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

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned.

It wasn't because Lu Jin actually wanted to challenge Zhang Zhiwei.

It was not because of Lu Jin's posture when he said those words, but because of his demeanor.

That wasn't the youthful arrogance of "I'm going to beat you."

It's not an impulsive "I don't accept your opinion" statement.

Rather, it is a more calm and composed attitude.

"Junior brother also wants to personally experience the true splendor of Longhu Mountain's Thunder Magic."

"I also want to know just how high that so-called 'mountain' really is."

This is about seeking the Way, not about competing for victory.

This is a question, not a challenge.

At the main table, Zuo Ruotong paused slightly in her teacup.

He watched Lu Jin's retreating figure, a hint of relief, pride, and a faint worry flashing in his eyes.

Thankfully, the child has matured and is no longer fixated on winning or losing, but has begun to pursue a higher level of "knowledge".

The concern is that the threshold he chose is perhaps too high.

Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing stroked his beard and smiled, then turned to Zuo Ruotong and whispered:

"Brother Zuo, I admire your disciple's courage."

Zuo Ruotong shook her head slightly, her voice calm:

"It's just that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."

"No." The Celestial Master's gaze was profound.

"Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet still venturing into the tiger's den, that takes courage."

"Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, one does not do so to fight them, but to 'know the tiger'—this is the heart of Tao."

"Your disciple has both of these."

Li Yuan sat quietly, his gaze fixed on Lu Jin.

"That boy, with eyes full of curiosity, whom I first met on the mountain path that day."

"Three battles today have transformed my mindset; I am no longer the naive person I was yesterday."

"only..."

His gaze lifted slightly, swept past Lu Jin, and landed on Zhang Zhiwei.

"This mountain is far higher than anyone imagined."

"That iconic slap scene is finally about to repeat itself."

Zhang Zhiwei remained seated, no longer turning his teacup, nor giving an immediate reply.

Everyone in the room was waiting.

waited for so long.

Zhang Zhiwei suddenly laughed.

That smile was completely different from his usual nonchalant and somewhat lazy one.

It was a smile that was almost one of "gratification".

"Junior Brother Lu..."

Zhang Zhiwei stood up. This time, his movements were not as lazy and sluggish as before, but crisp and efficient.

He walked to the center of the courtyard, stopped about three zhang away from Lu Jin, looked Lu Jin up and down, and suddenly spoke:

Do you know why I sat down just now?

Lu Jin was taken aback.

Without waiting for his reply, Zhang Zhiwei continued speaking to himself:

"Because Lü Ci wants to challenge you."

"It's his business if he challenges you."

"If I were to step in at that time, whether it was to keep your appointment or to steal his thunder, it wouldn't be appropriate."

So I sat down.

"But now, you've taken the initiative to speak up."

"In front of so many people, he sincerely said that he wanted to take one of my moves."

"I want to see how high that mountain is."

"Do you know what this is called?"

Lu Jin shook her head.

"That's called... courage."

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze fell on Lu Jin, and the smile on his lips deepened:

"It's not the courage to fight and be aggressive."

"It is the courage to seek the truth."

"It's the courage to stand up and say 'I want to try' even when you know you might lose badly and everyone will see you in such a pathetic state."

Zhang Zhiwei remained standing there lazily, one hand tucked back into his sleeve.

But his gaze seemed somewhat different from when he looked at others.

There was no condescending scrutiny in that gaze, no arrogance of "you can't do it," only a very simple appraiser.

It's like looking at a junior, a junior who is willing to move forward.

"Do you really want to experience the aura of thunder magic?"

Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Lu Jin nodded vigorously.

"Do you really want to get one step closer to that legendary realm?"

Lu Jin nodded again.

"it is good."

Zhang Zhiwei said.

There is only one word.

But when these words reached Lu Jin's ears, they were like a sudden clap of thunder in spring, shaking his mind and soul.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't say anything more.

He simply pulled the hand out of his sleeve and let it hang casually at his side.

Then, he took a step forward toward the center of the courtyard.

With that step, the entire atmosphere of the courtyard seemed to tremble.

Lu Jin's pupils suddenly contracted.

He clearly "sense" it.

That unique, radiant, and sun-like pure Yang energy belonging to Zhang Zhiwei was now slowly surging out from the gray-white Taoist figure opposite him, just like a tide.

The purity, refinement, and power of that Qi far exceeded his previous expectations.

Compared to it, Fengping's fire energy was like embers in a stove, and Lü Ci's Ruyi energy was like a trickling stream.

Even his proud reversal of life energy seemed like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

This is...

Is this the Thunder Magic of Longhu Mountain?

Is this Zhang Zhiwei's "Tao"?

Lu Jin felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead and instinctively took a deep breath.

The reversal of life energy within his body began to circulate instinctively, and a milky white halo faintly emanated from beneath his skin, forming a warm and gentle protective shield around him.

He did not launch an attack.

He knew that any preemptive attack against someone like Zhang Zhiwei would be futile and a waste of his skills.

He was just waiting.

Waiting for Zhang Zhiwei to make a move.

