Chapter 788: Seeking a Duel
At last, the uninvited guests who appeared by the riverside numbered two.
Actually, it was one.
Those Grand Cultivators at the Fourteen Realm who had stood atop the myriad peaks for years still possessed this much discernment: the two were bound by the same Great Way, merely split into two halves.
When the tall woman in white appeared together with the "attendant" clad in golden armor, all cultivators cast their gazes upon her—or rather, them? Or it?
One head, and that suit of golden armor—both were trophies.
The legendary ancient Sword Holder, one of the five supreme gods.
Aside from the Sage of Rites, there were also Bai Ze, the old abbot of Donghai Guan and Temple, and the old blind man—none were unfamiliar with her.
But even Yu Dou the Second Dao, Lu Chen the Third Sect Leader, the Dragon-Slayer, Wu Shuangjiang, and many other Fourteen Realm Grand Cultivators participating in today's riverside deliberation were still seeing this god, whose "killing power surpassed beyond the heavens," for the first time.
Ten thousand years ago, in the battle to ascend the heavens, humanity ultimately succeeded in reaching the summit. Apart from the sages of mankind sacrificing themselves and dying generously, the Sword Holder's duel with the Armor Holder—the internal strife over water and fire—and the gods' contempt for human nature were all key factors. Had any single link been missing, humanity's fate would have been exceedingly dire.
Ten thousand years ago, the situation of humanity on the earth could be described as being in deep water and scorching fire. They were reduced to puppets raised by the gods, used as sources of incense for tempering the indestructible golden body of the Great Way, and also wantonly hunted by the rampaging great demons on the earth as a source of food. Early humanity was far too weak. The lofty gods, using the two Ascension Platforms as paths, crossed countless suns, moons, and stars, descended into the mortal world, and waged war on the earth. They often helped the imprisoned weak humans by slaying those unruly great demons that crossed boundaries.
Besides this, first came the sword's descent to the mortal world, and only later did humans seek duels in the heavens and rain down techniques. Thus, humans began to cultivate sword techniques and magic—this was the beginning of the mountain ascension.
This is also the reason why sword cultivators alone possess the greatest killing power yet are subtly suppressed by the Heavenly Dao.
Yu Dou wore a fish-tail crown on his head and carried the immortal sword Dao Zang on his back. Both his Dao aura and the sword aura from his sword case stirred like ripples. It seemed that even this "Second Dao, invincible aside from the Three Sect Founders," could not suppress the fierce sword intent of that immortal sword.
Of course, it might also have been Yu Dou's casual attitude toward seeking a duel with his sword.
As for the three direct disciples tasked by the Dao Ancestor with guarding the Five Cities and Twelve Towers of the White Jade Capital—the long-lost eldest disciple of the Dao Ancestor, Yu Dou, and Lu Chen—none of them had actually participated in that riverside deliberation ten thousand years ago.
Lu Chen wore a lotus crown on his head, with a yellow bird perched on his shoulder. He grinned at his senior brother and said, "As juniors, we must not be rude."
Chen Ping'an said nothing, because he was somewhat dazed.
The person before him, holding a head in hand, was dressed in white, tall in stature, with a familiar face and a gentle smile, gazing at Chen Ping'an with an exceptionally tender look.
But Chen Ping'an felt a sense of strangeness instead.
On the other hand, the woman clad in golden armor, her face blurry and merging into the golden light, gave Chen Ping'an a feeling of familiarity.
It was like a sword master accompanied by a sword attendant.
The one Chen Ping'an truly knew was the latter. It seemed as if the former had merely stolen the latter's appearance and form, and the relationship between the two was like that of a cultivator's true body and yin spirit.
Even someone with a heart as resolute as Chen Ping'an's was momentarily at a loss.
But Chen Ping'an only glanced at the woman in white before turning his gaze for a long while toward the one in golden armor, as if questioning her about what was going on.
Yet it was the woman in white, who seemed both near and far as if on the other shore, who spoke first. She laughed and said, "I just went on a long journey, and my master doesn't recognize me anymore?"
The sword attendant in golden armor took two steps sideways, merged into the woman in white, and then, now wearing both white robes and golden armor, casually tossed the head into the River of Time. In an instant, the entire river turned golden.
She smiled and asked, "How about now?"
Chen Ping'an hesitated, as if about to speak, but ultimately remained silent.
He truly didn't know what to say.
