The Three Teachings Converge into One: The Path of the Mortal and the Saintly is the Same

Poetry:

A million cries of sorrow echoed like thunder, as the Demon Lord lurked, seeking to seize living beings.

With a solitary heart, I stand atop the Heavenly Terrace, determined to rescue those lost in darkness and gloom.

It is said that Su Qingxuan wanted to "snatch food from the tiger's mouth" from the Demon Lord.

As soon as this thought arose, the pendant vibrated more violently, and tricolored light flowed within the garment.

It conveys a clear message: It's feasible! But the risks are enormous.

The hatred of millions of people—what an enormous energy that is!

The slightest mistake could cause your meridians to burst, your Dao heart to be corrupted, and the demonic seed to erupt completely.

From then on, he fell into the demonic path, from which there is no return.

But if we do nothing and watch the Demon Lord grow stronger, and wait for Him to break free of the seal, the Three Realms will still face calamity.

Since we're in trouble anyway, might as well take a gamble!

A resolute glint flashed in Su Qingxuan's eyes as he said to Chi Ying:

"Take the team back to the clinic to help, and don't let anyone disturb me."

"Young master, what are you going to do?" Chi Ying asked anxiously.

"I'll do what I'm supposed to do." Su Qingxuan patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't fall into demonic possession this time."

"I've already seen it, so I can handle it."

Chi Ying bit her lip and nodded emphatically: "I believe in you, young master."

Su Qingxuan turned around and walked towards the rooftop of the medical clinic.

It was very windy on the rooftop.

The People's Square in Holy Flame City is just 800 meters in front of the clinic.

From here, you can clearly see the massive influx of millions of people.

Black-clad figures surged like a tide, flags fluttered like a forest, and silence reigned like a mountain.

The atmosphere, so oppressive it was about to explode, made the air itself seem to freeze.

Su Qingxuan sat down cross-legged, with his palms facing upwards.

He first removed the Three Meridians Seal from his neck—the pendant that fused the essence of the three meridians.

The pendant floated in front of him, emitting a radiant glow of blue, gold, and white.

Like a three-colored lotus platform, it slowly rotates.

Then, Su Qingxuan activated the "Three Ones True Technique".

This is the supreme Dharma he created in the Heavenly Realm, which integrates the essence of the three lineages.

At this moment, he activated his full power, and the true essence within his body surged like the Yangtze River.

It circulates repeatedly in the meridians, and with each cycle, the breath becomes more concentrated.

His cultivation level had already reached the threshold of "human saint".

The reason he didn't ascend was because he forcibly suppressed it—

He still has unfinished missions and unresolved karmic ties in the human world, so he cannot leave.

At this moment, he slightly relaxed his restraint.

boom--!

A vast, majestic, and primordial pressure, like the beginning of time, erupted from Su Qingxuan.

However, he kept it confined to the rooftop area, preventing any leaks.

Otherwise, everyone in Holy Flame City would kneel down, thinking that a god had descended.

His cultivation level began to rise, reaching the peak of Mahayana... the threshold of becoming a sage in the mortal realm...

Half-step into immortality... stopped at the critical point.

If he takes one more step forward, the celestial realm will sense it, the immortal gate will open, and he will have to ascend.

But now is not the time.

Su Qingxuan formed hand seals and chanted the Three Meridians Mantra:

"The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to abide in perfect goodness..."

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name..."

"Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form..."

With each recitation, the three meridians in front of the body become brighter.

The three colors of light intertwined, transforming into a pillar of light that shot into the sky and spread out high above.

This formed a massive magic array covering an area of ​​ten miles in radius.

The magic array slowly rotated, with the projection of the Three Meridians Seal at its center, a seal capable of suppressing all heavens.

The concept of encompassing all things.

At the same time, Su Qingxuan released his spiritual senses and connected with the emotional ocean of millions of people below.

In that instant, he "heard" it.

I heard a mother who had lost her child crying:

"My little Ali is only six years old... Why would they bomb the school...?"

