The Supreme Being of the World, Starting from the Heaven-shattering Fuxi

Chapter 393 Paving the Way for Unorthodox Paths, A Moment of Tribulation Arises
Neither Zhang Jiao's "Taiping Jing" nor the Zhengyi Daoist teachings obtained from Zhang Lu in Hanzhong can be considered top-tier cultivation methods in this world.

Needless to say, Zhang Jiao did not reach the Earth Immortal realm before his death.

Even the Zhang family, which had not yet established its status as a Taoist family in Longhu Mountain, had a patriarch named Zhang Daoling who ascended to heaven as a celestial immortal. He was far inferior to the few golden immortals who had ascended to heaven, and also inferior to the Buddhist cultivators who had achieved Nirvana in the mortal world and entered the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Therefore, the techniques of Taiping Dao and Zhengyi Mengwei Dao can only be used as a reference.

"The Taoist cultivation in this world is based on Qi refining, but it also has requirements for temperament, primordial spirit, and physical body. It is actually quite difficult to achieve the Golden Immortal status and ascend to the Spirit Void Heaven Realm."

At this point, Luo Tianxian suddenly smiled faintly and glanced at Feng Xi: "Brother-in-law, your body shouldn't be that of a virgin, right?"

"Without the primordial yang body, at most one can ascend to the Heavenly Immortal realm like Zhang Daoling, but probably cannot become a Golden Immortal."

Faced with Luo Tianxian's teasing, Feng Xi was speechless. Although he had many children, they were mainly spiritual and Daoist exchanges, and purely physical intercourse. How could he possibly lose his own primordial yang?

However, he had to admit that he could not achieve a state of pure unity, whether in his physical body or his primordial spirit.

It wasn't because he was no longer a virgin, but because his physical body bore the sacrificial mark of the Pollen Empress, and his primordial spirit bore the sacrificial mark of Nuwa.

He could not possibly discard their sacrificial marks to conform to the pure unity of the Spirit Realm and the Blissful World.

"It seems that I really need to try to open up a non-traditional method of attaining enlightenment in this world."

After Feng Xi finished speaking, he said to Luo Tianxian, "In that case, the matter of ascending to the upper realm will need to be handled by you."

"In this world, one person can attain enlightenment and even their entire family can ascend to heaven. When you ascend, just take me with you."

He wanted to visit the Spirit Realm and the Paradise, but he didn't necessarily need to ascend on his own; he could easily hitch a ride with Luo Tianxian.

"Should I practice the methods of Taoism or Buddhism?"

There are two paths to enlightenment in this world, and Luo Tianxian was actually somewhat hesitant.

The foundation she laid with the Pollen Empress, adhering to the cultivation philosophy of the "sick," is closer to Buddhist teachings; however, later, in her quest for the other shore as the "Supreme One," she received much guidance from the Three Pure Ones, making her closer to Taoism.

She felt she could choose either path.

"Then let's cultivate both Buddhism and Taoism."

Feng Xi set the tone for her: in this world, there are actually quite a few cultivators who practice both Buddhism and Taoism, such as Zen Master Tianmeng who has already attained enlightenment in this era, Master Lianshan who has vowed to pave the way for unorthodox paths, and even future nuns like Xinruyu and Saintess Jiayin.

One advantage of practicing both Buddhism and Taoism is that if you are not satisfied after ascending to heaven, you can return and go to another place.

"That works, but shouldn't we also look for some Buddhist cultivation methods in this world?"

Feng Xi said, "No rush, let's go in a few years."

The history of Earth in the Legend of Shushan Swordsmen is roughly the same as that of most other Earths.

It is now the late Three Kingdoms period. In a few more years, Kumarajiva will begin translating Buddhist scriptures, and in a few more years, Bodhidharma will also travel east to spread the Dharma.

At this time, Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian's cultivation levels were only at the beginner level, and they did not intend to interact with the cultivators in the causal chain of this world.

Just as he had previously obtained the foundation for his spiritual practice from Zhang Jiao and Zhang Lu, this time he decided to choose Kumarajiva and Bodhidharma, two eminent monks renowned in the world.

Since there was still some time before Kumarajiva translated the scriptures, Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian began to cultivate using Taoist methods.

Unlike the other worlds Feng Xi experienced, which had clear hierarchical divisions and distinct cultivation realms, with levels determining superiority and inferiority.

The world of Shushan Swordsman Legend adheres to the cultivation philosophy of "following the natural way," which is very different from those hierarchical systems.

However, based on their insight and experience, Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian roughly divided this system into several levels.

The first step is the introductory stage.

Those who are new to the Dao need to strengthen their muscles and bones, concentrate their mind and calm their breath, and at the same time pay attention to the tempering of their character, so as to reach the realm of refining essence into qi, and initially master some techniques, and be able to control talismans and low-level magic treasures, but have not yet transcended the mortal body.
The second step is the realm of the Loose Immortal.

After a cultivator survives the "Fourfold Tribulation," they shed their mortal body, attain the form of a wandering immortal, have their lifespan extended, and their magical power greatly increased.

However, at this time, one must face numerous calamities and tribulations, including heavenly thunder, yin fire, and bi wind. A slight mistake could lead to the destruction of both body and soul.

The third step can be called becoming an earth immortal.

The cultivators have survived several great calamities, lived long lives, and possessed extraordinary magical powers, enough to establish their own sects.

During this stage, it is necessary to focus on accumulating external skills and good deeds to offset the calamities.

The fourth step is becoming a celestial being.

Transcending the mortal world, ascending to the celestial realm, and living as long as heaven and earth.

