In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 141 The Dao Palace Method
The medication has a sedative effect.

Lu Zhao had only been drinking for a minute when he felt his eyelids get heavy and he fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

Consciousness sinks into the spiritual world.

Zhao De got up and walked out of the room, but after taking only a couple of steps, he suddenly realized something.

What about the request from that young lady from the Lin family?

Although I just talked it out, when it comes to actually carrying the explosives, I definitely can't let Lu Zhao go up there.

First of all, he has already endured one hardship; ten years ago, he would have been honorably retired to the second line to be cultivated.

Secondly, Lu Zhao has powerful backers.

Lin Zhiyan was just a front; the real heavyweight was Liu Hanwen, the current chief of the South China Sea Circuit Administration, a true regional governor.

They made Lu Zhao carry two explosive charges in a row, and the enemy twisted his head off each time.

Zhao De decided to let Lu Zhao just fire some shots from the wall.

With him here, we can handle the third-tier enemies, and we can just run away from the fourth-tier ones.

A Tier 4 enemy cannot be dealt with by a single explosive charge; it generally requires large aerial bombs or low-yield nuclear weapons to ensure a kill.

Modern weapons have sufficient firepower; what they lack is the ability to locate and hit targets.

The magnetic field problem that plagues the Federation to this day remains unresolved; every time the Ancient God Circle erupts, large areas lose radio communication.

Over the years, underground communication lines have been used to solve the problem of complete disconnection, but it is impossible to fully cover the grassroots level.

For example, in places like outposts deep in the mountains, the geographical location doesn't allow for the laying of cables.

Zhao De went to the next room, where three seriously wounded soldiers were lying on the bed, with a military doctor watching over them at all times.

"Chief."

The army doctor stood up and saluted as soon as he entered.

Zhao De asked, "How are they?"

The military doctor replied, "Captain Wang is out of danger, but the other two need surgery. However, the conditions here are inadequate, and the risk of transferring them is also very high."

In short, it's highly likely there's no hope.

In a battlefield environment, it is difficult to provide an environment for major surgery. Unless there are superhumans with healing abilities, serious injury is tantamount to death.

However, those with healing abilities are all strategic reserve talents of the country and would not appear in such a small place.

Zhao De stood aside and watched for a while, his thoughts a jumble of emotions.

Seeing the soldiers sound asleep brought a sense of relief.

Zhao De had also crawled back from the battlefield, so this kind of scene was not unfamiliar to him; he had seen even more hellish scenes.

Inside a huge tent lay a mass of mummies wrapped in gauze, each groaning in pain from the lack of painkillers, begging their comrades to kill them.

According to regulations, one cannot voluntarily end the life of an injured person; one must do everything possible to save them.

Therefore, some soldiers, after confirming that they are seriously wounded on the battlefield, will ask their comrades or themselves to end their lives with a gun, so as not to suffer from the pain for a period of time before dying.

Zhao De once helped a comrade end his life.

He was relieved that the two soldiers were able to end their lives in their sleep, rather than in the torment of their injuries.

Compared to ten years ago, the Federation's situation is much better, but it hasn't recovered to the level of civilization expected.

Perhaps surrendering would be a mistake.

A thought popped into Zhao De's mind.

"Cough cough cough..."

Wang Tong suddenly coughed, and the military doctor rushed over to check on him.

After a thorough inspection, it was confirmed that there was nothing wrong.

Zhao De sat down on the edge of the bed, and Wang Tong smiled weakly, "Leader, I've always heard people say that during the war, the martyrs had to carry explosives to blow up monsters. I never thought it would be my turn now."

"Now missiles can reach thousands of kilometers, but in the end we still have to carry explosive packs."

Zhao De said, "Ant Ridge Outpost is too small; normally, it's impossible for it to have any Tier 3 demonic beasts. I will apply to the Federation afterwards to expand the border post's staff and equip it with some artillery."

Ant Ridge used to face smugglers as its biggest threat, but the water beasts were never the greatest danger.

To put it bluntly, even if flood control is inadequate and two or three monsters are released, resulting in the deaths of five or six people, the overall impact will be minimal.

Having a dedicated and hardworking cadre like Lu Zhao would be ideal, but without him, things wouldn't collapse.

Most of the time, we just make do like this.

"We really should go for it."

Wang Tongdao said, "We need to increase our heavy firepower to prevent the reappearance of third-tier monsters."

After this battle, Wang Tong has come to empathize with the border guards. He used to think of them as a bunch of peasants, but now he wants to slap his past self.

Men who have fought side by side can quickly develop a closer relationship.

Zhao De continued, "This time you can get a first-class merit. Although you only killed a third-tier demon beast, your bravery deserves to be publicized."

The requirement for a first-class merit is to have a significant impact on the federal government, and this evaluation standard is often not based solely on the size of the merit.

Otherwise, all the first-class merits should belong to Wu Hou, who is a high-level superhuman.

Merit is determined based on the actual situation. For example, a Tier 3 player killing a Tier 3 player is Tier 2, and a Tier 2 player killing a Tier 2 player is also Tier 2.

