Chapter 111

He knew that Duan Zhixing and Hong Qi had a deep friendship; when he became a monk years ago, very few people in the jianghu knew about it, but Hong Qi himself had been present, witnessing Duan Zhixing's tonsure.

According to his earlier thoughts, when this Yi Deng Da Shi saw him, although he would not directly attack him, he would still likely question and rebuke him to some extent.

However, after seeing this earthly paradise today and feeling Master Yideng's profound internal energy, he somewhat understood; this master likely did not retreat here without reason.

If he also knew the miraculous nature of this Peach Blossom Spring and already had an ethereal pursuit, he would not bother with mundane affairs.

Moreover, during the second Mount Hua Sword Debate, this person had already become indifferent to fame; it's hard to say that such a state of mind did not originate from this place.

Indeed, after hearing Niu Dingtian's words, Master Yideng's face showed a hint of regret; he kept turning his prayer beads and softly sighed, "The poor monk is now a person beyond the world, so naturally I will no longer concern myself with worldly disputes."

Just as he was about to prepare to refuse, Master Yideng already chuckled and said, "Niu Dingtian, at such a young age, you have already cultivated to the Grandmaster peak realm,"

"With such astonishing talent, you may well attain the innate realm in the future and even hope for the celestial realm; it is our Yuanjun who would be marrying up."

As the two were deadlocked, the surging internal energy waves emanating from each of their bodies gradually solidified between their arms.

"Clang—"

The poor monk also knows he is a righteous person; all his life he has only yearned for delicious food and for a carefree, unfettered existence in the mortal world; he never imagined that heavenly secrets are unfathomable and worldly affairs impermanent, that Seventh Brother would ultimately end up in such a plight.

Seeing Master Yideng unwilling to strike first, Niu Dingtian stepped forward; his aura surged violently, his black hair flying wildly, his green robe billowing without wind, making a rustling sound; raising his hand with no fixed form, he thrust a palm straight toward Master Yideng in a horizontal press.

The distance of five zhang was covered in an instant; after the three phantasms overlapped, Niu Dingtian's fierce palm, as swift as lightning and mighty as mountains, pressed against Master Yideng's chest.

Back then, even the Old Urchin fired at Miss Yinggu, yet never saw this old monk lift a hand; to conduct oneself to Master Yideng's level, Niu Dingtian admires him, and to behave as a man to such an extent, Niu Dingtian also admires him.

"Would Master Yideng be willing to spar with me tonight?" Niu Dingtian suddenly asked, "Master, no need to hold back; go all out!"

Niu Dingtian realized that, whether he had fought Hong Qigong or Huang Lao Xie earlier, he had ultimately prevailed thanks to the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill's yin-yang harmony and endless internal energy; even if he truly surpassed them by some margin, it now appears that they are all roughly in the same realm.

Upon considering a possibility, he suddenly froze, then a surge of turmoil rose in his heart, shocking him to the point of being unable to calm for a long time; could it be that Duan Yu's fairy sister……

"When I was young, while my grandfather was still alive, I often saw him alone at night gazing at the stars, lamenting that the celestial realm was hopelessly out of reach; even a few years before his passing, he still sighed that he could not touch the threshold of the celestial realm, ultimately departing with regret."

Now it was Niu Dingtian's turn to be startled; was this old monk really serious? He never expected Master Yideng to directly take charge, bypassing Wu Santong. Moreover, Niu Dingtian had no habit of acknowledging evil-doers as his foster father.

After the two fell into silence, Master Yideng seemed to sink into self-reproach, his face growing increasingly troubled; Niu Dingtian, feeling bored as well, decided to cheer him up and asked:

"Master Yideng, did you expect me tonight for some other matter?"

Niu Dingtian's heart shook violently; he could not help but ask, "Could it be that immortals truly exist in this world?"

If that were truly the case, could the breathing technique I cultivate internally actually be the way of immortals? Then all those years I've spent would have been wasted living like a dog! Damn it!

That man once regarded women as mere clothing; now, his feelings toward Miss Yinggu are probably more guilt than anything, which is not the same as mine.

Master Yideng nodded and said, "Indeed, martial artists do have various realm divisions, but few know of them. At the time of the Mount Hua Sword Debate, aside from Chongyang Brother, the poor monk and the other four were all at mid-Grandmaster level."

Master Yideng was startled, then after reacting, he gave a wry smile and said, "I never expected Yuanjun to gain your favor,"

"Is there a distinction between immortals and mortals?"

Master Yideng stood straight in place, his eyes slightly narrowed, steady as a mountain.

When Miss Yinggu was mentioned, a flash of guilt appeared in Master Yideng's eyes; after uttering a Buddhist chant, his face grew somewhat anguished, and he sighed slowly, "It seems the poor monk has become attached to form!"

