An invitation to explain the sutra

"You wicked Jieyin and Zhunti!"

Yang Jian was a tea connoisseur who drank tea regularly and usually stopped drinking after three cups.

The alcohol was different from the tea he used to drink; the more he drank, the more enjoyable it became.

In particular, the Nine Treasures Wine is made using the Emperor's brewing recipe and can be considered a top-tier luxury item in the Three Realms. Yang Jian couldn't resist consuming it continuously.

This wine not only had an effect on him, but Yang Jian felt it was a positive effect.

Having finally encountered some fine wine, Yang Jian drank several jugs, but later became so addicted that he couldn't control himself. Relying on his ability to expel excess water through his physical body's ascension to sainthood, he ultimately ruined his health.

With the aid of the Nine Treasures Wine, the sixth level of the Heart Sutra quickly took shape. In just half an hour, Yang Jian had reached the level Zhang Xuezhou had described, and then he had to stop.

Reaching out to touch the blazing halo behind his head, Yang Jian felt a lingering dizziness.

Zhang Xuezhou quickly advanced through several cultivation levels with just a few cups of Nine Treasures Wine. Even when he was trying to break through to the seventh level, he didn't drink more than two jin (1 kg). Yang Jian, on the other hand, drank over five hundred jin (250 kg) of wine. The medicinal effects were extremely high, and once he broke through the threshold he could withstand, he couldn't be relieved in a short time.

In particular, the fact that Yang Jian's physical body still suffered from the effects of his ascension to sainthood could very well mean an impact that would last for decades or even longer.

If he wants to relieve these symptoms, he needs to elevate his understanding of the Heart Sutra.

Yang Jian didn't care what positive effects the Heart Sutra might have, but he didn't want to leave his mind in a daze.

Upon hearing Zhang Xuezhou mention that the Sect Master Jieyin and Zhunti had tampered with the Heart Sutra, making it difficult to pass without their guidance, he repeatedly berated the two.

"These two old bastards have always been afraid that the Western Sect would disintegrate, so they came up with this system to control people's hearts and minds, thereby binding them to the Western Sect. If we, as cultivators, want to advance, we are either being manipulated into joining the religion, or our cultivation will be difficult to achieve!"

Yang Jian scratched his head, feeling that things were troublesome.

He circulated his Ruyi Body, only to find that the effects of the medicine in his body were not considered harmful. This made it difficult for his body to eliminate the Nine Treasures Wine, and he could only consume the effects of the medicine through special cultivation.

"You can drink way too much," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I originally intended to share a drink with you, but your wine was so delicious that I couldn't resist!"

Yang Jian felt a little regretful.

Zhang Xuezhou's Nine Treasures Wine is precious, but for some reason it has been stored in the brewery without anyone drinking it.

He seized the opportunity of the Emperor and Empress's tour to sneak into the Kunlun Sacred Land, filled his own container with a lot of sealed wine, filled many jade bottles with water and sealed them tightly, and then slipped out of Kunlun.

Yang Jian's reasons for stealing the wine were simple. Firstly, Kunlun had never prohibited this kind of thing for so many years, allowing capable cultivators to enter and leave the Sacred Land to take advantage of others. Secondly, Yang Jian noticed that the Emperor was acting strangely, and the Empress's behavior was also problematic. He did not choose to confront her, but instead quietly observed her for a long time.

He handled things perfectly, but he got himself into trouble.

After drinking heavily, Yang Jian began to understand why the Emperor and the others hadn't drunk any alcohol.

Whether due to the inability to withstand the medicinal effects of Nine Treasures Wine, or due to its gentle aging and preservation, various factors have allowed these Nine Treasures Wine to be preserved.

"Is there any other way to cure this poison?" Yang Jian asked.

"No," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said, "At least not right now, and I've never drunk this much of your wine before!"

"My head hurts!"

Yang Jian plopped down on the ground, completely losing his previous air of a noble young master.

His head was really hurting, partly from drinking too much, and partly from figuring out how to get past the two cult leaders.

"It's not too difficult for you to break through to the seventh level of the Heart Sutra," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If you transform yourself into a cultivator from the Western Sect with a similar level of mastery of the Heart Sutra, you might be able to fool them!"

"What you're suggesting might work," Yang Jian nodded, then shook his head, "But the consequences of it not working would be dire!"

