Chapter 391 - 210: Golden Core Formation

Chapter 391: Chapter 210: Golden Core Formation

Pushing aside the question of how these thoughts had arisen, he instantly seized on the key point Yue Qingyu had just made.

Yue Qingyu nodded slightly and replied softly, "It is just as you think, Junior Brother. That is indeed what I believe."

A serious expression appeared on her ethereal face as she slowly began to speak to Xu Ran.

"Junior Brother, I’m not at all surprised that you’re having these thoughts. You’ve always been a sentimental and righteous person. It’s precisely because of who you are that you would think this way. However..."

"I want to tell you that you don’t need to negate yourself. You are worthy of your Dao, and you have been practicing it all along."

Xu Ran was taken aback. After a brief silence, he looked at Senior Sister Yue and asked, "Senior Sister, do you believe that someone like me, who stays in the Sect all the time, unwilling to take a single step beyond its gates, is also practicing the Dao of Sentiment?"

Yue Qingyu nodded gently. She wasn’t surprised by Xu Ran’s confusion.

This wasn’t a case of being melodramatic, but rather the self-examination that everyone who takes their path seriously must face.

It was precisely because he took himself seriously that such doubts arose.

She didn’t answer Xu Ran’s question directly. Instead, after a moment of silence, she brought up a seemingly unrelated topic.

"Junior Brother, do you remember what congratulatory gift you gave to Luo Qianxue of the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect after she broke through to the Golden Core realm, back in the twelfth year of the Hidden Dao Era?"

Xu Ran paused, momentarily stunned. He didn’t know why his senior sister would suddenly bring this up, but he still answered truthfully:

"Three Fourth Grade Life Creation Pills, a Fourth Grade Defensive Magical Robe, and some resources like Spirit Stones."

According to the grades redefined by Qin Yufeng, Fourth Grade corresponds to the Golden Core realm, and Fifth Grade to the Nascent Soul realm.

Yue Qingyu nodded slightly and continued, "And why, Junior Brother, did you decide to send her those particular gifts?"

Xu Ran mulled it over for a moment, then lifted his head slightly to gaze at the distant night sky as he slowly began to speak.

"It wasn’t anything special, really. It’s just that the girl was too impetuous. I was worried she might force her breakthrough just to protect her reputation as a top prodigy and end up with some lasting injuries."

"I didn’t know if she had any good Healing Elixirs, but the Life Creation Pill is certainly one of the best in the world. Its effects on a damaged Dao Foundation are nearly unparalleled."

"As for the Defensive Magical Robe, I was concerned that she would have to face too many battles to re-establish her sect. So I chose a good one to help her protect herself."

"And the Spirit Stones and other resources... that goes without saying. She was still just a young girl who’d grown up coddled by her elders, not yet fully mature. Now, she had to lead the remnants of her sect and rebuild it from scratch. That couldn’t have been easy. I figured I’d take the opportunity to help her out a bit. Maybe it would make things a little easier for her, allow her to avoid a few battles."

Xu Ran had always been quite fond of Luo Qianxue. Of the three of them—her, Li Daoyi, and Chu Lingxiao—if they had all been disciples of his own Profound Pure Sect, she would have undoubtedly been his favorite.

There was no complex reason for this; it was simply that compared to Li Daoyi and Chu Lingxiao, Luo Qianxue’s personality was so incredibly likable.

He even felt that without Luo Qianxue, Li Daoyi and Chu Lingxiao might still have become friends on their own, but their bond would never have been as close as it was.

Or rather, they would have become a different kind of friends, not the way they were before.

It was precisely because of Luo Qianxue, with her elfin, mischievous charm, acting as a harmonizing influence that they all got along so well. Their friendship was so carefree, a bond unique to the youths of that age.

Therefore, after seeing what Luo Qianxue had been through, Xu Ran wanted to help her in any way he could. He didn’t want to one day hear the news that she had suddenly fallen in battle.

After listening to Xu Ran’s explanation, Yue Qingyu nodded and said softly, "The gifts you sent her, Junior Brother, were all perfectly suited to her situation. You thought of what was best for her, even considering the potential accidents her impulsiveness might cause."

"Is that kind of thoughtful gentleness not a mark of sentiment and righteousness?"

Xu Ran waved his hand, his expression calm. "That was all within my power to give. While it may have been useful to her, it was nothing of note to me. It didn’t require any great sacrifice."

Yue Qingyu smiled faintly and looked at him, her expression serious.

"But as you yourself said, Junior Brother, it was very meaningful to *her*, was it not?"

She watched Xu Ran’s expression and asked gently, "Junior Brother, what do you consider to be sentimental and righteous?"

She didn’t wait for his answer, continuing, "In my opinion, regardless of the era, when a person helps others within their means or repays a kindness, all while ensuring their own well-being—that is being sentimental and righteous."

"What you’re thinking of, Junior Brother—the kind of act that requires a great toll, even self-sacrifice—that is sacrifice. That is devotion. That is martyrdom."

"It is not only this grand love that belongs to the Dao of Sentiment. In fact, in my eyes, that already falls outside the scope of the Dao of Sentiment."

"We don’t need to deliberately pursue qualities that are not in line with our own nature. The emotions we witness in the small, ordinary moments of daily life are also a form of the Dao of Sentiment."

"First, establish yourself, and then give back to others. That is the Dao of Sentiment in its most fundamental form. In my eyes, Junior Brother, you have been practicing your Dao all along."

"So, Junior Brother, believe in yourself. Face yourself. And accept yourself for who you are."