Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Shaking his head slightly, Su Yuchen finally realized how terrifying Dao Ancestor's thought was; it had almost aroused the resentment of all the Dao Lords of the heavens.

"Moreover, I inexplicably came to this world. What does the Dao Ancestor think?" Yu Chen wondered.

Just as Su Yuchen was deep in thought, the young Taoist named Ye Zhi Qiu couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment. Without receiving a mission, there would be no reward. However, this 'NPC' in front of him was of unknown origin and exuded a pure aura, so he was probably a powerful righteous cultivator.

Thinking of this, Ye Zhi Qiu put his hands behind his back and secretly made a few hand gestures. Several sword lights that were hovering in mid-air in the distance fell down and stopped beside Ye Zhi Qiu. The group secretly made a few hand gestures and then waited quietly.

Su Yuchen glanced at the group and couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. These people practiced a mixture of Buddhism and Taoism, resulting in a chaotic foundation. Although they seemed to have increased power now, it would be difficult for them to advance in the future.

With a thought, Su Yuchen's primordial spirit stirred, and a phantom image of a jade bell flashed in his eyes. The people standing opposite him only heard the sound of the bell before falling into a state of unconsciousness.

You have obtained the basic cultivation methods of Mount Shu.

You have acquired some of the basic sword techniques of the Shu Mountain Sect.

You have obtained the Vajra Mantra of Buddhism (first five levels)

You have obtained the Great Light Mantra.

You have obtained the Prajna Heart Sutra.

……

As Su Yuchen activated the Yuanxin Seal, the various cultivation methods, realm divisions, and power levels of this world were described by the group one by one.

Cultivation in this realm is divided into stages such as Foundation Establishment, Qi Absorption, Returning to Origin, Yuan Dan, and Nascent Soul. As for what comes after Nascent Soul, it is beyond the knowledge of these few individuals.

This world has experienced several battles between immortals, Buddhas, demons and monsters. Now, the most powerful force is the righteous path led by the Emei Sect, Wudang, Qingcheng, Kunlun and many independent cultivators.

As for the Buddhist forces, after several major battles, they have become weak. The only remaining major sect is the Shaolin Temple located on Mount Song. However, there are still many great Buddhist masters in the world, such as the Great Wisdom Zen Master who lives in the Great Snow Mountain, the Divine Nun Xinru on Juluo Island in the East China Sea, and the Divine Nun Fentuo of Longxiang Temple in Kongtong.

As for the demonic masters in the Central Plains, there are quite a few. Among those they know are Zheng Yin, the Blood God; the old man Shi Bi who lives in the Asura Palace on the Divine Sword Peak of Fire Cloud Ridge; Wu Nan Gong who lives in the Falling God Ridge of Black Gar Mountain; Xuanyuan Dharma King; the leaders of the Five Directions Demonic Sects, and so on.

As for the many independent cultivators overseas, many of them are unknown and devoted to their solitary cultivation.

However, these are all senior experts. Not to mention ordinary disciples like them, even experts who have already refined the Yuan Dan may not have seen them.

Apart from some true disciples of Mount Shu who were able to see Master Miaoyi Qi Shuming, the others had at most seen the Bearded Immortal Li Yuanhua who was refining his Nascent Soul and the Drunken Daoist!

Su Yuchen couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "Good heavens, how many backup plans has this 'other self' created from divine thought left for itself? Moreover, how many of these are projections of other Dao Lords that have not yet been assimilated?"

However, none of these matters. I am here in my true form. If I cannot defeat the Dao Ancestor's divine thought avatar, can I not defeat the projections of other Dao Lords?

Even if one is a newly born Great Luo Immortal and is not yet familiar with the abilities of a Great Luo Immortal, one is still a Great Luo Immortal. Moreover, this world is subject to many restrictions on spiritual energy, and its upper limit is said to be infinitely close to that of a Great Luo Immortal. So, everyone is just about the same.

