Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit-Chapter 576 - 450: Return to the Dongqi Daoist School!_2
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"What’s this about seeing clearly yet not seeing clearly?"
As soon as the East River Palace Master left, Shi Ze couldn’t help but ask.
"The Dao is like a net—it can be seen yet cannot be seen; it’s hard to explain." Chen Jichuan shook his head, unsure how to explain it to him.
"The Dao is ineffable."
"If even I cannot see clearly, how can I explain it to others?"
Without asking further, Meng Qing spoke up.
Looking again at Shen Mo, Wu Qi, and Xue Gu’s expressions, Shi Ze immediately understood. It seemed that the three of them had also posed similar questions to their teacher in the past, experiencing something similar, and thus knew the complexity and ineffability of the matter.
So, he asked no more.
But he kept it in his mind, resolving to ask and experience it for himself in the future.
...
The East River Palace Master departed.
The True Immortal’s lecture on the Dao concluded.
Following their earlier agreement, Chen Jichuan and several senior brothers and sisters went together to Senior Sister Xue Gu’s cave residence, for a small gathering to send her off.
After several rounds of wine.
Meng Qing, with a slight hint of drunkenness, said, "I too will soon set out, intending to traverse the four seas."
"Junior Brother."
Shen Mo looked toward Meng Qing upon hearing this, his face showing hesitation.
"Ah!"
"Ultimately, the stillness has bred restlessness; I can’t remain here any longer."
"If my heart is not tranquil, how can I achieve enlightenment in the Dao? If I continue to stay within the mountain gate, I fear I may make no further progress in the future."
Meng Qing shook his head, knowing what Shen Mo meant.
At their level of Fourth-order Peak cultivation, enlightenment in the Dao could take either a static or dynamic approach.
Some cultivate Static Skills, sitting quietly in their cave residences, remaining within the mountain gate, focusing solely on understanding the great Dao.
Shen Mo.
Meng Qing.
One oversaw East River Palace, the other served in the True Inheriting Hall—both belonged to this category.
However, after thousands of years within the mountain gate, the Dao proved elusive. Instead of attributing it to "restlessness after prolonged stillness," it was more accurate to say that Meng Qing had begun to doubt himself and question this method of pursuing enlightenment. Now, he sought change.
Shifting from static to dynamic.
Traveling the outside world, witnessing mountains and rivers, battling Demon Kings and fiends, in pursuit of attaining True Immortal.
This kind of transition defied simple judgments of good or bad.
Among the True Immortals in this world, some attained the Dao through meditation, others through combat, some through roaming mountains and rivers, and still others in a balance of stillness and motion.
Meng Qing had first cultivated quietly within the mountain gate and was now setting out to travel the world.
From stillness to motion.
But this wasn’t an impulsive decision; it stemmed from doubt and turmoil in his heart.
In such a state, even if he ventured out, it was doubtful he could hope to attain True Immortal.
Yet, cultivation and enlightenment in the Dao couldn’t rely on others. Shen Mo opened his mouth, then fell silent, ultimately refraining from offering advice.
"Come!"
"Let’s drink!"
"Here’s to Senior Brother slaying demons, earning merit, and attaining the True Immortal Realm one day!"
Unaware of the underlying complexities, Shi Ze raised his cup high, rekindling the atmosphere.
A small gathering.
Each enjoyed themselves to the fullest.
...
Two years later.
Xue Gu and Shi Ze departed alongside six other Daoist True Inheritors, heading to the Barbaric wilderness to establish a Daoist School.
Another two years later.
Meng Qing resigned from his position as the Hall Master of the True Inheriting Hall. After bidding farewell to Shen Mo, Wu Qi, and Chen Jichuan, he too left Golden Wind Mountain and Sea.
This time.
Without attaining True Immortal, who knew when he might return.
For a time, the mountain gate grew desolate.
Few remained in East River Palace.
Chen Jichuan lingered in the mountain gate for another six years before feeling unable to stay. Leaving behind a drop of Essence Blood in his cave residence at East River Palace, he bid farewell to his two senior brothers and left the mountain gate.
He had cultivated quietly within the Daoist Sect for seven hundred years.
Now, for the first time, he ventured out from the mountain.
...
Golden Wind Mountain and Sea was located in the western part of the Eastern Continent.
According to legend, during the ancient times, Yiyuan Ancestor Master had crossed the sea and entered the Eastern Continent, slaying demons and monsters, and establishing the One Origin Dao Sect at Golden Wind Mountain and Sea. In the countless years that followed, the Daoist Sect continuously expanded and grew stronger. One generation of disciples after another delved deep into the Eastern Continent, opening up barbaric wildernesses, founding Daoist Schools, and enlightening myriad beings.
To this day, their work continued.
Take Shen Mo, for instance.
Or Liu Hechuan.
Both became chief disciples and succeeded in establishing Daoist Schools in the wilderness.
And then there was Xue Gu.
She had also ventured deep into the wilderness and was currently striving to establish one herself.
The Daoist Schools recently established were all located in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the older schools, having undergone many years of change, now rested in the heartland of the One Origin Dao Sect.
For example, the Dongqi Daoist School.
...
