Please be my partner.

After taking a quick look around and confirming their residence, Elder Liu brought Mellen to the Transmission Hall. His expression turned serious as he said, "Originally, when you joined Black Dragon Peak, you should have been able to directly teach us the Black Dragon Peak's fundamental techniques, the [Black Dragon Soaring Dance] and the [Heaven-Slaying Sword]. However, you are born with a hidden evil spirit within you. If you rashly practice these two techniques, it will cause the evil spirit within you to run wild, clouding your mind and ruining your path to the martial arts. Therefore, before that, you need to cultivate another technique."

Melen thought about it and didn't ask about the technique. Instead, he asked, "What is internal evil energy? Why do I have internal evil energy?"

Elder Liu said, "The so-called hidden evil spirit means that you are born with a strong murderous aura. Under normal circumstances, you cannot feel it, but in the eyes of my Black Dragon lineage, you are like a bright fire in the dark night. The boundless evil spirit is hidden within you. With just a little stimulation, it can burst out with unimaginable power."

"In a situation like yours, only my Black Dragon lineage is the best destination. If you follow the Red Dragon lineage, not only will your talent be wasted, but it will also create an extra layer of difficulty when you advance to the Grandmaster level."

"As for the White Dragon lineage, that bitch Nalan prepared a Killing God Seed for you, which can also solve the problem of your hidden evil spirit. However, that kind of thing is ultimately an unorthodox way and will also waste your talent. It is nowhere near as righteous and majestic as my Black Dragon lineage."

"As for why you have evil spirit within you? If it were in ancient times, it could probably be said that you're the reincarnation of Qi Sha or Po Jun, or that you committed too many sins in your previous life. In reality, it's just an innate talent, there's no reason why."

After listening to Elder Liu's explanation, Melen actually had a vague guess in his mind.

You know, what Melen has been using since he started practicing martial arts is Xiao Honglian's endless energy and blood.

However, Xiao Honglian is the most vicious and evil [Blood Demon Dog] in the world. Its promotion is achieved by devouring a world. Naturally, its blood and qi contain unimaginable murderous aura and evil spirit. Mellen uses this to practice martial arts, so doesn't he have evil spirit hidden in him? To be honest, those so-called killing gods and evil stars will kowtow to Mellen when they see him.

After skipping this topic, Melen asked, "Then what technique should I practice first?"

"[Observation of Delusion]!" Elder Liu said, "This technique is also one of the fundamental techniques of my Black Dragon lineage. Strictly speaking, its importance even surpasses [Black Dragon Soaring Dance] and [Heaven-Slaying Sword]."

"【Observing Delusion】?" Melen muttered.

Elder Liu said, "Everyone has thoughts. This is the most essential thing that makes up a person. But you should know that human thoughts are actually of two kinds."

"Two ways of thinking?" Melen looked puzzled, pondering every word Elder Liu said.

Elder Liu continued, "One is your thinking, and the other is the thinking itself, but it is mistakenly believed to be your own thinking. The former can also be called the 'self', and the latter is the 'other self'."

"You might not get a direct feeling from just telling me, so let's experiment." Elder Liu held out a finger and said, "Try to avoid my second touch."

Before Mellen could react, Elder Liu's finger had already touched his brow. Mellen instantly paid attention, but the next moment, Elder Liu's finger touched his brow again.

After being hit twice in a row, Mellen was stunned.

Elder Liu laughed and said, "How is it? Do you feel it?"

Mellen frowned and said nothing.

Elder Liu continued, "My two attacks weren't very fast. With your strength, you could have easily dodged them. But what about you?"

Mellen said as if to himself: "I didn't react at all. My thoughts interfered with me?"

Elder Liu smiled a teachable smile and said, "When I said 'Try to avoid my second touch,' you had an idea. When I touched you the first time, you had another idea."

Melen said with a hint of understanding, "The elder grasped the timing of my thoughts. Because of the interference of thoughts, I was a step slower in reacting. So even though the elder's attack was not fast, I still couldn't dodge it."

Elder Liu nodded, then shook his head and said, "Seizing the opportunity requires more than just the moment an idea comes into your mind. But I'll teach you that later. For now, let's get back to the topic we were discussing."

"Ancient sages once said that a person can have 84,000 thoughts in a single moment. The vast majority of these thoughts are useless, burdensome, and troublesome. This is what is called 'thinking' generated by the mind itself."

"Those thoughts generated by the 'other self' are delusions. The practice of [Observing Delusion] can help you understand the 'true self' and the 'other self', and distinguish between the thoughts of the 'true self' and the delusions generated by the 'other self'."

"Once you have a complete grasp of your 'true self' and your 'other self', those delusions will no longer be able to affect you. Even if your 'other self' is affected and generates countless murderous and frenzied delusions, you will remain in control and unmoved."