If all else fails, we'll settle the debt with the Dao Ancestor first. If all else fails, running away is the priority.

With this thought in mind, Su Yuchen stopped thinking about it and, following the cultivation methods provided by the others, quickly understood the cultivation methods of this world through his primordial spirit. The method involved absorbing pure energy into the body, evolving various true energies of Buddhism, Taoism, demons, and monsters according to the different mental techniques of various sects and schools, and then the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit returned to their origin and merged into one, all of which were transformed into a primordial elixir. After that, the primordial elixir shattered, giving rise to an infant, which is the nascent soul.

Having deduced this far, Su Yuchen couldn't help but shake his head. The pure energy of this realm almost originated from the Dao Ancestor's single thought, and it had already been marked. The so-called return of the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit to oneness meant that the Yuan Dan already had an owner.

As long as that Dao Ancestor's thoughts awaken from the Spirit Void Immortal Realm, he can transform into all living beings at any time with a single thought, and all spirits will return to one body, thus transcending all transformations.

"As expected of Dao Ancestor's Thoughts, his scheming surpasses that of other Dao Lords by a great margin."

"The other Dao Lords thought that the more they invested in this realm, the more they could prevent the Dao Ancestor from transcending this realm and becoming a great power on par with them."

"But little did they know that the cultivation of this world had already been anchored by that person, and in the end, they were just doing the work for him."

"Hehe, with the Dao Ancestor's great power, he probably doesn't care at all that a single divine thought can transcend to become a Great Luo. Perhaps the Dao Ancestor would even be happy to see this happen."

"But this guy is such an idiot, he doesn't even know how to spread the Dao Ancestor's teachings. Isn't that blatant betrayal? Traitors are the most hateful!"

"Therefore, the Dao Ancestor didn't care at all."

"So it just so happens to be a good deal for me. If I can take the place of the 'other self' in this world and spread the Dao Ancestor's teachings, I can take a big step forward on the path to the Great Luo for free."

In an instant, Su Yuchen understood his mission, which was absolutely the same as the goals of the other powerful Dao Lords: to prevent the Dao Ancestor from transcending this realm in a single thought.

Chapter 615 Xuanzhu's Murder to Venge His Anger

Just as Su Yuchen was beginning to speculate about his future, a silver-white figure, riding a sword light, swooped down from the Nine Heavens Gale.

With just a sweep of his divine sense, Su Yuchen was able to determine that the other party was also a natural disaster, and a competitive expert among them.

The silver light shimmered, and the sword energy was as swift as a dragon. The silver sword energy was like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, the sword light split into more than ten sword energies, which then combined into an array, circling around Ye Zhi Qiu and the others with incredible speed.

From the moment the sword light appeared until Ye Zhi Qiu and the others reacted and showed shock and anger, only a few breaths had passed before they were beheaded by the sword light.

The white figure paused, landing not far from Su Yuchen, revealing a face so handsome it was almost otherworldly. Only his eyes held a mixture of madness and Zen, making him appear both alluring and dignified.

"Amitabha! Shaolin disciple Xuanzhu greets senior. These people have a grudge against me, which is why I couldn't help but attack. Please forgive me, senior!"

The other party revealed his true appearance as an elegant and handsome young monk with a composed and dignified demeanor. His white monk's robe was covered with flowing light that formed the shape of the Azure Dragon and the Seven Mansions, clearly indicating that it was a magical artifact of the robe type.

Su Yuchen's primordial spirit watched as Ye Zhi Qiu and the others were beheaded. As his physical body died, his three souls and seven spirits were forcibly condensed into a single mass by an invisible force. Then, guided by some kind of power, they headed towards Mount Shu.

[A powerful being has created a replica of the Celestial Weapon Pool in the Heavenly Court, and established a Reincarnation Pool in this realm. By expending their own merits and soul power, one can be reborn within the Reincarnation Pool.]

