Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme - Chapter 129
Chapter 129: Chapter 94: Visitors_1
Translator: 549690339
Xu Yang (Li Liuxian)
Lifespan: 28/150
Cultivation: Inter Practicing True Gang, External Muscle Bone Training (Internal and External Three Pass Realm)
Skills: Eating, Breathing, Sleeping, Walking, Planting, Animal Husbandry, Archery, Martial Arts, Medicine…
Literary Path (Calligraphy and Painting, Poetry and Prose, Playing the Zither with Matchless Skill, Storytelling, Immersive Experience)
Martial Skills: Martial Arts Scripture.
Talent: Control of Electricity.
In this world, the way of Mana relies on the imitation of cultivation, with the Three Teaching Sect as the foundation!
Among them, Taoism and Buddhism focus on cultivating Mana, which is straightforward: they receive the faith and offerings of incense, using them as nourishment to enhance their Taoist Cultivation and Divine Soul, thereby cultivating Internal Yuan Mana.
Confucian Gate, however, is slightly different. It cultivates Cultural Qi and the means of receiving the power of the Divine Soul are not through incense and faith, but rather through official ranks and positions, literary brilliancy, and talents. Nevertheless, the Cultural Qi cultivated also has the wondrous use of Mana.
Thus, among the Three Teachings, which is the strongest and which is the weakest?
Taoism is the strongest, followed by Buddhism, and Confucianism is the weakest.
If it were the mundane world, surely the Confucian Gate, which holds the channels to official ranks that highly overlap with influential families, would be the strongest.
But this is not the mundane world; it is a world of gods and spirits, detached from the ordinary, where power is everything. Taoism, with the longest heritage and deepest potentiality, is undoubtedly the strongest.
Next is Buddhism, which also receives incense faith, has profound potentiality, and a long heritage.
Confucianism, on the other hand, has the shortest history and thinnest foundation. And although it has the way of Cultivation through Cultural Qi and attracts scholars from all over the world, it does not match the pure faith and rich incense, making it the weakest among the Three Teachings, falling behind both Taoism and Buddhism.
Unless one acquires official ranks, the speed of Cultivation through Confucian literary methods will be extremely slow.
Not to mention others, let’s talk about Xu Yang.
Over the past decade, he not only attained the title of “Jie Yuan” but also became famous throughout the world for his calligraphy and painting, poetry and prose, music, and his skill in playing the zither. He even started writing novels, turning them into plays, which spread among the people and became extremely popular, earning him astonishing traffic and wealth.
But what of it?
The accumulation of Cultural Qi is still slow.
Because after a millennium of the Three Teachings managing the world, a concept has taken deep root in people’s hearts.
All are inferior, only the scholarly are exalted!
Calligraphy and painting, poetry and prose are merely minor amusements.
Stories and plays cannot even rise to the level of elegance.
Only the sacred scriptures can pave the grand road, enabling one to attain official ranks and ascend directly to the heavens.
Therefore, despite doing so much, the “Cultural Qi” benefit Xu Yang brings is still inferior to official ranks and titles.
In fact, even with official ranks and titles, the speed of Cultivation through Confucian methods is extremely slow, and the life-prolonging effect is very poor. Those great scholars are without exception elderly men.
This world operates as such, with the Righteous Paths of Cultivation progressing slowly because they can only absorb the believers’ faith and the power of the Divine Soul bit by bit. Without the accumulation of time, everything is empty talk.
Unless one takes the shortcut of the Evil Path and devours the flesh and soul of living beings.
Among the Righteous Ways of Cultivation, the Confucian literary path is the slowest to progress.
If Xu Yang were to focus solely on the Confucian literary path, he would have to enter the capital for exams and seek official ranks. Then, he would step into the political arena, enduring the turmoil of the court. Only after wading through this for two or three decades might he have a chance to become a Great Scholar.
If it were normal times, it wouldn’t matter; he has plenty of time and patience, and two or three decades of accumulation is nothing.
But it is not normal times; it is the end of the dynasty, an extraordinary moment!
Above, there are intense political struggles, and below, strife in the Martial World.
Rebellions arise in various localities, and chaos spreads in all directions.
There are also Evil Spirits, Demons and malevolent ghosts running amok.
With the ever-changing landscape, crises abound.
With his current fame in the Literary Path, along with his wealth and property, who knows how much trouble he will attract.
Those powerful warlords and would-be usurpers, will they spare him, a man of great renown in the world?
And the Evil Spirits and Demons, will they pass up a rich source of Cultural Qi, beneficial to their Cultivation?
The powerful on all sides are covetously eyeing his assets and life, wishing they could divide and devour him.
This is the burden of “great fame.”
Yet, one cannot simply discard such renown as it is tied to the way of Cultivation.
Having no choice, Xu Yang can only find ways to enhance his own strength to cope with various crises.
To strengthen himself, one way is through Martial Arts Scriptures.
Although after using Divine Travel Through Worlds, his Divine Soul was exhausted, very weak, and unable to transfer abilities such as “Founder of Martial Scripture,” he could still practice skills himself and break through the limitations of heaven and earth to some extent.
In addition, he opened a clinic, started a private school, and bought a large amount of farmland for planting and animal husbandry. Although he cannot yet cultivate rare flowers, exotic grasses, or alien beasts due to the lack of high-level Skill Traits, common grains and meats still suffice as nourishment to meet the demands of early-stage cultivation on the Martial Path.
