The world was never yours to begin with, so there is no need to abandon it; what must be discarded is all attachment. All things are of use to me, but none belong to me. — The Memoirs of Yang Yi

To the left was Hell, and to the right was also Hell. Ahead lay the tomb, and behind, the tomb as well. Should one stand still in the middle, or step forward? Perhaps this was life’s most bewildering quandary, and precisely in such a position stood Yang Yi at this moment. Surveying the front, back, left, and right, he looked again at the spot where he stood. His gaze was utterly lost, his spirit frayed, making him feel as if he were currently submerged in that boundless, bloody torment.

For at this moment, in the four directions surrounding Yang Yi, a path had suddenly appeared in each: four paths, all marked "Path to the Summit," yet each one bore a distinct color. The left was black, the right was white, the front was red, and the rear was gray. These four colors represented different life journeys; only one of the four avenues was the true Path to the Summit, only one of these great ways was the King’s Path.

Seeing all this before him, Yang Yi squatted down, clamping his hands over his ears, desperately trying to silence the responding voices—‘Useless, trash, can’t even protect your own woman or brothers, you are truly useless, ha-ha, useless fool’—such words seemed to inflict immense agony upon him.

“Which one should I take? Which one is the righteous path, which one is the King’s Path, which one is my Path to the Summit?” Yang Yi murmured incessantly, his expression growing profoundly bewildered. Yet, abruptly, he threw back his head, chest out, and shouted, “Who will tell me which path to take? Which one must I choose?”

“Kid, come this way!” The area bathed in black light suddenly mirrored a figure identical to Yang Yi, beckoning him: “Become an unparalleled powerhouse for the ages!”

“Kid, come this way!” The white light offered the same promise: “Become a peerless overlord admired by thousands!”

“Kid, come this way!” The red insisted: “Become a peak sovereign radiating terrifying murderous aura!”

“Kid, come this way!” The gray figure sneered maliciously: “Sorry, my path is a road of retreat, and also a road of beginning. It will bring you no achievement and will cast you into a land of eternal damnation!”

Hearing the words of the four figures who had suddenly materialized before him, Yang Yi was completely lost in direction, almost unable to bear the barrage of insults, curses, pitying murmurs, and other voices echoing from all around.

“Doctor, Doctor!” Feng Shi watched Yang Yi sweating profusely, twisting on the hospital bed with his hands covering his ears, his expression contorted in pain, and called out anxiously.

The doctor rushed in immediately. Seeing Yang Yi’s agonizing face, he probed quickly, then immediately ordered the nurse beside him, “Prepare the sedative!”

“Yes!” The nurse acknowledged and rushed out to prepare.

Just then, Liu Dao Lun Hui walked in and told the doctor, “No need. He will be fine shortly; you all can leave now.”

“But…!” As a doctor, he could not ignore his patient’s safety, but seeing the murderous gaze emanating from Liu Dao Lun Hui, his retort died in his throat. “If anything happens to him, you will bear full responsibility!”

“Hmph, rest assured,” Tian Cong snorted coldly. “Remember what words must not be said, and what words may be spoken, otherwise…”

The doctor offered no further reply, merely nodding before leaving. He had some understanding of these people; just yesterday, they had referred to the man lying in the bed as ‘Dragon Lord.’ The doctor had heard the name of the Black God Gang’s Dragon Lord in certain circles and decided not to pry further. However, before leaving, he paused to glance back at Yang Yi on the bed, his mind perhaps turning over unspoken thoughts.

Meanwhile, Feng Shi, seeing Liu Dao Lun Hui and the others stopping the doctor, frowned and asked sternly, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Feng Shi, Dragon Lord’s physical condition is not the main issue. In truth, his greatest obstacle is himself!” Tian Cong seemed to recognize that Yang Yi was grappling with a version of himself, stating, “I have experienced this kind of pain before. If I guess correctly, Dragon Lord is currently standing on the edge of life and death. No one can save him; only he himself can.”

“What!” Feng Shiu turned pale with shock, thinking immediately, Just what kind of people have Young Master and the others encountered?

Life is like walking through a field of thorns; if the heart remains unmoved, the body acts with restraint, and thus injury is avoided. But if the heart moves, the body acts rashly, wounding the flesh and bruising the bones, leading one to experience all the miseries of the world. Yang Yi did not know which choice to make, nor how to see clearly, as the preceding words suggested—to see through the vanity of everything, to see the path ahead.

