Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 106 - 92: The Buddhist Sect’s Descendant, Jade Sword Buddha

Chapter 106: Chapter 92: The Buddhist Sect’s Descendant, Jade Sword Buddha

Heavenly Spring Mountain, ordinary people could reach the summit in about three two-hour periods, and some agile mountain villagers could even make it to the top in just one and a half two-hour periods, making it relatively not a very majestic peak.

However, whenever Sword Pond opened, a bluestone path would extend all the way to the summit, requiring only ten thousand steps, also known as the Ten Thousand Sword Path.

But now...

Gu Wen looked at the nearly endless Heavenly Spring Mountain, reckoning that several hundred thousand steps might not suffice to reach the summit, fearing that only the ancestor of Broken Sword Mountain could do so.

"How many zhang is that?"

Yu Hua’s vision seemed different from that of ordinary people. She replied, "Thirty thousand zhang, and another ten thousand zhang upward you can touch the top of Immortal Land, where I took you last time."

One zhang is three-point-three meters, thirty thousand zhang is about ninety thousand meters, nearly the height of ten Mount Everests, but it seemed only such a height could truly block out the sun, leaving a city in darkness even at dawn.

For Gu Wen to say he wasn’t stunned would be a lie; that magnificent view, where even craning his neck he could only see halfway up the mountain, was like an ant looking up at Mount Tai.

Is this immortal cultivation?

"I’m afraid I can’t flatten this Heavenly Spring Mountain," Yu Hua said with a frown. "Even True Monarchs of the Four Realms in the Cultivation World might not be able to move this mountain. It would take someone at the level of my Uncle Yun Miao, a Heavenly Venerate, to do it."

"Can a True Monarch actually move this thing?"

Gu Wen could hardly imagine someone capable of moving Heavenly Spring Mountain, which was the size of ten Mount Everests. In his imagination, moving mountains to fill seas involved relocating entire peaks, yet Yu Hua spoke of moving a mountain comparable to the Taihang Mountain Range.

If that were the case, it truly would be enough to fill in an ocean.

He had a hard time imagining that a True Monarch whom he could kill would be able to move a mountain.

"The naming of the Four Realms and the title of True Monarch are very general concepts. With the Four Realms being twelve levels high, how many levels do you think are in each realm?" Yu Hua asked.

This ’elementary school teacher’ style question made Gu Wen halt his egalitarian answer on the tip of his tongue.

The Four Realms being twelve levels high naturally meant three levels per realm, but with the question posed, he had to consider that cultivation was not like arithmetic.

"Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist."

"Most ordinary people are at three levels per realm because the peak of their Cultivation Technique seeks only to break through and return to the void," Yu Hua explained.

Seeing that Gu Wen was still somewhat muddled, she continued, "Cultivation is like building a bucket. The best way is to use two pieces of wood for each realm, like mortise and tenon, for sturdiness. But some people’s pieces are not big enough, so they use what should have been wood for the next layer to patch it up, and so on."

Gu Wen immediately understood. It was like cutting corners.

It was like building houses in his previous life where many didn’t follow construction regulations, but still managed to erect high-rises from flat land.

"We consider it to be two levels per realm, with Returning to Void and Harmonization marking one level each, thus earning the title of True Monarch."

As usual, Yu Hua patiently explained to Gu Wen, being exhaustive in her explanations regarding cultivation.

"From the Returning to Void Stage, one can claim the title of True Monarch, but many people can only stay at that stage. One in ten reaches the Body Integration Realm, and the Mahayana Realm is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. To move this mountain, one must be above the Mahayana Realm, which is the Enlightenment Realm."

"What realm is Senior Ao at?"

"The Mahayana Realm."

Gu Wen noted this to ponder over, receiving answers to some previous doubts.

Why there was such a great disparity in the strength of True Monarchs, with some he could kill, Ao Tang could easily crush, and even weaker ones letting a group of young people beat them senselessly.

But if one didn’t consider the Dao Foundation but only looked at the Four Realms, the answers became clear; it was normal for a Mahayana Realm cultivator to crush someone from the Returning to Void Stage.

