A Higher State of Mind; The Loneliness of a Master

Five days in heaven is equivalent to five years on earth.

Heavenly Immortal Hall, enveloped in azure-blue Immortal Celestial Dao Power, one felt as if they were in the Heavenly Court, surrounded by the marks of time.

Chen Dengming devoted himself to cultivation for five years. In the first year, he was able to remain State of Mind and composed, focusing on his cultivation.

By the second year, he already felt somewhat unwell, as if he Drawing Ground as Prison in a small frame, his life becoming increasingly stagnant. Every day, besides practicing the Longevity Merit Technique, he could only cultivate other Technique Method.

He cursed inwardly the authors of the martial Xianxia novels he had read in his previous life, calling them all dreamers.

They just sit here in this tiny little place, cultivating day after day, saying that sixty years pass in the blink of a Jiazi, without them even realizing it. They don't feel anything; it's all bullshit.

Time is the most consuming and also the most challenging thing for people.

Even if one's physique is strong now, and one can sit for more than ten years without getting hemorrhoids, and doesn't need to worry about eating, drinking, or relieving oneself, and only needs to focus on cultivation, it is still impossible for one's mind to be in a state of daydreaming and slumber forever; one still needs to think.

No matter how focused you are, there will be moments when you are fully awake that you feel bored and realize how hard it is to pass the time.

He once spent several years in seclusion to cultivate before breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

However, it was not limited to a small, deserted area of a few dozen feet in radius. Instead, it was located within the Mountain Gate, allowing people to move around freely, interact with their senior sisters during cultivation, cultivate their character, and watch the Little Array Spirit dance to pass the time.

Now, he can only cultivate alone in the Heavenly Immortal Hall, and he doesn't even dare to summon the Little Array Spirit in the Soul House.

After all, the Little Array Spirit does not possess the Immortal Celestial Dao Power, making it difficult to ensure that its lifespan is not taken away in an environment marked by the passage of time.

"Therefore, what makes a person a person is that they are alive, their thoughts are alive, their emotions are alive. A living person won't die from holding in their pee, and it's also difficult for a living person to be confined to one place for ten or twenty years and do only one thing."

I used to think that the First Ancestor only gave us five years, which was too little. But I was just being shallow and overestimating myself. If we had given him a hundred years, everyone would probably have gone crazy."

"But as long as you persevere and succeed, you will surely achieve great things, proving that you have a strong will and can endure loneliness. True masters are often lonely."

Chen Dengming didn't consider himself a master; he was just an ordinary person in his previous life.

After transmigrating and experiencing many things, his temperament and other aspects were gradually honed into those of a master.

But in reality, looking back, he was just an ordinary time traveler.

Like most other time travelers, he probably wasn't very strong-willed. He was afraid of death, loneliness, hunger, and being captured and tortured by the natives. That was the most realistic state of being a time traveler.

In this process of self-reflection and reflection, Chen Dengming gradually felt that he had benefited greatly, State of Mind seemed to have become more refined and enlightened.

In the third and fourth years, his State of Mind was stable, and he remained calm and composed.

By adopting a state of State of Mind similar to the Dao of Sitting in Oblivion or the One Bowl of Water Method, one can either let one's restless emotions fade into a state of emptiness, or allow them to settle like impurities in a bowl of water.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. When the azure-blue Immortal Celestial Dao Power around him dissipated, Chen Dengming finally awoke from his state of deep cultivation.

At this moment, he felt neither joy nor sorrow, nor did he feel lost because of the passing of youth or the long five years. On the contrary, his mind was exceptionally clear and his State of Mind exceptionally transparent.

By this point, he knew that the State of Mind cultivation he had developed five years ago, when he could not obtain what he desired, had now improved.

Time and the passage of years truly temper one's character.

If a person is not afraid to fight against time, is not afraid of the long years, and can endure loneliness, their temperament will be absolutely stable and peaceful.

Now, after five years of cultivation, I have already broken through two levels of the Longevity Merit and reached a proficiency of over 70,000 on the third level. It will only take me a little over three more years to break through to the third level and enter the Golden Core Mid Stage.

However, at this moment, he felt that the improvement in his State of Mind was even more precious than the progress in his cultivation.

"Dao Child, you are very good. In the past five years, you have not slackened for a single day and have been persevering in your cultivation."

