Chapter 171: The Four States of Taixu

　　Shen Lian too was not sure where should he go in order to search for Huandan. But he was not too concerned because he was in touch with his higher consciousness.

　　That time, he genuinely felt that his path ahead was clear.

　　Just like what ancient people would say, “Huandan is the key to entering Dao”.

　　To Shen Lian, there was no secret to Dao. It was more like a paper window that would tear apart once you pierce through it. It was because the Taixu Strategy was initially a supreme dharma that described heaven, earth, and Daoism. On top of that, the newly found clarity was the sword will of Grandmaster Yuanqing and that helped him overcome several obstacles.

　　Overcoming these hurdles made him the man he was.

　　Shen Lian had earned the credentials to go out, discover, and to move forward steadily in this journey of pursuing Dao

　　It took him twenty years to achieve Huandan, although he was not the quickest to have accomplished such a feat but his footsteps were extremely solid. From other people’s perspective, his steps were already very swift and he too was proud of his achievements.

　　Draped in its beautiful feathers, Qianmo and a silly looking Xiaoxun flew towards Shen Lian and chirped.

　　Shen Lian laughed, “Two silly birds, can’t bear to watch me leave.”

　　Qianmo proudly lifted his head and flew to Shen Lian. It had the look of ‘what’s so great about you.’

　　Shen Lian looked at the thin figure of Qianmo and sighed, “Unfortunately you’re too skinny and I can’t ride on you.”

　　Qianmo was proficient in human nature and understood Shen Lians words. It fluttered and attempted to ride on Shen Lian. But Shen Lian was quick to react, making it a failed attempt.

　　This slight movement may seem easy but what makes it scary is that Shen Lian has unlocked another level in terms of reaction time. Qianmo’s speed was one of the quickest among the rarest. But Shen Lian was able to react on time and avoided it effortlessly.

　　Qianmo was in dazed after the failed attempt. It was not the first time Shen Lian was able to dodge it but this time, he did it so effortlessly, as if Shen Lian already knew that it was about to move and he avoided in advance.

　　It was curious and made another attempt. Under broad daylight, there were no shadows at all and the showed how speedy Shen Lian was.

　　That time around, Shen Lian too was able to dodge it with ease and he was being a little cheeky by pinching its green feather. After a few failed attempts, Qianmo felt discouraged.

　　Shen Liam smiled, “No matter how fast you are, you can conceal your Qi dynamics from me. Before you could move, I already knew your next move. You don’t stand a chance at all in touching me.”

　　He was not too bothered whether the birds understood his words.

　　But Qianmo looked like it understood his words and flapped its wings. Shen Lian sensed danger and stretched one finger that landed on Qianmo’s beak. The beak was only an inch away from his earlobe.

　　This bird sure possessed extraordinary talents. It actually could reverse it’s Qi dynamics to invert Yin and Yang. Shen Lian almost fell for that.

　　All things possessed Yin and Yang. Just like the principle of wind movement, cold air and warm air had to interflow in order to create wind.

　　Therefore if a soul moved, the Yin and Yang in the body will move first.

　　Even a skilled Huandan cultivator will not be able to realize this movement but Shen Lian was able to reach such state thanks to the Taixu Strategy.

　　The four states of the Taixu Strategy subordinately related as they don’t have any superiority or inferiority against each other. Once one understood the different depths of the four states – ‘create, restrain, restrict and destruct’, one could already master it.

　　If his founding master Ziling Fairy applied the Taixu Strategy’s ‘transform’ word incantation, only a minority of the existing mana in the world will not be affected by it. Generally, most supernatural techniques, strong or weak, were submissive to the Taixu Strategy as the Taixu Strategy could use them to fuel and replenish itself, or even saved it and then returning the techniques later.

　　Currently, Shen Lian has mastered the ‘restrict’ word incantation. This state was different from ‘transform’, and it possessed the power to help one gain insight of the changes in the Qi dynamics of anything that exists in the universe. In fact, the ‘restrict’ word incantation may not work as well as the ‘transform’ word incantation when confronted with enemies. However, it would show its phenomenal power under extreme circumstances. It was capable of glimpsing through the dynamics of extreme forces and deal with its changes or even destroy it in one blow.

　　Equipped with such level of skills, Shen Lian could walk in and out of other Dao schools without worrying too much about being trapped.

　　In other words, the Taixu Strategy was the Law of Detachment and also the Law of Guardian. Although it did not have any records of spells and supernatural powers, as long as one understood the four states of ‘create, restrain, restrict and destruct’, one would be able to set his foot in the universe.

　　Xi Huang was a chaotic place and it was difficult to look for a quiet place to Huandan. However, Shen Lian had mastered the ‘restrict’ word incantation and was capable of reading the changes in Qi dynamics.

　　There were people who noticed Shen Lian’s presence but once they spaced out, they lost sight of Shen Lian.

　　And more people are looking forward to the fifteenth day of the first month as it was the day Huike and Baoyue the Venerable would be having their debate at the Jingguang Temple.

　　It was a rare occasion to the general public and it was a not-to-be-missed opportunity for many cultivators. Actually, many scattered cultivators and Dao disciples have studied dharma. They just did not believe in Buddhism.

　　It was because Buddhist sects were extremely rare and sometimes immortal Zhenren too, would be inspired by the debates among eminent monks.

　　In contrast, Xuanmen schools were more retained to themselves.

　　It was because they have their own resources and there was no need to seek externally.

　　Actually, the dharma and Daoist scriptures had similar roots. Rumour had it that before Buddha became Buddha, he was once a Daoist.

　　The Buddhist sects would not deny such sayings because the influence of Xuanmen was too powerful. The Buddhist sects would like to ride on this rumor and exert its influence in Xuanmen and because of that, there were many rivalries between Buddhist sects and Xuanmen. In fact, there were several Dao schools that chose to sit on the fence by cultivating both Dao and Buddhism.

　　The rivalry between Dao and Buddhism was not considered to be too intense. This was due to the nature of their approach towards cultivation and immortality.

　　The fifteenth day of the first month was a day of full moon.

　　Jingguang Temple opened their doors to welcome cultivators and its faithful devotees.

　　Lights were brightly lit on the trail from the bottom to the top of the mountain.

　　It was so bright as if half of the sky were illuminated.

　　Actually, Baoyue the Venerable was not the kind of person who would indulge in luxury. But as this event was a special occasion for the Buddhist sect, it was necessary to upscale it to show the pride of the Buddhist sect.

　　The Buddha lamps were lighted by psychokinesis in order to show the prestige of this extremely eminent monk. His mana was immeasurable like the vastness of the ocean.

　　If one had any malicious intentions, he would feel anxious under these Buddha lamps and would probably be too fearful to walk up to the top of the mountain.

　　Of course, these lamps were only applicable to general cultivators and demons. A truly powerful person would not be afraid of the Buddha lamps and could even deceive it.