Divination

Xu Qi'an strode forward, picked up the book "The Method to Advance to Half-Step Martial God" from the bookshelf, and read the first sentence:

"The entire system transcends the Three Realms, yet exists within the Five Elements. Only martial artists exist within the Three Realms, yet are not within the Five Elements."

The difference between martial artists and other systems lies in their "internal and external realms." Xu Qi'an frowned, pondering this sentence. Apart from knowing that martial artists were different from other systems, he had no further explanation.

The terms "Three Realms" and "Five Elements" may have specific meanings in the terminology of Warlock.

A forced interpretation might not be accurate; I'll ask Senior Brother Song later! He eagerly turned to the next page.

This page contains the supervisor's explanation of a first-rank martial artist. The book mentions that a first-rank martial artist's essence, energy, and spirit are unified, forming a self-contained cycle that does not interact with the outside world. At this point, the supervisor thoughtfully added a footnote:

"The so-called non-interaction with the outside world means not relying on the power of heaven and earth, including but not limited to the power of elements such as yin and yang, the five elements, and lightning."

Normal circulation of qi and breathing in Spiritual Qi don't fall into this category. Well, as far as I know, among the first-rank cultivators, Salun Agu, Luo Yuheng, and Buddhist School bodhisattvas all have the means to borrow the power of heaven and earth and transform its strength for their own use. Only martial artists rely on their own strength and qi. The supervisor's annotation is written in too "plain language," it feels like it's for people with no brains. Xu Qi'an's face suddenly stiffened when he thought of this.

Because he realized that this book was left behind by the former supervisor, and the first-rank martial artist that the supervisor supported seemed to be him!

"Who do you think you are?" Xu Qi'an roared in anger.

He thought to himself, "I'll let it slide. Considering the old man is currently far away at sea, I won't stoop to his level."

Continuing to read, I finally came across the content about the Half-Step Martial God.

The supervisor offered two approaches: one was to hone one's skills gradually, like a peak fourth-rank expert refining their physical body, allowing their cells to evolve, shedding their mortal form, and becoming a "god-like" being.

For a first-rank martial artist to advance to the half-step martial god realm, they must also constantly temper their physical body and replenish their qi. However, throughout history, there have been almost no martial artists who have been able to reach the pinnacle of the first-rank realm and become a half-step martial god.

As far as the supervisor knows, there is only Shenshu, who was sealed in Sangbo five hundred years ago.

"Because martial artists who advance to the first rank through luck only have a lifespan of a hundred years, and it is impossible for them to advance to the half-step Martial God in a hundred years. On the other hand, those who become first rank through their own talent and hard work suffer the destruction of witch gods and Buddhas over a long period of time."

"The Gu God said they feared the appearance of the Martial God. Therefore, it seems that only the birth of a Martial God can quell the so-called great calamity. Based on this, could the Supervisor's goal be to create a Martial God?"

"As the gatekeeper, he had been diligently plotting how to resolve this great calamity."

Another method is to take the "Blood Elixir" route, which involves plundering the life essence of powerful individuals in the same field to accelerate one's advancement.

"When I first learned that the Prince of Zhenbei was refining the Blood Pill, I had a premonition that the martial arts system might be extremely cruel," Xu Qi'an sighed.

The first method has no shortcuts; it depends on talent and hard work. The second method, however, does have shortcuts.

Xu Qi'an excitedly flipped through the second half of the book, then silently closed it, returned to Song Qing's side, and said without changing his expression:

"The supervisor left behind a corresponding refining formation, materials, and his skill level is quite good; it's rather interesting. Want to take a look?"

Song Qing's eyes lit up at first, filled with a thirst for knowledge, but then she became somewhat hesitant and unwilling, saying, "I want to rely on myself, not on the supervisor."

Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice:

Learning is a joyful process, and if it requires no effort, the joy is doubled.

Translated into language we are familiar with, it would be:

Getting something for free makes us happy.

Song Qing thought about it and felt it made sense, so he took the old man's book and patiently began to read it.

"How is it?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Song Qing raised her head, looking completely bewildered:

"I don't quite understand."

He immediately looked at Xu Qi'an with hopeful eyes:

"Young Master Xu, can you understand this?"

Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "I just flipped through it casually, and the supervisor's writing was very interesting. After reading it, I felt like I had six of my seven orifices opened."

Song Qing looked amazed:

"In such a short time, Young Master Xu has been able to understand so much about alchemy. The only thing he seems to know is formations."

Xu Qi'an nodded seriously, then quickly changed the subject:

"What does Senior Brother Song think the first sentence means?"

Song Qing did as instructed, turned to the beginning, read that sentence again, and pondered:

"The Three Realms refer to the 'Form Realm,' 'Desire Realm,' and 'Formless Realm,' which Young Master Xu can understand as the mundane world. Transcending the Three Realms means cutting off worldly thoughts and desires."

To put it bluntly, it means having no worldly desires. Xu Qi'an nodded slowly.

"If Young Master Xu observes carefully, it's not hard to see that the higher the level of the extraordinary experts in each system, the more they resemble solitary figures, having almost completely eradicated desires, including lust. Hmm, the Human Sect is an exception, but that's because of the existence of the Karmic Fire. Without the Karmic Fire, Luo Yuheng would most likely also be without desires."

No wonder almost all the extraordinary experts I've met are single, while I, a martial artist, am constantly working hard at training. Xu Qi'an chuckled to himself.

But the next moment, he stood there stunned, a thought flashing through his mind:

Is this factor contributing to Xu Pingfeng's cold-heartedness and lack of compassion? The higher one's social standing, the less emotional and materialistic one becomes.

He then looked back at the extraordinary experts such as Daoist Jinlian, Zhao Shou, and Salun Agu, and was horrified to find that there wasn't a single pervert among them.

"So only warriors retain the most complete seven emotions and six desires?" Xu Qi'an wondered to himself.

Song Qing continued:

"The meaning of being within the Five Elements is easy to understand. All major systems need to rely on the power of heaven and earth to control the five elements of earth, wind, water, fire, yin and yang. But martial artists don't need to. Martial artists rely entirely on their fists. Tsk tsk, how crude!"

"Ah, I didn't mean to belittle Xu Yinluo; I was belittling the martial arts system."

Is there a difference?! Don't misunderstand, I'm not targeting you, I'm targeting all martial artists in the world! Xu Qi'an was full of complaints.

Jingshan City.

Jingshan is barren, with black rocks exposed in the barren sand, and the entire main peak is devoid of any sign of life.

In the distance, the vast ocean undulates, shimmering with light, and a flock of seabirds soars at the horizon where the blue sky meets the sea.

Here, by the sea, the wind is strong, and a faint smell of the sea wafts through the air. Salun Agu sits cross-legged atop the mountain, a small table before him bearing a row of bamboo slips, each inscribed with:

Xu Qi'an, Luo Yuheng, Li Miaozhen, Asuluo

And: Garuda tree, Lapis lazuli, Guangxian, Du'e!

Behind Salun Agu stood the Rain Master Nalan Tianlu, the Spirit Master Wuda Baota, and Yierbu.

The great wizard pulled out an ancient, round tortoise shell from under his cloak, bit his index finger, and smeared the oozing blood onto the patterns on the tortoise's back.

Then, he did the same thing, dripping the blood into the cup that Irb handed him.

The blood droplets diffused, turning the entire glass of water a pale red.

Salun Agu closed his eyes, made a hand seal, and remained motionless.

To outsiders, he was simply meditating, but to the three extraordinary wizards, the great wizard seemed to have merged with heaven and earth, in a mysterious state, communicating with the secrets of the the Unseen.

This is an extremely high-level Law Technique within divination. At the level of a Grand Wizard, one can see the secrets of heaven through divination, making it more accurate and intuitive than traditional divination.

A moment later, Salun Agu opened his eyes, picked up a teacup, took a sip of the pale red water into his mouth, and with a "pfft," sprayed it onto the bamboo slips.

In an instant, the bamboo slips began to vibrate gently.

These bamboo slips, inscribed with names such as "Xu Qi'an" and "Li Miaozhen," suddenly began to bleed, staining the names red.

The blood on the turtle's shell flowed slowly along the lines of its shell, until it stained the entire back red.

Salun Agu stared at the divination chart for a long time, then slowly exhaled:

"Nalan, go to the Western Regions and tell Jialuo Tree that a bloody calamity is coming, and tell them to prepare."

