Chapter 73: The Celestial Diagram

Chapter 73: The Celestial Diagram

Meng Yuan took the wooden box and opened it. Inside, he found a purple fruit with a piece of animal hide underneath.

He picked up the hide and saw four characters written in ink: 'Wan Wu Liu Guang' (Ten Thousand Things and Flowing Light). Below were densely packed small characters, some saying 'seven turns in the middle, nine', others saying 'twenty turns, seven below', and so on.

Meng Yuan was a simple country bumpkin, and Teacher Nie always took a step-by-step approach, never teaching him these things.

He wanted to ask Li Wei Zhen, but saw him seated in meditation before the remains of Ox Guardian, silent.

Meng Yuan had gained greatly from this battle, obtaining the Celestial Diagram and the great medicine. And that Ox Guardian, after speaking the name 'Qing Guzi', had been burned to death by the blazing fire.

This Qing Guzi might have some connection to Teacher Nie.

Ox Guardian had walked the path of a martial artist, but he was indeed a Buddhist monk. And the character 'Zi' (Master) is generally used by Confucian and Taoist scholars as a title of respect for those with virtue and conduct.

As for high-ranking Buddhist monks, they mostly use titles like 'Da De' (Great Virtue) or 'Fa Shi' (Dharma Master) as forms of address, and never use 'Zi'.

"Brother Li, who is this Qing Guzi?" Meng Yuan asked, sitting beside Li Wei Zhen.

"I don't know," Li Wei Zhen replied. "I really can't think of such a person."

He looked up at Meng Yuan and asked, "I see that you seem to have cultivated the Feather Dance Technique. Your True Qi flows without hindrance, faster than others of the same rank, even consuming the life of Ox Guardian. Who taught you martial arts?"

"Nie Yanyan," Meng Yuan answered.

"I know him," Li Wei Zhen nodded slightly. "He does indeed have some real skill."

"Brother Li, how exactly do you use the Celestial Diagram? And what does it mean to open the secret treasure of the Heavenly Art?" Meng Yuan asked directly.

"You've just entered the Eighth Rank, and although it's still early, there's no harm in telling you more," Li Wei Zhen said, taking the thin branch and casually drawing on the ground as he spoke. "What did you feel when you entered the Eighth Rank?"

"My energy points trembled, as if a giant object was hidden within, wanting to break out of my body. I even felt like there was another world inside me," Meng Yuan explained.

"Although you sensed something unusual, you didn't manifest any corresponding external techniques, did you?"

Li Wei Zhen smiled kindly and continued, "The secret treasure, once opened, will grant you the Celestial Blueprint Power, allowing you to roam freely in the vastness of heaven and earth."

"I'd like to know more," Meng Yuan sincerely requested.

"The Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Ranks are the foundation for martial practitioners, opening the Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Heavens," Li Wei Zhen explained, drawing a square on the ground with the thin branch. "The most difficult part is that the Thirty-Three Heavens are not within the flesh and blood, not in the organs, but in the energy points. So, after entering the Seventh Rank, the energy core transforms, and you can refine Jade Essence. Some say that the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Ranks are lowly, not transcending the mortal body, but in truth, once you enter the Seventh Rank, you've already broadened the heavens and earth."

Li Wei Zhen pointed at Meng Yuan's chest with the thin branch, saying, "I'm not pointing at your energy core, but your chest is damp. Did Xiang Ling wet the bed?"

Xiang Ling had been sleeping soundly within her collar, and Meng Yuan reached in, pulling out a wet cloth. "Drool."

The two shared a smile.

"Let's continue then."

Li Wei Zhen used the thin branch to draw a square on the ground. "The method of opening the secret treasure is not difficult. Once you enter the Seventh Rank, you can use it. You can even open just one energy point and still use it."

He pointed at numerous spots within the square, saying, "The Heavenly Art is actually about transporting the Jade Essence, making it flow within the energy core, reflecting and inscribing according to a certain path. It's complex and strange, but by doing so, you can open the secret treasure and achieve the martial divine ability, also known as the Heavenly Transformation."

Meng Yuan understood. The Celestial Diagram was like a blueprint, with the energy core as the construction site, and the Jade Essence flowed according to the diagram, impacting and coursing through the energy points in a specific order, forming a tower.

