Striking Up a Conversation

The campfire was reignited, and a charred deer was shared among the group.

Not only is the Wu Chao feeding, but the Buddha himself is also eating meat.

"You fake monk!"

Wu Chao grumbled a few times, feeling quite indignant that his senior brother, Buddha, was someone who didn't kill but ate meat faster than anyone else.

"Growing up inevitably involves eating meat," Brother Buddha said earnestly. "My non-killing doesn't mean I don't eat meat. You should know that meat and alcohol pass through the intestines without tainting or harming my Buddhist heart."

"Is this how you interpret doctrine?" Wu Chao asked in surprise.

"Doctrine is a framework, restricting those with weak willpower," said Brother Tathagata. "But when you have sufficient willpower, you can understand the true meaning of the doctrine more deeply. That is another kind of spiritual advancement, allowing you to see through many things and clearly understand the essence of many matters!"

"I don't understand, I just think you're a fake monk!"

"If you still don't understand this, then let me tell you, my begging for alms doesn't affect my moral character," said Brother Tathagata. "Whether I drink alcohol or eat meat, as long as I am a good person, there's nothing wrong with these external things entering my body. But the reverse is not true!"

"So you mean that only those who abstain from alcohol and meat but not from the heart are considered fake monks?" Wu Chao asked.

"Abstaining from alcohol and meat is merely superficial," Brother Tathagata nodded, "A true monk is always one who cultivates a spirit of discipline!"

"Since it's just superficial, why did you even bother with these conditional framework constraints?"

"If you can't even manage the superficial aspects, how can you cultivate vigilance?" Brother Tathagata laughed. "Superficiality is the first step, vigilance is the second, and the third is to elevate and break down the framework!"

"No matter what you say, you're always right," Wu Chao muttered. "I've drunk alcohol and eaten meat, and I've gotten beaten up countless times!"

"It's one thing for you to drink alcohol and eat meat, but you also ate all those demonic birds and Demon Beast that Mount Ling painstakingly raised. It's no wonder you got beaten up!"

Wu Chao and his senior brother Rulai whispered to each other, while Zhang Qian idly munched on camphor fruit a few meters away, and Zhang Xuezhou occasionally patted his stomach.

"Manqian, are you really not going to eat anything?" Zhang Qian asked.

"I'm not hungry!" Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

"Do you think the meat I grilled was too dark?"

Zhang Qian asked a question, which forced Zhang Xuezhou to accept a piece of venison.

He smacked his lips, finding the meat both burnt and bitter, which prompted him to immediately stuff the meat into the sleepy little thing's mouth.

Watching the sleepy bug crawl twice on the venison before rolling off and settling into his pocket, Zhang Xuezhou was at a loss.

He'd used this sleep-inducing trick on dozens, even hundreds, of wild beasts, and now it was completely worn down.

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to try everything he could find, hoping that if the other person ate something, they might at least save their life.

"It's a pity this little thing can't cultivate. If it could cultivate the Grain Avoidance Technique, then I wouldn't have to worry about feeding it!"

Zhang Xuezhou touched his stomach, not only the stomach he was using to Grain Avoidance his hunger, but also his yang spirit incarnation, constantly familiarizing himself with his own body.

During the Spiritual Qi baptism he experienced at the Xieluosi River Holy Land, his body changed so much that Zhang Xuezhou felt like a stranger to him.

The existence of the Yang Soul incarnation further complicates this unfamiliarity.

Even now, Zhang Xuezhou still doesn't understand his own situation.

But his Grain Avoidance method undoubtedly makes him very capable of enduring hunger.

Even after eleven days without eating, Zhang Xuezhou still did not feel hungry.

If the Grain Avoidance can produce this state, then other avoidance techniques may also have changed.

Zhang Xuezhou is currently conducting a focused study on the Grain Avoidance. Once he can determine the limits of the Grain Avoidance Technique, he will be able to roughly deduce his level in other avoidance techniques.

After all, during the surge of Spiritual Qi, many of his evasion techniques were forcibly impacted.

This should not be the Grain Avoidance of the fasting technique for the Consciousness Creation Realm.

