Chapter 171 - The Four States of Taixu

Shen Lian was not too sure where he would go in search of Huandan. However, he was not too concerned because he was in touch with his higher consciousness.

At that time, he genuinely felt that his path ahead was clear.

Just like what the ancient people would say. 'Huandan is the key to entering Dao.'

To Shen Lian, there was no secret to Dao. It was more like a paper window that would tear apart once you pierced through it. It was because the Taixu Strategy was initially a supreme dharma that described the heaven, the earth, and Daoism. On top of that, the sword will of grandmaster Yuanqing was the new-found clarity that helped him overcame many obstacles.

Overcoming those hurdles made him the man that he was then.

Shen Lian earned the credentials to go out, discover, and to move forward steadily in his journey to pursue Dao.

It took him twenty years to achieve Huandan. Although he was not the fastest to have accomplished such feat, his footsteps were extremely solid. From other people's perspective, his steps were already very swift and he was proud of his achievements.

Dr.a.p.ed in its beautiful feathers, Qianmo and a silly looking Xiaoxun flew toward Shen Lian and chirped.

Shen Lian laughed. "Two silly birds, can't bear to watch me leave."

Qianmo lifted his head with pride and flew toward Shen Lian. It had the look of 'what's so great about you.'

Shen Lian looked at the thin figure of Qianmo and sighed. "Unfortunately you're too skinny and I can't ride on you."

Qianmo was proficient in human nature and understood Shen Lian's words. It fluttered and attempted to ride on Shen Lian. But Shen Lian was quick to react, and that made it a failed attempt.

That slight movement would have seemed easy but what made it scary was that Shen Lian had unlocked another level in terms of reaction time. Qianmo's speed was one of the quickest among the rarest. But Shen Lian was able to react in time and avoided it effortlessly.

Qianmo was in a daze after the failed attempt. It was not the first time Shen Lian was able to dodge it but this time, he did it so effortlessly, as if Shen Lian already knew that it was about to move and he avoided it in advance.

It was curious, and it made another attempt. Under the broad daylight when there were no shadows at all. That showed how fast Shen Lian was.

At that time, Shen Lian was able to dodge it with ease and he was being a little cheeky by pinching its green feather. After a few failed attempts, Qianmo felt discouraged.

Shen Lian smiled. "No matter how fast you are, you can't conceal your Qi dynamics from me. Before you could move, I already knew your next move. You don't stand a chance at all in touching me."

He was not too bothered on whether the birds understood his words.

But Qianmo looked as if it understood his words and flapped its wings. Shen Lian sensed the danger and stretched one finger that landed on Qianmo's beak. The beak was only an inch away from his earlobe.

The bird sure possessed some extraordinary talents. It reversed its Qi dynamics to inverted yin and yang, and Shen Lian almost fell for that.

All living things possessed yin and yang. Just like the principle of wind movement, the cold and warm air had to interflow to create wind.

Therefore if a soul moved, the yin and yang in the body would move first.

Even a skilled Huandan cultivator would not be able to realize that movement, but Shen Lian could reach such state thanks to the Taixu Strategy.

The four states of the Taixu Strategy were subordinately related as they did not have any superiority or inferiority against each other. Once one understood the different depths of the four states - 'create, restrain, restrict and destruct,' one could already master it.

If his founding master Ziling Fairy applied the Taixu Strategy's 'transform' word incantation, only a minority of the current mana in the world would not be affected by it. Generally, most supernatural techniques, strong or weak, were submissive to the Taixu Strategy as the Taixu Strategy could use them to fuel and replenish itself, or even saved it and returned the techniques later.

At that time, Shen Lian mastered the 'restrict' word incantation. That state was different from 'transform,' and it possessed the power to help one gain insight into the changes in the Qi dynamics of anything that existed in the universe. In fact, the 'restrict' word incantation would not work as well as the 'transform' word incantation when confronted with enemies. However, it would show its phenomenal power under extreme circ.u.mstances. It was capable of glimpsing through the dynamics of extreme forces and dealt with its changes or even destroyed it in one blow.

Equipped with such level of skills, Shen Lian could walk in and out of other Dao schools without any worries about being trapped.

In other words, the Taixu Strategy was the Law of Detachment and also the Law of Guardian. Although it did not have any records of spells and supernatural powers, as long as one understood the four states of 'create, restrain, restrict and destruct,' one would be able to set his foot in the universe.

Xi Huang was a chaotic place and it was difficult to look for a quiet place to Huandan. However, Shen Lian had mastered the 'restrict' word incantation and was capable of reading the changes in Qi dynamics.

Some people noticed Shen Lian's presence, but once they spaced out, they lost sight of Shen Lian.

More people were looking forward to the fifteenth day of the first month as it was the day Huike and Baoyue the Venerable would have their debate at the Jingguang Temple.

It was a rare occasion for the general public and it was a not-to-be-missed opportunity for many cultivators. Actually, many scattered cultivators and Dao disciples have studied dharma. They just did not believe in Buddhism.

It was because the Buddhist sects were extremely rare and sometimes, the immortal zhenren would be inspired by the debates among the eminent monks.

In contrast, Xuanmen schools were more retained for themselves.

It was because they have their own resources and there was no need to seek those externally.

The dharma and Daoist scriptures had similar roots. Rumour had it that before Buddha became Buddha, he was once a Daoist.

The Buddhist sects would not deny such sayings because the influence of Xuanmen was too powerful. The Buddhist sects loved to ride on this rumor thread and exerted their influence in Xuanmen, and because of that, there were many rivalries between Buddhist sects and Xuanmen. In fact, there were also several Dao schools that chose to sit on the fence as they cultivated both Dao and Buddhism.

The rivalry between Dao and Buddhism was not considered to be too intense. This was due to the nature of their approach towards cultivation and immortality.

The fifteenth day of the first month was a night of full moon.

Jingguang Temple opened their doors to welcome cultivators and its faithful devotees.

The lights were brightly lit on the trail from the bottom to the top of the mountain.

It was so bright, it was as if half of the sky were illuminated.

Actually, Baoyue the Venerable was not the kind of person who would indulge in luxury. But as this event was a special occasion for the Buddhist sect, it was necessary to upscale it to show the pride of the Buddhist sect.

The Buddha lamps were lighted by psychokinesis to show the prestige of this extremely eminent monk. His mana was as immeasurable as the vastness in the ocean.

If one had any malicious intentions, he would feel anxious under these Buddha lamps and would probably be too fearful to walk up to the top of the mountain.

Of course, these lamps were only applicable to the general cultivators and demons. A truly powerful person would not be afraid of the Buddha lamps and could not even be deceived by it.