Chapter 1075: The Master Speaks of Himself, Examining His Conscience

Chapter 1075: The Master Speaks of Himself, Examining His Conscience

In that mountain god temple very close to the Cloud Below Villa, a rustic, stooped old man was busy in the kitchen, tying on an apron, making a clattering sound on the chopping board like the pounding of clothes.

Because the Mountain Goddess, who never received guests, had for the first time brought such an old fellow back up the mountain with her, and she was even leaning against the doorframe, gazing affectionately at the old man inside.

This made the old and young female ghost servants in the temple stand far away, exchanging glances. Could it be that their own Mountain Goddess had found... her father?

Zhu Lian didn't turn his head either, just skillfully placed stacks of seasonings into exquisite small bowls all fired by the Imperial Workshop of the former dynasty, and laughed: "Miss Xie, actually I have no homesickness, no pain of national subjugation, no grief of thorns, no sorrow of millet in decline. None of these. I already had no regrets in life, so why care about matters after death? Therefore, if you are worried for me, I would feel it is 'forcing sorrow to write new lyrics.' There's no need, really, don't furrow your brows anymore. It doesn't look good to others anyway."

Xie Tao just stared blankly at him, saying nothing, yet everything was said.

Thinking back to those days, born into a top-tier prominent clan of the previous dynasty, a clan where women could refuse to 'marry down' to imperial sons, Xie Tao in her youth first saw Zhu Lian from a neighboring country, whom she considered "very good at seeking fame and reputation, using this to build prestige and wait for the right price." At that time, she was in her family's mountain villa. After a heavy snowfall, having nothing to do, she leaned on the railing and looked out, seeing a scene on the opposite side.

Because she had excellent talent in martial arts, and her family had wise teachers, and one of her uncles was itself a martial arts grandmaster renowned in the jianghu, she had already mastered considerable martial skills in her youth. Even that uncle, who rarely praised others, said she had already entered the hall of martial arts. Therefore, Xie Tao had good eyesight and could vaguely see the man and woman in the neighboring mountain not far away.

A noble scion, wearing a fox fur coat and leaning on a staff while climbing the mountain, walking among dense forests, pines, clouds, bamboos, and snow. A beautiful maidservant followed, carrying a letter case, painting bag, poems, and fine wine. National beauty and mountain scenery, wine fragrance—both complemented each other.

On the way back down the mountain, they encountered heavy snow again. The mountains stood like jade, ice mirrors shining brightly. The noble scion used his bamboo staff to brush away the goose-feather snow. Behind him, the maidservant chanted azure lyrics and sang while stepping on the snow. The man and woman seemed to walk in a pure, ethereal fairyland.

Whatever her original intention and thoughts were, she ended up going to the foot of that mountain to block his way.

But that one block gave rise to endless thoughts of regret that she later found unbearable.

She shouldn't have seen him, shouldn't have thought this way. Xie Tao spent her whole life trapped in a ghost wall between these two thoughts.

Only by knowing him, by living with him day and night, could one truly understand him.

He truly knew everything, and was extremely proficient. But he never minded making a fool of himself. For example, whenever he ate spicy food, he would shiver all over, his face turning red in no time, yet he refused to admit defeat, crying while still eating quickly. Eating certain seafood would make him break out in a rash all over, and he would complain bitterly every time. When talking about unpleasant matters or people he disliked, he would curse and swear profusely, then go make a lifelike straw doll, chanting "Heaven and earth, spirits and gods," poking it with a needle again and again, then writing quickly, sending a letter to ask about someone's recent health.

There were only a few maidservants in this temple. Xie Tao also didn't want nearby men and women to enter the temple to burn incense. It wasn't just because she liked quiet—she was even more helpless. What are you praying to me for? Smooth official career? Rolling in wealth? A gushing flow of literary talent? A wonderful pen that produces flowers? Or seeking marriage and early childbirth?

Zhu Lian asked: "With such meager incense offerings in this temple, amounting to almost nothing, relying solely on the mountain and river qi to stabilize your golden body—isn't that insufficient?"

Xie Tao came back to her senses and nodded: "Occasionally, the golden body statue sways. I don't take it seriously, but it scared them a few times, and they haven't had a peaceful sleep in years."

Zhu Lian laughed: "I don't have the face to beg for Gold Essence Copper Coins from that young master. Besides, that's only a shortcut, not a true source of incense offerings. Since Miss Xie has both literary talent and martial arts skills, and even served as a half-manager back then, managing a large family in perfect order—a big bunch of parasites, several hundred people, who never worried about money—why not put some effort into literary fortune, martial fortune, and wealth fortune? If you don't like jianghu fighting and killing, and don't want to be too deeply involved with the national destiny connected to martial fortune, and don't like merchants with the stench of money appearing here, then have scholars come to the temple to pray for success in the imperial examinations."

Xie Tao shook her head: "I have no interest in doing these things. I was busy with these in my previous life. If I repeat the same tricks in this life, it's like walking an old path. Why bother?"

Hah, calling me "Miss Xie" at every turn—whatever you say, I'll do the opposite.

The person is an old acquaintance, the sorrow is new sorrow. Last night's moon was the moon of old times, and today is a new day again.

So Xie Tao even began to wonder if she was dreaming.

Had she really just seen Zhu Lian? And not gone to find Lord Zhu herself?

The maidservants in the temple, who knew best their Mountain Goddess's cold and indifferent temperament, started looking at each other again. This was truly seeing ghosts in broad daylight.

Who on earth was that old man in shabby clothes and cloth shoes, who could make their mistress smile, talk with such "animation," such human touch?

Zhu Lian sat on a small stool by the stove, picked up the bamboo tube for blowing fire, shook it, turned it upside down—it had probably been a decoration for years, full of dust. He took a fire striker and a piece of fragrant pine resin from his sleeve, turned his head and teased: "Oh my Miss Xie, don't be so listless. Do you really need to eat a full meal to have energy? To become a deity as a heroic spirit—what great fortune! Look at me, I got up early but arrived late; I got nothing. Well, I can't say that. At least I found a place to settle my heart. Busy hands but idle mind every day, bustling about with cultivation and ordering the family, just not talking about governing and pacifying. When idle, I find someone to drink some wine together. Isn't that better than being an immortal?"

Xie Tao narrowed her eyes and smiled, but her voice was weak and sickly: "Busying about, idle or not, what is it all for? May I trouble Old Master Zhu to give me a reason?"

Using such a title, Xie Tao couldn't help but break character, finding it too amusing, and laughed heartily on her own.

Zhu Lian laughed: "Mountain and river deities also have a Golden Jade Register and hierarchy of divine positions. When your golden body reaches the height equivalent to a Golden Core Earth Immortal, I'll take you out to see the world. Then you'll sigh that the ancients didn't deceive me. Even those most attached to their hometown may have to admit one thing: our homeland doesn't have such good mountains and rivers."

Xie Tao asked curiously: "What place is that? And who is that young master you mentioned?"

Zhu Lian didn't give a definite answer, just smiled: "Why ask so much? Good mountains and good people—you'll know once you go."

---
On Luodai Island, at Guyue Pavilion, Xie Dog sat on the railing, swinging her legs, stretching and yawning: "Small skirmishes, not interesting at all."

A Grand Wood Temple on Autumn Qi Lake, with all kinds of strange members—martial artists, cultivators, and spirits—what could they possibly accomplish together?

If she casually swung her sword down, not just the living, but the entire Grand Wood Temple would be flattened cleanly. Replace them with a more obedient batch to fill the vacancies and attend the second meeting—who would dare to object?

Although Mountain Lord Chen had been exerting pressure, he hadn't started a massacre. So in Xie Dog's eyes, it was naturally like a naughty, unruly brat throwing a tantrum, being held down by the head by an adult with martial skills, telling the child who was flailing and spitting to behave, or else he would get beaten.

But in Xie Dog's eyes, this excitement was indeed... not exciting enough!

Xie Dog quickly added another sentence: "Compared to the last time our Mountain Lord opened his sword on Mount Supporting the Moon, personally killing the great demon culprit, making him lose convincingly, and then cutting off his head—this is far inferior."

"Master is like firing a porcelain piece with an excellent blank. He must be extremely careful, because one slip-up could ruin a precious treasure."

Guo Zhujiu thought for a moment and explained: "Opening a mountain has the grandeur of opening a mountain; needlework has the delicacy of needlework. Actually, the difficulty between the two isn't as great as you imagine. Of course, this is also a knot in Master's heart. It's hard for him to truly accept himself as a pure swordsman. Simply put, hindered by his identity, it's not easy to act with full force. After all, this blessed land has taken too much heart's blood from Fallen Mountain. With Senior Cui and Senior Sister's gifts of martial fortune, Master himself has placed many thoughts into this blessed land."

"Therefore, Master is unwilling to even treat the blessed land as a second Zhengyang Mountain and use the sword technique 'disassembly.'"

