Cultivation/Quotes

== General ==
Long Chen laughed, “The cultivation path is one of no return. Ever since we chose to fight for the peak of the martial path, we began betting our lives against the heavens. If we didn’t even have the courage to bet, how would we cultivate? The entire Dragonblood Legion thinks the same way. They’ve entrusted their lives to me, and my decision is their decision. Even if we fall on the struggle of the martial path, we will die together. We’ll gather in the yellow springs and continue our fight from there.”
Long Chen’s laughter was full of equanimity toward death and unstoppable drive that caused all the experts to be moved. Only a domineering person could say such domineering words.
== Gamblers ==
"Long Chen, young people should be full of energy. What is known as life and death is just a game. A game full of gambles.
"Your life and what you obtain in your life are your gambling chips. Each one of us cultivators is a gambler. We are gambling against the heavens. We are gambling against this chaotic world.
"As the stakes get higher, as they win more chips, there are many people who start to get afraid.
"There is a phrase that is circulated throughout the secular world: a barefoot person is not afraid of fighting someone with shoes.When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose In truth, cultivation is the same.
"We have to remember, we are always barefoot gamblers. Don't think that just because you've won a lot of chips that you have so much capital and can retreat.
"The rules of the heavens are just like that. Once you start gambling, you can't leave; of course, the exception is if you manage to win the entire world, becoming this world's master.
"Otherwise, once you decide to stop betting, the heavens will seize every chip in your hands, as well as your life!" said Mo Yi.
Long Chen's heart shook. Mo Yi's thoughts were very similar to his own. This was precisely a chaotic world.
He was like a gambler, and through constant work, he obtained more chips to make himself stronger.
But as he got stronger, his opponents also got stronger. The bets always became bigger, and the gambling grew fiercer and fiercer.
Once you sat down at this gambling table, you couldn't leave. Either you won the entire world, or you lost everything you had.
Of course, this was much crueler than gambling with just chips. That was because what you were gambling with were the things most precious to you. For example, your family, your lover, your friends. Each time you lost, you lost some of them.
Most hateful of all, even if you could flip the tables and win back your chips, you wouldn't necessarily be able to win back the chips you had originally lost.
== Metamorphosis ==
“To sum it up, I am fated to be courting death all the time. If I don’t court death now, death will creep up on even faster in the future. Ever since I started cultivating the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, my fate was practically set in stone. Right now, I am a caterpillar, and if I want to become a butterfly, I have to endure the pain of the cocoon. During this time, no one can help, and if anyone does, it would just be harming me. If a caterpillar does not go through the struggle of the cocoon, it will never become a butterfly. If someone cuts the cocoon and lets the caterpillar out of it, without having gone through that struggle, it won’t know how to fly. In the end, the caterpillar will simply die, never able to spread its wings. I am the same, so starting today, I definitely won’t run. Even if I am in desperate straits, don’t save me,” said Long Chen.
“It seems like there’s a bit of logic in your words, but if you die, you’ll lose everything. How will you become a butterfly then?” asked Evilmoon.
“It’s because my goals are very big. If I am unable to even handle the danger before me, how will I face the even greater dangers in the future? After having fled these times, I can clearly sense the power of the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art dropping. It’s also forming a kind of rejection to me,” said Long Chen with a grave expression. He truly sensed the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art’s power weakening.
== Audacity ==
The cultivation world’s women were all bold and daring. This wasn’t an expression of love. It was an expression of worship, of admiration. In truth, it wasn’t just women. Even men were the same. This was the cultivation world, and the strong were worshipped.
== Hidden injuries ==
Hidden injuries were the worst because they weren’t sensed at the time. And if they weren’t healed soon enough, they would flare up at the worst of times or gravely affect your cultivation speed without you being aware.
== Getting stronger: creating opportunities ==
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, I want to ask how we can get stronger,” asked the next disciple.
“That depends on whether you want to get stronger or if you have to get stronger,” answered Long Chen.
“It’s very simple. Imagine there is a goal in front of you. Under normal circumstances, you would need three months to achieve it. However, if instead you had to complete it in ten days or you would be killed, you would do your utmost, and in reality, you would be able to finish it within ten days. However, ten days also isn’t your limit. If you were only given three days to finish it or your family would be killed, you would not only break through your limit, but you would use the craziest methods to force your way through. This is not an ordinary path. You will need to reach your limits on every step without the slightest mistake. Then you’ll find that you can still accomplish it within three days. How high a person’s limit is can not be determined by talent but by whether or not you have the motivation to reach that height. In the cultivation world, anything is possible. It just depends on whether you have the motivation, which is why I said it depends on whether you just want to get stronger, or whether you have to get stronger. If you really want to get stronger, then you need a reason to make yourself get stronger. If this reason is strong enough, it will push you forward and unlock the potential in yourself that you didn't even know you had. To put it more simply, you can take me as an example. I am surrounded by experts who want to kill me, but I don’t want to die. So I have to do everything I can to get stronger. If there’s no opportunity for me to get stronger, then I’ll create that opportunity. The path behind me is gone. The bridges are burned and the boats are sunk. There is only one way for me, forward. I will slay all devils and gods who block my path. My life belongs to me, not the heavens.”
