Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 295 - 289: The Quasi-Saint of Three Pure Ones Taoism [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
Sha Chen slowly awoke.
He felt his clothes were in disarray and furrowed his brow.
Looking towards the White Bone Demon attending him, he caught her stealing a glance at him before guiltily turning her head away.
Sha Chen stood up and felt that his belt had loosened.
After tightening it, he asked, "You didn’t do anything inappropriate, did you?"
The White Bone Demon replied, "No."
Then, with shifty eyes avoiding the subject, she said, "Master, what on earth happened to you? How could you faint twice?"
Sha Chen replied, "I was cultivating. Each cultivation session consumes a great deal of spiritual power, but it has its benefits. Whenever I am full of spirit again, I feel my Primordial Spirit has improved."
His words held truth; this was indeed the case.
While the Wordless Heavenly Scripture’s manifestation of the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Tao Te Ching consumed all of Sha Chen’s current spiritual power, upon awakening, he always found some slight improvement in his spirit.
Even if not particularly noticeable, there was indeed progress.
It was far superior to the results of arduously cultivating his Primordial Spirit for ten days or half a month, so it was certainly better than nothing.
Moreover, he could also see the content on the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, allowing him early comprehension of the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Tao Te Ching, paving the way for the future.
After all, he had already reached the High Order of the Daluo Golden Immortal, only a half-step from the peak.
At any moment, he might step into the Peak Daluo Golden Immortal Realm. When that time came, if he wished to advance further, he would have to master the methods to reach the Quasi-Saint realm.
Delaying preparations until then would be too slow.
It was better to prepare in advance, to take precautions.
Sha Chen continued his seclusion, using his Primordial Spirit to comprehend the content of the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, fainting time and again.
「Three months later.」
Sha Chen finally finished reading the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Tao Te Ching from the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, which constituted the middle part of the Tao Te Ching.
The Tao Te Ching actually has three parts: upper, middle, and lower. The upper part is the Da Luo Chapter, covering all insights for the Da Luo realm and below. It has the most content but is the simplest.
The middle part was naturally the Quasi-Saint Chapter, covering insights into the several minor levels within the Quasi-Saint realm. Its content wasn’t particularly voluminous, but it was very difficult.
Sha Chen guessed that the lower part of the Tao Te Ching would be the Sub-Sage Chapter. He felt it might not have much content but would surely encapsulate profound simplicity, making it as difficult to comprehend as climbing to heaven.
As for a Saint Chapter, Sha Chen believed it wouldn’t be recorded in the Tao Te Ching.
The insights of Saints resided within their own hearts.
However, the current Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Tao Te Ching were indeed sufficient for Sha Chen’s use. Matters of the future could be addressed later.
Sha Chen had memorized the Quasi-Saint Chapters but hadn’t yet had the chance to cultivate them; he would need to spend time cultivating and mastering them.
It couldn’t really be considered cultivation, as it was more about comprehension, helping him gain better insight during his enlightenment process.
It was an auxiliary Cultivation Technique focused on insights. One could manage without it, but having it was like receiving divine assistance.
With a Saint’s insights into the Quasi-Saint realm as a guide, one could avoid detours in cultivation, making the journey seem divinely assisted.
Previously, because Sha Chen had obtained the Da Luo Chapter, he was able to make rapid progress within the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, his strength soaring all the way.
By passing it on to his followers, he enabled them to become stronger and progress quickly.
Otherwise, with their talents alone, reaching their current realms would have taken tens of thousands of years.
The insights of predecessors carved paths for later generations.
By following these established paths, one could avoid unnecessary detours.
This was especially true for insights originating from a Saint.
Still, merely having the insights of one Saint might seem a bit monotonous and not necessarily suitable for everyone.
Sha Chen also planned to materialize the Qingping Scripture and the Jade Purity Scripture to fully integrate them. That way, he would effectively master the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Three Pure Ones Taoism.
