Chapter 107: If you do not resist in an age of darkness, that means you are an accomplice!

【In the state of Longchang Enlightenment, you will possess a deeper understanding of the Technique Formulas, esoteric arts, and even divine abilities you have learned, as well as the treasures on your person.】

【At the same time, you gradually begin to understand the true essence of Shushan.】

【This is your limited-time character skin—Longchang Enlightenment.】

【The Dao of the Sage is self-sufficient in my own nature; those who seek principle in external things are mistaken.】

【The Shushan Dao among practitioners and the Dao of the Sage pursued by scholars and literati are, in essence, of the same root.】

【It is not to say that the principles of practitioners are different from the Dao of the Sage pursued by scholars and literati in the secular world.】

【The realm that most people yearn for and their understanding of the world are actually of one lineage and spirit; just like the distinction between good and evil, whether among practitioners or in the secular world, there are actually clear definitions.】

【A good deed is good, and an evil act is evil.】

【And no matter what kind of principle it is, the path taken to the end is actually the same.】

【This world is sick; you should use your own way to heal it, to pacify it, and to defend it.】

【To cultivate one's own character while not forgetting to benefit the world—this is the realm a practitioner should most pursue, rather than, like most people, only knowing how to preserve oneself and ultimately forgetting one's original intention.】

【Those who truly hold the common people of the world in their hearts, no matter how difficult the journey, will never forget the vow they made when they first entered the world.】

【You realize one thing, and that is that your initial choice was wrong.】

【You believe that only with sufficient strength can you have the qualifications to change all of this, and ultimately you choose to cultivate slowly in Guanzhong, waiting for the right moment.】

【Is this the original intention of Shushan?】

【Seeing the common people trapped in the mire, you witness them being harmed by those who feed on flesh—be it demons, children of noble families, or cultivators from prestigious sects.】

【They are trampling on your ideals, yet you merely feel that you are not yet enough to match such ideals, and so you choose to shrink back.】

【Is this truly the Shushan Dao?】

【You are too eager to become a true Shushan Dao Venerable, wanting to perfectly achieve everything he should achieve, yet you have discarded the benevolent heart of a hero that you should have had.】

【Today, you have finally awakened.】

【You realize that your previous choice was not correct.】

【But this fate was changed by your own hands; your choices affect the destiny of every person, and because of your momentary hesitation, perhaps thousands upon thousands of people are wailing in the depths of misery.】

【Is now not the best moment for you to realize your ideals?!】

【Longchang Enlightenment achieved!!!】

【Shushan shall emerge into the world!!!】

As the tag 【Longchang Enlightenment】 landed on Gu Jiangming's character interface in 【Mie Changsheng】, his small avatar immediately transformed with new decorations.

At the same time, the entry for 【Longchang Enlightenment】 appeared.

【Longchang Enlightenment: In this state, your comprehension is greatly increased; when your faith becomes a mature system, it will be easier to gain the recognition of ordinary people. (Your comprehension +10, your willpower +3, you have gained a brand-new faith—Shushan.) 【"I come from Shushan, wishing to walk the Shushan Dao."】 will be included in the 【Longchang Enlightenment】 series of skin voice lines.】

【You have left Guanzhong.】

【You will use your own way to change this dilapidated Heaven and Earth.】

【We ourselves possess a breath of righteous Qi, which shall exist in the world with grandeur!】

【In the eighth month of the first year of Shanghe in Northern Wei—that is, after the two reign titles of Tianming and Chuping, the reign title of the new young emperor who ascended the throne—you began to spread the Shushan Dao along your journey.】

【Because your reputation, with the unintentional help of the Drought Demon, was extremely high in the Guanzhong region, it even continued to spread during your travels.】

【Your influence among the common people is rising.】

【Precisely because of this, the Shushan Dao has a momentum of becoming quite popular within Northern Wei, and along the way, you have performed many good deeds that are talked about with relish.】

