Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 304 Observation is also a form of cultivation
Back when Zhao Yifu was still in the mortal realm, it was actually the beginning of a 'dark age'. He temporarily suppressed all the chaos with the power of the unified dynasty, and the world was still relatively peaceful when he ascended to heaven.

But now, as time goes by, there are no more menders like him in the world, so people are naturally not doing so well.

Zhao Yifu's incarnation did not rush to respond to the not-so-devout call. He first came to Moshan, his hometown and the location of his sect.

It's a pity that in just over seventy years, Moshan has changed so much.

The Daoist palace atop Mount Mo has fallen into complete ruin, while the academy at its foot still stands, though no longer has any Danqing Sect cultivators teaching there.

Zhao Yifu was somewhat incredulous. How long had it been? Where was his Danqing Sect?

So he hurried to the Dharma Transmission Grotto on the back mountain, knowing that if there was still a lineage of painting and calligraphy in this world, it must be in this Dharma Transmission Grotto.

When he arrived, the dark cave had already been sealed off by huge rocks.

Stepping inside, it was still a familiar environment.

Because this grotto for transmitting the Dharma was originally in darkness.

He entered, realizing that he was now an ethereal dream incarnation and that Senior Stone Spirit probably wouldn't be able to detect his presence, so he called out, "Is Senior here?"

He called out three times, and suddenly a figure came through the wall and stood in front of him.

Zhao Yifu immediately bowed in greeting, just as he had done decades ago.

Shi Ling saw Zhao Yifu and said incredulously, "What are you doing here?"

Zhao Yifu said, "On a whim, I wanted to come down and take a look."

"How long have we been gone? How did Danqing Sect end up like this?"

Shi Ling sighed and said, "If I hadn't experienced it firsthand, I wouldn't have imagined it would turn out like this."

"My Danqing Sect originally thought it had fallen into decline after the fall of Yuanxiu, but I never expected it to rise again under Qiuyu's rule. With talents like Liang Fengzi and you within the sect, it was clearly a sign of great prosperity... but I never thought it would become the last hurrah."

Zhao Yifu asked in surprise, "Didn't my senior brother Wensheng and the others already get on the right track? How come they're even having trouble maintaining it?"

Shi Ling said, "It's all because people's hearts are in turmoil in this world that Danqing Sect can no longer find suitable disciples on the mountain."

"Furthermore, the imperial court somehow took notice of this place, so after some discussion, everyone decided to move the mountain gate into the deep mountains and forests."

Zhao Yifu understood. The secrets of the Danqing Sect must have been exposed to the secular world, which meant it would indeed be difficult for them to survive.

He lamented, "Our Danqing School emphasizes worldly cultivation. If we were to move into the deep mountains and forests... I'm afraid our lineage would be lost."

Shi Ling said, "The inheritance will still exist, but it can no longer be passed down in the form of a literary lineage."

Zhao Yifu then asked, "Then what about the 'Transmission of Dharma' grotto..."

Shi Ling said, "The inheritance is still there, but it's all in duplicates now."

"I don't want to leave anymore, so I'll stay here and let Master Chunyang continue to guard the lineage. Maybe the broken lineage can be passed down to the next generation."

Zhao Yifu nodded in agreement.

He chatted with Shi Ling for a while longer before leaving.

He also went to check out the Zhao family's land on the back mountain, and it was quite nice there.

After all, the Zhao family was founded on martial arts and based on agriculture. As long as this foundation remains unchanged, there won't be any major changes.

He couldn't help but marvel at the vicissitudes of life.

In heaven, he didn't feel how fast time passed, but on earth, seventy years had passed, and the Northern Expedition seemed like something from a previous era.

After all, in his previous life, the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, while he traveled to 2025, which is only a little over 100 years apart!

At the time, he felt that the Qing Dynasty was something that happened a very long time ago...

This also applies to Da Xu right now.

The great ancestor of the Xu dynasty, Ying Cong, passed away only fifty years ago, but in the mortal world, two generations have already passed. All those who experienced that era have died. So, what happened back then sounds to people today not much different from stories and legends.
Zhao Yifu felt that there were not many places in the world that he was familiar with, and he couldn't help but feel a little bored.

