In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 7 Breaking through the Heart Barrier
The air was cool at one o'clock in the morning.

Lu Zhao approached the guardhouse. An old man in military uniform was curled up in a hard wooden chair, his head nodding slightly, his thin body rising and falling gently with his breathing.

The guard at the officers' quarters was a veteran from the Great Cataclysm era, missing his right arm and having difficulty walking. The old man had a very bad temper, and would curse at anyone he didn't like, as if everyone owed him a life.

His name is Zhang Xiaoniu, but as he got older, people started calling him Zhang Laoniu (Old Niu Zhang).

Lu Zhao initially didn't get along well with the old gatekeeper either. Every time he went out drinking with Zhang Like, he would be scolded for being undisciplined. Border guards aren't the military, and they're mostly resting during shift changes at the camp. It's no wonder he couldn't be friendly with people who cared so much.

Later, Lu Zhao discovered that Zhang Laoniu knew a lot about Ant Ridge, so he humbly asked him for advice, and the two gradually became acquainted.

Two years ago, Lu Zhao saved Zhang Like and only then did he realize that the old man was his second uncle.

A murderous glint flashed in Zhang Laoniu's old, withered eyes, but upon seeing that the visitor was Lu Zhao, his expression visibly relaxed.

He also suffers from insomnia, but unlike Lu Zhao, it is a post-war condition.

"I'm planning to transfer to a nursing home. When do you plan to retire?"

Lu Zhao leaned against the window frame of the guardhouse. The old soldier opened his eyes a crack and asked in a cold, hard voice, "Who will replace you?"

"It's not certain yet; we'll choose one from Qin Ze, Liang Fei, and Zhang Yanfeng."

"Ambitious but incompetent, greedy for petty gains and forgetting the greater good, and young and inexperienced people are unreliable."

“I like hearing that, but what about you?” Lu Zhao asked again, “I’m about to move, how much longer do you plan to stay in this guardhouse? With your seniority, you should have been in a sanatorium long ago.”

As a veteran who participated in the Great Patriotic War, Lao Niu should have been drafted in the same batch as his father.

"You're lecturing me now, aren't you? You're staying here too, aren't you?"

Old Niu chuckled dismissively and said, "Half of these old bones were buried in that battle. The remaining half is fine here. If I leave this post, I won't be able to sleep well in the middle of the night."

"At least you can wake up when you take a nap here. But if you go to a nursing home, lie in bed with tubes all over your body and wait for a young girl to change your diapers, that's real torture."

Lu Zhao remained silent for a moment; he could sense Zhang Laoniu's spirit.

He walked on the narrow log bridge called "Battlefield," constantly on edge. He was actually only a step away from the ground, yet he still refused to come down.

Lu Zhao only needs to give him a gentle push with his mental power, and he will land.

The next second, Zhang Laoniu's eyelids started to droop, and he lowered his head and fell fast asleep on the table.

"You've been able to sleep all this time thanks to me; you wouldn't be able to sleep if you didn't go to the sanatorium."

Lu Zhao staggered back to his dormitory.

The room was empty; the walls, floors, and even the few pieces of furniture had been painted white.

This is a mental palace that Lu Zhao created himself to anchor his spirit, using extreme emptiness and simplicity to combat the chaos of his spiritual world.

Strip away everything that evokes warmth; a steely spirit needs to be tempered by fire.

Therefore, Lu Zhao never thought he should kneel down; stubbornness is closer to steel than shrewdness.

He closed his eyes and lay down on the hard bed. The physical discomfort was more helpful in helping him fall asleep than the mental screams.

Breathe, breathe again...

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Zhao once again fell into the quagmire of his mental world.

A doctor cannot heal himself. He can help veterans temporarily calm their nerves, but he cannot help himself cope with the mental turmoil.

In the past, he chose to close his eyes and let the chaotic mental tsunami crash down like a collapsing mountain, letting all the delirium, filth, and despair engulf him.

Waiting for complete unconsciousness is the only brief respite one can obtain.

Now Lu Zhao is about to move forward, his fists clenched and his steps firm and steady.

He is no longer sinking with the tide; he wants to cross the quagmire of the spiritual world.

He needs a ray of light to pierce the darkness.

On the other side of the river, there lies the power that can free him from his predicament and allow him to break free of his shackles.

