Chapter 152: Two Paths, Two Kinds of People

They are all pitiful people, but there is no one else to blame; it was their own choices back then that led to their current end.

Buzz!

Even as Weng Han thought this, his hand movements did not stop. Wisps of red flames emerged from his palms, surging upward with a roar!

"Afraid of hardship, afraid of weariness, unable to persevere, giving up!"

Boom!

Bringing his hands together, his palms slammed shut and then pulled apart, instantly stretching the flames into a long strip that emitted a roaring sound!

Weng Han’s expression remained indifferent, his mind split into two. One part was as cold as water—icy, desolate, and detached, guiding the actions in his hands. The other part was complex and hard to fathom, seemingly simple yet intricate, tangled with a flurry of thoughts.

"The hardships of the past, the difficult days, every step a struggle, truly unbearable!"

As he pulled his palms apart and slammed them together once more, the flames flared up violently, only to be instantly extinguished by the sheer speed of his hands. They were drawn back into his palms, leaving not a single flicker of fire, as if they had never appeared at all!

"Because of the hardship, I invested my heart!"

"Because I invested my heart, I expended my energy!"

"Because I expended my energy, it was unforgettable!"

The roaring sound rolled on like a mighty river, continuous and endless, shaking the surroundings with a deep rumble—it was the sound of the blood surging within Weng Han's body!

"And precisely because of that deep dedication back then, that period of time remains especially unforgettable!"

"Thinking back now, only those days—hard as they were—felt almost eternal, carved into my heart and never to be forgotten. Even now, whenever a thought stirs, the past is vividly before my eyes, every bit of it bearing the imprint of that era!"

His Dharmic power flowed silently, like spring rain, and with the surging of his blood, it merged into every single drop!

"If a person has no dreams, what difference is there between them and a salted fish?"

Weng Han remained expressionless. In his ears, the sound of his blood surging within his body was especially loud, like a startling thunderclap that shook the soul, yet it failed to stir the slightest ripple in his heart!

"At the very moment we chose to give up, we had already abandoned our dreams. Without the existence of dreams, although life instantly became much easier and the days seemed far better, the truth is that from that exact moment, we all turned into mere salted fish!"

Buzz~

Weng Han slowly closed his eyes, and following the thoughts in his mind, he manipulated the circulation of Dharmic power within his body. The moment all the Dharmic power fused into his blood, his body gave a violent shudder, and a wave of heat spontaneously generated from within, burning amidst his blood. Using his Dharmic power as fuel, it burned fiercely, yet completely soundlessly!

"Resentment, still resentment. In truth, even under such circumstances, we probably could have gone on. After all, the Pseudo-Core realm—this is no ordinary boundary, and not just anyone is qualified to step into it!"

"If not for this lingering unwillingness in our hearts, perhaps we wouldn't have ended up like this, unconsciously sinking into madness!"

"Actually, living a pastoral life as a wealthy country squire is also a very good way to live!"

The Dharmic power burned fiercely inside his body without a single sound escaping to the outside world. As the Dharmic power was gradually consumed, an inexplicable aura suddenly emanated from within Weng Han!

Upon noticing Weng Han's transformation, Zhou Yi's originally casual gaze abruptly turned solemn. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Weng Han with a newfound earnestness!

"This aura?"

Looking at the strange aura surrounding Weng Han, Zhou Yi muttered to himself, a peculiar feeling involuntarily rising in his chest. It wasn't that the aura had reached a level capable of harming him, but rather that it was so bizarre, sparking both curiosity and an indescribable sentiment within him!

"Yet, that kind of life is a path we can no longer return to!"

Weng Han thought, his expression darkening for a fraction of a second before it quickly vanished, replaced by an air of carefree detachment. A thought flashed through his body, and the speed at which his Dharmic power burned grew even faster!

"The environment of Absolute World Island is a matter of life or death. To act as salted fish, one must accept the duties of a salted fish. This is, in essence, a trap; we simply lacked the restraint and walked right into it ourselves!"

Weng Han's brow smoothed out. Even though the thoughts passing through his mind were utterly depressing, not the slightest trace of it showed on his face.

"On Absolute World Island, we are salted fish, which in reality means we are stepping stones, whetstones used to hone blades—over and over again, with no end in sight!"

With a clear mind, reflecting on his many years of life on Absolute World Island, Weng Han understood it all at once. Absolute World Island was no benevolent place; here, there were only two kinds of people: one was the whetstone and the stepping stone—the rock that sharpens the blade, the stairs that are trodden upon!

The other kind was the blade being sharpened, the foot stepping upon the stone!

These two types of people precisely represented two paths: one was the Aperture Infusion Method, and the other was the Aperture Growth Method!

Two paths. One was arduous, fraught with endless tribulations, a narrow mountain trail—though difficult to walk, it still held a future!

The other was smooth, marching forward in broad strides, with divine winds aiding one's steps, yet its boundaries were already fixed like a cage, trapping a person within. No matter how fast one walked, one could only circle back and forth within that confined space!

Two paths, two kinds of people. Weng Han had already walked the path of the whetstone and knew its end did not lead to a peaceful demise. As for the second path, he had walked it once before, only to give up halfway, failing to reach the end, so he did not know whether it was good or bad.

Yet, despite not knowing its merits or flaws, Weng Han, experiencing a sudden enlightenment at this moment, had a rough guess. As long as one could persist in walking it, the future of this second path would definitely extend much further than the first—that was certain!

And the end of this path would undoubtedly be a good one, except that Weng Han did not hold out hope that anyone could truly walk this path to the very end!

Though he did not know what Absolute World Island was ultimately trying to achieve, judging by his experiences over the years, he could be certain it was nothing good. To fully traverse the second path, Absolute World Island itself was the first major hurdle one had to face!

As for the difficulty of this hurdle, Weng Han only needed to think of Absolute World Island's strength to feel a chill in his heart, followed by a wry, silent chuckle. It was what it was; thinking about it was enough, actually trying to do it was out of the question!

"Therefore, when all is said and done, Absolute World Island has only one true path: the whetstone!" Weng Han's thoughts gradually straightened out. From the moment they gave up, indulging themselves and living a life of abandon for a while, they had completely let themselves go, losing all sense of awe. Perhaps deep down, in their subconscious, they had already realized this truth, only they dared not admit it to themselves!

"Absolute World Island's goal is to raise a group of salted fish. Although the ultimate purpose remains unknown, its methods should roughly amount to this, no doubt about it!"

Weng Han's eyes held a look of sudden realization as he let out a deep sigh!

He was no genius, but since he could figure this out, others certainly could too. Perhaps their numbers weren't large, but those who held a vague concept of this should not be in the minority—yet not a single person had ever spoken it aloud.

Weng Han understood why, with absolute clarity. Why had he and the other four around him ended up like this? Wasn't the reason precisely because of this?