After waving the man in the black robe away, Meng Qi turned his gaze to the window, watching the rising sun and the brilliant morning glow. He appeared to be contemplating something profound. After several heartbeats, he turned back, staring at the empty doorway, listening to the bustling sounds of morning. Only after confirming that everything was peaceful did he quietly exhale, as if he had just survived a fierce battle.
“It’s truly not easy…” he sighed inwardly.
The lineage of the Medicine King Buddha centered on the “Sutra of Fundamental Vows and Merits,” primarily cultivating the Reward Body. Moonlight Bodhisattva was no exception; her every word and action had to align with the great vows she had made, drawing closer to the corresponding Daoist principles. As she progressed, she would become increasingly aligned with them until reaching perfection. If she ever deviated, she would immediately lose her Reward Body and fall from her status.
Therefore, protecting herself and repaying karmic debts were acceptable for Moonlight Bodhisattva, but directly interfering in mundane affairs, emotional entanglements, or helping Meng Qi deal with the man in the black robe was clearly impossible.
Thus, although Meng Qi was confident in self-defense, he worried that the black-robed man might not control his desires and harm other passengers on the ship. He was also unsure whether Moonlight Bodhisattva would intervene if no mass killings occurred. Therefore, Meng Qi had to rely on his persuasive talents, combining his past experiences and insights gained after losing his martial arts abilities, to engage the black-robed man in conversation throughout the night, dissipating his inner desires. At the same time, he used the requirements of the fully-realized “Eyes of Innocence” to partially truthfully and partially deceptively bind the man.
That entire night, Meng Qi appeared as a transcendent hermit, discussing the difference between the external self and the true self, appearing both carefree and profound. In reality, he had exhausted his mental strength, walking on eggshells, fearing that his words might fail to attract the black-robed man’s attention or that his deception might provoke a backlash.
No fists or swords were exchanged, yet that night’s conversation was not merely like a fierce battle—it was one, even if the opponent might not have realized it.
“Thankfully, I still have my mouth…” Meng Qi touched his temple, half-mockingly and half-proudly.
Back in his university dormitory, he had been the most skilled at livening up the atmosphere, chatting about gossip, and pulling pranks, despite being deeply immersed in martial arts and fantasy novels. He had influenced one person after another, earning the teasing nickname of having nothing but his mouth. His roommates had earnestly told him that anciently, Confucius became a Sage and was respectfully called Master Kong, while nowadays, someone who talks a lot could become a king, hence he should be respectfully called “Master Mouth.”
Indeed, without martial arts abilities, one must approach matters with a different attitude, a different mindset, and different methods.
Through this experience, Meng Qi gained deeper insights into external modes of behavior.
It was not that martial arts abilities had blinded him, but rather the habits, fixed perceptions, and instinctive judgments formed after relying on martial arts that interfered with his mind. These instincts were correct in certain situations, but fully trusting and following them would inevitably lead to rigidity and stubbornness, ultimately causing stagnation without realizing it.
Precisely for this reason, “Slashing the Self to See the True Self” does not mean abandoning the self or martial arts abilities, but rather breaking through these limitations and realizing that no method can be fully relied upon.
Once this breakthrough occurs and the true self is revealed, one can completely master martial arts abilities, controlling them rather than being controlled by them—just as building a boat (martial arts) to cross the sea (the sea of suffering), yet still clinging to the boat upon reaching the other shore would be putting the means before the end.
Such realizations are not easily achieved. The internalized experiences, perceptions, and habits ingrained into one’s instincts subtly influence without notice, like a gentle rain nourishing the earth. It is difficult to perceive these changes within oneself, even with awareness, because “the player is blind to the game.” It takes a long time to gradually examine and eventually break through, making this a major challenge on the martial path.