Suddenly, the view opened up before them, the sky was clear and the earth was empty, the four directions were boundless, signifying the primordial chaos. The old Taoist priest sat cross-legged in the center, like a banished immortal in the mortal world.

He opened his eyes, his gaze filled with surprise and astonishment, followed by a hint of admiration.

"The lay Buddhist's unwavering faith is truly a gifted individual."
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The spiritual world is a primordial chaos.

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "I thought it would take you some time to sense this Primordial Realm again, but I didn't expect it to be only a day later."

His admiration was palpable; reaching the Hunyuan realm was already a remarkable achievement. Now, it seemed Lu Zhao surpassed even that, displaying a talent far exceeding his own in his youth.

Lu Zhao felt the tranquility around him, and his tense mind gradually relaxed.

He shed the coldness he had shown when confronting the quagmire of his spirit, bowed to the old Taoist priest, and performed a deep bow.

"I am deeply grateful to the Daoist Master for imparting his knowledge and teachings; I dare not refuse."

He was unaware of the specific posture and taboos of bowing in ancient times, and to avoid making a fool of himself, it was better to simply bend over. The form may be lacking, but the sentiment is certainly there.

"You flatter me, layman," the old Taoist said, though he couldn't hide his delight.

"Your ability to reach the Primordial Chaos realm is entirely due to your own skill. Although I am older than you, I have only followed the Way of Heaven and done my part in guiding you."

Lu Zhao pondered how to thank the other party, then decided to treat people with sincerity.

Being too cunning will only lead to a lower level of success. The other party is a deity who has lived for five hundred years, and is not an equal to oneself.

He got straight to the point, saying, "Lu Zhao wishes to become your disciple, Daoist Master."

A slight silence fell over the old Taoist priest, who then let out a hearty laugh that reverberated throughout the courtyard like a tsunami.

"The layman has a heart that yearns for the Way, and I, too, have the desire to pass on the torch and extend the lineage of the Way, but our time together has not yet come."

Lu Zhao has exceptional talent, and he is currently his only option.

Lu Zhao's reasons for becoming a disciple based on the teachings and knowledge are sincere, but the old Taoist feels that the time is not right and that it is not good to make decisions too easily.

Lu Zhao was slightly taken aback, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

He had expected the other party to refuse, but was this considered a polite refusal?
The old Taoist priest seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, and comforted them, saying, "The right time will come eventually, it just won't be now."

Lu Zhao was a decisive person and immediately put aside any distracting thoughts.

Since the other party bluntly stated that the time was not right, then it was not a matter of feigning compliance. He disliked a passive stance of indecision and preferred to gain value through action.

He then said, "I cannot accept rewards without merit. Is there anything I can do to help you, Daoist Master?"

The old Taoist priest asked, "I have lived alone for five hundred years and know nothing about the outside world. Tell me about the current state of China. Which member of the Zhu family is currently on the throne?"

Lu Zhao's expression changed, thinking that the Taoist priest was quite loyal to the Zhu family, still hoping that the Zhu family could regain power after five hundred years.

He replied, "Daoist Master, the Ming Dynasty is gone, and now it is the Yan Federation."

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest was visibly taken aback.

Contrary to Lu Zhao's expectations, she did not become emotionally agitated. Her eyes merely flickered slightly, as if a drop of water falling into an ancient well had instantly returned to calm.

The old Taoist priest slowly spoke:
"The Qin dynasty unified the world, but perished after only two generations. The mighty Han dynasty lasted for hundreds of years, but it could not escape disintegration. Even the once-prosperous Tang dynasty eventually returned to dust."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, but there was absolutely no fanatical devotion to the Ming Dynasty.

This old Taoist priest, who had experienced both high and low positions in the imperial court, was well aware of the ironclad historical law that a dynasty's rise and fall are equally swift.

The fall of the Ming Dynasty shocked him, but it was not unacceptable.

"The rise and fall of dynasties is like the ebb and flow of the tides, which is the natural order of things. Five hundred years of change have passed, and the Ming Dynasty's fate has run its course, which is also the will of Heaven."

"It is I who am blinded by a single leaf."

The old Taoist's pragmatism and insight instantly melted away Lu Zhao's preconceived notions.

The ancients were never foolish; they were simply walking under the wheels of different historical periods.

(End of this chapter)