"But if Master is truly angered, replaying Zhu Lian's battle a hundred years ago in the Southern Garden Kingdom's capital, adopting the mentality of one man against the world, exerting pressure, cutting through, breaking through realms, and returning to the Return to Truth layer of martial arts..."

Xie Dog nodded vigorously like a chick pecking rice: "With Alliance Leader Guo putting it that way, I understand even more Mountain Lord Chen's good intentions."

Understanding is one thing, but she still didn't accept Chen Ping'an's methods. They were too... gentle. And you're supposed to be the last disciple of Literary Sage? To have such high hopes for human nature?

Chang Ming smiled: "Let me add a few words. Following Zhujiu's metaphor: kneading clay and firing porcelain. The entire blessed land's mountains and rivers are the porcelain clay, the mortal world is the kiln mouth, and literary and martial fortunes along with heaven and earth's spiritual qi are the kiln fire. It seems one can repeatedly fire the same porcelain vessel according to a template, but in reality, it's not so. The porcelain vessel is unique, like a broken mirror hard to reunite. Once the human heart shatters, it's hard to restore to its original state. Unless you knock everything down and start over, replacing all the existing birds in the forest. But in that process, there is bound to be chaos. The mortal world cannot recover its vitality even after decades or a hundred years of cultivation. Hence the difficulty. Zhujiu's description of the Mountain Lord doing 'needlework' is quite appropriate: repairing the body, bonding, plain firing, internal and external glazing—all involve the human heart. Among these, ordinary mortals are the inner glaze, inconspicuous; qi refiners and mountain-water spirits are the outer glaze, bright and resplendent. Hence this 'summit meeting' at Autumn Qi Lake, hoping to negotiate a gentleman's agreement acceptable to both sides. From top to bottom, from point to surface, to give the entire mortal world of the blessed land a stable society while granting the utmost freedom to the mountain world. The Lotus Root Blessed Land is inherited from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, with too many historical issues left over. Now, in the eyes of native qi refiners of the blessed land, we of Fallen Mountain are almost entirely equated with 'banished immortals.' Earlier, the Mountain Lord deliberately brought Gao Jun and Zhong Qian—the 'two golds'—out of the blessed land and settled them in Fallen Mountain, hoping for an appropriate and honest severance. In the porcelain-firing process, the excess clay at the pouring gate must be removed cleanly and evenly. Additionally, sharp corners must be scraped and gaps filled—all meticulous work that cannot tolerate any error. After that, the Mountain Lord still has glazing, bottom trimming, and other tasks. We are outsiders, so let's wait and see."

Xie Dog adjusted her sable hat: "In the final analysis, Chen Ping'an is unwilling to kill without warning. He hopes for fewer deaths, preferably no deaths on either the mountain or the mortal side. That indeed doesn't seem like a pure swordsman."

No wonder in the streets of the Great Li capital, he said to her and Xiao Mo, "you two pure swordsmen." Chen Ping'an might have spoken casually, but the listener took it to heart. Xiao Mo was very sad.

When Xiao Mo is sad, she feels bad too.

Chang Ming let out a faint sigh, her expression complicated: "Miss Xie, my metaphor was just lightly spoken. I only talked about smoothing away the sharp corners. The Mountain Lord is cautious and faultless; he doesn't want to kill anyone or have anyone die. But will there be a few, dozens, or hundreds of Gu Lings and Jiang Quans? Will there be more River Godly Sons in this mortal world? If he doesn't kill Jiang Quan today, what about tomorrow and the day after? For example, earlier, when that rebel Cao threw a punch and wasn't stopped by the Mountain Lord, and he died, would his friends and relatives seek revenge? With Zhou Shuzhen dead, what would the qi refiners and martial artists of Jingyang Tower think?"

Xie Dog grinned, baring her teeth: "Let me speak frankly. Fellow Daoist Chang Ming, just listen and let it go. Alliance Leader Guo, don't put it on the books! Why must the Mountain Lord be so indecisive? Even the Ultimate Sage said, 'Repay kindness with kindness; then what do you repay enmity with?' This is called 'even an immortal can't persuade a ghost bent on dying.' Today or in the future, all those who court death on their own—kill them. As long as Fallen Mountain is not in the wrong and has reason on its side, and the Mountain Lord has a clear conscience that he had no choice but to kill, then this blessed land, small as it is, still has so many people. What does it matter if a few hundred or thousand die? At least none are wronged. It's better than now, being soft-hearted, which ends up causing more deaths across the entire world! So, I say, that Liu Xu has a clearer head. He advised Chen Ping'an by the river not to be soft-hearted. You two, tell me—isn't this 'the onlooker sees the game best while the player is lost in it'?"

Guo Zhujiu smiled, seemingly confident. She had faith in her master.

But Xie Dog, being Xie Dog, noticed the little girl's worry.

Chang Ming hesitated, but still didn't reveal more inside information to Xie Dog and Guo Zhujiu.

Even though she had decided in her heart to train Guo Zhujiu as the next Discipline Master of Fallen Mountain, haste makes waste. She didn't want to force growth, lest the girl take on too heavy a burden and neglect her sword practice.

Earlier, at Zhu Lian's courtyard with the Chief Supporter Jiang Shangzhen, and having coaxed the rarely seen Spring Treasury helmsman Wei Wenlong out of his counting house, they had actually had a small-scale meeting.

No one knew who first gave the analogy, comparing them to the "Four Giants of Fallen Mountain." Apart from the beaming Chief Zhou, the other three didn't much like that description.

Jiang Shangzhen's words were startling: "This is a trap set for our Mountain Lord by the Old Temple Master."

The lines were laid a thousand miles away, intending to put Fallen Mountain, the 'Heavenly Lord' of the brand-new blessed land, in the same position as the Jade Capital in the Azure Underworld. To force Mountain Lord Chen to become that Vice Master Yu.

One wrong move, and the whole game is lost. The difficulty lies in this: if the outcome of breaking this situation fails to meet Chen Ping'an's own expectations, then his impending and inevitable sword challenge to the Jade Capital is already lost now.

Yu Dou governs an entire Azure Underworld of fourteen prefectures. You, Chen Ping'an, merely manage a small blessed land, and you've made a mess of it. Inferior to Yu Dou—how can you still have the face to challenge Yu Dou in the future?!

To bring chaos to the world for personal reasons, causing countless deaths. Even if you, Chen Ping'an, have a thousand justifications, 'repaying enmity with enmity'... I, this poor Daoist, would like to see how many golden literary gallbladders you, Chen Ping'an, can shatter.

Leaning on the railing, Chang Ming narrowed her eyes. If circumstances forced the Mountain Lord to be unable to break the situation, and Fallen Mountain had no choice but to kill without error—kill until no one in the world dared to make a mistake—

Then let me, the Discipline Master of Fallen Mountain, do it!

Inside the Grand Wood Temple, only Chen Ping'an was seated. He opened the door and said: "Adopt the momentum of overcoming others, practice the way of overcoming others. 'Overcoming others' is not entirely about force; it's more about the heart and action, the alignment of the Dao and reason."

Simply put, he was telling this blessed world, where no one understood the true foundation of Fallen Mountain, that whether it was scheming or pure force, they had no chance of victory.

Chen Ping'an extended one hand: "The heart of Heaven is clear. Just for the sake of seeking fairness for the world, Gao Jun, Sect Leader of Lake Mountain Sect, Fellow Daoist, please come and sit with me."

Gao Jun hesitated, still made a Daoist salute, and silently sat down. The seats were still arranged north-south in confrontation, but her sitting down seemed more like she had allied with Fallen Mountain.

But for the sake of the overall situation and long-term planning, Gao Jun had to obey and sit down, lest Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain truly abandon all reason.

In fact, Jiang Quan's appearance and Zhou Shuzhen and Cao Ni's preemptive moves had all been unexpected for Gao Jun. Later, the fight between a qi refiner and a martial artist made Gao Jun even more helpless. It was fortunate that Chen Ping'an didn't make a mountain out of a molehill, taking the opportunity to vent his anger on her, Lake Mountain Sect, and the entire Grand Wood Temple assembly, implicating the whole world like a leaky house. How could she, a Golden Core cultivator, clean up the mess?

Chen Ping'an's opening words were significant: "A Daoist text says, 'When the Way and virtue are lost, benevolence and righteousness arise; when benevolence and righteousness are lost, ritual and propriety appear; when ritual and music collapse, the world falls into chaos.' Hence, in this realm, there was a moral sage who left a prophecy for future generations to verify: 'A sage appears once every five hundred years' to enact Heaven's will, to set things right. I ask all of you: who is the sage now?"

Gao Jun remained silent. How could she dare to consider herself a sage appearing once every five hundred years? Probably only if her master, the "Immortal Yu," were sitting here would anyone dare to answer Chen Ping'an's question.