Lu Chen, upon seeing this sight of the River of Time flowing with gold, softly sighed, "A blessing for the mortal world, grace spreading to all living beings."
Then Lu Chen turned to Yu Dou and chuckled, "Senior Brother, is it too late for me to learn swordsmanship now? I think my talent isn't too bad."
The Second Dao couldn't be bothered to reply.
The Old Scholar, for once, didn't stir up trouble and left it to his closed-door disciple to handle this extraordinarily complex karma.
The sword spirit was her, yet she was not merely the sword spirit. She was higher than the sword spirit because she contained a more complete divinity. It wasn't just a matter of identity, realm, or killing power.
This involved divinity.
If the deductions of the Confucian Temple were not too far off, then to put it simply, she had stripped away a portion of her divinity and given it to a later successor, while also deleting and falsifying the latter's memories.
In the relatively weak form of a sword spirit, she had slept for ten thousand years in the Lizhu Cave Heaven, occasionally waking up to take a few glances at the mortal world. She would also occasionally return to the ancient Heavenly Court ruins.
This relationship was somewhat similar to that between the Dragon-Slayer and the Daoist Jia Sheng or the coachman Bai Mang, but not entirely the same. It was more complex and purer.
The old man from the Yang Family Apothecary, who controlled one of the two Ascension Platforms, was the Azure Lad Heavenly Lord.
Although his divine rank was lower than hers—he was merely one of the twelve high-ranking gods of antiquity—Old Man Yang, as one of the earliest humans to become a god, held a path to godhood for all male Earth Immortals in the world, granting him immense authority. Thus, in the apothecary of his hometown, even when facing the reincarnations of the two supreme gods, Ruan Xiu and Li Liu, he showed them no kindness. He could even directly reprimand them, saying that the destruction of the Heavenly Court was largely their fault.
Moreover, the ancient gods had their own factions, each with their own camps, duties, and various disagreements and conflicts over the Great Way. For instance, later on, the female mountain lord of the Southern March of Bottle Gourd Continent, Fan Junmao, showed extreme reverence toward her when she had partially restored her Sword Holder form. Fan even considered dying by her sword a great honor. But the remnants of the Armor Holder lineage of gods—such as She Yue or the water god lineage's Yu Si and his ilk—even if they encountered her and harbored fear, would never be as willing as Fan Junmao to offer their necks for the blade.
She had a pair of deep golden eyes, symbolizing the purest essence of divinity in heaven and earth. Her face was full of smiles as she sized up Chen Ping'an.
For gods, a decade or a few decades was like a snap of the fingers for ordinary mortals—a fleeting sight, just a small wave in the vast River of Time, quickly rising and falling.
The Old Scholar appeared relaxed, but in truth, he was extremely tense.
Earlier, when this "fairy sister" had appeared, she had deliberately split herself into the sword master and sword attendant.
Regardless of her original intention—whether it was to appear before Chen Ping'an for the first time in her true identity as the Sword Holder, or whether it was because after a great battle beyond the heavens, she had no choice but to don the golden armor to stabilize a portion of her divine form—
In fact, there was heavy killing intent.
Among the mortal world, there is the distinction between "nominal age" and "actual age." According to the conventions of the mountains, "once the primordial spirit is born, it is already a person."
The key point of a mountain-top cultivator's release through soldier transformation and reincarnation actually lies in whether they can gather their soul and recover the memories of their previous existence.
In simple terms, a cultivator's reincarnation of "cultivating the true self" is largely a process of "recovering memories" to ultimately decide who they are.
Is it the memories of the previous life that overwrite the memories of this life, allowing continued cultivation? Or does the self of this life take charge, merely absorbing the memories of the previous life and cultivating the heart anew?
For example, many Buddhist Chan patriarchs, from a young age, have an instinct to bow when encountering an image, or when flipping through a scripture, it feels like seeing an old object.
The value of Li Liu, the Water God, knowing things from birth lies in the fact that there is no such conflict of the Great Way. Layer upon layer, life after life, each seamlessly connected, all being "one person," merely changing a set of cultivation skins.
The Old Scholar's earlier banter, seemingly an attempt to reminisce and ingratiate himself, was actually meant to buy Chen Ping'an a fleeting moment to prevent his mind from crumbling, giving him time to adjust his mindset.
Chen Ping'an's understanding of her had always been as a masterless sword spirit.
And the Sword Holder had always, intentionally or unintentionally, misled Chen Ping'an. It was like she had played a harmless little joke.
