Chapter 160: The Utpala Flower Blooms, the Holy King Returns (Part 2)

Chapter 160: The Utpala Flower Blooms, the Holy King Returns (Part 2)

"

yang yan had no reason to refuse, sharing everything he knew. Having recently broken through the Firm Establishment realm, his experience was still vivid.

after describing his own experience, yang yan seemed to have more to say.

"During that period, I had certain thoughts, which you might also find useful."

yang yan continued,

"After many people avenge their greatest grudges and repay their greatest debts, they often lose their motivation, unsure of where to go next.

(End Chapter)

"In my old age, I believe that after experiencing great calamities, one should not lose their vigor and passion. One should have a calm mind and a burning soul, a peaceful heart and a vast spirit."

"Maintaining the tranquility of the mind and soul is not about making them dormant, but about keeping the soul's passion alive, burning brighter in stillness. And after achieving a calm state, one should not become dull, but instead, store the vastness within your heart. Like the seemingly calm ocean, beneath its surface, there's a surging vastness."

"So, I believe that firmness is not just about having a mind as desolate as ancient rocks, but about planting a burning passion deep within, lighting a lamp that's uniquely yours. No matter the challenges, this lamp will illuminate the path to the other shore, and then you can face them with serenity..."

"A clear mind is not about having no distractions, but about understanding what to keep and what to let go."

"True freedom is not just about having the courage to refuse, but about clearly knowing what you want and moving forward to achieve it."

Ji Jingqiu's heart trembled slightly at these words, finding more enlightenment in them than in the Yang Master's previous insights.

He seemed to have grasped something.

Yang Yan paused, placing his hand over his heart, his expression exceptionally calm, and his eyes deep and indescribable. Yet, Ji Jingqiu could sense the vast and burning passion within.

The Yang Master's voice vibrated with the sunlight, stirring the fine dust in the air, and his words reached Ji Jingqiu's ears with an overwhelming force.

"Do you remember what I once told you?"

"Jingqiu, you are a talented person. Why not explore the vastness of higher realms?"

"Go. I can sense that there's something weighing on your heart, but it's alright. Reversing the Primordial will be the narrow gate at the end of your journey. Beyond it, you'll find rebirth and a smooth path."

The noon sun shone through the skylight, casting a slanted beam across the room. It moved neither fast nor slow, carrying an indescribable vitality and warmth, landing on the young man's handsome profile.

The young man's eyes were lowered, calm yet filled with burning passion.

...

6◇Book◇Bar

...

It was approaching dusk.

Ji Jingqiu went downstairs, intending to visit the temple.

As he approached the temple entrance, he noticed it was almost empty.

"Big Brother Ji!"

A delighted shout came from outside. A boy named A Cheng, who had been taking care of the temple during these days, ran over with two flowers in his hands.

He lifted his small face, beaming with a smile, and handed Ji Jingqiu a greenish-white flower.

"Big Brother Ji, this is for you. Someone was giving out flowers by the road, and I took two. Here you go."

Seeing the boy's cheerful expression, Ji Jingqiu's mood lightened, and without refusing, he took the flower, just about to say something when he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He lowered his head, gazing intently at the flower in his hand.

The flower had greenish-white petals, full and round, shaped like a full moon, its quality unknown.

At that moment, a subtle and indescribable sense of Zen, as gentle as water, flowed from the flower, seeping into the depths of his soul.

Was this... the essence of the mind? Ji Jingqiu's expression grew serious as he asked, "Where is the person who gave you the flower?"

A Cheng scratched his head and pointed towards the street corner, "He was there before, and then he headed south."

"What kind of person was he?"

"Quite amiable. His smile made you want to get closer." A Cheng tried to recall the details, "I haven't seen him before, probably an outsider."

Amiable?

Ji Jingqiu thought to himself that he might have guessed wrong. The He Shuai he had seen in person was not an amiable person; just a glance at him could make one feel the sharpness in his eyes.

However, the mental power contained within the flower was real, and the giver was definitely not an ordinary person, at least a Mind Mirror Warrior or a stronger one.

Could it be a powerful warrior traveling through the secular world, passing by chance?

In the Federation, from the Divine Journey Realm onwards, many warriors chose to visit famous mountains and rivers across the Federation, seeking heavenly opportunities and refining their minds by observing nature.

This was a common practice. White Deer Master, for instance, created the six 'Heavenly Landscape Paintings' as the foundation of his Dao, after traveling across the Federation's planets and observing the world's landscapes.

Glancing again at the end of the street, Ji Jingqiu decided not to pursue the warrior. If such a powerful person wanted to meet him, they would find a way. If they didn't, he could search the entire Dong3 Huang Star and still not find their true appearance.

