Great Tang Twin Dragons World: Chang'an City
Xu Xiao returned to the Great Tang World, more than a month after he went to the War God Temple.
During this month, he continuously comprehended the Path of True Intent and the Dao of Cultivating Perfection within the seclusion. Now, he has just achieved some minor success and it is time for him to emerge from seclusion and learn about the miscellaneous affairs of this world.
First and foremost, the first thing to do is to disband the Dao Enlightenment Tower, which gathers heroes from all over the world.
"The martial arts of the Great Tang World are all derived from the War God Atlas. Now that I have mastered the Path of True Intent, and even possess the complete War God True Art, I no longer need it."
Having grasped the Path of True Intent and the Dao of Cultivating Perfection, Xu Xiao no longer needed to study mortal martial arts to gain insights beyond the Innate.
He already has a direction for the path he will take next.
First, there is the Path of True Intent left behind by the God of War. Although the specific Way of 'war' is not suitable for him, Xu Xiao has already understood the essence.
"The Path of True Intent is to bring the power of one's spirit and will to its limit, and to infuse the will one has upheld into every cell of the body."
"As long as the true meaning endures, I will never perish!"
"Whether it's fighting spirit, killing intent, or even lust, it all comes down to maintaining your will and forging it. That's unparalleled power!"
This is the lesson Xu Xiao learned from the inheritance of the God of War's phantom.
In short, it means firmly upholding one's beliefs, transforming intangible beliefs into boundless power, achieving immortality of consciousness, and thus attaining eternal life.
Of course, this is just a concept; immortality does not exist. Even without natural disasters, there are still human-caused calamities and conflicts.
No being dares to say that it will never perish; even the great figures of the myriad realms will constantly face challengers.
If you want to be Eternity, you need to improve every moment so that you have the means to fight when disaster strikes.
"However, compared to others, I'm still luckier. At least in the first step, I've stayed true to myself and I know what I want!"
Xu Xiao was also ambitious, and compared to the God of War's indomitable will to fight against heaven and earth, he seemed even more greedy.
Because what he has determined is the Dao of Desire.
It's not just about desires like greed and lust; it's about taking the greed, anger, and ignorance of the human heart to the extreme, without any concealment or suppression of one's desires.
Both the path of willpower and the path of cultivation emphasize understanding one's true nature and upholding one's original heart.
"My true desire is to be free and do whatever I want!"
" Dao of Desire is the very nature of all living beings, so why suppress it, or even take only one aspect of it as the foundation?"
"I'll do whatever I want. I'll grab whatever looks good, and I'll go after whatever looks beautiful. Anyone who dares to stop me will be utterly annihilated!"
"Those who are good to me, I will treat them twice as well; those who are bad to me, I will wipe out their entire family."
!
"I'm free-spirited, I do what I want, and everything revolves around my happiness; all rules should be centered on me!"
"My bottom line is the world's bottom line; my will is the world's will!"
Based on the True Meaning of Desire that was already imprinted on him, Xu Xiao refined and condensed it again, and came to the above insights.
The first step in the Path of True Intent is to determine the path of one's chosen will, and the next step is to condense it and integrate it into every inch of one's body.
(Inspired by the Street Fighter character, Satsui Akuma, whose killing intent is inextinguishable, making him virtually immortal.)
Xu Xiao, on the other hand, had already taken this step, completing the initial refinement of his will within the small grotto of the War God Temple.
His style of doing things will become more and more casual in the future. Only by constantly striving in the direction he has chosen will this power become sufficiently refined and strong.
Only when Xu Xiao can leave his mark on the Great Dao will this path be considered truly mastered.
As for the path of cultivation, it is even simpler.
The insights gained from the remains of the great master Guangchengzi, although only containing his insights from this lifetime, still greatly benefited Xu Xiao.
These powerful figures, projected into different times and spaces, or rather, their timeline identities, are instinctively influenced by the power of their original selves.
Even the profound insights into cultivation gained from the remnants of Guangchengzi's body, a powerful figure in the Daoist Sect, were enough for Xu Xiao to benefit from.
Cultivation of truth, cultivation of truth, what is truth?
That is naturally the process of realizing one's true nature and pursuing transcendence of life and harmony between humanity and nature.
However, according to traditional cultivation methods, more emphasis is placed on cultivating that True Spirit Seed, that is, the true self.
Taoism believes that the physical body is composed of the four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire, and is a temporary "false composite body," while the goal of cultivation is to refine essence, energy, and spirit to condense Eternity and indestructible "Dharmakaya" (Dharma Body ).
This process includes Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit and Returning to Emptiness, and so on. Xu Xiao, who entered the Dao through martial arts, can be considered to have crossed the stage of Refining Essence into Qi.
Of course, a powerful figure like Guangchengzi wouldn't be at this stage; he's already above the immortal level, an existence that can control countless timelines.
The fur that He left behind was an incredible opportunity for Xu Xiao.
"In Daoist cultivation, the physical body is temporary and can be discarded. Once one attains the Daluo, one can naturally condense the Daluo Dao Body."
"Although it seems to contradict the Path of True Intent of the God of War, which relies on one's will to empower oneself, I should logically focus on cultivating my true spirit rather than obsessing over physical strength."
"But the Daoist methods of cultivation may not actually be suitable for me!"
Xu Xiao muttered to himself.
You're asking him to give up physical training and focus solely on cultivating his true self? Xu Xiao simply cannot accept that.
Xu Xiao can learn from Guangchengzi's experience and insights, but he will never blindly follow them.
Xu Xiao had already experienced the relationship between spirit and flesh before.
The so-called cultivation of both body and mind means that neither aspect is separate from the other.
"Since it didn't say I had to abandon my physical body, I'll cultivate both. Once I've completely mastered the Great Tang World, I'll go to the Anaconda World to absorb Spiritual Energy and prepare for Core Formation!"
Xu Xiao pondered silently.
The methods of cultivation do not say that one should completely abandon the physical body, but that it is possible to discard it. Of course, it is best not to discard it.
Xu Xiao's greatest desire is to be like True Lord Erlang, cultivating secret techniques with his physical body and wielding immense power within himself.
The method of cultivation begins with Refining Essence into Qi, and then Condensing Qi into a Pill, which grants true Magic Power.
Only then could he truly embark on the path of cultivation. As for the various spells, supernatural powers, and true spirit Dharma Body that follow, Xu Xiao would need to explore them on his own in the myriad realms.
Guangchengzi's legacy only included partial insights into Condensing Qi into a Pill and refining the Dharma Body; Xu Xiao needed to explore the intermediate and subsequent aspects on his own.
Of course, it doesn't have to be this way; it's also possible to complete it using the power of other worlds.
All the Great Dao to enlightenment lead to the same goal: to acquire immense power.