So when the previous master of the sword spirit suddenly appeared, how would Chen Ping'an, as the new master, view the unfamiliar sword master and the familiar sword attendant standing by her side?
The Old Scholar finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the fairy sister wasn't angry; in fact, she seemed rather pleased.
Could this count as her second test?
The first time was after Chen Ping'an had split Sui Mountain with his sword.
That time was related to Ning Yao. This time, Chen Ping'an's original heart had chosen the sword spirit he was familiar with.
Suddenly, she hugged Chen Ping'an tightly.
Even though Chen Ping'an was no longer a youth and had a slender build, he was still much shorter than her.
Chen Ping'an felt helpless and gently patted her shoulder, signaling her to stop.
The Old Scholar sighed with emotion—truly the fairy sister, both heroic and tender.
She finally let go of Chen Ping'an and stepped back two paces, squinting with a smile. "During this time beyond the heavens, I've missed my master very much."
The Old Scholar flicked his lapels. Ah well, at today's riverside deliberation, his seniority was a bit too high.
The Sage of Rites crouched down, scooped up a handful of the now brilliantly golden flowing water of the River of Time, and carefully examined its weight.
The Sage of Rites did not open the deliberation, so the true beginning of the second deliberation after ten thousand years was remarkably leisurely and interesting, with no heavy atmosphere.
It was all directed at a single, genuinely young man—too young, at just over forty years old. It would be a waste not to tease him a little.
Bai Ze spoke first, smiling. "Chen Ping'an, we meet again."
They had met years ago at the border of Bottle Gourd Continent and the Great Li dynasty, on a snowy night at a plank road. At that time, Chen Ping'an was accompanied by a green-clad boy and a pink-skirted girl. A straw-sandaled youth from a humble alley, returning home, yet getting along harmoniously with spirits and monsters.
Bai Ze later read about the events of Book Scroll Lake and was naturally very familiar with this young ledger-keeper.
Changing customs and habits, guiding people's hearts toward goodness, is a way to mend the cracks in heaven.
That was what Qi Jingchun had truly hoped Bai Ze would see when he gave him a scroll of the River of Time. It was precisely that despite utmost efforts, one still fails to achieve what one wishes, yet the general direction of the world is gradually being reversed. This, in turn, moves the observer even more.
Chen Ping'an bowed to Bai Ze with a formal salute.
Wu Shuangjiang teased, "Nephew dog, you eat and then you're off."
Chen Ping'an acted as if he hadn't heard.
This palace master of the Year-End Palace in the Azure Underworld, by regulation, held a Daoist status. Since the Azure Underworld revered a single teaching exclusively, leaving little room for other doctrines, it was far more pure and single-minded than the Confucian monopoly in the Hao Ran world. There were some Confucian academies and Buddhist temples in the Azure Underworld, but their status was low and their influence minimal. Not a single one at the sect level existed. This was a completely different atmosphere from the Hao Ran world, which did not reject a hundred schools contending.
Wu Shuangjiang was undoubtedly a Daoist official, but his roots in cultivation were as a military strategist.
Wu Shuangjiang's name was a homophone for "matchless general." His surname was Wu. He had refined the demon heart of his Dao partner and used that to attain the Fourteen Realm.
On the Night Voyage ship, when Bai Luo mentioned the Year-End Palace's New Year's Eve watchers, Wu Shuangjiang used the phrase "rising and falling," repeating the word "rising." It was a double entendre, revealing both Bai Luo's origins and his own true identity.
In the Martial Temple of the Hao Ran world, there were indeed two "rises" among the ten philosophers. Because their accomplishments had flaws, their rankings as attendant deities had risen and fallen. But if one spoke only of accomplishments and not of merit, among the world's top five famous generals, both "rises" could firmly hold a place.
As for how Wu Shuangjiang went to the Azure Underworld, how he started over and joined the Year-End Palace, cultivating as a Daoist registrant, that was probably another misty and abstruse old almanac of the mountains.
And the reason Wu Shuangjiang's path of cultivation was so smooth was naturally because he cultivated the Dao as if drilling troops, merging the strengths of a hundred schools. Like a famous general leading soldiers, the more the merrier.
The Dragon-Slayer, who had once been the blind old Daoist "Jia Sheng," joked, "The mountain master truly has good fortune, to encounter this and be able to seize it. Those few years I served as a nominal patron in the town were not in vain."
Rider-Dragon Alley. The Grass Head Shop.
