Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

When this majestic voice resounded in the minds of the believers, without the slightest hesitation or doubt, they immediately realized that the towering figure before them was none other than the Lord of Tiantong, whom they worshipped.

Under the radiant divine might of the Heavenly Master, the grief and sorrow that had arisen from the passing of the "Vice Master" were instantly replaced by an even more fervent emotion. Their hearts and minds were completely subdued, and they immediately wanted to kneel down and perform the most devout prostration.

However, the instant they had this thought, their knees were held up by a force that prevented them from kneeling.

Everyone was taken aback, then they recalled the contents of the Tiantong Church's scriptures, which they often studied: the powerful and wealthy used their hereditary authority to force people to kneel, but the Tiantong Church leader wanted them to stand up. This world is equal for everyone, even the leader and you are the same.

They had recited these words many times during their daily prayers.

In the past, they only talked about it and thought about it, and perhaps they felt something, but it didn't really change them.

When they met those foreign lords, local tycoons, and gentry, they would still unconsciously feel inferior and dare not look them in the eye.

But at this moment, the thoughts in their hearts and the images in their minds suddenly became connected. They stared at the indescribably majestic figure of the cult leader and were suddenly struck and baptized as if by a sudden enlightenment!

Such supreme and powerful beings do not require them to kneel, and regard them as equals.

Then... why should those so-called high-ranking officials, landlords, gentry, and those self-righteous Japanese pirates and foreigners be considered superior to them? Why should they be expected to grovel and kneel down in worship?!

Why?
What gives them the right?!

At this moment, many people's values ​​have been completely reshaped and rewritten.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei was not calm either. He clearly sensed that the innate Qi in his middle dantian was expanding thousands of times, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a human face, and then solidified into an infant sitting cross-legged.

The infant slowly opened his eyes and took seven steps in each of the four directions, each step creating a lotus flower. Then, he pointed one finger to the sky and one finger to the earth, letting out a lion's roar that shook the very soul:
"Above and below, in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, I alone am supreme."

Zhang Zhiwei quietly observed the strange phenomenon in his dantian, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow.

The moment he saw the little man, he knew what was going on.

Or rather, what was previously just speculation has now become clear without any instruction after reaching this level.

Zhang Zhiwei muttered to himself, "Guarding the Yellow Court, nourishing the Valley Spirit, Master, Valley Spirit, it's done."

The Yellow Court is an orifice in the union of Yin and Yang, also known as the Gate of the Primordial Female, which is actually the lower dantian.

The earliest mention of the Valley Spirit comes from the Tao Te Ching, which states: "The Valley Spirit never dies; it is called the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is called the root of Heaven and Earth. It exists continuously, and its use is inexhaustible."

The form of the void, like the Great Dao, is like an empty valley that can nurture all things. All things originate from it and are the root of the generation and change of heaven and earth and all things. Therefore, it is the root of heaven and earth.

It has many interpretations. Here, it refers to a state of mental awareness in a practitioner—a mind that dwells nowhere, is as good as water, as empty as a valley, as clear as a mirror, and as still as a deep pool.

In this state, a special clear awareness arises, which is the Valley Spirit, also known as the Root of Heaven and Earth.

In terms of understanding the principles, different places around the world arrive at the same conclusion. In the East, this is called fundamentalism, and in the West, it is called ontology.

The Valley Spirit is the "mind," the "nothingness," the "law," the "principle," and other principles and laws.

Different schools of thought offer different interpretations; some consider it materialistic, while others consider it idealistic.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei had a different understanding: the world is both materialistic and idealistic.

The energies of heaven and earth combine to generate all things. Energy is the basic substance that constitutes all things. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are the basic elements that constitute all things. These are objectively existing substances, and this statement is materialistic.

However, some principles and laws also exist objectively and eternally; such a statement is idealistic.

To believe that matter precedes reason and law is materialism.

To believe that principles and laws precede matter is idealism.

Zhang Zai, also known as Hengqu, was the one who said, "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations." He was a bigwig who firmly believed in materialism, and he proposed the theory of the unity of heaven and earth and the spontaneous generation of all things.

Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi, Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, and others were idealists who believed that laws precede matter.

Zhu Xi believed that "li" (principle) is the ultimate basis and law of the existence of all things. It is objective, eternal, and exists prior to specific things.

Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi believed that "Tao" is the ultimate law of the universe, which is earlier and more fundamental than all matter.

Shakyamuni Buddha, however, believed both to be true, and thus said, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form."

In Buddhism, form (色) refers to perceptible matter, while emptiness (空) refers to the imperceptible void.

Zhang Zhiwei doesn't care about who came first or who came last, or who is the first cause of the universe.