The more you invest, the more abilities you retain after reincarnation.

[Once the soul's power is exhausted as collateral, the soul belongs to the owner of the Reincarnation Pool.]

"It seems that the great powers of the heavens are not entirely powerless in this realm. They can even come up with such a cunning scheme. Indeed, none of those who can become Great Luo are simple."

Muttering something under his breath, Su Yuchen's eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked at the newcomer and said, "Aren't you afraid that I have connections with them and will take my anger out on you?"

The young monk Xuanzhu bowed respectfully and said:

"Firstly, the senior's pure aura permeated the heavens and earth, merging with the surrounding world. Such a powerful being is definitely not someone who indiscriminately kills without regard for right or wrong."

"Secondly, those people are just third-generation outer disciples of the Emei Sect of Mount Shu. They could never possibly recognize a powerful figure like you, senior. Otherwise, if you had casually bestowed upon me a magical treasure or divine weapon, I would have run far away long ago."

As he spoke, the trace of madness in Xuanzhu's eyes completely faded, leaving only a deep sense of Zen, and a pure and serene Buddhist aura, as if a Buddhist disciple had come to life.

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "You're quite the smooth talker. Unfortunately, I don't have a good impression of bald monks. Aren't you afraid that the greater your expectations, the greater your disappointment?"

"Uh!"

The young monk probably hadn't expected Su Yuchen to say that. He cautiously looked up at Su Yuchen and said, "If I have ruined your plans, please forgive me. If you have any instructions, I am willing to do them."

Su Yuchen said, "I have been in seclusion for a long time. Now that I have come out of seclusion, I am quite unfamiliar with the outside world. I did not expect that all the sects are recruiting disciples. I heard that Shaolin has more than 100,000 disciples. Is that true?"

Xuanzhu's eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but wonder where this old monster came from. Could it have been in seclusion for thousands of years? Or is it an old monster left over from the last great war between the various sects?

“Reporting to Senior, the cultivation world is now flourishing, and various sects have the opportunity to have disciples join them, which is different from the past. However, most disciples are those with shallow affinity and are not worth cultivating, so they only bear the title of outer sect menial disciples.” Xuanzhu spoke of this without hesitation.

"Oh?" Su Yuchen said, "Judging from your pure and flawless Buddhist aura, you must be a true disciple of Buddhism?"

Xuanzhu said:

“I dare not deceive you, senior. I obtained a Buddhist treasure when I was young and comprehended the Bodhi mind of Buddhism. The master of Shaolin Temple felt that I had a connection with Buddhism and specially opened up many avenues to accept me as a disciple of the Xuan generation.”

“My master, Lingxiu, is none other than the head Zen master of the Bodhidharma Hall at Shaolin Temple.”

Su Yuchen said calmly, "I wonder what kind of Buddhist treasure it is? May I take a look?"

Xuanzhu gritted his teeth, realizing that he had been unable to extricate himself from his emotions and only wanted to kill to vent his anger. Now that he had fallen into the hands of this old monster, he was at the mercy of the monster, and there was no way he could escape. He might be killed and robbed of his treasures by the old monster the moment he turned around.

As for so-called righteous seniors? What are those? Don't they know the famous saying: "Fellow Daoist, you are destined to meet me!"

Under Su Yuchen's ambiguous gaze, a pair of white-gold wings unfurled from Xuanzhu's back. As the wings opened, a faint sense of Zen mixed with dragon might spread out, clearly indicating that these wings were inextricably linked to the dragon race.

With a muffled groan, his wings detached, transforming into a pair of small, adorable wings that landed in his palm. The little monk Xuanzhu showed a hint of pain, then pushed with his right hand, sending the wings flying towards Su Yuchen, saying:

"These wings belong to the Eight Heavenly Dragons in the Western Eight Treasures Merit Pool. They are imbued with boundless Buddhist light, refined by the Dharma Protector Heavenly Dragons, and formed with the Bodhi Divine Light of Buddhism."

