The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 122 Heavenly Realm

"I am the only one who is supreme in the world."

This sentence is not a domineering statement, but a Buddhist verse. The key is not "sole supremacy" but "only me".

The four elements of Buddhism are empty, and cultivation is to cultivate the "I". This "I" refers to the true self, the original self, and the ego. Except for the "I", everything can be let go, which is the essence of Buddhism.

Having said that, the scriptures are essentially just bragging and easy talk.

After all, Buddha is a floating figure in the sky, who can live without food or drink, and can reincarnate, so he can let go of everything. If a living person cultivates to the point where he doesn't care about anything, then Li Miao will not give him a good face.

Yi Jin Jing, Xi Sui Jing and Da Huan Dan are almost the most valuable things in Shaolin's inheritance. Xing Chi made such a light comment on these three things, saying "As long as people are alive, the temple is nothing", which shows his extraordinary character.

Yongjie remained silent and bowed his head to admit his mistake.

Xing Chi then turned to look at Li Miao: "Master Li, do you have anything else you want to ask?"

"Yes, but I don't know if it's appropriate."

"Hahaha, just ask!" Xing Chi laughed.

"I am a dying monk. If you have anything that is inconvenient for me to ask others, just ask me. I will take everything with me into the ground!"

Li Miao thought for a moment before speaking.

"In that case, I will ask."

"In this martial arts world, the top is the limit. But I checked the ancient books and found that there were many people above the top in the previous dynasties. In this dynasty, there has only been one Ji Tianrui in the past hundred years, and he was killed once."

"What is the reason for this?"

As soon as Li Miao said this, the atmosphere in the hospital suddenly became stagnant.

After a while, Xing Chi smiled bitterly and said, "So that's how it is."

"I thought Commander Zhu came to see me during the day, but Lord Li did not go with his superiors, but came to see me secretly in the middle of the night."

"Did Lord Li acquire this amazing skill purely through his own efforts?"

Li Miao twisted his fingers and raised his eyebrows.

"The master really knows the reason."

"Moreover, the reason is related to the imperial court."

Both of them are smart people, and they have already guessed some things without having to explain it clearly.

Li Miao's three paths merged into one, which was shocking in this martial arts world where there was no one above the top. But as a captain of the Jinyiwei, he actually came to ask Xingchi this question, which exposed his martial arts progress and had little to do with the court.

And Xing Chi's words also confirmed Li Miao's guess - the martial arts of Dashuo had declined a lot compared with the previous dynasty, and the root cause was the imperial court.

Xing Chi waved his hand and sighed, "I'm sorry I can't tell you directly. As long as Lord Li is still in the court, he will know sooner or later."

"But this should not be said by a monk, an outsider, to Lord Li."

"I can't say it. I can't say it."

Li Miao smiled and said, "It is the junior who is rude and makes things difficult for the master."

"It's okay, it's okay." Xing Chi waved his hand.

"Well, I have one last question." Li Miao said.

"Shaolin has been passed down for thousands of years. When Bodhidharma passed away, did he leave any clues about how to take the next step after the three paths merge into one?"

This problem has troubled Li Miao for several years.

As for the progress of "Vajra", "Sumeru" and "Jie Zi", Li Miao was very sure that he had reached the end.

After the fight with Yun Zelin on Mount Tai, he could now complete one path and leave two paths incomplete at any time. Then, if he worked slowly and with perseverance, he would be able to complete all three paths sooner or later.

But, what then?
The three roads are complete, and there is no more road to go.

He vaguely felt that he was still missing something before he could truly reach the realm of Sanfeng Zhenren and Bodhidharma.

But he had no idea about this.

The only three places in the world that might know where to look are the imperial court, Wudang, and Shaolin. The imperial court was obviously a mess, and Li Miao didn't want to rush in before he knew the details. So he could only look for Wudang and Shaolin.

Now, Li Miao finally asked this question to the person who is most likely to know the answer.

Xing Chi nodded: "I know that Lord Li would ask this question."

"However, our Shaolin has been passed down for a long time, and we have encountered dangers that almost wiped out our clan several times. Many of our predecessors' classics have been lost."

"Also, although Bodhidharma was a master of martial arts, he founded a school of Buddhism and did not leave any definite statement on this matter."

"So the monk cannot give Master Li a definite answer."

Li Miao sighed: "Is that so?"

Although he had a vague feeling that he might not get the answer he wanted, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he heard Xing Chi's answer.

Xing Chi waved his hand and said, "Although I cannot give Master Li a definite answer, I was very successful in martial arts in the past, and I have also looked up this matter in the scriptures in the temple, and I have come up with some guesses."

"Later, when the great disaster hit Henan, the monk lost his foundation while saving people, and he gave up the idea of further advancement in martial arts. He then let the matter go."

"Since Lord Li asked, I will share these conjectures with Lord Li. It can be regarded as a starting point for discussion."

After saying that, Xing Chi turned to look at Yong Jie and said, "Come and listen too."

After Yongjie responded and sat down beside him, Xingchi slowly spoke to Li Miao.

"Sir Li, since you are not deeply involved with the court, and the three paths have already returned to one."

"But after trying to take that step, he somehow damaged his state of mind and thus avoided the 'Five Deteriorations of the Celestial Being'?"

Shaolin indeed has a profound foundation. Xingchi’s martial arts level cannot be said to be very high, but just by talking to Li Miao for a few words, he has already guessed Li Miao’s situation.

Li Miao nodded: "Master, what you said is correct."

"Back then, I first cultivated 'Sumeru' and then 'Vajra'. When I combined the two paths into one, I immediately fell into the 'Five Degenerations of the Celestial Beings' and nearly lost my life."

Xing Chi nodded.

"Lord Li is indeed an extraordinary person. He was able to survive this incident."

"But, Lord Li, have you ever thought about what the term 'Five Deteriorations of the Celestial Being' means?"

"Did the predecessors who called this situation 'the five declines of heavenly beings' just find a suitable word from my Buddhist scriptures and paste it on?"

"Is it just because the two have similar external appearances?"

Li Miao's eyes lit up.

"Please enlighten me."

Xing Chi nodded: "This word refers to the five strange phenomena that celestial beings show when their lifespan is about to end."

"The so-called celestial beings refer to the gods who live in heaven. They have been transcendent since the beginning of their existence, and have all kinds of supernatural powers. Their minds and natures do not need to be polished, and are naturally perfect."

"When these celestial beings are about to die, they will show five signs: dirty clothes, withered hair, sweat under their armpits, foul body odor, and dissatisfaction with their seats."

Having said this, Xing Chi paused.

"But, thinking of this, the monk naturally had a question."

“Why would a perfect celestial being die?”

"I have practiced enough, so how could I fall off the lotus platform?"

Li Miao was not very interested in religion and had no way of discussing it with Xing Chi.

Xing Chi also noticed this, smiled and continued.

"Let's talk about the top. In the Shaolin tradition, this realm, whether it is the first, second, or third level, is called the 'Heavenly Realm'."

"Because no matter which path you take, as long as you succeed in it, your practice is sufficient and you have achieved 'perfection'."

(End of this chapter)