【You oppose the exploitation, suppression, and bullying of the common people by the disciples of the Hundred Schools, and in the process of traveling across the Nine Provinces, you also begin to take in disciples who identify with and are willing to revere the Shushan Dao.】

【Among these disciples, a child from Jiujiang Commandery deeply won your favor, and you named him Xu Qingyun.】

【For this disciple, you poured out great effort, telling him the scriptures of Shushan, the principles of Shushan, and the belief of why Shushan fights.】

【The naive Xu Qingyun did not know how heavy this effort was, but he wanted even less to let down your expectations of him.】

【Your esoteric Technique Formula, Grotto-Heaven Eye, has ushered in a new improvement with the help of Longchang Enlightenment.】

【You have no talent for naming things, and ultimately named it—Heavenly Perception Eye.】

Meanwhile.

Wang Qinghe, who had been paying attention to Gu Jiangming's movements, was stunned.

What kind of person is this?!

You mean you just achieve enlightenment whenever you want?! Although Wang Qinghe did not see much content from the information on Gu Jiangming, she did not miss a single bit of the commotion Gu Jiangming caused.

Not being by Gu Jiangming's side, Wang Qinghe could only watch his movements through 【Mie Changsheng】.

As it turned out, this Gu Jiangming, while being at a complete disadvantage in terms of cultivation and realm, solved the problem of the great drought in Guanzhong with ease from the hands of the 【Drought Demon】.

Not only that, he even gained the recognition of the 【Drought Demon】.

Just this matter alone made Wang Qinghe somewhat astonished.

The 【Drought Demon】 is notoriously difficult to talk to; if you say one wrong word, she has a violent temper that can spray you in the face.

But the content that followed was even crazier.

The 【Drought Demon】 actually decided to "violate" the rules of Heaven and Earth because of Gu Jiangming's respect for her, and let the drought subside on her own.

This matter, even now, Wang Qinghe cannot understand, and it has brought a huge impact to her worldview.

But before the impact of the 【Drought Demon】 incident could subside, the event of Gu Jiangming's 【Longchang Enlightenment】 sounded in her ears again.

Wang Qinghe also has knowledge of this thing called an entry.

Previously, during the 【Reincarnation Simulation】, the random reincarnation entry 【Heart-Pounding】 almost made Wang Qinghe furious.

But it is worth mentioning that this thing is very rare and very difficult to obtain.

Up until now, Wang Qinghe has only managed to figure out that she has the talent entry 【Born into a Prestigious Family】.

However, in terms of the effect level, Wang Qinghe is quite dissatisfied; it just ensures that her background in every reincarnation is relatively good.

But what on earth is 【Longchang Enlightenment】?

Comprehension increased by ten points; do you even understand what the concept of ten points of comprehension actually means?

What kind of brand-new conceptual god is this?! Among the many numerical values in the character card, although the value of comprehension is not concretely manifested, everyone's upper limit is one hundred points.

Within that one-hundred-point limit, comprehension increased by ten points, and it was a direct ten-point jump at that.

Assuming Gu Jiangming's initial comprehension was eighty, 【Longchang Enlightenment】 could raise it to ninety; if the initial comprehension was ninety, 【Longchang Enlightenment】 could raise it to one hundred. This is an increase that ignores conditions.

Then, is there any need to say how terrifying the changes brought about by this are? This tiny gap can bring about extreme changes, let alone a ten-point difference in value; a mortal becoming a genius, a genius becoming a prodigy—that is roughly the distance of these ten points.

The trait 【Longchang Enlightenment】 is simply unreasonable! An extra ten points of comprehension—it is worthy of the simple definition of the words "significantly increase comprehension."

The simplest mechanism is the purest improvement.

And later, the advancement of 【Grotto-Heaven Eye】 to 【Heavenly Perception Eye】 once again verified the strength of 【Longchang Enlightenment】.

Wang Qinghe believed she was already excellent enough.

After much maneuvering, not to mention bringing the Wang family, which had absolutely no foundation in cultivation, to establish a firm foothold in Liangzhou—which could be considered a local powerful clan—she even began to properly manage her jurisdiction, quell local chaos, and resolve local demons.

