NABC Chapter 48 The Path of Cultivation Has Only Just Begun
Chapter 48 The Path of Cultivation Has Only Just Begun
Chapter 48 The Path of Cultivation Has Only Just Begun
Tai Li Immortal Sect, Chenming Mountain.
A streak of light descended from the sky and landed in the simple courtyard on the mountaintop.
Xiong Zhou looked at his home, which bore the marks of pixels, stretched lazily, and yawned.
A familiar environment is comfortable.
"Clatter..."
"
Master Lu skillfully summoned a pure white cauldron from his inner world, lit a six-flavor true fire at the bottom of the cauldron, and surrounded it with six different worldly charms of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty and bland, causing the two characters "Taihe" on the cauldron to overflow with the warm light of a cooking stove.
What do you want to eat today?
"Steamed snow salmon, from Qinghai!"
Xiong Zhou's eyes lit up, he subconsciously wiped his mouth, and eagerly began reciting the menu.
"Okay, then let's have the snow salmon from Qinghai."
Master Lu nodded. Despite the great distance, Zi Guang crossed the Chenzhou coastline, ventured deep into Qinghai, and found his sect's fishing grounds.
A few breaths later, he selected a snow salmon about ten feet in size from hundreds of fish at the sixth level of Qi Refining, the one most suitable for steaming. He then stunned it with his hand and retrieved it from Qinghai to Chenming Mountain.
"Clang!"
Master Lu threw the three-meter-long fresh snow fish into the Taihe Cauldron, letting wisps of Six Flavor True Fire swirl around the fish, removing impurities, drawing out blood, burning the fishy-smelling internal organs, and cutting the fish meat along the grain.
The entire process was fluid and graceful, carrying a profound sense of transcendence yet returning to the mundane world.
Master Lu gently beckoned, and the spiritual spring flowing from Chenming Mountain flew into the Taihe Cauldron from outside the courtyard, allowing every wisp of rising water vapor to blend into the fish meat.
A quarter of an hour later, Master Lu reached out again, and strands of golden light fell from his palm, enveloping the snow salmon and harmonizing the heaven and earth within the dish.
A delicate fragrance began to waft from the Taihe Cauldron, causing Xiong Zhou, who was already sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, to keep swallowing his saliva.
"Come on, let's eat."
Lu Shibo specially set aside a dozen or so of the fattest and most succulent garlic cloves of pork, put them in a bowl, sprinkled them with chopped green onions, drizzled them with steamed fish soy sauce, and handed them to Xiong Zhou.
"Thank you, Senior Uncle Lu."
Xiong Zhou picked up his chopsticks and eagerly grabbed a piece of food, stuffing it into his mouth.
No chewing is required; the fish melts like cream with the touch of the tongue, bringing an unparalleled delicate sensation.
The sweetness, similar to rock candy, and the aroma of marine oils explode on the tongue, rich and mellow yet not cloying.
The complex and extremely layered umami flavors, like the essence of heaven and earth, slowly unfold from the tongue, transforming into a refreshing warmth that flows throughout the body, smoothing away mental fatigue and sweeping away physical exhaustion.
This feeling is incredibly blissful.
Xiong Zhou narrowed his eyes, picked up his chopsticks and grabbed his bowl, and began to show off wildly.
Eat slowly, no rush.
Uncle Lu spoke slowly and deliberately.
He would occasionally put fish into Xiong Zhou's bowl, and also brewed a pot of Longjing tea, pouring out two cups.
Uncle Lu picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip, a warm smile on his face.
He sat quietly on the stone chair, watching the extremely subtle wisps of death energy and corpse energy that Xiong Zhou was completely unaware of slowly being expelled from all parts of his body. He sensed that some of the life force and bloodline potential in Xiong Zhou's body had been consumed and slightly damaged, and was being slowly nurtured back.
An hour later, the three-meter-long snow salmon was reduced to a snow-white skeleton by Xiong Zhou.
He lay half-reclined on the stone chair, rubbing his rounded belly, and let out a burp.
"It's so delicious. It's been so long since I've had Uncle Lu's cooking."
"Uncle-Master Lu, where have you been all year?"
