Starting with Proficiency Panel-Chapter 466 - 463: The Mysterious Shakyamuni

Lu Ren broke into a silent laugh; in fact, what Li Qingling said was reasonable. Lu Ren hadn't really inquired about what the other had endured over the years.

But he was indeed confident. After all, his reputation was there, his strength was there, and Huaxia would have someone secretly watching over him. As long as he didn't cross the line, going through some hardships was necessary for Lu Ren.

"No way around it. I've always been pursuing the path ahead. If I were to stop moving forward, I might not be able to resolve the problems I'm currently facing."

If he hadn't discovered the Immortal God's Tomb in advance and warned the Security Bureau, led by Zhang Tongxuan, they wouldn't have started digging through all of Huaxia from the Mythical Era, intending to use the tomb as a foundation for eternal rest, hoping to endure until the era when the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism slowly revived.

Li Qingling also understood how much weight was on Lu Ren's shoulders. Even though Lu Ren always said he didn't care, focusing more on himself, if others were in danger, he would only take action if it didn't put him at risk.

But in reality, Lu Ren never slacked off. He kept moving forward, without any time for rest. Even in the present world, while to outsiders he appeared leisurely, deep inside he was constantly cultivating and operating.

In just thirty to forty years, he had reached the peak of the current era. No matter how much of a genius he was or how extraordinary his talents were, the hardships he endured were beyond words.

Completely unaware of Li Qingling's thoughts, Lu Ren was pondering whether to go to that hot pot restaurant he frequently visited for lunch. He hadn't been there in a while and needed to satisfy his taste buds.

If he knew Li Qingling's thoughts, he would just smile slightly and nod, saying, "You're right."

"I heard in Northern Europe, a Thunder God named Thor has awakened. But it seems that due to being dormant for too long, his extraordinary power was completely exhausted. As soon as he emerged, he was restrained and imprisoned by the Northern European worshippers."

At these words, Lu Ren couldn't help but remember when he was in Huaxia's Central Province, where an underground base was detaining the slumbering Athena. According to the news he heard when he was at the sealed-off island of Sun Wukong, Athena's consciousness had actually fully awakened, but due to years of research, a targeted muscle relaxant had been developed.

Keeping her in a completely paralyzed state, unable even to move her eyes a bit. As long as the muscle relaxant continued, she would remain in such a state until her life force was exhausted and she died of old age.

Just as Lu Ren was about to speak, his vision suddenly changed. The surrounding scenery transformed into countless colorful strips of thread, continuously pulling, forming a spatial channel.

Before he could react, his vision cleared up in an instant, and Lu Ren found himself in a Void Land.

He strongly operated the Three Lives True Scripture, and the Tenth Dharma Cloud Earth Bodhisattva Dharma Aspect unfolded instantly. He finally realized that only his mind was pulled into a quantum entangled superposition state under the resonance with the Three Lives True Scripture for long-range influential communication, and he then felt slightly at ease.

Then Lu Ren fixed his gaze on an old monk standing ahead. So old and frail, with his face wrinkled like a shar-pei, that Lu Ren could not see his eyes.

This was undoubtedly the Shakyamuni he had met in the Inner Realm before!

"Shakyamuni!?"

Lu Ren whispered, somewhat surprised, "I didn't expect you to achieve this kind of transcendent communication. It seems you're not far from the present world."

Shakyamuni laughed, "It's just some small methods of communication."

But this was no simple method. Modern society has been working hard to research super-time-space communication under the quantum superposition and entanglement effect, achieving extreme communication through the resonance of two quantum states, far exceeding the speed of light.

However, this communication technology, although initiated, requires at least another forty to fifty years of technical foundation and comprehensive societal technological advancement to be truly developed.

Pausing, Shakyamuni, who glanced up and down at Lu Ren, was even more astonished, "Not seen for some time, I didn't expect you to progress so deeply in your cultivation."

His face showed a faint trace of an odd smile, "You should acquire the Human Immortal Path Fruit, right? No, you already have the qualification to gain the Human Immortal Path Fruit, so why have you stopped progressing?"

Very playful indeed.

Lu Ren's expression was indifferent, his gaze deep, and he responded without hesitation, "To advance further, should I become like you, going mad, with your mind twisted beyond measure?"

He fixed his gaze on Shakyamuni without blinking, his words as sharp as knives, "Old monk Shakyamuni, is your current self truly still you? Pursuing the Extraordinary Tide for thousands of years, without stopping, only to end up where you started, what are you seeking?"

"No madness, no life." Shakyamuni's wrinkled-covered eyes strained to open a slit, his gaze revealing fierceness, hiding none of his malice and greed towards Lu Ren.

He spoke solemnly, "Like this old monk, I am the true Seeker. What do you think will become of those hiding in tombs, hoping to survive until now? Exposing their bodies completely, their consciousness sinking into silence in the sea of knowledge, releasing everything, praying for mercy from the heavens?"

As he spoke, Shakyamuni suddenly burst into a ghastly laugh, his mouth full of ridicule, "This old monk, with a heart seeking Tao after ten thousand years of tempering, is already solid to the extreme. Just need, just need a bit more fortune, and I can ascend to the sky without fear of polluting, proving the Celestial Immortal Realm. With that, those strange and inexplicable beings, where would they be my opponents for even a single encounter?!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lu Ren no longer wanted to argue with Shakyamuni. Being able to endure until now, even through thousands of years of isolation, with nothing but a continuous pursuit, his heart for seeking Tao was undoubtedly supreme at the time.

Perhaps even the Celestial Immortals were not as steadfast as Shakyamuni.

What Lu Ren was sure of, was that many, like Shakyamuni and the old man, pursued the Extraordinary Tide. However, those who survived were exceedingly rare, almost none in a thousand, and none in ten thousand.

"What about Li Er, who embarked on this journey with you?"

Shakyamuni froze, then his expression carried a slightly eerie look, as if something delightful was recalled from Lu Ren's inquiry. He then burst into laughter, "I am Shakyamuni, and I am also Li Er, hahaha!!!"

Seeing Shakyamuni appearing maniacal, Lu Ren finally felt slightly uncomfortable. It seemed Shakyamuni and the old man encountered quite difficult things during their pursuit of the Extraordinary Tide, leading to their fusion into one, stubbornly persisting until now.