With this, plus the aid of “Cultural Qi,” he has managed to increase his Cultivation to the Three Pass Realm in ten years. He also substitued Cultural Qi for Mana to refine a few Small Thunder Talismans as a lifeline.
But this is still not enough, far from enough!
When a nation is on the verge of collapse, there must be monsters.
Nowadays, the world overflows with all kinds of demons, ghosts, and all manner of spirits running amok.
Not to mention other places, let’s talk about Jinhua Mansion, where there resides the ghastly Ghost Realm—Orchid Temple!
Xu Yang did not know if this was the Orchid Temple he remembered, nor if it housed Nie Xiaoqian, Ning Caichen, Yan Chixia, or the Demon Tree Grandma, but he knew this place was very dangerous, so much so that even the Taoist experts and Buddhist masters within Jinhua Mansion were at their wits’ end with it.
The government was powerless as well, unable to exterminate the evils within Orchid Temple and could only seal off the area to prevent living souls from entering, but to little effect as people still disappeared from time to time.
This speaks to the horror of Orchid Temple.
North City County also lay within the boundaries of Jinhua Mansion, neither too far nor too close to Orchid Temple. As someone deeply coveted by demons and ghosts for his “Cultural Qi treasure trove,” Xu Yang’s situation could be said to be very dangerous; it would not be surprising if some creatures wished to feast on him.
Xu Yang had thought about leaving, to avoid this dangerous place, but after investigating, he realized that the whole world was the same.
Demons were rampant everywhere, and the Three Teaching Sect was not powerful enough. Although moving away might help him avoid Orchid Temple, wherever else he went, he would face another “Orchid Temple.”
Avoidance was meaningless.
Only by enhancing his strength could he face everything.
Therefore, he diligently practiced the Martial Arts Scripture and the Confucian Tao’s literary laws, while also seeking the cultivation methods of both Taoism and Buddhism.
However, unlike Confucian Gate, Taoism and Buddhism had not established a civil examination system; they relied on incense and faith for the collection of Divine Soul strength. Visiting them, Xu Yang could only be a believer, providing them with faith.
Want to start practicing?
Sorry, your background is unclear, and without an introduction, you’re not accepted!
Even if you’re accepted, you must undergo a ten to twenty-year assessment, starting from the very bottom as Taoist Children, handing out tea, delivering water, serving the teachers—only after diligent and hardworking service was there hope to acquire a complete mana point.
This left Xu Yang facing repeated setbacks until he had no choice but to take a risk and cause trouble for the Peach Blossom Taoist.
Otherwise, with his disposition, it was highly likely he would have waited until the Peach Blossom Taoist was old and on the verge of death, or even after his light had gone out, to make a move against Peach Blossom Mountain.
This was also why Xu Yang prepared to refine the “Increase and Decrease Two Generals.”
The current situation was unstable, and his own safety precarious.
He had to enhance his strength as soon as possible to face the chaotic dangers of a troubled world.
But the progress of the Righteous Path’s methods was too slow.
Reluctantly, he had to practice the arts of the Evil Skills to enhance his combat abilities with the help of ghosts.
Of course, it was just skills, not laws!
Skills are not inherently good or evil; nor do powers possess inherent morality—it all depends on how the cultivator wields them.
As long as he did not cultivate evil laws that changed his nature, even practicing evil skills would not affect his status on the Righteous Path, nor would he be restrained by the Righteous Way of Cultivation, like the Peach Blossom Taoist who was full of taboos and defeated before the battle even began.
In the span of a thought, a colored ink painting came into being under his brush!
“My lord, this is…”
The butler glanced at it and showed a surprised expression.
What he saw was neither landscape nor beauty.
But… evil ghosts!
Picture of the Night Walk of a Hundred Ghosts!
Among the hundred ghosts, the Three Generals stood out the most prominently.
One general with a green face, fierce teeth, and a savage mouth held a steel fork in the left position.
Another general with a red face exudes a chilling aura, his fierce eyes and eyebrows performing an ominous dance as he held an iron chain in the right position.
And another general, with an obscure form shrouded in darkness, difficult to discern, sat firmly in the center.
“Night Walk of a Hundred Ghosts, Increase and Decrease Two Generals!”
Xu Yang applied a dot with his brush to the center of the forehead, bestowing two glowing red eyes: “This one shall be the Chief General!”
“This… My lord’s creation is truly fantastic!”
The butler, though bewildered by the painting of a hundred ghosts, did not dare to say more and could only offer a flattering clap.
“Ha!”
Xu Yang laughed, setting down the brush: “After the ink dries, have it mounted. I have someone to give it to.”
“Yes!”
The butler nodded, not asking further questions.
Just then…
“Master!”
“Hmm?”
There was a knock on the door, and Xu Yang raised an eyebrow: “Come in.”
Immediately, the door opened, and a young scholar in a blue robe entered the study: “Master, there is someone asking to see you.”
“Oh?”
Xu Yang smiled, intrigued: “Who is it?”
“This…”
The disciple hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, “I do not know, but by the look of it… it may not be human. We saw that he was out of the ordinary and did not dare to make a decision ourselves, so we came to ask for your guidance, Master.”
“Interesting.”
Hearing this, Xu Yang was not surprised but chuckled lightly: “Please take them to the parlor.”
“Yes!”
The disciple replied and left the study.
“Not human?”
The butler frowned, looking at Xu Yang: “Shall we call people back?”
“No need!”
Xu Yang shook his head with a light laugh: “Such polite company; as the hosts, how can we be impolite?”
“This… Yes!”
“Let’s go!”