Below the third rank, killing enemies of the same rank is considered a second-class merit.

If you skip a level, then regardless of success or failure, as long as you dare to do it, you will receive a first-class merit.

Many dead people receive first-class merit awards, but very few living people do.

The Federation needs sacrifices, and everyone needs to have the spirit of sacrifice, otherwise it will be difficult to continue.

Wang Tong asked, "Sir, if I manage to return alive, where will my first-class function be promoted to?"

Zhao De asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Wang Tong pondered for a moment and said, "Cangwu."

The Federation has three capitals: the Imperial Capital, Cangwu in the South China Sea, and Sushen in Bodong.

These are three top-tier cities: Beijing is the political center, Cangwu is the economic center, and Sushen is the oil and energy center.

It is also the place with the best development opportunities in the entire Federation. Historically, apart from the military, almost all the important figures have come from these three places.

If you want to climb the ladder, starting in these three top-tier cities is the best approach.

In the southern region, Cangwu is the natural choice.

Zhao De said, "You can go to Cangwu without any problem, but I estimate you can only start as a deputy clerk, and it won't be a position with real power."

Wang Tong's face stiffened; upon hearing that it wasn't a position with real power, he became somewhat reluctant.

Zhao De laughed and said, "In a place like Cangwu, everyone is assigned a specific position. Even if you have connections, there's no way to get you a powerful post right away."

"Or we could go to Yulin County first; that would be a good option."

Even with Chen Wuhou's connections, it's impossible to arrange a position of real power for Wang Tong.

Because his rank is not high enough, it's impossible to make an exception for him. Even if Lu Zhao were with Liu Wuhou, he would probably be made to start from the bottom.

----------------

Hunyuan.

Lu Zhao walked in as usual. The old Taoist priest did not close his eyes to meditate today; instead, he looked over with a pair of calm, watery eyes.

Judging from his appearance, the malevolent aura has weakened, and his fortune is rising like the morning sun. However, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; the greater the fortune, the greater the misfortune.

He survived a major ordeal, and things seemed to be turning around, but even tougher times were yet to come.

The path he chose was destined to be bumpy.

The old Taoist priest asked, "Your face is all broken; it seems you've suffered quite a bit of injury in real life."

"The teacher is incredibly insightful."

Lu Zhao recounted the events briefly, stating the facts in a straightforward manner.

As for his remorse for the fallen comrades, he made no mention of it.

Lu Zhao felt genuinely guilty, but he would still give the same order if faced with the same situation again in the future.

Life is a constant process of weighing options and making choices. The old Taoist priest could tell that.

Because he knows his student very well.

He possesses both a strong sense of righteousness and a strong sense of personal feelings.

He wouldn't offend the greater good because of his temperament, nor would he use the greater good as an excuse to be inhumane. Lu Zhao's ability to remain silent shows that he has no flaws in his heart.

He said, "Your courage is commendable and praiseworthy, but a wise person avoids dangerous situations. You should be more careful in the future and avoid doing things like this yourself."

Lu Zhao countered, "If you don't lead from the front, how can you expect others to go and die?"

The old Taoist priest said, "In ancient times, when the vanguard was on the front lines, we never saw the commander-in-chief donning armor and going into battle."

Lu Zhao retorted, "But I am not the commander-in-chief yet. As a front-line officer, I naturally have the obligation to lead from the front."

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "It's not worth it. You may not be now, but you will be in the future. Preserving your life is for saving more people in the future. When Emperor Jiajing first ascended the throne, he didn't always show off his talents."

Lu Zhao bluntly stated, "If we don't save them now, how can we talk about the future? Emperor Jiajing ultimately failed to revive the Ming Dynasty because he never had that idea in the first place."

The two faced off, and after a few words, they started arguing again.

Lu Zhao's relationship with the old Taoist priest was not that of an ordinary student and teacher. It only occurred during their spiritual practice; whatever the teacher said was law.

On other matters, it was often the old Taoist priest who taught Lu Zhao the principles of life.

When discussing historical figures, Lu Zhao would generally nod and listen attentively if they were uncontroversial.

If it were the Jiajing Emperor, he would have kicked the "public security document" with his foot.

Jiajing? What a load of crap!

The old Taoist priest was quite stubborn and always used the Jiajing Emperor to educate Lu Zhao, teaching him political tactics.

Lu Zhao generally learns humbly but criticizes openly.

Several times I told the old Taoist priest I couldn't hold back anymore, and he would just pull out a ruler and start hitting me.

To say that he disrespects the sages is ridiculous. The teacher also served under the Jiajing Emperor and received a salary from the emperor; he should be given basic respect.

"Sit down first."

The old Taoist priest stopped the previous topic and instead asked, "Your physical body has broken through to the second level?"

Lu Zhao sat down and answered truthfully: "The situation is critical. I am not confident that I can deal with a second-order demon beast if I do not break through to the second order."

If it weren't for the second order, he would have had to ask his teacher to save his life today.