"Cihang True Person, Wenshu True Person, and Samantabhadra True Person were once considered top-tier cultivators in their respective regions, but once they joined the Western Sect, they couldn't escape," Xiaotian exclaimed. "Even the Peacock Great Wisdom King has been a slave for a thousand years!"

"From Randeng Western Sect to the eight Bodhisattvas, and also involving the Four Vajras, the Five Buddhas, the Buddha's disciples, the ten great disciples, and the eighteen Arhats, all of these people are utterly loyal," Yang Jian said. "If they weren't restrained, how could these once arrogant people be so loyal!"

"That's right. Even the Immortal Court has difficulty ensuring the loyalty of immortals. How could the Western Sect have such an ability? They still rely on scriptures to manipulate and gather people's hearts," Xiaotian nodded.

"They would definitely welcome us to practice the Heart Sutra, but it's so frustrating that you have to join a religious sect to advance your spiritual practice!"

Yang Jian spoke eloquently, and the new emperor, who had been listening attentively, finally confirmed that what Zhang Xuezhou had said earlier was true.

If one cannot find an opportunity, practicing the Heart Sutra is tantamount to brainwashing oneself into joining Western Sect.

But no matter how many problems this unique skill has, it is irreplaceable when there is a need for it.

Yang Jian was helpless, and the new emperor had no other choice.

He gave Zhang Xuezhou a wink, and only then did Yang Jian, who was suffering from a headache, notice the other person Zhang Xuezhou had brought.

As his hazy memories resurfaced, Yang Jian glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, who was dressed in plain robes and carried nothing, and then at the new emperor, who was dressed in rich clothes and had a hidden pouch at his waist. He immediately knew who had taken out the Heart Sutra.

"I drank too much water, and all I could think about was how to get rid of my headache," Yang Jian said politely as he stood up. "I must thank you for your help, fellow Daoist!"

"No need to be so polite," the new emperor returned the greeting. "After obtaining the Heart Sutra, I didn't know how to cultivate it. I only learned a little by watching you practice, fellow Daoist. It would be wonderful if you could explain a few words to me!"

"Oh? You want me to give a sermon?"

Yang Jian exclaimed in surprise, then looked at Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou and asked for his opinion first.

"My practice is a bit chaotic; I don't know how to practice properly, and I also find it difficult to translate the Heart Sutra into Great Han for explanation," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "I only realized now, watching your practice, that this sutra requires specific body postures. If you could explain it to me, it would be beneficial!"

"Wow... you're really amazing!"

Yang Jian thought Zhang Xuezhou must have a thorough understanding before achieving success in his cultivation; he never expected that Zhang Xuezhou had simply reached the required level through haphazard cultivation.

Zhang Xuezhou's situation isn't outrageous; Yang Jian also went through a similar stage of cultivation.

"I've been watching Shuo Xian for a long time, and I have a feeling he's probably just recklessly practicing our Eight-Nine Mystical Art and gotten himself to sainthood!"

Xiaotian muttered something under his breath, causing Yang Jian's heart to skip a beat.

It's one thing to accidentally cultivate the seventh level of the Heart Sutra, since that's far from reaching the limit of the sutra, and the Western Sect's cultivation methods aren't top-tier in the Three Realms. But to accidentally cultivate the Eight-Nine Mystical Art and achieve success is a different level altogether.

Compared to the Heart Sutra, which uses methods to control people's minds, the Eight-Nine Mystical Art is Cultivation Method that purely aims to kill people.

Anyone who manages to cultivate to the point of success either has a special experience or stumbles upon great fortune by chance, which is how they manage to survive.

Thinking of how Zhang Xuezhou entered the secret place at Guan River Mouth to compete in tea and obtain the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, Yang Jian belatedly realized something.

However, he didn't care about Zhang Xuezhou's behavior of "plotting to obtain the Cultivation Method." Obtaining the Eight-Nine Mystical Art was one thing, and mastering it was another. Those who could successfully cultivate it deserved all the credit.

This made Yang Jian look at him differently. He could temporarily cooperate with someone who was skilled in alchemy and got what they needed, and then things would settle down. But he could maintain a longer-lasting friendship with someone who had achieved physical sainthood, since their circle of physical sainthood was only so big.

Regardless of whether Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation was special or he possessed great fortune, Yang Jian was happy to maintain a long-term friendship with him.