He was just thinking about going back when he suddenly felt that not-so-devout prayer again...

His true form was currently focused on refining the Heavenly Prison, and he was incredibly bored.

However, the changes in the celestial realm cannot be completed in a short time, so when he was bored, he thought that he could only find fun in the mortal world.

So his incarnation responded to the very impious prayer and appeared before the prayer.

He glanced at it and thought, "Oh ho, they're even using incense for worshipping the gods. Not bad, not bad." Although their intentions weren't sincere, at least their equipment was correct.

Zhao Yifu leisurely appeared before a young man.

The young man looked at Zhao Yifu in surprise and said, "You...you really invited him?"

Zhao Yifu tapped the boy's forehead speechlessly and said, "You've been praying to me for three days, and now that it's really here, you're not happy?"

The boy covered his face and said helplessly, "If you hadn't come, I could have said I didn't succeed. But why did you come?"

Zhao Yifu was completely stumped.

He then looked around and had all the information about his surroundings in mind.

He said, "The Spirit Calling Sect? What a strange sect."

"Your sect's cultivation method isn't just about summoning all sorts of immortals and gods, is it?"

The boy shook his head and said, "No, we 'Spirit Calling Sect' summon the spirits of the deceased. If the spirits still have lingering attachments in the mortal world and recognize the character of the person who invites them, they will respond to the invitation and come to the mortal world to receive offerings."

"How could I..."

The boy looked at Zhao Yifu, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, appearing quite uncomfortable.

Zhao Yifu understood immediately; back when he was still alive, this kind of "spirit summoning method" was already very popular.

The question is, why does this boy look at him like that?

So he asked, "Is there anything about inviting me here that makes you unhappy?"

The boy looked dejected, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Zhao Yifu understood and asked, "It wasn't that you wanted to invite me, but the Spirit Calling Sect assigned me to you, right?"

The boy didn't dare say "yes," so he just nodded.

Zhao Yifu chuckled. Why did this young man look so silly and dazed?
He asked, "Alright, tell me, what's your name, and where are you from?"

The boy swallowed hard and said, "My name is Zhao Huihui, and I come from Zhao Family Village in Mozhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu's face showed a strange expression.

He asked, "Could it be Zhao Family Village behind Moshan Mountain?"

The boy nodded resignedly and said, "Yes, Ancestor."

Zhao Yifu chuckled. He never imagined he could be an 'ancestor'. He said, "Whose child are you? Wait, let me calculate..."

As he spoke, he did some quick calculations with his fingers and exclaimed with delight, "So that's how it is! He's the fifth-generation descendant of my elder brother, Zhao Yicheng!"

Zhao Huihui nodded and said, "Yes...that's how it is."

Then Zhao Yifu said irritably, "You know I'm your ancestor, so why do you look so unhappy after calling me here?"

Zhao Huihui looked like he didn't dare to say anything more.

Zhao Yifu had been nonchalant at first, but now that he was serious, he did some calculations and was speechless to discover that the problem lay with that 'legendary novel'.

Good heavens, that bastard Zhao Yi'an has been reincarnated and is still messing with him.

In that book, "The Story of the Northern Expedition," Zhao Yifu is portrayed as a cunning and shrewish man, a veritable buffoon.

He covered his face and said, "Do you know who wrote that book, 'The Story of the Northern Expedition'?"

Zhao Huihui shook his head blankly and said, "I only know that the gentleman with the pen name 'Heavenly Fate Little Dragon Lord' should have a close relationship with my Zhao family, otherwise he wouldn't know so much about the inside story of the Zhao family."

Zhao Yifu sighed and said, "That guy... if I had known, I would have had his wife chop him up back then, and I would have saved myself the trouble."

Zhao Huihui felt a little uneasy listening to this, but not particularly afraid. After all, in the story, his ancestor was portrayed as a cowardly and untrustworthy person…

Zhao Yifu glanced at the young man sideways, then asked, "Alright, now that you've summoned me, what are you going to do?"