Ji Jingqiu entered the temple. The mahjong table that had been outside was put away, and the room was spotlessly clean, obviously well-tended by A Cheng.

He went into the inner room as usual, bowed to the faceless statue, and lit some incense.

After offering the incense, Ji Jingqiu stepped back a few paces, carefully examining the statue before him.

He had been worshipping this statue for over a decade.

Hmm, nothing unusual...

Seemed like he had been thinking too much.

Ji Jingqiu walked out of the inner room, and A Cheng hurried over with a cup of cold tea.

Ji Jingqiu took the cup and thanked him. After looking around the temple, he went to the temple entrance and sat on the doorstep, just as he used to do when he was younger. He asked A Cheng if he had encountered any troubles recently.

Speaking of which, Old Man Zhuang had said before he left that he wanted Ji Jingqiu to take care of this temple.

But Ji Jingqiu really didn't have the time.

"There was a gang that came looking for Old Man Zhuang after they heard he had left. They said they wanted protection money, so I called the number you left, Big Brother Ji, and the next day, it was all settled."

A Cheng scratched his head.

Ji Jingqiu nodded. This was a favor from Zhang Xingyi, the deputy chief of the Public Security Bureau, and he would repay it.

"Well, there aren't any troubles now, but..." A Cheng also sat down, his face looking glum, "Big Brother Ji, can the Deity really hear our prayers?"

Ji Jingqiu was surprised by the question, "Why do you ask?"

A Cheng's voice grew somber, "The neighbor, Mrs. Lin, comes to the temple almost every week to help and offer incense. But last month, she fell seriously ill. I prayed to the Deity for her, but it doesn't seem to have helped. Can the Deity really hear our prayers?"

Facing the boy's confusion, Ji Jingqiu fell silent for a moment.

This question...

Had once troubled him for a period of time.

If it were his previous life, he wouldn't have been bothered, but in this world, the Deities were real, yet they had never responded to him.

He now wanted to go back and reflect on his current self. When he looked back, would he mock this "ignorant" period of his life, or would he simply glance over it indifferently?

After some thought, he chose to be grateful. He was grateful that his past self believed in the existence of deities and endured the most difficult days.

Every experience in life is valuable, even if looking back makes one ashamed.

Ji Jingqiu sincerely replied, "I used to be ill too, and I prayed to the deities for a long time. Guess what? Haha, just kidding. What I mean is, although the deities didn't respond to me, I managed to persevere because of this spiritual reliance."

Lying on the sickbed, it's hard to be an atheist.

Even if the deities couldn't hear, for the patient, it was a form of spiritual solace.

When reality offers no solutions, people can only turn to the void and entrust their sincere hopes, praying to the deity within their hearts.

Before leaving, Ji Jingqiu told Ah Cheng that the next time he visits Grandma Lin, he can bring the flower he just received.

A flower containing the spiritual essence of a powerful figure might bloom with miraculous brilliance.

...

The evening breeze rustled, and dusk gradually faded.

Walking on the path he had taken countless times with his grandfather, Ji Jingqiu suddenly remembered a past event, or rather, a conversation.

He paused in the evening breeze, turned his head, and seemed to see his younger self holding his grandfather's large hand, asking resentfully, "Why me? Why do I have to endure such suffering since birth? Is this also the deity's choice?" The grandfather remained silent for a long time, then spoke with some sadness, "Perhaps it's because you're braver than others, so fate chose you."

Damn fate.

Not far away, Hong Hu, who was keeping a distance, was surprised to see the usually polite Ji Shizhi suddenly spit out in a very unmannerly way.

As if spitting on that damn fate.

...

...

In the following days.

Aside from discussing martial arts with Yang Yan, Hong Hu mostly stayed by Ji Jingqiu's side, almost accompanying him all over Taian City.

He didn't stay right next to Ji Jingqiu but maintained a certain distance.

For example, when Ji Jingqiu visited the snack street, Hong Hu would sit in a rice noodle shop, ordering the same sour and spicy noodles that Ji Jingqiu had ordered earlier. He ate with interest, paying attention to Ji Jingqiu interacting with the locals on the street.

This vibrant atmosphere intrigued Hong Hu.

Having stayed in the Four Guard Stars' dojo for a long time and living in seclusion in the mountains, it was inevitable to become somewhat detached from the secular world.

Therefore, for Hong Hu, these days were not boring but rather an interesting "journey."

He was thoroughly understanding the past of a possibly the most dazzling martial arts genius in the Federation at present.

In fact, for the dojo and even the entire Federation, Ji Jingqiu could be considered a—

surprise.

A young martial artist from a remote planet like Dong3 Huang Star had, in just a few months, surpassed his peers and stood at the pinnacle...