My life belongs to me, not the heavens. How many experts thought that inside, but didn’t dare to say it out loud?
They didn’t have the confidence. Ignoring the so-called fate bestowed upon them by the Heavenly Daos, just the things that they saw around them made them feel profoundly helpless.
Talents, resources, qualifications, environments, competitions, not one of these aspects fully pleased them. To use a saying from the secular world, the heart could be higher than the heavens, but life is more fragile than paper.
Who didn’t want to be at the top? Who didn’t want to stand above the crowd? Who didn’t want to become a Sovereign-like existence?
Everyone had dreams, but they were just dreams. It was impossible to materialize them in reality. When Long Chen said this, some of the elders of the Martial Heaven Alliance were dissatisfied.
== Dreams ==
Each person is a different seed filled with unknown variables. Even if a seed has already begun to sprout or germinate, even when you think you can see its future, without reaching the end, no one knows what its limit is. When the Sovereigns were still growing, did others know that they would become Sovereigns? In the end, it’s good to have dreams because what if they come true? Not only should you have dreams, but they should also be dreams that everyone thinks are impossible to achieve. That’s the only way to give you limitless growth. It’s okay if your dreams are absurd, it’s okay if others don’t approve of your dreams. Only dreams that others mock you for are worth materializing.
“I will say something that the seniors here will not approve: our generation, our era cannot be measured according to the theories and principles of our senior generation.
“Don’t say that we’re arrogant for this because if we weren’t arrogant, would we still be youngsters? Our seniors were also once young, and they also had dreams. It’s just that their dreams were ground to dust by the cruelty of reality. However, you were still once young, full of sap and drive, and you also sometimes did some immature things when your heads grew hot. That was a brainless impulse, but this kind of dumb urge is also called hot blood by us. We don’t calculate the consequences of each of our actions. Our impulses tell us that if someone bullies us, we’ll beat them. If someone acts like a poser in front of us, we’ll slap them. If someone dares to harm our family, we’ll kill them.
“We still have these impulses because we are young. But if we didn’t even have dreams, would we really be youngsters?”
Long Chen’s words were the words that the youngsters all thought inside, but their sects, their families, their Elders, they all told them to think three times before acting, to take the long view and have foresight. They disliked that, but they couldn’t do anything about it.
These words of Long Chen were against the teachings of their seniors, but they resonated with the youngsters, making them cheer.
“You can have dreams, but you still have to be clear on which dreams are realistic and which are imaginary. Imaginary dreams are just an illusion, empty thoughts,” shouted the Elder over the cheering.
“If it was completely realistic, would it still be a dream? A dream is like a bowl, and if your dream is really only the size of a bowl, your future accomplishments will also only be the size of a little fish that can live in that bowl. That’s because you already know your limits, and they become shackles that chain you down. It will be difficult for you to ever grow past the shackles you placed on yourself. If your dream was as large as the sea, then your limit might be a giant whale or even the Kunpeng. Perhaps you might one day transform from a Kun to a Peng. You might one day leap out of the sea and soar beyond the heavens. If the Kun never had a dream about spreading its wings and flying, it would forever remain a Kun. Where did its motivation to transform and soar come from? According to your reasoning, a fish is just a fish and is born to simply swim in the water. For it to fly through the air is not realistic. So if one aims too high, their dreams are imaginary?”
== Sects ==
On the surface Long Chen was domineering, but inside he was still humble. Rather than an arrogant air, he had an arrogant bone, resulting in his particular charisma.
“You’ve seen all kinds of sects. First rate, second rate, and third rate sects that have stable foundations would find it very difficult to ever change from their current state. The strong remain strong, the weak remain weak. Do you know why that is?” asked Long Chen.
“Isn’t it a question of their resources? Powerful sects have more resources, while weaker sects have fewer resources,” answered an Elder.
“That is only a secondary reason. To give everyone an analogy, if I were to lead my Dragonblood Legion to one of the random third rate sects in the Eastern Xuan Region, without me needing to guide them or give them any resources or any help, they would have the power to kill a second rate sect within three years. Do you believe that?” asked Long Chen.
“It’s the same principle that I just argued with the Elder: dreams. In truth, his principle is not wrong. Having a more realistic goal can allow a person to find their direction faster rather than making them lost and unsteady.”
The Elder’s expression improved. Long Chen was giving him a chance to step down.
Long Chen continued, “According to him, dreams are like a target in the wilderness, giving you a direction to go and allowing you to cultivate twice as fast…”
Long Chen smiled and continued, “So if a group of experts appeared in a sect, the other disciples would use those experts as their target. Their dream would be to become experts like them. Emulating others is an instinct in humans, especially when they can see their target within the same environment as them. This kind of natural reaction will cause the disciples to gradually grow. It’s a marvelous reaction that cannot be explained.”
“This is why the Elder said that dreams should be realistic, to give you a solid target. I do not disagree with this principle. Just now, I said that if a group of experts appeared in a sect, they would bring a reactionary phenomenon. Then the question is, if a sect had experts that had reached the limit of this world and had no targets left, what would they do?”
