I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 30 Differences in realms
The Spirit Realm, with twice the flow of spiritual time, who created it and by what method?
Do various cultivation techniques have a complete system?
Has anyone become an immortal in the past five thousand years?
How many people have become immortals? Do immortals still exist today? In what form do they exist?
The more you know, the more doubts you have; the more doubts you have, the less you know. Therefore, the more you know, the less you actually know.

The logic may sound absurd, but it's true: the ability to identify problems improves far more than the knowledge gained.

Li Banxian scratched his back and leaned against the wall to rest: "I know what you want to ask, but I'm just a fortune teller, and I only know what I should know. Take physiognomy for example, how similar is your process of becoming a physiognomist to that of people before? The path of cultivation is about self-exploration, and I can only guide you in the right direction at most."

The teaching methods of Li Banxian can be seen from the three wordless books.

Chen Jing didn't expect to find a cultivation method that could raise his cultivation level step by step, so he directly asked, "Then, after cultivating to the point of no form and entering the gate of immortal cultivation, is there still a path in the field of form studies?"

Li Banxian replied, "This is the question I want to test you on: What is the meaning of 'no self'?"

Upon first entering the Realm of No Form, one is prompted with the following sentence: "No self, no person, no sentient being, no life span."

This phrase is taken from the Diamond Sutra and is generally interpreted as the equality of all beings. However, after entering the path of cultivation, one may have a different understanding upon hearing it again. The same words and sounds mean the same thing, but different interpretations.

Chen Jing pondered for a moment before replying, "To understand what it means to be without self, one must first understand what self is. Self is an innate characteristic. Once one's mind is settled, self naturally takes shape. Being without self means breaking through the shackles of the self. Only those who are without self can cultivate the human form, like me now."

Li Bansian neither confirmed nor denied, and continued to ask, "What is meant by 'no one's appearance'?"

"Human appearance: the appearance of a king, the appearance of a general, the appearance of a beauty that could topple a city, the appearance of a calamity that could bring disaster to a country. All human beings have human appearance. To be without human appearance is to break through the shackles of race. Only those who are without human appearance can cultivate the appearance of all living beings."

What does it mean to be without the appearance of sentient beings?

"All sentient beings are beings, including flowers, birds, insects, fish, beasts, animals, and creatures that are born from eggs, wombs, moisture, or transformation. All beings with consciousness are sentient beings. To be free from the appearance of sentient beings is to break through the shackles of life. Only those who are free from the appearance of sentient beings can cultivate the appearance of a long-lived being."

What is the sign of someone without a lifespan?

"All things in the world, whatever exist, will inevitably perish. Mountains have no peaks, rivers have no end. The absence of a lifespan is to transcend the concept of existence and extinction. Only by being without a lifespan can one cultivate the appearance of an immortal."

"Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, so why are the forms of birds and beasts superior to those of humans?"

"Because the cultivator is human, the tiger gains wings and becomes no longer an ordinary beast. Human beings possess the power of a tiger, and humans are no longer ordinary people."

"…………"

After answering Li Banxian's question, Chen Jing suddenly understood the different levels of physiognomy: no self, no person, no sentient beings, and no life span.

In short, the core message boils down to two words: break limits, break limits, break limits...

After hearing Chen Jing's answer, Li Banxian smiled and said, "You are indeed a good candidate for cultivation. There is nothing more I can teach you! You have graduated!"

"As is customary, I've prepared a graduation gift for you, but don't rush. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

There are many questions, but they can be categorized into information about the Spirit Realm and other cultivators.

Chen Jing asked, "I want to know if the Boundless Realm is the only spiritual realm? If there are other spiritual realms, I want to know about them and information related to cultivators."

Li Banxian pondered for a moment: "The Spirit Realm is not the only one. After completing the 'List of Names' main quest in the Formless Realm, you can obtain the Spirit Realm node in the cultivation world. You can find out any information you want in the cultivation world. Times have changed, so I won't mislead you with outdated information!"

"Also, although there are still four months until the Tai Sui Trial, the Wuxiang Realm is a treasure land for cultivating physiognomy, so don't waste your time."

Chen Jing nodded.

Zhou Ji, the Martial Ancestor of the Tianxuan Dynasty, had the appearance of a black bird, belonging to the category of all living beings. Qu Mo, the restorer of the Tai Sui Kingdom, had cloud patterns on his face, belonging to the category of those who live long lives.

These two photos alone are impossible to find anywhere in the real world, even though they depict deceased individuals. However, looking at portraits in ancestral halls can still yield some results.

The cultivation world? Just from the name, you can tell it's a place where cultivators gather. The mission rewards include cultivation world node tokens, which saves a lot of trouble and prevents you from wandering around like a headless fly.

While Chen Jing was pondering, Li Banxian glanced at the young woman passing by, then waved his hand: "Stick your head over here! I will give you a supernatural power as a graduation gift, wishing you a smooth path to immortality and that you will attain immortality."

Supernatural powers?
Are there any spiritual techniques similar to the methods of manifesting divine power?
Chen Jing lowered his head and leaned closer. Li Banxian's index finger glowed faintly as he lightly touched the space between Chen Jing's eyebrows.

"pain!"

The space between my eyebrows just touched my fingertips.

Chen Jing's expression changed drastically, and a sharp pain shot through his consciousness.

Inside the dimensional pod, his body began to convulse uncontrollably, and his heart was filled with unbearable horror.

"How is this possible? This is a virtual reality world, how can I feel such realistic pain?"

"Is the development of tactile sensation in the Metaverse Capsule merely a matter of psychological suggestion?"

"Psychological suggestion-level tactile sensation, an experiment to create the illusion of real and fake hands."

"That is, first isolate the experimenter's line of sight from one hand, and place a fake hand in the line of sight. Then, use a feather to simultaneously brush across the fake hand and the real hand outside the line of sight. Through psychological suggestion, synchronize the senses of the real hand and the fake hand. Then, use a fork to poke the fake hand hard, and the real hand will also retract uncontrollably."

"This pain is an illusion, but the pain I am experiencing now is definitely not caused by an illusion."

"If such intense pain is created out of thin air, then could increasing the sensory stimulation lead to murder in the virtual world?"

"…………"

Despite the intense pain, Chen Jing couldn't suppress the jumble of thoughts swirling in his mind.

However, it only lasted for a short while. It wasn't that the pain or the distracting thoughts gave in, but rather that Chen Jing briefly fainted, his consciousness disconnected from the character, and he was forced to exit, returning to the real world.

The dimensional pod flashed red continuously, and a cold voice rang out: "Abnormal exit behavior detected. Do you/should we contact the nearest emergency hospital? Please confirm your status via voice. The countdown will end and the emergency hospital will be contacted automatically. 10, 9, 8..."

"I'm fine!"

Chen Jingxian ordered the Yuanjie cabin alarm to be stopped.

Having found no physical injury and after sensing his inner mental state, he was truly certain that he was alright.

Consciousness logged back into the primordial realm, preparing to head to the Realm of No Form to find Li Banxian and get some answers.

In the primordial realm and Xiaotuan Mountain, the main god, upon seeing Chen Jing's return, flashed a halo and changed the greeting: "Congratulations, contractor, on embarking on the path of cultivation. Your personal attribute panel is now available..."

(End of this chapter)