This would be akin to having heard Taoist Ancestor Hongjun himself lecture on the methods for the Quasi-Saint realm. The mere thought was exhilarating.
He might have missed the era when Taoist Ancestor Hongjun preached, but merging and mastering the teachings of the Three Pure Ones wouldn’t be inferior to Hongjun’s lectures!
Because when Taoist Ancestor Hongjun gave his lectures, he had just stepped into the Saint Realm and was sharing his personal realizations along with various Dao Techniques and Divine Powers.
When the Three Pure Ones wrote down their insights, it was also after they had become Saints, and their insights were built upon the foundation of Hongjun’s teachings.
In fact, their insights into Dao Techniques might be even more valuable and profound than the Dao originally taught by Taoist Ancestor Hongjun.
After all, latecomers enjoy the shade of the trees planted by others. The predecessors were like blind men crossing a river, inevitably taking some wrong turns.
Later generations, crossing the river again, have amended the path countless times, having trodden numerous detours, to finally map out the correct path.
Sha Chen murmured, "If I could also study the insights of Wa Huang and the two Saints of the Western Sect, it would be truly perfect."
His eyes shone with anticipation.
Although he looked down upon the conduct of the two Saints of the Western Sect, who had quite a notorious reputation during the Divine Enthronement era and in primordial times, who would refuse the opportunity to gain strength?
The Western Sect’s two Saints themselves studied Dao Techniques; they were also disciples of the Daoist Ancestor before later establishing their own Western Sect.
If I had their insights and secretly mastered them, I would become adept when facing members of Buddhism in the future—understanding one principle would unlock a hundred others.
Sha Chen felt he could then dominate the entirety of Buddhism.
Unfortunately, he had no way of obtaining the insights of the two Saints of the Western Sect for now, which he regretted deeply.
However, his priority was to first master the insights of the Three Pure Ones Taoism.
After completely reading through the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Tao Te Ching and grasping merely its surface, Sha Chen felt his entire being refreshed, and his comprehension seemed divinely aided.
He was now only half a step away from the Peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, but he felt the breakthrough would still take a long time.
Continuing to absorb resources was no longer very effective; what he needed was enlightenment, a profound understanding of Dao Techniques.
And now, having merely grasped the surface of the Tao Te Ching’s Quasi-Saint Chapters, he already felt an ethereal sensation, as if on the verge of ascension, ready to break through at any moment.
Sha Chen, having tasted its profound benefits, spent another three months materializing the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Tongtian Hierarch’s Qingping Scripture.
Then it took two more months to materialize the Quasi-Saint Chapters of the Jade Purity Scripture.
It wasn’t that the Jade Purity Scripture was inferior to the Qingping Scripture and the Tao Te Ching; in fact, it was hard to rank the three, though the Tao Te Ching might be considered slightly superior.
They focused on different aspects. Strictly speaking, the Tao Te Ching leaned somewhat toward Primordial Spirit cultivation, emphasizing clarity and inaction—a state of spiritual attainment.
It was greatly beneficial for comprehending Cultivation Techniques and strengthening the Primordial Spirit.
The Jade Purity Scripture, on the other hand, leaned toward Divine Powers and was greatly beneficial for comprehending techniques related to them.
The Qingping Scripture was more inclined toward offense. While it also aided the Primordial Spirit and Divine Power techniques, its effects were most significant for offensive applications.
Especially when it came to Magical Tools.
The Sect of Interpretation had a multitude of Magical Tools, and Tongtian Hierarch was famous for them. Naturally, the Qingping Scripture also revolved primarily around Magical Tools.
Sha Chen’s only regret was not finding any Saint’s insights that were greatly beneficial for the enlightenment of the physical body.
It seemed no Saint had achieved sainthood through physical cultivation alone, so he would have to find another method for that.
After much deliberation, Sha Chen felt it was necessary to research this area.
However, for now, he still needed to prioritize his own Mana cultivation; the Dao Techniques of the Three Pure Ones were already sufficient for his current cultivation needs.
