Shen Lian smiled, “If cultivating with this technique was truly that speedy, why don’t we keep a group of demons in captivity and feed them with batches and batches of living creatures, as though they were just grass?” Said Shen Lian.
Zhang Ruoxu looked at Shen Lian meaningfully, “There is no difference between breeding demons and breeding any other living creatures. This path is not difficult because one had to snatch over Qi and blood, but because it was difficult to stay true to one’s original intention. Even a cold-blooded person would be taken over by cruelty. If the heavens were to exterminate the person, it would first turn him insane. Even if the person did not lose himself and attained immortality, it does not mean that he could get away and survive the trial of Divine Thunder,” said Zhang Ruoxu.
“Chief, why are you detailing this to me? Are you worried that I would walk on this path as well?” Shen Lian asked.
“As you have said, it is one’s instinct to survive. Sometimes, it might even triumph over humanity. The more talented you are, the more I fear that you would stray onto the wrong path,” he sighed and thought if the previous chief had explained certain things better back then, that person would not have strayed onto the wrong path. Qing Xuan would not have faced the tribulation hundred years ago.
Shen Lian remained silent. He could not expect the chief to understand him inside out. He was asking out of curiosity, and he had no intention to walk on a path that attained Dao on a murdering basis.
Of course, he could only guarantee about his current intention, and could not say for sure where he would end up in the future. Fate was fascinating and was filled with unknown. Even if it was planned by the heavens above, before something had actually happened, it was still full of variations.
Amongst the living creatures in this world, it was only natural for the strong to prey on the weak. However, if one were to be fixated on destruction at the expense of one’s awareness of the endless circle in nature, even the flowing river would not last.
Indeed, cultivators absorbed the essence of heaven and earth and tapped into the mystic of the universe. However, they knew where the line needed to be drawn, and that was not the case with the Blood Dissipating Sword.
“I only have one thing to say. He who is aware of the male, but keeps to the female, does not sought to be the best in the world.” Shen Lian straightened his clothes and bowed deeply; he bowed as a gesture of appreciation for Zhang Ruoxu’s adoration for him, and it was to demonstrate his humility as well.
Did not seek to be the best in the world, it was to remain respectful and fearful for the future; it was not timidity, cultivators should go through hardship, but they should not restrain their capabilities.
Zhang Ruoxu looked at Shen Lian and was not sure if he was satisfied or dissatisfied with Shen Lian. Shen Lian’s strength was his ability to understand something that was pointed out to him, and he could even raise three points for every point made. The lack of the student-teacher tie between them was dissatisfactory, and if anything, their interaction felt more like that of Daoist friends.
Out of sudden, Shen Lian heard the roar of the sword. It sounded more like the roar of a tiger rather than that of a dragon. Despite the ban placed in the Qing Xuan Hall, it did not block out the roar of the sword completely.
Zhang Ruoxu was not surprised by the roar of the sword. In fact, he was pleased to hear it. “He who spent a good half of his life sharpening a sword that he has yet to use, he has brought the sword here today, as a great injustice has taken place,” said Zhang Ruoxu as he clapped merrily.
When he was done speaking, the Tiandi Jian rolled out from his sleeve. Its greenish light looked like water, and when it fell onto the ground, it turned into a giant screen. Amidst the blue sky and the white clouds, a lone peak stood. That would be the Qingliang Peak.
The clouds were gathering towards a specific point, and it formed the shape of a dragon and tiger. Five colorful bright rays were formed and it was ever-changing. It was a dazzling sight, and a majestic sword aura broke through the sky and barriers, headed right into nothingness.
The roar of the sword sounded like the roar of a tiger and the howl of a dragon. It went on for a while, and Shen Lian felt his bier vibrate as the sound fell into his ears. He could not help but be mesmerized by it.
It was as though a dried-up stream was met with a new water source, though he did not know why; it gave birth to life and stirred up a myriad of feelings.
