Chapter 22: Weaknesses!

Chapter 22: Weaknesses! The news about the Western Lands, as he came to learn, was devastating for Ken. Things had changed then. And not only did it have a huge impact on how he saw the world, it even had an impact on his plans, and it came at very bad timing as well. 10 days ago was the time Ken had started implementing everything he had planned. The learning program he had set and what he had to focus on, even forming an entire schedule. And just the fact that it took 2 weeks should tell you that it was very serious, as Ken had put every single drop of sweat of his to work to come up with it. To learn that somewhere in the world there were maniacs powerful enough that they could take any cultivator on a ride to heaven definitely did not sit right with him, but that wasn’t the main problem here, but what he came to learn after was. At first, after a little surprise, he accepted the news about the warriors of the west. Sure, they were there, but somewhere they couldn’t reach him. Then the next day, the shortest piece of information provided shook him to the core. "The barriers are receding." Barriers? What barriers? It could have spoken about many things, but his thoughts the previous day and the pattern of the information provided made him know exactly what it was talking about. A little change of plans in the library led him straight to a book that spoke about the fog of the end. A barrier like gray fog that didn’t allow anyone to run past it, and whoever did would find themselves right back at the exit. Sure, Ken wasn’t dumb enough to have not thought of actual changes due to his lack of knowledge, which is the very reason why he set the plan in the first place. It was very flexible, unimaginably so. But he had to admit. It flew over him. The fact that there could be a path out there that could massacre this entire sect in a single night, and the fact that it could come for him. Yet, the problem with Ken wasn’t the plan per se; well, it was a part of it. Knowing his needs and the situation he was in currently perfectly, the steps he had to take wouldn’t change. But the pacing had to. It was lax; the way in which he progressed when it came to power was very lax. The mortality rate of cultivators, as long as they finished their missions on time, was pretty low, so he set it at a rate where he would be just on the periphery of hard-working. So now, he had to reset some plans. Instead of laying low, he needed to show some of his prowess to the sect. No longer is he going to be just any disciple. He would strive to show his worth, get more resources, and focus more on his actual power than just his knowledge. This wasn’t a desperate act; it was a calculated move. Ken was already privy to information about some hidden inheritances and treasures somewhere in the world. The only reason he wanted to do so was because there were more opportunities in the sect than there were outside. This was something Ken had unfortunately turned an eye on at first. But before all of this. Ken noted down something serious. His own weakness, or rather weaknesses. The first one on the list was his very heavy lack of and reliance on knowledge. If he pursued it as eagerly as he was now, there would come a time when the same thing that happened in the western lands would happen to him. All of his plans becoming useless due to a single strike. This was no longer Earth. Knowledge alone wasn’t enough; only when there was power to back it could it be called useful. Second, he noted down the weaknesses of cultivation. Having known about Spirit Forging since the start and its effect on strengthening the body, he trusted that the weaknesses of cultivation wouldn’t work on him, and then he truly opened up the physical path. He disregarded this weakness altogether. Well now he had to come right back to it. Spirit Forging isn’t as useful as he thought it would be, and it needed to be refined beyond being just an art. and the spirit path alone probably wouldn’t benefit him, but he trusted that the effects it would have on his worldviewcould change many things. Maybe his natural comprehension would rise, and by then, he wouldn’t have to rely on the sect and providence to get techniques he wanted. He could just form them on the spot by himself. Also, he had come to notice that Spirit Forging’s efficiency tends to drop after a few cycles, but even though the effect later on was minimal, he tended to ignore it and push. He realized his mistake quite late in his opinion, as he could have focused on cultivation and gone much higher with it than still being at the starting point. This was his third and fourth mistake. He should try to think more broadly, a bit outside of the box. Thinking like this, he was reminded of something he had thought of. ------End------