With such a temperament and such composure, it's no wonder you were able to receive the Heart Inheritance of the Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage.

Suddenly at that moment, the First Ancestor's magnificent voice echoed down from the sky and reverberated within the hall.

Chen Dengming looked up at the face of the progenitor that appeared in the dome and immediately bowed.

"Disciple thanks Grandmaster for granting me these five years of cultivation."

The First Ancestor's face remained cold and calm until he heard this.

"No need to thank me. It was your heart that conquered and utilized time, not the other way around."

Many people, even if given a long period of time, will only waste their time and become slaves to time. Such people are destined to never attain immortality.

As practitioners of the Longevity Sect, if we are to pursue longevity, we cannot waste our time simply because we live a long life.

Ignoring time is ignoring one's own pursuits, and will ultimately lead to losing sight of these five years, which should be invaluable to you."

Chen Dengming felt deeply moved and immediately bowed deeply, saying, "This disciple has learned a great deal!"

Indeed, time is the most numbing thing; before you know it, it has slipped away unnoticed.

In their past lives, many people spent their days scrolling through their phones and playing games, accomplishing nothing and simply letting the days slip by, lamenting how quickly time had passed.

In this life, even many cultivators are the same. They keep saying they will cultivate diligently, but if they slack off even slightly during their cultivation, a day will pass by in no time. If they become lax day by day, they will eventually find it difficult to achieve great success.

Chen Dengming realized that 'understanding time' might be the first piece of guidance the First Ancestor gave him after their meeting.

This is indeed very meaningful guidance.

Longevity Sect practitioners pursue longevity, which means they are using their finite lives to compete for infinite time.

Especially for Dao Child like him who has come into contact with the Dao of Heavenly Immortals and Longevity, he will inevitably have to deal with the marks left by time in the future.

If one cannot clearly understand and utilize time, it will be difficult to access the deepest secrets of longevity.

The First Ancestor said, "You once mentioned to Yan Yan that you wanted to absorb more Dao power in the Daoist Land and comprehend the application of Immortal Celestial Dao Power. Now that your State of Mind has improved, you can try again."

But this is your only chance before you break through to the Golden Core Mid Stage. Your Dao power is limited and cannot be continuously provided to you."

"Thank you for your kindness, First Ancestor!"

Chen Dengming quickly bowed and thanked him, showing his understanding.

With limited resources, including the four patriarchs of the Longevity Sect, Xing Huiguang, and himself, there are six people who need to absorb Dao power and use it for cultivation.

If he absorbs more, the other five will absorb less.

The Longevity Dao lineage is a branch of the Immortal Celestial Lineage. The Dao power obtained from immortals cannot be unlimited. In other words, the Dao of the Longevity Sect is the Dao of Heaven, which emphasizes reducing excess and supplementing deficiency. Otherwise, even Dao Child would not be allowed to continue absorbing Dao power so easily.

He immediately sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, attempting to absorb more Immortal Celestial Dao Power.

Theoretically speaking, if he wants to absorb more Immortal Celestial Dao Power, he would need to break through to the Golden Core Mid Stage again.

However, now that his State of Mind has improved, his understanding of the Immortal Celestial Dao Power has also deepened significantly, and he can now try to absorb more of the Immortal Celestial Dao Power.

Another half day passed.

Chen Dengming successfully absorbed some Immortal Celestial Dao Power, and it is estimated that the amount of Immortal Celestial Dao Power increased by about 30%.

This means that when he uses his Heavenly Eye later, the range he can detect, the duration of his vision, and so on, will also increase.

He was very satisfied with this achievement.

He then extracted a portion of his own spirit and allowed the First Ancestor to light a Longevity Incense stick for him with the Immortal Celestial Dao Power. The main incense stick then stood in the incense burner Heavenly Immortal Hall, its smoke rising gently.

This is what is meant by "fragrant smoke condenses and infuses the spirit, a wisp of green smoke protects the soul."

Chen Dengming suddenly felt as if his mind had established an inseparable connection with the Longevity Incense, as if he had created an extra clone, and even clashed with Shui Fuyi.

With this Longevity Incense, even if his Physical Body is destroyed in the future, his soul can quickly return to the Longevity Incense through the connection, so that his soul will not be scattered or his soul will be taken away by someone.

Moreover, in addition to the Longevity Incense, he also prepared the 'Life Returning Pill' which could reshape the Physical Body, thus protecting both the spirit and the body to the extreme.