The wife, who had just lost her husband, screamed, "He said he'd come back... Liar... Liar!"

I heard the old man, whose home had been destroyed, murmuring:

"This street...I've lived here my whole life...and now there's nothing left..."

They heard the boy vow: "I want to join the army, I want to defeat those evil troops and protect my family!"

They heard the girl praying: "May our ancestors protect us and bring retribution upon those who have done evil..."

A million voices, a million kinds of pain, a million kinds of hatred, converged into a monstrous wave, impacting Su Qingxuan's mind.

"Ah—!" Su Qingxuan groaned, his brow slightly hot, his soul injured.

too heavy.

This is not an abstract concept, but a concrete and vivid story of individual suffering.

Their memories, emotions, and obsessions flooded into Su Qingxuan's consciousness like a tidal wave.

He saw his home reduced to ruins, and his loved ones separated by death.

Seeing children bewildered and helpless in the disaster, seeing elderly people calling out the names of their loved ones amidst the ruins...

Every scene was like a knife, cutting into his heart.

The demonic seed is starting to stir again.

Those thoughts he had suppressed surged up again:

Yes, how pitiful they are, and how hateful those evil soldiers are...

Defeat them, just defeat them...

To stop war with war, to repay blood with blood—that is justice…

"No!" Su Qingxuan gritted his teeth, holding onto the last shred of clarity in his mind.

He recalled the words of the Supreme Celestial Venerable: "The demonic seed is not an enemy, but a mirror."

He recalled his realization:

Anger is acceptable, but one should not be controlled by anger.

Hatred is acceptable, but one should not be driven by hatred.

"This pain, this hatred, is real and justified."

Su Qingxuan said to himself, "I do not deny them, nor do I run away from them."

I want to...accept them, embrace them, and then...transform them!

He suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with a brilliant tricolor light.

"Three Meridian Seal—Withdraw!"

The enormous magic array suspended in the air suddenly reversed, and the three-vein seal projection at the center generated a terrifying suction force.

Above Wanmin Square, the vortex of hatred, several kilometers in diameter, was drawn towards the magic circle by this suction force.

The gray currents of air surged upwards like a waterfall flowing backwards, rushing into the center of the magic array.

Then, through the connection between the magic array and Su Qingxuan, it was poured into his body!

Rumble—!

The world changed color; this is not an exaggeration, it really did change color.

The clouds in the sky were stirred up, forming a larger vortex that resonated with the magic circle.

A fierce wind howled, sand and stones flew everywhere, and the entire Holy Flame City trembled.

In the square, a million people looked up at the strange phenomenon in the sky.

"What is that?!"

"Is it an ancestral miracle?!"

"It's a miracle! The gods heard our prayers!"

People knelt on the ground and bowed to the sky.

People didn't know what had happened, but their instinctive awe made them bow their heads.

Deep underground, that greedy being let out a silent roar.

The "food" that was about to be eaten was stolen!

It frantically unleashed its suction power, vying with the Three Meridians Seal for the energy of hatred.

The two suction forces collided in mid-air, unleashing an invisible shockwave.

The earthquake shattered windows and shook buildings throughout the city.

Su Qingxuan groaned, and another mouthful of blood spilled out.

After all, he was fighting against the demonic array that had been accumulating underground for countless years, all by himself.

Moreover, he also had to focus on refining the hatred energy he had absorbed into his body to avoid being contaminated.

He faced both internal and external troubles, but he did not back down.

"Come on!" A resolute glint flashed in Su Qingxuan's eyes. "Let's see who can dissolve it faster!"

He completely released the restrictions on his meridians, pushing the "Three Ones True Technique" to its limit.

The true essence within the body transforms into three vortexes: the lower dantian contains the primordial qi.

The middle dantian is filled with righteous energy, while the upper dantian is filled with the light of enlightenment.

The three vortexes spun wildly, refining the incoming gray airflow.

