The Dao pulse is the foundation of cultivation.
This "Dao" is not the Dao of the Daoist sect, but the Great Dao. Whether one is from the Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, military strategist, Mohist, or any other school of cultivation, manifesting the Dao pulse is the first step on the path of cultivation.
In ancient times, those born with naturally manifested Dao pulses were known as the seeds of cultivation. However, humanity does not determine one's destiny solely by talent. The Pulse-Opening Pill is one of the methods to solve the problem of cultivation aptitude.
By leveraging the power of the pill, one can manifest the Dao pulse within the human body. It can also draw the vital energy of heaven and earth to nourish the flesh and blood. The feedback of qi and blood then nurtures the Dao essence, stepping onto the path of cultivation.
Compared to the instruments destroyed by explosions like those of Zu Guanglie, the Pulse-Opening Pill should not be considered precious.
But for this beggar trapped in despair, it is the only key to unlock the treasures within the human body.
Throughout history, only death has been truly difficult; when life reaches its end, one can only beg for divine mercy!
Now, the beggar has grasped the key to his hope.
He is so devout.
With trembling hands, he holds the jade vial, aligns his quivering lips to the bottle's mouth, and tips his head back to pour it down!
Beside him is the silent Broken View, in the distance lie the corpses of the beggars, and around him are shattered bones and flesh.
At this moment, the setting sun casts its last rays, and the clouds disperse at the horizon. Corpses litter the field, while the sick beggar swallows the pill.
The Pulse-Opening Pill rolls onto the tip of his tongue, turns into a warm stream that flows down his throat, and then disperses into every part of his body.
The beggar closes his eyes slightly, and in this moment, thousands of images flash through his mind.
He trained diligently through the cold and heat, practiced swordsmanship in the spring and autumn.
He pursued great bandits and fought fierce outlaws.
In the end, he came down from the West Mountain, where bandits gathered, alone and covered in blood.
Only then did he earn a Pulse-Opening Pill.
How many years did it take him to approach the extraordinary world?
He exerted himself to the utmost, struggling and striving every moment. How did he reach this point?
His mother died early, and his father, who later died of illness, almost exhausted the last bit of wealth in the family.
Alone, he was his own support.
He competed fiercely and was admitted to the Dao Academy, where he dominated the highly competitive outer court, finally grasping the key to the extraordinary world for the first time.
But immediately afterward...
came the poisoning and the encirclement.
He fought desperately to carve out a path to survival, and to evade the search, he blended in with the beggars.
He intended to wait for the right moment, but his body could no longer hold on.
He grew weaker and weaker, until finally, he could only lie hopelessly on a pile of straw, waiting for death.
Dragging his sick body, he struggled out to search the battlefield, driven by a heart that would never give up, but unexpectedly, he found a Pulse-Opening Pill!
Why would someone like Zu Guanglie, a formidable figure, carry a Pulse-Opening Pill? The reason has faded with his legend and is no longer known to anyone.
But the beggar's story has thus continued anew.
Fate is unpredictable, nothing more so.
The beggar regains his focus, feeling the indescribable changes within his body.
He senses the warm power emanating from every corner of his body, "flowing" through him in a way he cannot comprehend, eventually converging on the spine.
This process is slow yet clear.
After an unknown passage of time, a faint power rises from the coccyx, moving up along the spine, up and up. It feels like an earthworm swimming upstream in a river.
The process is arduous, but the warm power from various parts of the body keeps supporting it... The "little earthworm" finally completes its long journey, penetrating the spine, and rushing straight to the crown of the head!
A miracle occurs.
It is as if he sees light within his body.
Warmth bursts from every part of his limbs and flesh.
He no longer feels cold, no longer feels weak, no longer feels pain.
With the Dao pulse now manifested, vitality nourishes.
The beggar opens his eyes, his gaze bright and spirited.
He feels filled with power; he has finally taken control of his destiny once again!
His Dao pulse has manifested, and although it is only the lowest form of a tiny earthworm, it means he can officially step onto the path of the extraordinary.
Flying through the sky, diving into the earth, entering and exiting the azure void—these are no longer unattainable dreams!
One day, he will be able to do what the great figures like Gong Yang Bai, Mo Jingyu, and even Zu Guanglie and Li Yi can do!
The beggar stands up and looks at the pile of shattered flesh beneath his feet.
Life gazes upon death, the beginning connects to the end.
He buries Zu Guanglie and the beggars outside the Broken View. Even though his Dao pulse has just manifested and he is full of energy, it is not until the moon is high in the sky that he finishes.
It might be a useless act, but it is the principle he follows.
Although the beggars chose to abandon him when danger came, they did not leave him in the wilderness during his dying days before. They could not afford to seek medical help for him, but at least they gave him a few sips of water.
For these reasons, within his power, he should give them a proper burial. So that they do not suffer in this life and remain destitute in the next.
People believe that only by being buried can one find peace. In the vast, compassionate embrace of the earth, the souls of the deceased can rest.
Finally, the beggar stands in front of Zu Guanglie's grave.
"The one who buries you is not an unknown person, from Zhuangguo Qinghe Prefecture, Fenglin City..." Under the moonlight, the beggar stands in front of the small grave, dirty and covered in mud, but with a straight back and an unashamed expression as he speaks his name: "Jiang Wang."
The tiger is not yet fully grown, but it already has the strength to devour an ox.
"You did not die in an obscure place either. This place is called Huanzhen Temple. Although the broken plaque is illegible and it is not well-known, it will surely become known to the world because of you!"
