novelraw Chapter 368: Innate Spirit Gu - Wisdom Gu
Chapter 368: Innate Spirit Gu - Wisdom Gu
In a secluded mountain cave, Duan Tianwu sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes tightly shut, attempting to expel the Evil-Bane Divine Thunder from his body bit by bit.
"Who exactly is that woman? How could she make you lose your composure like this? The mistake you made this time is far too amateurish," a voice echoed in Duan Tianwu's mind.
"She is Qin Yuyou, the woman I love most." A look of pain crossed Duan Tianwu's face as he responded slowly after a moment of silence, "I knew from the beginning that she wasn't the real Qin Yuyou, but seeing her appearance still caused me to lose my rationality."
"You knew she was fake, and yet she managed to hurt you? You truly are foolish. Women are stumbling blocks on the path of cultivation, and yet you allowed yourself to be so bewitched by one. What a disgrace."
The voice in his mind sneered again.
"I am you, and you are me. What you say about me reflects on yourself. If I'm foolish, so are you."
Duan Tianwu let out a cold snort.
The little medicine boy was silent for a long while before finally saying, "Can you tell me about her? When I saw her, I felt an inexplicable pain in my heart."
Duan Tianwu remained quiet for a moment before sighing lightly, "Very well. Since we are one, there are things you ought to know so you won't remain as naïve as a blank sheet of paper."
With that, Duan Tianwu transmitted a portion of his memories into the little medicine boy's soul. The little medicine boy soon sensed a flood of familiar yet distant memories entering his mind. He was momentarily stunned...
...
In a monastery courtyard, a group of monks whispered among themselves as they gazed at a fair-faced monk with refined features, their eyes filled with admiration.
"Senior Brother Hui Zeng is incredible. The Great Buddha Sword Technique he created has been rated as a peak-grade Heaven-tier sword art. Even the Sword Cleansing Pavilion doesn't have such techniques. Heaven-tier peak-grade inheritances are extremely rare, found only in select parts of the Central Region. Who would have thought we'd see one in our lifetime?"
"Hui Zeng began cultivating at the age of three, reached Spirit Gathering at seven, achieved the Spiritual Sea stage at ten, broke through to Gu King stage at twenty, and created the 'Buddha-Questioning Gu' at twenty-five. Since then, he has defeated all rivals in the Central Lands, becoming its strongest warrior. Truly a genius blessed by the heavens."
"That's not even the most terrifying part. Throughout his cultivation journey, he has created countless unique techniques, scriptures, Gu recipe, pill recipes, and Buddhist scriptures. The Great Buddha Temple has grown immeasurably stronger because of these contributions. His name, Hui Zeng, is well-deserved; his wisdom is truly unparalleled."
...
Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, the fair-faced monk entered the abbot's room and sat across from him.
The elderly monk opened his cloudy eyes, a look of gratification on his face as he smiled. "Hui Zeng, you’ve created yet another peak-grade Heaven-tier sword technique. I'm very pleased. Heaven-tier late-stage techniques are exceedingly rare in the world, and your reputation in the Gu world is well-deserved."
Sitting on the meditation mat, Hui Zeng's face remained calm, showing neither pride nor arrogance. He replied placidly, "This is not my achievement. What right does Hui Zeng have to claim the creation of a Heaven-tier peak-grade sword art? It is all thanks to the Wisdom Gu. I merely provided some ideas."
The elderly monk chuckled and shook his head. "Do not belittle yourself. I took you in as my last disciple because I recognized the Wisdom Gu in you. Naturally, I understand its capabilities."
"The Wisdom Gu can extrapolate countless methods from the ideas provided by its host, but it has limitations. The simpler the inheritance, the higher the success rate; the more complex, the lower the success rate. Moreover, each use of its abilities requires a long cooldown period."
"The possibility of the Wisdom Gu deducing a late-stage Heaven-tier inheritance is nearly zero. Otherwise, the many geniuses who possessed the Wisdom Gu throughout history would have flooded the world with such inheritances."
"But you are different from those before you. Your comprehension is extraordinary, your imagination boundless. Even without the Wisdom Gu, you have the capability to create your own techniques."
"You provide not just ideas but also detailed principles and supplementary theories. By forming a complete framework before handing it to the Wisdom Gu, you significantly increase the success rate of deducing extraordinary techniques."
"The strength of the Wisdom Gu depends on the wisdom of its host. Your brilliance amplifies its capabilities. At least half the credit for the creation of the Great Buddha Sword Technique belongs to you. Do not downplay your contribution."