This is an unsolvable question. No one can prove whether subjective consciousness came first, then merged with the primordial Qi, and then materialized into the limbs and bones, or whether the primordial Qi came first, materialized into the limbs and bones, and then subjective consciousness arose.

But at least for now, they coexist, and their relationship is one of mutual progression and equality.

Zhang Zhiwei couldn't help but recall the day after the Tiantai incident, when Zen Master Henglin transmitted the Dharma to the Tiantai school, and the enormous Mahavairocana Buddha's Dharma body he saw, along with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas within it.

Buddhism has three bodies: the Dharmakaya, the Sambhogakaya, and the Nirmanakaya.

The Sambhogakaya is the image of the Buddha statue seen in temples.

Their manifested form is their appearance when they are mortals.
The Dharmakaya is the pure nature that all sentient beings inherently possess, which is neither born nor dies, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing. It is the only supreme enlightened entity in the universe.

In Buddhism, Vairocana Buddha is the common Dharmakaya of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and it is also the omnipresent and eternally unchanging Buddhist principle.

This Mahavairocana Buddha is the same as the subjective one in terms of objective status.

As for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas within Mahavairocana, they are the Dharmakaya of their own nature.

The relationship between the self-nature Dharmakaya and the Dharmakaya is like that between an ocean and a drop of water. They are essentially the same, both being water, the only difference being the amount.

This is the relationship between the self-nature Dharmakaya and the Dharmakaya.

It is also the relationship between the Dharmakaya and the laws of the objective world.

Therefore, there is a saying that when something is polished to its extreme, subjective and objective aspects exist equally.

Zhang Zhiwei looked at the little figure inside his body. This was his Dao body, which he had refined to merge with the Dao, his Valley Spirit, his Root of Heaven and Earth, and his Dharma Body.

An existence that exists on par with the objective world and is not affected by the laws of the world.

This is why, after he cultivated the Valley God, the Valley God said that he was the only one worthy of respect.

It's not some arrogant statement of "I'm the best in the world," but rather one's true nature and true subjectivity, which is the most noble and fundamental thing in this world.

Once one attains enlightenment through spiritual practice, one can break free from objective influences and escape the cycle of birth and death.

Many Buddhist scriptures say that when the Buddha was born, he took seven steps in each of the four directions—east, west, south, and north. With each step, a golden lotus flower naturally emerged from the ground to support his feet. After taking seven steps, he pointed one finger to the sky and one to the earth, uttering a solemn declaration like a lion's roar: "Above and below heaven, I alone am the honored one." But now, Zhang Zhiwei feels that this might not be the scene of the Buddha's birth, but rather the scene of the Buddha's Dharma body being born.

However, although the Dharmakaya is of a high status, it is still very weak when it is first born, just a drop of water. It takes time to grow up, just like a child needs time to grow into an adult.

The cycle of Jupiter is one year, which is equivalent to a twelve-year cycle of the Earthly Branches. This is the opportunity for enlightenment, the destiny of Heaven. In other words, it takes twelve years for the Valley Spirit to grow.

In this respect, everyone is the same.

The Pure Yang Immortal Lü Dongbin was like this, the Zen patriarch Bodhidharma was like this, and even the original teacher of Buddhism, Shakyamuni, was the same.

Because the spirit of the valley needs to be nurtured, there will be a period of weakness during these twelve years.

There's a saying in the spiritual practice world: ten months of pregnancy, three years of breastfeeding, nine years of meditation, and these twelve years are called nurturing the sacred embryo.

Once the sacred embryo is formed, according to Buddhist teachings, this is 'the moment when the form of the Dharmakaya is specifically revealed.'

During the nurturing of the sacred embryo, it is not advisable to engage in major battles. Ninety-nine percent of one's strength and energy should be used to nurture this sacred embryo.

Lu Zu nurtured his sacred embryo by living in seclusion on Jiufeng Mountain, Bodhidharma meditated facing a wall in the Bodhidharma Cave, Shakyamuni practiced on the Great Snow Mountain, and Sun, the head of Wudang, also secluded himself in the Prince Cave for twelve years.

Even Zhang Chulan in the story has a twelve-year gap.

Twelve years later, a small figure appeared inside his body with the words "Nothing to be gained, to the spirit of the valley" written on it.

Of course, the little person inside Zhang Zhiwei's body is definitely different from the little person inside Zhang Chulan's body.

Zhang Zhiwei's work was something he created himself.

As for Zhang Chulan's situation, it's not quite clear.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't care. What troubled him was that he couldn't make any more big moves while he was nurturing his sacred embryo. In other words, his direct intervention in the world had to end.

