Immortal Paladin
224 Cultivation of the Six Paths

224 Cultivation of the Six Paths

Hei Mao moved without hesitation. His palm struck Da Wei square in the chest, sending the latter tumbling backward across the cracked, shadowed tiles that marked the edge of Meng Po’s world. Before Da Wei could even rise, Hei Mao was already above him, slamming a heel down toward his shoulder. Da Wei twisted, barely evading, but still earned a new bruise for the effort. However, with the rules of Meng Po's world, the bruise soon vanished.

Da Wei rolled once, twice, then sprang up with surprising agility and launched a punch of his own. Hei Mao didn’t dodge as he didn’t need to. The punch landed, but it was like striking the trunk of an immortal tree.

“Oh, come on,” complained Da Wei. “This isn’t funny…”

Hei Mao smiled at the effort. “Master, I have suppressed my cultivation to your level, but why are you still so slow?”

Da Wei clicked his tongue, "Hey, aren’t disciples supposed to respect their masters? Or is beating the crap out of me your way of saying you missed me?”

Hei Mao didn’t answer. He simply struck again, this time with a sweeping kick that folded Da Wei into the air. Da Wei grunted as he slammed back-first into a boulder, which cracked slightly on impact. Da Wei groaned and slid to the ground, coughing out something that might have been dust… or a piece of lung.

“Ow,” he muttered, sprawled on the floor like a rag doll, his hair frazzled and his robe in tatters. “That was excessive. What kind of reunion starts with domestic abuse?”

Hei Mao approached, arms folded behind his back. His eyes, once the wide and bright curiosity of a naive ghost, now held the clarity and coldness of someone who had walked a long, lonely road of cultivation. “It’s to get to know you again, Master. Your habits. Your inclinations. Your reflexes, your reactions… everything. It’s been a long time.”

Da Wei spat to the side, more for drama than anything else. “I’m flattered. Truly. Your love hurts in all the wrong places.”

Hei Mao didn’t smile, but there was warmth in his voice. “Back then, I understood you through our travels. Through the choices you made. But now? You’ve walked through the wheel, dined with a goddess, and tricked the soup of forgetfulness. You’ve changed.”

“I still find dumb jokes funny, if that helps,” Da Wei wheezed. “Also, I hate being punched.”

Hei Mao knelt beside him, this time offering a hand instead of a fist. Da Wei took it, and the young ghost helped him up without ceremony.

“For me, it was easy,” Hei Mao continued. “The Six Paths are tied to what we are. I am a ghost. I cultivate the Ghost Path. I refine desires and ambitions, temper them into something eternal. My method is called the Longevity Ghost Method. It aligns perfectly with what I am… and who I’ve become.”

Da Wei brushed the dirt off his shoulder and grimaced. “That’s great and enlightening. Now, how does that help me stop you from turning me into a meat pancake?”

“We have to figure out what path suits you, Master. Among the Six Paths… Heaven, Human, Asura, Animal, Ghost, Hell… what speaks to your core?”

“It’s pretty easy, isn’t it?” Da Wei dusted off his robe and stood with his hands behind his head, eyes to the dull ceiling of stars. “I’m very human… so, obviously, Human Path.”

Hei Mao sighed and turned to Ox-Head without bothering to argue. “Can you tell him what you told me?”

The towering figure of Ox-Head, who’d been silent for a while, gave a slow nod. “You can’t be human.”

Da Wei’s smile cracked. “What do you mean I can’t be human? So what am I now? A ghost? Technically, I’m not dead yet. Just… out-possessed by some perverted skeleton.”

Horse-Face snorted from the sidelines. “Hah! If you’re a ghost, then I’m a horse!”

Da Wei blinked. “Aren’t you already—?”

Both Hei Mao and Ox-Head gave Horse-Face a flat look. Horse-Face grumbled and turned his back. “What are you all staring at?! Never mind…”

Ox-Head cleared his throat and stepped forward, drawing a large, black-bound tome from within his robe. It looked too large to have been hidden anywhere reasonable. Its surface shimmered with binding spells and writhing ink as though the book itself breathed.

“If you’re a ghost, you need regrets. You need obsessions,” Ox-Head explained as he flipped open the tome. “So what are yours?”

Da Wei scratched his cheek. “I have a lot… too many. But I can’t cling to them forever, right? At some point, I need to move on.”

“That’s a very human thing to say,” Ox-Head said mildly, not looking up from the pages. “But let’s see what the record says.”

He ran a thick finger across the page, his eyes following the ink that rearranged itself with every breath.

“You were sent from the stars by the hand of fate. That alone means you were aligned with the Heaven Path.”

Da Wei squinted. “Huh, sounds fancy.”

“You built connections. Changed people’s fates. Each time you choose to act for someone else’s good, consciously or not, you deepen your ties to the Human Path.”

Ox-Head continued flipping, the tome whispering like dry leaves in a breeze. “You challenged Hell’s Gate and destroyed whatever stood in your way. That’s the Asura Path… the path of war, of those who trample over others to survive.”