After praising Hui Zeng, the old monk sighed, his expression turning solemn. "However, after discussions with the other elders, we’ve decided not to promote the Great Buddha Sword Technique within the temple. Its killing intent is too heavy, and its strikes are fatal. Such a ruthless sword art does not align with the monastery's principles of compassion."
"Monks cherish compassion. Our weapons, such as staffs and rods, are designed to leave room for mercy, unlike the sword, which is a weapon of cruelty. You should focus on staff and rod techniques rather than solely pursuing destructive power. You are too attached."
"What?" Hui Zeng's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the abbot. His previously calm face now showed rare signs of change.
"The cruelty lies in the user, not the weapon. A staff in the hands of a ruthless person can kill just as a sword can. Likewise, a deadly sword in the hands of a compassionate person does not make them cruel. What kind of logic is this?"
"I pursue power not to kill, but to protect myself. Should I face a foe capable of killing me in the future, must I spare them with merciful techniques?"
"Kindness to the enemy is true cruelty. This is the ultimate truth of the Gu world."
Disappointment filled Hui Zeng's eyes. He had experienced this scenario countless times, debating Buddhist principles with the abbot and other elders. Though he often left them speechless, their mindset never wavered.
Now that the temple had rejected his Great Buddha Sword Technique, he once again felt profound disappointment, lamenting the inflexibility of the monks.
"Hui Zeng, stop spouting your heretical ideas. I don’t wish to debate with you today. Your thoughts are far too extreme."
The old monk sighed deeply. Hui Zeng had many virtues, but his thinking was excessively radical. His firm belief in "eradicating evil completely" clashed fundamentally with Buddhist principles.
The old monk pondered again, wondering if Hui Zeng’s extreme mindset would lead to disastrous consequences in the future.
“The method for refining your 'Buddha-Questioning Gu' has also been sealed. The entire temple is strictly prohibited from refining 'Buddha-Questioning Gu' any further.”
“The Buddhist tenet is to avoid killing. Even in refining Gu, only non-living materials are to be used.”
“However, your 'Buddha-Questioning Gu' method involves numerous live insects, which violates the principle of non-killing. Refining such a Gu will inevitably result in endless killing karma for the practitioner.”
“What?” Hui Zeng's eyes widened in disbelief. Unable to hold back, he stood up from his mat and shouted angrily, “This is pure stubbornness!”
“Let me ask you, did the Buddha not say, ‘In a bowl of water, there are 48,000 living creatures’?”
“He clearly knew there were countless tiny, invisible creatures in the water, yet he still drank it.”
“So, killing insects while refining Gu is called killing, but killing insects while drinking water is not? Isn’t this double standards?”
“Old abbot, how many bowls of water have you drunk in your lifetime? How many creatures have you killed? Your killing karma is overwhelming; it's utterly unforgivable!”
“You… you…” The old monk's eyes widened in shock, his hand trembling as he pointed at Hui Zeng, speechless.
The old monk’s face turned pale as he reflected on the countless bowls of water he had consumed and the myriad insects he had inadvertently killed. The realization nearly caused him to lose his inner balance.
“Damn it! This child has disrupted my path to enlightenment. If such words spread, they could cause the faith of countless senior monks to crumble.”
“Shut up! You are forbidden from repeating this nonsense. It’s heresy! Pure heresy!”
The abbot’s face twisted with frustration. Unable to argue further, he rushed out of the room, heading for the Sutra Library in desperation.
The statement about "48,000 creatures in a bowl of water" seemed to expose a loophole in Buddhist teachings. He had to find a counterargument quickly, or the consequences would be disastrous.
Watching the abbot’s hurried departure, Hui Zeng smirked coldly. “Debate Dharma with me? You’re still too inexperienced. In this entire Great Buddha Temple, who can surpass my wisdom?”
To Hui Zeng, the person with the greatest wisdom defined the world’s truth. Yet these self-proclaimed compassionate old monks were blind to their own hypocrisy. How pitiful and lamentable.
He sighed deeply, lost in thought.
It was precisely the phrase “48,000 creatures in a bowl of water” that sparked inspiration in him.
The Buddha had once mentioned the existence of smaller, invisible creatures in the world. If so, could the human body also possess smaller structures?
He delved into contemplation. Could these smaller structures form spiritual seas? If each of the body’s smallest structures housed a spiritual sea, how many spiritual seas could a single human body contain?
If there were countless spiritual seas, how vast would one’s spiritual power become?
In a world where spiritual power was so scarce that even the pinnacle Gu King could only hold a limited amount, Hui Zeng envisioned breaking this limit.
