https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-35-Yin-and-Yang-the-Intertwined-Cycle/13019197/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-37-The-Fickleness-of-Life-the-World-s-Darkness/13019199/
Chapter 36: Though the Sun Sets, the Lamp and Furnace Remain
Chapter 36: Though the Sun Sets, the Lamp and Furnace Remain
Large droplets of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Zhang Chongba wiped his sweaty head, feeling somewhat drenched in perspiration.
Using Tranquil Stability to guide others into Meditation, even if it consumed some Heart Spirit energy, shouldn't have resulted in him being unable to maintain his stability.
Who would believe that if it got out?
Previously, his second uncle had praised Ao Qiu's innate talent in Heart Cultivation, and he agreed.
After all, to ignite the Heart Flame during the Body Forging Stage was either sheer luck or a sign of exceptional talent in Heart Cultivation.
But no matter how talented you are, you can't expect to swim for four hours on your first dive!
Just as Zhang Chongba was about to reach his limit, his spirit suddenly revived, and he felt his Heart Spirit fluctuations returning rapidly.
Hmm...
It wasn't a forced return after exhaustion but a natural recovery, proving he still had some strength left.
Upon realizing this, Zhang Chongba felt both relieved that he hadn't embarrassed himself and a bit regretful.
The initial depth reached would become the first coordinate anchored in a Martial Artist's Heart Sea.
Re-entering the Mental Sea, he could directly lock onto the coordinate, saving time wasted in the periphery.
The price for anchoring a coordinate in the future would be steep.
Of course, even if Ji Jingqiu had continued, the difference wouldn't have been significant.
Anyway, he couldn't hold on for much longer...
Just a few seconds more or less.
At that moment, even if Ji Jingqiu didn't return, to be safe, he'd have to forcibly pull him back.
The first deep dive without support and the risk of getting lost was too great.
As Ji Jingqiu regained consciousness, Elder Master Yang eagerly asked, "Well, did you reach the Shallow Zone?"
Zhang Chongba thought his second uncle's question was unnecessary.
Four hours!
Even if he took three steps forward and one step back, and got lost a bit, he should have reached the Shallow Zone.
If there were no obstacles, and he moved faster, the Deep Zone would have been highly likely.
Hey, on his first dive, he reached the Deep Zone of the Mental Sea...
That person, praised by the elders of the Dragon Tiger Dojo as heaven-sent, after comprehending the essence of the Dragon Tiger Wind and Cloud Diagram, on his first deep dive into the Mental Sea, protected by two Divine Lords, only reached the Shallow Zone.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chongba suddenly became pensive.
I wonder how talented his brother is in Martial Dao...
Ji Jingqiu gradually regained his senses.
According to Yang Shi's explanation—
The periphery is an endless abyss of dark mystery.
In the Shallow Zone, one can see faint glows in the distance.
Upon reaching the Deep Zone, lines appear underfoot, flowing with lava-like brilliance, guiding Martial Artists into the Abyss.
As for the human limit, the Abyss, is where the Federation Deities' Divine Kingdom stands.
Ji Jingqiu didn't rush to speak.
After a four-hour deep dive, he couldn't recover quickly, as if a barrier had formed between his physical body and spirit, similar to game character lag.
As he adjusted, he also sorted through the last images in his mind.
Seeing he hadn't fully recovered, Elder Master Yang and Zhang Chongba tacitly refrained from interrupting.
On the first journey into the Heart Sea, it's easy to see bizarre and incomprehensible things.
Over the years, many Martial Artists have gone insane or mad from witnessing things too strange and beyond comprehension.
Ji Jingqiu recalled his last vision, filled with doubts.
Was that towering ancient tree real or a mental illusion? If real, why would such a grand and majestic giant suddenly wither, and even the Divine Kingdom rooted upon it die?
Moreover, if real, didn't he enter the Abyss Zone?
Soon, Ji Jingqiu dismissed these thoughts.
He thought of his Bodhimanda Sprout.
His Bodhimanda Sprout was the embryonic Martial Dao divine ability born from Flame Temple Buddha Hell Conceptualization.