Horse-Face let out a low whistle. “That’s three already. You collecting these like trading cards?”

Ox-Head ignored him. “You wandered ignorantly under a ruler’s will, surviving on instinct while remaining true to your principles. The Animal Path, governed by nature’s law of survival.”

Hei Mao glanced at Da Wei but said nothing.

“And here,” Ox-Head tapped the page, “your obsession with protecting the people you care for… your inability to let go, to rest. That’s Ghost Path.”

Da Wei folded his arms and muttered under his breath. “Can’t help it if I care too much.”

“And lastly,” Ox-Head said, closing the book with a faint thump, “you slaughtered helpless cultivators.”

Da Wei’s head whipped around. “For the record, they were from Summit Hall! And they were bad seeds! Rotten to the core!”

Horse-Face scoffed, “Still not your place to judge. That was supposed to be for the Afterlife to decide.”

Ox-Head’s expression didn’t change, but his tone softened. “We’re in no position to judge either. The Underworld hasn’t upheld moral authority in a very long time. So don't mistake this for condemnation. It’s just… facts.”

Da Wei took a step back and exhaled. “Fine. So I’ve got pieces of all Six Paths in me. Now what?”

Hei Mao spoke gently. “Now you choose. We figure out which one of those paths resonates most with your nature. Not the one you think you belong to, but the one you are. That’s the one we’ll cultivate.”

Da Wei looked at Ox-Head, curiosity briefly eclipsing his guilt. “Hey… what is that book, really?”

Horse-Face interjected, arms crossed. “It’s the Book of Life and Death. Records… stuff.”

“Stuff?” Da Wei asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ox-Head closed the book and held it close. “Stuff.”

“I want to see it.”

“No,” Horse-Face and Ox-Head said in perfect unison.

“Figures.” Da Wei threw up his hands. “So what path should I follow then?”

Ox-Head didn’t even bother lifting his head. “We don’t know. And until we beat the answer out of you, the punches are going to keep coming. For this to work, you must be truthful and not give an insincere answer. We will know.”

Hei Mao offered an apologetic shrug. “Yeah, that’s how it’s going to be, Master. Sorry…”

Da Wei lifted a single finger, eyes bright with mischief. “Wait, wait. I have an idea. What if… I walk all Six Paths?”

The air quieted.

Hei Mao frowned, voice low with concern. “Master, you only have one soul. You can’t be a ghost and a human at the same time. While there are human-like ghosts or ghost-like humans, there can’t be something that’s truly both.”

Ox-Head nodded solemnly. “It’s not possible. Every Path requires different anchors to the soul. Conflicting attributes would tear it apart.”

“A bunch of idiots…” Horse-Face scoffed. “Tsk. That’s actually possible.”

All eyes swiveled to him. Ox-Head blinked as if someone had slapped him in the face. “Explain.”

Horse-Face flexed his thick neck like this was common knowledge. “Is it just me, or are you lot truly idiots? Obviously, by going back and forth between the paths! Rotate them. Alternate! It’s gonna take time and effort, but it’s not impossible.”

Ox-Head frowned deeply. “It’s not that simple. His soul will fracture under the pressure. The conflicting traits… desire versus virtue, instinct versus wisdom… they’ll grind each other into shards. One wrong step, and he’ll lose his sense of self.”

Da Wei didn’t hesitate. “How powerful will I become if I succeed?”

Horse-Face grinned, a grin that looked far too satisfied for anyone’s peace of mind. “If you succeed, you’ll be invincible. No realm could hold you. You could skip realms, tear through the chains of cause and effect, and stand outside the rules of the Six Paths. And honestly, it isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Most cultivators nowadays don’t even understand the Six Paths. They ‘feel’ their way through the universe. But you? You’ve got us… immortals with actual brains.”

Hei Mao squinted at him. “This is suspicious. Why are you suddenly being nice?”

Ox-Head narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do it, Hei Mao’s Master.”

“I have a name, you know,” Da Wei muttered before nodding solemnly. “But yeah, you’re probably right. Hei Mao, keep beating the shit out of me.”

Horse-Face’s grin vanished. “Tch. Your loss. And here I was looking forward to watching you explode from all that chaotic energy…”

Da Wei snapped his fingers. “I changed my mind. Let’s do it.”

Now, Hei Mao was truly baffled. He didn’t speak aloud, instead using Qi Speech, <Why, Master?>

Da Wei’s voice echoed softly in his mind, carrying that same calm certainty that made him both irritating and admirable. <Because Horse-Face was lying. He said he looked forward to my death, but it wasn’t true. That means he actually wants me to succeed.>

Hei Mao couldn’t argue with that. His master’s instincts about people had always bordered on the supernatural. Even when clouded by self-doubt or pain, Da Wei could read intent like ink on a scroll.

“Fine by me, Master,” Hei Mao said, stepping forward. “But if we’re doing this… we do it carefully and methodically. One path at a time, okay?”

Ox-Head looked horrified. “This is suicidal.”

