The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 230: Settling Doubts

“I don’t know w-what has gotten into you, but we c-can’t delay our trip,” Wei Ping’s father patiently explained. “Like I had taught y-you before, breaking the terms of contracts is a last r-resort. We can’t just give up at the first sight of a-adversity.”

“But—”

Wei Ping caught himself before continuing his words. He wanted to yell that they had to return or he would die, but he knew how stubborn his father was. He couldn’t exactly come out and say he would die if he continued this delivery. He had no proof to back up his words.

Wei Ping’s mind worked quickly in search of a plan to avoid the ambush. He tested his current capabilities to see if he could invoke any of his cultivation, but for some reason, he couldn’t access any of it. He was just a powerless young child. That’s why he focused entirely on avoiding contact with the ambushers. If convincing his dad wouldn’t work, then he had to take concrete action.

“I really n-need to relieve myself. Can you stop the carriage?”

“Umm, y-yeah. But are y-you sure you’re okay, son?”

“Yes!”

He raced off into the treelines, out of sight from his father, but close enough to hear each other. As he pretended to relieve himself, he scoured his surroundings for anything he could use. He found a tree at the right height and immediately moved to climb it. As soon as he did, he didn’t hesitate to jump off. As he landed, he purposefully shoved his left arm out to absorb the impact.

“Ouch!” he yelled out, following the sound of impact.

His dad noticed the commotion and raced over to assess the situation. He found his son lying on the ground, holding onto a limp arm.

“It h-hurts, Dad! I think I need to see a doctor.”

Despite finding the scenario strange, he didn’t need a lot of convincing to care for his child. He agreed to take his son back to their town. Their lone horse worked tirelessly to pull its masters back home while Wei Ping breathed a sigh of relief.

He had gotten them to head home. It may have hurt, but it was well worth it, in his opinion.

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Unfortunately, his happiness didn’t last long.

Sometime after traveling through the forest, a familiar scene played out. A lone figure lay in the middle of the road.

“Don’t stop, Dad. It’s b-bandits!” he called out.

It was too late. His dad, the driver, had already started to slow the carriage down. He was used to helping people in need, so abandoning someone had never crossed his mind. Before he could heed his son’s warning, arrows flew out from all around them. The only saving grace was that Wei Ping had reacted in time. He tackled his dad into the back of their carriage, out of harm’s way.

This—is it really unavoidable? These assassins that those scummy merchants hired will track us down whenever we go? No, this is just a dream! Maybe it’s forcing me to face this part of my past.

Li Lang’s words about the correlation of willpower and breakthrough resurfaced in Wei Ping’s mind. His boss often went off on a tangent when discussing things that piqued his interest, but he had always listened to what others had to say. It was crucial for someone who stuttered like him. If he didn’t pay attention, he couldn’t reply back in a concise manner. If he couldn’t speak concisely, people wouldn’t bother listening to him.

Those talks about willpower made Wei Ping doubt whether his choice to avoid the ambushers was even the right one in the first place. He was running away. Such cowardice was often deemed as an undesirable quality among cultivators. However, if he couldn’t get away, he would have to witness the traumatizing scene of his father’s death again. He didn’t want to relive the moment when he felt his father’s body go cold again.

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Memories of his past swiftly flashed by in his mind. As this happened, the scene continued to play out.

After dodging the first volley of arrows, the assailants closed in on their carriage, determined to finish them off. They encircled the carriage. Running was no longer an option.

“Wei Bin, you have nowhere to run. Why don’t you accept your fate and come out?”

“You k-know who I am, so that must mean Old Cane s-sent you—Understood! As long as you spare m-my son, I will do as you say.”

Wei Ping sat there in silence as the scene unfolded. It was just like the events in his memories, but he didn’t react.

While he struggled with what to do, he knew his father’s demise was inevitable. His real father had already passed. He had to accept that.

He only stood there and watched as the villains executed his father. Just like in the past, his dad accepted his fate without a fuss. He used his last breath to pat Wei Ping’s head and encouraged him.

“Live freely.”

Those words had made Wei Ping feel trapped for the years to come. He interpreted his father’s last words as telling him to forget about revenge. It made him struggle between living up to his father’s wishes or his own desire to punish the people responsible. His respect for him only made his dilemma worse.

This internal struggle made him pick up the way his father talked. He wanted to be like his father and also ensure memories of him wouldn’t fade away in time. If he would have his revenge one day, he wanted those jealous merchants to realize who he was. It was personal. It only took a year before his stuttering became a natural part of his speech.

After so many years had passed and all the new things he had experienced, revisiting the memory this time seemed to have made Wei Ping realize something. The constant doubts he had were likely what prevented him from breaking through. When the person himself didn’t even know what he wanted to do, how could he possibly muster any willpower?

He decided to settle his doubts once and for all.

Perhaps his recent companions had affected him, but Wei Ping had learned to be more greedy. He wanted the best of both worlds. While he knew his dad wouldn’t want him to dwell on things such as revenge, he decided to go through with it! He planned to hunt down those responsible, and then live out a life his father would approve of afterward.

He would accept himself for who he was.

With this new outlook, the world around him soon faded into the light. He found his consciousness brought back to his real body, in the cell located in the lair of demonic deviators.

His body was brimming with Qi, and it was screaming out in pain as it desperately tried to contain all the energy.

However, with his awakening, his new mindset had a drastic effect on the situation. His calmness spread, infecting the Qi within his body. The wild energy inside of him calmed down.

Within minutes, a crackling noise rang out, scaring everyone within earshot. They could sense an imminent wave of Qi about to break out from Wei Ping’s body. In a breath of time, Wei Ping suddenly jumped up to his feet and slammed a palm at his cell door!

The violent release of energy had everyone nearby duck for cover. The sound of splintering wood rang out across the dungeon.

“It’s all over. We’re dead!” the neighboring lady cried out.

However, after a few moments, she realized she was still okay. She inspected her body, and no harm had come to her. She slowly recovered her courage enough to inspect the scene. She gasped in shock as she took in the aftermath.

Standing atop the pile of decaying hay and splintered wood, a lone figure lurched over with a hand covering the mask on his face. He was eerily still.

This person was naturally Wei Ping!

He had survived his breakthrough—no, to be more precise, he had succeeded!

Power at the level of Foundation Establishment emanated from him.

“You—Are you okay?” the portly woman asked.

While she knew he was an orthodox cultivator, she was too used to being around demonic cultivators. On reflex, she asked about the well-being of an individual who had just broken through. For those on the demonic path, it was too common for their personality to become twisted after a breakthrough. It made them wary of anyone who had recently increased their cultivation.

“Y-yes. I am fine,” Wei Ping said in a weary voice. “I’m going to g-get out of here. Do any of y-you want to come along?”