This was the result of her efforts during this period.

But Gu Jiangming's opening move was a style Wang Qinghe simply could not understand. And these were not even the most outrageous parts.

It was that in 【Reincarnation Simulation】, 【Shushan】, the only one to face the torrent of the era head-on, had only truly entered the world after developing for a sufficiently long time.

Yet, Gu Jiangming now chose to represent Shushan and enter the world during the Hundred Schools Rebellion, at the most chaotic time of the current situation.

How many aristocratic cultivators are you trying to take on by yourself?

Regardless, the current trend of power still remains in the hands of the cultivators nurtured by these aristocratic clans.

From Wang Qinghe's perspective, the correct solution should be to wait for these people in the 【Hundred Schools Rebellion】 to fall into disarray, and while they are busy contending and slaughtering each other, continuously accumulate one's own capital.

Then, through their internal attrition, find the best opportunity to strike and solve all problems in one go.

Gu Jiangming's approach is too rigid.

If you grow too big, aren't you definitely going to be prioritized as a target by the aristocratic clans?

After all, you are a third party outside of the aristocratic cultivators!

They look down on each other, none of them want to give up their own foundation, and they want to decide a winner.

But the problem is, whoever wins doesn't matter to them; as long as one of their own wins, in the end, they won't necessarily exterminate the other aristocratic cultivators.

Because they still need to exploit the mortals below together.

However, looking at a line of text in Gu Jiangming's information, Wang Qinghe felt deeply ashamed.

【To cultivate oneself while not forgetting to improve the world—this is the realm a cultivator should most strive for.】

【Not resisting in a dark era means conspiring with tigers.】

【You witness the occurrence of calamity yet turn a blind eye to it; how is this not a negation of your own self-awareness?】

【You did not tolerate it; your pride chose the toughest path, even if this path is full of thorns, even if you may not necessarily see this path through to the end.】

【Yet you still carry the breeze in your sleeves, truly wanting to carve out a path of peace and health that allows future generations to walk steadily forward.】

The screen froze.

The skin illustration of 【Longchang Enlightenment】 Gu Jiangming appeared in Wang Qinghe's mind.

It was a view from behind.

He suddenly turned his head, and the gaze looking at you was filled with a heavy sense of gravitas.

The Gu Jiangming in this skin illustration was not wearing overly ornate clothing, yet it was precisely this simple and unadorned attire, and that slightly weary and heavy look back, that could deeply stun Wang Qinghe.

Because in him, Wang Qinghe truly felt something called conviction.

Her pretty face flushed slightly.

In that 【Reincarnation Simulation】, truthfully, Wang Qinghe had not felt Gu Jiangming's Charm.

Isn't it just a Shushan?

Isn't it just a reincarnation of a love between a human and a demon that remains steadfast? But now, the gravitas brought by this skin illustration, and the information brought by Gu Jiangming, made Wang Qinghe feel the unique Charm hidden deep beneath.

That is the unyielding will to face the torrent of an era alone with one's own body.

The so-called "though there be millions, I go" is nothing more than this.

【The fervor for the Shushan orthodoxy that Gu Jiangming stirred up in the south, and his many pointers to mortals without discrimination, all made the local aristocratic clans feel an invisible threat; under this threat, the aristocratic cultivators sensed that their status was suffering a new impact.】

【Cultivators in various southern regions erupted in resistance against the Shushan orthodoxy.】

【Gu Jiangming triggered a new event—The Five Sects Incident.】

【This is a challenge to Shushan by the local cultivators of the five southern families; the sudden and powerful rise of Shushan, and the endless emergence of various marvelous techniques, triggered their covetousness for the Shushan path of cultivation.】

【A mortal who had received guidance from Gu Jiangming was hunted down and tortured to extract the essence of the technique, simply because he had obtained an ordinary Shushan technique for strengthening the body.】

