The sight filled them with shock. Expressions of disbelief covered their faces as they saw the gray-robed old man being engulfed in flames. Meng Hao floated in mid-air. It was impossible for them to miss the fact that he had not picked any of the paths on the treetop, but had instead chosen to kill the old man.
“He dared to attack?!”
“This… this… this Meng Hao chose not to walk one of the paths. He chose to attack?! How could this be?”
“That old man is completely unfathomable…. You can tell from a single glance that he’s beyond ordinary. This place is just too bizzarre. I can’t believe Meng Hao dared to attack! Dammit… how come I didn’t think of that!?!?”
Even as the Chosen beneath the treetop expressed their shock, the Nascent Soul eccentrics up above instantly shot to their feet, their eyes fixed upon Meng Hao.
This was especially true of Patriarch Song Tian. He gasped, and a glow of disbelief radiated from his eyes. A serious expression filled his face.
It wasn’t just him. Eccentric Song, Han Bei, Li Shiqi, Li Daoyi, as well as Song Clan Dao Child Song Yunshu all stared with completely disbelief.
Panting, Song Yunshu stared fixedly at Meng Hao. He had participated in this test and had succeeded on the second try after picking the same path as the first time. However, he had never imagined that you could actually raise a hand against the gray-robed old man.
“How could he do such a thing?” said Song Yunshu said hoarsely. “That’s the Spirit of the tree….”
It was at this moment that everyone heard the old man’s question echoing out from within the flames. It was the exact same question that was running through the heads of all the observers.
Why had he chosen such a path?
“Conforming to convention is emptiness,” replied Meng Hao. “Yielding to and complying with the Heavens is well and good. Unending persistence is fine, too. However, I cannot choose either of those.” Having said this, he shot up into the air!
He would not comply with rules of this place, but would instead create his own path. He was like the Perfect Foundation, not permitted by Heaven and Earth, and the target of extermination by Tribulation Lightning. However, he would continue onward. That was how he differentiated himself from others; his path was not one of inflexible adherence to the rules. As such, why would he follow the rules of this place? Why would he pick the correct path out of the nine?
He had chosen to break through and take the pearl by force, by slaughtering! He knew that he could succeed by persisting in treading the path from before. However, this so-called persistence was actually just a method of following the rules; it was not true persistence!
The old man’s laughter rang out from within the flames. His ancient smile was filled with happiness, as well as anticipation. He gave Meng Hao a deep look, allowing the flames to consume him. Soon, his body was gone.
As the old man disappeared and Meng Hao shot up into the air, the Chosen down below in the tree looked up mutely. They stared at Meng Hao in shock, their hearts in turmoil, incapable of calming down. Meng Hao’s choice had been simple, but not many people were capable of simplicity such as this.
They lived lives of compliance, lives in which rules must be followed. Perhaps the subconscious desire existed within them to break out of the rules, but they would never be able to imagine how to do so.
Meng Hao, however, was different!
Wang Tengfei’s face was pale white, and Wang Youcai was speechless. Fatty’s face slowly filled with even deeper admiration. Meng Hao’s words just now had left a permanent impression on all of their hearts.
When they heard his words, the Nascent Soul Cultivators in the clouds above all gasped. As they looked at Meng Hao, the same thought filled each and every one of them.
“If this kid lives, he will definitely achieve a high position within the Southern Domain!”
Such a personality, such mentality, such tactics… all of it led the Nascent Soul Cultivators to the same conclusion. Meng Hao might have the Sublime Spirit Scripture, but as of now, they didn’t want to capture him and use Soul Search to retrieve it. That would lead to his death.
If they could get Meng Hao to join their Sect, they could help him grow into a truly powerful expert of the Sect!
Li Daoyi’s eyes glowed with a powerful light; an intense desire to do battle fermented within him. Li Shiqi’s eyes also glowed brightly; looking at Meng Hao down beneath the cloud vortex, she also suddenly desired to have a rematch.
Han Bei looked at Meng Hao thoughtfully. Deep within her eyes flickered a sense of admiration and praise. She couldn’t help but think that if she had been in Meng Hao’s place, she would have picked to follow the original path. She would never have had the resolve of Meng Hao. In retrospect, it seemed like an easy decision, but in reality, it was something almost no one would ever think of doing.
Song Yunshu sat in thought. Next to him, Song Jia gaz