"Fate…" Dragon Lord sighed, his face filled with depth and complexity. He walked a few steps and sat down on a boulder, then patted the spot beside him, motioning for Hong Ting to sit.
Hong Ting mirrored Dragon Lord and sat cross-legged.
"Look." Dragon Lord pointed at the foot of the boulder he was sitting on.
Hong Ting looked immediately. Beside the boulder, a small cluster of ants was marching in formation, carrying food back to their nest.
"This is fate," Dragon Lord continued.
"Huh?"
"Look again." Dragon Lord pointed up at the sky.
Hong Ting gazed upward. White clouds drifted across the sky, each in a different shape.
"This is also fate," Dragon Lord said again.
Something stirred in Hong Ting's heart, a flash of understanding. "Master, you mean…" He trailed off, grasping something in his mind but unable to put it into words.
"Ants carry food, bees gather nectar, the breeze blows, white clouds drift — everything in this world follows its own predetermined path. To us, it may seem random, but in truth, all things move according to the great laws of heaven and earth."
"Look at the sun and moon. Every day the sun rises and the moon sets, the moon rises and the sun sets. Look at the life and death of humans — no matter who they are, even Immortal Venerables and Demon Venerables, they must all die. All things move from life toward death."
"All of this — every last bit of it — is fate."
"Every one of us, every living being, every boulder, every drop of water, every flame — if it exists in this world, it must have meaning and purpose. Good and evil are no different. Without good, where would evil come from? Without evil, why would we even speak of good?"
"You were too eager to eliminate Xue Tu Dao because you failed to see the value he carries. Since heaven and earth willed him to exist, there must be a reason he lives. This is fate. Fate has already arranged everything in the world — it's just that these arrangements are like a blind man touching an elephant; we can't see them clearly."
"Not seeing clearly is perfectly normal. The laws of heaven and earth, the great Dao of the universe — even immortals who spend their entire lives trying cannot fully fathom them all. We are far too small, and heaven and earth are far too vast. We should revere heaven and earth, follow the arrangements of fate, each walking our own path. Only then can we align with the will of heaven and fulfill our destinies, bringing benefit to the world."
"The reason your parents came together was an arrangement of fate, and the greatest meaning of that was bringing you into this world."
"That you will become an Immortal Venerable one day — this too is an arrangement of fate. You must accept it, climb to the peak step by step, and ultimately lead the Heavenly Court, dedicating your life to the Righteous Path."
"As for me, your master — the greatest meaning of my life is to teach you, to guide you onto the correct path. I am your… Path Protector."
"You must believe in fate, accept fate. Everything it arranges has its reason. If we forcibly interfere or try to change it, we will inevitably bring tragedy and regret upon ourselves. Just like when you tried to take Xue Tu Dao's life ahead of schedule — did you succeed in killing him?"
Dragon Lord shook his head. "You didn't. Though your strength far surpassed his, you encountered all manner of unexpected situations. Not only did you fail to eliminate him, you ended up dragging innocent people down with you."
"Now think back — if you had followed fate's arrangement and eliminated Xue Tu Dao at the moment he was at his weakest, would you have run into all those accidents?"
"Now I tell you — the reason Xue Tu Dao still existed was to open this Gu Immortal's inheritance, to act as the vanguard, to deliver this inheritance to you."
Hong Ting sat in a daze, motionless, like a stone statue.
Two clear tears slid silently from his eyes, and then he choked out: "Master, I was wrong."
"To recognize one's mistake and correct it — there is no greater virtue. In truth, the wrong choice you just made was also an arrangement of fate," Dragon Lord said.
"Master, what do you mean?"
"We are all under fate's arrangements. You thought you were going to break fate, but that very thought was itself placed by fate. You need not feel guilty. You should contemplate fate's intent. Do you think your wrong choice was entirely without value? No."