Hatred, anger, grief, despair... these negative emotions,

It was absorbed, decomposed, and transformed by the three vortexes respectively.

A vortex, embodying the principle of "the highest good is like water," transforms hatred and anger into gentle vitality.

The two vortexes, with the heart of "benevolence and love for others", transform grief into compassion for saving the world;

The three vortexes, with the mindset of "loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity," transform despair into the power of a vow to save others.

The three types of transformed energy then flowed into the meridians and merged into Su Qingxuan's true essence.

His cultivation level began to surge.

Having already touched the threshold of ascension, now, with such a massive influx of energy...

That thin film was easily pierced.

boom--!

A dazzling light erupted from Su Qingxuan's body.

Golden, white, and blue light intertwined, forming three halos of light behind him.

Within the halo, lotus flowers faintly bloom, scriptures fade away, and moral writings emerge.

Flowers rained down from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the earth—these were extraordinary signs of a sage's birth!

But Su Qingxuan suppressed it firmly.

He sensed that the gates to immortality were opening high above the heavens.

The guiding light of immortals is about to descend, to receive him ascension.

"No... I can't leave yet..." Su Qingxuan gritted his teeth, forming hand seals.

Nine layers of seals were placed above his head, forcefully blocking the guiding light of the immortals.

The celestial light lingered in the clouds, unable to descend, and finally dissipated unwillingly.

Su Qingxuan's cultivation did not stop after breaking through the threshold of ascension; it continued to climb.

Half-step Immortal... Early stage of Half-step Immortal... Mid-stage of Half-step Immortal...

He charged all the way to the peak of the half-step human immortal realm before barely stopping.

It's not that we can't continue, it's that we dare not.

If he pushes any further, he will be unable to suppress the power of ascension.

At this moment, he had already absorbed 30% of the energy from the vortex of hatred.

The being underground was enraged, increasing its suction force and reclaiming 20% ​​of its strength.

Not to be outdone, Su Qingxuan activated the entire magic array and snatched back another 20%.

The two sides engaged in a tug-of-war in the air, each vying for control.

He treated the hatred energy of millions of people as spoils of war, frantically devouring and refining it.

The people in the square were stunned.

They saw the gray vortex in the sky being torn apart by two forces, one golden and one black.

Sometimes it veers towards the clinic, sometimes it sinks underground.

Each pull caused a cataclysmic change in the heavens and earth, with lightning and thunder, and the earth shaking violently.

"What... is fighting?" an old man murmured.

"It's gods and demons..." a woman whispered.

"Yes, I think... it's the gods helping us," a young man suddenly said.

"Can you feel it? The hatred in your hearts seems... not so strong anymore."

Everyone was taken aback, and then pondered carefully.

Yes, that kind of extreme hatred—the desire to destroy everything, the desire to perish together with others.

It seems a bit bland.

The grief remains, the anger remains, but there is also a touch of... clarity.

It was the three streams of true meaning that Su Qingxuan released when he transformed energy that affected them.

Although it may seem like a minor impact, when combined with the actions of millions of people, it can lead to a qualitative change.

Among the gathered crowd, some began to put down their sticks and tinder, staring blankly at the sky.

Some people began to cry, not out of hatred, but out of catharsis.

Some people hugged each other and comforted one another.

The intensity of hatred is decreasing.

The beings underground were in a panic.

If its hatred weakens, its "food" will decrease, and with the balance shifting, it will be unable to compete with Su Qingxuan.

It began to activate another function of the magic array—to ignite and amplify hatred!

Om-!

An invisible wave swept across the square.

Wherever he went, the pain that had been slightly soothed in everyone's hearts was instantly magnified tenfold!

"My child—!" a mother suddenly screamed, overwhelmed with grief.

"Fight them! Protect our home!" A young man's eyes were red, and he clenched his fists.

"We can't let this go!" The crowd erupted again, even more excited than before.

The vortex of hatred suddenly expanded, its color changing from gray to dark red—a sign of impending demonic possession!

Su Qingxuan's pressure increased sharply.

