Chapter Seven: The Great Way Questions the Heart

When is it?

This scripture will be stamped with a seal, indicating that it was once the private possession of someone, and that person must have placed great importance on this scripture. The seal has turned gray, suggesting that the owner who left the seal has passed away, ... even the four characters within that seal ...

After a long while, that voice finally resounded again: "Young man, why do you practice?"

After countless questions, those voices fell silent

The blind can see, the lame can walk, and one can tread on a tiger's tail. What does this mean?

Kefang Yuan also answered all these questions instantly, without any hesitation

With so many talented individuals available, why not compete for them? Instead, a large number of confused bookworms are brought in, occupying positions of true inheritance, yet they are unable to bring hope to the sect, nor can they provide an advantage in the struggle against the other four great sects. Is this not a waste of resources

In the blink of an eye, it seemed that countless voices arose, posing innumerable questions to Fang Yuan.

Gradually, Fang Yuan became engrossed in his reading

And this gradually led him into a mysterious realm

As soon as these words were spoken, a sudden silence enveloped the surroundings, creating an atmosphere of extreme oppression

Some speculate that Elder Gu Song is truly unwilling to accept the fact that his partner perished for a false scripture, which is why he has been deceiving himself. He firmly believes that the scripture is genuine, as he does not wish for his beloved partner to have died in vain

The material of this Dao Yuan Zhen Jie is extremely rare, resembling silk yet not silk, resembling leather yet not leather. The inscriptions on it have become somewhat blurred, and the cover is also somewhat damaged, with some black, sticky stains on it, the origin of which is unknown, possibly dried blood.

Ultimately, everything is due to this "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie"

Yet, time has swiftly passed, and three hundred years have gone by. In the present day, within the Qingyang Sect, no one holds any hope of unraveling the secrets of the "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie". It is only because Elder Gu Song possesses profound cultivation and high seniority that, with his presence, no one dares to openly oppose.

However, that feeling only appeared once and could never be retrieved again

Indeed, Fang Yuan has read the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie countless times. Not only can he recite the scriptures within it fluently, but he has also thoroughly familiarized himself with all the commentaries related to this text, as well as those concerning the Qingyang Sect and the Four Great Sects of Yueguo over the past seven hundred years. He is even well-versed in the annotations of other versions of the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie, demonstrating an understanding of this scripture that surpasses even Fang Yuan's own palm prints

In these ten years, in his life, apart from the Daoist text "Daoyuan Zhenjie", there has been almost nothing else that has appeared

He paused for a moment before repeating: "... ... There is no need for a reason to become stronger!"

The true explanation of Dōgen was once widely circulated among the Qingyang Sect and even among the five great sects of the Yue Kingdom, so it is not surprising to find the scriptures in the scripture repository. However, the scripture held in Fangyuan's hands at this moment seems to be somewhat different.

Yet, there seems to be something subtly different

What is the meaning of cultivation? What is the intention behind it?

Yet, unbeknownst to him, he seems to have entered an extraordinarily profound world, a world belonging to the true understanding of the Dao.

Fang Yuan almost instinctively replied: "Eating people is fierce"

The meaning of heaven and earth, the hearts of all mortals

This no longer feels like reading, but rather like conversing with an old friend

... ...

If it were not for his unwavering focus over the course of ten years, diligently studying the "True Explanation of Dōgen," he probably would not have merely skimmed through other fields of knowledge, ultimately leading to such a fate

Countless scriptures are floating around, all of which are the contents of the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie

The future of the Immortal Gate is a cause for concern

Or in a more profound expression, these questions were not posed by the other party, nor were the answers provided by Fang Yuan; rather, they were extracted directly from Fang Yuan's innermost being by certain existences in the unseen realm, as if a divine power had gazed into Fang Yuan's soul

Consequently, when the other four great sects of the State of Yue began selecting disciples from various other avenues, only the Qingyang Sect continued to focus solely on the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie. The result of this was that, generation after generation, the true disciples selected by the Qingyang Sect were inferior to those of the other four great sects. Once the foremost among the five great sects, it has now been surpassed by the other four in terms of the quality of its new blood.

Since he had answered in this way, Fang Yuan calmed down and simply forced a bitter smile, responding from the bottom of his heart: "There is no reason! I think this way simply because I am this kind of person. I was born wanting to become stronger, and to become stronger..."

For a moment, he appeared slightly stunned, and his emotions suddenly became exceedingly complex

In these ten years, it has at times been the most important presence in my life, surpassing everything else

Especially, in the lower left corner of the first page of this scripture, Fang Yuan saw a gray seal, which caused him to pause slightly

Familiar words came into view, seemingly pulling Fang Yuan's emotions back to the countless days and nights before the major examination

And behind these scriptures, faintly, one seems to be able to see countless vague and silent figures.

Once again, that feeling from half a year ago has resurfaced

Where exactly is this

It seemed like a coincidence in the dark, as Fang Yuan, in a state of extreme despondency, once again came across this book

Since then, this venerable elder became obsessed with studying this scripture, determined to uncover its secrets. Even the biennial examination of the immortal sect was established forcefully after he was misled by the words of a diviner from the Yi Lou.