Suddenly, he realized that two realms were missing; from Qi Refinement to Mahayana there were nine realms, and adding one Dao Realm made only ten.

"What about the two missing realms?" he asked.

"Those are not just two levels, but two separate paths: achieving the Dao and Harmonization. You need not understand too much now, only when you have the nine-level Dao Foundation will you qualify to consider it, and a nine-level perfected foundation is sufficient to become an Immortal," Yu Hua responded.

"If I perfect my nine levels and step out of Immortal Land, will I still need to cultivate step by step?"

Gu Wen asked with a serious expression. It would seem ridiculous for others to ask or to inquire from someone else, but Yu Hua did not laugh at Gu Wen; instead, she answered just as seriously:

"An eight or nine-level Dao Foundation needs to follow step-by-step cultivation, but at nine nine-level perfection, no cultivation is needed, and what you’ll lack then will be Mana."

"How long will that take?"

"Within a hundred years. If you think it’s too slow, I’ll bury you in the Three Pure Ones Spiritual Veins, and in a few years, you could be on par with our Sect Master."

Gu Wen nodded repeatedly, eyes shining as though he had found a broad avenue to the heavens.

He could definitely focus on condensing a nine-level Dao Foundation first; even if achieving nine-level perfection could cost him thousands of Heavenly Marrow, it was like securing a second layer of insurance for himself. If he couldn’t complete his Fate Diagram with Heavenly Marrow and the Immortal Elixir, a nine-level Dao Foundation should not be far off.

If he became an Immortal with a nine-level Dao Foundation, plus the Fate Diagram, could his strength be compounded?

Returning to the initial problem, Gu Wen looked towards the green mountains and asked, "What should we do next then?"

"Business as usual."

"What if I can’t climb Heavenly Spring Mountain?"

As whispers of thought passed by his ear, Yu Hua sensed Gu Wen’s concern and reassured him, "I will take you up. You’ve only cultivated for half a year, not outmatching Xiao Yunyi is normal. Focus on cultivation. What you strive for is the Dao, not the present."

"For now, we wait for the protector to return, and then we’ll make a decision."

-----------------

An hour later, the commotion among the common people of the Luo River gradually settled.

Many idlers began to head toward the Heavenly Spring Mountain in a mighty crowd, all looking to find their chance at immortality, while the majority of the common folk went on as usual.

At the same time, more and more cultivators started to appear in the Luo River. When they first entered the city, there might have been just a few dozen people, but now Gu Wen could occasionally spot one on the street. Moreover, the inn they were staying in was getting increasingly crowded, with seven or eight sect prodigies staying nearby.

Everyone kept to themselves, and there was hardly any interaction.

Gu Wen didn’t wait for Ao Tang, but instead, Hee Huan and an extremely beautiful nun showed up.

Hee Huan had a somewhat stiff expression, and his eyebrows and eyes revealed tension. Upon seeing Gu Wen, he didn’t relax at all, but instead, he was worried that the other party might act recklessly.

He didn’t need to speak a word of warning, for Gu Wen knew that the person must be of no simple origin to make Hee Huan so cautious. It reminded him of his time in Bianjing when those merchants who accompanied officials of or above the third grade to court, would have trembling voices.

Hee Huan introduced her, "Brother Hongchen, this is a Buddhist Sect inheritor, Jade Sword Buddha."

The nun wore a white-gold kasaya, her eyes gleaming like watery apricots, her face as delicate as a silver plate surpassing the snow, with lips that seemed joyous yet not, smiling ambiguously.

It only made people lament that such a beautiful person remained in the ancient monastery, remaining pure in a world that inspired envy.

A Buddhist inheritor was actually a nun?

Gu Wen, though not enticed by feminine charm, couldn’t help but take a few extra glances, then cupped his hands together and said, "I go by the name Hongchen, and might I inquire what brings the master to seek me out?"

The nun merely smiled and nodded towards him, as if she were a superior, and her gaze then moved past Gu Wen, looking slightly towards the second floor of the inn.

"Amitabha Buddha, this humble nun Jade Sword Buddha seeks an audience with the Heavenly Girl."