He's started to get a perverse sense of humor; it seems he really enjoys seeing his juniors suffer.

That's it! That's the taste!
Zhao Huihui began to shout in his heart, "This ancestor is exactly the same as the one described in 'The Story of the Northern Expedition'!"

They all have such a twisted sense of humor, enjoy torturing people, and do such inhuman things!
But what can he do?

Zhao Huihui replied helplessly, "Ancestor, I don't know."

Zhao Yifu laughed and said, "Then we'll just have to make do."

Zhao Huihui looked helpless and resigned, took out a dagger, and then slashed his wrist.

Zhao Yifu was startled and quickly jumped aside, almost getting sprayed with blood.

He said, "What's wrong with you? Why do you cut yourself and bleed for no reason?"

Zhao Huihui felt heartbroken looking at the blood he had spilled on the ground. He said, "Ancestor, this is the blood offering to you. Without it, you would hardly be able to stay in the human world for long."

Zhao Yifu scoffed: "What kind of nonsense is this? I don't want this kind of blood offering."

He's a Golden Immortal, why would he need such meager offerings? What a joke, he wouldn't even look at that.

So he reached out and cast a healing water-based spell. The cool water energy enveloped Zhao Huihui's wrist, and the wound he had cut himself quickly closed up.

The reason he didn't recover immediately is because his incarnation could only perform 'simple water control'.

This is the most insignificant manifestation of a dream, and its impact on reality is also 'insignificant'.

However, Zhao Huihui had a different feeling upon seeing this. He felt that there seemed to be some discrepancies between his understanding of Zhao Yifu as an ancestor and his own.

He stared blankly at Zhao Yifu, then asked, "Then may I ask, ancestor, which kind of spiritual energy can you help me refine?"

Zhao Yifu asked curiously, "Refine spiritual energy? You summon heroic spirits and you have this function?" Zhao Huihui nodded and said, "That's how it is in our 'Spirit Calling Sect'. We can only start cultivating after we summon our own heroic spirits. The principle is that the heroic spirits need to purify the spiritual energy in the world for us and provide us with spiritual power that we can use."

"Then we use our spiritual power to learn and cast various spells, which in turn assist the heroic spirits in battle."

Zhao Yifu sensed something was wrong and asked, "Is this what you call cultivation? Don't you have your own Qi cultivation techniques?"

Zhao Huihui shook his head and said, "It does exist, but the effect is not very obvious. It's not as good as a martial artist's internal energy."

Zhao Yifu burst out laughing upon hearing this.

He said, "Okay, then show me our family's traditional kung fu."

Zhao Huihui looked embarrassed, but still practiced the Crane Claw Kung Fu he knew in a very serious manner.

Zhao Yifu said speechlessly, "How long has it been since you last practiced?"

"After I completed the Crane Claw Technique, it became a dynamic exercise that could assist in Qi cultivation. As long as you practice diligently, you will naturally achieve success in Qi cultivation."

Zhao Huihui said aggrievedly, "I don't know either. I'm not some martial arts genius. My family saw that I couldn't succeed in martial arts, so they tried to teach me literature, but that didn't work out either. That's why I came to this 'Daojun Mountain' to cultivate."

Zhao Yifu felt helpless upon hearing this, as if everything had fallen into chaos since he left, both the world and the Zhao family.

He said, “Alright, I’ll tell you now that this ‘Crane Claw Grappling Technique’ is an excellent training method. You must practice it carefully. Once you’ve reached a certain level, I will naturally teach you how to use it in combination.”

Zhao Yifu has begun to feel that he needs to descend to the mortal realm from time to time to give these younger generations some pointers, otherwise the foundation laid in his early years will eventually be squandered by them.

Fortunately, Zhao Huihui was an obedient person... or rather, a 'doormat', he would do whatever he was told.

Zhao Huihui, who was practicing his skills until midnight, felt aggrieved again. He kept practicing while he seemed to want to say something but couldn't.

Zhao Yifu said, "Speak your mind, don't delay your training."

Zhao Huihui asked, "Ancestor, why aren't you resting yet?"