"Not only can it help younger generations fly quickly, but it can also use the light of Buddha to resist the flow of inner demons and help them understand the Dharma, among many other benefits."

Su Yuchen probed into it with his primordial spirit and immediately understood. This magical artifact appeared to be a Buddhist treasure, but its tightly protected core was actually a pure energy; it bore a resemblance to the Taiqing energy he cultivated in the world of Shrouding the Heavens, except that this energy possessed both Daoist and Buddhist qualities and manifested as Buddhist light, therefore…

The great Buddhist masters of this world have likely all been influenced by the Daoist Ancestor's "other self," and the transformation of others into freedom has become a part of them.

Having figured this out, Su Yuchen casually tossed the magic weapon back to the young monk Xuanzhu, much to his disbelief.

The young monk Xuanzhu probably didn't expect that the magic weapon could be recovered. Then, his heart sank. This Eight Heavenly Dragon Wings was already a Buddhist treasure, and few people would look down on it unless the other party had something bigger in mind.

"Your sword magic weapon is only of average quality; it's nothing special."

"Moreover, the Eight Heavenly Dragons are merely pets kept in the Pool of Merit. Compared to the real dragon race, they are still worlds apart."

"Unfortunately, you have nothing to help me, otherwise I wouldn't mind teaching you some of the secrets to refining these wings."

As he spoke, Su Yuchen's eyes revealed three parts contempt, three parts disdain, three parts smugness, and one part arrogance.

The young monk Xuanzhu's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself, "Could this be the unique inheritance method of high-level 'NPCs'? Is this person a real weapon-refining master or just boasting?"

But then I thought about it again, and it seems like I can't lose out no matter what!

Having figured this out, the young monk Xuanzhu immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Senior is a great being, so naturally there is no need for this junior to serve you. However... there are some things that this junior finds difficult to say."

"Oh?" Su Yuchen pretended to be indifferent and asked casually, "What is it? Why don't you tell me?"

Chapter 616 Xuanzhu Points to the Sky and Curses

Upon hearing Su Yuchen's voice, the little monk Xuanzhu's eyes lit up with joy. He knew that this round was basically won. As long as this old guy wasn't unpredictable, he would always be able to get something out of him.

His expression immediately became even more respectful, and he said:

“Senior is a master of our time, and should be able to see that what I did just now was not my true intention.”

"I'm not afraid to admit it, seniors, but although I received the treasures of Buddhism and was influenced by Buddhist teachings from a young age, I have never been able to fully accept Buddhist scriptures."

“When the Buddha descended to earth, he took seven steps in each of the four directions, pointed to the sky and the earth, and said, ‘In heaven and on earth, I alone am the most honored!’ This humble monk is not talented, but he also has a heart that aspires to become a Buddha and an ancestor.”

"However, after I entered Shaolin and received the four divine skills of the Vajra King Immovable Sutra, the Heart Sutra, the Vajra King Protective Sword Sutra, and the Prajnaparamita Free Sword Sutra, I found that the scriptures all advised me to take refuge in the Buddha!"

"This humble monk does not understand. The Buddha said that everyone has Buddha-nature and all races can become Buddhas, so why should this humble monk take refuge? Why is there a distinction between high and low, noble and base in the Western Paradise?"

"This humble monk was thus caught in a dilemma and often did surprising things. Fortunately, Buddhism is broad-minded and emphasizes benevolence and forgiveness. The Buddhist teachings are just, peaceful, and highly inclusive, which prevented this humble monk from clashing with the teachings and passing away peacefully."

"I wonder if you, senior, have any guidance for me?"

With a thought, Su Yuchen realized that this person was indeed born with excessively high spiritual power, which caused the Dao Ancestor's distorted Buddhist teachings of universal salvation to be subtly rejected by this person's unwilling heart. This was why he could not fully unite with the distorted Buddhist teachings of this world.

