Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension-Chapter 319 - 246: Seeing Daoxin at the Guardian Peak_2

Chapter 319: Chapter 246: Seeing Daoxin at the Guardian Peak_2

Zhao Sheng gave a slight smile and said, “Mr. Song, you need not worry. Your wager is quite simple, not excessive at all. I have only one request. When Mingzheng and I get married, how about each of you brings a gift to celebrate?”

“No problem!” Song Xingyun agreed without a second thought, then joked, “If Taoist Zhao does not marry Miss Dong after all, does that mean we can save our gifts?”

“Rest assured! You’ll definitely be sending those gifts,” said Zhao Sheng confidently.

“Really? I don’t believe it,” one responded.

“How about we make another bet?” Zhao Sheng suggested.

“Absolutely not, Ying Tianlong has just left barely a moment ago.”

In the midst of this light-hearted conversation, the stakes of their bet were established.

On the surface, Zhao Sheng seemed to be letting everyone off easy, but in reality, they greatly admired his method.

Giving a wedding gift might seem a trivial matter, but let’s not forget that behind these individuals stood some of the most prestigious forces in the Central Continent.

One could imagine when Zhao Qingyang’s big day came, over ninety percent of the famous aristocratic families in the Central Continent sending gifts, the symbolic meaning behind this was profound.

Just on this point alone, one could see how Zhao Sheng’s action was so far-sighted, bringing immeasurable long-term benefits to the Zhao Family which were beyond words.

Zhao Sheng’s hidden motives were not lost on the astute crowd, yet none wanted to burst this bubble.

Moreover, the wise noticed another significant aspect, Dong Miaozhen’s unusual silence, showing no signs of objection.

In just one day, Dong Miaozhen’s change in attitude was a shock to Song Xingyun and the others.

What was more intriguing was that most of the Dong Family’s daughters looked at Zhao Qingyang with eager, intense gazes, as if they saw a treasured possession they desperately wanted to claim.

Was reaching the top of the Heart Refining Road really that important?

There were many who had become “first” in past Phoenix Meetings, but none were as favored as Zhao Qingyang.

This odd phenomenon left many breaking their heads trying to understand why.

In fact, Zhao Sheng also felt something was amiss, sensing the intense gazes coming from all around.

He always felt that something unknown might have happened in the meantime.

Just then, as the sun set and the moon rose, the night finally fell, and the colorful light shield enveloping the Tao Character Stele suddenly dissipated into the air at a rapid pace.

Everyone immediately turned their attention, watching intently towards the inside of the light shield.

As the light shield faded, their vision darkened, and suddenly a massive green stone, thirty feet high and twenty feet in both length and width, with a rough and irregular shape, came into view.

The side of the green stone facing the crowd, however, was flattened by some mysterious power, polished smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting the astonished and excited expressions of the crowd.

“Is this… the Tao Character Stele?” someone suddenly exclaimed.

Then another questioned, “Where is the Tao character?”

“Shh, look closely, the Tao is within the heart!”

At that moment, those who still maintained clarity in front of the Tao Character Stele were people of insufficient insight.

Natural talents like Jian Shisan, Song Xingyun, and Kong Lang, with their exceptional comprehension, had already been drawn into sudden enlightenment the moment they saw the Tao Heart Mirror.

The saying that ‘the Tao lies within the heart’ is no mere platitude.

Don’t forget, they had just passed through the arduous test of the Heart Refining Illusion Realm, when their spirits were turbulent, brimming with self-confidence, and their Taoist hearts extremely clear and steadfast.

At this moment, using the Tao Heart Mirror as a conduit to draw people into ‘Enlightenment’ was right on time.

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The great being who arranged this Heart Refining Road and the Tao Character Stele years ago intended exactly this.

What others saw, Zhao Sheng did not know.

But as he witnessed the true face of the “Tao Character Stele,” his spirit suddenly visualized a vast ocean.

The ocean was boundless, vast and mighty, and suddenly, a great sun leapt from the edge of the Heavenly Sea, carrying endless fervor, traversing the sky.

The Great Sun in the sky, its brilliance shining far and wide!

Zhao Sheng felt as though he merged with the Great Sun, numerous spirit lights suddenly leaping from the depths of his heart, and copious amounts of information about the Gold Element, Fire Element, Sun, and the Law of Light rapidly fused into his spirit.

At the same time, deep within his Divine Soul, countless inexplicable filthy thoughts and dark ideas were utterly incinerated by the “Great Sun Yang.”

