Under One Person: I Have a Billion Taoist Gods Within Me

Inside the Chengxin Water Pavilion.

The uproar caused by the rejection of "Rebirth Triple" has not yet completely subsided in everyone's hearts.

A subtle tension filled the air, a mixture of amazement, inquiry, and unspoken thoughts.

However, this artificial tranquility was quietly broken by a more fundamental "change".

Zhang Zhiwei, who was standing behind the Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing, suddenly moved.

He did not change his posture, and there was no leakage of any vital energy from his body.

His right hand, hanging down in the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe, gently and slowly tapped the ground with his middle finger and thumb, seemingly touching but not actually touching the ground.

This strike was silent, without light, without wind.

However, within the waterside pavilion, all those whose cultivation had reached the "Sensing the Breath of Heaven and Earth" realm—the Celestial Master, Zuo Ruotong, Li Yuan, and Bai Ling—needless to mention.

Even Wang Wang, Lü Jian, Zhuge Yunting, and even the highly skilled Lü Ren, and the Daoist Yun Shu with a pure and clear Dao heart...

They all felt a slight sense of disorientation at the cognitive level in an instant.

To be more precise...

The "weight" of the "area" surrounding Zhang Zhiwei was silently and domineeringly amplified.

It's as if a point on a piece of Xuan paper that was originally evenly laid out has been pressed down heavily by a brush tip dipped in thick ink. Before the ink has even spread, that point has already become the undisputed "center" of the entire paper.

He was not using any kind of "power" to oppress.

Rather, it is using its own perfect, unobstructed, pure and vast "divine will".

It was an "existential" "fugue" and "coronation" for the small space where he stood.

This is a subtle intervention and reinterpretation of "reality" itself.

It is the natural radiation and definition of the external environment after one's own way has been highly condensed.

Zhang Zhiwei's actions were precisely to find out...

Where exactly does the foundation of Li Yuan's seemingly harmonious and inseparable "natural realm" lie?

Is it true "union with the Tao," where all things are extensions of myself?

Is it some kind of highly sophisticated "simulation" and "resonance," but at its core there is still a gap between "I" and "non-I"?

He used himself as a "wedge" and the divine will that "emphasizes existence" as a "hammer" to gently question the boundary of "nature".

The fingers of Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing twitched almost imperceptibly in his sleeve, but he ultimately did not stop it; instead, a faint hint of expectation flashed in his eyes.

Although his disciple's temperament may seem unruly and unrestrained, his perception and practice of the Great Dao possess a beast-like intuition and purity.

This move seems abrupt.

In reality, Zhang Zhiwei was extending a most earnest request for "seeking the Way" to another "fellow traveler" in the most essential way.

The profound light of the Reverse Life Triple Radiance flickered slightly in Zuo Ruotong's eyes, and he held his breath and concentrated.

The Sanyi Sect seeks to return to the primordial Qi and is extremely sensitive to changes in the state of "existence".

Zhang Zhiwei's "divine fugue" has already touched the edge of "defining reality." Although it is different from the reverse life approach, it is equally profound and unpredictable.

He also wanted to see how Li Yuan would deal with this intrusion, which was almost at the "conceptual level".

Just as Zhang Zhiwei's divine intent ripples from the "Domain of Increase" were about to overflow the distance between the tables and touch the three feet in front of Li Yuan, like a silent tide.

Li Yuan kept his eyes lowered, only slightly adjusting the posture of his hands.

With your left palm facing down, gently press lightly on the edge of the cushion in front of your knees;

With his right hand palm facing up, his five fingers like a lotus flower about to bloom, he was raised about an inch, almost in rhythm with his breathing.

With both hands pressing down and lifting up, one represents yin and the other yang, one represents stability and the other relaxation.

The movements were completely natural, without any deliberate effort, and there was no sense of any "response" directed at Zhang Zhiwei.

It's like the most ordinary, subtle adjustment made by someone sitting in meditation.

However, at the very moment these hands took shape...

A change, or rather, a "transformation," has occurred.

Zhang Zhiwei's "emphasis" on his attempt to define himself as the "focus" of the divine realm...

When they entered the invisible field around Li Yuan that seemed empty yet contained boundless vitality.

We did not encounter the expected "boundaries" or "obstacles".

It was like a drop of thick ink trying to maintain its shape and weight, falling into a clear yet unfathomably deep spring.

There was no violent collision, no mutual cancellation.

That drop of "ink" is Zhang Zhiwei's highly concentrated "presence"...

The moment it comes into contact with "living water", its "thick" properties begin to silently "dissipate".

It's not that it's been diluted, but rather that it's attempting to highlight the "definition" of "specialness" and "weight"...

It was gently "dissolved" by a more expansive, more fundamental "background existence" that encompasses all differences without erasing them.

