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

The three of them were on high alert.

Zenji sat there, not moving an inch. But the oppressive feeling surged over him like a tide, coming from all directions, from above, from below, from every inch of air.

Qi Fei felt like a mouse being watched by a cat, his fur standing on end, but his legs felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't take a single step.

That kind of instinctive pressure is like standing in front of a rhinoceros or an elephant, knowing that it won't trample you, but you still want to take a few steps back.

Zenji opened his eyes.

There was no murderous intent, no anger, and not even a hint of aggression in those eyes.

There is only compassion and mercy, like watching a group of lost children who have gone astray and strayed from the right path, yet he is still willing to look at them a little longer and wait for them a little longer.

He looked at Chan Kong, then at Lei Leilei, his gaze sliding across their faces before settling on Qi Fei.

Their gaze changed.

Compassion remains, mercy remains, and there is an added layer of solemnity.

It's not the kind of look you give to someone who's lost; it's the look you give to someone on another path, someone standing opposite you, on a different path, but who isn't necessarily wrong.

He can be called a fellow Daoist.

"Are you leaving?" Zenji asked.

Qi Fei stepped forward, and the silver moon behind his head rose up, its faint light enveloping him within a three-foot radius.

It was neither an attack nor a demonstration, but rather a fear that this golden Buddha might suddenly pull him back into the Alaya consciousness.

"Are you letting us leave?" Qi Fei asked.

"If you want to leave," Zenji said, shaking his head. "I won't stop you."

"Huh?" Qi Fei was taken aback.

He couldn't understand it. That golden Buddha from before was incredibly stubborn; if he couldn't win an argument, it would kick him out of the Alaya consciousness, and then send people to hunt him down.

Now this very person is sitting on the beach blocking them, yet he says, "I won't stop them"?

"Since you were able to get here and escape their pursuit," Zenji said, "it means you might be right."

Qi Fei, Chan Kong, and Lei Leilei looked at each other in bewilderment.

What's going on? What does "you might be right" mean?

Zenzhi ignored their expressions and turned his gaze to Zenkong.

“Nephew,” he said, “you grew up in Chanxin Temple, so you should know about the temple’s teaching of ‘all phenomena are empty’.”

Zenkong nodded. Of course he knew.

He had heard the phrase "all phenomena are empty" since he was a child.

He also saw from a young age that many elders at Chanxin Temple believed that everything was empty and often did some absurd things.

Since everything is empty, why cling to right and wrong?

Why cling to the notion of good and evil?

Why insist on what should be done and what shouldn't be done?

Therefore, some people deliberately do things they don't like, deliberately do outrageous things, and deliberately seek out huge gaps that violate their own morality and cognition, hoping to "learn" something from those gaps.

For example, wearing women's clothing. For example, visiting brothels. For example, all sorts of other absurd things, some of which even led to serious incidents!

These things were once very popular at Chanxin Temple. It was as if anyone who didn't wear women's clothing, didn't visit brothels, or didn't do a few outrageous things was not spiritually cultivated enough and couldn't let go of "appearances".

"Actually, compared to other sects," Zenzhi said, his tone tinged with an indescribable sigh, "Zenxin Temple is still a bit of a scoundrel."

Zen Kong was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I also think it's a bit excessive."

He recalled that when he was a child, he had seen a senior student swallowing feces while chanting nonsense like "feces is also empty."

What happened to that senior brother later? It seems he died during his tribulation period, and his death was very tragic.

All phenomena are empty, but that does not mean that all phenomena do not exist.

The "appearance" of "emptiness" is not its essence.

Zen Zhi clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to Qi Fei.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist."

Qi Fei was taken aback: "Thank me for what?"

They had previously sent people to hunt them down, and the three of them were forced to run frantically and end up in a sorry state.

Now the person in question is sitting by the sea, personally saying "thank you" to him.

That turn was way too sharp.

"Fellow Daoist, I see my past self in you," Zenzhi said. "Back then, I also spoke like this to elders with profound cultivation."

"I can talk my way out of their way, but it won't change anything."

"Because Zen Heart Temple is also a cultivation sect, where cultivation and strength determine status."

"Without cultivation, what you say can be both right and wrong. With higher cultivation, what you say can be both wrong and right."

This is an incredibly cruel reality in the cultivation world.

You're right, so why are you at this level of cultivation?

My cultivation is high, so even if I have no reason, I still have a reason.

The truth lies not in words, nor in scriptures, but in fists and in one's state of mind!

"Now, I have reached the Golden Core stage and am leading all beings to see Amala within the Alaya consciousness," Zen Master continued. "But then someone told me I was wrong."

He looked at Qi Fei.

"So, was I wrong?"

"I used to think I was right. But after meeting you twice, I realized that I might not be entirely right."

He continued, "If I were to win by virtue of my cultivation and prevent you from speaking, wouldn't I be just like the elders of yesteryear?"

Qi Fei fell silent.

Zen Kong fell silent.

Lei Leilei also fell silent.

No one expected that after Qi Fei grew larger in Alaya and was kicked out, Chan Zhi was actually reflecting on his actions.

Alaya is the realm of consciousness for all beings. There, whether one is a cultivator or an ordinary person, there is no inherent distinction of high or low.

Only those who see themselves clearly, unite in the three worlds (the Three Pure Ones), and practice the Way with a clear mind can have a body like a giant.

These are the rules set by Zen Master himself, his understanding of Alaya, and his interpretation of "seeing Amala".

Qi Fei's cultivation level was not high; he hadn't even reached the Golden Core stage yet, but in that space, he was as imposing as a mountain.

What does this tell us?

This shows that Qi Fei has a very profound character and unique insights.

Knowledge and cognition are more important in Alaya than he thought.

It was important enough to bridge the gap in cultivation levels, important enough to disregard the crushing power of realms, important enough to surpass him within the rules he himself set.

At that moment, Zenzhi was first angry, then confused, and then bewildered.

If it were a cultivator below the Golden Core stage, they might have been enraged and wanted to kill Qi Fei.

But he is a Golden Core cultivator. He has merged with the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) in his three lifetimes, overcoming all kinds of emotions and instincts in his body, and overcoming the underlying logic of his origin.

Therefore, he will not be troubled by emotions, nor will he be disturbed by his own underlying logic.

As those emotions faded away layer by layer, and he looked at the matter with a rational perspective that reflected his own experiences and overcame all his emotions and instincts, he saw a possibility.

A possibility he had never considered before.

He may not be right, or even wrong.