Level 1 is simply someone with stronger physical abilities than an ordinary person, but they lack self-healing abilities and are easily killed by severe injuries.

The old Taoist priest sighed, "You're just making trouble for yourself again. You were only one step away from perfection."

The first stage is perfect, with inner and outer aspects in harmony.

From a spiritual practice perspective, this means shaping the chaotic soul into a human form, which is called the external form.

Carving facial features on this human figure gives rise to the five senses; this is the inner form.

When the two are combined, the divine will is initially formed.

The most prominent feature is that one's physical condition is directly reflected in the form of the spirit.

For example, Lu Zhao now.

He was wearing camouflage clothing, had injuries all over his body, and had obvious burn marks on the lower half of his right cheek.

Logically speaking, he has already reached the first level of perfection, but he has not yet broken through.

The old Taoist priest knew this, but he didn't say it outright.

Lu Zhao said with some shame, "I have failed my teacher's guidance during this period."

All along, the teacher had gone to great lengths to guide him in his spiritual practice in order to help him achieve perfection.

The old Taoist priest did not blame you, but said, "You are only half a step away from perfection. It's not too late to mend your ways now."

Lu Zhao asked, "Please, teacher, teach me the solution."

"No rush, listen to me first."

The old Taoist priest did not immediately take out his Taoist magic as usual.

Because he had to make up a story on the spot.

There is no way to fix a blind sheep's fold, because the first, second, and third levels of attainment are modern inventions.

In ancient Taoism, there were only three realms: Foundation Establishment, Golden Elixir, and Immortality.

Before the third stage, it's all about Foundation Building; the modern version simply cuts out the courses related to the soul.

However, cultivating both body and mind requires enlightenment. Only with the seed of the Dao can one enter the second stage and develop inner vision.

Lu Zhao's situation was rather special, and in order not to ruin his disciple's opportunity, the old Taoist priest pondered for the past two days and finally came up with a solution.

By skipping the enlightenment process, Lu Zhao, who only possessed the rudimentary form of the Dao seed, was allowed to directly evolve his inner vision.

The interior is based on Taoist lineages, with similar types and origins. For example, the old Taoist priest came from the Shangqing lineage, which is why this Taoist temple exists.

"This method is called Dao Palace, but if you want to try to comprehend the Dao Heart on your own, it means that you have to do everything yourself and grope in the dark."

Lu Zhao asked, bewildered, "Teacher, how should I comprehend this, and what can I possibly comprehend?"

Enlightenment is too mysterious; all he can think of are the principles that the sages of the past have understood and summarized.

The Tao that has been realized is something that truly exists, a consensus already known to millions.

Those things that haven't been understood yet, cannot be seen or touched.

The old Taoist priest explained, “Everything can be the Tao. It has no high or low, no big or small. What you think in your heart can also be the Tao.”

"There is a great way in the world, which teaches all living beings and helps them understand the universe. There is also a lesser way in the world, which lies only in the heart."

"After the sages of the Spring and Autumn period, the Great Way has come to an end, while the Lesser Ways are endless. Our cultivation stands on the shoulders of the sages, and we also continue to expound the ways of the sages about heaven and earth."

Therefore, the Way has no high or low, it lies only in the heart.

The old Taoist priest had attained enlightenment three times, and thus changed his Taoist name three times, each time representing a change in his state of mind and cultivation.

Lu Zhao understood.

The classics interpret me, and I interpret the classics.

The Great Way of the Sages was improved upon by countless sages throughout history, and countless minor paths converged into the Great Way.

If you can figure it out yourself, you can be one of them.

He then asked, "If I comprehend my own path, am I stronger than others?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "I don't know, but if you follow the path of Qingyi, you will have a unique advantage in cultivating your spirit and soul."

As he spoke, he pulled a book out of his sleeve.

The simple book cover bears two characters: 【Dao Palace】.

Lu Zhao took the book with both hands, and as soon as his hands touched it, passages of text appeared directly in his mind.

Just like the old Taoist priest transmitting the Dharma before, it was a true enlightenment.

As he activated the technique, the world was plunged into darkness in an instant.

His soul seemed to be enveloped in layers of cocoons.

Lu Zhao was exceptionally perceptive and vaguely understood why cultivating both body and mind required a master to guide and enlighten him.

Just like teaching literacy in kindergarten, how can one learn Taoist arts if one doesn't know how to read?

Lu Zhao tried to stretch the cocoon again and again, sometimes expanding it outwards, and sometimes shrinking it back down.

There seems to be no pattern to it.

He wasn't in a hurry. If all else failed, Shangqingdao was also a good option, since he was a mental superhuman himself.

It should be much easier to fix.

The Way resides in the heart. Lu Zhao couldn't help but wonder, what did he want?
Ascending to the throne was merely a goal; he did not crave power itself.

Peace was merely something he pursued, and he hadn't fully figured out what constituted true peace.
That probably requires power, a power that can overwhelm everything, a power that can kill a monster without needing eight people.

Having eight supernatural powers might not be bad, as Taoist arts are too troublesome to use.

(End of this chapter)