Zhao Yifu retorted, "What do I need to rest?"

Zhao Huihui said, "But those heroic spirits will enter a period of fatigue after they come out to move around for a while and need to rest and be offered sacrifices to recover."

Zhao Yifu said, "Then congratulations, your ancestor didn't need to rest."

Zhao Huihui's face fell.

Zhao Huihui felt miserable, as if he was being forced to work hard and improve himself.

However, Zhao Yifu changed the subject, saying, "But I think you need to rest, so let's call it a day."

Zhao Huihui's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

He no longer has any hope for his future life.

Zhao Yifu chuckled and said, "Alright, I have to go take care of my own things now. Just call me if you need anything... Don't worry, I won't be watching you like this every day. Who has the time for that?"

Zhao Huihui immediately felt like he had 'come back to life'.

At this moment, he dared not say a single unnecessary word to Zhao Yifu, for fear of arousing the interest of this ancestor and causing him trouble again.

Zhao Yifu waved his hand and said, "Before we meet again, I can remind you of something. If you want to cultivate spiritual power, that's fine too. Just find an attribute that suits you and try it out."

"However, your ancestor was skilled in water and fire, so I suppose you are one of them as well."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Yifu disappeared.

But he didn't leave!

He simply concealed his presence and slyly spied on his own juniors.

He now understood why Grandmaster Xuandu always liked to stay on Baiyun Mountain. It turned out that mentoring the younger generation was so interesting; he loved seeing them angry but unable to speak out, looking all wronged and aggrieved...

However, Zhao Yifu did not intend to get too involved in this young man's life. He simply observed the changes in the world from the perspective of this fifth-generation descendant, from a superior position.

The collapse of this world has not yet been felt by the celestial realm, nor even by the mortal court preoccupied with internal strife. However, those at the bottom are already experiencing it acutely.

In October, heavy snow fell.

Zhao Yifu looked up at the snowflakes falling from the sky and said, "This weather seems much colder than it was when I was a child."

Zhao Huihui was startled. He said, "Ancestor, how did you suddenly appear? I didn't call for you."

Zhao Yifu said, "What, can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"

Zhao Huihui said speechlessly, "Okay, okay..."

Zhao Yifu said, "Well, you've achieved a minor success in the Zhou Tian technique this year. You must be looking at people with new respect in the sect now, right?"

Zhao Huihui said with a bitter face, "What nonsense! Our Spirit Calling Sect doesn't value personal cultivation; we only look at how powerful the summoned spirits are."

Zhao Yifu said irritably, "That's a heretical approach. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

Zhao Huihui said helplessly, "But no matter how strong I become, I can't compare to the combat power of those heroic spirits."

"Moreover, if the spirits of heroes are properly worshipped, their combat power can be increased quickly, unlike my own cultivation which results in a slow increase in strength..."

Zhao Yifu said, "Then in the future you will be able to ascend to the heavens, while they will only be able to reincarnate."

Zhao Huihui said, "Ascension? How could there be ascension?"

Zhao Yifu retorted, "Why is it impossible?"

Zhao Huihui said, "Anyway, I've never heard of it."

Zhao Yifu was taken aback for a moment, then did some quick calculations with his fingers...

He suddenly realized, was cultivation in the mortal realm really this difficult?

Not only is the impurity in the environment increasing, making it difficult to refine, but even the inner demons are being increasingly affected by the environment.

There's nothing we can do about it. With so many desires and so much violence in the world, cultivators naturally have to retreat from it.

Thus, those who truly practiced Taoism disappeared into the mountains and forests, while the sorcerers began to travel the world...

Zhao Yifu had already discerned from these scenes the decline of a world, a decline that was all too obvious.

But he didn't want to talk about these things with Zhao Huihui, and only said, "You have me to purify your spiritual energy, so you can continue your cultivation properly."

"By the way, which type of spiritual energy did you choose in the end?"

Zhao Huihui hesitated for a moment, then said, "I chose fire elemental energy."

Zhao Yifu asked, "Oh? Why?"