"Those who have achieved cultivation and possess both virtue and conduct—anyone can be such a sage. Those whose virtue is unworthy of their position and who occupy high places—anyone can be not a sage."

Chen Ping'an looked at the two rows of seats and answered his own question: "If today's meeting ends as it began, then it's simple. I will occupy this position. From now on, for hundreds and thousands of years, the direction of the world and the trend of the times will solely follow my personal preferences and the decisions of Fallen Mountain."

The Grand Wood Temple, still in spring, had an atmosphere as bleak as late autumn. Coincidentally, a leaf fell from above, swaying, as if some kind of reply to this azure-robed swordsman.

Chen Ping'an raised his sleeve, extended two fingers, and pinched that still lush and green fallen leaf. He said calmly: "To become a sage, one must know what a sage is. To know what a sage is, one must know what a person is, what human nature is, and what the starting point of human nature is. Hence, some sages say that human nature is inherently good, while other sages say that human nature is inherently evil, and that goodness is artificial. I ask you all: which is right and which is wrong?"

In the old Lotus Flower Blessed Land, the hundred schools of thought and various teachings were mixed and flowed, because no single family's country had ever unified the world. Therefore, no prominent school had ever dominated exclusively.

Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Legalism, the School of Diplomacy, the School of Merchants—all were widely circulated here. However, under the deliberate arrangement of the Azure Grotto Lord of Luobao Beach, the classics and sage books of the Haoran World were not widely spread within the blessed land. Occasionally, some banished immortals who didn't know their limits, favored officialdom, and tried to be lazy would have printing bureaus mass-produce books from the outside world and then put their own names on them. Whenever such signs appeared, the Old Temple Master personally nipped them in the bud. The fate of those banished immortals who knowingly broke the rules when they fell into the Old Temple Master's hands was naturally predictable.

Chen Ping'an slowly said: "Human nature desires to be full when hungry, and then to have surplus for three meals. It desires warmth in clothing, and then embroidered finery. It desires chariots and carriages for travel, and then to ride clouds and mist, crossing mountains and rivers like crossing ditches. It desires accumulated wealth and property, and then to be the richest under Heaven. It desires to study, and then to become an official, and then to become the ruler of people, family, country, and world. It desires longevity, and then immortality, and then to attest to the eternal Dao, to live as long as Heaven and Earth. The land is narrow, but the wishes are broad; the family is poor, but wishes for wealth; the position is lowly, but wishes for nobility; in old age, one wishes for youth; when dead, one wishes to live again; spirits wish for an immortal golden body. Days and years accumulate, yet the human heart is never satisfied. This is the constant state of human affairs and the world. Therefore, 'I' have fields to till, a house to live in, a means to generate wealth, a family, a country, and a world. Consequently, 'I' cooperate and contend with others, share the same path and fight, have affairs and wars, make decisions on matters, gain and lose things, experience ups and downs in the heart, conduct oneself in society, practice or neglect ritual, order the family and govern the state, follow or disregard law, face off in battle, uphold or abandon righteousness. Hence, there is life and death in the world, fortune and misfortune for all beings, order and chaos under Heaven, and good and evil in the world."

Several of the Five Marchmount Lords seemed to be lost in thought.

Among them, the lazy Song Embrace turned his head and looked at the azure-robed swordsman, who sat as serene as a deity in a certain Daoist text, like a corpse in meditation.

The Eastern Marchmount Lord Zheng Fengzhou noticed something interesting: it seemed that this Fallen Mountain Sword Immortal Chen used "people" to refer to all seated members of the assembly.

But old martial artists like Wu Que, who couldn't succeed in cultivation, almost dozed off, drowsy, and had to close their eyes to rest.

Sun Wanyan raised her hand as if to yawn, but then realized it was inappropriate and gently put it down. Oh, woe is me—she really had to be a schoolboy listening to a pedantic lecturer drone on.

On the other hand, Cao Ni, who had made a huge joke of himself, listened to this content—which even qi refiners found dull, let alone martial artists—and this sword expert, who loved to wander the jianghu and visit mountains to seek the Dao, became more and more calm.

Chen Ping'an placed the verdant leaf on the armrest of his chair, put his hands in his sleeves, and smiled: "I invite all of you here to temporarily put aside your thoughts. First, examine your own conscience and ask yourselves: what is the Dao of cultivation? The method of climbing the mountain, the technique of seeking immortality, the supernatural powers of the Dao—what are their similarities and differences with farming in the fields, the crafts of artisans, and the learning of the ancient sages?"

Finally, someone answered Chen Ping'an's question for the first time. It was that oddly dressed "child" Marchmount Lord. He said solemnly: "There is no essential difference. The slight difference is that Daoists seek the Dao by cultivating both nature and fate—neither can be lacking."

Chen Ping'an laughed: "An answer read from a book, no matter how good, is not what you truly know. Don't be anxious. Think again and answer again. Additionally, I, Lord Huai, remind you: both overarching general statements and detailed deductions from the bottom up can be the truth."

Huai Fu nodded.

The Jade Slip Reverend felt annoyed in his heart. Damn it, that kid Huai Fu stole the thunder! If he had known, he would have spoken first. Talking about these profound and mysterious discussions—he excelled at that!

Chen Ping'an continued: "You all need to understand the weight of 'it's rare to obtain a human body.' Having obtained a human body is a great fortune. Submit to techniques and learning, concentrate with single-minded determination, ponder, examine, accumulate goodness without rest, then one can communicate with the divine, participate in the workings of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, sages are nothing but humans, ghosts, spirits, and goblins. The order is clear: advance steadily, accumulate and achieve. Whether you are a cultivator, a spirit, a ghost, or a demon, if you act like a crafty creature, you cannot attain the Dao—you are just an empty dead skin bag struggling to sustain hundreds of living techniques. Whether you are a dark spirit or a ghost, if your Dao heart is clear and pure, discarding the false and preserving the true, you can still walk the great Dao."

The Jade Slip Reverend, standing solemnly with a whisk in his hand, felt that the azure-robed swordsman seemed to glance at him. This Marchmount Lord, who always liked to consider himself a "citizen of the upper realm" and had originally planned to debate with "grand words against grand words," immediately became silent as a cicada in winter, no longer daring to speak recklessly, and abandoned his idea of currying favor.

Chen Ping'an smiled: "Of course, the sage has taught us: 'Groundless words, unseen actions, unheard-of schemes—the gentleman is cautious about them.'"

Pointing to the sky, Chen Ping'an smiled: "There was once a master discussing Heaven: 'The constellations follow and revolve, the sun and moon alternate in shining, the four seasons succeed each other, yin and yang transform greatly, wind and rain bestow widely. The ten thousand things each obtain their harmony to live, each obtain their nourishment to complete. One does not see their actions but sees their results—this is called spirit. All know how they are completed, but none know their formlessness—this is called Heaven.' Heaven and Earth combine and the ten thousand things are born; yin and yang connect and changes arise. Sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, twenty-four solar terms, seventy-two pentads—assuming the premises are correct, since we are in the midst of this, before climbing the mountain, we cultivators, after ascending the heights, how should we conduct ourselves?"

After a moment of silence, Chen Ping'an said: "The meritorious sage who created and protected this place for many years taught you what the impermanence of the great Dao is, making you revere the great Heaven and Earth outside the human body. There are also sages in the outside world who speak of the constancy of Heaven's operations and the principle of the separation between Heaven and man."

At this moment, the Eastern Marchmount Lord, clad in green robe over golden armor, spoke: "Regarding your earlier question, Master Chen, permit me to be bold and speak to the end. The theories of human nature being inherently good and inherently evil seem to be extreme opposites, incompatible as fire and water. But in fact, the two theories are not necessarily irreconcilable. Expand the four beginnings, seek the lost heart, correct human nature, perfect the Way and complete virtue—this is cultivation. Let Heaven be Heaven, let man be man. The hidden and the manifest are separate paths. Order and chaos, fortune and misfortune—they always lie in man, not in Heaven. Even incense and sacrifices are entirely about fulfilling the human Way, not about ghostly matters?"

He asked one question, and without waiting for Chen Ping'an's answer, he had another: "Master Chen, can I roughly understand this as... man will triumph over Heaven?"

Chen Ping'an smiled: "It should be so."

Zhao Juran said solemnly: "I have received your teaching!"

Chen Ping'an extended one hand and smiled: "Eastern Marchmount Zhao Juran, Fellow Daoist Zhao, you may now take your seat."

Zhao Juran clasped his fists and bowed, then sat down with a smile. His iron armor clanked loudly, and the green robe over it fluttered slightly like patterns of clouds and water.

There were quite a few who were completely befuddled. They just found it more and more boring and felt even sleepier. Besides their impatience, the only commonality was that they all regretted coming to wade in this muddy water.