Thus, Chen Dengming's trip to the land of the Daoist lineage to meet the First Ancestor was incredibly fruitful; he made a fortune.

Before leaving, the First Ancestor entrusted Chen Dengming with a top-secret Jade Slip containing information on the locations of blessed lands collected by the Longevity Sect over the past thousand years in the four regions.

This can also be seen as the inheritance of a mission.

After receiving the Jade Slip, Chen Dengming did not examine it immediately. He respectfully bid farewell to the First Ancestor and left the place of the Dao lineage.

Outside the realm of Daoist tradition, his perception of his clones was greatly enhanced.

I vaguely sensed that my clone encountered trouble while exploring that secret passage in the Fallen Forbidden Zone.

A ghost general-level creature lingered on their inevitable path.

Even with the Zhu Xun the clone and Zhu Xun, who had broken through to the pseudo-core level after devouring a golden core Yin soul, they were no match for the ghost general and could only barely survive.

As a result, the exploration of the sect's secret passages was put on hold.

"When I came out of seclusion after five days, my clone showed me this progress."

However, a Ghost General-level expert is indeed a problem. If I don't go personally, this obstacle can't be moved by my clone and Old Zhu alone."

After careful consideration, Chen Dengming realized he had no solution.

Yes, I must do everything myself.

The sect has already given us enough benefits, so we still need to handle this matter properly and well. I need to go there in person.

He felt a surge of Core Power within his body, which greatly boosted his spirits. Upon returning to his cave abode, he felt even more excited, thinking of his senior sister.

It felt like five days had passed, but in reality, it had been five years. I missed you terribly.

He took out the Heart-Illuminating Mirror of Shattering Delusions and looked at his current appearance.

I hadn't shaved for five days, so my beard was a bit stubble, but my senior sister didn't mind.

He then used his Heavenly Eye to see He Yingyu's graceful figure feeding the Spirit Fish. In just five days, she had developed black silk threads, which was incredibly alluring.

"Senior sister, you're really quick!"

Chen Dengming harbored wicked intentions. He quietly flew into the cave abode and suddenly grabbed He Yingyu from behind, lifting her up by the waist.

He Yingyu gasped in surprise and was about to form a hand seal to resist when she sensed the familiar aura. She then relaxed, turned her head, and glared at him fiercely. "You rascal! You scared me half to death!"

How can you treat your wife like this? Put me down right now!

"No! I haven't hugged you enough yet. We've been in the Daoist land for five days, and I'm going to die of longing for you."

Chen Dengming laughed heartily and refused to let go.

He Yingyu's cheeks flushed, and she said coquettishly, "How come you've learned to be so glib now? You've only been gone for five days, and you're already saying you miss me terribly."

Chen Dengming sighed softly, "Senior sister, you have no idea how I've gotten through these past five days."

He immediately told He Yingyu about his experiences in the Daoist community.

He Yingyu was surprised, delighted, and felt a pang of pity upon hearing this, and she quickly stroked Chen Dengming's prickly beard to comfort him.

"Alright, alright, you're now acting innocent after getting such a good deal. Others wouldn't even have such an opportunity. This is because the First Ancestor values you highly."

Chen Dengming chuckled and said, "Then when I become an ancestor in the future, I'll let you take advantage of me too. Now it's your turn to let me take advantage."

He Yingyu suddenly gasped, trembling, her face flushed with embarrassment, her eyes clouded with a hazy look, and she pleaded in Chen Dengming's ear, "Junior Brother, please have mercy and let me go."

"You've fattened up these Spirit Fish. Aren't you going to fatten up your Junior Brother too?"

"You started out raising fish, and raising Spirit Fish shows you haven't forgotten your roots. What's so special about me raising you? You think you can just live off me?"

Chen Dengming laughed heartily. At this moment, his primal urges had only intensified, but his State of Mind was as clear as if the clouds had parted, free from any worldly thoughts.

This contradictory combination means that all aspects of the mind and desires are stabilized and released.

We should not suppress it by force, because it is better to guide than to block.

Don't deliberately indulge in excess, because excessive indulgence can be dangerous in the end.

And we shouldn't avoid it, because no amount of escaping can compare to the experience of being tempered by fire.

He is like a kite in flight, his mind is the string, and his desires are like the kite soaring in the sky.