Nalan Tianlu nodded first, then stared at the bamboo slips containing "Xu Qi'an" and "Galo Tree," and pondered:

"They are at the greatest risk of falling."

This is the interpretation made by the Rain Master based on the divination: both sides' extraordinary experts will suffer bloodshed, which foreshadows the risk of their demise.

Of course, in battles at this level, no one can guarantee their survival; risks are to be expected.

However, the bloodshed suffered by Xu Qi'an and Jialuo Tree was particularly severe.

Irbu frowned and said:

"He's now a first-rank martial artist, who can kill him?"

He had barely finished speaking when his brow furrowed; he knew the answer.

Buddha!

Salun Agudao:

"The Superior Rank won't tolerate the growth of a First-Rank Martial Artist. Xu Qi'an wants to reclaim Shen Shu's head, and the one in Alanda might also be waiting for this opportunity to lure him into a trap. As for the Gara Tree..."

He frowned, unable to offer an interpretation.

Logically speaking, among the three bodhisattvas, Gara should be the safest, as Acala and Vajra could ensure his safety.

Unless it's an extraordinary powerhouse from the Great Feng Dynasty deliberately targeting this Bodhisattva.

But what's the reason?

Salun Agu didn't think much of it and looked at Nalan Tianlu:

"After you go to the Western Regions, have the Buddhist School send the Arhats of Salvation to the Central Plains. We need the power of those who attain the rank of Killer of Traitors. As for you, stay in Arhatship and observe the situation. If the time is right, do not let Xu Qi'an go."

After speaking, the great wizard glanced at the "Garuda Tree" and said calmly:

"If the timing is right, give him a hand too."

Nalan Tianlu nodded knowingly.

Western Regions.

In a city-state to the south, the Arhat Du'e sat cross-legged in front of the main hall, with hundreds of people sitting below him. Among them were monks wearing robes and kimonos, and believers from the city-state.

"All dharma and self are empty, all is illusion; one can liberate oneself and others, awaken oneself and others, save others and oneself, and all beings can attain Buddhahood."

The Arhat Du'e sat cross-legged on a high platform, preaching and expounding his Mahayana Buddhist teachings.

The believers and monks below were completely absorbed in the spectacle.

Compared to the Aranya Buddhism, which emphasizes self-cultivation, the Buddhism brought back by the Arhat Du'e from the Eastern Land of Great Feng was more easily accepted by monks and common people at the grassroots level.

True love is helping others and helping oneself.

This perfectly aligns with people's moral values and resonates with the instinct of the impoverished people of the Western Regions who yearn for redemption and the desire to redeem others.

Furthermore, with the added blessing of his status as Buddhist School Arhat, Du'e's path of spreading the Dharma proceeded quite smoothly.

Apart from being stopped once by the Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree, he encountered almost no obstacles.

At this moment, a middle-aged man, dressed in tattered clothes, with dark skin and looking weathered, stood up, put his hands together in prayer, and asked:

"Arhat who has overcome suffering, can we truly attain Buddhahood?"

"Throughout the three thousand worlds, Buddha is omnipresent; all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. Buddhahood is the attainment of Buddhahood, not a single person or a few individuals."

Before the Arhat Du'e finished speaking, he suddenly stopped. In his eyes, many believers had lost their "color."

He turned his head and looked to his left, where a stunningly beautiful woman with flowing black hair had appeared beside him.

She was barefoot, her white clothes fluttering in the wind, and her eyes were like two colorless glass beads, devoid of emotion, yet they unconsciously gave people the feeling that her eyes were very beautiful.

"Guangxian has already compromised and no longer supports Mahayana Buddhism. You've traveled all over the Western Regions, spreading Mahayana Buddhism everywhere. Aren't you afraid of being punished afterward?"

"It is the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva," she said calmly.

Du'e said calmly:

"I'm just going my own way."

The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva smiled slightly, a slight curve to her lips.

"I don't concern myself with your affairs. I've come to inform you that you must immediately head to the Central Plains and join forces with the Witch God Cult to pacify the capital."

Du'er shook his head:

I will not attack mortals.

The wind tousled her lustrous hair, gently caressing her fair, alabaster-like cheeks. She said softly:

"That will suffice to deal with the extraordinary."

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.