"Back again."
Chen Jichuan left the mountain gate, traveling leisurely, enjoying the sights and culture of the Eastern Continent. After twenty years, he finally returned to Dongqi Daoist School.
Seven hundred and thirty years.
Seven hundred and thirty years had passed since he had advanced to Divinity Transformation and left Dongqi Daoist School.
At that time, Dongqi Daoist School’s most talented disciple in its history had now returned as one of the most outstanding True Inheritors in the entire One Origin Dao Sect.
Within the Dongqi Daoist School, even the Dean’s standing in the Daoist Sect was not as high as his.
"True Inheritor!"
"When Shi Ze Immortal returned back then, he was still preparing to become a True Inheritor. Who would’ve thought the laboring Mighty Lifter who gained enlightenment under the rock wall that day would surpass him to become a True Inheritor first, even becoming his junior brother."
Dean Fengchang personally welcomed Chen Jichuan, walking with him through the Daoist School. Looking at this disciple, Fengchang was filled with emotion.
Though he resided in Dongqi Daoist School, he still paid attention to significant matters within the Daoist Sect and closely followed the progress of disciples who had emerged from Dongqi Daoist School.
Zhou Yan reached the Upper Immortal Realm at the age of six hundred and twenty, becoming a disciple of True Immortal East River Palace Master.
At six hundred and twenty-three, he advanced to True Inheritor and ranked four hundredth on the demon-slayers’ "Immortal Slaying List."
When these news reached Dongqi Daoist School, the entire school was shaken, inspiring countless disciples. Even the laborers and servants often went to the "Immortals Rock Wall," hoping to become the next "Zhou Yan."
Over the centuries.
Several laborers did have enlightenment near the rock wall and gained something, but their achievements remained modest. Out of respect for Chen Jichuan, the Daoist School elevated these laborers to formal discipleship.
However, once they stepped onto the Immortal Path, none truly stood out, fading into mediocrity.
Zhou Yan remained but a legend.
"Senior Brother Shi Ze is now also a Daoist True Inheritor. A few years ago, he accompanied Senior Sister Xue Gu to the wilderness to establish a Daoist School. By the time he returns, he may already be a Second Realm Immortal."
Establishing a Daoist School was no easy task.
First, they needed a treasured land where spiritual energy gathered as the school’s mountain gate.
The wilderness was filled with demons and monsters who controlled spirit veins and spirit nodes. Choosing a good mountain gate required winning a battle.
After seizing it, they had to firmly hold their ground, layer formations upon formations to guard against the demons’ sabotage. Sometimes, before the formations were even complete, demons would join forces to attack, forcing them to abandon the site and look elsewhere.
The endeavor was arduous.
Even after the mountain gate was established, they needed to enlighten myriad beings and ensure the school’s operations while fending off demon incursions.
Every step was fraught with difficulty.
For Xue Gu, Shi Ze, and the other eight True Inheritors, if they were fortunate, they might succeed in a few hundred or near a thousand years. If their luck was poor, they could struggle for two to three thousand years, only to end in failure.
The Daoist Sect suppressed the demons.
But the demons also resisted the Daoist Sect.
To establish a Daoist School in demon-controlled territory was no easy feat.
By the time Shi Ze returned to the mountain gate, he would undoubtedly be a Second Realm Immortal. If his time in the wilderness stretched longer and he chanced upon some fortuitous encounter, he might even ascend to Third Realm Dharma Body.
They spoke of True Inheritors.
They spoke of chief disciples.
And they spoke of Daoist Schools and various matters of the Daoist Sect.
As he conversed with Fengchang, strolling through the familiar grounds of the Daoist School, Chen Jichuan was in a good mood.
Looking around.
Many Daoist cultivators cast glances at him. Most of the younger generation didn’t know Chen Jichuan, but the older generation of Second-order True Persons, Third-order Divinity Transformation cultivators, and a few Upper Immortals all recognized him. Each greeted him from afar with either excitement or emotion.
In the past, they might have been his teachers or senior brothers.
But as Chen Jichuan entered the Daoist Sect and became a True Immortal Inheritor and Daoist True Inheritor, his status became entirely different. In other Daoist Schools, even the Dean had to offer him respectful salutations, let alone them.
"The Daoist School has truly prospered over the years."
Chen Jichuan maintained a pleasant demeanor, smiling and nodding in acknowledgment, often saying agreeable things to Fengchang.
As they walked.
They arrived outside a Jade Peach Forest.
Chen Jichuan gazed at the blooming peach blossoms, a scene of beauty. Within the grove, laborers moved about—Tree Weeding Warriors, Water Carrying Warriors, Peach Cultivator Warriors, and Cleaning Warriors—each performing their respective duties.
The beautiful scenery and diligent laborers stirred Chen Jichuan’s memories, as he reminisced about the first four years after entering this world.
"What a pity it’s not the season for ripe jade peaches; we’ll miss out on tasting the fresh ones."
Fengchang looked at the Jade Peach Forest with a similar wistfulness.
At that time, who would have thought that a Tree Weeding Warrior from the Jade Peach Forest would achieve such heights today?
The tides of life are ever-changing; who can foresee them?
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