Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Suddenly, Qingyouzi's feet lost their footing!

His heart tightened, and he instinctively activated his magical power, his body hovering in mid-air. Looking around, all he saw was a hazy gray expanse, with no sky or earth, and chaos in all directions.

From the depths of the gray fog, the scene gradually became clear.

Not far ahead, a lone withered blade of grass stood, its leaves scorched and curled, yet a tiny bit of new green clung to its tip, making it particularly eye-catching.

Further away, an old pine tree stands quietly. Its trunk is rough, and half of its branches are charred black, clearly showing the marks of a fierce fire; while the other half sprouts tender green shoots, with glistening morning dew on the tips of its leaves, full of vitality.

Xuan Yizi sat cross-legged under the old pine tree, with a rough pottery bowl on the ground in front of him. The bowl was empty of water, with only a wisp of very faint blue smoke, barely perceptible, hovering half an inch above the rim, neither rising nor dissipating.

Qingyouzi composed himself and lifted his foot to move forward.

Just as this step was about to be taken...

"boom!"

Deep within his dantian, the suppressed ancient demonic energy suddenly erupted like an oil depot being ignited!

Thick, foul black gas surged uncontrollably from his pores, mouth, and nose, churning wildly as if to fill the entire gray space!

"Well!"

Qingyouzi groaned, his face instantly turning deathly pale. His meridians felt as if they were being pierced by countless fine needles, a tearing pain shooting through him. His vision blurred.

He hurriedly activated his magic power to suppress it, but the more he resisted, the stronger the evil energy surged back, even rushing against his meridians straight to his dantian and nascent soul, threatening to break out of his body and devour its master!

Don't rush.

Xuan Yizi's voice came steadily, not loud, but it seemed to carry a strange soothing power, which made Qing Youzi's frantic mood relax for no reason.

"sit down."

Despite the excruciating pain, Qingyouzi staggered a few steps and walked to the old pine tree, where he faced Xuanyizi.

He hesitated for a moment, then slowly sat down cross-legged.

Xuan Yizi's previous playful and casual demeanor was gone. His gaze was calm, his expression solemn, and he pointed to Qing Youzi's violently heaving chest.

Are you afraid of it?

Qingyouzi gasped for breath, veins throbbing on her temples. After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a sound through clenched teeth:

"This malevolent energy... it wants to destroy me."

Xuan Yizi shook his head slightly.

"That wisp of ancient demonic energy was merely a trigger."

His voice was deep and slow.

"What it stirs up is all the resentment, hatred, fear, and brutality you've accumulated over hundreds of years of killing, conquest, and hovering between life and death... These negative emotions are part of you, settled deep within your mind."

He looked at Qingyouzi:

"You keep resisting and suppressing it, viewing it as a malignant tumor and a scourge, and it only becomes more restless and ferocious. If you can first learn to accept your past, face these 'evil thoughts' squarely, understand their roots, and know their true nature, then that wisp of ancient demonic energy, having lost its foundation, will be like a fire without roots, and over time it will slowly dissipate."

Qingyouzi's expression shifted. This sounded reasonable; cultivators also valued a harmonious and balanced mind.

But... evil energy is evil energy. Throughout history, ancient texts and the experiences of our predecessors have all emphasized resolving, dispelling, and suppressing it. We have never heard of "accepting" it.

"senior,"

He suppressed his doubts, his voice hoarse.

"What specific method do you have to help me resolve this predicament? If I am freed, I will repay you with all my might whenever you have the chance."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yizi smiled gently.

He pointed to the new green shoots at the tip of the withered grass beside him, and then to the tender shoots sprouting from the charred branches of the old pine tree.

"Does grass fear frost and snow?"

Qingyouzi turned to look at the withered grass, but did not give an answer for a long time.

Xuan Yizi shook his head with a half-smile.

"Frost and snow kill off the withered grass, but also freeze and kill the pests. Beneath the ice, the earth's energy lies dormant, and nutrients accumulate. When spring returns, new buds break through the soil, growing even more vigorously than in previous years."