Hong Hu wasn't sure how the Federation's higher-ups viewed this young man, but he knew that Ji Shizhi's name was already enough to be included in the dojo's history, with a separate chapter dedicated to him, becoming the dojo's new "genius benchmark."

In the future, when the dojo has another genius martial artist, they will be compared to this benchmark set by Ji Shizhi.

At that time...

In Hong Hu's estimation, the evaluation would likely be—

"Not as good as Senior Ji, but diligent and commendable, worthy of entering the upper echelon."

Hong Hu was very curious about how many years it would take for the dojo to produce another martial artist more brilliant and talented than Ji Shizhi. After all, in the ten thousand years of the Dragon Tiger Dojo, only Ji Jingqiu had emerged.

The dojo's prototype, with a mind in meditation, had not yet reversed the innate and had already reached the pinnacle of the postnatal...

Hong Hu was amazed, wondering what he was doing when he was sixteen and had practiced martial arts for half a year.

It seemed like he was busy breaking through the six limits of Heaven and Man.

Hong Hu wryly smiled to himself, wondering why he was putting himself through this, insisting on comparing himself to Ji Shizhi.

He shook his head, lowered his head to slurp his noodles, and raised his eyebrows at the sour and spicy taste, which was quite stimulating. Was this a local specialty?

Apart from the daily routine of the martial arts academy and the snack street, Ji Jingqiu often strolled through various corners of the city at dusk or during the rising dawn.

He didn't visit anyone but calmly walked, his gaze sweeping over the corners of buildings, waiting for the sun to rise from the city's horizon and then seeing it off as it set on the other side.

This puzzled Hong Hu. Was this Ji Shizhi's opportunity to reverse the innate? Or was he... refining his mind? But if it was the latter, it seemed too early.

This was often the preparation of a Mind Mirror Warrior when preparing to break through Heaven and Man.

During this time, Hong Hu was surprised to find that Ji Shizhi's body was gradually undergoing a transformation similar to returning to simplicity.

It was hard to imagine such a transformation in a True Seed Realm martial artist! But the fact was, it was happening right before his eyes.

The invisible momentum that Ji Jingqiu had previously possessed seemed to be fading.

It was the sharp and invincible momentum he had cultivated over the past few months to suppress his peers, but now it was being restrained, not disappearing but hidden within his body, not revealing its edge.

Beneath that seemingly calm and serene exterior, there was still a burning, and even more surging, inner heart.

Hong Hu's heart stirred, and he felt that Ji Shizhi's body was brewing a transformation.

This was not only a physical transformation but also an elevation of the spirit.

Could it be that this young man's spiritual realm was about to break through again?! It was simply inconceivable! For a martial artist to advance to the Mind Mirror realm, the spiritual transformation was the most challenging. The two words 'firm establishment' were like a roadblock, stopping countless shackled martial artists.

In just a week, Hong Hu felt a sense of numbness.

He seemed to understand why Ji Jingqiu had managed to surpass his peers in just a few months.

His transformation speed was too fast, as if the thickness of time for him was completely different from others.

And as this week came to an end.

Hong Hu knew that Ji Shizhi was about to break through.

...

...

Supreme Buddha Sect.

Today, Ji Jingqiu didn't come to the Buddha Kingdom either.

Huang Fuxing sighed, as he was the one who had reminded him not to come recently.

Lately, Huang Fuxing had been feeling a sense of unreality, only feeling the impermanence of life, just like the weather.

The previous day, his teacher had informed him to quickly sever all traces related to Ji Jingqiu, as the New Law Sect had become aware of their cultivation of a new successor.

But the next day, his teacher sighed and told him that everything was fine, as the Dharma King of the New Law Sect had encountered a great tribulation and, without the protection of a True Buddha, his life would have been in grave danger.

However, even so, the Dharma King was severely injured and had to retreat from the public eye!

The Dharma King was the pillar of stability for the New Law Sect, and with his retreat, the sect immediately fell into internal chaos and power struggles, losing the ability to manage the overall situation.

So now, it was time for the Ancient Law Sect to rise to power!

Upon hearing this news, Huang Fuxing felt that the ups and downs of life were indeed like this.

With his sudden rise, Huang Fuxing sighed and walked towards the depths of the Buddha Kingdom.

In a corner of the Buddha Kingdom, he stopped and gazed at the pale blue and white flower buds before him.

These flowers had endured countless millennia, yet they remained in a state of anticipation, never fully blooming, as if waiting for a destined moment.

On his first day of entering the sect, his teacher had told him that these flowers were called Utpala, a sign of auspiciousness for the World Honored One, and were planted by the founder of the Supreme Buddha Sect before being transplanted here.

So, was it not an auspicious sign now? Huang Fuxing pondered.