It was as though countless mystical principles were coming through, but there was a thin veil covering all of them.
The winds and clouds were gathering and churning in the sky.
As he listened to the roar of the sword, Shen Lian had forgotten about what he saw; only Zhang Ruoxu was still staring intently at the sight on top of the Qingliang Peak.
The roar of the sword could pierce through the ban placed in Qing Xuan Hall because it was the resonance of the heaven and earth. Without a doubt, the one who attained the state of Huandan was Chen Jianmei. What bothered Zhang Ruoxu was whether Chen Jianmei could attain eight transformations or nine.
It had been many years since Qing Xuan finally had a cultivator who managed to attain the state of Huandan with one’s own strength. This was a sign that the sect was slowly returning to its glorious state.
He would have no regrets if there could be more and more disciples who attained the eight or nine transformations of Huandan.
Having been stuck in the Absurd State for so long, he knew that he had no hope of breaking through. It was not his heart of Dao, but rather his body and spirit that was unable to bear the breakthrough.
There was nothing that he could do about it, which was why he was not that bothered.
Qing Xuan’s aim was the cultivation of one’s heart should take priority over physical cultivation.
An accomplished mind would bring forth success in terms of cultivation. However, if the foundation of the way of Dao was damaged, one could not do much even with such mind without the help of the rarest celestial elixir.
If he could ensure the continued stability of Qing Xuan before facing nirvana, at least he had done his part with regards to the legacy of Grandmaster Yuan Qing.
Shen Lian woke up on the fifth day. There was a thin layer of membrane on his eyes, as though a thin layer of mercury was covering on top. After a while, his sight finally cleared up.
The resonance of the heaven and earth persisted, and it was stretched out, longer and longer. However, unlike before it had an indescribable obscurity to it.
“If you can listen to the resonance of the heaven and earth during Huandan for five days, when you have the cultivation experience, you can utilize external alchemy to enter into the state of Huandan. In the past one thousand years, you are the second person who has such a heart of Dao at this level of cultivation experience,” Zhang Ruoxu told Shen Lian.
Shen Lian smiled in his heart. Having just said that he did not seek to be the first in the world, it was ironic how that he became the second now. At the same time, he could tell from Zhang Ruoxu’s tone that he was in a decent mood.
There was only self-deprecation in his heart, but not anger.
The mystical resonance of the heaven and earth was indeed, mystical. However, Chen Jianmei was cultivating swordcraft and subscribed to the belief that one pierce of the sword could overcome different types of spells and supernatural powers.
Swordcraft was powerful, but it lacked in thoughts and will, it would be hard to manifest the earnings from the resonance of the heaven and earth. Even so, Shen Lian’s attainment at the Being and Non-Being of Sword Aura reached a new height. He even managed to glimpse into some parts of its mystical workings.
It would seem that the sword aura itself was a foundation. Just as the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of the mathematical digits. The decimals could go on to tens digit, hundreds digit, or even infinitely.
Dao was infinite, and swordcraft too was infinite.
At the Qing Xuan Hall, Zhang Ruoxu and Shen Lian waited for the Huandan to end. Four days had passed, and it took a total of nine days and eight nights for the phenomenon to subside.
Zhang Ruoxu was not especially pleased. If it was nine days and nine nights, signifying the extreme number of nine, the nine transformations of Huandan was sure to have taken place. However, as it was short of one night, it could either be the nine transformations of Huandan, or not.
It was not as though that there was a huge difference between eight transformations or nine, but knowing Chen Jianmei and his pride, he would be bothered if he was short of one transformation. It would be like having a fishbone stuck in one’s throat, and this would be an obstacle to his heart of Dao too.
Though, the fact that there was a new, true disciple in the celestial school was something worth celebrating.
True disciples and doyens received pretty much the same treatment. In some cases, where the doyen who held important position had died, the true disciple would take over the position as of right. If was only upon the true disciple’s rejection that other people would be considered for the position.