Slaying dragons was like cutting grass. To a man who had once slaughtered all true dragons, a true dragon like Wang Zhu was merely the head of a grass dragon. If he wanted to slay her, he could; if he wanted to kill her, he could.
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists in salute.
The old blind man laughed, "Man dies, balls up to the sky; if he doesn't die, ten thousand years. Judging by the look of things, if there's another deliberation in the future, will the Hidden Officer be present again?"
The old abbot of Donghai Guan nodded and said, "Let's hope that next time there's a similar deliberation, a few old faces will still remain."
Regarding auspicious omens, the first few pages of the old almanacs of the three teachings recorded two major stories. One was that when the Confucian Supreme Sage was born, a unicorn came to his door and spat out a jade book.
The other was about this old abbot, the "world's stinky Daoist patriarch," whom the Dao Ancestor called "When the world is about to prosper, he appears; when the world is about to decline, he goes into seclusion."
In addition, there was Jun Qian, who was deeply connected to the Western Buddhist Kingdom, but only drove away dragons and snakes, not mosquitoes.
The Sage of Rites seemed in no hurry to begin the deliberation. He let these Fourteen Realm mountain-tops, who had cultivated for long years, "reminisce" one by one with the young man.
As for Wu Shuangjiang and Yu Dou, they didn't even exchange a glance.
Wu Shuangjiang did chat a few words with a female Daoist from the Azure Underworld beside him.
How the ten people of the Azure Underworld were ranked was actually very simple and crude: the more times one had fought with that "truly invincible" one, the higher the ranking.
Sun Huaizhong of Xuan Du Temple was regarded as the immovable fifth person because he had sparred with the Second Dao in Dao techniques and swordsmanship many times.
And this female Daoist beside Wu Shuangjiang had once been the fourth person in Azure Underworld history.
But she had risen like a comet and flashed away like a meteor, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.
Later generations only knew that she had once engaged in a same-realm contest with Yu Dou. The battle ended in a draw.
At that time, Yu Dou had just broken into the Upper Five Realms, and she had as well.
But in that Dao-seeking duel, Yu Dou had indeed unsheathed the immortal sword Dao Zang.
The Old Scholar asked the Second Sage beside him in a low voice, "How about my closed-door disciple's affinity with elders? Isn't it good?"
Of course, he only picked the good things to say.
Lu Chen's scheming in the town, the perilous situation in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, the ambush by Wu Shuangjiang on the Night Voyage, the Dao inquiry, and the tangled grudges between his closed-door disciple and the truly invincible one of White Jade Capital...
The Second Sage smiled and let it go.
The Sage of Rites slowly stood up and said, "Yu Dou, Shenqing, and I blocked the dozen or so returning gods, including the Armor Holder. The Sword Holder slew the Armor Holder."
The Sage of Rites, the Second Sect Leader of White Jade Capital, and the Chicken Soup Old Monk—the three of them had traveled together beyond the heavens to intercept the gods led by the Armor Holder and return them to the ancient Heavenly Court ruins.
The three teaching sages needed to prevent this high-ranking ancient god from joining forces with Zhou Mi.
In the end, the Armor Holder was killed by the Sword Holder.
Although the head held earlier by the tall woman and that suit of golden armor had already proven this, hearing the news from the Sage of Rites still made even the Fourteen Realm Grand Cultivators present, whose Dao hearts were immaculate, involuntarily waver in spirit.
"The Sword Holder will be unable to use her sword for the next few decades," the Sage of Rites said. "Moreover, we have no reason to continue troubling the senior. It wouldn't be appropriate, either in terms of emotion or reason."
The tall woman waved her hand, signaling the Sage of Rites not to be polite.
She sat down by the River of Time. The golden armor on her body had disappeared, and she had resumed her white-robed appearance. But now, a longsword had appeared beside her, along with a golden scabbard, which she casually thrust into the ground beside her.
She dipped her feet into the river, then lifted her head and beckoned Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment. He didn't deliberately maintain a standing posture for the deliberation. After all, his master had said he could just listen and take it easy.
So Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged beside her. He didn't care about etiquette; he believed the Sage of Rites wouldn't mind such formalities.
She pointed at the longsword that now had a scabbard and said softly with a smile, "Before, it was the sword that spoke. I listened and watched. Wasn't that fun?"
Chen Ping'an rolled his eyes, but he simply scooped up a handful of flowing water from the River of Time.
