Taiqing's Realm of Non-Action

The sound of Yuanshi Tianzun 'Dao Heart shattering echoed clearly in the high-level divine consciousness group of Kunlun Mountain.

"Puhahaha--"

The Tongtian Jiaozhu's gloating laughter rang out immediately.

"Second Brother! You've finally met your match!"

"A labyrinth of wisdom? A test of Dao Heart? I think it's more like a 'free pass'!"

"Your maze isn't even as challenging as my roller coaster! At least mine eliminated more than half the people!"

The Tongtian Jiaozhu felt himself instantly stand upright.

Seeing his arrogant and self-proclaimed wisest Second Brother suffer a setback made him happier than if he himself had found a treasure.

"Tongtian! Shut your mouth, you bastard!"

The roar of the Yuanshi Tianzun Venerable, filled with rage and shame, shook the entire Yuxu Palace, causing it to buzz.

"That old scoundrel doesn't play by the rules at all! He's cheating! He's using opportunism!"

"Hey, Second Brother, what kind of talk is that?" the Tongtian Jiaozhu said Yin Yang. "Before, when Eldest Brother had good luck, you said he was taking advantage of others. Now that this Old Daoist priest has gotten past you through his own skill (by cheating), you're saying he's cheating?"

"I think it's your maze design that's terrible!"

"You!"

Just as a new round of internal strife between the brothers was about to erupt, the distant and peaceful voice of Taiqing Laozi slowly rang out.

"Alright, everyone, say less."

"That Qiankun Daoist Qiankun is an ancient being from the same era as us. His Daoist methods have long since formed their own school, not bound by any particular form. It's normal that my second brother's maze couldn't trap him."

With a single sentence, Taiqing Laozi gave Yuanshi Tianzun a way out.

Yuanshi Tianzun snorted coldly. Although he was still aggrieved, he managed not to retaliate.

"Hmph, if you lack wisdom, make up for it with your temperament," he retorted stubbornly. "The next challenge is your Realm of Non-Action, brother. I want to see what tricks this old Delia can pull!"

All eyes once again focused on the water mirror atop the mountain.

At this moment, more than a dozen contestants, including Qiankun, Yang Mei, Yin Yang, and Xiong Batian, had arrived at the examination hall for the third level.

The examination hall of Taiqing Laozi, like himself, was simple and unadorned.

There was no earth-shattering event Tongtian, nor the dazzling brilliance of the Yuanshi.

The examination room was just an ordinary-looking green lawn, with only a futon in the center.

The figure of Taiqing Laozi slowly appeared on the futon, with a smile on his face and a calm voice.

"This third test, Old Daoist, will only test one word, nothing else."

He pointed to the meditation cushion in front of him and said to the crowd, "You only need to sit quietly on this cushion for one day."

"Within a day, whatever you see, hear, or feel, as long as your Dao Heart remains unmoved and you do not give rise to the slightest thoughts of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, or doubt, you have passed the test."

This test sounds incredibly simple.

It's just sitting there all day, isn't it?

For these powerful beings who often go into seclusion for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, it's easier than eating and drinking.

However, none of those present were fools.

They knew that the test from the Taiqing Being could not possibly be so simple.

This "Realm of Non-Action" tests what is perhaps even more difficult to grasp than magical power or wisdom—the mind and character!

"I'll go first!"

The thick-skinned Bear Demon, Xiong Batian, was the first to step forward.

He had absolute confidence in his powerful physique and unwavering will.

He strode over to the prayer mat and plopped down on it.

The moment Xiong Batian sat down, the scene before him changed.

He found himself no longer on the grasslands of Kunlun Mountain, but back in his bear clan territory in Northern Continent of Ju Lu.

Countless powerful ferocious beasts are besieging his tribe, and his people are falling one by one into pools of blood.

"Roar--!"

Xiong Batian's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and boundless killing intent and violent aura erupted from his body!

Without a second thought, he was about to get up and tear those enemies to shreds!

However, the moment he stood up, the scene before him shattered like a bubble.

He found himself still sitting on the futon on Mount Kunyi.

Taiqing Laozi was looking at him with a smile and shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist, you harbor anger in your heart; you have failed the test."

Xiong Batian was stunned, then lowered his head in shame.

He knew he had lost.

He lost because of his uncontrollable violence and murderous intent.

Having learned from Xiong Batian's example, the rest of the people became extremely solemn.

They stepped forward one by one and sat cross-legged on the prayer cushions.

Soon, all sorts of illusions began to play out in their minds.

Someone saw the supreme martial arts technique they had always dreamed of and couldn't resist reaching out to take it, but was judged as "greedy".

Someone saw their former enemy swaggering in front of them and couldn't help but feel hatred, which was judged as "anger".

Some people envisioned their own future as saints and ancestors, looking down upon all living beings, and couldn't help but become arrogant, thus being judged as "slow".

In just half a day, another seven or eight people were eliminated because they lost their Dao Heart.

On the field, only Qiankun, Yang Mei, Yin Yang, and two or three other ancient rogue cultivators with calm and composed auras remained.