If Gao Jun had made it clear beforehand that today's Grand Wood Temple meeting would involve confronting Sword Immortal Chen as an enemy, they wouldn't have come even if begged!

Song Embrace suddenly asked a question that seemed completely unrelated, and it was quite interesting. It aroused the interest of many who were drowsy, curious about the answer.

If a patched-up wooden boat has all its parts replaced over the years, is that boat still the same boat?

Chen Ping'an replied with a smile: "It's like the legitimacy of a country—it lies in whether both name and substance are obtained. If one is lacking, the country is not legitimately acquired. By analogy, this boat has neither name nor substance. If substance comes first, it's invalid; if name comes first, it's valid. Marchmount Lord Song, can you understand?"

Song Embrace suddenly realized, and clasped his fists: "The clouds have parted and I see the sun! I have received your teaching, your teaching."

After a moment of silence, he carefully inquired: "Master Chen, may I take my seat now?"

Chen Ping'an squinted and smiled: "What do you think?"

Song Embrace was a bit embarrassed. Naturally, he didn't dare to be cheeky and say "I think yes," so he had to obediently continue standing.

"Just following Marchmount Lord Song's question, let me extend one matter."

Chen Ping'an spoke in a steady tone: "In the current age, names and terms are chaotic. Penal names, noble titles, literary names all follow the ancient; common names follow customs. Scattered and changing, old examples are replaced with new names. Applied to the ten thousand things, strange terms arise and the relationship between name and reality is confused. If the name is incorrect, words are not in accord; if words are not in accord, affairs cannot be accomplished. Though the ten thousand things are many, they share a common name. Push to the common, and common shares with common; extend until there is no more common, then stop. Partially, they have great different names. Push to the different, and different shares with different; extend until there is no more difference, then arrive. Different forms are communicated in the heart; different things have their names and realities intertwined. Therefore, names have their reason for existence. The key to establishing names must be carefully examined."

"However, regarding the matter of issuing and establishing the group names for all things under Heaven, I am a guest and will not overstep my role. But I can offer a modest effort. I will only speak of two matters for your reference."

"First, for those who study martial arts here, I will discuss the division of the various martial arts realms and the corresponding definitions of their names."

At these words, martial arts grandmasters like Cao Ni and Wu Que were instantly energized, becoming lively, afraid of missing a single word.

And some former martial artists who had turned to cultivating immortal techniques, such as Tang Tieyi and Saint of Arms Cheng Yuanshan, also quickly perked up and listened intently.

Even the qi refiners felt that the main topic had finally begun and could reluctantly listen a bit, to see what this fellow—who was hard to distinguish between martial grandmaster and land sword immortal—had up his sleeve. Was it a quack's plaster to deceive the world and steal fame, or a true panacea beneficial to all martial arts under Heaven?

Chen Ping'an said: "The nine realms of martial arts: three realms each for body refinement, qi refinement, and spirit refinement. Layer upon layer, advancing step by step. The speed depends on the individual, but speed is not absolutely good or bad. The key is only the degree of resilience in tempering the bones, flesh, and qi and blood. Whether the fist technique can nurture divine intent. Otherwise, a pure martial artist, even if they have a realm, is just a body made of paper. In a fight of the same realm against a fellow martial artist, they are vulnerable to a single blow. In a contest with mountain qi refiners who hold magical artifacts and can summon wind and rain, they will inevitably lose. Therefore, a genius in martial arts suffers more, gains more substance, and has a slightly lesser reputation than a genius in mountain cultivation."

Martial arts grandmasters like Cao Ni all felt that these insights were quite remarkable, especially the last sentence, which was most reasonable.

Wu Que, caught up in the moment with no other thoughts, blurted out: "Sword Immortal Chen, if we martial artists train to the ultimate realm, can we use our fists and feet to overpower qi refiners?!"

Chen Ping'an laughed: "Good question. Was I just now begging you all to get up from your seats? Or did I use a legendary sword pellet to hold it against your heads?"

Wu Que first blushed, then grinned, clasped his fists and said loudly: "Reasonable!"

Damn it, he never expected this "Sword Immortal Chen" to be one of their own. How satisfying! It helped him vent a lot of pent-up frustration from years of being looked down on. So what if you become an immortal on the mountain?

Chen Ping'an continued: "Among them, the three realms of body refinement are the Mud Embryo Realm, the Wooden Core Realm, and the Mercury Realm. After that, the three realms of qi refinement have their key in the soul, the vigorous spirit, and the gallbladder. Hence their names: Heroic Soul Realm, Valiant Spirit Realm, and Martial Gallbladder Realm. In particular, nurturing a martial gallbladder in the sixth realm is the most important part, always regarded as the hub of a martial artist's pure true qi, and the turning point for climbing to the summit of martial arts. The martial arts grandmasters present, as well as any qi refiners who were once martial artists, should ask yourselves again: what is your martial gallbladder? Where did you obtain it? Then privately give it a name—you might have unexpected joy."

"The three realms of spirit refinement: the Golden Body Realm, also called the Vajra Realm. The Far Journey Realm, also called the Earth-Covering Realm. The Mountain Summit Realm. Above the ninth realm of Mountain Summit, there is still a tenth realm, named the Terminus Realm, signifying that martial artists stop here."

"But the Terminus Realm is further divided into three layers: Qi Flourishing, Returning to Truth, and Spirit Arrival. Do martial artists truly have to stop here, walking to the end of a dead-end road? Not entirely. Above the tenth realm, there is still a legendary realm, which can be called the Martial God."

This was truly parting the clouds to see the sun!

For a moment, the Grand Wood Temple was dead silent, with only the sound of subtle breathing.

The spirited woman standing beside the sword expert Cao Ni, who was fifty years old but had the appearance of a young matron, carried no weapons and spoke for the first time: "I dare ask Master Chen, as the number one person under Heaven, Zhong Qian—which realm is he in? Is he currently in the Golden Body Realm?"

Upon hearing this, our First Sword Immortal Zhong Qian only rolled his eyes.

Chen Ping'an nodded: "Zhong Qian is indeed the first pure martial artist of the Golden Body Realm in your world. Back then, Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu, like you now, were all stuck at the Martial Gallbladder Realm, unable to break through the bottleneck. But in fact, historically, Ding Ying, and a certain jianghu predecessor before Ding Ying, once reached the seventh realm. However, they were no longer 'pure,' so they were not recognized by the great way of heaven and earth. In my opinion, only one person can be considered the first Golden Body Realm pure martial artist before Zhong Qian, and that is Sui Youbian, who tried to open the heavens by flying up with a sword."

"Grandmaster Sui is the person I have admired most in my life!"

This woman was in high spirits, radiant, and clasped her fists: "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself to Master Chen. My name is He Qizhou, from the wilds of Jiang Prefecture in the Songlai Kingdom!"

There were always busybodies who liked to randomly compile a list of the top ten heroes in history, pieced together from various dynasties. The noble scion Zhu Lian and the demon cult leader Ding Ying were firmly in the top three, with no dispute in the jianghu. At most, they argued about who was first and who was second. But regarding the remaining seat, almost no one had ever included Sui Youbian. He Qizhou felt that was wrong, but she couldn't argue with them about it. Well, now there was a final verdict! You men who deliberately looked down on Sui Youbian out of personal bias—who still dares to disagree?

Chen Ping'an smiled and returned her clasped fist salute. If I didn't know this, why would I have added that last sentence?

He Qizhou asked cautiously: "I dare to ask Master Chen one more question: which step of the martial arts realm are you currently on?"

Mud Embryo, Wooden Core, Mercury. Heroic Soul, Valiant Spirit, Martial Gallbladder. Golden Body, Far Journey, Mountain Summit. The three layers of Terminus: Qi Flourishing, Returning to Truth, and Spirit Arrival. And ultimately, the Martial God realm!

Chen Ping'an answered truthfully: "I was once at the Returning to Truth layer of the Terminus Realm. Not long ago, I fell to the Qi Flourishing layer."

He Qizhou nodded, subconsciously sat down, but then realized something was wrong and looked embarrassed. She was about to stand up immediately.

Unexpectedly, the azure-robed swordsman reached out and pressed down twice, smiling: "Grandmaster He, just stay seated."

Song Embrace looked at He Qizhou's appearance. If she were twenty or thirty years younger, she might be quite a beauty. Now? He muttered to himself: Is Sword Immortal Chen's taste a bit peculiar?

In an instant, Song Embrace saw Chen Ping'an's teasing gaze fixed on him.

Song Embrace could only clasp his hands together and shake them vigorously, as if apologizing to the swordsman, and dared not think any more nonsense.

Chen Ping'an waved his sleeve casually, and on the white jade square appeared a marvelous "situation map" of the human body as heaven and earth.

A standing portrait, radiant and shining. Sinews and bones were like mountain ranges, meridians like rivers, qi and blood surging like rolling river water. Along the way, various acupoints were like passes, like mansions, like giant cities!