If successful, he could transcend the Gu King pinnacle realm. With such overwhelming power, he might even have the strength to traverse spatial rifts and reach the Spirit Realm.
Hui Zeng's eyes grew brighter, and his breathing quickened.
He resolved to develop a cultivation technique based on this idea. It would far surpass the pinnacle of heaven-grade techniques. He would name it Endless Battle Codex, inspired by its infinite spiritual seas.
The Endless Battle Codex would become the number-one cultivation technique in the Gu world, and mastering it would grant him unparalleled power.
Clenching his fists, Hui Zeng’s eyes gleamed with ambition.
“However, every technique has its advantages and disadvantages. A heaven-defying technique will certainly have limitations.”
“The biggest flaw of the 'Endless Battle Codex' might be the need to cultivate vast amounts of spiritual power to fill the countless spiritual seas. This would inevitably slow down the cultivation process drastically.”
“And it might not just be a matter of slowing down. If the smallest structures of the human body are truly innumerable, a cultivator of this technique might find their progress entirely stagnant.”
Hui Zeng’s smile faded, and his brows furrowed deeply. This was undoubtedly a fatal flaw, one that would deter anyone from cultivating this technique, even himself.
His eyes shifted slightly, suddenly lighting up before quickly dimming, replaced by a deeply conflicted expression.
Hui Zeng was highly intelligent and had quickly thought of a way to address the flaw in this technique. The solution was to refine the Demon Devouring Gu, ranked ninth among the Ten Forbidden Gu.
The Demon Devouring Gu could absorb others' spiritual power for its own use. However, spiritual power from others was inherently different and treated as an impurity by one’s own spiritual power, making it impossible to fully integrate.
As a result, despite the rapid cultivation speed of those who possessed the Demon Devouring Gu, the efficiency of utilizing the absorbed spiritual power was low. Only a small portion of the essence could be used, with most of it being expelled from the body. Ultimately, less than one percent of the absorbed spiritual power could be utilized.
This limitation meant that even if someone with the Demon Devouring Gu absorbed the peak-grade spiritual power of a hundred Gu Kings in a single day, they would still not attain the level of a Gu King within that same day.
However, Hui Zeng’s cultivation technique seemed highly compatible with the Demon Devouring Gu. As long as he ensured the spiritual sea in his dantian remained pure, he could store the spiritual power absorbed by the Gu within smaller structures of the human body, without wasting even the slightest bit.
If all the spiritual power absorbed by the Demon Devouring Gu could be fully utilized, he would accumulate an immense amount of spiritual energy in no time. Cultivating a technique that granted him an infinite spiritual sea would no longer be an insurmountable challenge.
This method was entirely feasible. Yet, what left Hui Zeng hesitant was that the Demon Devouring Gu was a forbidden Gu, considered one of the most evil Gu insects in the world.
Those who refined forbidden Gu would attract the Decree of Demon Extermination, becoming targets for all the world's powerful cultivators. How could he dare to recklessly refine such a Gu?
His expression became a tangle of hesitation. After a long internal struggle, he clenched his fists and decided to use the power of his Wisdom Gu to create a high-quality replica of the legendary Demon Devouring Gu.
Hui Zeng firmly believed in one principle: there is no inherently evil power, only evil people.
Those who wield the powers of righteousness are not necessarily good, and those who use powers associated with the demonic path are not necessarily evil.
So what if the Demon Devouring Gu’s power was considered evil? He resolved never to use it to absorb the spiritual power of innocent people. Instead, he would wield it solely against the truly wicked.
The most heinous individuals deserved death, and their spiritual power would otherwise go to waste. Using their corpses for cultivation—what harm could there be in that?
Resolute, Hui Zeng made up his mind: he would thoroughly research the Demon Devouring Gu.
Two years later, after poring over countless texts, he finally created the Endless Battle Codex. On that day, as the heavens roared with thunder, an endless barrage of lightning tribulation descended upon him. He laughed into the sky, raising his fist to meet the oncoming storm...
He was 27 years old that year.
Three years later, after scouring ancient records, he successfully replicated the Demon Devouring Gu, one of the Ten Forbidden Gu. To refine the forbidden Gu, he traveled the world, purging the demonic path in a bloody campaign, leaving the Western Region devoid of anyone daring to claim the title of demon.
At some point, he gained the title of Heaven Deceitful Ancestor, his name resounding throughout the Gu world, feared by all demonic cultivators.
On this day, his Endless Battle Codex reached perfection with the power of the Demon Devouring Gu. Standing at the pinnacle of power, he laughed into the sky once more...
He was 35 years old that year.