At this stage, one must completely sever worldly ties and cut off the seven emotions and six desires in order to attain the supreme Dao.

As for how to achieve the fifth step, the Golden Immortal, Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian could not yet discern its mysteries from their limited foundational Daoist techniques. However, it was certain that the Golden Immortal rank, while its power was difficult to manifest in the unique world of Earth, would at least be on par with the legendary Immortal King rank outside of Earth.

Feng Xi even suspected that when a special being like the Long-Browed Immortal ascended, he was already at the level of Creation or Quasi-Immortal Emperor.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were quietly cultivating overseas, completely detached from the karma of the cultivation world, and only went abroad twice during that time.

One time was when Kumarajiva was translating Buddhist scriptures, and he asked him about Buddhist practice and philosophy; another time was when Bodhidharma was traveling east, and he learned a bit of the essence of Zen.

According to Bodhidharma, Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian both have a deep connection with the Zen Buddhism of "smiling while holding up a flower," and he hopes to see them in the Pure Land in the future.

"There's a chance."

After Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian left, Bodhidharma actually wrote down his experience of discussing Buddhism with the two of them in his Transmission of the Lamp.

The names "Feng Shenjun" and "Luo Tianxian" slowly appeared in the cultivation world, which Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian were temporarily unwilling to delve into.

The two of them seemed like people from another world, cultivating themselves in this world, almost completely untouched by karma.

Cultivation in this world places great emphasis on innate talent and potential; very few cultivators possess the potential to ascend to immortality in a single lifetime of cultivation.

Powerful cultivators almost always seek the Dao life after life, improving their inherent qualities through continuous reincarnation, and finally achieving enlightenment and becoming immortals or ancestors.

This is closely related to the cultivation methods passed down from the Heavenly Realm of Spiritual Emptiness and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Whether it is the orthodox Taoism or the true teachings of Buddhism, they have already sorted out the cultivation methods in great detail, requiring almost no extraordinary comprehension from the cultivator.

As long as they follow the steps, diligently cultivate their character, remain steadfast in their resolve, and persist in rigorous training, they can accumulate external strength to overcome tribulations and eventually embark on the path to immortality.

If one lifetime isn't enough, then try again in the next.

On the contrary, those cultivators who consider themselves to have exceptional comprehension and want to take shortcuts will step into the demonic path and never return. Unless they have great opportunities or are enlightened by a master, they are basically on a dead end.

Therefore, this world is favorable to cultivators like Wushi, but unfavorable to cultivators like Ruthless.

No matter how talented or extraordinary a person may be, under the influence of the fundamental principles of this world, if they wish to attain the Dao, they must undergo reincarnation time and again to improve their physical endowments.

Feng Xi and Luo Tianxian's innate talents and abilities are naturally extraordinary, allowing them to attain enlightenment without needing to reincarnate again.

Attaining enlightenment means that they have cultivated to the level of Earth Immortals.

The next step to attain immortality as a celestial immortal or a golden immortal is not something that can be achieved through continued arduous cultivation. It requires accumulating external merits to cope with tribulations.

In particular, Luo Tianxian needs to use her own power to ascend to the Spirit Void Heaven Realm and the Blissful World to experience how the great powers of these two worlds "guide" the younger generation of cultivators.

She needs to refer to this method to perfect her own path of "guidance".

After the timeline entered the Sui Dynasty, Luo Tianxian left the island where they cultivated together and went to the outside world to begin contacting cultivators from various schools and sects.

As for Feng Xi, he continued his arduous cultivation, preparing to integrate his spiritual platform opening method into the cultivation system of this world, truly paving a path for all unorthodox and heterodox paths.

In his view, the reason why unorthodox and unorthodox paths in this world rarely achieve true success lies mainly in four aspects.

First, the cultivation methods are flawed. Many unorthodox cultivators pursue quick results or power, and pay a huge price for these things.

Secondly, their mental capacity is insufficient. Many practitioners are attached to greed, anger, and ignorance, and are unable to transcend cause and effect, which makes it difficult for them to escape their calamities.
Third, the will of Heaven is hard to defy. Unorthodox cultivators often die because they are unaware of the will of Heaven, commit too many sins, or go against the will of Heaven. They are then eliminated by righteous cultivators who act on behalf of Heaven, and their merits become external merits accumulated by the righteous cultivators.

These three points, in fact, cannot hinder those who truly possess great wisdom and perseverance from practicing unorthodox methods.

What prevents them from achieving their goals is actually the fourth and most important reason—the lack of a place to belong.

Once a Buddhist or Taoist practitioner achieves great success, they can travel to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or the Celestial Realm of Spiritual Emptiness.

However, even if a cultivator from an unorthodox sect achieves success in their cultivation, they can still only remain in the mortal realm.

If one were to leave, the only options would be the Heavenly Realm of Spiritual Emptiness and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In that case, why bother with unorthodox methods of enlightenment? Wouldn't it be better to start by cultivating Buddhist and Taoist practices from the very beginning?

"In that case, I will guide these unorthodox cultivators to a suitable place for their cultivation."

As Feng Xi thought of this, he suddenly felt an unprecedented crisis approaching, and the island he was on shook violently.

In an instant, a violent volcano erupted from beneath him, and a towering tsunami swept towards him.

Not only him, but countless creatures in the surrounding seas were also caught up in this sudden calamity.

In an instant, all the powerful cultivators in this world turned their attention to where Feng Xi was, filled with astonishment.

This catastrophe seemed to have been completely outside their calculations.

(End of this chapter)