Inside that martial artist's "body," a snow-white silk thread appeared, like a spiderweb.

"The beginning of learning martial arts, first glimpsing the gate of the martial path—the Mud Embryo Realm."

"Passing the threshold of this realm, true qi scatters like a net. Hold your breath and concentrate, and the net is drawn in. Relying on fist techniques and stance frames, when the true qi is gathered and suddenly stops, that is qi sinking into the dantian, unmoving as a mountain. The self tries to be as still as a mud Buddha. The subtlety of this realm's knowledge lies in 'scattering' and 'sinking.' You can use a martial artist's true qi to nourish the sinews, bones, qi, and blood of the physical body, allowing the impurities from diet to be expelled from the body. When practicing punches and walking stances, sweat pours like rain outside the body, while qi and blood rain sweet dew inside the body."

"When this realm is perfected, the key lies in finding one mouthful of innate qi. Pure true qi condenses into a single line, flowing like thunder. A single line winding long like a flood dragon, crossing mountains and rivers, overturning rivers and crossing seas."

Inside the venue, the martial artist's aura began to change. A mouthful of pure true qi roamed like a fire dragon.

"The place of 'qi sinking' is like a person choosing a place to lay a foundation, build a house, set up a dwelling. Like a narrow alley with a small house..."

Speaking here, Chen Ping'an paused slightly, his expression softening, but he soon came back to his senses and continued: "Accomplish it in one breath. That is, the martial artist simultaneously uses the root bones as beams and pillars, and flesh and blood as high walls, to drive out all acquired filthy and turbid qi, even willing to discard the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, expelling them all. A martial artist's physical body as heaven and earth is like a country with only one master—I alone am supreme! What does it mean for a martial artist to be pure? This is a pure martial artist. A martial artist must compete with himself, compete with fellow martial artists, and even more compete with this heaven and earth—that is a true martial artist. Even if the dwelling at this realm is still crude, the aura is lofty and the ambition is vast."

"The second realm, the Wooden Core Realm. Gradually, the physique becomes tough and resilient, qi and blood flourish. When this realm is perfected, true qi nourishes and penetrates the sinews, bones, and skin. Take the place of qi sinking as the destiny acupoint, expand outward, open up territory, and bit by bit enlarge the path taken by the flow of true qi. It's like opening a bumpy and rugged muddy village path into a flat and wide official road. The meridians expand, and the more condensed the true qi, the smoother its flow. Therefore, this realm can most intuitively test the quality of a martial artist's bones and constitution, and at the same time, it most tests a learner's patience and tenacity. One must use the most painstaking 'water-grinding' effort to... 'open a mountain.'"

Speaking here, Chen Ping'an subconsciously pulled his hands out of his sleeves, gently clenched his fists, placed them on his knees, and his eyes burned with intensity: "A senior once taught boxing and specifically said a word here: 'Mountain immortals, immortal mountains—martial artists insist on opening mountains with their fists. When encountering injustices, I use my fists to level them. We martial artists walk the great path straight ahead! The world's winding paths—I will pave a bright avenue for myself and for future generations!' Therefore, the more hardship a martial artist endures in this realm, the more they are willing to put in desperate effort, the greater their future achievements can be. They can rival the Vajra Indestructible Body of Buddhism and the Glazed Stainless Body of Daoism."

When Chen Ping'an said "therefore," he had already returned to his normal expression, and his tone naturally became gentle. He just reached out and patted that leaf: "The first and second realms—the difference between grass and trees."

Chen Ping'an glanced at Cao Ni.

Zhong Qian also turned his head to look at the current number one sword expert in the world. He sensed a martial artist aura that was very familiar to him, after all, he had walked this path himself. Cao Ni was impressive—soon he would be the second Golden Body Realm martial artist?

Cao Ni, who had acquired a martial gallbladder in an ancient battlefield, murmured to himself: "Fists can defeat enemies, fists can kill people, fists can make a martial artist a match for ten thousand on the battlefield. But a martial artist's fists can also save people, save the world, and pacify the world."

But strangely enough, Cao Ni straightened his collar. As a pure martial artist, his question was completely off-topic: "I ask Master Chen, in your heart, what is a ruler and what is a minister? What is a scholar?"

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and replied: "What is a ruler? The sage said: 'One who can unite the multitudes.' The ruler governs the country with ritual, rules the country as if cooking a small fish. Both the Way and the technique are used; both kingly and hegemonic ways are employed. Then they can handle heavy matters lightly, the country's fortune will be long-lasting, and the people will live and work in peace and contentment. The imperial family possesses the world but allows profits to flow to the people. If an emperor or monarch loses the people's heart, they can be reduced to a commoner. Similarly, if a commoner gains the people's heart, they can naturally be elevated to a monarch. On the other hand, a gentleman, a pure scholar, is a practitioner of ritual, the origin of law. The gentleman participates with Heaven and Earth, moving like the Heavenly Emperor. To control fate, to regulate the ten thousand things—it is better to revere what is in oneself than to admire what is in Heaven."

"As for fighters, they forget their own bodies. All fighters must consider themselves right and others wrong. Lightly, they act with chivalrous spirit, repaying kindness with kindness and enmity with enmity, like the martial artist Jiang Quan. There are also those who seek fame and profit, bully others by relying on power, and recklessly use martial arts to break the law. Heavily, they despise death and are violent, going forward without looking back. Some sacrifice themselves for righteousness; some, as ordinary men, use the courage of blood and anger to make high-ranking officials bleed on the spot. There are also true heroes with ancient customs, those who despise princes and marquises. But these are relatively few."

"Stars fall, spiritual qi flows, ghosts and gods arise together, yin and yang are confused, the hidden and manifest are hard to distinguish, strange phenomena abound. You, Cao Ni, are a martial artist. You have witnessed these bizarre and incredible things with your own eyes. What is your state of mind?"

Cao Ni replied: "The gentleman finds them ordinary; the petty man calls them strange."

Chen Ping'an smiled knowingly and extended one hand: "I have offended you earlier. I invite Cao Ni to take his seat."

The sword expert Cao Ni laughed heartily: "When it comes to a duty, one should not decline; if not me, then who?"

First He Qizhou, then Cao Ni—both sixth-realm martial artists had sat down. Yet Zhong Qian, recognized as the number one under Heaven, was still standing.

Cao Ni glanced at Zhong Qian meaningfully.

Zhong Qian grinned, feeling annoyed. Damn it, at Fallen Mountain, he wasn't just sitting—he was lying down!

"Once, a senior martial artist surnamed Zhu gave me two analogies. He said that the meridians are like roads, and the flow of pure true qi is like the movement of carriages and horses. Therefore, one needs to open roads when encountering mountains and build bridges when encountering water. Those who are lazy in this realm can also take shortcuts, laying fewer roads and quickly entering the next realm. But when two martial artists of the same realm fight one-on-one, it's like two countries' armies facing off on the battlefield. Naturally, whoever can dispatch troops faster will win. It's also like a farmer who wants a good harvest for the year. He must work more and endure more hardship, cultivating more good fields. It's quite crude and easy to understand."

After that, Chen Ping'an roughly explained the key to the Mercury Realm of martial arts: what exactly is "a mud Buddha crossing the river"? Where are its dangers and benefits?

"Regarding the martial gallbladder, I will convey a few boxing principles passed down by predecessors. It is both a shortcut and not a shortcut. Solely speaking of qi-refining third-realm martial artists, it was useless for Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu to hear it before, but now the time is ripe. You can try it. The best is to choose battlefield ruins where fierce ghosts breed and yin soldiers haunt—a place where filthy yin wind and evil qi are mixed with the most yang and strong righteous wind. Facing hordes of ferocious ghost creatures like thousands of troops, a martial artist stands alone, as if asking a fist of heaven and earth. Naturally, this can enhance fist intent and refine fist techniques. Alternatively, you can fairly ask fists against the generals and heroic spirits stationed in those battlefield ruins."

"Martial artists who find themselves in a place of certain death with no intention of retreating—this is the true meaning of the boxing manual's 'seeking life from death to mold the martial gallbladder.' In the dark, sunless battlefield ruins, a martial artist's divine intent and fist energy can be like a blazing sun burning heaven and earth, causing all evils to retreat. Secondly, go to the battlefield and fight, immersing yourself in bloody and desperate battles, and eventually realize the concept of 'the whole world is the enemy.' Lastly, spar among martial artists. Of course, the danger of the first two methods is unimaginable."

"The fist intent flowing through a martial artist's body is as if protected by a deity. Once the sixth-realm martial gallbladder is born, each person's aura is unique. Therefore, a martial artist who enters this realm can be called a small grandmaster."

When Chen Ping'an began to elaborate on the three martial realms of soul, spirit, and gallbladder, he raised his sleeve again. Next to the "map" of the martial artist's body, another "human body as heaven and earth" appeared, like a "celestial constellation." Acupoints and qi mansions were densely packed like stars hanging in the sky.

