Chapter 256: Chapter 255: Do You Want to Learn?
After a long while, Jiang Zuo arrived at the Holy Beast Lake. There was no one around, but by the shore, a tortoise was scrubbing its shell.
This was, of course, Xuanwu, the Fifth Brother. It glanced at Jiang Zuo before returning to scrubbing its shell, thoroughly enjoying itself.
This was because it was no longer using its own snake mouth to scrub, but a golden arm—an arm of energy extending from its tortoise shell.
It had just achieved a rudimentary grasp of the Mijie Sacred Image.
Jiang Zuo walked over. He looked at the arm but said nothing.
Then, he looked beside Xuanwu. There was a bucket there, but Shi Qi and Shiba were not inside.
Just then, Xuanwu said, "Old Qi said to just leave the bucket here. As for the fish, you’ll have to get them yourself. They’re deep at the bottom of the lake."
"But Old Qi also said I could help you, as long as you help me scrub my shell."
Jiang Zuo nodded. He paid no mind to his aunt-in-law’s mischievous prank and instead asked, "Do you want to know the specific way to apply the Mijie Sacred Image?"
Xuanwu was stunned. "Application method?" it asked. "The Mijie Sacred Image has other uses? No, wait, hasn’t the Mijie Sacred Image always had its uses?"
Jiang Zuo shook his head. "The known applications of the Mijie Sacred Image are too simplistic. It’s just a simple combination of the Cultivation Technique and its Skills, which can’t bring out the true power of the Mijie Sacred Image at all."
Xuanwu was skeptical.
At this moment, Jiang Zuo spoke again. "You know, the Mijie Sacred Image is not a Daoist Art, but it’s not the least bit weaker than one."
"To be precise, the Mijie Sacred Image is classified as a Heaven and Earth Technique, a Natural Technique. These happen to perfectly match the Celestial Four Symbols Sacred Beasts, which is why it’s considered the exclusive Treasure Manual of the Four Holy Beasts."
Xuanwu nodded. "I know that. I heard about it when I was little, and Old Qi filled me in on it later."
"Then do you know that humans are also considered a part of heaven and earth?" Jiang Zuo asked.
Xuanwu was surprised. "Humans can practice the Mijie Sacred Image too?"
Jiang Zuo shook his head. "Let’s not talk about that for now. What I mean is, both humans and Holy Beasts are a part of heaven and earth, but there’s a fundamental difference between the two. Beasts cannot practice Cultivation Techniques belonging to humans, and it’s almost impossible for humans to practice Cultivation Techniques belonging to beasts."
"There’s nothing unfair about that. The only unfair part is that the Holy Beasts have the Mijie Sacred Image, a Supreme Treasure Manual."
Xuanwu pouted. "Nonsense. Our elders said that things are unfair between humans and beasts. Heaven and earth are too kind to humans because the ones standing at the pinnacle of heaven and earth, since ancient times, have always been human."
"We are born with high status, but our future potential isn’t as great as that of humans."
"Even having a Supreme Treasure Manual like the Mijie Sacred Image is useless."
Jiang Zuo smiled. "My assessment is this: The Four Holy Beasts are hopelessly ignorant, sitting on a mountain of treasure yet believing themselves to be poor."
"You’re talking nonsense," Xuanwu snapped, baring its teeth at Jiang Zuo agitatedly. "You humans are the stupid ones!"
Jiang Zuo was neither afraid nor angry. "Your statement is contradictory. You just said it’s always been humans standing at the pinnacle."
Xuanwu had the temper of a child. Unable to win the argument against Jiang Zuo, it flopped onto the ground and fell silent.
Then Jiang Zuo said, "Well then, to get back on topic. As I just said, both humans and Holy Beasts are spirits of heaven and earth, and the Mijie Sacred Image is a Heaven and Earth Technique. Because of your higher starting point, it’s considered a Treasure Manual prepared especially for Holy Beasts."
"So, have you ever considered that the Mijie Sacred Image is actually a bridge given to the Holy Beasts by heaven and earth to communicate with all living things?"