Long Chen’s expression was solemn, and his voice resounded in everyone’s ears. His words were like hammers striking their heart, making their heartbeats quicken.
“At that time, you would need a dream that exceeds reality. This dream might not be realistic, but I guarantee that this kind of dream is the only one that can break the rules of reality. However far you dream is how far your potential limit is. So again, it’s good to have dreams because what if on the off chance that you achieve them?”
With this, everyone understood what he was saying. Long Chen stood at his current height without having any targets. He relied on his dreams and willpower to grow stronger, forcing the future to give him limitless possibilities.
No one had ever heard who Long Chen’s master was, nor had they ever heard of anyone who had guided him. What Long Chen had was obtained entirely by himself. Thinking of this, people felt deep veneration for him. Long Chen had just explained his own Dao to everyone without holding back.
== Weaker vs Stronger ==
“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, what should we do when encountering enemies stronger than us?” asked a female disciple.
“Run.” Long Chen answered without hesitation.
“If you can’t beat them, wouldn’t you be a fool if you don’t run?” Long Chen shrugged.
“But... can someone weaker not defeat someone stronger?” she asked.
Long Chen smiled and shook his head. “Saying someone weaker can defeat someone stronger is a defective statement in itself. It’s a mistaken idea. In this world, there is no such thing as someone weaker defeating someone stronger. You might bring up many examples in history of weaker people beating someone stronger, but you’ve been misled. In truth, the weak who defeated the strong were never truly weak. For example, if a bull were to fight with an insect, in your eyes, the bull is strong, while the insect is weak. If the insect had poison and bit the bull, poisoning the bull to death, you would see that as someone weaker defeating someone stronger. However, the bull here was not actually the stronger one, while the insect was not actually the weaker one. Even calling them strong or weak is a mistake in perception. The bull has a bigger body, so in terms of power it’s stronger, but you have failed to take into account the insect’s poison. So don’t be fooled by the false concept of the weak defeating the strong. Everyone present is an elite. You’re all powerful Celestials. When fighting ordinary Life Star experts, I trust you can easily win. But to say that you are weaker because you are only at the Soul Transformation realm would be false. So there is no such thing as the weak defeating the strong because being weak is just an idea. As long as you have a tooth with strong enough venom, even a Soul Transformation disciple can kill a Netherpassage expert. To put it even simpler, if you want to defeat a supreme expert, you need a venomous tooth.”
“So that’s what it was! No wonder senior apprentice-brother Long Chen could kill a Netherpassage expert’s clone!”
The experts present immediately connected this with the story of how Long Chen had slain Di Long’s clone. Their eyes blazed with passion.
Long Chen’s words were completely different from what they had always been taught. Although they were somewhat against classical conventions, they contained philosophical theories that opened a new world to them.
All of this was based on his own experiences. He had come to understand them through his own circumstances, and he was sharing them without hesitation.
Even some of the old Elders were nodding inside. Although Long Chen was still young, he had managed to create a whole new path and understood so many principles. 
Thinking about Long Chen’s special course in life, they knew that his current accomplishments were not the result of happenstance. Long Chen truly had the ability to reach his current height.
Furthermore, to be able to share these understandings with people without hesitation required courage that few people possessed.
== Four Grand Elders interview ==
“What is the goal of your cultivation?”
“To live. To live with dignity, and to make sure the people beside me can live with dignity as well,” said Long Chen without hesitation.
The Grand Elder nodded and continued, “How do you differentiate between good and bad people?”
“I never differentiate between good or bad people. That has nothing to do with me. I only differentiate between friends and enemies. As long as they’re my enemy, whether they’re a good person or a bad person, if they want to kill me, I will mercilessly fight back. I definitely won’t resign myself to my fate just because my enemy is a good person,” said Long Chen.
“Don’t you feel like that’s a bit extreme? What if there was a misunderstanding somewhere? Wouldn’t you end up accidentally killing good people? Why not find some other way to resolve your problems?” asked the Grand Elder expressionlessly.
“I don’t have the time. I am in a race against time, and anything that slows me down could take my life. Again, I want to live with dignity, and make sure the people beside me can live with dignity. I don’t provoke others, but others shouldn’t provoke me because anyone who blocks my path will be killed without mercy,” said Long Chen decisively.
The nine elders smiled when they heard this. They knew that Long Chen had essentially lost his chance.
One of the Grand Elders frowned and said, “That’s too arbitrary. Randomly slaughtering innocent people, how are you any different from the Corrupt path?”
“I didn’t provoke anyone, but I’m being chased by a pack of idiots all day. Aren’t I the innocent one? Why can’t I fight back?” Long Chen smiled coldly. Thinking about how many idiots he had encountered on his path, whether it was in the Eastern Wasteland or the Central Plains, he sneered. There were so many of them that he couldn’t kill them all. As his cultivation base grew, more of them appeared. The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. Innocent? He was the most innocent.
“It’s fine. Young people need to be like this. If they were spiritless, wouldn’t they be like us old people?” Qu Jianying’s granduncle-master was not angry.
==References==
Category:Quotes