The Yang Mei the Great Immortal and the Yin-Yang Ancestor kept their eyes closed from beginning to end, their expressions calm and undisturbed.

Those who emerged from Chaos possessed Dao Heart as firm as a rock, unyielding through countless eons.

This mere illusion could not shake them in the slightest.

All eyes were on the Sloppy Old Daoist Qiankun Ancestor, who was still fast asleep.

From the start of the test until now, he has been sleeping soundly in the corner with his tattered cloth bag, drooling, and has not sat on the futon at all.

"What trick is this old man up to now?" the Tongtian Jiaozhu muttered.

"Elder Brother's Realm of Non-Action is a test that directly addresses one's true nature; any attempt at opportunism is futile," said Yuanshi Tianzun coldly. "If he dares not sit, then he can only be considered to have forfeited."

Just then, Taiqing Laozi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

He glanced at the Qiankun Ancestor sleeping soundly in the corner and a helpless smile appeared on his face.

He snapped his fingers.

That futon miraculously grew two legs on its own, and then, with a "clattering" sound, it ran to the bottom of the Qiankun Ancestor's buttocks.

They forcefully propped him up.

While sleeping, the Qiankun Ancestor felt something soft under his buttocks. He even twisted his body comfortably, found a more comfortable position, and continued sleeping.

The millions of living beings at the foot of the mountain were once again stunned by this scene.

This... this works?

Would a trial cushion really be delivered to your door by itself?

Who exactly is this Old Daoist priest? He's got quite the impressive background!

At the summit, even the Tongtian Jiaozhu and the Yuanshi Tianzun were dumbfounded.

"Brother! You're openly letting them win!" the Tongtian Jiaozhu protested.

"No," Taiqing shook Laozi head, saying profoundly, "This fellow Daoist has already entered that realm. Whether he sits or not makes no difference to him. The futon seeking him is simply Dao follows Nature."

Tongtian and Yuanshi: "..."

Although I don't understand it, it seems to make a lot of sense.

And just as the Qiankun Ancestor was being "bumped" by the futon.

His mind also fell into a boundless illusion.

In the illusion, there are no fairies, no magical treasures, and no enemies.

There was only one enormous dining table that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The dining table was laden with all sorts of exquisite delicacies that he had never even seen before and dared not even dream of!

Dragon liver roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside by the Solar True Fire!

Phoenix marrow simmered over low heat with the Three Lights Divine Water!

The innate Ginseng Fruit, cultivated using the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and ripening only once every ten thousand years, were piled up into a small mountain!

There were also countless rare and exotic fruits and Nectar and Jade Liquid that exuded the essence of the Great Dao and looked incredibly delicious...

The fragrance was so intense that even the primordial spirit of the Qiankun Ancestor trembled!

"Pulse."

The Qiankun Ancestor and Earth swallowed hard, and his eyes, which had been starving for countless eons, instantly turned red.

It's over.

Barbie Q is here.

He knew that this time, he was probably going to be in deep trouble.

This test was a precise strike, hitting his Achilles' heel!

Looking at the table full of delicious food, he felt his Dao Heart crumbling at an incredible speed.

He wants to eat!

He wanted to eat all of these things!

He walked slowly and laboriously toward the huge dining table.

Every step felt like a fierce battle against one's own instincts.

"You can't eat it... If you eat it, you'll lose..."

"But... it smells so good..."

"If we lose, we won't get to eat... but if we don't eat now, we might never get to eat it again..."

The Qiankun Ancestor was caught in a battle between heaven and man.

At the Kunlun Mountain Peak, everyone held their breath, watching this scene with bated breath.

"It's over, it's over, this old man isn't going to make it," the Tongtian Jiaozhu said gleefully.

"Greed has arisen, Dao Heart has been broken. What a pity." Yuanshi Tianzun also shook his head.

Even Lin Shen couldn't help but drool when he saw the table full of shiny, fragrant delicacies reflected in the water mirror.

"First Master is so mean, using so much delicious food to trick people!"

Just when everyone thought that the Qiankun Ancestor was about to succumb to temptation and pounce on the table full of delicious food.

He stopped just a step away from the table.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, he did something that surprised everyone.

He shakily pulled out the half of the Roasted Sweet Potato that he treasured so much from his tattered Qiankun Bag.

He held the half-eaten Roasted Sweet Potato in his palm as if it were a priceless treasure.

He took a deep sniff of the faint, lingering aroma of burnt food.

Then, a smile of utter satisfaction and happiness spread across his face.

"Having seen the vast ocean, other waters seem insignificant; having beheld the clouds of Wushan, other clouds are not worth seeing."

He softly recited these two lines of poetry, which he had learned from who-knows-where.

Then, without even glancing at the table full of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, he turned around and sat down cross-legged.

He carefully placed the half-eaten Roasted Sweet Potato back into his arms.

The illusion shattered instantly.

The Qiankun Ancestor found himself still in that corner, sitting on a futon.

Taiqing Laozi was looking at him with a smile and slowly nodded.

"Fellow Daoist, congratulations."

"When the heart has a place to belong, nothing else matters. You've passed the test."