You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

Chapter 149 Choice

"Me?" Qi Fei pointed to himself, a hint of surprise in his voice. "A strong person?"

Does he consider himself a strong person?

Of course not!

Compared to a Golden Core cultivator like Zen Master, what kind of expert am I?

Previously, my cultivation was still shallow, and I did not realize just how powerful the Zen wisdom that told me I was wrong really was.

Now that his cultivation has deepened and his magical power has become more profound, he can feel the gap between himself and Zen wisdom.

Without spiritual practice, one cannot know the difference.

Even now, he doesn't understand how Zen wisdom manages to connect with the "Alaya" of all beings.

He could guess to some extent the principle behind it, but he had no idea how it was done!

Only a Golden Core cultivator like Zen Master Zhi is qualified to openly display his name in this world, using people from both countries to prove his Dao, fearless of anyone.

"Yes! You are the strong one!" Zhang Jie nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

He will never forget that day when dark clouds covered the sky, the storm raged, and the entire sea roared.

Just when everyone thought they were doomed, someone cleaved through the dark clouds with a sword and then pierced the Dragon King of the South Sea with another, saving the entire ship.

If such a person isn't strong, then who is?

Qi Fei shook his head and said, "Someone like me may seem very strong, but in the cultivation world—" He hesitated for a moment, then told the truth, "I'm not even worth mentioning."

"Huh?" Zhang Jie stammered, "You—you're actually not up to standard?"

He couldn't imagine that a strong person like Qi Fei wasn't even ranked, let alone imagine how terrifying those who were "worthy of being on the stage" must be.

Wu Mengsheng chimed in, "That's right. We cultivators who still travel by boat are indeed not up to par."

Powerful cultivators can fly, traveling tens of thousands of miles a day, traversing the world.

Unlike them, who have to rely on other people's boats to cross the South China Sea, even daring to block the way with old mudskippers?

Zhang Jie listened, bewildered. He felt that the two were strong, but the two of them felt that they were not strong.

But if they are not strong, then what are Wang Qin, Long Shi, and the group from the Divine Cult?

In his mind, they were the strong ones!

Very, very strong!

So he bowed to Qi Fei again, almost at a ninety-degree angle, and said, "Even so, I humbly beg the Immortal Master to accept me as his disciple!"

Qi Fei neither refused nor agreed. He simply looked at Zhang Jie and asked, "Are you seeking the Dao, or do you want to become a strong person?"

Zhang Jie asked, puzzled, "What's the difference?"

"Of course they're different," Qi Fei explained. "If one seeks the Dao, one can become the strong person you speak of. But if one seeks the Dao solely to become strong—"

He sighed: "Most of the time, it doesn't end well."

Zhang Jie still looked confused, as if Qi Fei was reciting a tongue twister.

He suddenly understood why Wang Qin and Master Long always said that the True Dharma cultivators were strange.

Isn't seeking the Dao and becoming a strong person the same thing?

The pursuit of the Dao is simply to become strong, and becoming strong is the result of pursuing the Dao, isn't it? How can these be divided into two separate things?

Qi Fei smiled gently as he looked at Qi Fei's furrowed brows. Instead of immediately explaining, he told him a story about...

A short story about "shadows".

The story was short and simple, but by the end, Zhang Jie was completely confused. Qi Fei told him, "The world you see is not the world itself, but merely a reflection of the world in your mind."

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Zhang Jie listened almost blankly. He couldn't understand what Qi Fei was saying.

What does it mean that what you see are all shadows? What does it mean that the world you see is not the world itself?

Isn't the ocean just the ocean? Isn't a ship just a ship? Isn't a person just a person?

These things are clearly there, you can touch them, you can see them, so how did they become a reflection in your mind?

Qi Fei wasn't surprised at all by his expression; he simply smiled and said, "You can think about it some more. If you have any questions, you can come and ask me in the next few days."

If Zhang Jie can really understand, he wouldn't mind having another apprentice.

Teaching one's apprentices is also a process of self-reflection.

He had experienced this in his past life when he was giving training to others. Many things just slipped out of his mouth as he was talking.

Zhang Jie nodded thoughtfully, turned to leave, and then heard Qi Fei say behind him, "You probably don't have anywhere to stay for the next few days. I'll arrange a place for you."

Zhang Jie paused, his nose suddenly feeling a little sore.

He only got out because Wang Qin was throwing a tantrum, so it would be inappropriate for him to go back now.

But if he doesn't go back, the ship is only so big, where can an unknown nobody like him go?

It's just sleeping on the deck or crawling into the cargo hold.

Qi Fei arranged for him to stay in an empty cabin on the upper deck. The cabin was small but clean, with a window, a bed, and bedding.

Standing in the cabin, Zhang Jie looked around and suddenly felt a warm feeling in his heart.

He secretly resolved to understand what Qi Fei meant when he said, "The world is not the world I see."

When Qi Fei returned to the viewing platform, Wu Mengsheng was sitting there, his tea already cold.

Hearing Qi Fei's footsteps, he didn't even raise his head, and uttered four words indifferently: "Rotten wood."

It refers to Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie didn't understand the story of the shadow, and didn't realize that the "world" he saw was not the world itself, but just a reflection in his mind.

In Wu Mengsheng's view, this was rotten wood.

Qi Fei sat down opposite him, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup, saying unhurriedly, "No one is born knowing these things."

The cultivation of immortality in this world does not emphasize the spiritual root that absorbs spiritual energy, nor does it rely on innate comprehension or knowledge.

Cultivating immortality requires nothing more than exploring the world little by little, understanding it inch by inch.

If you don't even know what the world looks like, or only have a vague understanding, then how can you know what an "immortal" looks like?

If one knows neither the "Tao" nor the "Immortal," how can one become an immortal?

In the end, it's nothing more than a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water—visible, but forever unattainable.

"That being said, there are intelligent and foolish people." Wu Mengsheng remained unmoved, his tone still indifferent. "Such a person wouldn't even be qualified to enter our Great hope Sword Sect."

Qi Fei smiled and didn't argue: "I'm just giving him a chance. After all, this is the first time someone has come to ask to become my apprentice."

For the first time in the world, someone has taken the initiative to ask to become their disciple.

Qi Fei had no reason to refuse.

However, the apprentice chooses the master, and the master also chooses the apprentice.

Qi Fei wanted to choose someone who shared his desire for enlightenment. He also wanted to assess Zhang Jie to see what kind of person he really was.

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