After hearing what Elder Liu said, Mellen's eyes became brighter and brighter, and Spike, who had been in a dormant state suppressing his killing intent, was suddenly awakened.

Melen saluted respectfully and said seriously: "Elder Liu, please teach me!"

Chapter 349: Distinguishing Delusion, Breaking Delusion, and Observing Delusion

Elder Liu naturally did not know the significance of [Observing Delusion] to Mellen. He was very satisfied with Mellen's humble and respectful attitude, and naturally taught him everything he knew.

With Elder Liu's careful explanation, Melen gradually understood the key to the practice of [Observing Delusion] which can improve the spiritual realm.

[Observing delusion] is divided into three levels: distinguishing delusion, breaking delusion, and observing delusion.

Distinguishing delusion, distinguishing the thoughts and delusions generated by the "true self" and the "other self", this is also the beginning of everything. Only by recognizing this point can we better understand the difference between the "true self" and the "other self".

Of course, it is useless to just distinguish delusion, because no matter whether it is the 'self' or the 'other self', as soon as a thought arises, the body will instinctively react in various ways. Only when you reach the stage of breaking delusion can you begin to truly control yourself.

Break the delusion, break the false thoughts, break the false thoughts generated by the "other self" so that they cannot affect oneself.

When you reach the stage of breaking delusion, you will naturally not be able to completely break all the delusions of "others and self" at the beginning. You can start with those delusions that have a huge impact on yourself, and control yourself little by little.

For example, when you want to lose weight and see high-calorie sweets and fried foods, your body will naturally want to eat. At this time, as long as you get rid of these key delusions, you can greatly reduce the mental burden.

For example, when the body is tired, even if there is still physical strength left, there will still be thoughts of stopping and wanting to rest. These are not just simple delusions, but more of the body's self-protection. After breaking these delusions, although you can become more determined, you may also cause damage to your body due to excessive fatigue.

The more delusions you eliminate, the greater the control you will have over yourself.

However, as mentioned before, 'a person can have 84,000 thoughts in a single moment'. As long as the mind is still functioning, false thoughts will continue to arise without end.

Therefore, although it is theoretically possible to eliminate all delusions, in reality it is impossible to achieve 100% and we can only keep approaching this number.

If you want to truly and completely control yourself, you must reach the highest level of observing delusion.

As the saying goes, being unmoved by the eight winds, being free from worries and pollution, and being peaceful and free from troubles is the most auspicious.

To observe delusion means to remain unmoved in all directions, and to observe the false thoughts as they arise.

This is a state in which the 'true self' is completely elevated above the 'other self', and the 'true self' is used to control the 'other self'. This does not mean that no false thoughts will arise, but that all false thoughts will be like the moon in the mirror reflected in the water, unable to cause any impact on oneself.

Of course, the state of observing delusion is extremely difficult to achieve. Even in the entire history of Shenglong Sect, there are only two or three ancestors who are suspected to have reached this level, but it is only suspected and has not been confirmed.

According to Elder Liu, Mellen only needs to practice [Observing Delusion] to the initial stage of breaking delusion, and then he can practice [Black Dragon Soaring Dance] and [Slaying Sky Sword]. By then, relying on the "innate" evil spirit in his body, he will surely make rapid progress.

[Guan Luo] is a practice that focuses on the spiritual realm. It is somewhat vague when practicing, so there is not much experience from predecessors to speak of.

In the history of Shenglong Sect, there was a person who could identify delusion as a beginner, break through delusion overnight, and ascend to an extremely high realm.

However, that senior ancestor was a beast child picked up in the wilderness by a master of the Shenglong Sect. He was abandoned since infancy and raised by wild beasts. His innocent heart and amazing innate talent enabled him to achieve such unprecedented achievements.

Normally speaking, even if one is extremely talented in practicing [Observation of Delusion], if one wants to get started, three to five years is not too short, and eight to ten years is not too long.

Elder Liu set a time limit of five years for Mellen. If he still hasn't achieved enlightenment within five years, there's no need to force it. He can just go directly to Bailong Peak to receive the Killing God Seed. Although doing so would waste Mellen's talent, at least he wouldn't waste his time. When he becomes a master in the future, he can find a way to make up for it.

Melen did not comment on what Elder Liu said. He was naturally different from others. Not only could he share the results of his cultivation with the dogs through the connection of the contract, he could also superimpose the soul essence of the dogs at any time, which was equivalent to improving his own understanding in disguise.

In the following time, Melen lived on Black Dragon Peak. Every day, servants brought him food to replenish his energy and body. Perhaps because of his excellent performance, the food he received was obviously much better than when he was a formal disciple, not to mention other aspects.

Moreover, although Melen could not practice the Black Dragon Peak's fundamental skills [Black Dragon Soaring Dance] and [Sky-Slaying Sword], he could still practice some other martial arts skills.

