Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

Spring has passed and autumn has come; you have spent more than half a year in the small village by Taihu Lake.

For the past six months or so, the thing you've done most is cultivate yourself.

Every morning, he practices the Six Meridians Divine Sword by the lake; in the morning, he practices the Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills; in the afternoon, he meditates and cultivates the Northern Darkness Inner Strength; and in the evening, he dines and chats with Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan.

Life was regular and fulfilling, like a finely tuned clock.

Your Six Meridian Divine Sword has improved from "a range of less than one zhang" to "accurately hitting within three zhang". Although it has not yet reached Duan Yu's level of "hitting exactly where you point", it can already be used in actual combat.

He had mastered the Yi Jin Jing, one of the Seventy-Two Arts, to a minor degree, and also made some progress in the Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Skill. His physical strength and internal energy recovery speed had both increased significantly.

With the combined enhancement of Beiming Guihai and Beiming Wuchong, Beiming's internal energy has become so profound that it is terrifying even to oneself.

However, although the martial arts in the world of Tian Long Ba Bu have a high upper limit, there is still a ceiling.

The Sweeping Monk, Xu Zhu, Duan Yu, Qiao Feng, Tianshan Child Granny, Li Qiushui... these people are the strongest fighting force in this world.

Your current strength should far surpass that of the likes of Murong Fu and Ding Chunqiu, but compared to the Sweeper Monk, you're probably still a step behind.

That evening, you were meditating in the courtyard when you suddenly sensed an extremely powerful aura coming from afar.

The aura was deep and powerful, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression, as if a great mountain was slowly moving.

Your "danger perception" is alarming wildly—not because of a fatal danger, but because "a very, very strong person is coming."

The "Sword Intent Minor Completion" was also trembling, as if it had encountered an opponent of the same level and instinctively wanted to draw its sword to fight.

Open your eyes and stand up.

Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan also sensed that aura, and both of their faces turned pale.

"Go inside," you said. "Don't come out."

The two nodded, held hands, went into the house, and closed the door.

You stand in the courtyard, looking towards the village entrance. The leaves of the osmanthus tree rustle in the breeze, and the teacup on the stone table trembles slightly.

You take a deep breath, and the Northern Darkness Inner Force circulates within your body, largely offsetting the oppressive feeling.

Soon, an old monk in gray robes emerged from the village entrance.

His steps were slow, each one steady, as if he were following some unseen rhythm.

His face was thin and frail, his eyebrows and beard were white, but his eyes were bright, like two stars.

He was wearing a faded gray monk's robe and holding a broom in his hand—no, not a broom, but a bamboo stick, though he was using it as if he were sweeping the floor.

The Sweeping Monk.

You clasp your hands in a respectful greeting: "Senior, it's been a long time."

The sweeping monk walked to the courtyard gate, stopped, and glanced at you.

Their gaze lingered on you for a long time, looking from head to toe and from toe to head, as if examining a work of art.

"Your progress is faster than I imagined," said the sweeping monk, his voice as calm as still water.

"You flatter me, senior."

The sweeping monk shook his head, walked into the courtyard, and sat down on the stone bench under the osmanthus tree. He placed his bamboo stick beside him, put his hands on his knees, and looked at you.

"I've come to see you today because there's something I want to ask you."

"Please speak, senior."

"You've learned the Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin Temple, the Six-Meridian Divine Sword of Tianlong Temple, and the martial arts of the Free and Unfettered Sect of Lingjiu Palace. Each of these skills is enough to turn an ordinary person into a top master. You've combined them all; what do you intend to do?"

You were silent for a while, then sat down opposite the sweeping monk.

"I just want to become stronger," you said.

"Why bother getting stronger?"

"To live, or rather, to live better."

The sweeping monk glanced at you, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Alive? With your current martial arts skills, there's practically no one in the world who can kill you. Are you afraid you won't survive?"

You smiled and said, "Senior, do you know where I come from?"

The sweeping monk paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"I come from another world." Your strength has reached such a level that you are not afraid to let others know, and besides... the other party probably won't tell anyone.

"In that world, there are people ten thousand times stronger than you. They can shatter a planet with a single punch and destroy a galaxy with a single palm strike. My current martial arts skills are not even as good as an ant in front of them."

At this point, you couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. The sweeping monk's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"I came to this world only to cultivate, to become stronger, to..." you continued, "When I return to my own world, I may face people who are ten thousand times stronger than my predecessors. So, I cannot stop."

The sweeping monk remained silent for a long time. The wind blew through the osmanthus tree, and the leaves rustled, as if providing a footnote to what you had said.

"Another world..." the sweeping monk murmured, "A punch that shatters stars, a palm that annihilates systems... that's no longer within the realm of martial arts."

"Yes, so... I also want to see if the martial arts of today can shine in that world?" you said. "Even if there's just one martial art that can shine a little..."

The sweeping monk glanced at you, then suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, but sincere: "I understand. You learned these martial arts not to compete or dominate the martial arts world, but to survive."

"Yes."

The sweeping monk stood up, picked up his bamboo stick, and said, "Then I'll teach you something else."

"What?"

"Buddhism".

You paused, taken aback. Buddhism? You came here to learn martial arts, not Buddhist scriptures.

The sweeping monk saw your confusion and explained, "You've learned the seventy-two martial arts, but without a foundation in Buddhism, demonic obstacles will arise over time. At best, you'll suffer from qi deviation; at worst, you'll go mad and die. I don't want you to become a monk; I want you to learn how to overcome these demonic obstacles."

You thought about it for a moment, then nodded. It seemed like that was the case.

In the days that followed, the Sweeping Monk settled down by Taihu Lake.

He didn't move into your courtyard, but built a thatched hut on the hillside, where he meditated and chanted scriptures every morning and evening, and taught you Buddhist teachings during the day.

He didn't teach profound Buddhist doctrines, but rather the most basic things: what suffering is, what the cause of suffering is, what the cessation of suffering is, and what the path to cessation is.

You may have read these terms in books: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, but you've never truly understood them.

The sweeping monk will explain it to you one by one in the simplest language.

"Buddhism isn't about making you believe in Buddha, it's about helping you understand yourself," the sweeping monk said. "Where did you come from? Where are you going? Why are you living? What kind of person do you want to become? Once you understand these questions, your obstacles will disappear."

You seemed to understand, but didn't argue. You knew the sweeping monk's words made sense, but you hadn't reached that level of understanding yet.

A month later, the sweeping monk left.

"I've taught you everything I could." He looked at you, his gaze unwavering. "The rest, you'll have to figure out for yourself."

Even though you knew he wouldn't care, you still clasped your hands in a respectful greeting and said, "Thank you, senior."

The sweeping monk waved his hand, turned around and walked out. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back.

"The world you described, the one where someone can shatter a star with a single punch..." His eyes lit up. "If I have the chance, I'd like to see it too."

You were silent for a moment, then nodded: "If I have the chance, I will definitely take you to see it."

The sweeping monk nodded, turned, and disappeared into the twilight.