Chapter 89

Hero was extremely unwilling to advance now; it was not the right time. To break through to a higher realm, one would at least need to endure for several days, or even up to ten days. At this critical juncture, any sudden changes could happen at any moment, and the priority should be to buy time to escape.

The pure yang energy within him had already reached the limit of what Hero could endure. Throughout history, no one had ever tried to see what would happen after pushing their inner energy to the extreme. Most would reach the limit of a certain power realm and then strive to break through the constraints. When Hero first suppressed his realm, the thread of pure yang energy in his soul had already reached the limit for breaking through to the next power realm.

Now, if he continued to forcibly suppress it, it would be like a forceful impact that refused to break through. As the old constraints were about to be shattered, he would create even more difficult new constraints with his immense willpower.

This constraint was himself.

Breaking through the constraints in accordance with the limits of one's realm was like going with the flow, but it was not true transcendence. True transcendence was transcending oneself.

How could one transcend oneself?

The thread of pure yang energy had already reached the point where it could condense into a yuan yang essence wheel. If he were to truly let go and allow it to form, it would take eight to ten days, and the process could not be interrupted.

The pure yang energy oscillated between condensing and not condensing. On one side, his realm was naturally progressing, driven by instinct to take the next step. On the other side, his immense willpower was forcibly preventing it. It was like a person suffering from schizophrenia, with one side positive and the other negative, each governing and opposing the other.

When this conflict exceeded what Hero could endure, he felt his body being torn apart by two opposing wills. Hero knew that if he continued to endure, he would only tear himself apart. Thus, he felt an impulse to let go of the suppression and break through the constraints, leaving the rest to fate.

Unfortunately, when he made this decision, he had already endured the feeling of being on the brink of breaking and entered a state of self-forgetfulness. It was as if he had entered his own body, watching his blood flow and his neural network transmit signals to his brain.

This state of self-forgetfulness was terrifyingly quiet, as if time had come to a standstill. He could hear, see, feel, and think, but he had no sense of self.

He felt his body was an endless universe, yet he could clearly perceive its outline and the essence of the world.

The essence of the world?

"Didn't I already reach the limit of my awakened abilities? Why do I always feel something is missing?" Without a sense of self, his thoughts could question and challenge what he had previously taken for granted.

Without a sense of self, his thoughts could repeatedly question a single doubt without tiring until a satisfactory answer was found. At the same time, without a sense of self, his thoughts were free from the emotional and experiential factors that often influenced his thinking.

Experience and emotion were often the causes of errors. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world viewed the world through their subjective self, and even if their decisions were correct, it was only because the answers aligned with their subjective consciousness. The direction might be correct, but it was not entirely accurate. Any emotional or experiential factor could slightly reduce the accuracy.

At this moment, Hero was like a supercomputer, continuously calculating what he was missing.

The concept of "essence" kept floating in his state of self-forgetfulness.

Essence? What essence? The essence of the world? The essence of the world is what? This is my own body!

At this moment, Hero finally grasped something. A human body is a microcosm of the universe, and the world within it is the essence of the human body. What is the essence of the human body?

Its essence is the molecules and particles that form the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and internal organs...

What is the essence of molecules and particles? Energy! The universe maintains its operation through the rules of various energies, and the body also relies on energy to sustain various life activities.

This energy used to sustain life activities, when harnessed to achieve certain goals due to human desires, is called power.

Hero didn't realize that all his vital signs had momentarily stopped. This was the consequence of the thread of pure yang energy breaking through the current power limit but refusing to enter the next realm, known as "breaking without entering."

Only at the moment of death does one truly see oneself and realize what one most misses and desires. Hero was now in that moment of clarity, where "breaking without entering" could no longer be reversed. It was like surpassing the finish line and refusing to claim a symbolic medal, and once abandoned, it could never be reclaimed.

It was like a train that had missed its stop, unable to stop and unsure of where to go next.

If he ultimately gained enlightenment and took that step, returning from the brink of death, it would be called "breaking and then establishing." His body and soul had already experienced "breaking and then establishing," but his Dao heart had not.

A Dao heart that had not experienced "breaking and then establishing" would continue to grow along the original subjective path, leading to more and more twists. It was like a child raised in a sheltered environment, whose worldview would always be one of world peace, kind headmasters, and great sages.

The essence of the world is like the essence of a person.

In this state of "breaking without entering" and self-forgetfulness, Hero sought the essence of power.

The peace in the world can be embellished, and some positions require a facade. Those who cannot understand the art of disguise cannot become great, but not all great people are sages. Kindness can come from someone who looks sinister and fierce, and peace can only exist in fairy tales.

Therefore, power is not just for killing or fighting. Speaking, farting, and snoring all require energy, don't they? Maintaining breathing and heart function also requires energy. Self-defense is the self-consciousness mobilizing the body's power to protect, and combat is the self-consciousness mobilizing power to attack. What is called "cultivation" is merely allowing power to strengthen within the body by following the corresponding energy pathways.

These energy pathways are called cultivation techniques, each with its own natural laws. Heaven, earth, and humanity all exist within nature.

At this moment, Hero finally realized what the essence of power was: the energy that sustains one's survival is power. This was his only Dao! He had been advancing in a misconception all along!

Who said that cultivating pure yang inner energy according to a technique was power, and nothing else was? Why cultivate pure yang inner energy? To have the capital to continue surviving, and that is power!

At this moment, Hero's nearly two-decade-old concept of power was completely shattered, and his old Dao heart was broken! He was establishing a new Dao heart!

The essence of his body and soul was completely shattered, leaving only a body in a state of clarity and a soul without a sense of self. He was like a child abandoned by the universe, existing within it yet not belonging to it.

He began to discard the various power concepts bestowed upon him by the universe since birth, which were self-imposed constraints influenced by the universe.

The four words "the Dao is formless" were like a pioneering axe and an enlightening key! The Dao is formless, and power is formless. Whatever sustains one's survival is power, and that is the Dao.

The new Dao heart washed away the original constraints of essence, energy, and spirit, fusing them together. In Hero's soul, a wheel-shaped structure gradually formed: the yuan yang essence wheel!

Once the yuan yang essence wheel was formed, essence, energy, and spirit were unified. When the wheel turned, essence, energy, and spirit grew stronger, and when the wheel moved, essence, energy, and spirit moved! Where the mind went, power followed, and where power went, the body followed!

At this moment, Hero's Dao heart had "broken and then established," and he naturally wanted to take that step. If he took that step, he could effortlessly enter the realm of superhuman combat.

At this moment, Hero suddenly heard a voice: "The foundation you build is the foundation of the Dao, but the foundation of life has yet to be built."

The foundation of the Dao is the Dao heart. The foundation of life is the physical body.

This voice seemed to come from the depths of the netherworld! Hero's sense of self surged back, and his state of self-forgetfulness was broken. Even his realm advancement was interrupted by this voice.

Although his realm was interrupted, Hero had a sense that his Dao heart had already reached the realm of superhuman combat, and he could step into it at any time if he wished. However, the voice from the netherworld, like a sudden slap, left him dazed.

But after the voice, he forgot it again, retaining only the enlightenment, not the memory.

He always felt that something was still missing, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. What was the foundation of life?