After all, practicing [Observing Delusion] does not rely on steady work, but more on sudden flashes of inspiration, so it is necessary to find other things to do besides practicing [Observing Delusion].

Elder Liu gave Mellen considerable authority. He could freely read the first three floors of the five-story library. The martial arts secrets in it were all-encompassing, and many of them were even secrets of martial arts schools that had been lost in the long river of history for various reasons.

Qinxin Sword, Sunset Finger, Sky-tearing Break, Heavenly Evil Soul-destroying Curse, Pure Heart Technique, Cloud-flipping Palm, All Things Return to One, Thundering the Nine Heavens...

To be honest, the only martial arts skill Mellen knows now is the "Shen Yue" he comprehended before joining Wu Yan. It's fine if he just uses this move, but if he wants to make the strongest attack, he still needs a short period of charging process. The reason for this is mainly due to his lack of strength, so Mellen wants to practice some low-end martial arts skills to fill his own gaps and make up for his shortcomings.

Time passed day by day, and the genius who had previously caused a sensation in the entire Shenglong Sect fell into silence. However, this did not mean that everyone had forgotten him. On the contrary, everyone understood that if he did not make a name for himself, he would surely make a big splash. When he appeared in front of the world again, he would surely amaze everyone.

Of course, this time may have to wait a few years.

On Bailong Peak, there are shrines placed in a building that looks like an ancestral temple. Each shrine exudes a powerful, strange, sacred, or ethereal aura.

As Elder Nalan was on her inspection, she passed by a shrine emitting a faint red light. She clapped her feet and gazed at it, a hint of regret in her eyes as she muttered to herself, "Meren, Melen, I wasted my time preparing to let you inherit this superior divine seed. With its help, you will be able to completely control the evil spirit in your body in a very short time. You will become a master within three years. Why would you need to endure this hardship like now?"

"But that's all. Geniuses are geniuses not only because they possess talents beyond the reach of ordinary people, but more importantly, they have more choices and even room for regret. Unlike ordinary people, one wrong step can lead to eternal damnation, with no chance of recovery."

"I hope you can realize this sooner."

Elder Nalan withdrew his gaze and walked forward slowly again.

Red Dragon Peak.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother? Senior Brother Wang?!"

Wang Gengshan came back to his senses and asked, "What's wrong, Junior Brother Zhang?"

Junior Brother Zhang asked curiously, "Senior Brother Wang, you were on duty at the headquarters a while ago, and did you come into contact with that new genius? What kind of person is he? Is he as powerful as the rumors say?"

"You're talking about Junior Brother Melun." Wang Gengshan said, "He's indeed a somewhat special person."

Junior Brother Zhang's face immediately showed a gossipy look, and he said excitedly: "Senior Brother Wang, tell me about it."

Wang Gengshan didn't think there was anything to hide, so he said, "It was my turn on patrol at the time, and I received the task of guiding the entry-level examinees up the mountain..."

Holy City Federation, Holy Guard Headquarters.

When the three leaders of the Holy Guards received the news that Melen had passed the assessment and became a formal disciple of the Shenglong Sect, they were somewhat surprised and even held a brief gathering for this purpose.

A detailed account of Mellen's life from childhood to adulthood was laid out on the table of the three giants. Instructor Lu looked calm, with a slight smile on his lips, while the other two had different thoughts.

Afterwards, Mellen's authority and status in the Holy Guard were greatly improved, and he was also given an unlimited vacation. These were sent to the Shenglong Sect in the form of a message, along with instructions such as asking Mellen to practice well and not to worry about matters on the Federation side.

At the same time, a leadership team from the province came to Jinhai City to inspect the charity, education, medical, administrative and other departments of Jinhai City, and provided relevant support policies for children who could not afford to go to school before, especially orphans.

The Yuehai Squad was basically the grassroots of the Holy Guard, so it was only a few days later that they learned that Mellen had joined the Shenglong Sect. Along with this news came an order of authority promotion from the Holy Guard headquarters. From then on, not only could their Yuehai Squad get more rations and greater discounts when exchanging resources, but more importantly, they had a place at the headquarters training ground.

You know, the headquarters training ground was built at a huge cost by the Holy Guards. It has a constant temperature chamber, a gravity room, a nutrient pool, a holographic projection room... and other training equipment that contains the Federation's most advanced technology. Each of them can greatly speed up the efficiency of training.

Chen Guang and Lu Shu were naturally overjoyed, but Gao Haidong and the other two felt a little complicated. However, there was no reason to refuse benefits that were delivered to their doorsteps.

Time flies, and before I know it, a month has passed.

Shenglong Sect, Black Dragon Peak, in the quiet training room.

