Early in the morning, Simon sat on his bed, engrossed in a copy of the "Book of Changes." Lately, he had developed a keen interest in numerology, primarily driven by a deep curiosity about fate and reincarnation.
Feng shui, face reading, character divination, fortune-telling—these practices were often labeled as the tricks of charlatans. However, Simon understood that these esoteric fields of knowledge had practical applications, at least in the Taiwu World, where they genuinely worked.
Currently, he was laying the groundwork, studying theoretical concepts to pass the time.
Nevertheless, numerology was ultimately a comprehensive discipline; without practice, true understanding was difficult to achieve. In the future, he would still need to travel extensively to verify his findings.
It was already Shi Yi Yue, and outside, a light snow was falling, tapping gently against the window frame. The snow dust fluttered against the window paper, emitting a faint, rustling whisper. Inside the room, a small bronze censer sat by the bed, burning high-quality charcoal, and the warm, embracing heat wafted up, striking his face like the scorching wind of summer.
From the oil lamp by the bedside, various scents of spices mixed with oil drifted out, making one's mouth water. Simon found this smell somewhat annoying, so he used a clip to extinguish the flame. After all, he could read the words in the book even in complete darkness.
At noon, a monk came to deliver his meal—a large bowl of noodles. Simon ate at his desk, opening the window to enjoy the snowy scenery with his food.
Normally, monks abstained from food after noon, having only two meals a day. However, martial artists needed to eat at least six or seven meals a day due to the immense drain on their vital energy. Fortunately, after reaching the realm of Heaven-Earth Resonance, one could absorb the vital energy of Heaven and Earth to nourish oneself, significantly reducing the need for food. Simon, being able to directly draw upon superior affinity to replenish himself, would only feel a bit hungry if he didn't eat.
He could fast, but there was no need to starve himself.
In the freezing cold, eating until his belly was round and sweating all over was the true enjoyment.
After the meal, the monk collected the dishes, and Simon went out for a walk to aid digestion.
Ever since taking Miao Xiang as his disciple, he had become less conspicuous. Moreover, he now walked silently, and monks and pilgrims with lower martial arts couldn't detect him, making his life much quieter than before.
Slowly, he circled around the grand halls, the scent of incense lingering at the tip of his nose. The bricks, tiles, pillars, and beams all seemed to be saturated with this smoky aroma. Amidst the steady chanting of Buddhist sutras and the rhythmic tapping of wooden fish, wisps of mist intertwined, casting a solemn shadow over the ancient temple.
Simon actually disliked temples; he didn't like them before, and he still didn't quite approve of them now.
But this thought was not enough to affect his mood. The fact was, he now lived in a temple, treated as a leader by its native inhabitants, the monks.
He did not resist the outcome of these serendipitous events. If life was a game, he was wholeheartedly immersed in his role.
The number of members in the Pure Land Pearl had already exceeded ten thousand. The monks indeed had extraordinary eloquence, to the extent that devotees had all come to believe in Lu Yuan Bodhisattva.
There were portraits, statues, and even memorial tablets of the Bodhisattva everywhere, and in some places, temples had already been built.
People always thought they would find happiness and be free from worldly troubles upon reaching the Pure Land. But if greed resided in their hearts, even the Pure Land would be no different from the human world.
In response, Simon's solution was to expand the territory, separating everyone as much as possible and granting them the greatest possible freedom. Living in one's own world was, after all, a carefree existence.
Some individuals, upon gaining the ability to have their wishes granted in the Pure Land, became exceptionally unrestrained and behaved with deplorable moral character. Simon would then strip them of their Epiphyllum Seal and expel them from the Pure Land, requiring them to diligently chant Buddhist scriptures for several more years if they wished to re-enter.
Managing these complex personnel often occupied a lot of Simon's time, and he gradually grew somewhat weary. So, he delegated some supervisory tasks to Ben You, who spent all day in a daze, meditating, and was quite idle.
While strolling in the Mount Song area, Simon also established connections with the entire geomantic 脈. After studying numerology and feng shui, this pastime became more efficient. He would often follow the flow of superior affinity to spread his vital energy far and wide.
The profound affection of this landscape was contained within his heart, and feeling the undulations of the earth was an ineffably beautiful experience.
Besides providing him with aesthetic enjoyment, establishing connections with nature had a more practical effect: the range of his Divine Foot Technique expanded, allowing him to travel freely within the connected areas.
At the very least, it saved him the effort of traveling.
With his digestion time over, Simon was ready to practice his cultivation. He had recently found a spacious sinkhole, which was warm in winter and cool in summer, and its location was very secluded. He hadn't had a chance to visit it yet, but today, feeling inspired, he decided to go and check it out.
A sinkhole is a channel where surface water flows underground, funnel-shaped, often with an underground river or a karst cave at the bottom. However, the one Simon discovered had been there for many years; the groundwater level had long receded, and the cave was very dry.
At the bottom of a certain canyon, at the end of an ancient riverbed, steep cliffs surrounded the area, overgrown with tall trees. Many tree roots on the cliff edges were exposed. At the bottom of the valley were some weathered bones, both human and animal, presumably from those who had accidentally fallen from above and died.
Simon stepped into the sinkhole. The ground was covered with smooth stones, their surfaces coated with a thick layer of moss residue, and there was a faint, musty smell. It seemed these simple plants hadn't completely died out; they would regain vitality whenever abundant summer rains nourished them.
He walked further in, the rock walls rugged, dark, and deep. The path was winding and narrow, often requiring him to crouch and crawl. Simon found it a bit cumbersome, so he used the Divine Foot Technique to directly arrive at the depths of the sinkhole, which led downwards into the channel of a semi-dry underground river.
This river channel was very wide, easily accommodating three people walking side by side, which showed how large the flow of the underground river once was.
Now, only a trickling stream moved silently, like a dying snake.
Following the water flow underground, he stepped out of the Mount Song area in just a few steps.
Simon hesitated whether to return, but seeing the underground passage become even wider, he grew curious about what lay at its end, so he continued forward.
Establishing connections with the land along the way, Simon's superior affinity pearl was like a giant tree, its root-like superior affinity lines spreading wantonly.
In this way, with vital energy resonance first, then traveling by Divine Foot Technique, the efficiency was higher than walking. Soon, he had traveled a thousand miles.
Finally, he reached his destination.
An underground karst cave.
Stalactites hung down and stalagmites rose, intertwining like fangs and sharp teeth. The underground river flowed into a small lake, and a small opening in the dome above allowed sunlight to slant in, illuminating the clear, bottomless lake, causing some strange objects at the bottom to emit a faint colorful glow.
Simon was about to go and see what was at the bottom of the lake when a person suddenly fell from above, splashing into the lake, blood spreading, their fate unknown.
He had been thrown down from the skylight.
Simon looked up. There were three people on the ground. They lingered for a while and then left.
Walking to the lakeside, he saw that the person who had fallen into the lake was still tied with stones, completely submerged. Even if he hadn't been beaten to death, he would drown. Out of kindness, Simon pulled him ashore.
It was a young man in a white robe.
There were wounds on his waist, abdomen, and back, slowly seeping blood, and his heartbeat was almost imperceptible. However, a surge of internal energy protected his heart meridian, keeping him alive.
"Falling into the lake and not dying, and even being rescued by a master—a good story," Simon chuckled, blowing a breath at the man. Superior affinity surged in, and his wounds immediately healed.
In the dim light, the man opened his eyes, like cold stars.
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