It was precisely under such circumstances that Meng Qi accepted Qi Zhengyan’s suggestion to “abandon martial arts abilities,” allowing these habitual experiences, perceptions, and instincts to clash directly with reality. Although intense, this clash made it clear, giving his hardened heart, shaped by years of cultivation, a constant sense of realization.
After a brief meditation, Meng Qi’s stomach growled. He chuckled, left his cabin, and headed toward the grand hall of the ship. Along the way, he saw many passengers holding Myriad Worlds Universal Tokens, some chatting with their families to ease homesickness, others swiping their fingers, eyes flickering with shifting lights, browsing messages and posts of interest.
In this subtle, imperceptible way, the Myriad Worlds Universal Token had changed the lifestyle of the Real World.
“Xiao Meng, where’s your Myriad Worlds Universal Token? I haven’t seen you use it in days?” Huang Chang, who had grown close to Meng Qi over the past few days and intended to join the Ink Palace, greeted him and asked a question he had wanted to ask earlier but had forgotten.
Without a Universal Token, how could they exchange contact information and become communication friends?
Meng Qi sighed, “It was stolen on Sanxiao Island. I only realized it after setting sail.”
Huang Chang didn’t doubt him. He pulled out another Myriad Worlds Universal Token from his robe and handed it over: “This one’s older, with fewer functions. Use it for now. Contact your family quickly so they won’t worry.”
“Great!” A gleam of excitement flashed in Meng Qi’s eyes as he readily accepted Huang Chang’s kindness.
With the Myriad Worlds Universal Token, he could contact Master Lu, Zhiwei, Daqinggen, and return directly to the Jade Void Palace without enduring the hardships of a long journey.
However, returning directly to the Jade Void Palace would mean missing out on further cultivation and insights.
Forget it. He could just contact them, chat, and keep up with the latest developments.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Meng Qi activated the Myriad Worlds Universal Token and prepared to input the corresponding number to contact Jiang Zhiwei.
Just then, he suddenly froze—because he couldn’t remember Jiang Zhiwei’s number!
After achieving the Dharmakaya, his Yuan Shen had merged with his physical body, revealing his true spirit. Perfect memory and total recall were no exaggerations. As his cultivation advanced, he could eventually hold all the information of an entire universe, unlike ordinary people. Therefore, Meng Qi had never bothered to memorize the Universal Token numbers of his mentors and friends, as a single glance would imprint them in his mind. Now, having lost his martial arts abilities and returned to an ordinary state, how could he still possess such memory and information retention?
He vaguely remembered something deep within his consciousness, but it was unclear. He struggled to recall, frowning like someone with amnesia. Many past experiences and accumulated knowledge seemed submerged in the ocean, hazy and indistinct. Only a small portion floated on the surface, still visible.
Apparently, even memories and knowledge partially relied on martial arts abilities…
If not for the longevity pills he had consumed, he would likely be old and dying by now.
Internalized martial arts influences surfaced, and Meng Qi felt as if he was drenched in cold sweat. Even after giving up his abilities, it was not easy to detect these issues.
If he hadn’t given them up, he would have had to rely on time.
Experiencing both fear and realization, Meng Qi put away the Myriad Worlds Universal Token Huang Chang had given him and smiled: “No one’s answering right now. Let’s have breakfast first.”
Huang Chang had no suspicions. They both entered the grand hall of the ship and found seats.
As they chatted about various martial arts anecdotes, Meng Qi continued pondering his earlier doubts.
If even memories and knowledge partially depended on martial arts abilities, had his current attitude, thinking, and methods truly broken free from their influence?
The perceptions and experiences gained from martial arts abilities were constraints. But weren’t the perceptions and experiences cultivated from Earthly knowledge and past memories also constraints? What fundamental differences existed between his newly reconstructed thought patterns and those shaped by martial arts?
After a brief silence, Meng Qi answered himself inwardly:
They are constraints! No difference!
He had given up martial arts abilities because they were his greatest dependency, allowing him to see more clearly, not because other things weren’t external!
