I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 580: Heavenly Realm (313)

The Dragon Lord didn't care about Li Ming's etiquette and just said, "Your human martial arts practice is nothing more than three stages: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, and refining spirit into emptiness. Refining essence into qi makes you an acquired martial artist, refining qi into spirit makes you an innate martial artist. From breaking through to becoming an innate master, and then a grandmaster, it's nothing more than a process of harmonizing the Yin spirit, Yang spirit, and Yuan spirit."

Although the Dragon King has the body of a dragon, he is very knowledgeable when talking about the martial arts of the human race. His explanations are very insightful, concise and clear. Even if Li Ming himself were to explain it, he might not be as straightforward as he said.

The Dragon King then changed the subject and said, "Just like the aquatic cultivation of my kind, the first step is to strengthen one's own Qi and blood. This step often takes a long time, but due to the limitations of racial innateness, the effects vary from species to species. The big fish in the lake may have practiced for a hundred years at this stage. They may be able to fight warriors underwater, but once on land, they are still dead fish. Even the shrimp soldiers and crab generals who have been enlightened by me may not be able to defeat a warrior of yours who has reached the acquired realm. And they have practiced for at least a hundred years."

"Then you will need to condense your human form, which is called the Form Transformation Stage. This step is also extremely difficult. If you succeed, there will be many benefits. It will be like you have reached the Innate Stage, and you can also nurture your Primordial Spirit."

"As for the so-called supernatural powers, which are the level of condensing the golden elixir for us water races, it is the same goal. The human race gathers a supernatural power seed, and we water races achieve a golden elixir. In fact, we are both transforming supernatural powers into substance, combining the body's qi, blood, spirit, and life to cultivate. At this point, there is essentially no difference."

Li Ming knew everything that Long Jun said here. He just nodded without expressing any opinion, but he also knew that what came next was the most crucial thing.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Dragon Lord suddenly laughed and said, "Doesn't the Great Xia court have some kind of three-list ranking system? There's also a list of those in the realm of supernatural powers. Are you aware of that?"

Li Ming immediately replied, "Of course I know. The Ascension Record has spread throughout the thirty-six states and is uniformly distributed throughout the country. It records all the famous and renowned masters of supernatural powers."

The Dragon Lord nodded and said, "It is the Record of Ascension to Heaven. Do you know why it is called the Record of Ascension to Heaven?"

"Record of Ascension to Heaven? Record of Ascension to Heaven? Ascension to Heaven." Li Ming repeated these words several times, then suddenly looked up at the beams above the palace. His gaze seemed to penetrate the palace and the lake and reach the sky.

Then Li Ming pointed upwards tentatively and asked, "Could it be ascending to heaven?"

Seeing this, the Dragon Lord smiled and said, "Exactly!"

“Above the realm of supernatural powers is the realm of heaven and man, the realm of heaven and man!”

"Heavenly man?" Li Ming's expression was complicated. Although it was just two words, he was definitely more familiar with this realm than others. Because to some extent, he had reached this realm, or perhaps it should be said that it was the realm of harmony with the Tao. He had almost completely lost his human nature and only a heaven remained. If it were not for the magic of the Record of Reincarnation, Li Ming would have completely sunk into it and been unable to extricate himself.

The Dragon Lord seemed quite emotional as he spoke, "In the realm of supernatural powers, one cultivates the spirit to return to the void, condenses the Dao seed, and begins to come into contact with the rules of the Heavenly Dao. In this realm, one must practice deeply, master a supernatural power thoroughly, and understand the rules contained therein. However, if one wants to break through to the realm of heaven and man, one must master the word 'bo'. Only in this way can one resonate with heaven and earth and have the opportunity to break through."

The Dragon Lord spoke only a few words, his voice filled with regret. Li Ming, however, was startled, thinking to himself, "So, in the Hedao realm, I've already unintentionally arranged this ideal path for myself. The Huangting True Method encompasses everything, and it's not something that can be perfected by cultivating a single path. I think if I can cultivate and perfect it according to the key points of the Huangting True Method, perhaps reaching the Heavenly Man realm will be within reach."

Li Ming then asked, "But I wonder what's so great about this so-called celestial being compared to the realm of supernatural powers?"

The Dragon Lord's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled softly, saying, "The so-called celestial beings are one with the heavens. Even if their bodies decay, their spirits can survive. At the level of supernatural powers, they can live for five hundred years. However, if one reaches the ultimate celestial being realm, even if their bodies die, they can still preserve their spirits and enter the cycle of reincarnation!"

"Reincarnation?!" Li Ming said subconsciously.

However, the Dragon Lord didn't know the real reason for Li Ming's surprise, and just continued to talk to himself, "It may not be appropriate to call it reincarnation. It's more appropriate to call it possession. In the celestial realm, the soul is perfect and difficult to wear away. Even if the body withers, the soul can still leave intact and find another good body. But preferably, it would be a child under six generations old. The soul has no intelligence and is just like a dead thing without knowledge or consciousness. If it takes over now, there is no entanglement with cause and effect."

Li Ming then asked, "Is there no mystery of the womb? If reincarnation is possible endlessly, then wouldn't the number of celestial beings residing in the world over the past thousands of years be increasing?"

The Dragon Lord murmured, pondering for a long time before answering, "Perhaps there is. Rumor has it that those who have reached the Celestial Realm are elusive, and many of them have eccentric personalities. Some have been silent for hundreds of years before reappearing in the human world, while others even pretend to be re-cultivating. If it weren't for other Celestials, it would be impossible to tell them apart. However, the total number of Celestials in this world seems to always remain within a certain range. Although Celestials have long lifespans, they will eventually run out of energy. Even if there weren't the so-called mystery of the womb, their spirits would eventually age."

The Dragon King then sighed deeply and said, "In this vast world, how can anyone live forever? I am already a thousand years old, accustomed to witnessing the changes of the world and the alternation of seasons. For ordinary people, this is a number that cannot be imagined, but in the vastness of the universe, a mere thousand years is nothing. In another thousand years, ten thousand years, I will eventually turn into ashes."

Listening to the Dragon Lord's words, Li Ming suddenly said, "Dragon Lord, do you understand the water and the moon? The passing of water is like this, yet it never goes away; the waxing and waning of water is like that, yet it never grows or wanes. If we observe them from the perspective of change, then the heavens and the earth cannot even last a moment; if we observe them from the perspective of the unchanging, then all things and I are endless, so why should we envy them?"

"Between heaven and earth, everything has its owner. If it is not mine, I shall not take even a tiny bit. But the gentle breeze over the lake and the bright moon hanging high in the sky—when the ear hears them, they become sound; when the eye sees them, they become color. There is no restriction on taking them, and their use is inexhaustible. They are the Creator's endless treasure."

After hearing this, the Dragon King was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter and said, "Well, well done Li Ming! Seeing you today is truly extraordinary. No wonder he can perform such a sword dance. Hearing about you is truly better than meeting you in person."

Then, the Dragon King waved his sleeves and said, "I am very happy today, but I am a little tired. Caiyi, take this distinguished guest down to rest, and bring him to my birthday banquet tomorrow."

"Yes!" A gentle voice sounded, and then a maid in a colorful dress came forward. She also had a jade pendant hanging around her waist. She nodded to Li Ming and said, "Dear guest, please follow me."

Li Ming had no objection. He just smiled at the woman who had changed into Caiyi and followed her away.

(End of this chapter)