"Lee, tell me about the wall you're facing. What's holding you back?" Rin asked in a calm voice as she played with his hair.
Liam sighed, his frustration evident. "I don't understand what's happening. I know how the technique works and how to perform it, so why can't I do it? It doesn't make sense."
He paused, his thoughts racing. 'In the real world, I would think of it as a tutorial where I must succeed after following the steps. But I'm not succeeding here. Usually, I would comment on the video or article, cursing the author for providing fake and false information. But that's not the case here since others have followed the same technique I gave them and succeeded.'
Rin listened attentively, her expression thoughtful. "Lee, following a technique or knowing about it doesn't mean you'll automatically learn it. If that were the case, everyone would be strong and equal to each other."
She continued, her voice gentle yet firm. "Certain techniques require specific cultivation paths, while others need different realms and states. Physical and mental capacity, as well as your foundation, all matter."
It was a basic cultivation knowledge, but For Liam all that was foreign knowledge.
Liam nodded, absorbing her words. "I see. It makes sense now. I guess I was approaching it from the wrong perspective."
He looked up at her, his eyes filled with determination. "Rin, I now have a dream—or rather, something I want to achieve."
Rin's eyes widened with curiosity and excitement. "What is it? Tell me. I will try my best to help you achieve it."
Liam took a deep breath before speaking. "I want to be someone who can be free. Someone who doesn't have to fear anything. Someone who can have a meal anywhere in the world without worrying about it being poisoned. Someone who can sleep on the street and not get robbed. Someone who can travel anywhere in the world and not get killed. Someone who can roam freely without any worries."
He paused, his voice growing more passionate. "I want to be someone everyone respects. Someone both weak and strong can trust and rely on. Someone who doesn't have to worry about tomorrow. Someone who can do anything he wants. Someone who can have anything they want. Someone who doesn't have to repeat himself. Someone who doesn't have to beg and bow to anyone. Someone who doesn't have to think about consequences."
Rin listened intently, her eyes shining with admiration and support. Liam continued, his voice filled with conviction. "I want to be someone who can protect those he loves without hesitation. Someone who can stand up for what's right without fear. Someone who can make a difference in the world, no matter how small."
Once Liam stopped, Rin asked softly, "Do you mean you want to be the strongest in the world?"
Liam pondered for a moment before replying, "Being the strongest in the world is impossible. There will always be someone stronger, some better, someone more powerful. But I want to be strong enough to live freely, to protect what matters to me, and to make a difference."
He was, of course, referring to what the system had told him.
Rin looked at him, her expression thoughtful. "Why do you think it's impossible to be the strongest?"
Liam sighed, his voice filled with a mix of realism and determination. "Because strength is relative. There's always someone out there who has trained harder, who has more experience, or who has a unique advantage."
Rin looked at him with a gentle smile and said, "Then you just have to be that 'better and stronger, who has more experience and unique advanatge.'"
At that moment, something hit Liam. It was as if a knot he didn't know existed was slowly untying inside him.
Rin continued, her voice filled with wisdom beyond her years. "Everything is possible in Jianghu. If one can think of something, that means someone has already thought about it before, and it most likely exists. There is no one unique in the world, but no one is similar either. Every path one takes is just following the footsteps of those who came before. If someone surpasses them, then surely, in the future, someone will surpass them too."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Nothing is eternal in life, but eternity is never-ending. The cycle of growth and decay, of strength and weakness, is a constant. The strongest today may not be the strongest tomorrow. The key is to keep moving forward, to keep striving for improvement."
Rin's eyes sparkled with conviction as she spoke. "The journey to becoming stronger is not about reaching an unattainable peak but about continuously climbing, continuously learning. It's about embracing the challenges and the setbacks, knowing that each step forward is a victory in itself."
She took a deep breath, her voice soft yet powerful. "In this world, strength is not just about physical prowess but about the resilience of the spirit. It's about the ability to stand up after falling, to keep going when everything seems lost. It's about the courage to face the unknown and the determination to overcome any obstacle."
Suddenly, Liam sat up, his eyes wide with realization. "Rin, I can feel something. I think... I think I'm about to achieve Qi Projection."
He immediately sat in the lotus position with intense focus. Within a few minutes, he felt the surge of energy within him, the Qi flowing through his meridians with a newfound control. He opened his eyes with a triumphant smile on his face.
"Rin, I did it. I achieved Qi Projection."
Rin was about to congratulate Liam, but she stopped when she saw Liam's eyes shining with an otherworldly light.
Liam closed his eyes automatically, and his body began to float in the air, still in the lotus position. The wind around them picked up, swirling debris and leaves in a chaotic dance. The energy circulating around Liam was visible, a shimmering aura that pulsed with power. The air crackled with electricity, and the very atmosphere seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the energy being released.
Even Rin struggled to keep her eyes open against the force of the wind and the blinding light. She shielded her face with her arm, her heart pounding with a mix of awe and fear, and concern for Liam.
Liam's body floated in the air for a few minutes, the energy around him growing more intense. The aura expanded, encompassing the entire area, and the ground beneath him trembled slightly. The wind howled, and the trees bent under the force of the energy storm. Liam's hair flowed wildly, and his clothes billowed as if caught in a hurricane.
After what felt like an eternity, Liam's body gracefully descended, landing softly on the ground. He opened his eyes, and the energy around him dissipated, leaving the air calm and still.
His body had drastically changed. He stood taller, his frame more muscular and defined. His hair had grown longer, falling in sleek strands down his back. His features were sharper, more mature, and his eyes held a depth of wisdom and power that hadn't been there before. His skin glowed with a healthy, radiant light, and his aura was palpable, exuding strength and confidence.
Liam looked down at his hands, then at Rin, his voice filled with confusion and wonder. "What just happened?"
Rin stared at him, her eyes wide with amazement. "I think... I think you just had an enlightenment."