A figure of a wrathful Vajra holding a sword flashed by, its presence shocking with a perfectly fulfilled Sixth Level Dao Foundation!

Every cultivator inside and outside the inn changed their expressions bit, and Gu Wen’s eyes tightened, his body tensing unconsciously.

From just the aura alone, he could sense the other’s Dao Foundation, all kinds of magic skills, dharma forms, et cetera, almost naturally integrated as a whole, flawless, as if he were looking from rough jade at a blemishless bi.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came through, comforting like a spring breeze smoothing out everything.

"Come up."

Jade Sword Buddha restrained her aura and then brushed past Gu Wen’s side, her gaze never returning to him.

For she was at the Third Level of Dao Foundation Perfection; even this was not enough to catch her interest, nodding was already in recognition of Gu Wen’s feat of overcoming a True Monarch across levels. Without that, he would have completely failed to catch the eye of Jade Sword Buddha.

This wasn’t arrogance, but rather, there were simply too many sycophants, and she couldn’t be sure if Gu Wen was one of them.

If not, they could discuss matters further once his Dao Foundation reached the Sixth Level Perfection.

-----------------

After Jade Sword Buddha went to the second floor, Gu Wen and Hee Huan found a spot on the first floor to sit down and ordered a few jars of fine wine.

The scattered sect geniuses around the first floor also continued their eating and drinking, conversing by transmitting their voices directly into each other’s ears, never crossing the bounds of their circles.

They were equally unable to merge into the circles of Gu Wen and Hee Huan, as they also failed to catch the eyes of the two.

Hee Huan, tapping his chest, said, "It’s no wonder she’s a Buddhist inheritor, one of the Three Religions. Just standing beside her is immensely pressuring."

"Very strong. If it came to a battle, I fear I wouldn’t last more than three exchanges."

Gu Wen made such a judgment. His hypothesis was that both sides would go all-out without any reservations, not confined to a single aspect.

Because once you become true enemies, no one will hold back - predictions must be made on the basis of a life-or-death struggle.

Gu Wen’s candid nature surprised Hee Huan, as his previous arrogance was well known—he ought to be highly competitive, yet he conceded so easily?

Hee Huan then noticed Gu Wen’s eagerness, and his mouth twitched.

Even crazier—his sights were set not merely on prodigies or True Monarchs, but on a Buddhist inheritor from one of the Three Religions. There’s a world of difference between a Buddhist inheritor and a mere temple’s inheritor; Jade Sword Buddha represented the entire Buddhist Sect.

Before the exposure of the Immortality Pill, the Taoist Heavenly Girl could also represent the entire Daoist sect.

Among the chaotic Human Race of Buddha, Dao, and Demon, the Three Religions were indeed the leaders, and their inheritors naturally were the unmatched prodigies of their age.

However, Gu Wen was honest—it wasn’t that he was a reckless person, he was more like someone with boundless courage.

Hee Huan took out a bag of pills from his sleeve and handed it to Gu Wen, saying, "These are the first batch of pills; according to your request, you don’t want top-grade, only mid and lower-grade, so regarding the quantity of pills, you’ll take ninety percent."

"Thank you."

Gu Wen received the bag and swept it with his divine thought, finding a total of one hundred and one pills inside. He took one pill and ingested it, gaining half a year’s worth of Heavenly Marrow.

With a hundred pills left in the bag, that totaled fifty years of Heavenly Marrow.

"How many more batches are there?"

"Three batches. Fox Fairy’s alchemy skills are very high, so the loss is minimal; the subsequent quantities should be similar to this one."

That would amount to approximately two hundred years of Heavenly Marrow, while the Sword Dao Dharma required two hundred eighty years of Heavenly Marrow. At least another eighty years were still needed.

After a brief estimation, Gu Wen realized that the Heavenly Marrow was still not enough, and even the ’friendship fee’ for the Divine Tree next month wouldn’t suffice, especially since he had practically drained Luo River dry.

He drank a mouthful of wine with a throbbing headache, the wine entering his mouth rich and sweet, as his Heavenly Marrow subtly stirred.

"This inn also sells Spiritual Wine?"

"Of course, it’s an inn run by a wine house."