Upon hearing Xiong Zhou mention this, Master Lu's face immediately darkened.
"I went to the Medicine King Sect and talked to the senior monk who was on duty in the Sutra Repository."
"There was a true disciple in the sect who had reached the third level of cultivation. In a stroke of good fortune, he obtained the method of enlightenment from the Medicine Buddha, the 'Lapis Lazuli Buddha Light'."
"To make matters worse, this brat actually has a bit of Buddhist nature. After reading a few Buddhist scriptures, he actually cultivated a wisp of pure and authentic Buddhist light."
Xiong Zhou's eyes widened in surprise.
Has a senior disciple within the sect successfully cultivated the path to enlightenment of a Bodhisattva?!
This news is absolutely explosive.
The Bodhisattvas in Buddhism are on the same level as Daoist masters.
This senior disciple within the sect was actually able to cultivate the path to enlightenment of a Bodhisattva without any guidance...
Against the sky!
Although it was also a Dao Lord level technique called "Tai Li Refining Method," he relied on his senior uncle Lu, a true immortal cultivator, to explain the method and answer his questions one-on-one, which allowed him to master it at a relatively fast pace.
Now, someone can actually enter the path of Bodhisattva enlightenment and attain the fruition of Buddhahood in "The Light of Lapis Lazuli" just by reading a few Buddhist scriptures?!
Xiong Zhou clicked his tongue and said, "This senior disciple, didn't he join the wrong sect back then?"
"With such profound Buddhist nature, he shouldn't have come to the Tai Li Immortal Sect. He should have joined the Medicine King Sect directly."
"Over the years, he may become a disciple of the Medicine King Sect and may inherit the position of abbot of this sacred Buddhist site in the future."
Uncle Lu's face darkened further, and he directly reached out and smacked Xiong Zhou on the forehead.
"hiss!"
Xiong Zhou covered his reddened forehead, gasping for breath as he looked at his senior uncle Lu with a hint of shock in his eyes.
Why such a strong reaction?
Could he have guessed correctly?
Uncle Lu seemed to see through Xiong Zhou's thoughts and understand his surprise and doubt. He looked up at the sky and sighed.
"It hasn't come to that point yet; I haven't truly joined the Medicine King Sect and become a Buddhist disciple."
"However, he has stayed at the Medicine King Sect and devoted himself to studying Buddhist scriptures. Let's just consider this an exchange and learning experience."
Xiong Zhou was still shocked. He had never heard of such an "overseas study" situation before. This was a true disciple of the Tai Li Immortal Sect. Was it really appropriate to put him in the Medicine King Sect of Buddhism?
Such matters involving the inheritance of the Daoist lineage do not seem like decisions that a mere Qi Refining Immortal like Senior Uncle Lu could make. Did the other Qi Refining Immortals in the sect make any judgments about the sect's future development?
"I think you guessed it too."
"The other immortals within the sect have indeed discussed the sect's future development direction many times and have begun to make adjustments."
"The cause of the adjustment is the fluctuation of the atmosphere, the reason for which has not been found for hundreds of years."
Uncle Lu stated it softly.
"Luck cannot remain dormant. Even with the suppression of immortals and immortal artifacts that suppress it, ups and downs are quite common."
"Running water never stagnates, and so does the logic of the cycle of heaven and earth."
"The lineage left behind by the Daoist Master may not be buried in the annals of time and disappear completely, but no lineage can last forever and allow each generation of true disciples to achieve true immortality."
Master Lu stopped, raised his teacup, and took another sip of Longjing tea.
"The Qi Refining Immortal can truly predict the ups and downs of past fortunes. If one is willing, one can know them ten thousand years in advance and see all the reasons, giving one ample time to make adjustments."
"The trough is only temporary. As long as one is unaware of the problem and continues to do things recklessly, even if one does nothing, at most a million years will pass before one's fortune recovers to the level and steadily rises until it reaches its peak and enters the next cycle."
"However, this fluctuation in fortune is far too unusual. It's not just our Tai Li Immortal Sect that's facing problems; all lineages, regardless of size, are experiencing abnormal ups and downs. Many Qi Refining Immortals have already described it as 'turbulent.'"