The experiences, knowledge, and thinking methods derived from martial arts abilities had limitations, making it difficult to fully “see” the true self. Likewise, the experiences, knowledge, and thinking methods derived from Earthly knowledge and past memories also had limitations, equally incapable of fully “seeing” the true self. To put it accurately, being still within the conditioned realm meant that cutting off everything would equate to death—no thinking, no perception. Therefore, no matter which method or experience, all had limitations and could not fully “see” the true self. They could only reveal one aspect, each with similarities and differences, like blind men touching an elephant—each grasping a part, each with some understanding, but none seeing the true form.
Understanding these similarities and differences reveals that all appearances are not true appearances, thus seeing the Tathagata.
What is the Tathagata? “I” am the Tathagata!
Reaching this point means seeing the true self and proving one’s own legend!
Precisely for this reason, the few Buddhas with the suffix “Tathagata” are the rarest legends!
This moment of realization brought Meng Qi immense joy—not an awakening, but a genuine glimpse of the path to legend. Previously, after giving up martial arts abilities, he had been somewhat lost, trying various methods. Now, he truly knew how to strive and examine himself.
With this realization, Meng Qi couldn’t help but smile. A little girl at a nearby table muttered, “Uncle suddenly started glowing!”
“Yeah, like lighting a candle in the dark,” a little boy agreed.
Being less influenced by the conditioned world, although lacking in knowledge and wisdom, allowed them to see things that adults often miss.
Meng Qi looked at them and smiled: “Uncle’s body is like glass, clear inside and out.”
“Uncle is so amazing!” the twins didn’t doubt him for a second.
Just then, someone by the window exclaimed in surprise:
“The Fusang Ancient Tree?”
This sea route was diametrically opposed to the sea where the Fusang Ancient Tree resided, being tens of thousands of miles away. How could the Fusang Ancient Tree appear here? Meng Qi calmed his mind and looked outside, seeing a tree rising to the heavens at the horizon, its leaves resembling mulberry leaves, as if bathed in flames, exuding a fiery, bloody, ancient, and illusory aura.
Was it really the Fusang Ancient Tree?
A martial artist took out a star chart, calculated briefly, and puzzled: “The sea route is correct. How did the Fusang Ancient Tree appear here?”
As Meng Qi was about to post a request for help on the Myriad Worlds Universal Realm, Moonlight Bodhisattva’s voice suddenly echoed in his ears:
“The reflection of the Fusang Ancient Tree can be seen in all seven seas, and there have been sightings of people from the Luo Sect near it.”
“The Luo Sect?” Meng Qi frowned. The Fusang Ancient Tree was connected to Donghuang Taiyi. What could the Luo Sect be planning?
He then pleaded: “Please, Bodhisattva, keep an eye on it.”
Inside the grand hall of the ship, discussions buzzed. Some took photos, others posted online, and some broadcasted live. Huang Chang watched for a while, satisfied, then turned around and noticed his new friend Xiao Meng deep in thought, his expression serious.
“What are you thinking about?” he casually asked.
Meng Qi responded gravely: “I’m pondering the Luo Sect’s motives, concerned about the extent of their collusion with the demon race, and contemplating the broader state of the world—anticipating how our human race should position itself…”
Huang Chang stared at him, unsure how to respond. Everyone nearby looked equally confused.
This… this is something you need to think about? Will your thoughts even matter?
Could he be a member of the famous “Virtual Political Forum” on the Myriad Worlds Realm—an ordinary person who still worries about the nation and its people, discussing military and political affairs as if they were his responsibility?
Suddenly, Moonlight Bodhisattva’s voice echoed in Meng Qi’s ears again:
“The Fusang Ancient Tree bears the aura of a Luo Sect legend. It seems they followed the Golden Emperor’s guidance and found traces left by the previous Holy Maiden.”
Xiaosang? Meng Qi abruptly stood up.
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