Their voices gradually faded into the depths of the cave abode, and soon they went together to cultivate at Mount Wu.

Afterwards.

At night.

The moon is bright and the stars are few.

Elder Ge delivered the newly forged armor and broadsword to Chen Dengming's cave abode.

This armor and broadsword were optimized from the original Demon Weapon and custom-made for Chen Dengming, allowing him to maximize his strength in his Human Immortal Physique state.

The reforged armor has a dark and cold texture, smooth lines, and intricate magic arrays engraved on its surface, including Formation for [Lightness], [Wind Breaker], and [Restoration]. During combat, multiple spikes can extend from the joints, making it look quite ferocious. Most importantly, it comes with a helmet.

These newly added Formation all possess multiple array functions that were not present in the previous Demon Weapon' armor. They are the masterpieces that Elder Ge invited his old friend, a master of spirit attachment, to personally handle.

Lightness makes the armor and its wearer feel light as a feather, increasing movement speed, but it does not affect the armor's weight or reduce impact damage.

Windbreaks reduce wind resistance, preventing a person from slowing down while flying in heavy armor.

The principle of restoration is that after the armor, including the damaged parts of the magic array on the armor, is broken, it can be repaired by using some materials.

After putting on the armor, Chen Dengming felt his body become slightly heavier, as if he had an additional 300 kilograms of weight.

The weight is similar to the previous Demon Weapon armor, so it has little impact on him and may even help increase his impact damage.

However, after he channeled a Core Power into it, the armor quickly emitted a shimmering spiritual light, and its weight was significantly reduced.

With the slightest thought, the sharp spikes extending from the joints retracted.

With the slightest thought, the armor began to shrink, gradually transforming into a tight-fitting, body-hugging state.

"Not bad. You can wear it like this in daily life, and when you're in battle, you can switch back to armor and fight by channeling Spiritual Qi."

Chen Dengming tapped the armor he was wearing, making a 'clanging' sound.

However, it moves freely without making a sound. The Spiritual Qi makes the armor smooth and silky when it is in motion, and it only becomes exceptionally hard when attacked.

In addition to the armor, the greatsword newly forged from the Hurricane Battle Axe is also sharper and more formidable.

The knife appeared to be only seven feet long, with a very wide blade. Its design was somewhat similar to the weapon of the protagonist in a dog-themed comic that Chen Dengming had seen in his previous life, resembling a large-sized pig-slaughtering knife.

After activating Spiritual Qi, the blade can grow to over two zhang in length, without possessing any magic array.

However, because its material is made of hurricane-cold gold, it carries a strong hurricane-like blade aura and blade momentum when swung, making its destructive power quite considerable.

These two former Demon Weapon Law Treasure, after being reforged, are now more suitable for Chen Dengming's use. Although they are still not top-tier third-order Law Treasure, they are not far off.

"This armor, which can expand and contract at will and change weight at will, shall be called the Ruyi Treasure Armor."

"The blade will be called the Hurricane Battle Saber!"

After familiarizing himself with the Law Treasure for a while, Chen Dengming put on a blue Jiamu Mage Robe over the Ruyi Treasure Armor, put away the Hurricane Battle Saber, and looked at the cave abode behind him.

With a simple hand gesture, three new clones were easily created.

After his State of Mind improved, it was obviously much easier for him to condense another clone with the Immortal Celestial Dao Power.

Chen Dengming felt he still had some energy left and should be able to condense a fifth clone.

However, he always held back, and at this point he stopped short of making a point.

"I wonder how long this new clone can last. Let's test it now."

Chen Dengming has made his plans. He will now personally go to the Fallen Forbidden Zone to deal with the ghost general blocking his way.

The three clones remained in the cave abode to cultivate.

Now the situation is completely reversed: the clone cultivates while the main body goes on a long journey.

Even if the efficiency of cultivating with a clone is only 30% of that of the main body, it is still much better than cultivating outdoors without the advantage of Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein.

Chen Dengming had already spoken to He Yingyu, and now he didn't want to disturb her resting after her hard work. He instructed He Yingyu three clones to go inside to cultivate and guard her, while he changed his appearance and went out discreetly.

With war raging Mountain Gate and even the Eastern Inner Domain not necessarily safe, Chen Dengming decided to keep a low profile on this trip, as he couldn't afford to provoke Bai Mao's arrogant reputation.

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