as if relieved, relaxed his sword-finger stance. One should be tolerant.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head out first."

Seeing Old Eight about to rush out the door, Xu Xiaoshou actually tried to keep him: "Just one more thing, Mr. Ba, please wait."

"If it's that kind of talk..."

"It's not about eggplants."

"Don't mention eggplants!"

"Oh, right."

Xu Xiaoshou flinched, shrinking his neck. Indeed, putting himself in Ba Zun'an's shoes, if he had guarded someone for so long, then finally returned and sat down for a highly anticipated Dao discussion, only for it to culminate in an 'eggplant'... *Sorry, Little Ba, I really did it on purpose.*

"Me!"

"Discern me!"

"I know the answer!"

Xu Xiaoshou dared not show his intentionality. He spoke loudly, returning to the original topic, intending to give an answer: "I met someone on the River of Time, a rather significant person. We had a great conversation, and he even talked to me about this 'eggplant'..."

Ba Zun'an's eyebrows shot up, emanating a chilling aura. Which part was true, which was false? Others might not know Xu Xiaoshou, but surely he did?

Xu Xiaoshou immediately raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, you're very clever. Indeed, he didn't say 'eggplant,' but unlike you, he used a 'banana' to symbolize 'me.' Not only did I not get annoyed, but on the contrary, I immediately grasped a truth..."

Ba Zun'an took a sharp intake of breath. He suddenly realized that even asking him to stop was a mistake; he should have just left immediately. Whether the person Xu Xiaoshou met was human or not was irrelevant; Xu Xiaoshou certainly wasn't.

*Creak—*

The wooden door creaked open. The answer seemed utterly insignificant.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, truly grew anxious. He genuinely wanted to help Little Ba, even if it was just a tiny bit of inspiration, as Ba Zun'an had guided him all this way and had guarded and waited for him for ten full epochs. Recalling Dian Nuo's words, and his own insights gained from them at the time, his voice deepened, becoming ethereal and distant, like heavenly Dao music descending, pointing directly to the heart:

"Ba Zun'an, you must remember!"

"Whether it is the sword or thought, interact with things but be unattached to them; contemplate thoughts but be unattached to them. All things are not 'I'; only 'I' am 'I'."

As these words emerged, the person about to leave through the door, with one foot already stepping out, froze mid-air. This just goes to show the difference between people! What sounded like nonsensical blabber to Xu Xiaoshou at the time, when it reached Ba Zun'an's ears, caused him to stand suspended in mid-air. After a jolt, ripples of Daoic charm surged around him.

Enlightened? He can enlighten from this?

*Ba Zun'an, you really should... oh, no, you wouldn't misunderstand, or become fanatical, or fall into inner deviation, would you? Little Ba, be careful!*

Xu Xiaoshou somewhat didn't want to speak further, disturbing the 'big fat pig' Ba Zun'an's enlightenment. *On second thought, never mind. Since he had started, he might as well tell him everything. How much he could comprehend was entirely up to Little Ba's own fortune!*

He lowered his voice slightly, striving to provide some guidance—not quite setting things straight, but more like a lighthouse in the fog—without disturbing Ba Zun'an's state of sudden enlightenment. *I'll tentatively point you to a correct direction; at the very least, you can cultivate to the level of Ancestor Nuo.* As for whether your Dao leads here, or if you choose to follow this path, he wouldn't interfere; it was entirely up to Ba Zun'an.

"As for, 'What is I'?"

"This 'thing' is often akin to the Dao, often akin to 'Name'. The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the Name that can be named is not the eternal Name. Therefore, it cannot be fully explained."

He stopped there. Xu Xiaoshou had slightly refined Dian Nuo's words, making them his own, so it wasn't a complete verbatim copy.

At the wooden doorway, Ba Zun'an's formidable body shook once more. The Daoic charm surging around him grew even denser, almost leading one to suspect that he could achieve deification and become an ancestor right then and there within the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower.

"He contained it..."

But in the end, the ripples of Daoic charm subsided. It was just like how Ba Zun'an had sealed his sword until old age, and his old self had become a saint. Even this peak state, on the verge of breakthrough and bursting forth, he effortlessly reined back into his body, and everything returned to calm.

*This guy, if he can even contain this... Then for all these years, everything he's seen, heard, and felt, every insight that could aid a breakthrough, he's suppressed it all? Being able to hold back so much, won't it really harm his body...?*

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded. If not for some unfinished business within the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower, he truly wanted to go out with Ba Zun'an and witness another "Hua-Ba Battle" thirty years later! Someone was bound to suffer greatly, and regardless of who it was, the fun would arise from it, and the process would surely be exciting!

"Lord Shou..."

At the wooden doorway, Ba Zun'an turned back, his expression complex. He truly hadn't expected that when Xu Xiaoshou held back a bit, sometimes he really *could* produce pearls of wisdom. Crucially, these pearls were pure white as jade, flawless. Coming from Xu Xiaoshou's mouth, for those unfamiliar with him, it could truly give the illusion of a golden rim on a chamber pot. Ba Zun'an, however, knew that beneath Xu Xiaoshou's cynical exterior lay a foundation of profound clarity, only feigning ignorance occasionally. His depth had always been considerable. And with Ba Zun'an's talent, how could he not discern it? With just these few sentences, anyone with good comprehension, let alone discerning 'self,' could at least tear away the shackles obscuring the path to deification and ancestral veneration, pointing directly to the hopeful grand Dao. A true master of words speaks little; a few sentences are worth a thousand gold.

Ba Zun'an solemnly cupped his hands, acknowledging this favor: "Lord Shou, thank..."

He couldn't even finish his thanks.

From the tea table, a sudden burst of incongruous laughter erupted: "Ah ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha..."

Ba Zun'an looked over in bewilderment. Xu Xiaoshou also turned his head in shock. They saw the Jade-Faced Scholar, Kong Yuhen, his face creased with laughter like a steamed bun, continuously slapping the tea table: "Ahaha... Eggplant? It's an eggplant, ahaha, fantastic."

While laughing like a pig, Kong Yuhen abruptly stopped. He froze, his gaze refocusing, and he saw the two dumbfounded faces in front of him and at the wooden door. His face immediately flushed, and his expression quickly turned serious. He stood up and bowed politely: "My apologies, I lost my composure. I shall penalize myself with three cups."