Simon turned around and began to walk forward, one step at a time.
His inner qi was like his limbs, commanded and led by his consciousness, penetrating his hollow-like body like sunlight through leaves, then piercing through the cloth shoes on his feet, passing through the stones, and, like true tree roots, seeping into the mountain, unmoving in the face of the Eight Failures.
Gravity pulled from behind, but his inner qi was like a pillar running through his body, keeping him perfectly upright.
This method still felt a bit forced to Simon.
Inner qi and the body are one, so the circulation of innate qi is unimpeded, but there is a clear barrier between inner qi and the myriad things outside the body, which is why Simon's shoe soles were pierced.
Innate qi is the product of a person's vital essence, spirit, and soul, combined under the impetus of a nascent spark of spiritual insight; it possesses all five elements, aligns with nature, and is a powerful force capable of connecting to superior affinity, but Simon did not often train and had little research into martial arts, so he suffered a disadvantage.
The Abbot, also standing upright on the cliff, followed Simon and saw the countless fine holes left on the stones Simon had walked over; he understood, but secretly smiled, wondering how this Buddhist Son would handle it.
Simon pondered for a moment, then suddenly sighed.
He took a light step, and in the next instant, vanished from the mountainside.
"Ah!" The Abbot was so startled he almost lost his footing, but immediately after, he sensed the Buddhist Son standing on the mountain peak.
"Divine Foot Technique!" The monks were both surprised and relieved.
A Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva, possessing vast divine powers, no need to say more.
The so-called Divine Foot Technique, or Divine Foot, means that one's mind possesses wondrous power. The Divine Foot Technique allows the mind to travel in all directions without losing its meditative state, comparable to the Daoist concept of 'spiritual wandering'. However, precisely because body and mind are illusory, neither self nor non-self, the Divine Foot Technique, as a fundamental divine power for Bodhisattvas to save sentient beings, has reached the point of turning the false into true. Traversing heaven and earth is merely an ordinary feat, its true potential yet to be fully realized.
In the snowy mountains of the Western Regions, there is the Boundless Vajra Sect, which transmits Esoteric Buddhist teachings. Their highest light-body skill is the Divine Foot Technique, but it is merely a wondrous sixth-tier martial art. Although it can shrink distances, it is still far inferior to true divine powers.
From a subjective experience, Simon still felt it was quite wondrous.
After he used his innate qi to establish a certain connection with the superior affinity pearl of the entire Lian Tian Peak, he entered a wondrous perspective.
Mountains have no senses, but they have spirits. As an uplift of the earth, their existence is rooted in rock and soil, yet also close to rain, snow, wind, and frost. A person connected to the mountain can feel its vigorous and majestic aura, broadening their mind.
And Simon, almost becoming one with the mountain, could even perceive the emotions of its plants and trees, the wind and rain, and human traces upon it. This stubborn rock remembered everything that had happened to it, not forgetting a single detail.
For Simon, his mind could appear anywhere on the mountain, and where his mind resided, his avatar would follow.
Standing at the highest point of Mount Song, a long wind blew, his robes danced, exuding an air of otherworldly detachment.
The vast green mountains stretched out before his eyes, rising and falling in various shapes. Although their forms were myriad, they were somewhat monotonous. Simon thought, perhaps the spiritual meaning of climbing a mountain is not in viewing the scenery from the peak, but in the emotion of relaxation after exhaustion, the joy found at each climb.
From this perspective, a mortal body may not be a humble dwelling, and the number of divine powers may inevitably lead to a loss of heart.
Looking at creation from this vantage point, what was once a vast ocean is now a high mountain, and in the future, it might be flattened by the wind. Nothing in the world has a constant form; everything is in motion. Perhaps, like climbing a mountain, there is joy in every small change.
Before long, the Abbot gently ascended to the peak, gazing at the Buddhist Son's back without speaking.