And Flame Temple Buddha Hell Conceptualization wasn't unique to him but passed down from Elder Wood.
The Bodhi tree rooted in the mental sea, could it be cultivated by other martial artists practicing the Flame Temple Buddha Hell Visualization Diagram? This possibility filled Ji Jingqiu's heart with envy.
How much flower fertilizer did that person feed to nurture the Bodhi tree to reach the heavens and touch the earth, transforming from a pure land to a divine kingdom? He really wanted to know who that senior was, what realm he had attained, his mind image, or if he was a Heavenly Human Master. But what concerned Ji Jingqiu the most was why the Bodhi tree withered in an instant.
This fleeting change gave him the illusion that withering was the true form, and the lush branches and leaves, the divine kingdom he had seen earlier, were the past glories that no longer existed.
Although the flame had been extinguished, the lamp and stove remained.
That was probably the meaning.
Ji Jingqiu slowly exhaled.
The original text can be found on Book 69@Book/Bar!
Does this also imply that one day, his own Bodhi sprout will be able to support a divine kingdom pure land? As the barrier between his mind and body faded, Ji Jingqiu simply stretched his muscles.
"I must have entered the Deep Zone," Ji Jingqiu concluded.
Hearing this, Elder Master Yang smiled and nodded, while Zhang Chongba's smile was filled with relief, feeling that he hadn't been drained for nothing.
With his coordinates set in the Deep Zone, Ji Jingqiu was destined to make remarkable progress in mental cultivation compared to his peers.
This was winning at the starting line!
Ji Jingqiu wasn't sure if he had reached the Abyss, as theoretically, no martial artist could step into the Abyss on their first journey into the mental sea, unless they were a chosen one of a true deity.
But he had indeed witnessed the intense light in the Deep Zone.
Those markings were less like patterns and more like traces or imprints.
"Water pressure, fuel?" Zhang Chongba asked with a hint of surprise, "Did you read that on a forum?"
Hearing Ji Jingqiu's question about the mental sea, Zhang Chongba replied, "The name for this thing varies, and it's all up to personal preference. I've heard someone call it 'Void,' believing that when the mind is calm, it perceives all things as emptiness, and when the mind moves, it perceives emptiness as the mundane world."
"Others call it a 'Solitude,' believing that it's a way to endure loneliness and cold solitude, a path to transcendence and becoming a hermit. Whether it's one or the other, it all depends on the martial artist's attitude, how they view the mental sea and mental cultivation."
"There's no fixed answer, but all can be seen as a way to temper one's own heart."
Ji Jingqiu pondered these words.
Elder Master Yang suggested, "Let's go eat first, and there are many more instructions I need to give you at the dinner table."
At this point, Ji Jingqiu realized he was already famished.
The three of them headed to the cafeteria, where Luo Xi and Zhang Xingshan had already finished their meals and were in the training hall, reviewing the feeling of meditation from the morning.
At the table, the three of them ate quickly. Elder Yang reminded Ji Jingqiu that in the coming days, he should refrain from entering the mental sea, waiting for the heart lamp to burn through the accumulated fuel.
In the afternoon, Zhang Chongba found an excuse and left to recover.
No one in Taian City knew that Li Buyi would show up, and he needed to maintain his peak combat readiness.
His replacement was Cold Blade.
Cold Blade brought some gifts and paid a visit to Elder Master Yang.
In response to Ji Jingqiu's question, Cold Blade thought for a moment and said, "I can't tell you what it is because the question holds no meaning for me. But I can tell you what you can gain from it."
Cold Blade raised the blade, slowly drawing out an inch of the blade.
As the long blade left its sheath, Ji Jingqiu faintly heard a dragon's roar and a tiger's growl, and a chilling aura instantly filled the room, causing the temperature to drop.
This blade seemed not just a cold weapon but a living being, housing a vibrant spirit that resonated with his heartbeat, emitting a subtle tremor.
Cold Blade spoke slowly and deliberately, "When the heart lamp is at its peak, one can see the divine within."
(End of Chapter)
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