Chapter 154: Human Way Red Smoke

Yan Buji temporarily named the two patterns: Secret Order Pattern and Golden Foil Pattern. Although he didn't know if he would obtain new patterns later, or which genius created these patterns or they were the inheritance of a great power, obtaining all of them would obviously be a true great opportunity!

These patterns are clearly not individual entities, but merely a part of some whole, like a portion of a cultivation method.

But obviously these two patterns have no qualification requirements, no cultivation requirements; it just depends on whether you can use them, which is somewhat like the Nine Turns Technique.

"It's a pity the Golden Foil Pattern has no ability to accelerate the Nine Turns Technique; otherwise I would be directly invincible." Yan Buji laughed.

People are like that; once they get something good, they want something better, and Yan Buji is no exception.

Otherwise, how could he be content to merely be a wealthy gentleman?

Facing one's desires directly is not shameful; on the contrary, achieving unity between consciousness and desire is the mindset a cultivator should have.

If one deliberately suppresses oneself for the sake of rules and etiquette, that only shows one is indeed a law-abiding good person.

But for Yan Buji, good and bad are not important.

He can be a good person or a bad person; it's merely how outsiders see him.

"The rites and laws of the world bind only human nature's basic desires, like a monkey's urges hidden in the heart that cannot be released, thoughts like a heavenly horse yet unable to soar. It is natural; as part of the world, humans are meat-eaters, with desire as their foremost aspect."

"Rules and etiquette guide people toward goodness, maintaining worldly stability, peace, and development. Naturally, the distinction between good and evil thus has limits. From education to law, all seek to alter human basic desires, making them yearn for peace and tranquility, yet they ignore the heart's desire!"

"Heart's desire is the beginning of a person. When hungry, one wants to eat; when tired, one wants to sleep. What the heart desires is the most basic and fundamental need. Heart's desire is ever-changing; no one knows what they will ultimately become, so sages established rites and laws, deriving basic desires. Using the goodness of basic desires, they suppress the ever-changing heart's desire!"

Yan Buji closed his eyes and began to ponder, reflecting on his past.

"If I cannot obtain it, how could others?"

"Basic desire, heart's desire are human desires; what I pursue is the heavenly desire!"

Yan Buji's eyes lit up: "Basic desire is thought, heart's desire is idea, heavenly desire is me!"

At this moment, Yan Buji finally integrated all the trivialities of his first half of life; in an instant his mindset underwent a drastic change!

"If heaven has thought, there must be great chaos; if a person lacks thought, they are but weeds. When heaven's mind conforms to human intent, that is the human way, and only then is it the principle of the world!"

"What I want is what I think!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Heaven is vast, earth is vast, reason is supreme!!"

Yan Buji's mouth curled into a smile; his heart surged like a raging tsunami, and in an instant he comprehended worldly rites and laws, combined with his own experience, causing his mindset to undergo an upward change.

No one can say whether this change is good or bad, but Yan Buji felt his thoughts and desires had already achieved unity, and perhaps it was a key step he took in his understanding of the human way!

Yan Buji suddenly saw the silhouettes of ancient sages before him, some distant and unseen, some right before his eyes!

What is this?

He only felt something wondrous, as if he had arrived at a place he shouldn't have reached at this time; the ancient sage not far ahead seemed to sense something, turning his head doubtfully to glance.

It was just that glance!

What did he see?

It was a pair of eyes that had witnessed the vicissitudes of time, as if he himself were an ant before them, yet their gaze held curiosity and scrutiny, and they smiled at him.

Yan Buji suddenly came to, then spat out a mouthful of blood, and immediately fainted again.

Nan Ting Mountain Region, Myriad Dao Mountain Range.

Legend says there is a mountain here called One Dao Mountain.

On the mountain stands a temple called One Dao Temple.

In the temple stood an old Daoist priest in simple robes, holding a whisk, eyes closed in meditation, his white hair and long beard; beside him sat two drowsy Daoist boys reading the Daoist scriptures, occasionally drooling.

"Hahaha! Another cultivator has grasped the profundities of the human way!"

The old Daoist priest suddenly awoke from meditation and laughed loudly.

The two Daoist boys beside him shuddered, wiped their drool, and began to chant:

"At the beginning of life, human nature is good...."

"At the beginning of life, human nature is evil...."

The old Daoist priest smiled slightly and chanted: "At the beginning of life, human nature is nothing...."

Soon after.

Yan Buji woke again from his coma, covering his head and coughing once.

"Who is that old Daoist? Where did I go before?"

Yan Buji only felt that in the instant his mindset changed, he went to a very wondrous place.

But just being glanced at by the old Daoist made him unable to bear it, causing him to vomit blood and faint.

Yet upon waking he found no injury on his body; instead he felt waves of ease, and even the flow of his mana seemed much smoother than before.

Smooth?

No!

Yan Buji took a deep breath, feeling his mana mysteriously resonate with some profound object; attempting to cultivate, he found his speed increased severalfold!

"What is this... this... this?"

Something beyond comprehension lay before him, yet he could not investigate it in the slightest, which truly made Yan Buji feel uneasy.

He mobilized his mana to condense a mana ball in his palm; this was mana compressed after his high pressure, and with his current mana strength it could bear the burden of such high compression.

But that's not the main point; within his mana a faint red smoke appeared and disappeared, this red qi seeming to be the cause of his cultivation speed doubling.

However, if not for such high-intensity condensed mana, that red smoke probably would not manifest.

"Is it because I entered that place that my mana changed? Or is it because my mindset improved, naturally giving birth to the red smoke?"

Yan Buji leaned toward the former; this red smoke, whose origin even he couldn't fathom, could hardly be an innate power of his.

Could I possess such qualifications?

Then what was all the suffering I endured before?

Thus Yan Buji thought it highly likely that after his mindset rose, entering that place caused him to possess this red smoke.

However, no matter what, it's ultimately a good thing.

"In that case, I don't know how long this red smoke can last; if it could continue indefinitely... then my cultivation problem would be solved. But it seems unlikely...."

Yan Buji chuckled; this red smoke is not the turbid qi spoken of in the cultivation world, and his cultivation technique is also a pure-nature technique. He has never mistakenly ingested any turbid-nature spiritual material or pills, and he has even undergone the process of the Bright King Technique removing turbid qi—it absolutely cannot be turbid qi!

However, this red smoke's effectiveness will gradually weaken as he cultivates his technique; he had already noticed this just now.

I think, at least supporting himself to reach the Lianqi Fifth Layer should be no problem!

If he hadn't cultivated the Nine Revolutions Technique, he might even be able to help himself directly reach the Lianqi Tenth Layer!

This is truly a good thing; in the future, I'll inquire from all sides to find out exactly where this red smoke comes from.