Zhao Huihui hesitated and said, "Because on my way to become an apprentice, I saw many people who froze to death. I was also freezing badly during my first year on this mountain... Ancestor, you also saw that the weather is too cold. I think fire elemental energy might be able to avoid freezing."

Such a simple reason. Zhao Yifu simply nodded in agreement and then said, "Since you are so anxious about your actual combat, then I will teach you a technique called 'Fire Crane Divine Claw'."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at the brushes and ink in the room, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he created a scroll of martial arts manual with accompanying instructions on movements and text.

Seeing this, Zhao Huihui hesitated for a moment and said, "I thought you would demonstrate it for me?"

Zhao Yifu said, "How can I demonstrate this to you in my current physical condition? At most, I can only control water."

Zhao Huihui nodded upon hearing this, surprisingly taking it for granted.

He then examined the claw technique closely and exclaimed in surprise, "How come this looks so much like our family's 'Crane Claw Kung Fu'?"

Zhao Yifu said, "It's just the foundation of Crane Claw Kung Fu, with some added spiritual energy application. Just practice it and you'll definitely get twice the results with half the effort."

Zhao Huihui had no choice but to agree, after all, it was his ancestor. Even if the reputation outside was bad, he couldn't let it harm his own descendants, could he?
The honest child continued his diligent practice.

Zhao Yifu then disappeared again.

While watching Zhao Huihui diligently cultivate, he himself was also engaged in long-term contemplation... contemplating how the world should survive after the great calamity.

What he had been pursuing all along was the ideal state for the saints, which was to have Venerable Youquan bear the brunt of the thunder for the Three Realms.

However, Zhao Yifu overlooked one thing: what would happen to the Three Realms if this plan failed?
In other words, even if this plan succeeds, the upper structure of the Three Realms will be preserved, and the upper structure with the Heavenly Court as the main body can be transitioned in the smoothest way.

However, he had previously overlooked the impact these changes would have on the mortal realm... Even now, the order of the mortal realm is already showing signs of collapse.

He suddenly realized that his previous boasting to Ying Cong that "everyone is a sage like Yao and Shun" was far too naive. Now he needed to think about how to survive!

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to see such interesting descendants again...

He certainly understood the principle of 'going with the flow,' so his first thought was what the world would become and what the trend of change would be.

His main body and primordial spirit hardly needed to expend any energy refining the Heavenly Prison, so he focused his mind on that instead.

He found that observing phenomena in the human world alone was insufficient for a complete deduction, so he simply created a dream avatar to go to the underworld to observe the situation there and assist in the deduction.

Another dream incarnation remained on Baiyun Mountain, occasionally inquiring about the secrets of heaven and earth with Old Zhang and the Xuan Du Ancestor who had inexplicably become idle again, thus assisting in the deduction.

That wasn't enough; he also had a dream avatar left in the dark void, watching from afar the changes in the Three Realms as a whole.

As a result, his understanding of the world began to advance by leaps and bounds.

He was single-mindedly trying to find a way out by deducing the changes in the human world, but he never expected that this would coincide with the cultivation principles of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

The Great Luo encompasses all things.

How then can we 'embrace all things'?
Naturally, one must understand the mysterious changes of heaven and earth... but that is not enough. One must then use one's own Golden Immortal foundation, that is, one's own 'worldview,' to evolve these 'all things.'

To encompass all the mysteries of heaven and earth with one's own 'worldview'—that is the mark of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

What Zhao Yifu is currently doing without realizing it is learning the mysteries of heaven and earth.

He himself was unaware of it, because he had not yet had the chance to consult his elders at the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. At this moment, he was simply doing what he could do in his own way, using the methods he was used to and the methods he had learned in his sect.

To be honest, this practice of placing incarnations in the three realms is in line with the 'successful experience' of the powerful beings in the heavenly realm. Which true powerful being doesn't have incarnations everywhere?
This is all for the sake of comprehending the Great Luo Dao!

In this respect, Zhao Yifu has an advantage over them, namely that he has an avatar left in the dark void, which allows him to have an overall view of the situation...

(End of this chapter)