Zhang Zhiwei looked up at the vast void, and for a moment he couldn't say whether he or heaven had won this tribulation.

Judging from the outcome, he survived the heavenly tribulation and achieved the Dao body.

But fate also stopped him from continuing his defiance of the trend, because for the next twelve years, he would enter a relatively "weak" period of dormancy.

Both sides seem to have achieved their goals.

However, just when fate was about to destroy him, he survived and even made further progress, which can be considered a slight victory, a victory over fate by half a move.

The winning move, however, should be attributed to the "Grand Tutor".

Thinking of the scene at the end of the Heavenly Tribulation when the "Imperial Preceptor" lunged at him, Zhang Zhiwei lowered his eyes, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing across his face.

He suppressed these emotions, ignoring the still-burning Samadhi Fire within the inner realm. Sensing the location of the altar in the darkness, he transformed into a beam of green light and vanished from the inner realm.

Meanwhile, outside...

On the altar in front of the Tiantong Cathedral, a group of senior disciples were pacing anxiously.

"What's going on?! Zhiwei has been inside the inner realm for so long, why hasn't he come out yet?" Zhang Yi paced back and forth anxiously.

"How would I know?!" Yi Qian was also flustered. "The light screen was a sea of ​​fire, and I couldn't see anything. I had no idea what was going on inside."

“Look at those believers of the Tiantong Church, they’re all in tears, stunned. Could something have happened?” Zhang Shoucheng said.

"Pah, pah, pah! Shoucheng, what are you saying, you old bastard? If you can't say it, then shut up!"

"If you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll slap you right now!"

Zhang Yi and Yi Qian shouted the curses almost in unison.

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of azure light descended from the sky and landed in the center of the altar, revealing Zhang Zhiwei's figure.

When they saw Zhang Zhiwei finally come out, his uncles were taken aback at first, but then they rushed over and began to examine him.

"Good lad, you finally came out!"

"You scared me to death! I thought you weren't going to make it out!"

"Quick, quick, let my martial uncle take a look. Is he missing any arms or legs?"

Amidst a cacophony of greetings, his fellow disciples patted his shoulder, squeezed his arm, and examined him one by one, as if afraid he might have suffered some unseen internal injury.

"Uncles, I'm fine!" Zhang Zhiwei said calmly.

"It's alright, it's alright..." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Zhang Yi circled around Zhang Zhiwei, stroked his chin, and asked in confusion:

“That’s strange… Zhiwei, I feel like you… seem a little different? I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s just… you seem different.”

Zhang Zhiwei's level of understanding was far higher than his. He could no longer see through Zhang Zhiwei's depths. He only vaguely sensed that Zhang Zhiwei was somewhat different.

Zhang Zhiwei said, "When I was dealing with those Japanese pirates and ghosts at the Dongying lineage just now, I also passed through the wind calamity of the three calamities, and my cultivation level improved slightly."

"Slight improvement?"

The senior disciples were stunned for a moment, then looked at him with disbelief: "The Three Calamities are a great tribulation. If one cannot overcome the Three Calamities, one cannot become an immortal?"

They were shocked but not surprised when they said this, after all, this was Zhang Zhiwei, and anything could happen to him.

"Become an immortal?" Zhang Zhiwei laughed, "That's a long way off!"

Upon hearing this, the senior disciples breathed a sigh of relief. Becoming an immortal was certainly a good thing, but if Zhang Zhiwei were to ascend to heaven immediately like the former Wudang sect leader, it would be difficult for them, as his senior disciples, to accept.

"By the way, what happened to those people?" Zhang Shoucheng asked, pointing to the believers who were still in shock from the previous scene and whose faces were covered in tears.

Zhang Zhiwei paused for a moment, then said, "At the end of the Heavenly Tribulation, the 'Imperial Preceptor' helped me and returned to my life. They sensed his disappearance and spoke out of a sense of urgency!"

Upon hearing this, the senior disciples were taken aback. They naturally knew that the "national advisor" Zhang Zhiwei mentioned was a demon in his heart. The fact that the main body was undergoing tribulation and the demon in his heart was helping him was somewhat strange. Shouldn't the demon in his heart be taking the opportunity to cause trouble?

After a moment, Zhang Yi patted Zhang Zhiwei on the shoulder and comforted him, "He came into your life and now he's going back to your life, so it's a perfect ending. You've been kind enough to keep him here for so long, so don't feel any psychological burden!"

"What psychological burden do I have?" Zhang Zhiwei shook his head. "I'm overjoyed for him. Some things can't be established without breaking down the old; he can only gain something by letting go!" (End of Chapter)