"The reason is unknown, and the cause and effect cannot be calculated. Not only are the Qi Refining Immortals helpless, but even the Qi Refining Dao Lords cannot find a result."
Master Lu paused, pondered for a moment, and added, "Actually, our Tai Li Ancestor didn't say it was impossible to calculate. Perhaps he had already guessed, but he remained silent and said nothing."
"Subsequently, an imperial decree was sent by the Emperor of Taiqin, and the Patriarch was invited to the capital for a closed-door meeting."
力y
"Therefore, there have been recent rumors that the Emperor of Taiqin is going to work with many Dao Lord-level patriarchs to determine the future."
"Given all of the above, as these undercurrents begin to flow, we, the Qi Refining Immortals of the Tai Li Immortal Sect, tend to maintain the stability of the current situation and respond to all changes with constancy."
Xiong Zhou nodded thoughtfully.
The Tai Li Sect sent this true disciple with profound Buddhist nature to the Medicine King Sect for exchange and study. Besides the fact that the cultivators wanted him to read Buddhist scriptures extensively to broaden his knowledge, they may also have intended for him to shoulder part of the core inheritance of the two sects.
This should be a diplomatic means of maintaining a relatively tacit understanding and stability with the Medicine King Sect, and also a kind of "unexpected insurance" left in the Medicine King Sect.
The attitude displayed by Patriarch Taili was indeed somewhat unsettling.
Xiong Zhou suddenly remembered that when they were in the Void Sea, his senior uncle Lu had personally given that dragon a scripture.
This might also be a way to maintain a tacit understanding and stability with the forces behind that dragon.
Uncle Lu picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of Longjing tea, and took another sip.
"After chatting with you about so many things, it's time to talk about cultivation."
"The path above is called the 'Derivation of Laws,' which, as the name suggests, means to develop one's own unique laws of heaven and earth, reaching the same height as the heavens."
"To elevate this realm to the level of 'Dharma Possessing Primordial Spirit,' the prerequisite is to construct a complete world based on the laws of heaven and earth that one has derived from oneself."
Xiong Zhou was stunned.
My hand, which was about to pick up the teacup, froze.
Xiong Zhou slapped his head. He must have been hallucinating. He must have misheard the requirement that upgrading a [Lv.6] Derivation Technique to a [Lv.7] Technique requires a primordial spirit.
Xiong Zhou looked at Master Lu's smiling face, which was exceptionally clear.
Uncle Lu glanced at Xiong Zhou and nodded slowly, as if to indicate, "You didn't mishear me, and I didn't misspoke either."
Master Lu continued, "No matter what principles you cultivate or what path you take, it is an inevitable path to develop your own unique principles of heaven and earth and expand them to the point where you can build a complete world."
"The law of evolution, the law of evolution, is the process of evolving all things from one principle of heaven and earth." This is the essence of the realm called "the law of evolution."
"Reaching this stage is the true starting point of cultivation; everything before was merely laying the foundation for it."
After briefly summarizing the situation, Xiong Zhou's eyes began to darken.
To advance to the [Lv.5] level of the Path of the Dao, one must, based on one's own cultivation and learning, forge one's own path and begin to break free from the constraints imposed upon one by predecessors.
To advance to the [Lv.6] level of the Evolutionary Law, one must cultivate a strand of the laws of heaven and earth that is as high as the heavens and belongs entirely to oneself.
To reach the limit of [Lv.6] Derivation Method, one needs to take one's own principles of heaven and earth as the core and derive principles of heaven and earth sufficient to construct a complete world.
The progress bar from the initial Lv.6 to the limit of Lv.6 is so long that, with my current comprehension and resources, I could grind until the end of time and still not finish it!
Having already completed the pixelation of the Azure Sky Realm, Xiong Zhou felt overwhelmed as he reviewed all the parameters in the backend. Moreover, he needed to thoroughly understand all the parameters and transform them into his own understanding.
Thinking about the enormous workload ahead, Xiong Zhou felt an urge to roll his eyes and foam at the mouth.
At this moment, Master Lu seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, your understanding of heaven and earth may be slightly different from the heaven and earth I want to express."
