"Dugu Lingtian?"
Sima Xiangtu carefully searched through his memories.
After all, the old Daoist had spoken with such seriousness that Dugu Lingtian must have been someone truly extraordinary.
Yet in the end, he found that no such name existed anywhere in his recollections.
He double-checked, even triple-checked. He had truly never heard the name Dugu Lingtian before.
"You've never heard of him, have you?"
"I don't blame you. Your experience is limited, and your knowledge is woefully shallow."
"But that's alright — I don't hold it against you. In fact, I'll even tell you that my life as Dugu Lingtian was far more satisfying to me than my time as Zhuge Guangyao."
"Back then, had I not stumbled upon the Soul Arcana by chance and decided to cultivate it..."
"If I had simply cultivated normally, I would surely already be a figure revered throughout the vast martial cultivation world by now, wouldn't I?"
"And the Sleeping Dragon Martial Sect — it would have resounded throughout the entire martial cultivation world as well."
"But alas, such is the unpredictability of fate. Who told me to choose the Soul Arcana in the end?"
The old Daoist wore a smile, yet his expression was deeply enigmatic.
He was satisfied with the life he had lived as Dugu Lingtian — even nostalgic for it. But it was also filled with profound regret.
Because no matter how many times he reincarnated, in his heart there was only ever one true identity he claimed: Dugu Lingtian.
It was just a pity that he could never use that name again.
Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. He didn't want to disappoint certain people.
Such was life. A single choice could set you on an entirely different path.
At the time of choosing, you didn't think much of it. But when you looked back, there was no room left for regret.
The old Daoist understood this all too well.
"You mentioned earlier that you lived an entire life under the identity of Zhuge Guangyao — but why would you do that? What was your purpose?" Sima Xiangtu asked.
Compared to Dugu Lingtian, the identity of Zhuge Guangyao interested him far more.
After all, Zhuge Guangyao had been a genius who had once dazzled the entire Nine Soul Heavenly River.
Of course, what he truly wanted to know was the old Daoist's real objective.
"Xiangtu, you prepared to use the Immortal's Cauldron of the Alchemy Immortal Sect to refine all of our souls into your own — what was that for?" the old Daoist asked in return, rather than answering directly.
"Why bother asking what you already know? The Soul Arcana was discovered by both you and me, and both of us cultivated it," Sima Xiangtu said.
The Soul Arcana was a powerful Mystic Art that he and the old Daoist had discovered together in an ancient ruin when they were young.
Both of them had cultivated it at the time.
For so many years, it was precisely through the Soul Arcana that Sima Xiangtu had continually strengthened his soul, ultimately achieving what he had today.
This time, using the Immortal's Cauldron to refine the souls of everyone around him was all in service of breaking through in the Soul Arcana.
In his view, if everything went smoothly this time, his cultivation would undoubtedly break through to the Half-God realm.
Such was the terrifying power of the Soul Arcana.
"In the Soul Arcana, postnatal cultivation is extremely important, but the innate foundation matters just as much. The strength of one's soul is essentially predetermined from the moment of birth."
"Only a perfect soul can cultivate a true Divine Soul."
"And so, the creator of the Soul Arcana devised a method — a way to reincarnate with one's memories intact, thereby forging a perfect soul," the old Daoist explained.
"Reincarnation with memories?"
"If what I cultivated was truly the Soul Arcana, why was there no mention of this?" Sima Xiangtu stared at the old Daoist, his eyes filled with deep, seething resentment.
He had realized it...
The version of the Soul Arcana he had cultivated was incomplete.
He had been deceived by the old Daoist.
"Of course. What you cultivated was never the real Soul Arcana," the old Daoist said.
"So it was all part of your plan. That ancient ruin back then — you deliberately lured me in. The Soul Arcana — you deliberately made sure I discovered it."
"Then what exactly is your purpose?" Sima Xiangtu pressed.
He knew there was no escaping death today. But even if he was going to die, he wanted to die understanding why.
"Don't worry. I'll tell you the truth."
"But you'll have to hear me out — I'll take it slowly." The old Daoist smiled faintly, then continued.
"When I first obtained the Soul Arcana, I confirmed that my soul at the time was far from perfect. But the Soul Arcana is an unorthodox art, and I didn't want those around me to know I was practicing such a thing."
"So I decided to fake my death. After faking it, I would reincarnate and cultivate under an entirely new identity."