Upon reaching this point, Master Yideng suddenly stopped, his breath even becoming coarse; after a pause, he sighed, "As for the realm above the celestial, the manuscript records only four characters,"

"Which four characters?"

"Your ages are quite suitable; since you, Master Niu, have the intention, the poor monk will establish a verbal engagement with you tonight."

Master Yideng slowly nodded; upon mentioning this, his own heart was also unsettled, and he whispered:

After the mighty, unmatched surge of energy pressed straight forward, it caused Master Yideng's long eyebrows to flutter wildly and his monk's robe to rustle loudly.

"Celestial?"

"In recent years, when the poor monk first saw the record in the manuscript, the shock in his heart was no less than what you feel now, Master Niu."

After a while, he slowly rose, bowed deeply to Master Yideng, and said, "Master Yideng, for your guidance today, I will surely repay you in the future!"

"In my view, there is nothing more shameless than donning the guise of justice to steal another's life! Killing is killing—why bother gilding one's own face?"

Time seemed to stand still; the confrontation was soundless, except for the ground beneath their feet gradually cracking, proof that the fierce clash continued.

"Martial realm?"

In the past, when he sparred with experts, only after fighting could he tell who was stronger; for example, Hong Qigong and Huang Lao Xie were not much different from him, but compared to the elderly eunuch in the imperial palace, they were clearly not on the same level.

Master Yideng's expression froze for a moment, then he realized, slowly rose, and smiled, "The poor monk naturally agrees! Please, Master Niu, step outside!"

He knew Master Yideng's strength might not be inferior to his own; since both were now at the Grandmaster peak realm, they were naturally each other's best whetstone—an opportunity he did not want to miss, and presumably Master Yideng, eager to break through, would not want to miss it either.

"Grandmasters can be divided into ordinary acquired Grandmasters and innate Grandmasters."

But why is this old monk telling me all this? Could it be that he has taken a liking to my martial talent and wants to make an investment?

Niu Dingtian chuckled lightly, "I dare not agree with Master Yideng's words. Hong Qigong is indeed righteous, and he has earned his own reputation; he kills corrupt officials and ungrateful, treacherous people."

"Boom—"

"Seventeen." Niu Dingtian replied.

"Seventh Brother has only just entered the Grandmaster peak realm; if Master Niu can defeat him, his martial cultivation surely will not be below the Grandmaster peak level."

"Back then, the poor monk was still young and had not given it much thought; only after seeing the manuscript did he realize that his grandfather had spent his entire later years pursuing that elusive celestial realm."

After hearing Niu Dingtian's words, Master Yideng came to his senses, slowly raised his head, and gazed at Niu Dingtian's face for a moment before asking:

"How old are you, Master Niu?"

If he had known earlier that the martial world still had realm divisions, he would not have practiced martial arts in a fitful, three-days-fishing-two-days-drying-nets manner; looking back now, he truly wishes he could give himself a hard slap.

After saying that, he glanced at the dim candlelight beside him, his eyes seeming to sink into memory; after a while, he whispered, "Back then, it was also in the Peach Blossom Spring, in this stone room, where Seventh Brother personally witnessed the poor monk's taking refuge in the Three Treasures."

After their auras suddenly burst forth, wind rose in the still forest; two powerful surges of energy instantly centered on the two of them, rushing toward each other; upon collision, the surges again carried branches and leaves outward, spreading through the surrounding bamboo grove.

In the end, Master Yideng paused, sighed with regret, "As for the legendary celestial realm, the poor monk dares not hope for it in this lifetime; as for you, Master Niu……"

It was also at that time that the poor monk first conceived the idea of becoming a monk; he eventually found this secluded place, hoping that in the years of his life he could break through the innate realm; as for that legendary celestial realm……

"Amitabha!"

Since this old monk isn't planning to blame me in the middle of the night, there must be something else; better to get it clear now and return to studying the Nine Yin Classic, for tomorrow he still intends to go back to the cave entrance to investigate the mysterious aura beneath the water.

"Grandmaster peak?"

Innate Grand Master is moreover the peak of the mundane martial way, the pinnacle of mortal martial learning, the utmost that ordinary people can achieve in martial arts, and and among innate experts, those who further succeed in breaking through are all persons of great fortune.

He also understands, this might be that Master Yi Deng himself cannot see hope beyond the innate, wanting to find a bit of hope on this hopeful person of his, but for him, this is is a real favor.

Master believes in Buddhism, since the Buddha is compassionate, we should not let innocent people suffer; the Buddha also teaches cause and effect, Hong Qi has now returned to being an ordinary person, how could this not be cause and effect? Compared to those he killed, how fortunate he is!

I happen to have heard that your disciple Wu San Tong has an adopted daughter, who from a young age is lovely and graceful; Master, if you do not disdain this Niu, let us first set a verbal engagement, how about that?

