The Eastern Emperor of all Heavens did not wish to become a Buddha.

Chapter 90 The Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man

Yingcheng.

The county seat of Ling County in Jiangzhou.

This is the place with the second most scenic spots in Jiangzhou after the city of Guangling. It is one of the most prosperous places in Jiangdong and is known as the most beautiful place in the world!
This ancient city is a typical Jiangdong city, with waterways that are interconnected in all directions, earning it the reputation of being a "three vertical and four horizontal network" of waterways.

Boating on the river, the willows on both banks droop down, the water ripples, and the white walls, black tiles, and verdigris door knockers are reflected in the water, creating a breathtaking scene.

Zhong Xu, dressed in a moon-white monk's robe, sat on a small boat. Before him was an old man with gray hair rowing the oars, and on both sides were various tall multi-story ships.

He looked around with great interest, occasionally glancing over the ship at the houses on the shore, admiring the waterside scenery of this world.

At the same time, his body was undergoing subtle adjustments and changes, constantly drawing closer to the surrounding nature, carrying a touch of ever-changing charm.

As he changed, Zhong Xu's eyes became brighter and brighter, carrying a hint of enlightenment.

This is the true meaning of the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts".

After obtaining the exterior chapter of the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Techniques," Zhong Xu has been constantly studying the true meaning contained within it, and his understanding of this technique has become increasingly profound.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is an unparalleled divine skill that integrates Buddhist and Taoist principles. After practicing it, one can achieve physical sainthood, gain immense strength, and transform in countless ways, but these are not the main points of this skill.

The key to this unparalleled skill is to gradually eliminate external interference through various changes in order to seek the truth of all things.

According to Taoism, this means to understand one's true nature; according to Buddhism, it means to awaken to one's own Buddha-nature.

As the Buddha said: All phenomena that we see are not phenomena.

Only by seeing through external interference and breaking free from self-imposed constraints can one see one's own Buddha-nature.

This is somewhat similar to the true meaning of the first move of the "Buddha's Palm" technique, "I am the only one who is supreme," both of which directly point to the inherent nature of living beings.

However, compared to the simple and brutal first move of the "Buddha's Palm", the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts" is more suitable for ordinary people to follow because it finds the unchanging path in the midst of change through its ever-changing concepts.

Zhong Xu himself had already grasped a trace of his true self, and now he was even more adept at cultivating the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts," and his understanding of his own Buddha-nature was becoming increasingly profound.

At the same time, as he practiced the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Technique," a technique that could automatically adjust its own principles according to the external world, Zhong Xu's inner world became more and more in sync with the external world, and the speed of adjustment became faster and faster, now reaching a perfect state.

Just as Zhong Xu was multitasking, enjoying the scenery of the ancient city while naturally engaging in his own cultivation, the old boatman, noticing the change in his expression, asked curiously, "Is this your first time visiting Yingcheng, Zen Master?"

"good."

Zhong Xu nodded and smiled at the old boatman: "This humble monk is indeed visiting Yingcheng for the first time."

The old boatman chuckled and said, "Judging from the Zen master's status, he should pay homage to the Buddha. You can go to Puxianzhai. The monks there all have great magical powers and great compassion. It is said that even His Highness the Crown Prince, who believes in Buddhism, went to Puxianzhai to stay temporarily."

'The Crown Prince of Southern Jin, Maitreya?'

Zhong Xu's smile remained unchanged: "Thank you for the reminder, benefactor."

However, he came to Jiangdong for other reasons, not to pay homage to the Buddha, nor to be concerned with the matter of this future Buddha reincarnation.

The old boatman glanced at Zhong Xu again, noticing his extraordinary demeanor, and asked curiously, "Judging from the Zen master's appearance, he must also be a martial arts master, right?"

Zhong Xu shook his head slightly and said with a light laugh, "I wouldn't call myself a martial arts master. I just know a few rudimentary techniques and have some strength."

Upon hearing Zhong Xu's words, the old boatman's face showed a hint of understanding: "It seems that the Zen Master has also come for the Xingyun Banquet."

Zhong Xu smiled faintly and said, "So, you actually know about the Xingyun Banquet?"

The old boatman rowed his oars, creating ripples, and said, "He Jiu, the number one on the Human Ranking, the 'Invisible Sword,' is hosting a banquet at Xingyun Manor, inviting the other top experts on the Human Ranking. This has been a sensation in the martial arts world recently, and I have naturally heard about it."

'Number One on the Person List'

Upon hearing these four words, a thoughtful look appeared in Zhong Xu's eyes.

In the present real world, the Zhao family of the Southern Jin Dynasty, in order to incite conflict among various forces, thereby weakening their strength and strengthening the rule of the royal family, specially launched a list based on the Six Doors, whose intelligence network covers the whole world. This list is the Three Lists of Heaven, Earth and Man.

The Heavenly Ranking only ranks terrestrial immortals at the Dharma Body level. However, the Dharma Body level is difficult to attain, and even top-tier forces do not produce one in every generation. Therefore, there is no limit to the number of such individuals, and it represents the most powerful small group of people in the real world today.

The Earth Ranking lists established figures below the Dharma Body level, ranked according to their exploits. Only the top two hundred are included, and those who make the list are all grandmasters above the seventh level of the Outer Realm, basically representing the backbone of the major forces in the Real World.

As for the final list of people, it only ranks the younger generation who have reached the Qi Opening Realm, with an age limit of 35 years old and only 50 spots available.

Anyone over the age of thirty-five, or who has broken through the enlightenment period, will be automatically removed from the list.

Because 99% of ordinary martial artists are at the Enlightenment stage, and the competition on the Ranking of People is fierce and changes the most, it is the list that ordinary martial artists pay the most attention to.

