The Unparalleled Sword Emperor
Chapter 962 - 960: Discussing the Way! Enlightenment Path!

Chapter 962: Chapter 960: Discussing the Way! Enlightenment Path!

Lin Bai immediately perked up and watched the Fishing Old Man intently.

The Fishing Old Man slowly stood up from the ground, waved his hand, and abruptly, the surrounding environment vanished, transforming instantaneously into a vast mountain range.

Lin Bai watched the Fishing Old Man’s ability to change the landscape with shock and amazement.

"You, come look!"

The Fishing Old Man took Lin Bai to the bottom of a steep cliff and pointed ahead as he spoke.

Lin Bai looked up and saw that at the base of the cliff, droplets of water were falling to the ground, gradually forming a water pond on the earth.

The water pond filled up and overflowed.

After Lin Bai and the Fishing Old Man appeared, with the fall of the last drop, the pond’s water level reached its brim and began to spill over.

The water in the pond then started to flow down to lower areas.

"When the water in the pond is full, it begins to overflow. To where does it go?" the Fishing Old Man asked.

"This junior knows a little about this. As the saying goes, ’People climb to higher places and water flows to lower ones.’ Once the pond’s water overflows, it flows downward, joining rivers and eventually pouring into the Vast Ocean."

"All Rivers Return to the Sea is indeed the principle here," Lin Bai responded lightly.

The Fishing Old Man nodded gently, "Let’s go."

"Go? Where to?" Lin Bai asked curiously.

"Since we are fated to meet this tiny droplet of water, why don’t we accompany it on part of its journey?" the Fishing Old Man said with a gentle smile.

"Accompany a drop of water?" Lin Bai looked at the Fishing Old Man, puzzled.

The Fishing Old Man smiled indifferently, stepping forward to follow the droplet across the land as it flowed.

Lin Bai followed the Fishing Old Man closely, watching the droplet gather into a small river, heading towards lower ground.

Along the way, the droplet encountered many obstacles—high mountains blocked its path, woodlands absorbed it, and fierce animals drank from it. However, it overcame all these challenges and kept rushing forward.

But at that moment, Lin Bai raised his head to see a range of continuous high mountains ahead with sky-reaching trees within, which the droplet seemed unable to cross.

"It cannot pass?" Lin Bai said softly.

"It will get through," the Fishing Old Man smiled.

Lin Bai paused, patiently standing with the Fishing Old Man.

Upon reaching the towering mountain and forest, the droplet did not flow forward but came to a halt on the spot.

Quickly, time flew by.

More and more droplets gathered in this place.

The water was plentiful and mixed, with rainwater, wastewater, muddy water... different types of water congregating there.

The droplet was no longer pure.

But without any aversion, the droplet merged with all the different waters.

It needed the strength now, the strength to cross over this great mountain and join the rivers.

A single drop gradually amassed into a pond, a pool, a lake...

Finally, after an unknowable amount of time, the droplet was no longer just a drop.

Now, it was a water pond, a pool, a lake, a world of its own...

It had accumulated enough power to destroy all obstacles in front of it, to annihilate all dangers ahead.

It would not linger any longer; it was ready to move on, to realize its dream of merging with the Vast Ocean.

It began to surge and swell; what was once an insignificant droplet had now become a mighty river capable of submerging tall mountains.

It crashed against the mountains, against the trees, tearing them down and carving out a river channel, rushing past.

On the other side of the mountain, a river flowed swiftly.

"Once the droplet joins the river, this first step is considered complete," the Fishing Old Man said with a light chuckle.

"The first step," Lin Bai narrowed his eyes, as if coming to a realization.

Seeing the confused expression on Lin Bai’s face, a faint smile appeared on the Fishing Old Man’s face.

If Lin Bai had not experienced any enlightenment upon seeing this, the Fishing Old Man might not have continued the journey with him.

"Let’s go," the Fishing Old Man called out softly once more.

Lin Bai continued to gaze ahead.

Because the droplet had merged with too many impurities, it became very turbid.

But, after it had overcome the mountain and merged with the river, the river’s force gradually cleansed the impurities, making it clear and bright again.

Lin Bai looked at the creek that flowed into the river.

As it followed the river, intending to reach the Vast Ocean, Lin Bai suddenly saw a fish appear in the water...

There was a fish.

On his way here, following the drop of water, Lin Bai had not seen any life in the water, and after it merged with too many impurities, it was even less likely for life to exist.

But after merging with the river, nourished by its waters, it began to harbor life.

That was a fish.

"Hehe, there’s a fish now, we can eat fish again," the Fishing Old Man said with a slight smile.

Lin Bai, as if not hearing the Fishing Old Man’s words, stared blankly at that one fish.

Lin Bai followed the Fishing Old Man’s footsteps, watching the river, that fish, step by step, towards the Vast Ocean.

Finally, after who knows how many years, this river, having run through the Earth for endless ages, it finally reached the place it had dreamt of.

That was an ocean.

An endless Vast Ocean, magnificent with its mighty waves.

And in its waters, that one fish, throughout this time, grew stronger and bigger, from a small fish into a great one capable of overturning rivers and seas.

The big fish entered the Vast Ocean, as comfortable as a fish in water, no longer bound by any force.

The big fish grew faster and faster.

From the initial small fish no more than ten centimeters long, it transformed into a huge fish nearly ten thousand meters long, its leaps seemingly capable of swallowing the sun and the moon, its tail swinging powerful enough to shatter mountains and rivers.

"It has arrived, we’ve escorted it part of the way."

"Let’s go, we shall return and see if that fish has been cooked," said the Fishing Old Man.

The Fishing Old Man took Lin Bai back to the island.

Lin Bai and the Fishing Old Man both looked immediately at the fish being roasted.

Lin Bai was surprised to find that despite they had been gone for so long, the fish remained exactly as when they’d left, showing no change whatsoever, not cooked at all.

Lin Bai didn’t understand.

Does roasting a fish really take this long?

"It seems it’s not yet done, well then, Lin Bai, tell me about the insights you’ve had along the way," said the Fishing Old Man.

"Lin Bai, have you realized it?" the Fishing Old Man looked at Lin Bai expectantly.

Lin Bai closed his eyes in silence, then opened them, his gaze vast as he looked out over the boundless sea.

"As a junior, my aptitude is dull, I’ve only realized a little," Lin Bai said with a faint smile.

The Fishing Old Man smiled and asked, "Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, what have you realized?"

"Water is the Path!"

"Fish is Man!"

"The Path nurtures fish, fish follow the Path!"

Lin Bai said faintly.

As Lin Bai voiced these words,

suddenly, the roasting fish changed color, it had cooked halfway through.

"Huh?" Lin Bai looked at the roasting fish in surprise.

The Fishing Old Man smiled faintly and slowly flipped the fish to cook the other side.

"What you said is right, and also not right," the Fishing Old Man, having flipped the fish, said with a smile.

"Then let me ask you: What about us? If there are only water and fish in this world, then what are we?" asked the Fishing Old Man with a smile.

"Us?"

Yes, what about us?

Are we merely onlookers on this journey?

Confused, Lin Bai said, "Please enlighten me, senior!"

"Perhaps the Martial Arts World you inhabit is too limited, so that you fail to comprehend a complete Path... Let me explain to you the ’Path’, and maybe you’ll gain a new understanding!" the Fishing Old Man said with a gentle laugh.