Chapter 253: Chapter 139: See Oneself, See Heaven and Earth, See All Living Beings
At the Seven Profound Sect, on Longxi Peak, advancing a Basic Technique to the Fifth Realm of a Master meant that a Cultivator had the foundation to ascend to Foundation Establishment and could begin preparing for this crucial step.
The elders of the Longxi Peak lineage also mostly comprehended the meaning of "Clear" in terms of having a pure heart, untainted by worldly dust.
Now, Zhong Ming had obtained this core ability, which originated from the heritage of Longxi Peak.
[My Heart and My Will, Clear as a Mirror]
This was the first trait he acquired when his [Longxi Sword Dao · Mirror Heart Demon Slayer] advanced to the Fifth Realm of a Master.
Using his heart as a mirror, this formless mirror could reflect Zhong Ming’s mental state, giving him a sense of being ’Clear and transparent’.
And being Clear and transparent was the Mental Realm that most closely aligned with heaven, earth, and nature. Using this Mental Realm to study the Great Dao and comprehend the natural world was of immense benefit.
Beyond that, the Mirror of the Soul could also reflect the self—a reflection on a microscopic level, where the slightest flaw had nowhere to hide.
It could even extend to the external world, drawing the surrounding mountains, rivers, plants, sun, moon, and stars into his Heart Lake. Finally, even people outside himself could have their essence reflected by this Heart Mirror, appearing deep within Zhong Ming’s Heart Lake.
’See oneself, see the world, see all living things... Using my heart as a mirror has actually allowed me to preliminarily obtain these abilities.’
As Zhong Ming thought to himself, a sharp glint Flowed through his eyes. ’Among these, "seeing oneself" lets me easily perceive my own flaws so I won’t go astray. It has an especially excellent effect when practicing Cultivation Techniques that develop the physical body—like Star Heaven·Divine Monarch. The Heart Mirror can clearly reflect the acupoints throughout my body. Finding those points to temper my body will be effortless for me from now on.’
’Using my heart as a mirror can also aid in the development of the Divine Treasures from the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation.’
’And... Erysipelas! Right now, I should be able to see the Erysipelas in my body with complete clarity and burn it away with the Purifying Flame.’
Cultivation, at its heart, is the cultivation of the true self. By using his heart as a mirror to see himself, Zhong Ming’s journey of cultivating his true self would naturally become a little easier.
The next ability, "seeing the world," also had endless wonderful uses.
’Reflecting all phenomena of heaven and earth with my soul is of great benefit to comprehending Dao Rhymes. After all, Cultivation isn’t just about the self; it’s also about the heavens. Back when I was cultivating the Longxi Peak Basic Technique, if I’d had the Mirror of the Soul and had drawn the streams and mountains into my Heart Lake to observe and comprehend day and night, my Cultivation Technique’s progress would have been at least three to five times faster at the beginning.’
’Even now, it’s incredibly useful. If my Mental Realm is vast enough, I can embrace the power of the mountains and Dragon Veins, closely observe the flow and trend of those Dragon Veins, and my Dragon Dao Rhyme will surely advance further.’
After polishing their Mental Realm until it was transparent and they could "see the world," almost all Cultivators of the Longxi Peak lineage could comprehend some form of Dao Rhyme.
And this was the secret behind the Longxi Peak lineage’s Cultivation Technique.
However, Zhong Ming, who was in a state of epiphany, soon discovered he could do even more.
’When others "see the world," they just reflect the natural world into their Heart Lake for better observation.’
’But I can become the mountains and rivers, the sun, moon, and stars.’
As he thought this, Zhong Ming turned his attention to the trait [Great Dream of Thousand Years], an ability worthy of being called a Divine Technique.
’Dreams are strange, absurd, and bizarre. Inside a dream, I can be a person, a monster, or a Demon. I can even transform myself into mountains, rivers, the sun, moon, and stars.’
’But in the past, my observation of the natural world was ultimately shallow. The things in my dreams were filled in purely by my subconscious. They were like low-resolution textures in a game—you couldn’t look too closely.’
’But now it’s different. Having reflected the mountains, rivers, and the world, as the Dream Dominator, I can become mountains and rivers, the autumn wind and the bright moon in my dreams. I can breathe with the world and resonate with nature...’
After "seeing the world" came "seeing all living things." This was not only the highest realm of Dao Discussion but also a Supreme method for facing enemies. It allowed Zhong Ming to perceive the essence of others more clearly.
Just like at this moment. Although Zhong Ming wasn’t intentionally paying attention to his surroundings, with his soul having become a mirror-like lake, he still reflected all the Cultivators on Crescent Lake within his mind.
And by seeing through appearances to perceive their essence, the reflections of others in his Heart Lake transformed into their true forms, which more closely matched their nature.
Take Mingya, for example. In the reflection within Zhong Ming’s Heart Lake, he was not in human form, but was instead an illusory, ethereal, deep-purple Youtan Flower.
A drop of profound, wondrous liquid containing endless energy merged into the flower, instantly causing the Youtan Flower to burst into flames.
As the Youtan Flower burned, Dao Rhymes of the illusory, of life and death, of Illusion... and more stirred ripples in Zhong Ming’s Heart Lake.
This ability to see a person’s essence allowed Zhong Ming to quickly perceive Mingya’s weaknesses.
’That mysterious liquid is very powerful, but it is rootless wood, water without a source. If I were to fight him, I’d only need to hold on for a while, and he would falter on his own as his energy runs out.’
Besides seeing through weaknesses, Zhong Ming also experienced the principles stirring ripples in his Sea of Consciousness up close—principles of the illusory, of life and death, of Illusion, and more. This gave him a shallow understanding of these Dao Rhymes.
’"Seeing all living things" is not just about perceiving others. It’s also about using all the beings of heaven and earth to see myself, letting them become my ’teachers’ to correct my flaws.’
Using his Heart Lake as a mirror brought Zhong Ming great rewards, especially when combined with Great Dream of Thousand Years.
But his current gains were still not the full extent of it.
After comprehending the Sword Heart of [Heaven and Earth, Only I am Supreme], Zhong Ming had another interpretation of the word "Clear"—to annihilate everything, to cut the weeds and pull out the roots!