After saying these words, Jiang Wang bows deeply and sincerely: "May your spirit rest in peace."
This bow is not only for the Pulse-Opening Pill left by Zu Guanglie but also for the compassion, integrity, and bravery he demonstrated.
A person like Zu Guanglie deserves any respect.
Tonight is a full moon, and the bright moonlight shines on the new grave.
As if by some subtle fate, a gentle breeze seems to stir.
Jiang Wang sees tiny silver lights floating out from Zu Guanglie's grave, slowly rising in the moonlight and gathering into a small, silver crescent moon. It hovers above the new grave, within Jiang Wang's reach, mysterious and noble.
"What is this...?"
Jiang Wang's mind flashes with inspiration.
He reaches out and grasps the silver crescent moon.
Everything goes dark.
In the almost boundless darkness, a gentle voice sounds. This voice seems to contain the ultimate truths of the universe and the mysteries of the Great Dao, and hearing it clears the mind and enlightens the spirit.
"Welcome, master of the Dongzhen Xu blessed land!"
In the next moment, a point of light appears, followed by countless more.
The myriad lights obscure the vision, and when Jiang Wang regains his sight, he sees a brilliant star river surging in the vast darkness before him.
And standing before the star river is a young man.
This person has bright eyes, a high and straight nose, and an expression so gentle that it seems devoid of any aggressiveness, with only the slightly pursed lips showing a hint of stubbornness. Apart from a Daoist robe whose material is indistinguishable, he wears no other adornments.
Jiang Wang is stunned.
Because this young man is himself. Although dressed differently and much cleaner than his current state, how could he not recognize himself?
And he is "looking" at himself from a perspective he cannot yet understand, in a non-visual sense.
"The Dao essence feedback is insufficient; the nineteen levels of the Dao-Enacting Platform are sealed."
The gentle voice sounds again in the vast starry sky.
"The eighteen levels of the Dao-Enacting Platform are sealed."
...
"The second level of the Dao-Enacting Platform is sealed."
Each time this sentence is spoken, the star river before his eyes dims a bit.
Jiang Wang tries to comprehend what he is observing, and then he hears:
"The third-grade Sword-Discussing Platform is sealed."
"The fourth-grade Sword-Discussing Platform is sealed."
It continues in this manner until it stops at "The eighth-grade Sword-Discussing Platform is sealed."
Jiang Wang does not understand the significance of this, but he assumes it is related to his weak power. The so-called "master of the Dongzhen Xu blessed land" should be Zu Guanglie, not him.
At the same time, he notices a line of text floating within his range of vision that he has never seen before.
This script is entirely different from the Zhuangguo characters he has learned and is extremely unfamiliar to him, yet he clearly perceives the meaning of these characters.
"Merit: 1,850 points."
As Jiang Wang ponders, the self he "sees" takes a step forward and merges with him.
This process is so brief that it can almost be omitted. Jiang Wang moves his limbs, and everything feels natural. In this mysterious world, he finally has a kind of substantial existence.
And in the next moment, the stars in the vast void suddenly churn, and the entire brilliant star river surges toward him!
He is submerged in the star river.
Time seems to lose its sense of passage. When Jiang Wang comes to his senses, he finds himself in a space filled with ethereal aura, with numerous pieces of information flowing through his mind.
This is the world of the Tai Xu Illusion, and the Dongzhen Xu blessed land he is in is enveloped within this world.
The silver crescent moon he grasped is called the Xu Key, the key to entering this place. It uses the power of the Tai Yin star to pull the host's spiritual consciousness into the Tai Xu Illusion.
Here, everything is simulated as real, except that it does not harm the host's physical body in reality. Everything else is identical to the actual situation.
The Dao-Enacting Platform is the place for deducing cultivation techniques and spells, and the consumption required for deduction is "merit."
The Sword-Discussing Platform is specifically used for traversing the Tai Xu Illusion and sparring with other cultivators.
"Merit" is mostly generated from battles. In a battle of the same level, victory adds merit, while defeat deducts it. Challenging a higher level grants additional bonuses.
In addition to this, corresponding blessed lands regularly produce "merit."
Among the seventy-two blessed lands, the lowest-ranked Donghai Mountain Blessed Land produces 100 merit points per month. For the lower thirty-six blessed lands, each upgrade increases the production by ten points. For the upper thirty-six blessed lands, each upgrade increases the production by a hundred points.
The Dongzhen Xu Blessed Land, occupied by Zu Guanglie, ranks twenty-third and produces 1,850 merit points per month.
This is the resource that Jiang Wang now possesses.
Although he is still unclear about its specific use, Jiang Wang can already hear his own intense heartbeat.
This place... this place!
This world of the brilliant star river seems to hold great secrets.
Just the manifestation of the Dao-Enacting Platform and the Sword-Discussing Platform unfolds a vast and stirring world.
Cultivating in the blessed land and discussing swords in the star river—how magnificent!
And before today, Jiang Wang had never even heard of its name.
His emotions are too stirred to calm down for a while, until he casts his gaze upon a sundial shadow and sees this line of text:
The owner of the blessed land will face the challenge of the master of the twenty-fourth Qingyu Altar in thirty days.
Failure will result in demotion.
The five characters are as dark as ink, each word weighing a thousand jun.
"Throughout history, only death has been truly difficult; when life reaches its end, one can only beg for divine mercy." The original phrase is "Throughout history, only death has been truly difficult; the sorrowful heart is not only that of Lady Xi." I changed the latter part.