Supreme Indifference to Emotions

Gu Chengyin sat upright, looking straight ahead with his brows tightly furrowed.

It was as if he were facing a matter of grave importance rather than enjoying himself.

Just moments ago, the dam of his rationality had ultimately failed to hold back his primal desires, allowing Shangguan Yunying and Lin Qingyan to join together in this grand occasion.

After this, Gu Chengyin originally thought he would sink completely into it, losing himself in Lin Qingyan's frost-like aloofness and Shangguan Yunying's water-like gentleness.

But strangely enough, he did not.

Even though the sight before him was indeed incredibly alluring.

Whether it was the blush dyeing Lin Qingyan's aloof face, or the watery gleam rippling in Shangguan Yunying's gentle eyes.

Or the indescribably ambiguous atmosphere permeating the air.

Such a sight and such an atmosphere were enough to make any man in the world lose his mind, and then take the opportunity to go a step further, doing whatever they pleased.

But Gu Chengyin did not. There was not a single shred of indulgence in his thoughts.

Instead, he was incomparably awake and incomparably rational.

So awake that it was as if he wasn't a participant, but a mere bystander.

Watching everything unfold, his heart remained as calm as water, without a single ripple.

This feeling was very strange.

His body was clearly sinking, and his desires were clearly burning.

Yet his rationality sat high above, looking down upon it all.

As if there was another version of himself standing in the clouds, watching with detached eyes.

Even Gu Chengyin himself could not understand why this was happening.

It wasn't until he closed his eyes and looked inward at his own body that he realized something was different.

His Dao Heart remained as clear as jade.

Those chaotic desires, those surging tides of passion, those cravings that made people sink...

They merely revolved around his Dao Heart, like moths circling a flame, yet unable to taint it in the slightest.

Desire and clarity had unexpectedly reached a wondrous balance in this moment.

Gu Chengyin froze.

He suddenly recalled one of the three thousand Great Daos described in the Qingyun Mantra.

The Dao of Supreme Forgetfulness.

Because of the system, the complete Qingyun Mantra was right there in Gu Chengyin's mind.

With just a slight shift of his thoughts, he could flip through it at will.

While the Immortal Dao referred to a complete Heaven-tier cultivation method, the Great Dao depended entirely on the Dao Heart.

Wherever the Dao Heart points, the Great Dao is formed.

There are three thousand Great Daos in the world, and the Dao of Supreme Forgetfulness is one of them.

It is not being heartless, nor is it severing all emotions. Rather, it is transcending emotion, using emotion as a sword, yet never being trapped by it.

Previously, Gu Chengyin did not understand the meaning of this phrase.

Wasn't supreme forgetfulness simply being devoid of emotion and desire?

Wasn't it just severing all emotional ties to ultimately cultivate the Great Dao?

But now, Gu Chengyin seemed to understand a little.

The so-called supreme forgetfulness was not being devoid of emotion and desire.

Instead, it was retaining only one's own will and solely cultivating oneself.

Keeping one's own cultivation as the foremost thought, remaining unshaken by matters of lust and emotion.

Just like now. Lin Qingyan and Shangguan Yunying were sitting right beside him.

One was as aloof as frost, yet now dyed in crimson.

One was as gentle as water, yet now brimming with the vitality of spring.

Their breathing, their warmth, their fragrance—they were constantly teasing his rationality.

If Gu Chengyin were an ordinary man, he would probably have sunk deep into it by now.

But Gu Chengyin was not; he never succumbed to any pressure.

Therefore, his Dao Heart remained as clear as jade, and his thoughts remained as pure as water.

He could feel them, he could possess them, but he would not be controlled by them.

And this scene right now—it looked as though Gu Chengyin was sinking into desire, but in reality...

From beginning to end, what controlled him was not desire, but rationality.

Because Gu Chengyin knew very well that whether it was Lin Qingyan or Shangguan Yunying.

Both were very important. Not important in an emotional sense.

But important in terms of benefits.

One was the Celestial Master Mansion's Jingzhe, an invincible Golden Core fairy in combat.

The other was Jiang Qingshan's granddaughter, the key to controlling the Azure Sword Sect in the future.

So no matter who it was, they were not objects for his momentary pleasure.

But rather the foundation for his foothold in the present and the future.

This thought was like a clear sword light, severing all chaotic desires.

Gu Chengyin could clearly feel that his Dao Heart was transforming.

Those desires that originally revolved around his Dao Heart were no longer spinning.

Instead, they floated quietly there, like stars orbiting a bright moon.

Desire was still there, affection was still there, but they could no longer shake his Dao Heart.

He could look at them, feel them, but he would not be swayed by them.

Staying awake amidst lust, guarding his original heart within the whirlpool of desire.

Coexisting with lust, yet not being controlled by it.

Gu Chengyin's desires were also still present; he could feel the instincts within his body.

But he was no longer a slave to desire.

He could look at them, feel them, and even possess them, yet he would not be controlled by them.

Gu Chengyin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as calm as water and as deep as an abyss.

He first looked at Lin Qingyan.

Once, in his eyes, Lin Qingyan was Lin Qingyan, the aloof and distant Golden Core fairy.

Later, in his eyes, Lin Qingyan was not Lin Qingyan, but a pure yet enchanting inner demon.

But now, in his eyes, Lin Qingyan was still Lin Qingyan, the woman he liked.

Gu Chengyin then looked at Shangguan Yunying.

Once, in his eyes, Shangguan Yunying was Shangguan Yunying, the gentle yet capable chief female official.

Later, in his eyes, Shangguan Yunying was not Shangguan Yunying, but a loyal subordinate devoted only to Luo Zhao.

But now, in his eyes, Shangguan Yunying was still Shangguan Yunying, and also a woman he liked.

The corners of Gu Chengyin's mouth curled into a smile. He understood.

To see a mountain as a mountain, to see a mountain not as a mountain, and to see a mountain as a mountain once again.

His cultivation base might rely on the system, but his Dao Heart was his own.

Unlike his cultivation base, the Dao Heart could not be elevated through mere cultivation practice.

Just like how everyone will lie to you, but mathematics won't.

Because if you don't get it, you don't get it.

The Dao Heart was the same; if you comprehended it, then you comprehended it.

And now, Gu Chengyin had comprehended it.

Aloofness is a Dao, and satisfaction is also a Dao.

Ruthlessness is a Dao, and passion is also a Dao.

Everything can be a Dao.

And what he needed to do was not to restrain himself and force calmness.

It should be walking through a field of flowers without a single petal sticking to his body.

To use emotion as a sword, yet not be trapped by emotion.

To use desire as a blade, yet not be controlled by desire.

This was the Dao of Supreme Forgetfulness.

The moment this realization flashed in his mind, Gu Chengyin felt his Dao Heart tremble violently.

Immediately after, a profound and mysterious power surged from his Dao Heart, instantly flowing through his entire body.

This power was warm and mighty. Wherever it passed, his meridians trembled as if cheering in joy.

Gu Chengyin could clearly feel his Dao Heart transforming.

That Dao Heart, clear as jade, was now radiating an increasingly bright light.

And those desires orbiting it seemed to be illuminated by that light, becoming pure bit by bit.

They were no longer chaotic desires, but power.

Those desires, those affections, those things that once made him sink—they all turned into his power in this moment.

They were no longer burdens, but weapons.

No longer shackles, but wings.

Although his cultivation base was still at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

But his Dao Heart.

Had already reached the Golden Core.