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Chapter 297: The Observation Diagram
Chapter 297: The Observation Diagram
Mo Hua's eyes widened in surprise. He never expected that in the vast world of cultivation, with countless cultivators, he would be the first to take on such a novel endeavor.
Mo Hua hesitated, unsure if he wanted to be the proverbial guinea pig. Without any precedents to follow, he feared that taking the wrong approach could lead to disastrous consequences.
"What should I do then?" Mo Hua asked, his voice tinged with concern. "What if one day my sea of consciousness is eroded by evil thoughts, and I lose my true self, becoming a little goblin that devours humans?"
Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua, "There's no need to borrow trouble. You've already consumed the living goblins, so a few stray evil thoughts from the deceased shouldn't be a concern."
"At most, it could be considered..." Mr. Zhuang paused, searching for the right word: "...eating without digestion."
"Eating without digestion?" Mo Hua pondered for a moment before understanding dawned on him.
"Indigestion?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded, "That's one way to put it."
Reassured, Mo Hua continued with his string of questions, his voice crisp and curious: "Master, what exactly are observation diagrams? You mentioned that they contain hidden dangers, and this little goblin is one of them? Is it the 'non-human' path you spoke of? Do all observation diagrams contain such creatures? What should I do if I encounter them in the future?"
Mr. Zhuang rubbed his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on. Having a clever disciple like Mo Hua could be a double-edged sword—his quick wit often led to an abundance of questions, which could be exhausting to answer.
Mr. Zhuang decided to start with the basics and asked Mo Hua, "What are the three fundamental elements that underpin all of a cultivator's extraordinary powers?"
"Are they spirit sense, spiritual power, and physical body?" Mo Hua replied.
Mr. Zhuang nodded, "Indeed. All of a cultivator's abilities are built upon the foundation of spirit sense, spiritual power, and the physical body."
"Martial arts harness spiritual power to enhance the physical body, spells utilize spirit sense to condense spiritual power, and array formations employ spirit sense to communicate with the Dao, channeling spiritual power through array patterns. Other cultivation paths follow similar principles, though they may emphasize different aspects."
"Whenever you encounter something bizarre or incomprehensible in the cultivation world, you can analyze it from these three perspectives to gain a better understanding."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he grasped the concept.
"So, the little goblin in the observation diagram has no physical body or spiritual power, and is purely a manifestation of spirit sense?"
"Precisely," Mr. Zhuang affirmed. "In other words, an observation diagram is merely a medium for containing spirit sense. What it holds is the residual spirit sense of certain cultivators under specific circumstances, or perhaps the spirit sense born from non-human entities through serendipitous occurrences."
"These spirit sense manifestations are often referred to by cultivators as evil beings or ghosts."
"Can all these evil beings and ghosts be consumed?" Mo Hua asked, his curiosity piqued.
Mr. Zhuang playfully tapped Mo Hua's head, "Don't be greedy, always thinking about eating everything in sight."
Mo Hua smiled sheepishly.
Mr. Zhuang admonished, "These evil beings and ghosts also vary in strength. The little green-faced goblin you encountered was relatively weak, which is why you were able to devour it. If you were to come across a stronger one, who knows who would end up consuming whom."
"How strong can they get?" Mo Hua asked, intrigued.
A deep wariness flashed in Mr. Zhuang's eyes as he replied gravely, "Strong enough to be truly terrifying."
Mo Hua's expression turned solemn as well.
Even the enigmatic Mr. Zhuang found them frightening? Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua and, after a moment's thought, decided it was best to give him a warning.
Initially, due to Mo Hua's low cultivation level, he wouldn't have had any chance of encountering such entities. However, the fact that he had somehow obtained an observation diagram and devoured the goblin within it suggested that he might stumble upon other unforeseen situations in the future.
Mr. Zhuang had grown rather fond of this junior disciple and didn't want his ignorance to lead him into perilous situations from which he might never return.
"There are some dangers in this world that you cannot even perceive," Mr. Zhuang said. "Abandoned temples in desolate mountains, sealed caves, and ancient underground tombs often harbor indescribable evil beings or ghosts. They feed on the spirit sense of humans and are adept at corrupting their minds."
"Cultivators with weak spirit sense may encounter these entities without even realizing it. They might die without understanding the cause of their demise. Either their spirit sense is devoured entirely, or their sea of consciousness becomes occupied by an evil being, causing them to fall under its control unknowingly and become puppet-like shells."
"There are also older and more powerful entities with overwhelming spirit sense, nearing immortality. Their existence is such that a cultivator's spirit sense may not be able to perceive them at all. Some cultivators hold these beings in reverence, referring to them as 'ghost gods' or 'evil gods', and offer them worship."
"However, these ghost gods or evil gods are often malevolent in nature, their spirit sense filled with deceit. Cultivators who revere them rarely meet a good end..."
"Whether it's the weaker ghosts and evil beings or the immensely powerful ghost gods and evil gods, they all require a vessel to exist in this world, and that vessel is the observation diagram."
"That is why I warned you about the hidden dangers within observation diagrams and the non-human paths they embody..."
Mo Hua listened with a mixture of awe and trepidation, but he also felt confused.