Above the Innate Grand Master is the Heaven-Man Realm; nowadays Heaven-Man Realm experts are hard to find in the world, legend has it that none are not in seclusion seeking breakthrough; as for above the Heaven-Man Realm...

Niu Dingtian could not imagine.

This is the first time in his life he has felt such gratitude toward a person, aside from Bao Xiucai and his Bao senior sister.

Having said that, Niu Dingtian paused, seeing Master Yi Deng's stunned expression, he felt some hesitation in his words, but ultimately continued speaking.

Moreover, if someone were to act against Ying Gu, what would Master Yi Deng do then? You should understand my meaning.

Since ancient times, knights violate prohibitions with martial prowess, scholars disrupt law with literature; Master Yi Deng once was an emperor, he should not fail to understand this principle. Moreover...

Master Yi Deng said: According to that manuscript, when one's cultivation reaches the Innate Realm, they have already cultivated internal and external qi to mutually sense; Innate experts can, by their own strength, turn the power of heaven and earth and all things to their own use.

At the end of his speech, Master Yi Deng shook his head and sighed: The Buddha is merciful, Niu the Lay Practitioner should by no means have gone so heavy-handed.

Niu Dingtian himself has been practicing martial arts for eleven years, yet he really hasn't seen any concrete records on this matter, nor has he heard anyone speak of it, and in his previous life's Condor Heroes world, it seems this was never mentioned either.

After he regained his composure, he again heard One Lamp say: 'As for whether what is recorded in the manual about the realm above mortal-human is true, this poor monk also does not know, but the mortal-human realm should exist,'

When the palm shadow pressed to his chest, he clasped his arms together, and the internal energy along his arms burst out explosively, colliding with the overwhelming palm force that Niu Dingtian sent forth with a boom; the resulting strong turbulent airflow, with the momentum of overturning mountains and seas, instantly swept across the entire bamboo grove.

The two flashed into the woods, one ahead and one behind, and stood still at a distance of five zhang apart.

Niu Dingtian fell silent; he suddenly realized that even if someone really were to strike at Yinggu, given the character of this One Lamp Master before him, he might not necessarily go so far as to strike cruelly.

Niu Dingtian did not interrupt; he simply sat cross-legged before One Lamp, silently listening. This secret fortune was, to him, like a bright lamp, pointing the way for his martial path. If it weren't for tonight, given his own lazy disposition, he would probably drift aimlessly along the martial arts road for his whole life.

Upon saying this, One Lamp fell silent and thereafter did not speak again; a hush settled in the room, and Niu Dingtian also lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

Now Niu Dingtian could no longer bother with the verbal engagement; suppressing his inner urgency, he looked toward One Lamp and asked in a low voice:

"What do you mean by that, One Lamp Master? Could it be that we martial practitioners also have various divisions of martial realms?"

He knew that One Lamp's grandfather was Duan Yu of Heavenly Dragon, but given Duan Yu's character, it was utterly impossible for him to care that much about the martial path, unless…

"Immortals and mortals are distinct!"

Niu Dingtian asked without changing his expression: "Master, where did you learn these secrets from?"

One Lamp said softly: "In the manual left by our ancestors, it is recorded that after a martial artist enters the stream, they can be divided into three grades; above that is the master, and above the master is the grand master."

But what right do the relatives of the person he killed have to suffer that grief of losing a kin? And after suffering, what can they do? Seek him out for revenge? Or report to the authorities? Faced with a martial arts master like Hong Qigong, they would ultimately just endure a life of despair.

Although One Lamp had not finished speaking, Niu Dingtian already understood clearly: it was nothing more than—'Young man, I have high hopes for you! You have a prospect of reaching the Heaven-Human realm!'

However, he did not feel excessive joy; his mind still harbored too many doubts: what does the Grand Master say? How can one be considered innate? And who are those who have attained the Heaven-Human realm?

At this moment, Niu Dingtian's enthusiasm for learning had reached its peak; he immediately clasped his hands together and asked: "One Lamp Master, could you clear up my confusion? How can one be considered to have reached the innate realm?"

Niu Dingtian's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Innate?"

There's nothing really to hide about it; anyone with intent can find it out. Still, Niu Dingtian wondered why this old monk would ask his age for no reason.

Suddenly thinking of Wu Santong, Niu Dingtian's eyes flickered, and he smiled, saying: "What? Is One Lamp Master trying to find me a suitable-aged woman as a matchmaker?"

After a hundred breaths, a burst sound like thunder exploded with a boom, and Niu Dingtian and One Lamp both leapt backward.

A visible, condensed qi flow shot out rapidly, sweeping sideways in all directions; wherever it passed, dust rose, and green bamboo stalks were snapped at the waist, leaving a scene of utter ruin.

(End of chapter)