"Every mistake carries immeasurable value for a young person's growth. If you can learn the lesson from this mistake, recognize the existence of fate, and accept and embrace it, then this mistake will have proven its worth. The destruction of that mountain village will have had meaning!"
At this, Dragon Lord gazed deeply at Hong Ting. "My disciple, you are a bright and obedient child. But your master has one worry — you are too attached to your emotions. You have already reached the Fifth Transformation. When I ask you to consider which path to choose for your ascension, I fear you would choose the Wisdom Path?"
"Master, your insight is impeccable. That is indeed what I was thinking — the Wisdom Path feels most suited to me," Hong Ting admitted honestly.
Dragon Lord slowly shook his head. "The Wisdom Path focuses on thought, will, and emotion. You are too deeply bound by feelings. Delving into emotions will do you more harm than good. Listen to your master — choose the Time Path. When you look across the expanse of history, witnessing all the rises and falls, glory and ruin, you will understand that all emotions, all passions, are washed clean by time. I received my revelation from the Fate Gu — the Time Path is the one most suited to you."
Hong Ting parted his lips slightly, wanting to say something, but ultimately nodded. "Your disciple humbly obeys Master's teaching. I will choose the Time Path."
Dragon Lord nodded with satisfaction. "Good. I am your Path Protector. Guiding you onto the correct path — that is the meaning of my existence."
Time continued to flow onward.
Hong Ting chose the Time Path, and under Dragon Lord's protection, he successfully weathered the tribulation of ascension, becoming a Time Path Gu Immortal.
……
"Immortal Hong Ting, that demon has threatened to slaughter the entire city unless I give my daughter to him as a concubine. He is a lofty Gu Immortal, and we are nothing but mortals. We have no other recourse — I beg you, for the sake of your friendship with my late father, to act and destroy this demon!" An old city lord came to his door, kneeling on the ground, pleading for Hong Ting to intervene.
Hong Ting recognized him. The city lord's city was close to Maple Leaf City, and they had frequent dealings — their friendship was genuine.
He had even met the city lord's daughter. They had played together as children.
"Elder, please rise at once. I will absolutely help — but…" Hong Ting paused. "The time has not yet come."
The old city lord was overjoyed. "Since the Immortal has agreed, this old man is at ease! I believe absolutely that the Immortal will not go back on his word!"
Hong Ting waited for the opportune moment, and finally the time came when the demon Gu Immortal was fated to die.
He struck decisively, dispatching the demon with ease.
But the old city lord knelt amid the ruins and corpses of the entire city, weeping bitterly: "You damned demon, you're finally dead! My poor daughter, my people — rest in peace, your vengeance has been fulfilled!!"
……
"Your disciple greets Master. I wonder why Master summoned me?" Hong Ting stood before Dragon Lord.
"Disciple, I have sensed fate's arrangement. The Drifting Flower River will flood suddenly at this moment, and its course will shift. I order you to go and save lives. Remember — you must not act early. You may only intervene after three days and three nights," Dragon Lord instructed carefully.
"Yes, Master."
Hong Ting arrived at the banks of the Drifting Flower River and watched the waters spread. Countless creatures were displaced, and the bloated corpses of the drowned drifted on the flood's surface.
He suppressed his emotions and waited a full three days and three nights. In the end, he discovered that he didn't need to act at all — the waters had receded on their own, revealing muddy ground in many places.
The aura of a wild Gu Immortal's Gu rose into the air, located not far below where Hong Ting stood.
Close to the water, one gets the moon first. Hong Ting subdued the wild Gu Immortal's Gu with ease. "What a fine Gu — a Seventh Transformation Time Path Gu. It suits me perfectly."
Awoo!
The aura of the wild Gu Immortal's Gu attracted two ancient desolate beasts.
Hong Ting's expression turned solemn. He concealed his presence and waited as the two ancient desolate beasts fought each other. Once one was dead and the other wounded, he struck, capturing both in one fell swoop.