54 Chapter 2389 Fang Yuan loses?

Suddenly, Ying Guang Xin felt a weight on her shoulders: "Hmm? Why is Responsibility Gu acting out suddenly?"

She took out Responsibility Gu, it resembled an 8-point star, each point being pitch black except for 1 that shone bright white.

Inspecting the sudden change in Responsibility Gu, Ying Guang Xin found that the white would always point towards Fairy Zi Wei.

If the point was white in the north and he turned around the point would turn back black, and the south point would light up white.

"Hmm, it seems that Fairy Zi Wei has become my first responsibility in life," Ying Guang Xin thought to herself.

"What does that mean?" Fairy Zi Wei asked.

"Eh?"

"Eh?" Fairy Zi Wei replied.

"Can you hear my thoughts?"

"Aren't we in a mind link?" Fairy Zi Wei responded.

Ying Guang Xin was a little taken aback: "Try thinking of something but with no intention of sending it to me."

Fairy Zi Wei thought it was weird but tried it anyway: "What's gotten into her? Is Spectral Soul gaining control!?"

"I'm perfectly fine and no he's not."

"Eh?" This time it was Fairy Zi Wei's turn to be shocked: "But I explicitly cut off my mind from yours how were you able to hear my thoughts? Is this some new method of monitoring me?"

As a Wisdom Path expert Fairy Zi Wei was confident in keeping her thoughts confidential from others to some degree, but to be exposed so easily made her worried.

She had just escaped captivity and had a taste of freedom; it was obvious that she still didn't fully trust Ying Guang Xin.

"Relax. You were able to hear my thoughts just now which means the communication here is two-way."

Ying Guang Xin then said: "Let me try something, keep thinking things."

"What do you mean? Hello?" She called out in her mind but got no response.

Which frightened her even more: "Did he figure out a way to listen in on me without me being able to listen to him? Do I know have to watch the very words in my mind?"

Fairy Zi Wei was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Hearing Ying Guang Xin again gave her mental anxiety, worried that he could now spy on her without her consent.

"You don't have to worry about that," Ying Guang Xin 'overheard' what she had just thought: "It seems one of the functions of Reputation Gu is communication between 2 linked parties but only when it's out in use, which means if I don't use it, it won't work."

Fairy Zi Wei nodded her head.

"*Sigh* I can see that you still doubt me, and I don't blame you but I'm sure you can also hear the inner voices of my mind too,"

Indeed, she could hear the worry and frustration in Ying Guang Xin's mind, but she could also hear the newfound joy Ying Guang Xin had for life itself, a stark contrast from Spectral Soul's endless desire to kill.

If Ying Guang Xin were still Spectral Soul, there was no way she could hide her bloodlust under Reputation Gu's effect.

"Believe me a little now?"

Fairy Zi Wei still cautiously nodded.

Now that she had accepted her reality, she began to have wandering thoughts: "Should I address her as Master or Young Master or Mistress or,"

"Just call me Guang Xin." Ying Guang Xin interrupted.

"Then you can drop the Fairy and just call me Zi Wei."

"Okay, Zi Wei nice to meet you I'm Guang Xin."

After allowing each other to drop their title and name the 2 became a lot more comfortable with one another.

After the arduous battle with Ying Guang Xin, Hei Lou Lan was feeling rather tired: "Shit, that fight drained more out of me than I thought I have to make this quick otherwise…"

As her thoughts trailed off, she saw for herself that both Zhan Bu Du and Feng Jiu Ge were barely 10 steps from the top!

During her fight Zhan Bu Du did not stop once to look rather he used the time to take short breaks, which allowed him to climb higher and was now within 10 steps of reaching the top.

Feng Jiu Ge had followed close behind this whole time being only 5 steps behind Zhan Bu Du.

Meanwhile, Hei Lou Lan was nearly 40 steps away!

"Dammit!"

Hei Lou Lan let out a roar and charged up the stairs with no reservation.

Thanks to Effort Gu she was able to lighten the load of the stairs but by the time she was 10 steps away from Feng Jiu Ge, the pressure began to build up tremendously.

"What's with the sudden increase in pressure?" Hei Lou Lan thought as her face became flushed.

Hei Lou Lan looked at her Effort Gu.

Only the owner of Effort Gu can see their own Effort, and at the start when she obtained Effort Gu it was a robust and sturdy looking diamond that shone with a red light.

But now that light seemed dim, and the diamond was beginning to look a little dull: "Is it possible that I have used up all the Effort I put in from earlier?"

Yes! Effort could only bring one so far, the bitter truth of life is that one's Effort does not determine how far one can go.

There are numerous other factors that go into it such as, grit, determination, willpower, potential, intelligence etc etc…

Effort alone cannot carry you to where you want to go.

Just like in the <Legends of Ren Zu> Effort Gu did not produce immediate Success or even directly produced anything good.

But it did produce results that gave birth to Ability Gu.

And that Ability was something that would help Great Strength True Martial his whole life.

"Effort alone is not enough, which expert has not put in Effort? Even putting more Effort is meaningless, there are some things that are set in stone."

Feng Jiu Ge shouted from above.

As soon as he saw Hei Lou Lan finish the fight he had stopped climbing higher and turned to look at her.

He continued: "Look at Fang Yuan, some say it is because of the blessings of the Venerables that he made it to where he is now. But I tell you that all of them are blind! He has forged his own path, by his own hands. If Effort Gu were in his hands, it would shine bright enough for all to see!"

Hei Lou Lan gritted her teeth at such words, her Dao Heart was affected.

"Fang Yuan's been putting in so much Effort since the day he was reborn how can I compete?"

Thinking back to all the struggles he went through to get to where he was, destroying the Eighty-Eight True Yang building as a mortal, fighting against Rank 8s as a Rank 7, becoming the instrument that destroyed Fate, and finally becoming the 11th Venerable!

