In just an instant, Su Rumei’s expression stiffened. She stood there dumbstruck, her reaction a strange mix of confusion and disbelief.

“This realm… how is it so different from what was expected?”

The shadow beside her also looked toward the carriage with surprise. After pondering for a long time, it spoke.

“In this situation, there are only two possibilities.”

“Which two?” Su Rumei asked.

She saw the shadow purse its lips and say, “Either he is a waste, the kind of useless trash who can’t be helped even after entering the Dao.”

“Or…”

“He is a true, genuine genius, whose future achievements will inevitably make you and me look up in awe!”

…

The discussion between Su Rumei and the shadow was unknown to Gu Xiu inside the carriage. At this moment, he sat cross-legged, eyes tightly closed, carefully sensing the changes brought about by his recent Dao Enlightenment.

The Great Dao has three thousand paths; the so-called Dao Heart is the principle one persistently upholds and believes in on the path of cultivation.

This concept is profoundly mysterious. For ordinary cultivators, a Dao Heart is often useless; its very existence is sometimes questioned. Even for some great beings with exceptionally high cultivation, the Dao Heart seems optional, as its presence does not guarantee higher cultivation or reaching the pinnacle.

But more people acknowledge its importance. They believe that while a strong Dao Heart may not guarantee the peak, to become a true powerhouse and genuinely walk toward the summit, a Dao Heart is indispensable!

The stronger and more steadfast one’s Dao Heart, the more resolute one will be on the arduous path of cultivation.

Whether this belief is absolute or not has always been debated, but one thing is certain: solidifying one’s Dao Heart definitely makes one stronger. It might seem useless in the short term, but the further one travels, the more apparent its role becomes.

Gu Xiu was fortunate because he had successfully entered the Dao five hundred years ago and obtained a Dao Heart. But he was also unfortunate.

Five hundred years ago, before entering the forbidden land, Gu Xiu’s Dao Heart had been singular: Protection!

He wanted to protect his sect, his senior sisters, his master, and his companions on the path of seeking the Dao.

But in the end, that Dao Heart became a joke.

This time, given another chance, Gu Xiu’s Dao Heart had changed. From protection, it had transformed…

Like the Wind!

He could go anywhere, free from attachments. Unfettered as the wind! At the same time, he could be a gentle spring breeze turning into rain, or a violent storm bringing thunder!

This was the Dao Gu Xiu found this time. He had found a new path!

This Dao Heart was not merely a goal or a forced personality; it was an enlightenment. It allowed Gu Xiu’s understanding of the Dao to reach a higher level.

As Gu Xiu started cultivating anew from scratch, he felt something shift within his heart. The bottleneck that had constrained him five hundred years ago… had disappeared!

If his cultivation resources were sufficient, he could immediately ascend to a higher realm without hindrance! This was the power of a Dao Heart!

“Five hundred years of torment and three years of prejudice allowed me to obtain this Dao Heart.”

“All of this… was worth it!”

Gu Xiu sighed inwardly, his eyes exceptionally bright as he turned his attention to his Dantian Qi Sea.

His Qi Refining fourth-layer cultivation, achieved not long ago, had now improved along with his Dao Enlightenment.

Qi Refining seventh layer!

This improvement didn’t seem significant at all; one could even say it was a poor performance given the magnitude of the event. Yet, there wasn’t a trace of disappointment on Gu Xiu’s face. On the contrary, he looked radiant and spirited.

Because…

The improvement in cultivation level isn’t judged solely by the speed of advancement. Fundamentally, the size of the Dantian Qi Sea determines everything.

A smaller Dantian Qi Sea means less spiritual energy is required for cultivation. Unless one’s aptitude is abysmal or their technique terrible, their speed of advancement would naturally be faster.

But if the Dantian Qi Sea is too large, the spiritual energy required increases exponentially. If one’s aptitude or technique isn’t strong enough, they might struggle to make any progress in their entire lifetime!

This means that fast cultivation speed isn’t necessarily a good thing. It could indicate a small Dantian. Although advancement is quicker, and one could rely on realm suppression to overwhelm prodigies with stronger aptitude but lower realms, such dominance is temporary.

Ultimately, the foundation is weak. Like a castle in the air—progress is fast in the early stages, but the further one goes, the bigger the gap becomes, and the future achievement ceiling lowers.

And Gu Xiu?

His Dantian Qi Sea was truly a vast, boundless ocean! Countless times vaster than ordinary cultivators!

This would make his realm advancement much more difficult, requiring more opportunities and time than others. But similarly… his foundation would be more solid, and his future potential infinitely higher.

He could even rely on this to fight across realms. As for cultivators of the same realm, he could simply outlast them, exhausting them to death!

This point was evident from the massive spiritual energy attracted during his Dao Enlightenment. If an ordinary person absorbed such power, they would have broken into the Foundation Establishment realm! But Gu Xiu merely crossed three minor realms!

Importantly, such massive spiritual energy didn’t disappear or get wasted. It became part of Gu Xiu’s Dantian Qi Sea. Although his level was only the seventh layer of Qi Refining, his spiritual energy density was comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators!

This was his greatest strength.

However, besides Gu Xiu himself, others could not glimpse these truths. Naturally, those cultivators outside monitoring his Dao Enlightenment began shaking their heads.

“Qi Refining seventh layer? Actually only the seventh layer?”

“This is definitely the worst Dao Enlightenment result I’ve ever seen.”

“Indeed, such dense spiritual energy merely raised him three minor stages. The improvement is far too little.”

“This is not the fault of the Dao Enlightenment; the fault lies in his own aptitude being too poor. He couldn’t fully absorb the spiritual energy gathered.”

“Maybe his cultivation technique is too poor as well. Pity.”

Many sighed regretfully, thinking Gu Xiu wasted a great opportunity due to poor aptitude.

Naturally, some gloated.

“Hahaha, such a Dao Enlightenment… his future will likely become a laughingstock.”

“Indeed. I originally thought he had some outstanding talent, but the result is just waste. Given the opportunity, he cannot enjoy it. If the improvement is only this much, such a Dao Enlightenment is better off not happening.”

Quite a few people looked toward the carriage with eyes filled with mockery and ridicule.

However, these mockeries ceased abruptly when Gu Xiu stepped out of the carriage.