Chapter 9: Chapter 8: The Dilemma of Time Flow Speed.

Translator: 549690339

No wonder these two demons are like this.

There’s a joke that says at the end of the universe, there’s an examination.

In the Journey to the West World, finding the cultivation path of ‘Buddhism and Taoism’ is equivalent to reaching the end.

Just look at it.

In the Journey to the West, besides the initial Jing River’s Dragon King, no other members of Buddhism and Taoism are killed.

Regardless of whether it’s a mountain demon or a mount, as long as one officially enters the Buddhist and Taoist system, one’s life is guaranteed, not to mention the prospect of cultivation.

In the entire Buddhist and Taoist system.

For lower-ranking officials, as long as their souls don’t disperse on the spot, even if their physical bodies die, they can arrange a good reincarnation in the next life. They will continue to have excellent cultivation talent and live a splendid life again.

As for the higher-ranking officials, their true spirits are attached to the Fengshen List. Even if their souls disperse, they can be resurrected in minutes. Terrifying, right?

Seeing this scene.

Xuanqing moved in his heart and then tentatively asked: “Fellow Daoist Black Bear and Fellow Daoist White Snake, since you have a longing for Taoism as well, why not join it?”

Upon hearing this.

The two demons shook their heads bitterly.

If this were modern society, it would be like asking a student on the street why they don’t apply to prestigious universities since they aspire to them.

Isn’t this a sarcastic question?

“Oh, how I wish I could join Taoism, but I can’t get in!”

Black Bear Essence sighed, his eyes showing reminiscence, “Years ago, I also went to East Sheng Divine Continent to search for famous immortal mountains and blessed lands. I looked for countless sects, but they all despised me as a fur-covered, armor-wearing creature!”

Of course.

One more thing Black Bear Essence hasn’t mentioned is that most of the disciples of those Immortal Mountain Blessed Lands either wanted to kill him or make him their mount. There’s no equal treatment.

Otherwise, who would want to be alone in the wilderness without the backing of the Taoist path?

Black Bear Essence thought his cultivation level was decent and dared to try. White Snake essence, on the other hand, didn’t even dare to harbor the desire to try, fearing she would be skinned and tortured.

“So that’s the case!”

Xuanqing nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder, in the original Journey to the West, the Black Bear Essence often hung around with the old monk at Guanyin Zen Temple.

Probably because he speculated that he had no hope of joining Taoism and wondered if he could join Buddhism instead.

It seems… the decline of Taoism and the rise of Buddhism are related to the differences in the way the two religions operate.

…

The three of them chatted for a long time.

It’s time to mention the purpose of borrowing a piece of land for cultivation.

“Fellow Daoist Black Bear, Black Wind Mountain has beautiful scenery. May I stay here for a while?” Xuanqing asked with his hands folded.

Black Bear Essence was slightly startled, but immediately nodded repeatedly.

“Welcome, welcome, Daoist priest Xuanqing, stay as long as you like!”

Upon seeing this.

The White Snake Essence on the side also smiled and said, “The scenery in my Azure Dragon Mountain is also good. I welcome Daoist Priest Xuanqing to visit as well.”

“Thank you, thank you!”

Xuanqing hurriedly thanked them. These two old monsters were really too polite.

Of course.

He knew in his heart that it wasn’t because he was handsome, but because of the identity he wore.

…

And so.

Xuanqing temporarily stayed in Black Wind Mountain.

He planned to find another cave in the Black Wind Mountain.

Black Wind Mountain is quite large. While it’s called a mountain, it’s actually a range of mountains.

Finally.

He found a natural cave at the junction of the Black Wind Mountain Range and the Azure Dragon Mountain range. Upon entering the cave, he could feel a slight breeze flowing through it. The environment was quite pleasant.

“This place is suitable for closed-door cultivation!” Xuanqing surveyed the environment inside.

This was a dwelling abandoned by a brown bear, and there was no bad smell inside or dampness on the ground, making it suitable for living.

“Right, I need to go back to town to buy some food to store in my Game Backpack!” Xuanqing thought to himself.

Before cultivating the ability to avoid cereals, one needs to eat. Besides, even after achieving that level, he didn’t plan to fast. He wasn’t cultivating some invincible path, so there was no need to suppress his appetite.

Then.

He first cleaned up the hygiene of the cave, then went down the mountain to the inn, canceled his room, and bought some dried meat and dried fruit in town.

Everything was ready.

“Begin closed-door cultivation!” Xuanqing sat cross-legged.

After reciting the Serenity Spell twice, he calmed his mind and entered a meditative state.

Exhale~

Inhale~

With each even and rhythmic breath, he absorbed the surrounding spiritual qi, circulating it within his body to transform it into pure mana.

Next.

Aside from eating and drinking, most of his time was spent on cultivation. If he felt bored, he would take a walk in the mountains to clear his mind.

Time flew by during cultivation.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Just when he couldn’t help but immerse himself in cultivation, a game system prompt broke the tranquility.

[Warm reminder: For the health of players, the game will force a logout soon. Countdown: 10…9…8…]

???

Xuanqing was baffled.

The ten seconds quickly elapsed, and without giving him time to think, he was forced to logout.

…

Real world.

Qingping Temple.

Xuanqing had just returned.

An unprecedented feeling overwhelmed him.

So stifling.

His abdomen was swollen, and he almost couldn’t hold on any longer.

The time ratio between the Journey to the West World and reality was 1:10. Having spent half a month in the game meant 36 hours had passed in the real world.

Fortunately, after entering the game, the physical body in reality entered a state of sleep with an extremely low metabolic rate; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to endure for so long.

The temple’s toilet was down a hallway from the bedroom. Xuanqing feared that his bladder would burst before he could reach the bathroom due to the intense abdominal swelling.

Therefore,

Xuanqing, leaning against the wall, struggled to walk to the courtyard.

With nobody around to see, he didn’t care about shyness or morality and aimed directly at a locust tree in the courtyard.

Zzzz~

The urination lasted more than two minutes, which showed just how much had accumulated over the previous 36 hours.

“Phew~ So refreshing!”

Xuanqing relaxed.

This experience made him reconsider his idea of closed-door cultivation.

The time difference between the two worlds posed a problem. Spending too much time in either world would eventually lead to issues.

If he continued to cultivate in the Journey to the West World, the short initial period would be fine, but later stages would require years-long closed-door cultivation or even longer.

What would happen to his real world body then?

On the other hand, if he spent too much time in the real world, his in-game character would be in a long-term coma, wasting time and risking trouble.

Xuanqing furrowed his brow, pondering solutions in his mind.

He remembered the ‘Hang-up Cultivation’ function introduced by the system when he first entered the Immortal Cultivation Game.

This function enabled remote character control in the real world using a phone. Turning it on could allow him to resolve the current dilemma.

However,

Using the Hang-up Cultivation function required spending ingots, which in turn required recharging credit to acquire.

“Perhaps I should look into how this game’s Merit recharge system works!” Xuanqing thought, stroking his chin.

According to Taoist records,

There are four kinds of merits in the world: Innate Merit, Heavenly Merit, Faith Merit, and Human Merit.

The first one, Innate Merit, didn’t have to be considered; it came naturally from birth and is commonly referred to as a person’s ‘luck’.

Heavenly Merit, however, had a chance to be obtained. For example, accomplishing something that complied with the Will of Heaven and Earth would result in rewards from the Heavenly Dao.

Thus,

Faith Merit and Human Merit were the most widespread and sought after by the majority of living beings.