She chuckled. "Oh, ordinary Jade Purity Realm cultivators can't scoop up this Time-water. Even Immortals who scoop it up will have their cultivation worn away. Flying Immortals in the world would go out of their way to avoid the River of Time. But my master is different—he's determined to investigate it thoroughly."
Chen Ping'an had walked through the River of Time a few times before, but each time he had to carefully detour around the "deep waters." Now that his cultivation had achieved some success, he was actually able to scoop the water into his hand. Even Chen Ping'an himself was surprised.
Chen Ping'an withdrew his hand awkwardly, mainly because he couldn't resist weighing the flowing water and, while he was at it, evaluating whether it was valuable.
If he had followed his usual style, he might have accidentally slipped it into his sleeve.
Chen Ping'an asked quietly, "Are you badly injured?"
She replied, "I'll try not to delay the matter of the sixty-year agreement. However, if that's the case, I'll have to faithfully abide by the agreement and return beyond the heavens to find a few ruins. The Hao Ran world is no longer suitable for forging swords. I should have ignored that embroidered tiger."
She pointed at the far-off Sage of Rites, who was deliberating. "The Armor Holder had a fight with the Sage of Rites earlier and was actually quite badly injured. Plus, the Armor Holder insisted on going to the old place. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easy to kill. Actually, this matter has both pros and cons. With the Armor Holder dead, that old place will be completely vacated for a high rank. But the new god who fills that position will have an unstable golden body. He won't dare leave that ruin rashly. If he shows his face, he'll die. No question."
Her implication was this:
When it came to facing the Armor Holder, she could kill him.
It was just that it wasn't easy.
Zhou Mi ascended to the heavens and occupied the main seat of the ancient Heavenly Court ruins.
The Fire God returned to his position, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. There was no distinction between high and low.
Additionally, even Yu Si of the Barren Wilderness realm—formerly the master of Crimson Concubine—was a young sword cultivator who had replaced Li Liu as the Water God. But compared to the first two, he was far inferior. Moreover, ten thousand years ago, the Water God was no match for the Fire God. Ten thousand years later, even more so, since the Fire God had gifted him a portion of the Water God's divine nature of the Great Way. Perhaps for the next thousand or ten thousand years, there wouldn't even be a fight. He would simply be easily crushed by the Fire God, who had returned to his throne.
The new Armor Holder was Li Zhen, who had been a sword cultivator at the Sword Qi Great Wall ten thousand years ago, named Guan Zhao.
As for the new Sword Holder of the new Heavenly Court, whoever filled the vacancy would instead become the weakest in killing power.
Originally, Zhou Mi had chosen Pei Ran to succeed as Sword Holder, but in the end, he changed his mind and left Pei Ran in the mortal world to become the common ruler of the Barren Wilderness realm.
In reality, Pei Ran and Ning Yao—one as the common ruler of the Barren Wilderness, the other as the number one in the Five Colors world—though neither had reached the Fourteen Realm and were still Flying Immortal sword cultivators, were both qualified to attend the deliberation.
Not to mention Xiao Xun and the crutch-bearing old man who had opened the ancient well—these two Fourteen Realm Grand Cultivators of the Barren Wilderness.
But the content of today's deliberation was not suitable for involving the Five Colors world, nor would it drag the Barren Wilderness realm in. This riverside deliberation was specifically aimed at that Heavenly Court ruin, or more precisely, at the Wenhai Zhou Mi who had ascended and left, and at that group of new gods of the new Heavenly Court.
This was the first time Chen Ping'an had heard the name "Shenqing."
He was, of course, familiar with the Chicken Soup Old Monk. His student Cui Dongshan had talked about him. But Cui Dongshan had always called him the Chicken Soup Old Monk, never mentioning the Buddhist dharma name "Shenqing."
The Old Scholar transmitted his thoughts: "This old monk, nicknamed the Chicken Soup Monk, actually has the dharma name Shenqing. There aren't many records of him in Buddhist scriptures because in our Hao Ran world, the extant texts are mostly from the various Southern Chan sects. The old almanacs from higher up are relatively rare. Actually, this old monk's scholarship is remarkable."
