Tao and Heaven

Chapter 93: The Jade Sword Buddha

An ordinary person can reach the summit of Tianquan Mountain in about three hours. Some agile mountain dwellers can even reach the summit in an hour and a half. Relatively speaking, it is not a very majestic mountain.

Whenever the sword pool is opened, there will be a bluestone path extending all the way to the top of the mountain. It only takes 10,000 steps and is also called the Ten Thousand Swords Path.

But now.
Gu Wen looked at the seemingly endless Tianquan Mountain and estimated that it might not be possible to reach the top even after taking hundreds of thousands of steps. Perhaps only the ancestor of Zhejian Mountain could reach the top.

"How many feet is this?"

The scene in Yu Hua's eyes seemed different from that of ordinary people. She replied, "30,000 feet. Another 10,000 feet up will reach the top of the Immortal Realm, which is where I took you last time."

One zhang and three point three meters, thirty thousand zhang is about ninety thousand meters, which is nearly the height of ten Mount Everests. But it seems that only this height can truly block out the sky and the sun, making a city still dark in the early morning.

It would be a lie for Gu Wen to say that he was not shocked. Even if he raised his neck completely, he could only see the majestic halfway point of the mountain, just like an ant looking at Mount Tai.

Is this cultivation of immortality?

"I'm afraid I can't flatten Tianquan Mountain." Yu Hua frowned and said, "Even if a fourth-level True Lord in the cultivation world is sent, he may not be able to move this mountain. It takes a Heavenly Venerable level figure like Uncle Yun Miao to do it."

"Can the True Lord still move this thing?"

Gu Wen found it hard to imagine that someone could move Tianquan Mountain, which was the size of ten Mount Everests. In his imagination, moving mountains and filling the sea meant moving peaks, while Yu Hua wanted to move a mountain comparable to the Taihang Mountains.

If this is the case, it can really fill the sea.

It was hard for him to imagine that a True Lord who could be killed by him could move a mountain.

Yu Hua asked, "The four realms of cultivation and the title of True Lord are very general concepts. There are four realms and twelve levels. How many levels do you think this realm has?"

This kind of "primary school teacher" question made Gu Wen stop talking about the egalitarian answer that he was about to blurt out.

The four realms are divided into twelve levels, so it is natural that there are three levels in one realm. But since there are doubts, he has to consider that cultivation is not like multiplication and division.

"Please answer this question, fellow Taoist."

"Most people in the secular world are at the third level of the first realm, because the pinnacle of their practice is just to seek a breakthrough to refine the spirit and return to the void."

Seeing that Gu Wen was still a little confused, Yu Hua continued, "Practicing is like making a bucket. The most suitable is to use two wooden boards for one realm, which are as solid as mortise and tenon. But some people made two wooden boards that were not big enough, so they used the wooden board that should have been on the next layer to make up for it, and so on."

Gu Wen immediately understood that it was a case of cutting corners.

Just like building houses in the previous life, many houses actually do not comply with building codes, but they can still be built on flat ground.

“We think it is the second level of the first realm, but only Lianxu Hedao has one word and one level, so it has the name of Zhenjun.”

Yu Hua patiently answered Gu Wen's questions as usual, and explained everything he knew regarding cultivation.

"Starting from the Return to Void Stage, one can be crowned with the title of True Lord, but many people can only stay at the Return to Void Stage, less than one in ten can reach the Fusion Stage, and the Mahayana Stage is rare. If you want to move this mountain, you have to reach above the Mahayana Stage, which is the Enlightenment Stage."

"What realm is Senior Ao in?"

"The Mahayana period."

Gu Wen took note and pondered over it secretly. Some of his previous doubts were answered.

Why is there such a big difference in the strength of Zhenjun? He can be killed by himself, Ao Tang can be killed with ease, and even weaker ones can be beaten to death by a group of young people with random punches.

But if you don't look at the foundation of Taoism, you can get the answer by just looking at the four realms. It is normal for a Mahayana stage to kill a Return to Void stage stage.

Suddenly I realized that there were two levels missing. There are nine levels in total from Qi Refining to Mahayana, and with the Dao Realm, there are only ten levels in total.

He asked, "What about the other two realms?"

Yu Hua replied, "They are not two levels, but two different paths, attaining the Tao and integrating the Tao. You don't need to know too much about it now. Only when you reach the ninth level of Taoism are you qualified to consider it, and the ninth level of perfection is enough to become an immortal."

"If I reach the ninth level of perfection and leave the immortal realm, do I still need to practice step by step?"

Gu Wen looked quite serious. If someone else asked or asked others, it would be a joke. But Yu Hua would not laugh at Gu Wen. Instead, he answered very seriously:

"You need to practice step by step to reach the eighth or ninth level of the Dao foundation. There is no need to practice to reach the ninth or ninth level of perfection. By then, the only thing you will lack is your magic power."

“How long will this take?”

"Within a hundred years. If you think it's too slow, I will bury you in the Three Pure Ones Spiritual Veins. In a few years, you will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with my master."

Gu Wen nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining, as if he had found a way to heaven.

He could definitely condense the ninth level of Dao foundation first, even if it might take thousands of Celestial Marrow to complete the ninth level, but this was equivalent to giving himself a second insurance. If his fate couldn't gather Celestial Marrow and Imperial Marrow, the ninth level of Dao foundation shouldn't be too far off.

If one becomes an immortal after reaching the ninth level of the Taoist foundation, will his fate be further strengthened?

Back to the original question, Gu Wen looked at Qingshan and said, "So what should we do next?"

"It's business as usual."

"What if I can't climb Tianquan Mountain?"

Yu Hua heard some thoughts and noticed Gu Wen's worry. He comforted her, "I will take you up. You have only practiced for half a year. It is normal that you cannot beat Xiao Yunyi. Concentrate on practicing. What you want to fight for is the Great Dao, not now."