... ...

If it were not for this book "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie" ultimately being proven false, he would still be the top of the Jiazi list, renowned across the seven prefectures of Yue, and how could he possibly come to this immortal sect to perform such a minor menial task

Fang Yuan wanted to lift his head, savoring whether this feeling was real or merely a figment of his imagination

These questions are all from the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie. They appear chaotic and disorganized, lacking a clear beginning or end, and may even seem ambiguous. However, Fang Yuan is extremely familiar with the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie; no matter how the other party asks, the answers immediately emerge in his mind

Another voice followed closely, asking: "What is it that allows heaven and earth to endure and persist?"

He never expected that he would once again experience that feeling when he saw the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie here

The universe operates without action, thus it achieves results through the natural order; the human heart has its deficiencies, therefore it adheres to the human heart and refrains from certain actions

Fang Yuan was momentarily taken aback, as if countless answers surged within his heart. However, just as he was about to speak, all those answers suddenly became insignificant. Only the most genuine thought within him emerged: "Because I want to become stronger, I want to stroll above the nine heavens, I want to master the divine powers that can change the world, I want everyone to see me, I want everyone to sing my praises, for countless millennia!"

But he suddenly realized that when he lifted his head, the familiar scriptures were still before him

Having been harmed by the "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie" to such an extent, after entering the immortal gate, Fang Yuan, although reluctant to think about this matter, has nonetheless heard some scattered rumors regarding this "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie"... and has come to understand the twists and turns of the controversies over the past several hundred years

It seemed that everything around had receded, leaving only him and the scripture in his hands existing in this world. It was unclear whether the scripture had entered his mind or if he had fallen entirely into the scripture. He simply felt the absence of all things, only sensing himself enveloped by a mysterious and profound force, with faint chanting sounds surrounding him, echoing from afar to the depths of his heart.

Fang Yuan did not hesitate in his thoughts: "The martial artist is for the great ruler!"

After all, this is a book that I have devoted all my efforts to researching over the course of ten years

I initially wanted to tear it into pieces, but instinctively, I simply opened the pages and began to read.

After a long while, the voice from the depths of darkness slowly spoke again: "Why?"

Fang Yuan wanted to understand this issue, but found himself unable to move, or rather, he could not locate his own body

Logically, he should have a strong aversion to this book, yet upon seeing "The True Explanation of Dao Yuan" once again, his feelings became complicated

Fang Yuanshen's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated: "Could it be that this is the original text obtained by the Grand Elder of the Qingyang Sect back then?"

That voice sounded again: "What more is there to explain?"

Heaven and earth are complete and eternal, yet human hearts are flawed, leading to premature demise

After realizing that the book in his hand was the root cause of his current predicament, Fang Yuan remained silent for a long time

All questions have come to an end, and it seems that the existence in the void is contemplating something

Even Fang Yuan himself was slightly taken aback after answering this question, not expecting to utter such words

And Fang Yuan is the most unfortunate person affected by this decision

It is precisely for this reason that as soon as Elder Gu Song passed away, the Qingyang Sect issued an edict to abolish the Dao Yuan Zhen Jie course

What exactly is this

Fang Yuan similarly responded without the need for contemplation: "Because it does not generate itself, it is able to attain longevity"

Uncertain how much time had passed, Fang Yuan suddenly felt a chill in his heart, realizing what had transpired

Six months ago, after diligently studying the "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie," he experienced this feeling as he fell asleep with a sense of reminiscence. In a state between sleep and wakefulness, he suddenly felt his Dao heart illuminated, with the sound of bells and drums resonating, as if he had entered the realm of scriptures, enveloped by a mysterious and profound power

The multitude and complexity of the problems are countless times greater than those of the ascension examination, more difficult by countless times, and deeper by countless times

Fang Yuan initially did not notice; he simply read on instinctively. Because he was too familiar with this scripture, the feeling of reading it was also very strange. As he saw the characters on the page, the content of the book had already appeared in his mind.

At that moment, a voice suddenly emerged, its origin unknown, yet resonating around Fang Yuan.

What is the solution?

It can be said that, whether it is true or false, it has deeply imprinted itself in his heart, in the depths of his bloodline

Since the emergence of the "Dao Yuan Zhen Jie" by the top cultivators of various sects a thousand years ago, every school and faction has sought to find it. However, when this scripture appeared, it astonishingly manifested in over a hundred copies, which immediately caused great chaos in the cultivation world. Even though it was difficult to discern the true interpretation, various sects fought fiercely among themselves. Elder Gu Song of the Qingyang Sect inadvertently encountered a copy of the Dao Zhen Jie over seven hundred years ago and, after a bloody battle, managed to seize this scripture. Even his Dao partner perished for the sake of this text.

Qingyang Gu Xiu

In this space, every question goes straight to the heart, and one cannot speak falsehoods

The way flows and is utilized, yet may not be filled. The abyss seems to be the source of all things

Upon seeing the "True Explanation of the Dao Yuan," he became immersed in it, forgetting everything; this was almost his instinct for the past ten years