Duncan wasn't impatient. He calmly recalled the experience he went through in the city one week ago. He didn't rush directly to try and comprehend the feeling he glimpsed upon. Rather than doing that, he calmly let his mind recall all the details from the moment he stepped into the city.
When the time came for his battle with the patriarch, Duncan dispassionately recalled his thoughts and mood at that time. Looking back now, Duncan felt that he was a little impulsive to attack the Wang Clan in broad daylight. But, he somehow felt that it was the right thing to do.
He didn't want to cover in the shadows and plot to murder people. That didn't suit his nature at all. He still preferred throwing down his arms directly if he felt the need to do it. His approach to attack the Wang Clan in broad daylight was quite in line with this nature of his.
This made Duncan realize something.
There was an old saying in his hometown. The higher your status the more you cherish your life. Duncan felt that his desire to remain alive has grown since he started cultivating.
Compared to when he was a spirit stone miner, he had more scruples these days. He was worried about a lot of things. If it was before, having a disagreement in the mine, he would try to vent his dissatisfaction as soon as possible. He wouldn't forbear for a long time. The amount of time he had gotten into trouble was quite high.
As an orphan, Duncan had known that unless he projected a strong front and an intimidating posture he would be suppressed by others. These were lessons he learned early on in his life. Even among the common people, the one who was willing to make a scene always had fewer people troubling him.
The only people whom he was truly afraid of were cultivators. And that too was because cultivators and mortals like him lived in different worlds essentially. The power that a cultivator possessed wasn't something a mortal could contend against. Being tough in front of them can only be called stupidity. It was his self-preservation instincts that made him afraid after recognizing the gap.
But, after becoming a cultivator, Duncan had been a bit more cautious. He had always wanted to play it safe. Even in the Grotto Heaven, he didn't step outside of the regions that he was comfortable in. The only time he was truly brave was when he was attacked and almost left to death.
Even after reaching the peak of the Spirit Sea realm, he didn't dare to venture out of the forest region in the Grotto Heaven. When he faced encirclement from others, he retreated back to hide. He may have used that opportunity to increase his comprehension, it was undeniable that he had become cautious.
Such an attitude wasn't in line with his nature. Now that he was gradually beginning to understand more about cultivation on his own, Duncan realized that acting against his nature would be detrimental to his cultivation journey. He may be able to save his life now, but in turn, his future prospects would become narrower.
Duncan had heard a lot about how cultivation was about going against heaven. Especially, demonic cultivators are people who break all kinds of rules. Considering the path he had chosen, Duncan realized that his cautious behavior would only back to bite him in the behind sooner or later.
If he did not want his future path to become narrower, he must act as per his heart. Just like how he attacked the Wang Clan despite being in broad daylight. That was the kind of thing he must do. His action must be in line with his own nature. If not, one day he wouldn't even recognize the person he had become. And that day would be the end of his progress in cultivation.
Taking a deep breath, Duncan further analyzed his experience. He could feel his thirst for battle and fighting intent clearly. Especially when he was contending against the defensive formation headed by the patriarch, Duncan could feel that burning desire to become better and stronger.
He kind of liked that feeling. Instead of doing things that didn't make him feel good, it was better to do things that he liked. At worst, his actions would backfire and he would have to escape. Duncan wasn't thin-skinned to consider such a thing a shame. He knew that sometimes situations are stronger than people.
Duncan didn't have scruples about running away. When facing a stronger opponent, it was only natural to run away. If he can't beat someone, he will escape first, become stronger and come back for a rematch. He can accept things like running after kicking iron boards. What he can't accept is not even having the courage to kick the iron board.
As he realized these things, Duncan felt as if his soul had been sublimated further. He knew that this type of thing was relatively rare to experience in a cultivation journey. Recently, he had been experiencing such things quite a lot. But, he knew that this good luck wouldn't last for long.
Maybe it was because he started cultivating late and was immersed in the secular world for a long time that these types of epiphanies were happening quite often after he obtained certain strength.
This was him shedding his secular skin and embracing his life as a cultivator. He had lived as a common man for eighteen years. Only in the last year has he started cultivating. The stark difference between the two lifestyles had given him countless inspirations so far.
As they say, experience shapes a person. His experience as an orphan and spirit stone miner had shaped his life so far. In the past year, he had undergone a drastic change in his lifestyle. The clash between the two had provided him with countless epiphanies.
But, this kind of thing will fade with time.
As he spends more and more time as a cultivator, his life in the secular world will become meaningless. He would most probably not have much interaction with commoners and he would also become like other cultivators. When this happens, there won't be any drastic change in his life. Without some intense change, the chance of getting these epiphanies would become very rare.
Duncan vaguely felt as if he had grasped onto some important secret at this moment. However, he didn't understand it clearly. He knew with time, one day, he would understand this. So, he didn't pursue it too much. Right now, he had already reviewed the battle until he broke through the formation.
He could already see his progress in integrating sword light and his Absolute Severance sword. It was a completely different feeling to watch as a bystander. His constant adjustments during battle and the steadily increasing power of his attacks let him know how effective his method was.
Duncan felt gratified that he decided to do something stupid at that moment. What he did was indeed stupid. He took his concentration away from the fight and used it to integrate his techniques and improve them.
Such a thing would be fatal if he had faced someone who was strong. In a battle, it would be seeking death to split your concentration. But, he was glad he did that at this moment. Watching his attack power and proficiency rise gradually made him feel a bit heartened.
But, he also realized the pitfall of this method. This method of honing his attacks against an opponent was really effective. But, it can only be used when he was absolutely sure of victory. If he tried it any other time, he would most probably die before he could stop his mistake. Duncan decided to take note of this.
As they say, the battle is a great place to increase your strength. His strength had increased sharply after his battle with the Wang Clan. The Wang Clan had been weaker than he had imagined. The patriarch didn't dare to take the initiative to attack him. This gave him the opportunity to hone his sword.
Duncan didn't know what would have happened if the patriarch had taken the initiative to attack, instead of only defending constantly. By not taking initiative, the patriarch had ceded the battle's tempo to him entirely. This was a fatal mistake.
Duncan noted this as well. He can't always remain on the defensive. Even if the opponent was powerful, only by taking the initiative to attack will he have a chance to defeat his opponent. As long as he didn't have an impregnable defense, this way of battle will only lead to a dead end.
Moreover, constantly being battered down like the patriarch didn't suit his nature. Duncan also realized that he preferred to attack instead of defending. His nature was more suited to attack. He must not deviate from this approach in the future.
As the formation shattered, Duncan recalled the hearty feeling he had at the moment. He had been still brimming with fighting intent. The feeling of breaking down an opponent's trump card gave him a heady feeling. He kinda liked it.
Currently, he was nearing the moment when he glimpsed that profound feeling.
Duncan paused slightly and cleared his mind completely. He felt as if this was very important to him. Something within him told him that this would be pivotal in his life. So, he didn't dare to be careless at this moment.
With a deep breath, Duncan recalled his emotions and experience when he kicked open the door of the Wang Clan compound.