"Now let's wait for the guardian to come back, and then make a decision."
-
An hour later, the commotion among ordinary people in Luoshui gradually subsided. Many idle people began to run to Tianquan Mountain, looking for immortal fate, while most ordinary people continued to live as usual.

At the same time, more and more practitioners appeared in Luoshui. When they first entered the city, there might have been only a few dozen people, but now Gu Wen could see one on the street from time to time. And the number of people staying in the inn where they were staying was increasing. There were seven or eight sect geniuses around them.

Everyone keeps to themselves and there is basically no communication.

Gu Wen didn't wait for Ao Tang, but instead waited for He Huan and an extremely beautiful nun.

He Huan's face was a little stiff, and his brows revealed tension. When he saw Gu Wen, he did not relax at all. Instead, he was worried that the other party would do something wrong.

Without his warning, Gu Wen knew that the other party was not simple, which made He Huan so cautious. It was just like when he was still in Bianjing, those merchants who accompanied the officials of the third rank and above in the court had trembling throats.

He Huan introduced: "Brother Hongchen, this is the heir of Buddhism, the Jade Sword Buddha."

The nun was wearing a white and gold robe, her eyes were like water apricots and colored glass, her face was like a silver plate and brighter than snow, and her red lips seemed to be smiling, but not quite happy.

One can only sigh that the beauty remains in the ancient temple with green lamps, and is envied by others for being too pure.

The successor of Buddhism is actually a nun?
Gu Wen was not interested in women, but he couldn't help but take a few more glances. Then he bowed and said, "My Taoist name is Hongchen. I wonder what can I do for you, Master?"

The nun just smiled and nodded at him, like a superior. Then she looked past Gu Wen and slightly towards the second floor of the inn.

"Amitabha, I, the humble monk Jade Sword Buddha, wish to see the goddess."

A sword-wielding, angry-looking Vajra flashed by, and his aura was that of a person who had reached the sixth level of perfection in the Daoist foundation!
The expressions of all the cultivators inside and outside the inn changed drastically. Gu Wen's eyes narrowed slightly, and his body tensed unconsciously.

Just by looking at her aura, he could sense that the other party's Tao foundation, various methods, Dharma images, etc. were almost natural as a whole, and Gu Wen saw her as a flawless jade in a rough stone.

Suddenly a familiar voice was heard, soothing everything like a spring breeze.

"Come up."

The Jade Sword Buddha restrained his breath and then passed by Gu Wen, never looking at him again.

The fourth and third levels of Dao foundation were perfect, but it was not enough to attract her attention. She nodded to indicate that she had heard about Gu Wen's killing of a True Lord. If it weren't for this, he would not have been in the eyes of Jade Sword Buddha at all.

This is not arrogance, but there are too many mediocre people who flatter and curry favor with others, and she is not sure whether Gu Wen will be one of them.

If not, then let’s wait until his sixth level of Taoism foundation is complete.
-
The Jade Sword Buddha went upstairs, while Gu Wen and He Huan found a place to sit down on the first floor and ordered a few pots of good wine.

The scattered geniuses from other sects on the first floor also continued to eat and drink, their conversations were all whispered, and their respective circles never crossed the boundaries.

They also could not fit into Gu Wen and He Huan's circle, and were not in their eyes.

He Huan patted his chest and said, "As expected of a descendant of Buddhism, one of the three religions, I feel a lot of pressure just standing by."

"Very strong. If we fight, I'm afraid I won't last more than three moves."

Gu Wen made this judgment based on the assumption that both sides were going all out without any scruples and were not limited to just one move.

Because once they become real enemies, no one will hold back, and the only way to predict is to fight to the death.

Gu Wen's sincerity surprised He Huan. After all, everyone had witnessed his arrogance before, and he should be a very competitive person. How could he admit defeat so easily?

Then He Huan noticed the other party's excited expression and immediately curled the corners of his mouth.

He became even crazier, and his target was no longer limited to the likes of Tianjiao Zhenjun, but the descendants of Buddhism, one of the three religions. There was a world of difference between Buddhism and the descendants of a certain temple, and the Jade Sword Buddha represented the entire Buddhism.

Before the elixir of immortality was revealed, the Taoist goddess could also represent the entire Taoism.

Among the human race, Buddhism, Taoism and Demonism are mixed, the three religions are the undisputed leaders, and the descendants of the three religions are naturally the undisputed geniuses.

But Gu Wen is very honest. Rather than being a madman, he is more like a daredevil.

He Huan took out a bag of pills from his sleeve and handed it to Gu Wen, saying, "This is the first batch of pills. According to your request, you don't want top-grade pills, but only mid- and low-grade ones, so you can take 90% of the pills."

"Thank you very much."

Gu Wen took the bag and scanned it with his mind. There were a total of 101 pieces. He picked up one and swallowed it to obtain half a load of Heavenly Marrow.

There are still one hundred pills left in this bag, which is fifty years of Heavenly Marrow.

"How many furnaces are there?"

"Three furnaces. The fox fairy's alchemy skills are extremely high and the loss is not high. The number of furnaces to come should be about the same as this time."

There are about two hundred years of Heavenly Marrow, and the sword method requires two hundred and eighty years of Heavenly Marrow, so at least another eighty years of Heavenly Marrow is needed.

After a rough estimate, Gu Wen found that the Tiansui was still not enough, plus the "friend fee" from the sacred tree next month was not enough, but the Luoshui was basically drained by himself.

He took a sip of wine with a headache. It tasted mellow and sweet, and his marrow moved slightly.

"Does this inn sell spirit wine?"

"Of course, this is an inn run by a restaurant."

(End of this chapter)