All these were things outside of Fate, any one of these would forever mark one into the annals of history but they were all accomplished by one man: Fang Yuan.

But then she thought to herself: "Fang Yuan didn't have heaven-defying potential; he had a heaven-defying heart! He refused to give in when everyone told him to, refused to give up when things turned bleak, he was crafty, wise, and above all else unyielding!"

She was enlightened: "Thinking about matching the Effort of others is useless!"

That's right! Hei Lou Lan had discovered that she had been treating Fang Yuan's Efforts as if they were a tangible quantity that could be matched one day when it was all about the drive he possessed.

In life, many say: "Oh he's hardworking that's why he's successful"

When in reality it's because he wants to be successful that he's hardworking!

Fang Yuan wants eternal life above all else, he would bend to no one on this matter.

"So, what if you spent a Million Years searching and found nothing, I'll spend 2, 3, 4 however many million years it may take! Who cares if you provided for me, returning the favor would dampen my chances at Eternity! Even, if you were once the Love of my Life I will not stop until I obtain Eternity because Love that fades is Meaningless!"

Fang Yuan's drive is what motivated him to put all his Effort into getting stronger.

Successful people are not built by Effort alone.

Effort is produced by successful people!

There is nothing that could stop them from trying but death itself!

These are people burdened by desires and would put everything into.

So, what did that leave Hei Lou Lan?

"To stand shoulder to shoulder with them, to take charge of my own life and live my life without fear or shadows that is why I put in the Effort." Hei Lou Lan roared in her heart!

This renewed vigor allowed Hei Lou Lan to take charge.

Step after step.

The ever-increasing pressure bore down on her.

One step turned into two and then three.

She stepped past the stationary Feng Jiu Ge

"Thank you."

And continued on.

She knew that Feng Jiu Ge had said all that to produce an ignition in her desires.

Feng Jiu Ge merely smiled as he turned to observe the two as chaos and destruction were still looming in the air, he witnessed silhouettes eclipsing the sun.

"With this my deal with Star Constellation is complete."

Hei Lou Lan kept walking, no longer looking to catch up to the Effort of Fang Yuan but instead looking to match or surpass his desire.

Zhan Bu Du was still in the lead as he reached the 97th step.

Hei Lou Lan reached the 95th.

Zhan Bu Du reached the 98th

Hei Lou Lan reached the 97th

Zhan Bu Du reached the 99th

Hei Lou Lan reached the 99th

Here the two stood shoulders to shoulder.

Zhan Bu Du never once looked back to see Hei Lou Lan but now all he saw was her back as she walked on to the 100th step.

"Fang Yuan you lost."

From the 99th step, Zhan Bu Du looked up at the triumphant Hei Lou Lan who held the final prize of Reckless Savage Demon Venerable.

Hei Lou Lan held a lump of what appeared to be [1]

It was no bigger than a bead of Immortal essence.

Although she was holding it, there was a feeling of mystery to it.

It was neither Heavy nor Light, if one said it was Heavy then it would be and if one said it was Light then it would be.

Neither White nor Black, it seemed as if one was gazing at nothing and something and everything all at once.

From above, in the Western Desert,

All the Venerables knew what it was, somewhat, Chaos!

But for some reason, it was not destroying everything in its path.

"Strange, its root is definitely from Chaos, and so is its everchanging and encompassing nature but it's not quite Chaos." Star Constellation thought to herself.

The other Venerables were left stunned as well.

But only one Venerable knew for certain what it was: "Is that actually Order?"

It was none other than Spectral Soul Demon Venerable!

And he was told this by none other than Heaven's Will!

Although Heaven's Will could not interfere it still gave Spectral Soul a name to call it but did not tell him any of its powers or effects.

Of course, Spectral Soul was not a Venerable for show although he had no idea what it was, hearing the name he instantly knew that it was the antithesis of Chaos.

This led him to some, non-concrete, speculations.

"If Order is the opposite of Chaos, then its effects should be the reverse as well, but the effect of Chaos is to destroy and create, so what does that leave Order?"

He would soon find out as Hei Lou Lan then took out the legendary Strong Gu! [2]

Although it only emitted Rank 7 aura, it was still a legendary Gu from the <Legends of Ren Zu>

But to everyone's shock, she then dropped the bead of Order onto Strong Gu!

The Order then spread and encased Strong Gu, forming a beetle shape veil of Order.

Crunching and cracking sounds could be heard, and Fang Yuan was the only one who knew exactly what was happening.

"It's that method of Refining Gu again!" He shouted in his heart.

Although Ying Guang Xin's version was crude it was quite similar in using a much weaker version of Order.

"Fascinating," Fang Yuan thought to himself: "While conventional Gu refinement uses existing Dao Marks to create the Gu, using this 'Order' [3] can actually create the Dao Marks it needs on its own! There is no longer a need for the recipe to contain ingredients and formations to neutralize the Dao Marks of other Paths. With this 'Order' one can just add the necessary Dao Marks on their own! All that's left to do is the arrangement of Dao Marks."

A new branch of possibilities opened before Fang Yuan and the world's progress of Refinement Path advanced for the first time in a long while which meant…

The other Venerables soon sensed the shift in the Heavenly Dao.

They knew that Refinement Path has just been pushed forward and Fang Yuan's understanding was no longer the limit of the world.

Which meant…

"Quick attack Fang Yuan he's no longer a Dao Lord!" Star Constellation was the first to put two and two together.

Indeed, Fang Yuan had lost his Dao Lord status!

~

[1] Yes, I left it blank intentionally.

[2] She got it from Bing Sai Chuan in chapter 2036.

[3] Fang Yuan doesn't know the name yet this is just to help the reader.