Hearing this, Xuanwu’s mind instantly exploded. No matter how silly or young it was, it could sense the incredible implications of this statement. "Wh-what do you mean?"
Jiang Zuo looked at Xuanwu and said, "The Mijie Sacred Image is a Supreme Treasure Manual. As I said, you’re sitting on a mountain of treasure yet believe yourselves to be poor. The external image from the Mijie Sacred Image isn’t just for combat; more importantly, it’s for simulating the forms of all living things."
"It’s similar to a type of avatar. Oh, right, the external image can split from one into two, two into three, and three into thousands upon thousands. But you have to perform the most critical step correctly, and you only get one chance."
"So, do you want to learn it or not?"
Hearing Jiang Zuo’s words, Xuanwu didn’t know what was happening. Its mind was just exploding, exploding, exploding—exploding nonstop.
It was as if something was telling it, ’It’s real. It’s real. It’s all real.’
Xuanwu’s entire body was trembling. It said with a quavering voice, "I, I-I’ll... I’ll go down right now and h-help you get the fish out."
Then, Xuanwu clumsily stumbled into the water.
Watching Xuanwu enter the water, Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but smile.
’This Xuanwu is indeed quite young, probably equivalent to a human child a few years old. Pretty interesting.’
Speaking of children, Jiang Zuo thought of Su Qi. ’We’ve been together for a long time, and we’re married. We could have children.’
’But because of Su Qi’s Sect, the matter has been continuously postponed.’
’If I’m not mistaken, so that I won’t mind, Su Qi will probably try to find a way to have a child within the next two years.’
’A family with children is different from a family without.’
’If we had a child...’
Jiang Zuo didn’t quite dare to imagine it. He had never thought about such a thing before. In his past life, he had spent countless years alone and had never entertained such an idea.
’Could I have one in this life?’
’Should I wait to tell Su Qi I’m a Cultivator? If I do, she’ll surely bear me a child within these two years.’
’If she knew I was a Cultivator, it would be questionable if she could even bear me a child within twenty years.’
’But children... I’ve really never had any contact with that kind of creature before.’
Afterwards, Jiang Zuo stopped overthinking it. ’I’ll just see how things go,’ he thought. ’At most, it’ll just be one or two more people to protect.’
At that moment, Xuanwu was already coming ashore. It quickly placed Shi Qi and Shiba in the bucket, then came before Jiang Zuo and said, "I want to learn."
Jiang Zuo smiled. This Xuanwu was a bit silly, but it was sensible and would occasionally even try to act like a senior.
After that, Jiang Zuo didn’t hold back much and taught it the true way to apply the Mijie Sacred Image.
At that moment, no one in the entire world knew that a foolish, silly Holy Beast Black Tortoise with poor aptitude had just opened the first gate on the Holy Beast race’s path to the supreme—a gate that had remained shut since time immemorial.
Living beings could not perceive this event, but Xuanwu was a Holy Beast, after all. Its transformation was sensed by heaven and earth.
Heaven and earth then sent this feedback into the core wellsprings of the Four Holy Beasts.
The wellsprings of the four races began to boil.
This event instantly alarmed the entirety of the Four Holy Beasts.
The four core Holy Beast guardians of the wellsprings immediately established communication.
"What happened? Why are the wellsprings boiling?"
"Are the Four Holy Beasts about to undergo a massive change?"
"No, a member of the Four Holy Beasts has broken through the limits of their race."
"Who is it? Which chosen one has made such a great contribution, bringing new possibilities to our Four Holy Beasts?"
"Investigate. We must find out who it is."
「On a certain mountain peak.」
Two Xuanwu stood guard.
The male Xuanwu asked, "There’s news that a member of the Four Holy Beasts has broken through their racial limits. I wonder who it could be."
The female Xuanwu said with indifference, "In any case, it couldn’t possibly be one of ours. Of our two girls, one is a simpleton, and the other is a human."
"True enough."
After that, silence fell upon the place once more.