The Invisible Sword He Jiu is currently ranked number one on the Human Ranking, and has held the top spot for three consecutive years, a position that no one can challenge.

Recently, he hosted a banquet at Xingyun Manor, inviting the top young powerhouses on the Human Ranking to the banquet. His intention was to use the pressure from everyone to achieve the realm of returning to simplicity and truth in one fell swoop, thus ascending to the heavens and directly entering the realm of the Outer Realm.

After hearing about this, Zhong Xu confirmed the current timeline of the real world.

If Zhong Xu's memory is correct, the True Imperial Seal is currently located in the Yingcheng area.

This is a treasure of humanity forged by the former Emperor Ai, modeled after the Human Emperor's sword. It can gather the fortune of the human race and strengthen the destiny of the emperor.

This treasure of humanity contains a trace of the Human Emperor's Sword, and it is also mediated by the Ancient Path of the Human Emperor. If Zhong Xu wants to truly see the Human Emperor's Sword through the Ancient Path of the Human Emperor, he will probably need the assistance of this treasure of humanity.

This is also why he came to Yingcheng.

Of course, Zhong Xu was also somewhat interested in the Xingyun Banquet.

In any case, his cultivation level in this lifetime was only at the perfect state of unity between heaven and man, and he had not yet entered the realm of external vision. He was still within the scope of the enlightenment realm as defined by the Human Ranking.

Although his enlightenment level is quite special, even an expert at the outer realm can be killed with a single punch.

Just as Zhong Xu was pondering this, a small boat drifted downstream from the middle of the water, carrying a man in blue robes who was drinking wine on the river.

The man was in his early twenties, with an elegant demeanor and a bold bearing. He drank wine as if it were water, occasionally clapping and singing. His every move carried a touch of otherworldly grace, like a blue lotus slowly blooming in the world.

Just then, the man seemed to sense something, and his gaze shifted to a small boat beside him.

Upon looking at it, his gaze was immediately drawn to a young monk on the small boat.

The young monk wore a moon-white robe, his face was handsome and solemn, and his temperament was elegant and otherworldly.

More importantly, the young monk's aura blended seamlessly with the entire world, giving people a hazy, all-encompassing feeling, like a deity sitting serenely on a cloud.

Upon seeing the young monk, the man felt his heart tremble uncontrollably, experiencing a strange sense of palpitation.

'Harmony between humanity and nature?'

'How can he be so powerful? He's probably far superior to even He Jiu!'

'When did such a powerful young master appear in the martial arts world? How come I've never heard of him before?'

As a series of thoughts surfaced, a hint of doubt arose in the man's mind.

He asked himself if he knew the younger generation in the martial arts world like the back of his hand, but he had never heard of this terrifyingly powerful young monk.

On the other side, Zhong Xu sensed something and turned his gaze to see the elegant man in blue.

The moment he saw the man, his spiritual sense stirred slightly, his divine eye activated, and countless black and white star lines flowed in his eyes, changing the world before him.

A causal star line emanated from Zhong Xu's body, connecting to the man in front of him, and then extended into the void, vaguely linking with a wisp of kingly aura.

'What luck! I never expected to encounter something related to the True Emperor's Seal so soon after arriving in Ying City!'

Buzz

The moment he met Zhong Xu's gaze, the man's heart trembled again, as if he were seeing an extremely complex and illusory world, and he couldn't help but immerse himself in it, unable to extricate himself.

"call!"

Taking a deep breath, the man forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said loudly, "Master Zen, we meet in Jiangzuo, why don't you come over and have a chat!"

Hearing the man in blue's words, Zhong Xu chuckled and said, "Since you have invited me, I will gladly accept."

After saying this, he left some silver for the old boatman, and with a swift movement of his feet, a faint Buddhist light appeared, his moon-white monk's robe fluttered, and in an instant he landed on the man's small boat.

Upon noticing Zhong Xu's movement technique, a hint of amazement appeared in the man's eyes.

Then, looking at the white-robed monk in front of him, he asked curiously, "I am Liu Su from the Huanhua Sword Sect. I greet the Zen Master. May I ask your Dharma name?"

"So it's Young Master Qinglian."

A knowing look appeared in Zhong Xu's eyes. He smiled slightly and said, "Greetings, young master. This humble monk is Fahai."

Qinglian Gongzi Liusu is the direct descendant of the Huanhua Sword Sect and a top ten young powerhouse on the Human Ranking.

Upon hearing this Buddhist chant, Liu Su's expression grew even more puzzled: "I believe that Zen Master Fahai has already reached the state of oneness with heaven and man. Even among the people on the list of human beings, there are probably few who can rival him. Why have I never heard of the Zen Master's name before?"

"hehe."

Zhong Xu chuckled lightly: "This humble monk has been cultivating Buddhism in seclusion and has not traveled in the martial world, so I have never left a name in the martial world."

'Is it a reclusive sect similar to the Rotten Chess Temple?'

A sense of understanding dawned on Liu Su's mind, and she laughed heartily, "Zen Master, your heart is clear and your mind is indifferent to fame and fortune. I admire you."

"Young Master Qinglian is too kind."

Zhong Xu waved his hand. He was not indifferent to fame and fortune, and even liked to show off in front of others. If he hadn't failed to appear in the real world before, He Jiu would never have been ranked first on the Human Ranking.

However, Zhong Xu did not say these words. Instead, he looked at the two wine bowls next to the wine jar and asked in a mysterious tone, "Could it be that Young Master Qinglian has other guests?"

Liu Su picked up a wine bowl and said in a bold tone, "I brought wine to fight with someone, but he broke his promise, so I can only drink alone."

Upon hearing this, the causal star lines in Zhong Xu's eyes changed once again, realizing that the person Liu Su had been drinking with was none other than the current owner of the True Imperial Seal.

(End of this chapter)