“The Buddha said: Fate is self-created, appearance is born of the mind. All things in the world are but illusions of form. If the heart does not move, nothing moves. If the heart does not change, nothing changes!” Yang Yi recalled this piece of Buddhist wisdom from some unknown recess of his mind. A cold glint flashed in his eyes; as if grasping something profound, he suddenly stood upright.

He possessed the bearing of one standing at the peak, infused with an aura of magnificent ambition. The pervasive chilling energy surrounding him grew denser with every passing moment. At this instant, a transformation began to take place within him. The previous bewilderment and pain vanished, replaced only by a faint, profound stillness.

Gently closing his eyes, a signature smile—his characteristic rogue’s grin—curved his lips. He addressed the incessant voices ahead: “Most people spend their entire lives doing three things: deceiving themselves, deceiving others, and being deceived by others. I have done all three. And now, the heart is the greatest deceiver. Others can cheat you for a moment, but the heart cheats you for a lifetime. As long as one’s conscience is clear, the directions—East, West, North, South—all become acceptable. If there is even one person yet to be saved, do not flee yourself. And I am that one person yet to be delivered!”

With that, Yang Yi turned to face his gray counterpart, speaking deliberately, one measured step after another: “That which is past, that which is forgotten, that which was once cherished, that which was once abandoned, that which once sparked vain hopes—in the end, it is all merely smoke passing before the eyes. I do not regret embarking upon this path!”

At this juncture, it was not only Yang Yi who changed, but the very realm of his consciousness shifted. Two vital acupoints suddenly fractured, emitting a puff of pale smoke. The four directions within his mental landscape vanished abruptly, leaving only one place that appeared desolate, yet which Yang Yi could see with perfect clarity: before him stood a figure bathed in ten thousand rays of golden light, perched atop the summit—perhaps that was the pinnacle of all kings.

He had been unconscious for a day and a night, enduring untold suffering, yet the moment his eyes opened, everything seemed to be nothing more than illusion, mere reflections in a mirror, moon in the water—better to simply take firm steps forward.

“Young Master, you’re awake?” Feng Shi had just entered the ward and saw Yang Yi’s eyes open, sitting up in bed and looking at her, so she hurried to ask.

“Mmm. I’m sorry to have worried you.” Yang Yi looked at his own hands, clenching them tightly, a flicker of coldness in his eyes. Overall, he felt he had broken through once more; his cultivation had advanced from the mid-stage Grandmaster to the early-stage Great Grandmaster. Though he didn't know why he had leaped an entire tier, he was painfully clear about what he had just endured!

“Ye Han!” he muttered internally. “I truly don’t know whether to thank you or resent you. Hmph. At the time, I never realized that just a single meeting could seal my acupoints. It seems that Ye Han’s strength is indeed not to be underestimated. However…!”

Yang Yi pondered for a moment and asked Feng Shi, “How is Lian Xue?”

“She is much better, but she just fell asleep,” Feng Shi replied.

“Good, as long as she’s fine.” Yang Yi nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “How many days have I been unconscious?”

“One day and one night.”

“One day and one night?” Yang Yi stared out the window at the large tree, lost in contemplation.

Meanwhile, Feng Shi found herself utterly astonished. Yang Yi seemed to have transformed into a completely different person; the temperament radiating from him, his mannerisms—all conveyed an incredible aura. In essence, he used to be jade that had not yet been carved, his sharpness veiled, making it impossible to sense exactly what made him different.

But now it was different. Regardless of his expression or his behavior, everything revealed that he had been meticulously and exquisitely sculpted, resulting in his sharpness being fully exposed. Even though he tried to restrain it, no matter how he held back, people would notice that he was extraordinary.

“Miss, he has awakened!” A doctor in a white coat appeared on the hospital's top floor and spoke to a woman. That woman was, without a doubt, Yang Rong!

Yang Rong nodded and said, “You may return.”

“Yes!” The doctor acknowledged and walked away.

However, just as the doctor’s figure vanished from the top floor, a middle-aged man appeared—this was Uncle Long. He looked at Yang Rong and asked, “Miss, are you planning to see him tonight?”

“Yes,” Yang Rong responded. “Tell him to come meet me at Da Lin in the East Suburbs tonight.”

“Yes, I understand.” Uncle Long turned and disappeared.

Yang Rong walked to the railing, gazing down at the streams of vehicles below, lost in thought. After a long moment, she murmured, “Xiao Yi, congratulations. Everything you lacked has now been made whole. The next step perhaps depends on how much you have truly realized. I believe that now, Ye Han, the Four Great Sects of Huaxia, and the Two Great Clans of Huaxia, they will see what a King is, and what it means to be the master standing upon the peak!”