The existence of the Yang Soul incarnation may also have had some influence on the Grain Avoidance Technique.

When Zhang Xuezhou slightly touched the acupoints of the Grain Avoidance Technique, he felt a faint light flickering within his Yang Soul Incarnation, which was also being pushed forward by the Grain Avoidance Technique.

A series of sensations came over him, and Zhang Xuezhou felt his abdomen harden slightly.

"This isn't right. Could I possibly go without eating forever?"

The highest level of the True Spirit Realm Grain Avoidance Technique allows one to go hungry for three days, the Consciousness Creation Realm for seven days, the Body Transformation Realm for about ten days, and the Divine Ability Realm for fifteen days. Further advancements extend to about a month, with the ultimate limit being about three months.

Zhang Xuezhou's current state clearly indicates that he has reached the level of the Body Transformation Realm. As he felt a sensation in his abdomen, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he could persist for a few more days without any problem, and he might very well reach the level of the Limitless Grain Avoidance Technique of the Divine Ability Realm.

If this time were to continue any longer, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it would have already transcended the normal scope of cultivation.

"If the Grain Avoidance Technique can achieve such a high level, it not only means that other avoidance techniques may reach the same level, but also that other techniques..."

Zhang Xuezhou may not be able to transcend realms to cultivate higher-level techniques, but he may be able to elevate the techniques he can learn in the Consciousness Creation Realm to an even higher level.

The comparison between Dong Zhongshu and Wen Weng's methods kept swirling in Zhang Xuezhou's mind. Dong Zhongshu's method of overthrowing superiors could only cross one level, but if he could understand it, this kind of crossing might be more than one level.

Even with his cultivation at the Body Transformation Realm, his actual combat strength could potentially reach the Divine Ability Realm, or even higher.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou was currently feeling sickly and sleepy; as long as this little guy didn't starve to death and could fight normally...

Imagining his own wonderful future, Zhang Xuezhou no longer felt the urge to 'ruin his alt account'.

"Brother, that golden bug of yours is really beautiful, want to sell it?"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered his thoughts. A few meters away, Wu Chao and his senior brother Rulai finished their argument and began to casually strike up a conversation with Zhang Xuezhou.

"Oh, you recognize this little thing?" Zhang Xuezhou asked calmly.

"I still recognize her!"

Wu Chao nodded.

The Golden Insect is a rare and wondrous insect that not only possesses the ability to guide magic but also has an extremely long lifespan, making it highly suitable for spellcasters to control insects, and thus favored by spellcasters.

However, cultivating this strange insect is extremely difficult, and it is not surprising if someone fails to cultivate it successfully in their entire life.

Even in a stronghold of sorcerers like the Yedie River Holy Land, few people possess high-level golden insects, Wu Chao never expected that Zhang Xuezhou had one in his pocket.

Zhang Xuezhou's golden insect appeared to be of extremely high quality, but it also seemed too sickly, as if it had exhausted all its strength.

Wu Chao stared into his mind, then thought of the ' Hongku ' he had seen at the city gate, and a slight bitterness welled up in his heart.

It's quite obvious that Zhang Xuezhou most likely stole the golden bug.

For this situation to occur, a life-or-death struggle must have taken place. Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou's golden insect was of legitimate origin, and he was not afraid of the demands and retaliations from the Yedie River Holy Land after acquiring it.

"Although I don't like raising these kinds of insects, I do know their habits. If you have any questions about this, we can study it together," Wu Chao said.

"That's great!"

Zhang Xuezhou was overjoyed, and then quickly waved.

"Senior brother, I've gone over to talk to them," Wu Chao said.

"Go ahead, but you can't cause trouble, and you can't kill their bugs, otherwise we can't afford to pay for it!"

Brother Tathagata also glanced at Zhang Xuezhou before speaking.

"This creature is a pheasant among feathered insects, and it must have been carefully cultivated for about thirty years. Once these feathered insects reach a certain age, they no longer eat nectar or meat, but only enjoy nibbling on spirit wood. It looks like it's been starving!"

Before Wu Chao could reveal the little bit of knowledge he had heard from the Yedie River Holy Land, Brother Tathagata revealed all the secrets in one go.