Gao Jun suddenly widened her eyes, as if seeing a treasure! She held her breath and focused, staring intently, trying to memorize all the details of this image as quickly as possible.

The always listless Sun Wanyan was even more shocked. She finally couldn't help exclaiming: "Impossible! Everyone speculated that the total number of qi mansions in the human body was no more than three or four hundred. How can there be so many?!"

Until this moment, Sun Wanyan truly realized what it meant to be a frog at the bottom of a well, and what a vast difference it was. She took a deep breath and, like Gao Jun, began to memorize by rote.

Zhou Shuzhen's expression was extremely complicated. She was probably the only one present who knew more about the locations of qi mansions than Gao Jun, though she had not yet successfully opened them.

So Zhou Shuzhen understood very well the true value of this painting. Was this marvelous "Immortal Star Chart" even describable by the word "priceless"?

"The martial artist rises from the sixth to the seventh realm—that is the Golden Body Realm. Breaking through to the Golden Body Realm allows one to fly with the wind like a middle-five-realm qi refiner, which is why it's called the Far Journey Realm, also known as the Feathered Transformation Realm."

"The three realms of spirit refinement, especially the Golden Body Realm, are rumored to have hidden wonders. Some, through personal opportunities or family teachings, can find another path. Using the three methods of driving, hiring, and praying—like inviting a deity to possess the body—they can enhance their own physique, like a soldier donning armor or a qi refiner wearing a dharma robe. However, the boxing method I learned does not follow this path."

"As for the ninth realm, the Mountain Summit Realm, and the Terminus Realm above it, I will only mention one pass between them, called 'Bumping into the Heavenly Gate.'"

Chen Ping'an smiled: "It's enough for you to have heard it and have some understanding today. Teaching boxing exists, but feeding punches is not like feeding rice. You have to endure it yourselves."

At that moment, the prairie lord Tuoba Daze clasped his fists, his eyes sincere, and spoke in a halting Central Plains elegant language: "I earnestly beg Sword Immortal Chen to no longer hold back and to give us a display of your ultimate skill. Anyway, I dare not hope for the Mountain Summit Realm in this life, let alone the Terminus Realm. I just want to see with my own eyes what the grandmaster aura of a Terminus Realm martial artist looks like!"

"Since you put it that way, do you still think I will let you see it?"

Chen Ping'an retorted: "Do you think this is paying to watch a show? Hmm?"

Cheng Yuanshan began to worry that Tuoba Daze might end up lying on the ground sleeping.

But Tuoba Daze's expression didn't change; instead, he laughed heartily and said loudly: "I spoke some insincere words just now. Master Chen, allow me to change my words. I, this old man, want to go see the Mountain Summit in this life and personally experience what 'Bumping into the Heavenly Gate' is! As for whether I succeed or not, I'll only know when I die!"

Without even seeing Chen Ping'an assume a boxing stance, the azure-robed figure simply lifted his foot and stomped.

With the Grand Wood Temple and the Autumn Qi Lake ancestral mountain as the center, in an instant, four walls stood high around the periphery. Water rose into the sky, stirring the soul.

The four high walls silently receded back into the lake. Obviously, the azure-robed swordsman had just displayed two hands of grandmaster cultivation?

Tuoba Daze opened his mouth, was silent for a moment, then chuckled: "Master Chen, to be honest, my legs have gone weak. Can I sit down and rest for a while to recover?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded: "A true man knows when to bend and when to straighten."

"The martial artist refines qi with the soul, spirit, and gallbladder. The qi refiner's research into the three souls and seven spirits goes even deeper and further. Among them, the three souls are the Celestial Soul, the Earthly Soul, and the Human Soul."

"The division of qi refiner realms is more numerous, totaling fifteen realms..."

Chen Ping'an shook his sleeve, and the human body mountain and river map disappeared.

When Chen Ping'an reached this point, Huai Fu suddenly spoke: "Earlier, Master Chen had a phrase: 'Communicate with the divine, participate with Heaven and Earth.' You also said: 'Not seeing the actions but seeing the results—this is called spirit.'"

A murmur spread through the crowd. The assembly members' voices were low, but together they were not quiet. Everyone felt that this Marchmount Lord was asking irrelevant questions at a critical moment!

After all, qi refiners might not be very interested in martial arts realms, but pure martial artists certainly dared not be careless about qi refiner realms.

The child-like Marchmount Lord Huai Fu ignored them, just stared at the azure-robed swordsman, and continued on his own: "I don't want to trace the origin of how I became a mountain-water spirit, but I have doubts that I've been unable to solve for years. I humbly ask for your guidance, Master. If it is rare to obtain a human body, then for those who die and become ghosts, why do some civil and heroic spirits differ from ordinary stray ghosts whose consciousness is dim and gradually dissipate into heaven and earth? Is it because a bit of true human nature remains undispersed? Or is it because they stored good intentions, did good deeds, and obtained good results in their previous lives? If this is indeed the principle, then why do some living people turn into fierce ghosts after death? And why do I see the karmic retribution of some ghosts, who were clearly heinous sinners in their previous lives, yet they can exist in the human world for a long time, even occupy mountains and waters, build temples, erect statues, and openly enjoy the people's incense? Do I need to trace further back, to three lives or even more cycles of karma and cause and effect?"

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment and said: "I only know that the emergence of heroic spirits, able to walk freely in the yang and yin realms for a long time, is indeed due to a bit of true spirit that does not extinguish. I do not know the rest."

Huai Fu nodded: "I will seek the answer myself in the future."

Without waiting for Chen Ping'an to speak, he sat down on a chair himself.

Sun Wanyan then asked: "I also have a question. I once saw a sentence in a book: 'Only the utmost sincerity under Heaven can fully realize one's nature.' Is this statement reasonable or not?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled: "It is certainly reasonable."

Sun Wanyan smiled: "Then it's even stranger. Some people here, are they sincere people? Or... good people?"

Chen Ping'an said calmly: "Whether one can cultivate the Dao, become a god through licentious shrines, or ascend to immortality on the mountain—it has nothing to do with good or evil. It only lies in purity and opportunity."

Sun Wanyan hesitated, about to speak, but stopped.

Chen Ping'an smiled: "That's why some other people need to stand here as well, so that they don't give way to certain people. Fellow Daoist Sun, what do you think?"

Sun Wanyan's eyes lit up. She gracefully performed a curtsy and sat down with a smile.

The old man who called himself Tao Zhe spoke hoarsely: "I have one question to ask: What is cultivation of the Dao?"

Chen Ping'an replied: "Things exist because of their time. Therefore, sincerity takes form; form possesses spirit; spirit can transform. Having the meaning of principle, one becomes clearer when encountering events. Change arises in succession—this is called Heavenly virtue. This is cultivation of the Dao. This is the consummate person. This is attaining the Dao."

"The master speaks of himself—that is transmitting the Dao!"

The old man chewed on this for a moment, praised it incessantly, and clasped his fists with a smile: "Old bones and old legs, please grant me a seat, Master."

Chen Ping'an extended his hand, smiling: "Old gentleman, feel free."

Zhong Qian finally understood—so as long as you have a thicker skin, you can all sit back down! Take this old fellow, he's a ghost, right? And he talks about old bones and old legs.

So Zhong Qian coughed, hesitated for a long time, and then tentatively asked: "Mountain Lord Chen?"

Chen Ping'an smiled: "Family, we know each other inside out. If you want to sit, you can. Standing as a finale is also acceptable. It depends on Grandmaster Zhong's mood at the moment."

Zhong Qian wouldn't stand on ceremony. He quickly sat down, leaning against the back of the chair, stretching his legs, placing his hands on the armrests, and let out a comfortable breath.

I've done my utmost anyway.

I followed Marchmount Lord Huai Fu, Sun Wanyan, and that old fellow to help you all gain as much time as possible to remember the second immortal chart.

Chen Ping'an continued: "The five lower realms: the Copper Skin Realm, the Grass Root Realm, the Willow Tendon Realm, the Bone Qi Realm, and the Building Dwelling Realm. The similarities and differences with the martial artist's three body-refinement realms—you can figure them out yourselves. Among them, the third realm is also called the Retaining People Realm."

"The five middle realms: the Cave Mansion Realm, the Sea-Viewing Realm, the Dragon Gate Realm, the Golden Core Realm, and the Nascent Soul Realm. 'He who forms a Golden Core is one of our kind.' Gao Jun is currently at the Golden Core Realm, which, together with the Nascent Soul Realm, is called the Earth Immortal. One can send the yin spirit out of the body to travel far across mountains and rivers, and can refine a yang spirit body as an 'outside body.'"

"The five upper realms: the Jade Marrow, the Immortal, and the Flying Ascension. The fourteenth realm: Unity of Heaven and Man, tentatively named Dao Integration. The fifteenth realm: has no name."

