Accumulating Merit in the Cloud

Soon, Brother Sun received a message from "Brother Hu".

"That person is online. Quickly grant them access and block their access to their body, speech, and mind."

The others immediately perked up, inputting Law Power and adjusting parameters using modern talisman programming while simultaneously making sarcastic remarks.

"Brother Sun, this experimental Cultivation Method is really bizarre. Divine Sense is the sublimation of the five senses and six perceptions. Now, by directly cutting off a portion of the sensory data, how can the Divine Sense remain stable?"

"Why do you care so much? Just do as I say."

"That's probably why they insisted on finding someone to test in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage," the middle-aged programmer said earnestly.

"If your cultivation level is too low, your Divine Sense will most likely collapse."

"Don't forget to back up your user data! Turn on cloud storage for me!" Brother Sun shouted.

As soon as Hu Mang clicked on the software's "Divine Sense Internet Access" function, his consciousness was sucked into it, and then he saw a huge "Electronic Wooden Fish".

It was a very strange wooden fish, covered with "talisman heads" and "talisman tails". The talisman heads looked like 0, while the talisman tails looked like 1.

"So, this is the new era talisman programming method that Wang Zeyu mentioned, binary?"

Hu Mang suddenly realized.

Thump--!

A deafening roar, like the sound of a great bell, rang out. Hu Mang felt a tremor in his mind, let out a muffled groan, and staggered back half a step, becoming nothingness.

Looking inward into the Crimson Palace again, he saw that the Mysterious Yin Devil Moon was rippled violently like water. The "thread" connecting him to his physical body broke instantly, his five senses were blocked, and he could no longer perceive the location of his physical body below the thread.

Then, the wooden fish struck again with a loud thud.

Whether it was the lips and tongue of the physical body or the right to speak within this Spirit Network, all were instantly locked by invisible shackles, silencing all laws.

"You've banned me?"

Hu Mang's mind raced.

Finally, there was another loud bang.

This time the effect was exceptionally fierce, as if the Ghost Blade that the Devil-Slaying Bladesman had used before had shot out one "ghost shadow" after another from Hu Mang's consciousness, each ghost shadow being a thought of Hu Mang.

The Hu Mang seemed to be experiencing once again the sensation of being struck by lightning and having its soul scattered.

However, this "online thunderbolt" was not as fierce as the "offline" one.

Just as the Divine Sense was about to collapse--

Within his physical body, the Yin-Suppressing Mark beneath the Hu Mang's eyes suddenly lit up, like a cold abyss opening its eyes!

Although the invisible moon that had sunk into the depths of my heart had dissipated, at this moment, the moonlight from beyond the sky poured down like a waterfall once more.

A calm well reflects the moon's reflection in the sea.

The cold moonlight descended from the heavens, casting a clear shadow once more deep within the sea of consciousness.

"It turns out that the so-called external abandonment of worldly identity and internal restraint of body, speech, and mind are essentially 'resonance of the Three Dantian ' (lower abdomen)."

"By bypassing the constraints of conventional cultivation and gaining insights that can only be attained in future realms, you enjoy the benefits of 'advanced consumption,' and naturally, you will have to repay the debt periodically—this is what is known as karma."

"Only by paying off your 'loan,' or rather, your karma, can you enjoy life, is that what you mean?"

"This monk's skills are, frankly, quite consumerist."

According to that manual, this means "externally relinquishing worldly ties, internally purifying the three karmas; leaving home to renounce worldly life, focusing the mind and upholding the precepts."

"Damn, if you don't explain it clearly, how can anyone understand it? What's the difference between this and those famous quotes from the 'Quit the Addiction' forum members?"

Although Hu Mang harbored resentment in his heart, the feeling of "Pure Body" was truly strange.

All the surrounding noise, distracting thoughts, and even the various discomforts from the body vanished in that moment.

It was an ultimate lightness that came from stripping away all impurities.

This strange feeling is like suddenly sitting alone on a cloud in the midst of a noisy and chaotic city, looking down on all living beings, yet remaining completely untouched by the mortal world.

"That bald monk is quite capable; no wonder he could hold his own against the Liang Dynasty Daoist priest with just his words."

"My state should be what's called 'Pure Body' —the online version."

According to the "Nine-Character Great Hand Seal" of the Hinayana Divine Ability of Chan Buddhism, once one has attained a "Pure Body," one can then practice the "Lin Character Instruction.

Within his consciousness, the Hu Mang formed a hand Method Formula, its eyes wide with rage, and roared.

"Approaching!!"

A beam of Buddhist light shot out from his body, just like when the nameless enemy in Demon-Subduing City used a single move to easily shatter two Bone Devil Seed and embed him into the wall.

The "Lin Character Instruction has been mastered!

In that dilapidated office in Demon Metropolis.

A series of cultivation data with strong spiritual energy fluctuations were directly uploaded to the backend.

The entire office erupted in chaos.

The group of thinning-haired monk employees were either banging on the table, screaming, or even pulling out their already sparse hair.

"Holy crap, there really is cultivation data!"

"Awesome! Awesome!"

"Our project is saved!"

"Get the system fixed right now! If the backend crashes, this 'update' will be a complete disaster!"

Brother Sun shouted loudly amidst the noise.