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a towering golden giant’s phantom slowly emerged, and Zhao Sheng suddenly had a moment of distraction and instantly awoke from his sudden enlightenment.

Suddenly, a ray of sunlight stung his eyelids, and he opened his eyes, seeing the sun rising in the east, only then realizing that a whole night had passed.

Looking again at the Tao Character Stele, the peculiar green stone was once again enveloped in a multicolored light shield.

“Congratulations, Brother Zhao, you’re the last one to wake up. You must have gained a lot!”

At that moment, he heard a congratulatory voice beside him, the envy in the voice unmistakable.

Zhao Sheng stood up and turned to look at the speaker, and it was Kong Lang!

“A minor gain!”

Zhao Sheng replied casually, and then followed his gaze to find that Song Xingyun, Dong Shu, Jin Wulin, and others hadn’t left but were silently waiting for him to awaken.

The expressions of the crowd varied, full of envy, jealousy, resentment, and dissatisfaction.

According to previous experiences, the later one awakens, the longer the time spent in sudden enlightenment, and naturally, the greater the gains.

Kong Lang originally intended to reconcile with Zhao Sheng, but the latter didn’t appreciate it, showing an unusual “arrogance” instead.

This caused Kong Lang, who was always prideful, to feel secretly irritated, and immediately quenched his earlier intentions.

“What are you talking about, Taoist Zhao. With your remarkable talents, just a ‘minor gain’? Does that mean the rest of us are just blindly foolish?”

Kong Lang’s words were full of sarcasm, causing Zhao Sheng to frown upon hearing them.

At that moment, Song Xingyun suddenly stepped forward to smooth things over, “Brother Kong misunderstands. Brother Zhao probably didn’t mean that.”

“Haha, I was just joking just now. Taoist Zhao, don’t take it to heart, and let’s head to the Ten Thousand Dao Tower later. I am quite eager to see what Taoist Zhao has gained from his enlightenment,” said Kong Lang with a forced laugh, skillfully brushing over the previous topic, yet his true intentions were quite apparent.

Following the Phoenix Meeting’s procedure, after crossing the Heart Refining Road and observing the Tao Character Stele, everyone would visit the Ten Thousand Dao Tower and leave their personal marks.

The tower stored the various precious Enlightenment Imprints left by participants of previous Phoenix Meetings, mostly consisting of the character “Tao,” though there were also text pieces, sword marks, runes, diagrams, paintings, or even a casually crafted clay figure, or a block of ice that wouldn’t melt for a thousand years, among others. These forms were numerous, but all without exception contained the predecessors’ insights into the Tao.

Every visit to the Ten Thousand Dao Tower led to someone being inspired by the previous generational marks left, and thus advancing greatly in their Daoist cultivation.

After hearing this, Zhao Sheng responded indifferently, “Hearing Mr. Kong’s words, are you suggesting another wager with me?”

“Haha! The Tao is vast and has no highs or lows, how could it be gambled upon! Taoist, you really have a sense of humor.”

“Oh, so you are afraid!” Zhao Sheng nodded, seemingly realizing.

“Hmph, we’ll see!”

Kong Lang wanted to show some backbone, but remembering Ying Tianlong’s fate, his spine immediately softened.

…

The Ten Thousand Dao Tower was located on a flat hillside about ten miles south of Guardian Peak.

From a distance, it appeared as a group of nine ancient three-story buildings, the entire area enveloped by a Second Order Array with exceptionally tight security.

At the third quarter of the hour of Chen, the bright sun was in the sky, the light was clear and sparkling, the grass was lush, and the scent of flowers was abundant.

From afar, a group of stunning beauties approached windingly.

In an instant, the Array’s light shield dispersed, revealing the Ten Thousand Dao Tower to all.

Dong Miaozhen, Dong Xiaowan, Dong Yuyi, Dong Yushu among other Dong family’s daughters, spread out in pairs and threes, leading Zhao Sheng and others into various buildings.

A night had passed, and Dong Miaozhen’s attitude towards Zhao Sheng had undergone a subtle change—no longer cold and distant but beginning a faint approach.

This was not only apparent to the two concerned but also clear to those around them.

Dong Miaozhen’s eyes shimmered, and with delicate hands, she looked at Zhao Sheng with clear shyness.

She vividly remembered the repeated admonitions of the family elders from the previous night.

By now, she had realized that, barring any surprises, her destiny would likely be tied to this unremarkable Zhao Qingyang.

Even though he wasn’t the lover she had desired, he… wasn’t so bad after all.