He raised his index finger and flicked out a primordial energy, which curled into a black dot in mid-air in the simple courtyard.
"boom!"
The black dot exploded.
A blurry "membrane" appeared and began an endless surge.
As time went on, one after another extremely subtle particles emerged, and the forces formed after the explosion gradually differentiated into four types.
Three particle structures that were particularly familiar to Xiong Zhou appeared one after another within this continuously expanding "membrane".
Hydrogen (H)
Helium
Lithium (Li)
At this moment, Master Lu raised his finger and moved it gently, and a blurry "axis" appeared and was pulled forward a little.
Xiong Zhou watched as hydrogen gradually coalesced and then transformed into a massive star.
Then, one after another, different types of star systems appeared and began to merge into galaxies, forming superclusters.
During this process, the expansion rate of this "membrane" never stopped; in fact, it became even faster, and the distances between superclusters became increasingly vast.
Upon seeing this, Xiong Zhou's breathing became somewhat labored.
Master Lu pointed to the "membrane" in front of him and said in a teasing tone, "According to your understanding, only this kind of ever-expanding universe is a truly complete and flawless world."
"Right now, the lumpy hole that you have the authority to control, which is almost completely ruined, doesn't count. Even if it's fully repaired, it still doesn't count unless it has a perpetually exponential growth characteristic."
Uncle Lu pointed to his feet, then pointed to Xiong Zhou's stomach.
"To this day, the only truly complete and flawless world you have ever seen is the world beneath our feet, and the one you named 'Mountain and Sea Realm.'"
"Among them, the Mountain and Sea Realm, due to its recent development, has an incomplete cultivation system, few powerful individuals, and its overall strength is not high."
"However, any realm can serve as a reference for the expansion of the laws of heaven and earth, and as a guiding principle for the construction of laws."
Master Lu's expression turned serious.
"Xiao Zhou, you must remember that only when the method of transformation reaches its ultimate point, enough to form a perfect world, can you truly stand on the threshold of attaining immortality."
"Your spiritual journey has only just begun."
Uncle Lu suddenly glanced at Qianyuan Hall and smiled.
He reached into the void and pulled out a bottle of pills engraved with the three large characters "Enlightenment Pill," which he placed in front of Xiong Zhou.
"The results of the Tai Li True Disciple Ranking Competition for the first level of Refinement are out. After the statistics and integration by Tai Li Heavenly Network, you have the highest overall score and rank first."
"This bottle of pills for refining to the sixth level is a cultivation resource I selected for you. Within the allocated resource quota, it is the best choice for your current situation."
"Also, in the next True Disciple Competition, try your best to follow the rules. Otherwise, it will be difficult for those six junior disciples to be in charge."
Xiong Zhou blinked and nodded quickly.
With a hint of embarrassment, he asked, "Since I violated the rules of the True Disciple Competition this time, will the sect punish me?"
Master Lu nodded.
"Of course there are."
"However, someone else will take the blame for you."
Tianli Dojo.
A senior brother, dressed in black with the words "Enforcement" inscribed on his sleeve, arrived at the central temple.
He picked up a dark token inscribed with the golden character "法" (law) and faced the White Jade Sovereign standing in the center of the hall.
"Junior Sister Baiyu, in view of the direct or indirect impact of your interference in this year's True Disciple Ranking Competition for the First Level of Refinement, you will have 3,000 minor merits deducted from your account."
Bai Yu Yuanjun nodded, took out her own true disciple token, and readily paid the punishment.
The senior brother in black robes bowed to Bai Yu Yuanjun and then turned to leave Tianli Dojo.
Kaiming walked to Baiyu Yuanjun's side, his expression subtle, and said softly, "Yuanjun, three thousand minor merits can be exchanged for three thousand ordinary extraterrestrial realms. It seems you've lost out?"
A smile bloomed on Baiyu Yuanjun's lips as she shook her head. "On the contrary, I not only didn't lose out, but I actually made a huge profit!"
"Junior Brother Xiong Zhou is even more outstanding than I expected. His abundant authority, which has reached the level of the Transformation Method, has begun to provide assistance to my process of attaining immortality."