This "dissolution" is not destruction.

Instead, it's about "returning to simplicity".

It was as if the area around Li Yuan was not a defensive "domain".

Rather, it is an "origin" where "all things return to their original state".

Any "force" or "intention" that carries personal will and attempts to change or define a state of existence...

Once you enter this place, you will naturally shed those added artificial "colors" and "weights".

It reveals its most original, simple, and harmonious state as "a part of the world".

The "special weight" that Zhang Zhiwei gave to that area has been restored to its original "equal share" at this "origin".

Its "focal point" effect is like a dewdrop under the sun; although it still reflects light, it can no longer stand alone from the entire dawn.

at the same time...

The entire Chengxin Water Pavilion, including the fish swimming in the pond, the wind chimes under the eaves, and even the barely perceptible steam rising from the tea in everyone's cups...

Everything dynamic and static, everything audible and inaudible.

As Li Yuan pressed down and then lifted his hands, it seemed as if an extremely brief yet profound "synchronized breathing" occurred.

It was as if the rhythm of all things resonated perfectly with some deeper "background pulse" at that moment.

Zhang Zhiwei's "intensified" divine intent was absorbed and harmonized imperceptibly within this grand and harmonious "resonance background".

It became a harmonious note in this natural symphony, no longer abrupt.

Zhang Zhiwei's finger-tapping gesture was frozen in time.

The look in his eyes, which seemed to hold a playful detachment towards everything, suddenly became clear and focused, like a thin mist blown away by a gentle breeze.

It even produced a rare, almost "shocking" brilliance.

It wasn't the astonishment of frustration, but the shock and ecstasy of explorers suddenly touching upon previously unseen strata cores.

He slowly loosened his grip, his movements even carrying a hint of caution.

It was as if they were afraid of disturbing some exquisite and fleeting "phenomenon" before their eyes.

Zhang Zhiwei remained silent for a moment, his gaze shifting from his loosened fingers to Li Yuan's hands, which were still in a pressing and lifting motion, before finally settling back on Li Yuan's calm and expressionless face.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly before he spoke, his voice lower than usual, each word sounding as if carefully considered:

"Senior Brother Li Yuan."

"This time..."

He raised the hand that had just been clasping his fingers and shook it gently, as if confirming something.

"I have gathered and concentrated my divine will to the extreme, focusing only on this corner, giving it a 'different' quality."

"Ordinary methods may involve breaking through with force, cleverly guiding it, or covering it with a larger scope..."

"They all fall into two categories: 'confrontation' or 'guidance'."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhiwei leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense as he stared directly at Li Yuan, his tone filled with inquisitive interest:

"But you, senior brother... have neither 'resisted' nor 'guided'."

"What I feel is... that there is nothing there, yet it also seems to encompass everything."

"My 'point' fell into it, not because it was blocked, nor because it was moved, but because..."

"Its 'difference' suddenly seems to have become 'unimportant'?"

"Like..."

Zhang Zhiwei frowned slightly, searching for a more fitting metaphor.

At this moment, he was no longer the seemingly lazy young celestial master, but rather a seeker of the Dao, immersed in profound contemplation:

"Like a drop of colored ink falling into the vast and ethereal 'land of nothingness'."

"The ink itself may still have 'color,' but that 'color' has lost the meaning of 'identifying oneself and distinguishing others' in the 'nothingness'."

"It's still 'there,' but it's no longer the 'focus,' but rather part of the 'background'?"

He paused, his eyes shining even brighter:

"Senior brother, is this the 'Land of Nothingness' you're in?"

"Or rather, have you transformed yourself into that 'village'?"

"Therefore, any external 'existence' (any deliberate act, definition, or power), upon entering your realm, naturally 'returns to nothingness' (dissolving its particularity and returning to its original, equal origin)?"

This insight has touched upon the essence of the highest classics of Taoism.

Although expressed in Zhang Zhiwei's own words, which are somewhat simple and unadorned, they get straight to the heart of the matter and are extremely sharp.

This is not only describing Li Yuan's methods, but also questioning the origin of his Dao realm.

Only then did Li Yuan slowly lower his raised right hand, which was resting on his knee, and naturally overlap it with his left hand again.

His movements were so slow and gentle, as if the mysterious transformation that had just dissolved the invisible "divine fugue" was merely a natural ripple in a long breath.

Li Yuan raised his eyes to meet Zhang Zhiwei's ardent and focused gaze, a smile as gentle as the moon breaking through the clouds appearing on his lips.

"Junior Brother Zhiwei, you have a good understanding."

"The Land of Nothingness is a metaphor for Zhuangzi's carefree wandering."