Compared to the first mountain-and-river chart, this Sword Immortal Chen seemed to have spoken too succinctly about the second star chart?

Gao Jun, who had already memorized all the details, steeled herself and said through voice transmission: "Why does Mountain Lord Chen treat us so unequally?"

"But it's precisely because a gentleman can be deceived by his own principles that I haven't argued much with you. Don't push your luck, Sect Leader of Lake Mountain Sect."

Chen Ping'an reminded her through voice transmission: "Learn from me: know when to stop."

That immortal chart then dissipated.

Gao Jun thought it over and finally had nothing to say.

Chen Ping'an reached out, picked up that leaf, gently tossed it away, and it flashed out of sight in everyone's field of vision.

The Lotus Root Blessed Land was already a top-grade blessed land with nowhere to ascend. In the future, at most another small cave heaven could be connected to it.

Thus, as long as Fallen Mountain did not obstruct, Gao Jun, who was already a Golden Core, would inevitably become a Nascent Soul, and there was even hope for her to reach the upper five realms.

Sun Wanyan had excellent aptitude; she could even switch to the very demanding talisman Dao. Her future achievements would certainly not be low. If she were given two Daoist texts, one being a talisman Daoist text of the Haoran Heaven's entry-level quality, and another a secret manual suitable for ghost-type qi refinement, Sun Wanyan would become a Golden Core Earth Immortal within a hundred years, invincible against opponents of the same realm except for swordsmen.

Back then, Yu Zhenyi had taught several secret Daoist techniques to Cheng Yuanshan, who had actively defected to him, without holding back much. Cheng Yuanshan could be considered the second-best direct disciple after Gao Jun.

Therefore, the transformed Cheng Yuanshan indeed had the aptitude to become a Golden Core. But aptitude is one thing; achievement is another. On the path of mountain cultivation, stumbling a few times is inevitable.

Zhou Shuzhen of Jingyang Tower—her martial arts achievements in the past and her current bone structure and aptitude for cultivation—were roughly on par with Saint of Arms Cheng Yuanshan.

But one point: Zhou Shuzhen had the advantage of being close to the water tower. Yu Zhenyi had groped his way to immortal techniques entirely on his own, but Jingyang Tower had a truly profound family tradition. Just the ready-made secret manuals that qi refiners could use directly numbered over fifty. Zhou Shuzhen and the current tower master alone had each cultivated more than ten kinds of immortal techniques.

Back then, Lu Tai had visited Jingyang Tower several times, essentially to block the door and intercept, absolutely preventing Yu Zhenyi from entering and reading books.

Was Yu Zhenyi more at leisure than Lu Tai? Lu Tai, the leader of the Demon Cult, spent his days full and idle with nothing to do.

The last time, Lu Tai even brought a few of his direct disciples, clearly intending to wait for the rabbit by the stump and take the opportunity to kill Yu Zhenyi. Lu Tai had even set up a mountain-water formation.

But Yu Zhenyi quietly withdrew.

As for that fire-cultivating lake flood dragon, so long as Wei Liang managed her properly, she could even become a Nascent Soul.

That was a heaven-sent opportunity. Her true name was Hu Jiao. Her Dao path was lofty and distant. Being the first goblin to walk a river, she was favored by this heaven and earth—a special exception.

That was why a mountain snake that had opened its spiritual wisdom and was determined to "boil rivers and seas with fire magic" had managed to cross the water without incident.

If Wei Liang didn't manage her now, would they wait until she surpassed Wei Liang in realm, still unruly and reckless, and then have Fallen Mountain manage her?

Among pure martial artists, Cao Ni would soon be in the Golden Body Realm.

As for Zhong Qian, still the number one under Heaven for now, as long as he didn't spend the entire year at Fallen Mountain just freeloading food and drink, and instead practiced more 'fist sparring' with the old cook, then the chance of him advancing further to the Far Journey Realm was not small.

The only issue was that if Zhong Qian entered the Far Journey Realm and was then caught up and surpassed by other pure martial artists, like Cao Ni, it would be very difficult for him to climb further and enter the Mountain Summit Realm.

In this world, although martial fortune was abundant, its circulation didn't care about fairness.

Take that River Godly Son, or rather the ghost Jiang Quan: his martial arts talent was not inferior to Zhong Qian's. The martial artist Sha Qing, a guest official at the Bright Moon Lake of Li Ye's court, could be used by Jiang Quan as a 'true trace' to emulate.

And of course, there was Yuan Huang. His future martial arts achievements would probably not be low.

As for Wu Jiang, compared to the River Godly Son and Yuan Huang, whether in terms of current martial artist physique, natural talent, or the degree of condensation of fist intent, he was still a clear notch behind.

In learning boxing, a tough physique and thick fist intent are the unshakable foundations. The six realms of body refinement and qi refinement—each step must be taken steadily and firmly.

That Tao Xieyang, who once served as Wu Jiang's master, was mediocre in his own martial arts and even worse at teaching disciples.

If it were me, Chen Ping'an, teaching boxing, with ten years of effort, by now Wu Jiang should be at least at the Far Journey Realm!

Chen Ping'an said: "Since the idle chat is over, it's time to set the rules. If there are objections, we can discuss them."

The mountain god of Axe Righting Mountain, an old crone, acted fawningly, bowed and smiled: "Sword Immortal Chen, can I also sit down and listen to your teachings?"

Chen Ping'an remained silent, but the chair beside the old crone shattered with a bang, turning to powder on the spot.

The old crone was so frightened she repeatedly begged for forgiveness. Emperor Tang Tieyi of the Northern Jin Kingdom's eyelids trembled slightly, and Tuoba Daze also became alert.

Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and said slowly: "Family, country, and the world, immortal sect dojos, jianghu sects—all need rules and regulations to be correct."

"Qi refiners' immortal mansions, mountain-water spirits' temples, goblins' mountain dojos, the mountain and the mortal world, the temple and the jianghu, as well as the separation of the hidden and manifest—whether it's the imperial court's official enfeoffment or the prohibition of licentious shrines—everything needs to follow rules."

"Eastern Marchmount Zhao Juran, your governance seat is responsible for managing all ghosts and the yin realm. Therefore, Lord Zhao must also oversee all City God temples in the human world."

Marchmount Lord Zhao Juran was stunned for a moment, but still sat up and clasped his fists in return, saying solemnly: "Eastern Marchmount receives the decree!"

"Central Marchmount Zheng Fengzhou, you are in charge of the circulation of literary fortune under Heaven. The first Confucian temple will be built on the Western Marchmount, with the Ultimate Sage as the main sacrifice and the Daoist Biqiong Grotto Lord as the secondary sacrifice."

Chen Ping'an continued: "As for the accompanying sacrifices, the main hall and the two side halls, east and west, will each have a few people. The specific ritual hierarchy, Lord Zheng, you will determine with the four country monarchs and the other Marchmount Lords. I will give Lord Zheng the two portraits to take back to your governance seat."

Zheng Fengzhou, who had been standing, was clearly very surprised, but still clasped his fists and said loudly: "I reverently obey the decree!"

Having said that, Zheng Fengzhou sat down generously.

"Southern Marchmount Huai Fu, you are in charge of the circulation of martial fortune under Heaven. Build the first Martial Temple. Also, discuss and select which famous generals will be the accompanying sacrifices. The Martial Temple will have the Daoist Biqiong Grotto Lord as the main sacrifice. The secondary sacrifice..."

Chen Ping'an paused for a moment, then said solemnly: "Martial artist Cui Cheng!"

Huai Fu clasped his fists: "Southern Marchmount receives the order!"

"Western Marchmount Lord Song Embrace, you are in charge of examining the circulation of heaven and earth's spiritual qi. You will be responsible for recording all qi refiners under Heaven, regardless of origin. You also oversee the birds and beasts of the world, smelting and casting, the marriage of men and women, and the astronomical bureaus and qi observers of each country."

Song Embrace sighed upon hearing this. He was even more surprised than Central Marchmount Lord Zheng. He had originally thought that this trip to Autumn Qi Lake wouldn't just end up with an empty basket, but would be a disaster. He never expected to receive such a substantial divine position and authority!

Song Embrace bowed his head and clasped his fists, his face no longer showing any trace of frivolity, and said solemnly: "Western Marchmount receives the decree!"

After Song Embrace sat down, among the Five Marchmount Lords, only the Northern Marchmount Lord, who called himself the Jade Slip Reverend, remained.

Chen Ping'an smiled amiably: "For the Northern Marchmount's divine duties, I haven't thought of them yet."

Inside the Grand Wood Temple, many people exchanged glances, some smiled at each other, and a few couldn't help laughing out loud.