The newly arriving energy was filled with violent, insane, and destructive intent, and was much purer than before.

His three refining vortexes began to tremble, showing signs of collapse.

"Oh no..." Su Qingxuan's mouth was bleeding even more.

He sensed that the demonic seed was cheering and growing.

Those amplified extreme hatreds are the best nourishment for the demonic seed.

It began to grow roots, taking root deep within his primordial spirit, seeking complete fusion with him.

Once they merge, he will no longer be the one controlling the demon seed, but rather the one being controlled by it.

A matter of life and death!

In the critical moment, Su Qingxuan did not panic. Instead, he smiled, a bitter smile, but also a smile of enlightenment.

"So that's how it is... I've actually been struggling with a 'mental tribulation' all along."

It is not the death of the physical body, but a test of the Dao heart.

In the deepest darkness, can we hold onto a glimmer of light in our hearts?

In the midst of overwhelming hatred, can we not forget our original compassionate heart?

He closed his eyes, no longer competing with the beings underground for energy.

Instead, he completely relaxed his defenses, allowing those amplified...

The hateful energy, filled with destructive intent, surged into the body without hindrance.

boom--!

Su Qingxuan's aura was instantly stained dark red.

Beneath the skin, the veins bulge like coiled dragons, representing the rampaging energy of hatred within them.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was slightly swaying, and he exuded a suffocating demonic aura.

"Young Master—!" At the top of the rooftop stairs, Chi Ying sensed the demonic energy and cried out in alarm, about to rush over.

"Don't come any closer!" Su Qingxuan hissed, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Hold the line down here, don't let anyone up!"

Chi Ying gritted her teeth and stopped, tears streaming down her face.

She could sense that the young master was walking a tightrope; the slightest misstep would mean utter ruin.

But there was nothing she could do but believe.

Su Qingxuan was indeed on the edge of a cliff at this moment. A massive amount of hatred energy...

It almost burst his body.

The demonic seed grew wildly, its roots having penetrated 30% of his primordial spirit, and began to influence his thinking in reverse.

Countless evil thoughts arose:

"Kill! Destroy those evil armies! Use their souls to appease the dead..."

"This land is already ravaged; let's overturn everything and rebuild order..."

"Power, give me more power! I want to control everything, to dominate destiny..."

These ideas are so tempting, so "reasonable".

It's as if simply by obeying, one can find liberation, achieve vengeance, and... become a demon.

A strange smile appeared on Su Qingxuan's lips.

But the next second, the smile froze.

Because another image appeared in his mind—

It wasn't hatred, it wasn't killing, it was... those he had saved.

In Savy Town, the boy named Ali handed him half a wheat cake: "Uncle, this is for you."

In the basement of Savy Town, the old woman grasped his hand and wept, "Gods have blessed us, someone has finally come..."

Inside the clinic, the severely injured boy opened his eyes on his hospital bed and weakly said, "Thank you..."

And then there's the girls' school, and the souls of those 169 girls.

They said, "I don't blame you," "You must live well," and "Be my doctor"...

These images, like candlelight in the darkness, are faint yet resolute.

A glimmer of clarity flashed in Su Qingxuan's bloodshot eyes.

"By the way... why do I cultivate?"

It wasn't to become a god, it wasn't to gain control, it was to... save people.

Save the person in front of you, save all people in the world, save everyone who can and should be saved.

Hatred cannot save a person.

Only with compassion, only with wisdom, only by... can we plant the seeds of goodness in an ocean of hatred.

Su Qingxuan took a deep breath—even though what he inhaled was scorching energy of hatred.

He began to practice the final level of the "Three Ones True Technique"—the return of the three meridians to their origin and the unification of mind and body.

This is neither a method of attack nor a method of defense, but rather... a method of cultivating the mind.

Use your heart as the furnace, your intention as the fire, and the true essence of the three channels as the fuel.

Treat all the negative emotions that flood in as ore, and throw them into the furnace.

