Chapter 1060 New Branch
1060 New Branch
Wang Wei had a bright smile as he read Wu Hong's letter. The content was simple; he only thanked her for the advice, and she replied that it was no problem. However, he cared more about the gesture's intent than the content. He carefully placed it away in the protected area of his space.
He wouldn't write another letter for a while as he understood that haste makes waste. His plan for courting her again was not to initially be too intense and let nature take its course.
Wang Wei summoned Shi Qian in the garden. "You said you wanted to talk with me."
"I need a favor," Shi Qian said. "And I'm prepared to pay for it."
"Go ahead," nodded Wang Wei as he served her tea.
"As you may have already known, my father is one of the people I send to my group."
"Found his reincarnation?"
"Yes," nodded Shi Qian. "I took this opportunity to strip him of his Immortal Essence so he could have a chance with the Emperor Path."
"Wise move."
"The problem is my mother," continued Shi Qian. "I also want her to change path."
Wang Wei frowned, "If you want me to help you strip her of her Immortal Essence, that's beyond my ability." Without experiencing reincarnation, the other paths cannot change to the Emperor Paths. This is one of the absolute rules of Heaven and Earth. That's why the Transitioning Method would not work for Insurgents of the Dao, Immortal, and God Path; it won't even work for Dong Lifen's Fortune Dynasty Path.
"No, I know that's impossible," said Shi Qian, waving her arms. "I've convinced her to reincarnate, but we're both worried. I was wondering if you could help me accelerate her reincarnation."
"Accelerate? How fast?"
"If possible, I want her to be born in the next 10,000 years."
Wang Wei frowned as he sipped his tea, "Although I have the ability, I'm afraid I cannot help you."
"Why?" asked Shi Qian swiftly. "If you're worried about the remuneration, we can discuss a fair price."
Wang Wei shook his head, "That's not the issue. I simply do not want to interfere in Samsara's affairs to such an extent."
"Just for this?"
Wang Wei sighed, "You simply do not know the terrifying secrets involved. If you did, you would be prudent like me." He also wanted to accelerate his grandfather's reincarnation so the family would be together. But the best he is willing to do is to bless him with ample luck so that he has no issue in his reincarnation and that he is reincarnated in Wang Clan. Besides that, he did not interfere too much in the process.
Shi Qian pondered briefly before sighing. She knew Wang Wei was a reasonable person, so he must have his reason for rejecting her. "Is there anything you can do?"
"I can allow her memories to return early and ensure she is born in the Light Race, but that's about it."
"That's fine," she nodded. "I know people can reincarnate with a powerful artifact from their previous life to protect them. Do you know how?"
Wang Wei pointed at her forehead and sent the information she wanted directly into her mind.
"Thank you. As for compensation, I will???"
"No need," said Wang Wei. "Consider it a favor from a friend. One day, if I'm in need, you can come to return it."
Shi Qian paused before cupping her hands to salute, "I will."
Wang Wei watched Shi Qian leave and prepare for his next meeting. However, before he even took a step, he felt something. He looked in the direction of the Western Continent.
"Buddhism's Qi Luck? Did something happen?" The power of fate flashed in his eyes, and he saw the source of this change.
"Them?" Wang Wei saw a distant world, and it was the place of origin of the two Barbarian brothers and sisters from the Deception Trial. "If I remember correctly, their names were Tolui and Khutulun, among the earliest victims of Feng Heng's spread of Buddhism."
He previously thought these brothers and sisters would eventually remove the influence Buddhism had on them, but he was only partially correct. The sister, Khutulun, did so, and she eventually proved the Dao and became an Eternal Emperor.
Meanwhile, the brother remained religious. After the Absolute Beginning Magic was no more, he began to spread Buddhism in their world and the Lower Realm. Then, he eventually found a Merit Proving Method while having the cognitive blockage in his mind removed. After years of meditation, he created a new branch of Buddhism, which granted him enough merit to prove the Dao and become the second eternal of his world.
