Self I

The location given by the Star Lord wasn't too far from Lin Hui; he could reach it in three hours by continuously traveling.

After sending three disciples over, Lin Hui once again immersed himself in self-reflection and enlightenment.

In the Clear Jade Mountain, he repeatedly pondered that phrase about Fusheng.

What am I?

This question seems simple, but it actually involves a great deal of information.

In order to obtain more comprehensive information, Lin Hui left the small courtyard and came to the sheltered world around Clear Jade Mountain.

I randomly picked a small town.

The city was bustling with traffic and filled with skyscrapers, almost no different from the modern metropolis he had imagined.

Here, relying on the cultivation of Clear Jade Mountain martial arts, most people no longer need meals, only occasionally consuming some tonics to accelerate their cultivation.

Su Yaping and her two companions managed the area very well. At a glance, over 90% of the people on the street were beautiful women with pretty faces and curvaceous figures.

The remaining 10% of men were also of excellent appearance and figure, with faces that were even no less attractive than some girls, and it was difficult to tell their gender if they changed clothes.

Lin Hui's portrait is displayed everywhere—on the streets, in alleys, at corners, and outside buildings.

Some are very large, giant rectangular full-body portraits. Others are smiling headshots. There are also various handsome photos of him drawing his sword to defeat enemies...

What was most speechless was that when Lin Hui passed by a small shop, he immediately noticed the GG promotional flyer inside.

The cover features a picture of himself standing in a Daoist robe, smiling and reaching out as if to shake hands with someone outside the cover.

One side of the sign reads in large black characters, "Typhoon-related, carefully selected by the mountain master, 180 kinds of divine faces to choose from, no sequelae or side effects after the procedure, can result in normal fertility."

There was a smaller line of text that said, "Want to have a child with the mountain lord? Start by changing yourself. Dreams may be big, but if you don't try, there's no chance at all."

Lin Hui was speechless.

At this moment, he unconsciously hid himself and blurred his face, only then did he feel a little better about his shame.

The next moment, he suddenly sensed a commotion at the corner ahead, and with a flash, he teleported there.

"Ah!! It's Zhang Anxu! The one who played Lin Hui the most convincingly!! Hurry up and line up for Zhang Anxu autograph! Quick, quick, quick!"

"The automatic toys endorsed by Zhang Anxu are of excellent quality! Top-notch! I want one too!"

"Me too! Together!"

Groups of beautiful girls in school uniforms, carrying long swords, gathered together, brimming with youthful energy, and lined up in five rows around an open-air stall on the street corner.

Lin Hui glanced around and saw a handsome man dressed very similarly to himself, who was gently signing autographs for the girls in line one by one.

Beside him were boxes upon boxes of fully automatic massage toys, each one bearing his image.

This guy would occasionally stand up in a showy manner, grinning to show off his white teeth and taking photos with fans.

Lin Hui had never really explored the Clear Jade Mountain world properly since he created it. Now, on a whim, he decided to take a stroll to get a feel for the realm. But once he started looking around, he couldn't contain himself any longer.

The entire Clear Jade Mountain encompasses at least thirty cities of varying sizes.

Surprisingly, 90% of the residents are young and beautiful women. This is because everyone practices self-cultivation to maintain their youth, and the cosmetic surgery and transgender industries are thriving, resulting in this situation.

It can be said that the entire Clear Jade Mountain has been transformed into a small world of personal worship centered around him by his three disciples.

After a large number of the ordinary humans who had been rescued were relocated, those who remained were selected individuals who had a great affinity for Clear Jade Mountain and were willing to stay.

Because there is no need for Propagation, everyone has an extremely long lifespan, which has led to this abnormal world of cultivation.

Lin Hui scanned the area with his divine sense and instantly calculated the remaining population of Clear Jade Mountain. There were still more than 37 million people left.

After a moment of silence, he wandered around the various cities for a while, finally remembering that the purpose of his trip was to gain insight into the realm of existence.

So I randomly picked a bookstore on the street, went inside, and found a seat.

The bookstores here are all high-tech. Each person has their own seat, and once inside, you're given a personal virtual screen where you can interact with various books and chat with other people.

Although it's called a bookstore, it's actually more like a differentiated version of an internet cafe.

Lin Hui paid some money and booked a private room.

The money here is in the form of credit points, recorded in a personal account.

He used the overall account of Clear Jade Mountain, which is equivalent to the official account here.

Because official accounts are shared by a large number of administrators, they are actually quite inconspicuous.

Inside the narrow, rectangular white private room, he sat alone on a small leather chair, looking at the invisible, semi-transparent light screen in front of him.

With a thought, a line of clear small characters was immediately typed in.

How do we understand and define the self?

He posted his question directly on the largest online forum.

But after sending the message, I waited for a long time and no one replied.