After Sha Chen had extracted the insights from the Dao Techniques of the Three Pure Ones, he began to seriously contemplate them.
This time, he contemplated and integrated these insights independently, striving to reach an introductory level of mastery for each.
If he truly reached that introductory level, he would also be close to attempting a breakthrough into the Quasi-Saint Realm.
「Six months later.」
The White Bone Demon found Sha Chen.
She said bluntly, "Master, have you secretly cultivated some heaven-defying technique? Why do I feel that your cultivation has progressed much faster than before in the past six months!?"
She expressed her confusion, "Although your cultivation base hasn’t fully advanced, the Dao intent you exude is much stronger than before."
Sha Chen smiled and said, "Everyone needs to progress; otherwise, what’s the difference between them and a salted fish?"
Then he asked, "You’ve asked so much; how far has your cultivation reached?"
The White Bone Demon said, "I am ready to attempt a breakthrough to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, but I lack sufficient resources, and there is no one to protect me during the process. I’m not very confident."
Sha Chen understood then that the White Bone Demon was deliberately finding an excuse to talk to him.
Her main intention was to obtain some resources from him and also to have him guard her during her cultivation to prevent any mishaps.
An improvement in the White Bone Demon’s strength would be a great help to Sha Chen. Although it would require some investment, the returns would be substantial.
After some thought, Sha Chen said, "Alright, I will provide you with resources. You should cultivate properly and strive to step into the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm."
The White Bone Demon was immediately overjoyed.
Then, when Sha Chen intended to allocate a portion of his resources to the White Bone Demon for her cultivation, he realized that his resources were almost depleted.
After all, he had been in closed-door cultivation for over a decade. During that time, except for some yields from the Innate Earth and Post-Heaven Earth, his expenditures had mostly exceeded his income.
The three phoenixes needed resources for cultivation, the Jade Rabbit needed them too, and the White Bone Demon required them as well.
This didn’t even account for Sha Chen’s own needs; the majority of resources had been consumed by his own cultivation. He had sustained this for over a decade, partly thanks to the output of first-class Elixirs from the Innate Earth.
Now, very little was left.
Now, he also needed to provide for the White Bone Demon’s breakthrough. This realization caused Sha Chen a pang of reluctance, as he was loath to part with his dwindling supplies.
The White Bone Demon, who had always been with Sha Chen, noticed the scarcity of resources and lowered her head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Actually, she knew that after spending over a decade there and using up Sha Chen’s resources, in other circumstances, she would probably have been disdained long ago.
It was just that in the previous years, she had some resource savings, but now, needing even more substantial resources for her breakthrough, she had nothing left to contribute.
Will my master despise me? If he’s unwilling to provide me with resources, what should I do? 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
If I can’t break through and have to venture out, I won’t be of any help to my master.
In her heart, the White Bone Demon was conflicted and worried.
Sha Chen looked at her and, after gritting his teeth, decided to give her half of the remaining resources.
He said sternly, "After your breakthrough, you must find a way to repay me, even if it means selling yourself."
The White Bone Demon asked, "Master, can I sell myself to you?"
Sha Chen said, "I think you’re dreaming of getting a free meal after already eating your fill!?"
Then he urged the White Bone Demon to hurry and begin her breakthrough. He also continued to impart some Dao Techniques to her, helping her stabilize her mind for the critical process.
She prepared for three days.
The initial stages of her breakthrough proceeded quite smoothly.
Afterward, however, Sha Chen noticed that the White Bone Demon’s Dao heart was somewhat unstable, and he immediately frowned.
"Haven’t you yet comprehended the Da Luo Chapters of the Tao Te Ching that I taught you?"
The White Bone Demon, at a critical moment of breakthrough, responded through gritted teeth, "Master, I understand parts of it, but not well enough. Some aspects are simply too difficult."
Then she cried out, "Master, what if I fail the breakthrough? Will I be severely injured?"
Sha Chen said, "Don’t worry, you won’t get injured. At worst, you’ll just die."