When the legendary thunder magic truly descends before him.

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Lu Jin's expression, which was as if facing a formidable enemy yet trying to remain calm, and the corners of his mouth curved into a deeper smile.

He didn't rush to make a move.

It was just another step forward.

Two steps.

Three steps.

The distance between him and Lu Jin was less than three zhang.

Then, Zhang Zhiwei stopped.

"Junior Brother Lu."

He spoke, his voice still in that lazy tone:

"Do you know what the most essential thing about Thunder Magic is?"

Lu Jin was taken aback.

He hadn't expected Zhang Zhiwei to ask such a question at this time and in this place.

He answered instinctively, "Thunder magic is the pivot of heaven and earth, the interplay of yin and yang."

"By harnessing one's own vital energy, one can draw upon the power of heaven and earth, thus enabling..."

"Stop, stop, stop," Zhang Zhiwei interrupted him, waving his hand.

"I'm not talking about what's written in those scriptures."

He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread out casually, palm facing upward, as if he were supporting something invisible.

"The most essential thing about thunder magic..."

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze fell on the empty palm, and his tone became somewhat elusive:

It is "faith".

"Believe in yourself that you can summon thunder."

"Believe that the thunder will answer your call."

"In the instant that lightning struck, you became the representative of heaven and earth, the 'point' where yin and yang met."

He looked up at Lu Jin, his gaze so clear it seemed to see into people's hearts:

"And what is the most essential element of your Triple Rebirth?"

Lu Jin was stunned.

His triple rebirth...

He had painstakingly cultivated the Triple Rebirth technique for many years...

He had just used this triple resurrection technique, which he was so proud of after winning three consecutive battles...

What is the most essential thing?

Lu Jin opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't answer.

The scriptures say that the purpose of the Threefold Reversal of Life is to "reverse the acquired and return to the innate."

Master said that the key to the three rebirths is "purification of dust," washing away acquired defilements and restoring my original appearance.

But these are all at the level of "technique," all answers to "how to do it."

Zhang Zhiwei asked about "the most essential thing".

It is the "root" that supports all of this.

Lu Jin stood there, his moon-white robe soaked with sweat, his breathing slightly rapid, and his eyes gradually becoming unfocused.

For the first time, he realized that he had never truly thought about this question, despite cultivating the Reverse Life Triple Technique for so many years.

Zhang Zhiwei looked at him like this, neither mocking nor urging him.

He simply stood there quietly, his right hand still supporting the void, as if waiting for Lu Jin to find the answer himself.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zuo Ruotong sat at the main table, looking at Lu Jin in the room. There was no disappointment in her eyes, only a sense of relief, like watching a seedling break through the soil.

Li Yuan remained seated, as still as an abyss, gazing at Lu Jin's face, which was lost in deep thought, and silently recited in his heart:

Before today, Lu Jin was merely a diligent, talented, and disciplined disciple of the Sanyi Sect.

"From this day forward, if Lu Jin can answer this question, he will be a true seeker of the Dao."

"The master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to you."

"And that problem is that door."

Some roads you have to walk alone.

Some answers can only be found by yourself.

Zhang Zhiwei raised the question.

The rest is up to Lu Jin himself.

The courtyard remained silent.

Lu Jin stood there, as if frozen into a statue.

His brows furrowed more and more, and sweat trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the bluestone slab and leaving a small, dark stain.

His triple rebirth...

The most essential thing...

What is it?

What was it that sustained him, allowing him to awaken that milky-white aura from the depths of his body with each exertion of his internal energy?

What sustained him, making him believe that the aura of light could dissolve all external attacks in every fierce battle?

What sustained him, enabling him to persevere and refuse to give up whenever he encountered obstacles in his cultivation?

Lu Jin closed her eyes.

It sinks into the depths of one's heart.

There, were his limbs and bones, the body upon which he relied to move, fight, and exist.

He remembered what his master had said when he first entered the sect.

"When a person is born, the primordial energy manifests in the limbs and bones, which is in accordance with the natural order. While this conformity aligns with the principles of nature, death is inevitable."

"What our Sanyi Sect seeks is to go against the laws of nature and to refine this body and its limbs back to the primordial Qi."

"At that time, you will no longer be the physical body you are; you will be Qi, you will be the beginning, you will be the 'One' that returns to its origin."

Lu Jin was confused when he heard this, and simply took it as a principle from the sect's classic texts, and memorized it.

But at this moment, as he stood before Zhang Zhiwei, and as that question struck his heart like a thunderbolt, those words suddenly came alive.

His triple rebirth...

Those milky-white halos are not "protective light".

That was the "reverse flow" in his limbs and bones.

Each time you practice your internal energy, you are going against the tide of the natural order, pulling back the primordial energy that has solidified into physical form, bit by bit.

It wasn't that Toyohira's fire was "melted away".

It wasn't the force that "blocked" Lü Ci.

Rather, it was the fire and the energy that touched him, not just him as a person, but also the "countercurrent" behind him.

That countercurrent is pulling his limbs and bones toward the source of "Qi".