"Stop your nonsense and get to work. According to that 'Brother Hu,' get me the old data. No, no, just to be safe, Old Bai, contact a few account resellers and tell them I need at least ten thousand registered cultivator accounts."

"And you, give me more money to buy bandwidth; I'm worried about not having enough server ports."

Old Bai, the middle-aged cultivator, complained:

"It's unbelievable that a terrible, unplayable app like ours would spend money to inflate its data."

Offline, on the body of the cross-legged Hu Mang, strands of Buddhist light flowed along its bones, and "Dad Hu" watched all this with a smile.

It was as if everything was under control.

Soon, within the Buddha's light, a series of fragmented, noisy, and dense chanting sounds appeared.

In theory, Sanskrit chanting should not be fragmented or noisy.

The fragmented and noisy chanting is not genuine Sanskrit, but rather "user data" accumulated by the "Electronic Wooden Fish" over the years.

The purpose of this kind of "user data" is definitely not "enlightenment" or "becoming a Buddha," but rather "seeking divine intervention."

This kind of "user data," or "willpower," is, in some ways, a more troublesome thing than karma.

On-line--

The "super Electronic Wooden Fish" in front of Hu Mang suddenly increased its striking speed by a hundred times, then a thousand times.

Although the sound of the wooden fish was much quieter, a small "Electronic Wooden Fish" would pop out from the Buddha's light with each strike.

Soon, countless tiny wooden fish appeared from all directions and enveloped the Hu Mang.

Each strike of the wooden fish represents a message, a wish, a silent message.

Over the years, this software project has engaged in all sorts of chaotic activities in an attempt to save itself, but now they're finally paying off.

These "wishes" are incredibly varied and bizarre.

"I want to get rich quick, I want to find a partner, and I want this damn class to be disbanded immediately!"

"Please pray my cat doesn't chew through my data cable again, Amen."

"I hope tomorrow's medical report is all normal and the nodules have completely disappeared."

"I pray that this retreat goes smoothly and that I don't Qi Deviation a qi deviation, my dear!"

"I beg Senior Sister Lin of the same sect to look at me just once, and I'll offer all my Spirit Stone!"

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! The talisman is activated! It will block tonight's lightning tribulation!"

"This wooden fish is giving me a headache, can you give me a silent mode?"

"@Official Customer Service, aren't your daily sign-in rewards too low?"

"DM me if you need a doujinshi (a type of doujinshi)."

Each "wisdom data" that materializes impacts the Hu Mang 'Hu Mang "Pure Body," gradually causing it to lose its state of "a clear sea of consciousness, like flawless glass; a concentrated Divine Sense, like forged from cold iron."

If one cannot accumulate merit, then one cannot even preserve Pure Body?

"And if one cannot preserve the 'Pure Body,' one will also lose the newly cultivated 'Lin Character Instruction."

"Looking at it this way, Buddhist Cultivation Method aren't as safe as I thought."

Suddenly, Hu Mang had a thought. He looked up and saw that the sky was filled with the sound of Buddhist chants, and streams of low-level talisman codes were displayed.

These "talisman codes" are actually the benefit terms offered by software companies to retain users.

A series of benefits landed on the Hu Mang, intertwining and forming a complex knot—registration bonuses, sign-in bonuses, task bonuses, free membership, ad-free access, unlocking advanced features, points, coins, beans, sign-in, daily check-in, sharing, inviting friends, watching videos, completing tasks to earn rewards...

These things piled up one after another, and finally transformed into a kasaya, which was draped over the Hu Mang's body. The Hu Mang then sat in a half-lotus position, its hands forming the earth-covering mudra.

This phrase from Theravada Buddhism popped into my mind—

The robe, if it is free from defilement, then it possesses nothing; if it possesses nothing, then it has nowhere to dwell; if it has nowhere to dwell, then it is a state of emptiness; this emptiness is what it means to have left home.

"All!!!"

"Holy crap! Brother Sun!!"

"Brother Sun, this, this--"

"This absolutely cannot be just Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method!"

At this very moment, in that cramped office in Demon Metropolis, the screen was flashing with Buddhist light, the speakers were emitting chanting, and even the networked devices were flashing with Buddhist light.

Many software cultivators who were maintaining the software were thrown out of their Law Power before they could even react. They groaned as if they had been hit in the chest by a wave, but instead of being surprised, they were delighted.

Brother Sun was also a bit confused, and exchanged a glance with Old Bai veteran member of the team.

"It doesn't seem to be Foundation Establishment level Cultivation Method development."

"Could it be Divine Ability?!"

"If it's Divine Ability power--"

Brother Sun opened his mouth, but the words that came out turned into a furious shout.

"The server, is it okay? If the server crashes, I'll take you all to the entrance of 'Heavenly Change Spirit Enterprise' and we'll all self-destruct!!"

"Renew it! Renew it right now! Give me as much bandwidth as you can!"

Old Sun looks terrifying now; he looks like he's about to eat people.

"Brother Sun, the phone!"

"I'm not answering Ten Lords's calls anymore! Hang up on me!!"

"No, it's a call from the Demon Metropolis Devil Subjugation Bureau of Shanghai!"

Old Sun's cursing was abruptly suppressed.

"The Devil Subjugation Bureau? What do they want with me?"

He asked us, "You haven't been illegally mining cryptocurrency using internet-connected devices, have you?"

"..."