"Follow your heart."

’Master wants me to make my own decision,’ Chu Lingguang thought.

"You’ve been targeted by the Dragon Claw Tree. If you get close again, you’ll face another Consciousness Attack. Once something leaves a psychological shadow on a person, it’s very difficult to overcome. Do you understand?"

Poisonous Snake warned him out of goodwill, not wanting Chu Lingguang to take the risk again.

"It’s hard to overcome a shadow?"

The words caught Chu Lingguang’s attention.

"It’s the same for everyone. Don’t be too hard on yourself," Poisonous Snake said comfortingly.

Chu Lingguang nodded slightly. ’If everyone is the same, why should I be any different? Besides, I already tried to help Du Wushuang. I can’t risk turning into a drooling idiot just to try again, can I?’

「A while later.」

Chu Lingguang returned to the back mountain. As he felt the pressure from the stone monument, he also sensed the various changes within his body.

Four hours later, he seemed to have made little progress. He returned to his small courtyard to cultivate again. Before long, Sima Army, Jin Huang, and the others came over to discuss how to go about Opening the Dantian and Qi Sea.

By the time the two of them left, it was nearly midnight.

Sitting on his bed, Chu Lingguang took out Guo Wei’s letter again.

The three words, "Follow your heart," left him in a trance. After staring at them for a while, he put the letter away under his bed and began to circulate the Zhenyuan Technique. He hoped that through this Inner Power Heart Method, the Qi Vortex in his Dantian would gain the ability to evolve on its own, absorbing and refining power without his conscious control.

「Two more days passed in a flash.」

Chu Lingguang had been cultivating in the Trial Ground for two months now. There was an assessment every ten days, and a new one was scheduled for that afternoon.

By now, Chu Lingguang had already established his Dantian Foundation and enabled his Qi Vortex to evolve. He was only a single step away from it evolving autonomously.

He had also developed a small Sea of Consciousness and a wisp of Spiritual Sense, making his progress truly outstanding. During the afternoon’s assessment, he deservedly placed at the top once again, allowing him to keep his Heavenly Talent cultivation resources.

But despite his stellar results, Chu Lingguang couldn’t bring himself to be happy. He hadn’t even corresponded with Guo Wei for the past two days.

"Chu Lingguang, what’s been wrong with you the past couple of days? You aren’t still thinking about how to chop down a branch from the Dragon Claw Tree, are you?"

Zhao Rushuang asked after the assessment was over.

She had been very fortunate, having unlocked her fourth-layer Dharma Aspect the previous night. With the help of the Zhenyuan Technique, a Qi Vortex had also formed in her abdomen. In just a few more days, the vortex would be able to evolve, allowing her to successfully establish her Dantian Foundation and truly step into the Qi Sea Realm.

"I’m not."

Chu Lingguang shook his head.

"Then are you running into some kind of trouble? You’ve been working as hard as ever these past two days, but you seem to lack a bit of focus. I get the feeling something’s on your mind."

Zhao Rushuang asked curiously. She breathed a secret sigh of relief upon hearing that Chu Lingguang had given up on trying to get a branch from the Dragon Claw Tree.

"I’m fine, really. Maybe you’re just overthinking things!"

Chu Lingguang gave an awkward smile. Without offering any further explanation to Zhao Rushuang, he turned and went back to his courtyard.

’Even the Commandery Princess can tell something is on my mind. It seems I really haven’t been in a good state these past few days.’

Chu Lingguang muttered to himself in his room.

He once again took out the letter from Guo Wei that he kept under his pillow.

He had read the three words, "Follow your heart," countless times. He could trace them out with his eyes closed.

’Once something leaves a psychological shadow on a person, it’s very difficult to overcome. It’s the same for everyone. Don’t be too hard on yourself.’

Poisonous Snake’s words spontaneously surfaced in Chu Lingguang’s mind.

’Follow your heart.’

’If there’s a shadow, you’re supposed to overcome it. How can running away be considered following your heart?’

Chu Lingguang suddenly realized there was something wrong with Poisonous Snake’s words.

’Follow your heart... it means I should face my initial intentions. Back in the inn’s courtyard, I promised Du I would do my best. Back then, I simply wanted to get the job done right.’

’I may have tried, but I didn’t give it my all.’

’When Master told me to follow my heart, he meant for me to listen to what my heart was truly saying before making a decision!’

’If a shadow truly is covering me, then the most important thing for me to do is overcome it.’

’Master once said that in Martial Arts Cultivation, the greatest taboos are impatience and giving up halfway. In your practice, you must face your inner self and rise to meet challenges. If I can’t overcome this shadow, I’m afraid it will become a Heart Demon in the future, one that I’ll never be able to shake.’

Chu Lingguang muttered to himself, one thought after another.

His gaze grew increasingly resolute.

’Getting a Dragon Claw Branch for Du is both fulfilling my promise and crossing the hurdle I must overcome in my heart.’

’If I give up now, I’d be lying to Du and lying to myself. In the future, how could I ever face my own heart? How could I stay true to it?’

’I have to try again. Even if I don’t succeed, at least I’ll have given it my all. It would be an answer to Du, and it would help me overcome that shadow.’

’When Master told me to follow my heart, he didn’t mean for me to go get myself killed, nor did he mean for me to give up. He meant for me to overcome that shadow and not let myself become afraid of the Consciousness Attack.’

HUFF!

Chu Lingguang picked up his Lightning Spear and executed the Cyan Dragon Emerges from Water Linked Spear, unleashing a series of continuous thrusts forward.

"Come on! Let me see just how powerful your Consciousness Attack really is!"

Chu Lingguang roared.

As this thought spread, it was as if the Dragon Claw Tree had appeared before him once more. His entire being became crystal clear, as if he had just walked out of a fog of confusion. Though he was covered in scars, it was as if he were bathing in the light of dawn. He had finally stepped out of the shadow, managing to follow his heart and face all his inner fears.

And with this shift in his mindset...

The web of energy that connected his Sea of Consciousness and his Dantian Qi Vortex began to tremble.

Not long after the martial arts portion of the Daoist Examination had ended, Chu Lingguang had already learned how to commune with heaven and earth through his Turtle Breath Technique.