The Old Scholar sighed with emotion. "Monk Shenqing is not originally from the Hao Ran world. He settled here many years ago because he once escorted a monk back to the Central Earth Continent to translate Buddhist scriptures. He was responsible for correcting the text, verifying difficult points, and also serving as a witness. This Shenqing was skilled in scriptures like the Nirvana Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra, and Lanka Sutra, and was well-versed in treatises like the Ten Stages Sutra and the Perfection of Wisdom Treatise. He also delved into the monastic rules of the Four-Part Vinaya. He participated in the first three-teaching debate and thus earned titles like 'Bane of Ten Thousand' and 'Master of the North Mountain, Unifier of the Three Teachings, Origin of the Dharma.' He's very skilled at arguing."
For the Old Scholar to say someone was skilled at arguing was enough to show the depth of Shenqing's Buddhist teachings.
The Old Scholar continued, "In the earliest days, when Buddhism came from the West, monks often lived according to circumstances, living the solitary life of a head monk, similar to a wandering-water existence. The monks themselves came and went unpredictably, so it was naturally difficult for Buddhist disciples and students to receive teachings. It wasn't until... the two-peak dissemination of the Dharma, where they chose locations to open residences, built halls and established images, broke the tradition of not keeping written records and not establishing written teachings, and simultaneously founded practice grounds, built monasteries and erected Buddhist statues, that the true Dharma could abide and receive learners from all over the world. During this time, Monk Shenqing secretly supported them. And then..."
At this point, the Old Scholar suddenly stopped.
Chen Ping'an actually knew what his master was about to say: the Dongshan Dharma door.
The two peaks were also known as Potou Mountain. Only a few dozen li from the two peaks was Pingmu Mountain, also called... Dongshan.
And when Chen Ping'an was young, working as a kiln apprentice, he had often followed Old Man Yao into the mountains to find porcelain clay. Once he climbed Piyun Mountain, he could see a high mountain to the east.
Dongshan.
Cui Dongshan.
The skin of an ancient Shu dragon and serpent. The Buddhist Eight Divisions.
It was very possible that Cui Dongshan, or rather Cui Chan, had been prepared from the start. If Wang Zhu couldn't be raised to become the one true dragon of the world, then Cui Dongshan would definitely take her place. After successfully watercourse-claiming, would he eventually... convert to Buddhism?
Chen Ping'an sighed. These were all unfathomably far-reaching plots. As for the truth, he could ask that student later.
Another example: Who was Old Man Yao?
Perhaps because Old Man Yao spoke little, every time he did speak, Chen Ping'an, who couldn't become a formal apprentice no matter what, remembered very clearly.
He clearly remembered one time when they were entering the mountains, and the Old Man Yao walking ahead had casually said a few words: "The most inconspicuous soil beneath our feet, once it leaves the ground, is either molded into mud Buddhas to receive incense, or fired into porcelain and sent to the emperor's home, or turned into broken pots and jars in commoners' homes, inevitably enduring fire and water. Each has its own origins, its own fate, similar to people..."
At that time, the old man and the youth were standing on Pearl Mountain. Old Man Yao stomped his foot and said to the kiln apprentice who was digging earth, "The earth here has the most complete flavor, but the place is small, like a person shrinking in a corner. Stretch your head and you'll bump it; stretch your legs and you'll stub your toe. In the old saying, it's a snail shell."
Old Man Yao also said that the inconspicuous old tree stumps in the mountains might be the seats of mountain gods and should not be sat on. He said that all the great and small mountains under heaven are of one lineage, but there is a distinction between ancestor and descendant.
A true Buddha speaks ordinary words.
So even though the old man was talking about somewhat mystical things, and even though Chen Ping'an was just a straw-sandaled youth from a humble alley who hadn't studied, he could understand and remember it firmly.
Later, when Chen Ping'an used a golden essence copper coin to decisively buy Pearl Mountain, aside from the miserly impulse of "buying a mountain with one coin," Old Man Yao's comment about "the most complete flavor of earth" was also an important reason. At that time, the straw-sandaled youth's mind was naturally set on first buying the mountain, then earning more money to buy a dragon kiln, become a kiln master himself, or have Liu Xianyang help him. They would fire porcelain and earn money steadily. What big mansion couldn't he buy? What bride couldn't Liu Xianyang marry?
Moreover, later when he traveled far, crossing mountains and rivers, even before he had truly cultivated, Chen Ping'an always observed the strictest etiquette. Even in places with no one around, he adhered to the rules.
Soil accumulated becomes a mountain; water accumulated becomes a sea. Every cautious observance of the rules evolved into a natural reverence for heaven and earth.
Later, this subtly influenced a charcoal-black little girl who had followed Chen Ping'an out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land—Pei Qian, who feared nothing and no one except hardship.