"Is this Tantric Buddhism?" muttered Wang Wei. There are many branches or philosophies of Buddhism, one of which is Tantric Buddhism, also called Vajrayana Buddhism. This form of Buddhism focused on a faster path of enlightenment through using Tantras or sacred texts with instructions on rituals, meditation, and philosophic teachings. They also practice Deity Yoga, which involves visualizing Buddhas or deities to accelerate their path of enlightenment.
[AN; This is a simple definition as Tantric Buddhism is more complex than stated.]
Wang Wei's deduction was correct, as Tolui invented the cultivation world version of Tantric Buddhism. Wang Wei waited, and as expected, Feng Heng soon came to visit him.
"Did you see it?" he asked.
"I did," nodded Wang Wei.
"This poor monk wants to know your opinion."
"Tell me what you think first."
Feng Heng paused, "Amitabha. This poor monk does not like the core ideals of this practice. Visualizing other accomplished monks to accelerate the path to enlightenment is the same as people who rely on bloodlines; they can never reach the same level as their predecessors."
"That's a fair point," nodded Wang Wei.
"Then, there is the strict relationship between Teacher and Student. Buddhism should be more open-minded; otherwise, it's easy to abuse such a relationship or hierarchical structure."
Wang Wei did not state his opinion. However, Feng Heng's words were the same criticism some scholars or other monks had of Tantric Buddhism on Earth. Of course, no branch of Buddhism is perfect, and all have their criticism.
"Lastly, they seemed to place strength and acquiring Divine Abilities above wisdom or becoming enlightened," continued Feng Heng. This poor monk could see why they made this choice, given the cutthroat nature of the cultivation world, but such a philosophy will only train warriors instead of monks."
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Wang Wei, and Feng Heng looked confused.
"This poor monk's first instinct is to stop them, but I know that's not the correct way." All religions or philosophies will branch out, and sometimes, these branches will be too far from the core ideas of the religion; that's inevitable, and it would be unwise to try to stop it.
"You should already have an idea of what to do, and you have my full support," said Wang Wei, and Feng Heng bowed before leaving. Now that he had acquired what he wanted, he swiftly returned to the Western Bliss Sect and sent an invitation to the Vajrayana Buddha Emperor. He plans to debate scripture with the latter and win publicly. Then, he will discuss how to prevent this new branch from deviating too far from the core ideologies of Buddhism.
For example, after visualizing other Buddhas or deities, the tantric monks must also visualize themselves to reduce the influence of others' paths. Monks on this path cannot be easily granted the monk title without a deep understanding of the Dharma; if they only have strength or Divine Abilities but not wisdom, they cannot be called monks.
Feng Heng had many ideas and was still thinking of many more. This new branch is great news for the revival of Buddhism, but it's also a test. If not handled properly, the chances of them repeating the same mistake of their predecessors will drastically increase.
'Hopefully, this Budda Emperor will be more understanding and not immediately resolve to violence,' thought Feng Heng; he did not want any contradictions or strife between Buddhist branches.
After the chat with Feng Heng, Wang Wei no longer paid attention to the changes in Buddhism. He had the idea of introducing this pair of brothers and sisters into his alliance but decided to wait to see how they handled Feng Heng's visit.
He walked to Xu Shi's palace, where the wonderful sound of the zither received him.
"Still think it was unfortunate you did not major in the Zither or Sound Dao," he said as he walked inside.
"What can I say: fate chose a different path for me," she replied with a gentle smile, and Wang Wei scoffed at these words.
"Is it time?" asked Xu Shi.
"Yes."
She nodded, "As I said previously, don't expect much. The Martial Hegemony World will not accept outside influence in the world, even a peaceful or cooperative one. I recommend expanding to another world."
"I know, but I must try," replied Wang Wei. "Plus, the people want war, and I might as well give them one."
Xu Shi looked at him but did not say anymore. She was already prepared and did not waste time to leave.
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