When he heard the old man’s words, Meng Hao’s mind suddenly trembled. The hand holding the glass of alcohol began to quiver, and he stared out at the lake water, almost in a trance. He seemed to lose track of time.
Time passed, and the boat reached the shore. Meng Hao pulled out some silver that he had acquired from one of the disciples back at the Reliance sect and paid the fare. He gave the old man a deep bow of respect, then watched as the boat drifted off. His eyes shined with a strange light.
He didn’t leave, but instead sat down cross-legged on the lakeshore, looking out at the waters, and the lone boat disappearing into the distance. He could hear the old man laughing.
“If you believe it’s a lake, then it’s a lake. If you believe it’s a sea, then it’s a sea…” The old man’s voice echoed across the distance. It seemed as if… he were not disappearing into the distance, but rather… merging into it….
Meng Hao sat there in a trance, taking it all in. He sat for three days straight.
He didn’t move at all during that time, instead staring silently at the lake, the old man’s words echoing in his mind.
“Lakes can dry up, grow quiet, become still. If that happened, no living things would remain. But seas last forever, and can contain the water of countless rivers and lakes…” Meng Hao’s eyes suddenly lit up. The golden Core Lake within him seemed boundless, but in his eyes it was still a lake.
“If I believe it’s a lake, then it’s a lake. If I believe it’s a sea, then from now on… let it be a sea!” A thunderous sound filled him, and the Core Lake began to seethe and churn. Without the aid of any medicinal pills whatsoever, it suddenly expanded.