On the contrary, other topics related to cultivation, entertainment, and local tourism continued to break records.

Lin Hui thought for a moment and immediately came up with a new idea.

He got up and left the private room, going to the front desk where the staff were in charge.

With one hand, I lightly tapped the main control computer at the front desk.

His question was immediately pinned to the top and highlighted, then pushed to everyone.

A few seconds later, Lin Hui returned to the private room and finally found all the answers he wanted online.

"What the heck is this question pinned?"

Isn't the self just myself?

The self is me; I am not someone else. First and foremost, I am myself. This is actually quite an interesting question. Many people think that their body, their soul, everything about them belongs entirely to them. But that's not the case.

What do you mean? My own body, my own soul, aren't they still me?

That's right. I am actually a broad concept. I am divided into self-generated and externally injected content. A large part of the externally injected content is not actually mine, but changes with external changes.

Isn't this just a matter of innate and acquired factors? Why make it sound so mystical?

Not only that, but thoughts, too, are a part of me, but they concretely reflect what the outside world instills in us. If there are many bad people around you, over time you will feel that the outside world is dangerous. The reverse is also true.

This is how thoughts are affected.

A large part of what makes up us is actually instilled from the outside. To understand our true selves, we must remove this interference and pursue our deepest inner selves.

How do I get rid of it? What's the point of pursuing this?

This started the discussion, and it gradually became more lively.

Seeing that there were many people around, Lin Hui took the initiative to join in and start the discussion. His long reply was actually his way of bringing up the topic.

Pursuing self-realization can be free from internal conflict, allowing one to detach from the tension between self and external circumstances, leading to a more authentic and purer life.

It's just that they're more selfish.

Someone below summarized it bluntly.

Self-awareness is not necessarily selfishness. A clear understanding of one's own life leads to exceptional execution in everything one does. One understands their own boundaries and limits, avoids blind obedience and hasty changes, and decisively lets go when necessary. Achieving self-fulfillment is a state of being. Selfishness, on the other hand...

Selfishness is a form of greed based on one's values. The two are not the same thing and cannot be compared. One is a description of a state, while the other is a moral inclination.

I understand now; a self-centered person can be selfish, or they can be selfless.

That makes sense, I've learned something.

"So how do we pursue our true selves? How do we distinguish between external indoctrination and something else?"

Stay away from everything and everyone that makes you uncomfortable, and pursue everything that makes you comfortable. This is how you pursue your true self.

But isn't it the nature of all living beings to be lazy and averse to work?

Yes, so that's the true self. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm—that's the essence of everything.

But isn't doing that selfish?

How can seeking advantage and avoiding harm be selfish? It's the law of survival.

"If everyone only cares about themselves, isn't that selfish?"

It depends on your definition of benefit and harm. Different lives perceive benefit and harm differently. Even different upbringings can lead to different perceptions of benefit and harm.

By this point, Lin Hui had already stopped guiding the conversation. The discussion abruptly ended there, veering off-topic into erotic topics, which became pointless.

But deep down, he was subtly moved.

He got up and left the private room. Instead of going anywhere else, he teleported to a farm.

The surrounding area is blue sky and white clouds, and the earth is covered with lush green grass.

A large flock of white sheep were leisurely strolling and grazing.

This is a fully automated sheep farm, raising only White Jade Sheep that can provide special wool.

This creature used to be just an ordinary high-tech species. After being exposed to Wind Disaster, it mutated. Then, it was affected by Wind Energy and eventually its life form stabilized, becoming what it is today.

Their horns are all like white jade, crystal clear, and can be used to refine many magical artifacts and treasures, and even serve as decorations on the hilts of longswords, which can increase sword speed, making them very popular.

Lin Hui's eyes flashed, and he arrived in front of the largest White Jade Sheep.

Can you tell me what you are?

"Baa~~~" the White Jade Sheep responded with a bleat. Its intelligence didn't allow it to answer such a complex question.

Lin Hui didn't mind and gently pointed at it.

Authority Shadow immediately flew out, altering some of the rules of the small space surrounding the White Jade Sheep.

The confusion in the sheep's eyes began to fade rapidly, replaced by a gradual clarity.

"I'll ask you one more time, what are you?" Lin Hui transmitted his voice directly.

"I am... a sheep...?" The sheep hesitated for a moment, giving a vague answer.

Currently, its intelligence is equivalent to that of an average four- or five-year-old human child.

Lin Hui revised the rules again.

Suddenly, the sheep's eyes became clearer, and it began to look bewildered.

Now, what are you?

"I... I am who I am... I am a sheep, livestock being raised, a toy you're playing with now." A hint of sorrow and anger flickered in the White Jade Sheep's eyes.

Lin Hui revised the rules again.

This time, the sheep's eyes became unusually wise and profound.