This is also why he has been stuck in the Returning Origin stage, unable to unite the three treasures and step into the Yuan Dan realm.

Seeing the smile in Su Yuchen's eyes, the little monk Xuanzhu was overjoyed. His expression became even more respectful, and for a moment, he was surrounded by Buddhist light, giving him a solemn and dignified appearance.

Su Yuchen ignored him and continued speaking to himself:

"You also said that Buddhism emphasizes benevolence and forgiveness, and there's even a Buddhist saying: 'Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.' But can you really become a Buddha by putting down the butcher's knife?"

"Without sufficient understanding and opportunity, even if one lays down the butcher's knife, a single thought can give rise to a demon, and one can pick it up again. This is why the difference between Buddha and demon is just a thought away."

“When the Buddha attained enlightenment, there were still demons who obstructed his path. The Demon Ancestor once said: ‘The descendants of demons in later generations will all wear the Buddha’s robes, live in the Buddha’s temples, speak of the Buddha’s false scriptures, distort the Buddha’s intentions, and destroy the Buddha’s true Dharma.’”

"Therefore, after the Buddha attained enlightenment, he left behind nine palm techniques. These palm techniques elucidate the true meaning of Buddhism and can help future Buddhist practitioners understand the Buddha's true intentions and achieve Buddhahood."

Xuanzhu exclaimed in surprise, "The Tathagata Palm?"

Su Yuchen nodded and said:

"It is indeed the Tathagata Palm."

"Buddha was also afraid that future generations would misinterpret the Buddhist scriptures, so he specially left behind this divine skill, firstly to protect the Dharma and the path, and secondly to give his descendants the opportunity to understand the true meaning of Buddhism."

"The Buddhist community is vast and inclusive. How could it not accommodate you? The reason you don't understand is simply because you haven't grasped the true meaning!"

"Well, it's not really your fault."

Upon hearing this, Xuanzhu's heart stirred, and he bowed and asked, "Senior, is there some explanation for your words?"

A golden light flashed in Su Yuchen's eyes. As the golden light flickered, Xuanzhu seemed to see the golden Buddha statue in the Great Hall of the Buddha, and her eyes revealed infinite compassion.

Su Yuchen said, "Since the beginning of cultivation, this world of cultivation has been in endless slaughter, and even the Buddhist sect is no exception."

Xuanzhu nodded. As a true disciple of Buddhism, he naturally knew about the several great battles in this world in the past, which resulted in the Shaolin Temple being wiped out, leaving only the Ling generation and a few old monks unrelated to Shaolin. As for Shaolin, none of them were even above the Nascent Soul stage.

“Buddhism teaches forgiveness and compassion, but spiritual practice emphasizes decisiveness and ruthlessness. This is contrary to Buddhism. Therefore, Buddhist practitioners in this world, unless they can comprehend the Buddha’s mind, will inevitably fall into self-doubt like you.”

"Your best course of action would be to find a great Buddhist master, such as Dazhi, Xinru, or Fentuo, to give you guidance."

"Of course, it would be best if you could be enlightened by someone who has mastered the Tathagata Palm. If you have enough luck, you might even be able to comprehend the supreme Buddhist mind."

Xuanzhu's heart stirred, and he thought to himself: This old guy calls Dazhi and Xinru juniors, so isn't his seniority higher than Changmei's? And his performance just now, that supreme Buddhist intent, could the Tathagata Palm be in his hands?

Thinking of this, Xuanzhu immediately probed, "It is fate that I was able to meet you here, senior. Cultivation is all about fate. I wonder if you have any teachings for me?"

Su Yuchen laughed and said, "You're really taking advantage of this opportunity. Isn't our destiny just that I've been telling you all these secrets of cultivation?"

Xuanzhu inwardly curled her lip, thinking to herself:

"In the end, aren't you just saying that the affinity for imparting the true teachings is insufficient? Heh! That really does feel a bit like an 'NPC'."