Horse-Face grinned wider. “No, this is going to be fun.”

Hei Mao took a deep breath and raised his hand, gently pulsing with Qi. “Then let’s start with the first beating. We’ll find which Path sings loudest in your blood.”

Da Wei clenched his fists and smiled. “Bring it on!”

So, they worked.

And to Hei Mao’s surprise… Da Wei transcended reason.

Hei Mao watched his master closely, carefully, and with growing astonishment.

When their training began, Hei Mao expected a long process of rebuilding. Da Wei had arrived only at the Soul Recognition Realm, the first step within the Three Cosmic Elements. Hei Mao assumed he would have to start from scratch, laying down foundational cultivations for each of the Six Paths. But after just a single bout… one in which Da Wei coughed blood, limped away, made five bad puns, and still managed to counter with a fistful of raw, unrefined martial intent, Hei Mao began to realize something unsettling.

His master had already tempered his body, mind, will, and spirit. Not only that, but he had done so within all Six Paths.

That should’ve been impossible.

Each Path… Heaven, Human, Asura, Animal, Ghost, and Hell… demanded radically different approaches. The Ghost Path required obsession and emotional refinement; the Asura Path relied on martial fury and the sharpening of one’s essence through endless conflict. Animal instincts, karmic merit, spiritual harmony with fate… these weren’t just traits, they were entire systems of cultivation. Yet somehow, Da Wei had traversed each.

Hei Mao felt a chill. This wasn’t just talent. It was something more. His master wasn’t merely gifted… he was unclassifiable.

He looked closer.

Gone was the muddled spiritual root Da Wei once had. In its place was a Pure Yang Spiritual Root. No, not anymore. After the Essence Gathering, it had evolved again, becoming a Yin-Yang Mixed Spiritual Root. That kind of mutation required profound resonance between contradictory natures. It was said to be a root type that mirrored the universe itself, capable of harmony and destruction, creation and decay.

But that wasn’t what troubled Hei Mao most.

What unsettled him was how Da Wei could even exist here like this. No soul in Meng Po’s world should be able to retain cultivation. Upon death, a cultivator’s spiritual energy would erode, dissolving their power along with their flesh. The Underworld did not recognize corporeal cultivation… it was a realm of shadows, not essence.

Yet Da Wei had arrived with spiritual power intact.

When asked, Da Wei simply shrugged and explained: he had separated the cultivation of his soul from that of his body. It was a necessary strategy due to his reliance on Divine Possession, a technique that required him to abandon his physical form to inhabit others. Without this separation, he would be defenseless the moment he left his body behind.

In other words, Da Wei had cultivated like a ghost without ever dying.

With the assistance of Ox-Head and Horse-Face, two beings whose understanding of the Six Paths far surpassed Hei Mao’s, they began the long task of stabilizing Da Wei’s cultivation. The trio helped him sort through the tangled mass of energies he had collected across lifetimes of different people. They helped him recognize each Path, trace the imprint it left on his soul, and root it firmly within his cultivation framework.

Only then did true cultivation begin.

Soul Recognition was the first of the Three Cosmic Elements. Its requirement was simple but profound: identify the shape of one’s soul in three dimensions. Most cultivators struggled to even reach the first. Da Wei had already begun with it, likely due to the aftereffects of merging with Jue Bu or tapping into the Destiny Seeking Eyes if what Da Wei had shared with him had all been true. Da Wei soon reached the Second Dimension. Then the Third.

But he did not stop.

Where others would proceed to the next stage, Da Wei pressed on. He recognized his soul in a First Dimension… and a Second… then a Third again, and then again. By the time he finished, six soul-constructs spun around the core of his being… an asterisk pattern gleaming inside his Dantian. Six Souls. Six anchors. Six reflections of the Six Paths.

None of them could believe it.

Essence Gathering came next. It required the cultivator to layer spiritual essence in the Dantian a hundred times over. Each layer would compress into the next until all essence fused into a single, refined nucleus. When Da Wei reached the end, his spiritual root mutated once again… transforming fully into a Yin-Yang Mixed Root, a balance of opposing forces neither rejecting nor overtaking the other.

And then came the most dangerous step in the Three Cosmic Elements: Bloodline Refinement.

This stage was brutal, even in the best circumstances. One had to burst their meridians, then forcibly reconnect them to the brain, heart, and Dantian. It was a reconstruction of self and redefining what the body was meant to be. Da Wei, though a spiritual body, accomplished the unthinkable. He conjured a physical form, refined from soul essence alone.

By the end, he stood not as a mere ghost or drifting soul… but as something new.

It took tens of thousands of years in Meng Po’s world, but finally, Da Wei completed the Three Cosmic Elements. Soul Recognition. Essence Gathering. Bloodline Refinement. All aligned with the Six Paths. All balanced upon a foundation not forged by tradition, but carved by madness, instinct, and terrifying ingenuity.

Hei Mao stared at his master in silence for a long time.

And then, with a tired chuckle, he whispered to himself:

“…He really isn’t human.”