Through countless trials and tribulations, removing the dross and retaining the essence, the purest "Gold of the Dao Heart" is refined.

This is a crazy idea.

Since ancient times, spiritual practice has emphasized a clear and pure mind, free from defilement.

Who actively absorbs negative emotions to refine their mind?

But Su Qingxuan did it.

Because when he faced the demonic seed at the scene of the academy's bombing, he had already realized:

The demonic seed is not the enemy, but a mirror. Negative emotions themselves are not evil.

Being obsessed with it and being controlled by it is evil.

Hatred can be transformed into the power to uphold justice;

Anger can be transformed into the courage to change injustice;

Sorrow can be transformed into compassion for all living beings.

The key lies in whether one can manage and transform it.

"Come on," Su Qingxuan murmured, opening up all his defenses.

The energy of hatred surged into his heart like a flood bursting its banks, and the fire within burned fiercely.

"The fire of benevolence," "The fire of nature," "The fire of compassion."

The three flames merged into one, using Su Qingxuan's primordial spirit as fuel, and frantically refined everything that surged in.

Pain, indescribable pain.

It's not physical pain, but the pain of the soul being torn apart, burned, and forged through countless trials.

Those feelings of hatred, anger, and sorrow, each carried the memories and obsessions of its original owner.

At this moment, it screams, struggles, and resists within Su Qingxuan's heart furnace.

Su Qingxuan witnessed countless heartbreaking scenes:

A father held his daughter's body and sat motionless in the ruins for three days and three nights, eventually becoming delirious.

In her search for her son, a mother dug open a collapsed school with her bare hands, leaving her hands covered in cuts and bruises.

A young boy looked at the ancestral tablets of his family, silently wiping his sword, his eyes devoid of any smile;

An old man stood before the damaged shrine, reciting prayers over and over until his strength was exhausted...

Every memory is a knife, piercing Su Qingxuan's heart.

But he did not resist, nor did he run away.

He "saw" this suffering, felt this suffering, and then... understood this suffering.

"Yes, you are in pain, you hate, you are desperate..."

"I felt it, I accepted it..."

"But after the pain, after the hatred, after the despair... you still have to live."

Because we are alive, there is hope; because we are alive, we can make a difference.

Because only by living can we prevent tragedy from repeating itself.

Changes began to occur within Su Qingxuan's inner furnace.

Those dark red energies of hatred, under the tempering of the three true fires,

Impurities are stripped away, violence is purified, leaving only the most essential and purest elements—

That is the indomitable will of a land;

It is the courage of one person to defend their homeland;

It is the brilliance of humanity that shines even in the face of adversity.

These are not negative emotions, but positive energy, they are light.

The dark red faded, transforming into golden, white, and cyan light spots.

Like fireflies, they danced in the furnace of the heart, then merged into Su Qingxuan's primordial spirit.

With each bit of integration, his primordial spirit became more solid, and his Dao heart became more steadfast.

The roots of the demon seed, scorched by these points of light, emitted a silent scream and began to retreat and wither.

The beings underground sensed Su Qingxuan's changes and were filled with fear, anger, and confusion.

It didn't understand why this person wasn't consumed by hatred.

Instead, they are refining hatred and transforming it into their own power?

It tried to disconnect, but it was too late.

Su Qingxuan's heart furnace is complete, and the refining speed is getting faster and faster.

It absorbs not only the newly arriving energy, but also the energy that was previously devoured by the magic array and stored underground.

They were all extracted and forcibly refined by Su Qingxuan using a magic array!

"No—!" A silent roar came from underground.

But it didn't work.

Su Qingxuan entered a mysterious state at this moment.

He forgot that he was refining, forgot that he was fighting, and even forgot that he was cultivating.

He was simply "there"—existing there, like a furnace, like a bridge, like a mirror.

Hatred surged in, but through him, it flowed out as compassion;

Pain surged in, passed through him, and flowed out as wisdom;

Despair poured in, passed through him, and flowed out as hope.

