The group agreed to meet at the gate at the same time as before so Zhao Fan had a few hours when he woke up. He quickly headed back to the classroom to receive some last-minute instruction from his teacher. His cultivation also recently reached the peak of the third level so he wanted to shop around for some special medicine to break through after.

"Good morning master!" Zhao Fan walked in and saw his teacher already sitting on a bench, drinking tea. The cold silence of the morning created a peaceful atmosphere in the air, the hot cup of tea released white vapor gently into the air. For a moment, Zhao Fan looked at Master Li's figure and felt that he was very lonely.

"Zhao Fan? Come sit next to me." Master Li turned around and greeted him with a smile.

Zhao Fan came forward and noticed that next to his Master was another cup of tea. He sat down next to him and picked the cup up in his hands, calmly taking a drink.

"Good tea!" He couldn't help but remark. Despite only drinking tea during special occasions, Zhao Fan was able to tell that the tea was extremely expensive. Master Li didn't pay any attention to what he said and a reminiscing look flashed in his eyes.

"Years ago, I was just like you, eager to enter the world of cultivation. If there was any way for me to become stronger I would grasp it without a second thought, which led to me risking my life many times." His teacher’s tone was grave and slow, as if each one reopened his old wounds which could not heal completely. Seeing his teacher so serious all of a sudden, Zhao Fan lowered the cup of tea and listened carefully.

"When I finally was on the verge of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, I had a chance encounter with a female cultivator.. It was love at first sight, for the first time I found someone more important to me than cultivation. Shortly after, together we found the last resource needed for a pill that would help me, but there was another group coveting it. Us and the group fought, we were severely outnumbered and I swore that if we ever escaped alive, I would stop putting my life in danger and live peacefully with my love." Master Li stopped, his tone lowered further and his expression darkend.

"She ended up dying to let me get that damned stalk of grass in the end. Her death became a heart demon impeding my breakthrough, her sacrifice was for naught. My dao path couldn't bear it and my cultivation declined to the Foundation Establishment Realm. In the end, I became a sorry person who can only waste his life away soundlessly." In the end, he sighed and drank a mouthful of tea.

Zhao Fan wanted to comfort him but couldn’t find the words when he saw the peaceful expression on his teacher's face and decided against it. He was someone who already accepted his fate. Zhao Fan felt that he was not just casually telling him a story.

"Alas, things like what happened to me are really common in the world of cultivation. If you want to become strong, the only thing in your heart should be cultivation. Tell me Zhao Fan, why do you want to become stronger?" Master Li suddenly turned towards his student.

"... I love the rush I get when I fight and defeat my opponents. I want to fly unrestricted and see everything there is to see in this world. Most importantly, I want to protect my loved ones from danger!" Zhao Fan felt stupid admitting it but that was the honest reason.

"That is the most generic and basic motivation for cultivating!" A short and emotionless laugh escaped his Master's throat.

"Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with what you said. Humans all have a desire for power and a natural curiosity, wishing to protect one's loved ones is all normal as well. As you will undoubtedly come to learn, your dao path is the most important thing on your path to achieving the peak.”

“If you want to strive to become the strongest your dao path needs to be damn near indestructible! Every time you take a step forward, you’ll be putting your life at risk. When you see death's emotionless face staring at you during your adventures, a smile should creep on your face! That is the kind of attitude one should have to become strong!" Every word he said was spoken in an overbearing and ferocious tone. It was weird for Zhao Fan to see his teacher so emotional over something, but he realized that these words were akin to gold.

"Every cultivator has the gift of life. It is the most important resource, even a heavenly genius with a golden spoon might lag behind a poor servant who doesn't fear death! We are all servants of fate, in the end, it will take into consideration our skills and abilities, and based on its mood it will decide if you survive in the most perilous times. Whether fate allows a person to live or turns a blind eye to his pleas, one cannot find out unless they put their life on the line. That has been the only way forward since ancient times!"

"If your heart is weighed down by family or friends, you should stop before you make any real enemies. The path of cultivation is one that you can't leave without paying a price." Master Li said with a grave tone.

Zhao Fan froze completely. That was exactly what he was contemplating lately, he was too scared to die and leave his father alone. If he relied on Hei Long's business idea and did nothing himself as he planned earlier, he would not be able to advance a step in his cultivation and his dao path would shatter. He realized that it was a far more pressing issue that he needed to address as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Master Li, I will keep this in mind!" Master Li was a figure worthy of respect. He had reached the very peak of the Core Condensation realm and almost stepped into the Nascent Soul realm which would make him a powerful figure even in the whole empire. Furthermore, he experienced the cultivation path and was someone who could help out Zhao Fan immensely. If he told him anything, Zhao Fan felt that he should treat it with the most importance.

Zhao Fan hurriedly got up and got on his knees to bow in front of his teacher. Without him, Zhao Fan would probably have no chance at all to compete against geniuses, the debt he owed his teacher was immense.

"Come on, get up and finish your tea before it gets cold" Master Li showed a genuine smile for seemingly the first time. He did not look old, maybe in his thirties but the lonely and desolate look in his eyes painted a different picture. Maybe after his wife died, he already abandoned all hope and motivation to strive for anything. Zhao Fan now had one more motivation in his heart. If he did well in the tournament, maybe his teacher would feel proud and a ray of happiness would break into his cold heart.

Zhao Fan also smiled and sipped on his tea while watching the rising sun with his master. All his worries about his future path and the competition gradually flew away with the morning breeze. His only focus was the beautiful scenery and the hot tea which slid down into his stomach and made him feel warm and at ease. Ever since he decided to enter the forest and begin his journey, Zhao Fan did not have any time to calm down and appreciate what he already had.

"I can't live under the wishes of my father my whole life, cultivation is something I can't keep away from and ignore. If I'm going to stay true to my heart then I shall embark on this boundless path with the ultimate end being my death." Zhao Fan suddenly blurted out a sentence straight from his heart.

Pop

Spiritual energy surged in the courtyard where the two sat, forming a small vortex around Zhao Fan.

"I broke through!" Zhao Fan quickly sat in a meditative position and happily explained. Master Li smiled looking at his student's happiness.

"But how?" Although he was close to breaking through, Zhao Fan thought it would happen after he used some precious resources or during an intense battle. As far as he knew, those were the only ways to break through so much a sudden event was completely unexpected.

"It seems I was right and you had some worries about your cultivation path. Even if they were just worries if they took root and sprouted they would become heart demons that would torment you. Eliminating them in such a way is the same as receiving enlightenment during battle. Any time your mindset grows, your dao path grows with it."

"Master, are you telling the truth? Are you sure you didn’t mix some breakthrough pill into the tea?!" Zhao Fan bowed while trying to maintain a serious expression.

Master Li burst out laughing and his remaining tea spilled all over the ground.