There is curling green smoke, which is a mixed medicinal fragrance that can calm the mind and is most suitable for use during quiet meditation. There are some empty bottles placed randomly next to it. Originally, they contained a medicine called Bodhi Pill, which can help people gain enlightenment.

Mellen sat cross-legged in meditation, motionless and motionless, as if he was asleep, but if you entered his spiritual world, you would see another kind of mysterious and magnificent scene.

From the spiritual perspective, Mellen's spirit body was still in a cross-legged position, and opposite him, Spike was also in the same position, but the surrounding environment was constantly changing in a strange way.

In the spiritual world, time seems to have lost its meaning, and the boundaries between fast and slow are constantly blurred. Perhaps in just a blink of an eye, a day or two have passed in the outside world, or perhaps after a very long time, the outside world is only a moment.

Whether by chance or necessity, in the ever-changing magnificent scenery, a flash of light quickly passed by without causing the slightest ripple.

Mellen's eyebrows moved, and with this movement, it was like a meteorite hitting the sea, and the already constantly changing magnificent scenery stirred up huge waves.

Mellen and Spike remained silent. They had experienced such things more than once during their training in the past few days and had rich experience in dealing with them.

Gradually, the turbulent waves in the spiritual space slowly subsided and returned to the state it was at the beginning. Even the ever-changing magnificent scenery was moving towards a more dead direction.

Another coincidence and inevitability, a flash of light passed by, but Mellen and Spike were unmoved and remained silent.

Then the second, the third...

As the spiritual space gradually stagnated, the rays of light that flashed across like shooting stars became more and more numerous.

No! It wasn't that they had become more numerous, but rather that the vibrant colors of the original spiritual space had obscured their existence, just as the stars disappear when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. They didn't vanish, but rather hid behind the sun's rays, existing with it forever.

At this time, Melen was equivalent to converging the light of the "sun", so their existence was naturally revealed.

Mellen and Spike opened their eyes at the same time. Their pupils were like a dead pool without any fluctuations. They just watched the countless lights flashing quietly.

And these brilliances are exactly the "thinking" produced by their thinking, that is, the delusion of "other self"!

It took a month, with the help of Spike, for Melen to complete the first stage of practicing [Observing Delusion], Distinguishing Delusion, and succeed!

Ripples gradually appeared in Mellen's eyes, and his spiritual world began to shake. The gorgeous colors once again covered up the delusion of "others and myself". This was because he had just entered the realm of distinguishing delusion, and Mellen could not maintain that state all the time.

However, once you have the feeling for the first time, you just need to continue to deepen it step by step.

The smile on Mellen's lips slowly widened, and he waved to Spike's spirit body. The dog showed helplessness on his face, but still came over obediently.

Mellen rubbed the dog's head hard.

After playing for a while, Mellen began to examine his harvest.

The most important of these is naturally the problem of Spike being affected by the killing intent. After entering the realm of discerning delusion, although he is still unable to break those delusions, just realizing the existence of the 'self' and the 'other self' has greatly reduced the impact of the killing intent on Spike.

Spike no longer needs to spend most of his time sleeping. After getting rid of the influence of the killing will, he can also understand more deeply the connection between killing and fighting will. This will play a vital role in purifying his fighting will and even in his subsequent promotion to immortal fighting will.

What surprised Melen even more was that practicing [Observation of Delusion] was actually beneficial to his [Soul Synchrony].

Because of the intermingling of souls, Mellen could only use [Soul Synchronization] three times at a time. He had considered how to solve this problem before...

The first is to improve the quality of one's own soul; the second is to find ways to reconcile conflicts between different souls and reduce the proportion of souls required for a single soul synchronization.

Needless to say, the former, but at this time Melen discovered that after achieving the state of distinguishing delusion, when he used [Soul Synchrony], the soul conflict between him and the dogs was significantly alleviated.

Chapter 350 Entering the Realm of Delusion

Melen stood on the Yanwu Cliff of Black Dragon Peak, a huge rock protruding from the steep wall, forming a platform ten meters square. Below was a deep abyss, and the view in front was wide. At this height, one could occasionally see the magnificent sight of the rolling sea of clouds.

Legend has it that many ancestors of the Black Dragon lineage practiced martial arts on Yanwu Cliff and gained a lot, so Yanwu Cliff is also a well-known "check-in" holy place on Black Dragon Peak. In other words, most of the Black Dragon Peak disciples are away all year round. Otherwise, if you want to practice on Yanwu Cliff, you will probably have to queue up two or three days in advance.

Melen was practicing a palm technique at this time. His movements were smooth and full of natural beauty. The surrounding clouds were drawn by him and gathered in his palm.

As Mellen shook his arm, it seemed like a very gentle movement, but the cloud in his hand rushed into the sea of clouds and exploded like a thunder.

"Papa papa!~"