【This triggered strong dissatisfaction among the local commoners toward the aristocratic cultivators; with their intentional or unintentional help, this unlisted disciple of Shushan who had been guided managed to survive the hunt by sheer luck.】

【But the aristocratic cultivators continuously suppressed the mortals who practiced Shushan methods within their borders; those commoners who had once helped the Shushan disciple were also mostly subjected to strict, maximum-penalty treatment, being beheaded in public before the eyes of the whole city. Although some aristocratic youths felt it was too cruel and spoke up to advise against it, their words were not adopted.】

【This is to kill one to warn a hundred, so as to prevent these lowly people from feeling pity for Shushan disciples again.】

At this moment, in front of Gu Jiangming.

A person covered in mud and travel-worn was kneeling before him.

"Disciple Wang Shengxuan wishes to seek the Shushan path to rectify the injustices of the world."

【He is an ordinary person you once had the fortune to guide; you taught these ordinary people the "Five Animals Body-Strengthening Technique" you obtained by chance, so that they could strengthen their bodies.】

【During the Five Sects Incident, Wang Shengxuan was hunted and suppressed by aristocratic cultivators all the way; in his moment of extreme difficulty, he received help from local commoners and thus managed to escape with his life.】

【He deeply realized that to change his fate, he must obtain powerful strength, and only by possessing sufficiently outstanding cultivation could he repay the humiliations he had suffered one by one.】

【His life destiny was elevated because of this escape through thousands of hardships, and his temperament was now as tough as iron.】

"After you succeed in your cultivation, what is the thing you most want to do?" Gu Jiangming asked in a cold voice.

"Revenge," Wang Shengxuan said extremely straightforwardly: "As long as I can finish my revenge, I am willing to do anything afterwards."

【Wang Shengxuan is blunt and straightforward, having no extra thoughts, nor has he thought about how to win your favor.】

【He only wants to tell you everything he wants to say and everything he wants to do; Wang Shengxuan believes that sincerity is the only thing he has left that can move you.】

【Yet such a straightforward nature is also a rare form of integrity; at the very least, he will not lose the honor of a gentleman in front of you.】

"If you repay injury with kindness, then with what will you repay kindness? Repay injury with uprightness, and repay kindness with kindness—that is the way."

"Fairness must be fought for by oneself."

"I will teach you the methods of Mount Shu, but you must also walk the Dao of Mount Shu; only then can you be called a disciple of Mount Shu."

Gu Jiangming said in a deep voice: "Pour tea for me."

【You have accepted Wang Shengxuan.】

【This is the second true-lineage disciple of Mount Shu you have accepted along this journey; his fate has changed because of you.】

【Wang Shengxuan feels immense surprise because of this, never having imagined he would be accepted, and he excitedly kowtows before you.】

You see the character card, originally light blue, suddenly transform into light purple after Gu Jiangming accepts him as a disciple; it has directly ascended a grade.

【Under the state of Longchang Enlightenment, you begin to polish a suitable path of cultivation for him based on Wang Shengxuan's constitution and personality.】

【You believe he is better suited to practicing hard techniques and methods involving the physical body.】

【Based on your comprehension, you begin to find a tailor-made path of physical refinement for him from the "Dragon Aspect Heart Birth".】

【With the help of Longchang Enlightenment, you combine parts of the Pei Family's Technique Formula of strange gates, "Withered Wood Returns to Spring", with "Dragon Aspect Heart Birth" to create a Body Cultivation method named—"Withered Wood Returns to Yang Art".】

【"Withered Wood Returns to Yang Art" has an extremely high compatibility with Wang Shengxuan; his progress in practicing this method will be exceptionally fast.】

?

The power of your "Longchang Enlightenment" is truly a bit exaggerated.

Gu Jiangming feels he has directly turned from "Deep Blue stat-adding" into "Jiangming stat-adding".

Is it really okay to be able to tailor-make cultivation methods directly based on a disciple's talent and aptitude?!

Are we still playing or what?

What kind of cheat is this?! (End of chapter)