In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 82 The Place Where I Stand Is the Flourishing Force
"Junior brother, aren't you going to cultivate today?"

Looking at Zhou Zhiruo sitting down next to him, Gu Shaoan said softly, "I suddenly remembered that I haven't really enjoyed the scenery in these mountains yet, so I'm going to look around for a while before going back."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiruo followed Gu Shaoan's gaze and looked into the distance.

It was midday, the sky was clear and cloudless. The blazing sunlight generously poured down, painting the rolling green mountains with a bright hue, making the peaks and ridges appear exceptionally clear and majestic in the transparent air.

Whether it was because she had someone with her or because the view from the back mountain was truly soothing, a gentle breeze swept through, and Zhou Zhiruo felt all the gloom in her heart vanish.

Looking at Gu Shaoan's handsome yet somewhat childlike face, Zhou Zhiruo felt even more pleased.

"It feels really nice to occasionally enjoy the scenery of Emei Mountain with my junior brother like this!"

Gu Shaoan said in a gentle voice, "Humans are not plants or trees. Cultivation also requires a balance of tension and relaxation. Occasionally stopping to rest will prevent the mind from becoming too tense."

Hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Zhou Zhiruo seemed to think of something, and her eyes suddenly dimmed.

"Does Junior Brother think I'm useless? I entered the sect before you, but you're far superior to me in both interpersonal skills and strength."

Gu Shaoan turned his head, took in Zhou Zhiruo's gloomy expression, and smiled gently: "Senior sister, do you think I would think of you like that?"

Zhou Zhiruo shook her head and said, "Junior brother, you are a humble person, so naturally you wouldn't."

Gu Shaoan replied, "Then why should Senior Sister worry about these things?"

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan looked up into the distance and said, "To be honest, senior sister, I have never thought that I have good talent."

Zhou Zhiruo looked at Gu Shaoan with doubt: "Junior brother has only been cultivating for less than half a year, yet he has already achieved such strength. I think many senior figures in the martial arts world are not as strong as junior brother."

“Even Master, Uncle Juechen, and Uncle Juejue all think that Junior Brother’s talent is unparalleled and his cultivation speed far surpasses that of others. How can such talent not be considered good?”

Gu Shaoan said, "If my talent is really that good, why would I need to practice diligently every day?"

Amid Zhou Zhiruo's confusion, Gu Shaoan said softly, "This martial world is too vast, and there are countless martial artists with outstanding talents. Among them are many geniuses with exceptional talent and unparalleled aptitude. A month of cultivation for these people may be equivalent to a year of hard work for an ordinary person."

"At the tender age of twenty, one's strength may already reach a level that ordinary martial artists can hardly achieve even in their entire lives."

"Those highly skilled people we see are probably nothing more than ants that can be killed at will to these people."

Zhou Zhiruo knew that although Gu Shaoan was only a few months older than her, his experience and knowledge far surpassed hers.

Hearing Gu Shaoan's words, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

Reflecting on his own progress in cultivation and recalling Gu Shaoan's descriptions of those prodigies, he suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

"Just one month of cultivation is equivalent to a year of hard training for an ordinary person. How can we compare?"

Gu Shaoan said softly, "Senior Sister, have you ever heard this saying? If you want to govern the overall situation, you should govern by doing nothing and not act rashly. Doing nothing does not mean inaction, and not acting rashly does not mean inaction. The overall situation cannot be changed, but the minor situation can be changed. Then, accumulate the minor situation into the medium situation, and accumulate the medium situation into the overall situation."

"Martial artists are the same." He turned his head and looked at Zhou Zhiruo with gentle eyes.

"For martial artists, talent, innate ability, and opportunity are like the vast and powerful 'momentum,' which cannot be forced by human power; they are gifts from heaven. However..."

He paused slightly, his tone revealing a calm understanding of the world: "Those 'minor advantages,' those daily accumulations, those repeated sword strikes, those repeated practice sessions, those repeated mental exercises in meditation—these are things we can control."

"Senior sister, have you ever seen that mountain spring?"

Gu Shaoan slowly got up and walked into the sunlight, his gaze fixed on the flowing stream in the distance.

"At first, it was just a thin line of water, weak and inconspicuous, neither as rushing as a river nor as surging as a waterfall. But it flowed day and night, dripping through stubborn rocks, and over the years, it carved deep ravines between the rocks, filling the deep pools beneath them with a deep, dark blue water, as black as jade, possessing its own unshakable and steady power. This is the 'great power' formed by the convergence of 'small forces'."

"Those prodigies are perhaps like that waterfall, blessed by nature, cascading down for thousands of miles, and the world is amazed by its magnificent momentum."

"But the world is dangerous. Where the current is swift, it is easier to hit the hidden reefs and treacherous shoals and be smashed to pieces. On the contrary, the mountain spring, though slow, is steady. Over time, it will form a deep pool, and its richness is enough to nourish all living things in the area."

"What we possess is this small advantage that wears away the stone with every drop of water. It is precisely because I understand the difference that I must hold on to this one small advantage that I can grasp. If my talent is not as great as others, I will divide that three points into nine parts of diligence every day."

"If my physical constitution is slightly inferior, I will endure the pain of tempering and polishing a few more times. Every perfect circulation of internal energy, every understanding of a sword move, and every subtle change perceived in stillness is like chiseling that seemingly indestructible rock."

"When my internal energy becomes increasingly refined and profound, when my sword is fast enough to make even the top masters of the martial world take notice, when my senses can perceive the slightest tremor in the dust in the wind and the grass blades, then the 'great momentum' I have accumulated has taken shape!"

"Where I stand is the dominant force; where I stand, everyone else is a subordinate force."

Looking at Gu Shaoan standing in the sunlight, Zhou Zhiruo felt that her junior brother seemed even more dazzling than usual.

So dazzling that Zhou Zhiruo's surroundings seemed to blur in her vision.

Only his junior brother's figure and face became increasingly clear.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan softened his tone and looked at Zhou Zhiruo, saying, "Senior Sister, you are not mediocre. Your heart is simple and pure, like a clear spring in the mountains. This is the best aptitude for cultivating the Emei Heart Sutra. So what you need to do is to gather strength from small beginnings to create great achievements."

At this point, Gu Shaoan's tone softened, and a smile curved his lips.

"If any problems arise in the future, I will naturally protect my senior sister."

Gu Shaoan's words, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, washed away the anxiety and gloom in Zhou Zhiruo's heart. The distant pressure of being a peerless genius was redefined at this moment.

Her gaze gradually cleared from confusion, and then brightened.

Looking at Gu Shaoan beside her, she felt that Gu Shaoan seemed even more dazzling than usual.

When people are young, their hearts are most vulnerable, yet they are also most easily illuminated by the light of life.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan was undoubtedly like a ray of sunshine, something that Zhou Zhiruo could see, touch, and feel the warmth of at all times.

(End of this chapter)