The three of Human Ancestor stood by the riverbank, studying the scene before them.
Every iceberg floating on the surface of the River of Time represented a fact.
Human Ancestor observed for a long while before pointing at one and saying, "This iceberg is neither too large nor too small, with a smooth surface. Let's step onto this one."
But Great Strength True Martial shook his head. "That iceberg is clearly tiny—there's no way the three of us can stand on it."
Carefree Wisdom Heart disagreed. "That iceberg is large, but it's covered with ice spikes that would pierce our feet."
The same fact could be big or small, heavy or light, easy or difficult depending on the person. Some could accept it, others could not.
After much deliberation, the three of them finally settled on an iceberg, and all stepped onto it.
The moment Human Ancestor set foot on the ice, he burst into bitter tears. Great Strength True Martial roared in fury, while Carefree Wisdom Heart broke into hearty laughter.
The same fact produced different feelings, different moods, in different people.
The three of them had no choice but to bear it.
"Every iceberg on the surface of the River of Time is nothing but a cold, silent fact. But we humans have hearts—the moment we touch a fact, emotions arise. Facts and emotions combined become our own personal affairs," Carefree Wisdom Heart recalled the knowledge in his mind.
The iceberg carried the three of them along for a stretch of the journey, gradually shrinking until it began to sink.
"Let's jump to that iceberg over there," Human Ancestor said, pointing ahead to the left.
And so, before the iceberg beneath them sank completely, the three leaped onto a second iceberg nearby to continue their trek.
This new fact once again stirred different emotions in the three.
The longer they stood on an iceberg, the more those emotions accumulated.
As each iceberg sank in turn, the emotions the three felt also shifted. Some changed from anger to joy, others from happiness to melancholy.
"I can't take it anymore—my heart feels awful," Human Ancestor clutched his chest after enduring for a time. "Let's jump to that iceberg over there."
The three leaped, and before long Carefree Wisdom Heart spoke up again. "I can't stand this fact either. My heart hurts now too. I'm actually starting to think about dying."
The three hastily switched icebergs once more.
No matter what the fact, gritting your teeth could get you through it. The real danger was when your heart could no longer bear the weight.
Once the heart gave out, there was no continuing on.
After switching several more icebergs, Great Strength True Martial endured the fewest breakdowns. "I'm actually doing fine," he said.
The Gu Insect of Strength spoke proudly from within his mighty ambitions: "There are far too many affairs in this world. It has always been the weak who suffer more than the strong."
Meanwhile, the Gu Insect of Fortitude called out, "I deserve some credit here too, you know—I've been helping you all along!"
The Gu Insect of Fortitude could suppress emotions.
Suddenly, two Gu Insects sprouted from the palms of Carefree Wisdom Heart.
The one in his left hand was called Good. The one in his right was called Bad.
"Oh, humans, we can help you tell which facts are good and which are bad," the two Gu Insects said in unison, their voices childlike.
And so, with the help of Good and Bad, the three were always able to pick icebergs that represented good facts.
Standing upon them, all three felt elated.
When an iceberg sank and a good fact turned bad, they jumped away in advance.
In this way, the three gradually grew happier and happier, until finally they were overflowing with ecstasy and refused to leave at all, drowning in the emotions of revelry.
They forgot their predicament entirely, until the iceberg beneath their feet sank completely and all of them plunged into the river.
……
The Eighth Layer of the Mad Demon Cave.
Xi Earth!
Hu Earth!
The two Grand Earth Grotto-Shines each radiated a hazy white glow. Their lights intertwined and linked together, forming a beam of light stretching horizontally.
"The final step." Fang Yuan activated his killer move and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The breath flew into the beam of light, and a vortex immediately formed at its center.
The vortex surged outward, shooting straight toward the heavens. When the white spiraling stream of light touched the surface of the Origin Realm, it spread out like a plume of luminous mist, enveloping the realm entirely.
Fang Yuan followed the white spiraling stream of light and entered the Origin Realm successfully!
"Wonderful, truly wonderful! The Origin Realm lies between Xi Earth and Hu Earth—by leveraging these two Grand Earth Grotto-Shines, we can pinpoint its exact location." Lu Weiyin praised endlessly, following close behind.
After him came Zhan Budu, Qijue Demon Immortal, Qihai Ancestor, and the other quasi-Supreme Immortal combatants.
Once all the immortals had entered the Origin Realm, the white spiraling stream of light dissipated rapidly, leaving the other eager Gu Immortals deeply disappointed.
Fang Yuan hovered within the Origin Realm, his brow tightly furrowed.
The moment he set foot inside, countless epiphanies flooded into his mind.
But this was no gradual, natural process—it was a forced infusion. Fang Yuan experienced an indescribable agony.
This pain did not originate in his physical body, nor in his soul, but in his heart.
A cultivator's state of mind was like a lake, originally still and calm, flat as a great mirror. But now it was surging with violent waves, churning with ferocious swells.
It was like an infant who only knew how to eat, drink, sleep, and relieve itself, yet was suddenly forced to understand the joy a child felt in jumping and playing. Forcing the infant to leap about would only harm it.
Or like a child who believed toys were the most precious thing in the world, yet was compelled to absorb the adult understanding that money mattered most.
A Gu Immortal's realm of understanding was exceedingly difficult to advance. Fang Yuan's entry into the Origin Realm was tantamount to pulling seedlings to help them grow—a violation of the natural order.
Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and endured the strain with great effort.
The Star Constellation Immortal Venerable and Giant Sun Immortal Zombie, who had entered the Origin Realm earlier, were nowhere to be seen. Fang Yuan had no time to concern himself with them and hurriedly examined his own state, struggling to gain comprehension.
"Many of my path realms are rising rapidly! The Refinement Path is among them, but the Rule Path has advanced the most."
Fang Yuan pondered briefly, then began moving through the Origin Realm.