These transformed energies not only nourish him,

It also fed back to the millions of people in the square through the magic circle.

Then people saw the dark red vortex in the sky changing color.

From dark red to gray to grayish-white, and finally... transforming into a three-colored stream of light!

Gold represents benevolence, white represents compassion, and cyan represents nature.

Three-colored light streamed down like rain from the sky, falling on everyone.

A miracle happened.

The grief-stricken mother stopped, staring blankly at her trembling hands;

The young man who was about to rush out and fight to the death put down the stick in his hand and burst into tears.

The old man who had been shouting about mutual destruction slumped to the ground, muttering:

"My son...wouldn't want me to become like this..."

Hatred is transforming.

Yes, it's not disappearing, it's transforming.

Transform the hatred of destruction into the power of construction;

The hatred of revenge was transformed into the will to become self-reliant.

People are still grieving, still angry, but a newfound clarity has emerged in their hearts.

A contribution, a hope...

The existence underground uttered its final lament.

Its accumulated energy over several years was mostly stolen by Su Qingxuan.

The rest were also purified and could no longer maintain the operation of the magic array.

Boom—!

A muffled sound came from underground; something had shattered.

That greedy suction force completely disappeared.

The three-colored magic array in the sky slowly contracted, finally transforming into a beam of light that entered Su Qingxuan's body.

Su Qingxuan opened her eyes.

In his eyes, three colors swirled, then finally returned to calm.

Like a deep pool, like an ancient well, it reflects all things without being tainted.

His cultivation level stabilized at the peak of the half-step human immortal realm, achieving the status of a sub-saint in the mortal realm...

The steadfastness of one's Daoist heart and the solidity of one's foundation far surpass the realm itself.

He felt that he could ascend at any moment, and once he ascended,

She is at least one of the best among the celestial beings.

But he suppressed it again, sealing his cultivation level back to the peak of the Mahayana stage—

The threshold for becoming a saint on earth. It's not time yet.

He stood up and looked at the square.

Millions fell silent, gazing up at Su Qingxuan on the rooftop.

They were too far away to see their faces clearly, but they could sense their presence.

The aura emanating from that figure—

It is not oppression, but warmth, compassion, and hope.

I don't know who was the first to kneel down, then the second, the third... and finally,

Millions of people knelt down like a tidal wave, bowing their heads towards the rooftop.

They didn't know who it was, but they knew it was that person.

They were pulled back from the brink of madness and given the strength to continue.

Su Qingxuan did not accept these kneelings.

He turned around and went downstairs.

Chi Ying waited for him at the top of the stairs, her eyes filled with tears: "Young Master..."

"I'm fine." Su Qingxuan smiled, his smile gentle and warm, showing no trace of demonic possession.

"Let's go, there are still many wounded waiting for us."

"But young master, you just now..." Chi Ying hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

"Just now, I survived another tribulation." Su Qingxuan gazed into the distance, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"But the war is not over yet, and the evil has not been eradicated. There are still many more trials ahead."

"I will always follow you, young master," Chi Ying said firmly.

Su Qingxuan patted her shoulder and walked downstairs.

Inside the clinic, the wounded were still waiting for treatment, but the atmosphere had changed.

Before, there was only despair and silence; now, there is a glimmer of hope.

The doctor and his attendants seemed to walk with a lighter pace.

Su Qingxuan changed back into his plain medical robe and walked towards the examination table. His hands were steady, and his eyes were calm.

Because he knew that spiritual practice was not about escaping the world, but about refining one's heart within the world;

A sage is not one who is untouched by the dust of the world, but one who blossoms amidst the dust.

This war, this calamity, is the "dust" he must face.

What he had to do was to navigate through this "dust" of blood and fire, hatred and tears.

Blooming flowers of compassion and wisdom...

It is:

The three lights cleansed the city of hatred, and the flames of calamity burned the heart, making him a near-saint.

Saints are merely travelers in the mortal world; they do not seek immortal mountains but rather the common people.