In other words, the secret treasure was a tower, with the energy core as the foundation, and the Jade Essence flowed according to the Celestial Diagram, impacting and coursing through the energy points in sequence, forming a tower.

In short, it is the reflection of the Jade Essence impacting each Energy Point in a specific order, and following a particular sequence, even back and forth, to achieve success.

"The cultivation methods of the Celestial Diagram are generally complex. Some start from the upper Energy Points, others from the lower ones, then impacting each Energy Point in sequence, back and forth, with a minimum of several dozen and up to several hundred."

Li Wei Zhen tapped his head, "Therefore, one must have a clear mind and think and practice often. Even with the same Celestial Blueprint Power, their might differs. The Energy Core is like a field, and the rice each person grows can vary greatly."

Meng Yuan listened to these words and carefully calculated the 99 Energy Points of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Heavens. If it was a minimum of several dozen and up to several hundred, and they also needed to be done within a very short time, or even continuously, there would be countless combinations.

"I understand." Meng Yuan bowed his hands and asked, "Brother Li, have the martial elders surely developed countless Celestial Diagrams?"

"I knew you were going to ask this." Li Wei Zhen smiled slightly.

"I'd like to hear more." Meng Yuan sincerely sought guidance.

"According to what you said, the elders should indeed have developed countless Celestial Diagrams. But why is it called a Secret Repository, becoming the Celestial Blueprint?" Li Wei Zhen shook his head and sighed, "This is extremely dangerous. Random combinations and random operations can cause big problems. At best, one's body is damaged, and at worst, one's life is lost. Or even, one's skills are diminished by half. The elders have tried many methods and approaches. Currently, the most reliable one is to start from the five organs and six entrails because they are divided into the Five Elements, and thus, the Five Elements power can be manifested, but even then, it's not guaranteed."

He tapped Meng Yuan, and Meng Yuan lowered his head to look at his chest.

"I'm talking about you, not her." Li Wei Zhen smiled, "The Secret Repository Celestial Blueprint is incredibly mysterious. Since you're following Teacher Nie in your studies, you must know about Spring Thunder Blossom and Floating Light Heavenly Cave. These two are the ultimate skills of the Demon Suppressing Bureau, but in terms of Celestial Blueprint Powers, they can only be considered easy to learn and not top-tier methods."

Meng Yuan listened carefully.

"When I first started practicing martial arts, I felt like I was the only one under heaven. But as I progressed and climbed higher, my horizons broadened, and I felt more and more like a frog in a well gazing at the bright moon."

By now, the sky had darkened, and Li Wei Zhen pointed to the sky, continuing, "It's like a mayfly gazing at the vast blue sky."

Li Wei Zhen was indeed very knowledgeable, and he kept going, "The Taoist and Buddhist sects each have their own magical powers, but are martial practitioners helpless against them? Just now, when I fought with the Deer Vajra, he had many Buddhist ultimate skills, yet he couldn't defeat me. Why do you think that is?"

Meng Yuan remembered that the Deer Demon had mentioned Li Wei Zhen's Descending Celestial Deity technique.

"The Secret Repository Celestial Blueprint is like a Descending Celestial Deity, immune to all kinds of evil arts. If he can only rely on strength to defeat me within a quarter of an hour..." Li Wei Zhen said up to this point, remembering that he hadn't decided the victory within a quarter of an hour, so he quickly changed his words, "It still depends on one's ability."

"Are there any other strange Celestial Blueprint Powers?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"Many," Li Wei Zhen sighed, "There are those for pursuing fleeing targets, quick recovery, and even forcibly enhancing one's own strength. There's even the Heaven-Earth Lifespan Method, which drains one's own energy and causes endless backlash. Some Celestial Blueprint Powers don't manifest their might, and the cultivator follows the Celestial Diagram daily, traversing the hundreds of Energy Points several hundred times with Jade Essence, accumulating power for decades, and releasing it all at once. Anyway, there are many, and each person can cultivate multiple ones, depending on their ability."

"In short, the martial path has endless possibilities. Even low-stage practitioners can kill high-stage ones! This is almost non-existent in other paths. So, never underestimate anyone, no matter how low their stage is compared to yours. They might have a desperate, powerful killing technique." Li Wei Zhen reminded, "After all, the martial path is a road where no one is unbeatable."

Meng Yuan truly learned from this.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end