"Are they all hidden within the diagrams?" he asked.
Could something so small possibly contain such beings?
Without Mr. Zhuang's guidance, he would never have known about this esoteric knowledge of cultivation. If he had encountered a powerful ghost, he might have died without even understanding how.
"Is this kind of knowledge also considered common sense for cultivators?" Mo Hua asked.
"This isn't common sense," Mr. Zhuang said. "It's a closely guarded secret. Only ancient aristocratic families skilled in spirit sense or ancient sects that specialize in array formations would know about this. Ordinary cultivators would have no way of knowing."
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly, committing this rare piece of esoteric knowledge to memory.
Aside from Mr. Zhuang, no one else could have imparted such information to him.
"Do you understand now?"
"Yes, I do," Mo Hua replied, but then hesitated as another thought occurred to him. "But..."
Seeing his hesitant expression, Mr. Zhuang said helplessly, "Go ahead and ask if you have a question. Don't keep it bottled up."
Mo Hua smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, Master!"
He then asked, "When I looked at the observation diagram, I first saw the acolyte, but when I looked again, the acolyte had turned into a little goblin. Why is that? Does every observation diagram have two such forms?"
Mr. Zhuang gave Mo Hua a surprised look.
Mo Hua had noticed such a subtle detail without him mentioning it, proving once again his exceptional intelligence and keen insight.
Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly, his expression filled with approval. "Everything in this world has both an apparent form and an intrinsic nature, and observation diagrams are no exception. The various scenes depicted in the diagram are its apparent form, and beneath that lies the intrinsic nature of spirit sense."
Mo Hua followed Mr. Zhuang's line of thought. "So, the little acolyte in the observation diagram is the apparent form, and the green-faced goblin is its intrinsic nature?"
Mr. Zhuang nodded. "Exactly."
"Do all observation diagrams have an apparent form and an intrinsic nature?"
"Yes, but it's not that simple," Mr. Zhuang explained patiently. "In some diagrams, the apparent form is also the intrinsic nature. In others, the intrinsic nature is just a deeper layer of the apparent form."
"Apparent form and intrinsic nature, intrinsic nature and apparent form..."
Mo Hua thought about it for a while, feeling a bit dizzy, and then asked, "How can I distinguish between the two?"
Mr. Zhuang raised his slender finger and said slowly, "First, it depends on your spirit sense. If your spirit sense is stronger than the spirit sense, or evil thoughts, of the ghosts or demons in the observation diagram, you can see through their true nature.
"Second, it depends on your experience. If you've seen enough observation diagrams, you'll develop an intuition that can help you discern some truths and see beyond the apparent form.
"Third, it depends on your comprehension of the Dao. The deeper your understanding of the Dao and the closer you are to the essence of the Grand Dao, the better you'll be able to discern the intrinsic nature hidden beneath the apparent form."
"Of these three points, the first is the most direct, the second takes time, and the third is the most difficult."
"Comprehension of the Dao..." Mo Hua fell into thought for a moment before asking, "How can I improve my comprehension of the Dao?"
"It depends on your temperament and the trials you undergo," Mr. Zhuang replied.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, thinking carefully for a moment, and then his eyes lit up as he said, "Meditation improves temperament, and array formations temper insight?"
Mr. Zhuang was surprised that Mo Hua had grasped the concept so quickly and nodded. "Yes."
Mo Hua thought through everything again from start to finish and gradually understood.
"My spirit sense is strong, and because I meditate every day and draw array formations every day, my comprehension of the Dao is also deeper. That's why I unknowingly saw through the green-faced goblin's intrinsic nature. The goblin then tried to enter my sea of consciousness and devour my spirit sense..."
"But..." Mo Hua looked puzzled. "...Third Master also has strong spirit sense. Why couldn't he see through the intrinsic nature of the observation diagram?"
Mr. Zhuang said indifferently, "Although his spirit sense is stronger, his temperament is too greedy and his heart is filled with desires. His comprehension of the Dao is lacking, so it's natural that he couldn't see through it."
Mo Hua understood.
It seemed that temperament was indeed very important. Otherwise, one could easily be blinded by the apparent form and fail to see the intrinsic nature of things, thus straying from the Dao.
Through this conversation with Mr. Zhuang, Mo Hua gained a lot of insight. Sincerely, he said, "Thank you, Master!"
Mr. Zhuang's gaze turned profound as he asked, "Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"
"Because I asked you..." Mo Hua thought to himself.
But he knew that Mr. Zhuang's question was not that simple. Mr. Zhuang could choose to answer or not, and the extent of his answers could have many implications.
Mo Hua carefully reviewed Mr. Zhuang's responses in his mind and realized that everything Mr. Zhuang had said was related to 'spirit sense' and 'the Dao'.
However, Mo Hua couldn't quite figure out why Mr. Zhuang was telling him all this.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Mo Hua's face and the slight furrow of his brows, Mr. Zhuang chose to stop being enigmatic and asked meaningfully, "Foundation Establishment is the establishment of the foundation of the Grand Dao..."
"Have you decided what kind of foundation you want to establish?"
(End of Chapter)
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