"The perfect man has no self, the divine man has no merit, and the sage has no name; therefore, he can ride the right course of Heaven and Earth, control the changes of the six qi, and roam the boundless."

"My cultivation is but a meager level; how dare I presume to claim I have reached this realm?"

"However, my junior brother's statement about 'returning to nothingness' is a bit too absolute."

"It is not about 'returning to nothingness,' but about 'restoring to the original state.'"

Li Yuan's gaze seemed to pass through Zhang Zhiwei, looking towards the vast天地 (heaven and earth) beyond the waterside pavilion:

"All things in heaven and earth are inherently complete, each with its own place and its own order."

"Junior Brother's 'Divine Intent Fugue' is like using a fine brush to carefully paint gold on an autumn leaf, making it dazzling and surpassing all other leaves."

"This is both the skill of human effort and the refinement of the Daoist mind, truly admirable."

"However..." Li Yuan changed the subject slightly, his tone still gentle.

"The essence of autumn leaves is still autumn leaves."

"Gilding is ultimately just an external decoration."

"What I have done is simply to 'place' this leaf, along with its golden hue, back into the autumn mountain painting of 'endless falling leaves rustling down'."

"From Jin Cai's own perspective, perhaps the 'specialness' has disappeared."

"But in the context of the entire autumn mountain painting, the leaves with gold hues and the leaves without gold hues are both manifestations of autumn, both strokes of nature, without any distinction of superiority or inferiority, both being 'original'."

Therefore, it was not that my junior brother's "power" was "disappeared".

"Instead, the 'appearance' manifested by this 'force' has found its more essential 'position' in a broader 'realm'."

"This is not a contest, but rather... each returning to their place and getting what they deserve."

Zhang Zhiwei listened intently, the light in his eyes gradually shifting from fervent inquiry to a deep contemplation and understanding.

Li Yuan's words were not a denial of his "Dao," but rather a demonstration of another, more magnificent "realm."

His "Gilded Autumn Leaves" is indeed exquisite.

But what Li Yuan was in was the "scroll" itself, which contained countless autumn leaves and even the entire autumn mountain.

The difference between the starting point and the standpoint determines the vast difference in the phenomena observed.

He suddenly let out a long sigh, a long and deep breath that seemed to expel many of his ingrained beliefs and convictions.

Then, a smile returned to his face, this time radiating a cheerful and sincere admiration.

"What a wonderful phrase, 'Everyone back to their place, everyone gets what they deserve!'"

Zhang Zhiwei clapped his hands, his voice clear and melodious.

"My senior brother's path is indeed diverse and boundless, not confined to one style."

"In the past, I was like a frog in a well, only knowing how to hone my brushstrokes and pursue the ultimate golden brilliance of a single leaf, but I never thought about what a realm it would be to integrate this brushstroke into the entire painting of heaven and earth!"

He was not discouraged by witnessing a higher realm; instead, his eyes blazed with an even more fervent light, a light born of boundless awe and longing for the Great Dao.

"I have learned a lot today."

"It turns out that this 'path' has a way of walking besides 'brave and diligent progress, turning leaves into gold', which is 'embracing all rivers and forming a natural painting'."

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Only then did Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing speak gently, his tone filled with approval:

"Zhiwei is able to see his own shortcomings, appreciate the strengths of others, and know that there is always something beyond what is possible. This is the true heart of the Way."

"Young friend Li Yuan's words are profound and insightful; you should carefully study and understand them."

Zuo Ruotong also exclaimed, "Painting autumn leaves in gold is already a masterpiece of craftsmanship."

"It forms a picture scroll on its own, truly a work of nature."

"Although the two of you did not engage in any fighting during your discussion, the exchange of your thoughts and the mutual manifestation of your spiritual realms have broadened our horizons considerably."

"My trip was worthwhile."

Inside the waterside pavilion, the others were already captivated by what they heard.

They may not be able to fully comprehend the subtle mysteries of the "divine fugue" and the "return to the original state" painting.

But Zhang Zhiwei's earnest question, Li Yuan's profound explanation, and the comments from these two senior experts were all remarkable.

That was enough for them to experience a grand dialogue about the essence and path of "Tao" that far surpassed ordinary competition.

Looking at Li Yuan now, their awe was mixed with a sense of unfathomable reverence.

The gazes directed at Zhang Zhiwei now reflect less of his usual carefree attitude and more of an understanding of his pure Daoist heart and extraordinary comprehension.

Standing behind his master, Lu Jin felt as if his heart and mind were being cleansed by a clear spring.

The initial hesitation and frustration caused by the difference in talent have largely dissipated at this moment.

What he saw was not an insurmountable gap.

Instead, they are two equally brilliant and captivating paths to heaven.

This, on the contrary, inspired an even purer and more righteous desire in him.