Simon observed the world before him with his Divine Eye. On the dark, lightless void, a gigantic superior affinity glowed brilliantly. In terms of volume, the superior affinity pearl of the vast earth beneath his feet was merely a small raft, and mountains were but splinters on that raft. The myriad stars, the sun and moon, were merely oil lamps on a mast. Compared to the entire universe, and to the void beyond the universe, it was as tiny as a grain of millet.
It is difficult for humans to find their place in the universe.
Simon felt genuine reverence and longing.
After watching with relish for a while, he withdrew his Divine Eye and let out a sigh of contentment.
The Abbot walked over, "Why does the Buddhist Son sigh?"
"Tell me, when will I be able to create sentient beings, just like this heaven and earth?"
Zen Master Zixing was stunned, somewhat unsure, "Does the Bodhisattva wish to establish a Pure Land?"
"A Pure Land? Perhaps." Simon recalled his experience as an insect in his previous life, that prosperous Dream World. Could it be recreated now?
While he was lost in thought and reminiscence, Sun Lichai had already been carried up the mountain by Juezheng the monk.
She stood at the edge of the cliff, looking around with a satisfied posture, and Eight Failures, hidden in her hair, also chirped like an insect, as if feeling the same.
Simon's thoughts were interrupted by the chirping of the insect, and he suddenly felt his interest in sightseeing had waned. He looked at the sun; it was still early, but it was a bit awkward, as he would have to wait two more hours to see the beautiful sunset. It was truly boring to stand on this Bald Donkey of a mountain peak, so it would be better to return.
Seeing Jueguang meditating in the meditation room with his Divine Eye, Simon took a step and vanished into the bright mountain wind.
The Abbot smiled slightly, then stepped into the void, and before long, he too disappeared into the forest.
Juezheng scratched his head, then once again carried Sun Lichai, leaped down from the cliff, spread his arms, and landed lightly like a large bird, then strode quickly towards the temple.
On Jueguang's side, he suddenly perceived a powerful qi presence behind him. Startled, he wondered if it was an assassin from the Jie Qing Sect. His hands instinctively swung back in a punch, and inner force surged from his dantian as he unleashed the wondrous fourth-tier profound martial art, the Eighteen Hands of Bodhidharma.
This boxing technique emphasized "guarding the mind and dwelling on affinities, with no thought as the principle." Often, the fist preceded the intention; before the mind moved, the moves were already executed, relying entirely on a subtle qi mechanism to lock onto the opponent, swift as lightning chasing the sun, wondrous as a Antelope horns , embodying the highest principles of martial arts everywhere.
With a single punch, the surging fierce airflow cut the straw mat Jueguang was sitting on, and even caused cracks to appear in the bluestone slab; it could be said to have fully grasped the essence of the Vajra Sect's cultivation methods.
Simon saw the meditating monk suddenly strike, but he was not alarmed. He took a step back, and his figure appeared in front of Jueguang.
In Jueguang's qi perception, the person behind him suddenly vanished, and his punch hit nothing. This made his heart sink. In an instant, the Buddhist Son appeared before him, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and bowed with clasped hands, "Greetings, Lu Yuan Bodhisattva!"
"Your boxing is good, just a bit slow," Simon smiled at him.
"This humble monk failed to recognize the true face of the Buddhist Son and rashly attacked; I am willing to accept punishment." The Bald Donkey lowered his eyes submissively, but he was secretly happy. The little infant he had picked up was now so extraordinary; he felt honored.
"Your punishment at the Disciplinary Hall would only be to face the wall in the Perception Cave; it's better not to go."
"The Buddhist Son is right. Then This humble monk won't be punished, hehe!"
"Why not be punished? Is it worth smiling about attacking a child? Besides, you didn't even hit him. Copy the 'Kṣitigarbha Sūtra' ten times."
"..." The old monk suddenly felt that he shouldn't have picked up this Buddhist Son in the first place.
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