Unfettered Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Stories

Read chapter 16 of Unfettered by driftwoodblossom on NovelPedia.

"The Dao is formless. The ever-changing way is the mother of all things. It is by separating from desire that we delve into its greatest mysteries." Shi Qiongtian walked around the square courtyard in loops holding a booklet in his hand. The words on the cover read "Building a Practitioner's Foundation". In the center, Ye Fan stood in a horse stance. His face was coated in a heavy layer of sweat and displayed an expression of great exertion. A few seconds later, he fell to the ground on his butt and let out heavy gasps. Expressionless, Shi Qiongtian stopped his steps but continued reciting. "Heaven and earth do not act in benevolence. They treat all things as equal. Men are equal to ants. Immortals are no different from newborns. A sage is to act in kind. Then, is the path of immortality to seek to become heaven?" Ye Fan had lowered himself onto the sandy ground of the courtyard as Shi Qiongtian was speaking. A minute passed in silence before Shi Qiongtian broke it once more. "I was asking you a question, disciple." Shi Qiongtian closed the booklet as he finished his words. Ye Fan sat up with great difficulty and smiled meekly. "Can you repeat your question, Master?" "What is the goal of immortal cultivation?" Shi Qiongtian held his emotionless gaze, but his eyes sparkled for a moment of interest. Ye Fan was oblivious to this as he stared into the bright morning sky. After a few minutes of thinking, he carefully formulated his response. "Master, is there an end to Immortal cultivation?" Shi Qiongtian's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise but didn't hesitate in his response. "The path of cultivation has no known end." "Even beyond the Heavenly Dao?" "Above the Heavenly Way is the Great Way." Shi Qiongtian revealed a rare smile. Ye Fan seemed to have an epiphany as he began to scribble in the sand to sort out his thoughts. It wasn't long before he found his answer. "Then, the goal of cultivators is to surpass Heaven! Only through breaking its fetters can we truly become strong." Ye Fan reached for the skies and grasped his hand tightly. Showing a toothy grin, he looked toward his Master. Shi Qiongtian walked up to Ye Fan and ruffled the boy’s hair with his free hand. “The most important thing to a cultivator is their Dao Heart. As long as you hold true to that, there’s nothing that you can’t overcome. Go get some rest, your final test will come soon.” Ye Fan bowed to his Master with a cupped fist and excitedly ran out of the courtyard. Shi Qiongtian continued to stare at the courtyard entrance even after the boy faded from view. His ear twitched slightly. The booklet in his hand disappeared as he stored it in a separate space. Although there wasn’t a presence in sight, Shi Qiongtian began to speak. “What is it?” A disembodied voice responded to Shi Qiongtian’s question with great interest. "Is he starting to grow on you?" "I would be lying if I said he wasn't." "It's been five years. Are you getting cold feet already?" Avoiding the question, Shi Qiongtian replied to the voice with a question of his own. "What do you think of him?" Instead of getting angry, the voice went silent for a minute. It seemed to be carefully considering the question. "I find him interesting." A few minutes passed in silence. Shi Qiongtian's robes fluttered lightly in the wind and he closed his eyes to enjoy the breeze. The voice seemed aggrieved as it took the initiative to break the silence. "… Do you not want to hear my full answer?" "Why should it matter to me what your full answer is?" The voice exclaimed in exasperation. "Aish! You're no fun… I'll be generous and tell you anyways. I find it interesting to see a Son of Heaven want to surpass Heaven." Shi Qiongtian opened his eyes and watched the courtyard entrance again. "… I see you have a guest. I won't be bothering you any longer. I just came by to remind you." As the voice finished its sentence, a figure nervously stepped into view. The boatman bowed deeply as he spoke with great respect. “Th