Even later, when Pei Qian traveled the world alone, she always maintained reverence for Buddhist monasteries.
The Old Scholar changed the subject and laughed. "Later came the division of Chan into Northern and Southern in the Central Earth. The saying 'The Dharma is one school, but people are divided into North and South' is generally fair. Ping'an, what do you think was the opportunity for Buddhism to spread so widely at that time?"
Chen Ping'an stopped thinking about those old matters and thought carefully before replying, "The Dharma gate was opened wide, choosing roots without distinction. At the same time, several expedient means and gradual methods were proposed. Among them, for example, was reliance on the single practice of samadhi, and that the mind is Buddha."
The Old Scholar nodded, then turned to look at the Chicken Soup Old Monk, sighing with emotion. "Time is a butcher's knife, indeed. It doesn't spare famous generals and beauties; it hasn't even spared this accomplished monk. The scriptures record that monk as 'having a clear countenance, ancient and peculiar, clear and shining white.' His radiant features were extraordinary, his special form exceptionally lush. He was absolutely a handsome man. Sigh, how did he become such a gaunt old monk? When I took your senior brother to visit Shenqing for the first time, I didn't dare recognize him."
Chen Ping'an said, "Perhaps this senior Buddhist monk has emaciated his Dharma body for the benefit of the world."
The Old Scholar stroked his beard and smiled. "Reason, reason."
Getting fat is easy; getting thin again is hard.
The body is like this; the human heart even more so.
The old monk suddenly lowered his head and pressed his palms together. "Amitabha, good, good."
Chen Ping'an looked awkward. He turned his head and asked his master with a puzzled expression.
The Old Scholar said frankly, "Monk Shenqing is unmatched in eloquence and profound in Buddhist Dharma. Whatever we talk about, he probably hears it. That's very normal."
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to steel himself and stand up. He raised one hand in front of his chest, palm upright, and bowed respectfully to the old monk. Shenqing returned the gesture.
That female Daoist suddenly asked a question. "Sage of Rites, ten thousand years have passed. Do the three teaching founders now have any method to deal with that ruin beyond the heavens?"
If not, she didn't think this deliberation of theirs, with these Fourteen Realm cultivators, could come up with an effective plan. If yes, what was the point of the riverside deliberation?
The Sage of Rites smiled. "I also asked the Supreme Sage, but he didn't give an answer. He didn't say yes, and he didn't say no."
The female Daoist nodded. "If that's the case, then it means the three teaching founders still find it difficult. No matter. That actually makes things simpler. Since there's no avoiding it, we'll face the challenge head-on. We'll all take a trip beyond the heavens. Leave all worldly matters to the worldly people to deal with on their own. Those of us who are already at the mountain peak, just one step away from ascending, will go up to the heavens and fight to the death. Even if we can't take down Zhou Mi, at least we'll ensure that Heavenly Court ruin doesn't expand by an inch. If we don't have enough people, each of us can call a few more who can fight."
The Sage of Rites smiled and shook his head. "It's not that simple."
The female Daoist frowned slightly. "So indecisive?"
Wu Shuangjiang suddenly spoke. "That Tuoyue Mountain will be both a trap and an opportunity."
The Second Sage nodded, clearly agreeing with this.
Yu Dou said, "If it's feasible, I'll lead the way."
Monk Shenqing said, "I'll accompany you for a stretch of protection."
The Dragon-Slayer smiled. "Sage of Rites, when I draw my sword beyond the heavens, don't let my Great Way be harmed here in the mortal world."
The Sage of Rites laughed. "Of course."
This was the riverside deliberation.
The woman in white asked with a smile, "Master, don't you want to follow and take a swing?"
Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully, "Is that possible?"
She nodded and laughed. "Delivering one or two sword strikes shouldn't be a problem."
Chen Ping'an tentatively asked, "What if it's a sword strike against Tuoyue Mountain?"
To be honest, he didn't have much confidence in striking beyond the heavens. But if it was about going head-to-head with Tuoyue Mountain, he had quite a few ideas.
He had wanted to do it for a long time.
She stood up, held the sword with both hands, and said, "I am willing to accompany my master in moving the mountain."
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Please help recommend the animated adaptation of Er Gen's *A Will Eternal*, which has officially started airing on Tencent Video. It premiered on August 12 at 10 PM, with the first three episodes. After that, new episodes air every Wednesday.