The Jade Slip Reverend's expression was as normal. He changed hands on his whisk and said with great righteousness: "Master Chen, you have worked so hard to transmit the Dao and dispel our doubts. No need to rush, no need to rush at all. Master Chen, please take a moment to rest..."

He slightly lifted his head and saw that the azure-robed swordsman seemed to have thought of something, then changed his mind, retracting the words that were originally on the tip of his tongue. Then he just stared blankly into space, distracted.

The old man, who was very experienced in polite words and formal speeches, had to continue, fortunately skilled in this art, and could keep it up.

Chen Ping'an seemed to deliberately leave this Marchmount Lord hanging, but he was actually distracted.

He remembered that Li-Xisheng had once waved his sleeve beyond the heavens to 'paint' a celestial constellation trajectory map. It turned out that Zhou Mi had used the Dragon Trench, Fuyao Continent, and Tongye Continent to create a secret formation with faint traces, used to reinforce the 'Azure Path' trajectory beyond the heavens. He had joined forces with the fourteenth-realm great demon Chu Sheng to jointly pull a desolate world to collide with the Haoran Heaven, intending for the two ships to collide.

Chen Ping'an used stacked formations, while Bai Jing used magical treasures and techniques. Neither was idle. They collected three tidal surges of spiritual qi, each with their own gains. Each time they opened the gate, they roughly acquired the spiritual qi accumulation of a Flying Ascension cultivator.

Every Golden Core Earth Immortal in the world holds a 'peak opening ceremony.' The root cause is to occupy a dojo, making it legitimate to absorb heaven and earth's spiritual qi.

After successfully joining forces to stop the desolate 'ferry,' Chen Ping'an took Xiao Mo and Bai Jing back to that Grand Void 'battlefield.' However, the desolate old crone and the great demon Guan Yi, who had the same idea, had already arrived first. The latter had already gathered the residual waves of the tide and the true meaning of the Azure Path. But Chen Ping'an and his group didn't come back empty-handed either. Bai Jing directly delivered a sword strike on the spot, thoroughly mangling one of Guan Yi's arms. Guan Yi, who was merely escorting the old crone on her journey, didn't want to form a blood feud with an unreasonable swordsman like Bai Jing, so she took the initiative to show goodwill, treating it as 'paying money to avoid disaster.' She tossed Bai Jing a section of an ancient branch with a few green buds growing on it.

After that, they didn't linger. Once Guan Yi and the old crone left, only some leftovers remained. Bai Jing naturally looked down on them. It was like a cultivator walking on a road and seeing a copper coin on the ground—they couldn't be bothered to bend down and pick it up.

But since the Mountain Lord had spoken, and she had just gotten an ancient branch 'not worth much' from Guan Yi for free, she was willing to 'lift a finger' and gather the spiritual qi accumulation equivalent to a Jade Marrow realm qi refiner, condensing it into a spiritual pearl the size of a green apricot. Because the pearl contained some residual Dao resonance from the Azure Path, Mountain Lord Chen's saying 'a mosquito's leg is still meat' was, like Bai Jing's deliberate concealment of the true origin of that branch branch, spoken against his conscience.

Probably this is called 'birds of a feather flock together'? Xie Dog felt very comfortable staying at Fallen Mountain, and it wasn't without reason.

Afterward, as agreed, they divided the spoils beyond the heavens.

Bai Jing handed over three fist-sized green pearls, equivalent to the spiritual qi reserves of two Flying Ascension realm qi refiners.

Bai Jing, who had originally planned to cheat by giving short measure, was rarely generous this time, only because Xiao Mo was by her side.

Earlier, while wandering in the Northern Juzhou, the sable-hat girl had picked up many habits of the Haoran world. In the markets, gold and silver craftsmen wanted to make money—besides their signature skills, they certainly couldn't rely on their conscience.

Chen Ping'an had plans for all the gains from the trip beyond the heavens.

The three tidal surges of spiritual qi he had absorbed were for Fallen Mountain, the Green Lotus Sword Sect, and the Red Pine Mountain within the Mid-Snow Peak Changchun Cave Heaven.

As for the 'cleanup' green apricot spiritual pearl,

He had originally had two plans: either crush it and integrate all the contained spiritual qi into the human world of the Lotus Root Blessed Land, or give it to someone or some dojo. As for who to give it to, it depended on the outcome of the meeting at the Grand Wood Temple on Autumn Qi Lake. It could be Gao Jun's Lake Mountain Sect, or the dojo of some great Marchmount Lord in the blessed land, or the Southern Garden Kingdom's Grand Predecessor Wei Liang. To these native powers of the blessed land, this seemingly insignificant spiritual pearl was not just a windfall, but a huge fortune. Unfortunately, Wei Liang was the first to be excluded. Originally, the Southern Garden Kingdom's three thousand elite cavalry escorting refugees from Tongye Continent into the blessed land for shelter had merit, if not labor. So in Chen Ping'an's internal ranking, Wei Liang and the Southern Garden Kingdom were actually quite high.

And the two green pearls Bai Jing finally gave were also significant. Chen Ping'an, rarely remembering his identity as Mountain Lord, prepared to use them when going into seclusion to break through a realm, carrying them handy for emergencies.

Just as the Jade Slip Reverend felt he had nothing left to say, that young master, who seemed to have mastered heaven and man, seemed to have finally come back to his senses.

Chen Ping'an smiled: "Then you can be in charge of all the mountain-water spirits under Heaven that have received official enfeoffment from the imperial court. You are responsible for compiling a Golden Jade Register of the mountain-water officialdom. I wonder if it will be hard work?"

The Jade Slip Reverend made a Daoist salute and said repeatedly: "Not hard, not hard!"

Chen Ping'an said: "Officials supervising officials is always the hardest to manage, Marchmount Lord must be careful."

The Jade Slip Reverend didn't straighten his back or raise his head, saying: "This minor deity must be cautious, even more cautious, and must live up to Sword Immortal Chen's high expectations..."

Chen Ping'an said helplessly through voice transmission: "Your brushwork is ethereal as if aided by spirits, and you always gain true insight through play. Since it has come to this, why does Lord Wu continue to hide his brilliance? When Lu Tai visited the Northern Marchmount summit back then, he met with the first deity of this world, Lord Wu Shan. They hit it off, drinking together and burning cypress while chanting Daoist verses. What, did Lu Tai speak ill of me at your place?"

If Songlai Kingdom's water god Song Jian was the first licentious mountain god, then this Northern Marchmount Lord Zhang was the undisputed first mountain god.

The old man in Daoist robes smiled slightly, straightened his back, held his whisk, and his aura changed entirely, as if he were a different person. The old Marchmount Lord stroked his beard and laughed: "When Fellow Daoist Lu was at my place, he had nothing but good words to say about Sword Immortal Chen. Meeting you today, I realize that what Fellow Daoist Lu said was not false. There really is such a... good person as Sword Immortal Chen in the world."

Outside the temple, the River Godly Son, who had fallen into the water, was fished out by Yuan Huang and Wu Jiang. There was no need to rescue him; Jiang Quan was a ghost after all.

The former failed scholar, now a ghost, regained his senses, dejected and heartbroken. He sat at the foot of the temple mountain, no longer going into the Grand Wood Temple to seek revenge against that person, yet unwilling to leave.

At that moment, a woman emerged from the water. Her eyes sparkled, she blinked, and hopped ashore: "Jiang Quan, do you still remember me?"

Jiang Quan looked up, bewildered. Is she Gu Ling? Am I dreaming?

The woman pretended to be sad: "It's only been a few years, and you've already forgotten me. You scholars are truly fickle..."

As she spoke, she smiled and tears flowed.

Jiang Quan stood up and held her in his arms, saying softly: "Once we were both human, now we are both ghosts. Gu Ling, we are truly a perfect match."

The woman nodded gently: "Who says otherwise?"

Chen Ping'an stood up, looked up at the sky, clasped his hands together, and smiled: "Thank you, Old Temple Master, for going with the flow."

Far away in the Azure Underworld's Qing Shen Dynasty, the Old Temple Master asked cheerfully: "I've made things so difficult for you, kid. Is this your way of repaying enmity with kindness?"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said nothing.

The Old Temple Master said: "Not bad. You're still the same fool as back then. You really did what you said you would."

Only then did Chen Ping'an speak: "Senior did not misjudge me."

The Old Temple Master was silent for a moment, then just cursed and laughed, and withdrew his divine power.

Xiao Mo suppressed a laugh. Beside him, a female sword immortal named Fu Xuanjie sincerely praised: "Biqiong Grotto Lord, Master Xiao Mo, this Chen Ping'an is really... ah, forget it. I can't say nice things."

The Old Temple Master said calmly: "Xiao Mo, remind him when you go back: as long as he hasn't reached the fourteenth realm, don't come here. Only when he has that realm will certain words carry some weight."

Once upon a time, there was a barefoot young man carrying a sword who had mistakenly wandered into the depths of the lotus flowers.