His tone was calm, as if he were recounting the ultimate truths of the universe.

"Look at this pine tree. What's hidden in its charred branches isn't death, but the vitality and resilience forged through fire. After the calamity, new life flourishes even more."

Having said that, he picked up the earthenware bowl in front of him and gently blew on the wisp of smoke rising from its rim.

The wisps of smoke drifted straight toward Qingyouzi.

"You think this is smoke? It is actually fog. When fog disperses, it becomes vapor; when it condenses, it becomes dew; when it gathers, it can turn into rain. It has no fixed form and changes according to circumstances."

Xuan Yizi's gaze was deep.

"The malevolent energy within you is like this fog to you. If you see it as an enemy, it will relentlessly haunt you; if you understand that it is originally a product of your thoughts and circumstances, then you can try... to coexist with it, or even guide it."

Qingyouzi looked puzzled. This reasoning, though profound, was completely contrary to what he knew and had learned. Since ancient times, malevolent energy has been a major taboo in cultivation, something to be avoided at all costs. How could there be talk of "coexisting" or "guiding" it?

"But senior, this malevolent aura..."

Before he could finish speaking, the wisp of smoke that drifted in front of him seemed to have a spirit of its own and suddenly entered his nostrils!

The smoke entered the body, cool and refreshing, traveling along the meridians. Wherever it passed, the raging, chaotic black currents of malevolent energy were momentarily stagnant and calmed, like boiling water poured over snow!

Although it lasted only a moment, the incredibly clear and soothing feeling greatly shocked Qingyouzi!

Xuan Yizi seized this moment, and his voice suddenly became clear, penetrating straight to the Purple Mansion:

"Close your eyes. Stop thinking about 'resolving' it, and stop resisting it."

"Just think of yourself as a mirror."

"Neither welcoming nor rejecting. Simply...seeing."

Qingyouzi lowered her head, looking at her hands, which were still trembling slightly and entangled in black energy. She took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

He did as instructed, closed his eyes, and tried to focus solely on "observation," eliminating all distracting thoughts.

However, in that instant of calm,

"roar--!"

Countless suppressed negative emotions, violent thoughts, and memories of killing, along with the cold malice of that ancient demonic aura, surged back like ferocious beasts breaking free of their cages!

They roared as they rushed toward his dantian, gnawing at his meridians and assaulting his sea of ​​consciousness!

Excruciating pain!

Even worse than before! It felt like my soul was being torn apart!

Qing Youzi instinctively tried to circulate his inner energy to resist and suppress the evil spirits. But as soon as he had the thought, the malevolent energy flared back even more violently, as if it had been provoked!

"puff--!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained his clothes. He swayed, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself with one hand on the ground. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he was panting heavily.

Don't rush.

Xuan Yizi's voice remained calm, as if he had expected this.

"If a mirror reflects a venomous snake, will it be afraid? No. It simply reflects reality as it is."

He said slowly.

"If you treat the malevolent energy as an enemy that must be eliminated, it will truly become a relentless foe on your path; if you can regard it as part of yourself, like the soil beneath your feet and the grass and trees beside you, and treat it as ordinary, it will simply be a... somewhat special kind of 'energy' within you."

As Qingyouzi listened, her violent heartbeat and panting gradually subsided.

Yes.

I was too hasty.

This malevolent energy, whatever its source, has now taken root within me, merging with my own hostility. Resistance will only make it more ferocious; fear plays right into its hands.

If one cannot even face up to or control the "evil thoughts" that arise within oneself, how can one talk about controlling greater power? How can one talk about pursuing the path to immortality?

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a resolute glint in his eyes.

I closed my eyes again.

This time, he endured the raging pain in his meridians and the churning evil thoughts in his dantian, no longer thinking about how to "suppress" or "dispel" them.

Just try to "see".

See how the black energy flows, see how the malevolent thoughts arise and vanish, see how the pain is both clear and illusory.

Like watching coldly from the sidelines.

Like a mirror reflecting all things.