Everything in the outside world, when touched by this countercurrent, is naturally swept into this torrent of "countercurrent".

Whether it's fire or energy, the moment it's drawn in, it becomes part of what he's going to "reverse," and it all goes with him back to the source of that "qi."

This is the true power of the Triple Rebirth.

It's not about tolerance, it's not about resolving things.

Instead, it's the opposite!

Lu Jin opened her eyes, her gaze devoid of confusion, revealing only a profound and almost serene understanding.

"Senior Brother Zhang."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unprecedented certainty:

"The most essential element of the Triple Rebirth is 'reversal'."

Zhang Zhiwei raised an eyebrow but did not interrupt.

Lu Jin continued:

"When a person is born, the primordial energy is transformed into the four limbs and the whole body."

"This is the natural order, the inevitability of being born as a human being, and the destiny of eventually dying."

"The founder of the Sanyi Sect believed that since going with the flow leads to a dead end, then they should go against the flow and refine the limbs and bones that had already taken form back into the primordial Qi."

"At that time, I was Qi, and Qi was me. My physical body was no longer my constraint, and death was no longer my end."

He paused, looked down at his outstretched hands, on which a milky white halo was flowing.

"I just fought three battles in a row. The reason I was able to withstand those attacks was not because my Reverse Life Triple Technique was so strong that it could block everything."

"It's because the forces that invaded my body were swept up by the 'reversal' I was undergoing the moment they touched my limbs and bones."

"They have become part of what I want to 'go against,' accompanying me as I trace back towards the source."

"So they can't hurt me."

"Because they haven't hurt me yet, they are no longer 'them,' but 'me'—the splashes of water I create as I go upstream."

Lu Jin raised her head and looked at Zhang Zhiwei, her gaze frank:

"Senior Brother Zhang, this is my answer."

"I don't know... if this is right or wrong?"

Zhang Zhiwei remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

That smile was even brighter and more genuine than before, like the relief and joy an adult feels when they see their child finally take their first steps on their own.

"right."

"That's right."

"It's even more accurate than I expected."

Zhang Zhiwei lowered the hand that had been supporting the void, letting it hang casually at his side.

"Let's return to the two of us. 'Faith' and 'disobedience' may seem different, but they actually share the same origin."

"Because the ultimate form of faith is to surrender oneself to the thunder and become the thunder."

"And your 'reverse,' if cultivated to its extreme, is to bring all things in heaven and earth into your 'reverse flow,' allowing them to return to their origin with you."

"At that time, you will not be fighting against heaven and earth, but leading heaven and earth together."

"These two paths lead to the same destination."

He paused, his gaze falling on Lu Jin with an unusual seriousness:

"Junior Brother Lu, congratulations."

"From this day forward, you are no longer a person who cultivates the Threefold Reversal of Life."

"You are 'someone who walks the path of triple rebirth'."

"These two are worlds apart."

Lu Jin was stunned.

He stood there, listening to Zhang Zhiwei's words, and felt his eyes welling up with tears.

It wasn't a feeling of being wronged, nor was it excitement; rather, it was a more complex and indescribable emotion.

It's like walking a very, very long road, and finally someone tells you:

You've made the right choice.

It's like climbing a mountain for a very, very long time, and finally someone points ahead and says:

That's the mountaintop!

Lu Jin took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to burst from her eyes, and bowed deeply to Zhang Zhiwei.

This bow was more solemn than ever before.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Zhang."

His voice was choked with emotion, yet unusually firm:

"Lu Jin...I've remembered."

Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand, still maintaining his lazy demeanor:

"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense."

"Didn't you just say you wanted to experience the thunder magic?"

"Are you coming or not?"

Lu Jin was taken aback, then her eyes flashed with a bright light.

"Come!"

He straightened up, and the regenerative energy within his body began to circulate once more. The milky-white halo was more solid and serene than ever before.

Because it is no longer just a "protective light".

It is the manifestation of "reversal".

It is his testimony that he pulled this body back to its source, bit by bit.

Zhang Zhiwei looked at him, his admiration growing stronger.

He raised his right hand, extended it flat, and spread his five fingers slightly.

There were no hand gestures, no incantations, and no fancy prelude.

He simply stretched out his hand, as if welcoming something, or as if giving something.

However, at the very moment Zhang Zhiwei raised his hand...

Everyone "felt" it.

That day, things changed.

It's not a real celestial phenomenon.

Rather, something more fundamental in this world was touched.

Lu Jin felt that the aura of reverse life surrounding him was like a candle flickering in the wind, about to collapse under this invisible pressure.

He gritted his teeth and desperately circulated every wisp of rebellious life force within his body.

The halo has stabilized somewhat.

But only a few.

Looking at his struggling, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly said softly:

"Junior Brother Lu, catch it."

"I will only use one palm strike."

"I won't use my full strength in this strike."

"But if you can't handle it, you might have to stay in bed for ten days or half a month."

He paused, a hint of anticipation flashing in his bright eyes.

"Let me see just how far your Reverse Rebirth Triple Technique can go."