The scriptures of the Supreme Buddha Sect recorded that when these flowers bloomed, they would form a perfectly round shape, like a full moon. From a distance, the white flowers would resemble a thousand piles of snow, exuding an aura of auspiciousness.

The next moment, Huang Fuxing rubbed his eyes, feeling that he might have been seeing things.

Why else would he see an Utpala flower slowly blooming at this very moment?

After rubbing his eyes, Huang Fuxing fell silent, his mouth slowly agape.

It was true...

Bloody hell! In the flower field before him, an Utpala flower had indeed bloomed!

In the teachings of the Supreme Buddha Sect, a saying had been passed down:

"When the Utpala blooms, the Holy King returns."

...

...

That night, Ji Jingqiu sat quietly indoors, his mind entering the Inner Scene World, meditating under the Bodhi Tree, and beginning to challenge the limits of the Firm Establishment realm.

After revisiting his past and reflecting on his present over the past few days, he finally achieved a state of perfection in his cultivation on this day.

Although he still lacked a certain amount of so-called life insights and spiritual resources, he was now ready to give it a try.

And it was on this very night that a deity severed his mortal ties and returned from afar, sitting once again in the Sea of Suffering within the Inner Scene World.

This was his Guardian Deity, who, before he left the Four Guard Stars, had departed to sever mortal ties, resolving various karmic connections, and finally, after enduring tribulations, returned on this day! The deity paid respects to the World Honored One, and with a chant, took a seat in the Sea of Suffering, and all the experiences of this journey slowly permeated Ji Jingqiu's heart.

These were the countless experiences of the deity...

Ji Jingqiu's mind remained calm, observing the Dao, and supplementing his final spiritual experiences, which became the nourishment for his spiritual advancement.

The branches and leaves of the Bodhi Tree swayed gently, like the flipping of scriptures, and the sutras resonated, as if reciting for someone unknown.

The boundless pure light transformed into a rain of light, sparkling and brilliant, like falling petals.

Ji Jingqiu sat with closed eyes under the Bodhi Tree, still as a rock, allowing the crystal rain to fall upon him. Through the perspective of the Guardian Deity, he witnessed a thousand events, as if entering the cycle of reincarnation.

At this moment, he seemed to have sat for a thousand years, experiencing a hundred lifetimes, and the sutras resonated for a thousand years, making his temperament increasingly serene and transcendent.

Unbeknownst to him, a pale blue, perfectly round flower quietly bloomed in the field of his mind, opening beside Ji Jingqiu.

It swayed beneath the Bodhi Tree, causing a strand of pure light to descend, and for a moment, it was as beautiful as a dream.

The petals slowly unfurled, and each one seemed to contain the purest essence of the universe from the very beginning.

This strand of light shone into Ji Jingqiu's eyebrows, and a solitary ray of divine light shone, transcending the mundane, and illuminating the impermanence of existence.

He attained the Firm Establishment realm.

...

The next morning, a spaceship from the Four Guard Stars arrived at the spaceport of Dong3 Huang Star.

"Junior Nephew Ji, the Heavenly Person Grandmaster who will be escorting you has a connection with the Dao Field, and Grandmaster Dragon has personally contacted him to look after you, so I won't be accompanying you," said Hong Hu as he escorted Ji Jingqiu to the spaceport and bid him farewell, feeling a strange sense of transformation in Ji Jingqiu after just one night.

Could it be that Ji Jingqiu had broken through last night? Hong Hu was astonished.

After bidding farewell to his Senior Uncle and Senior Brother, Ji Jingqiu turned and boarded the spaceship.

A council member from Ocean Voyager Corporation greeted him with a warm smile, "Mr. Ji, welcome! We will be under the protection of Grandmaster Lu's Dao Field as we travel through the wormhole channel and perform a spatial leap to reach the designated viewing location. The entire journey will take about seven days, so please enter the sleep pod."

Ji Jingqiu was already aware of this arrangement and had no objections.

In the Federation's space, the ability to perform spatial leaps is usually unattainable due to numerous restrictions, such as the difficulty in determining coordinates.

Unless a Heavenly Person Grandmaster is present.

In the Dao Field of a Heavenly Person Grandmaster, the laws of the universe are under their control.

The saying, "Not departing from humanity, thus called Heavenly Person," refers to the Heavenly Person's profound understanding of the universe and the origin of life.

This is a manifestation of rule-based abilities.

Therefore, for warriors who have not mastered their Dao Fields, Heavenly Person Grandmasters are of a higher level.

Grandmaster Lu's Dao Field is inclined towards spatial manipulation, making it effortless to protect the spaceship and ensure that the tourism group can closely observe the spectacle three hundred light-years away.

"No problem, let's go," Ji Jingqiu nodded.

Sometimes, you'll discover that once you take the first step, everything else falls into place.

Today's two chapters, 10,000 words.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end