Chapter 53

Sun Ran and Bai Tingxuan both cast the Divine Traveling Talisman on themselves and sprinted along the muddy country road toward the county by the river. It was late summer, and the frogs croaked incessantly in the fields beside the road. The stars and moon shone brightly overhead, adding a unique charm to their journey.

Bai Tingxuan felt a sense of emotion: "Once we earn enough credit points and move to the Garden District, we'll go on a trip to the Zenith District to truly experience the natural scenery."

"What's the point of a trip? We might as well just live in the Zenith District," Sun Ran said with a smile.

Bai Tingxuan was taken aback, then smiled slightly and didn't pursue the topic further. In her view, the Garden District was already the limit for a Maintainer. The Zenith District? That was only possible in dreams.

After a moment of silence, she shifted her attention to the mission: "Sun Ran, this is the first time I've encountered such a powerful ghost. I have no practical experience. What about you?"

"Me? I don't have any either. Because ghosts and demons never come to bother me," Sun Ran said with a smile. "You don't need to worry. These demons are good at creating illusions. Especially ghost cultivators, who love to use psychological tactics. Once you see through this, you'll find they're no different from other world destroyers, and might even be weaker."

"How do I see through it?" Bai Tingxuan asked.

Sun Ran thought for a moment and lowered his voice: "Here, I'll teach you a native Daoist technique."

The Central AI had already explained this in his background, so there was no problem with Sun Ran revealing the Daoist technique.

Bai Tingxuan became very interested. She felt that Sun Ran was like a mountain made of mysteries, and at any moment, a speck of dust might fall, revealing deeper secrets, making her unable to resist exploring.

"What Daoist technique?" she asked, lowering her voice as well, as if they were conspiring.

Sun Ran explained in a low voice: "All things in the world have their counterparts. There are illusions that can bewitch the mind, and there are divine eyes that can see through to the essence. There are various types of divine eyes. In the Eastern system, from low to high, they are divided into three categories: Dharma Eye, Wisdom Eye, and Heavenly Eye. The Dharma Eye sees through to the essence, the Wisdom Eye knows all, and the Heavenly Eye can see through time and past lives. The latter two are too advanced and require great power. I'll teach you a Dharma Eye, which is enough to deal with these minor characters."

Bai Tingxuan listened with great excitement. She had heard of the terms Sun Ran mentioned, but in the virtual network, the highest level of divine eye skill was the Dharma Eye. The Wisdom Eye and Heavenly Eye were secrets of the Daoist sects, and no Maintainer had ever learned them. Now, hearing Sun Ran's words, it seemed he knew them all.

"What kind of Dharma Eye?" Even though she was usually calm, she was now quite excited.

Sun Ran stopped and beckoned to Bai Tingxuan: "The Dao cannot be taught to six ears. Come closer, and I'll explain it to you in detail."

In the Eastern world, Sun Ran couldn't help but use the formal language he was used to from Earth, speaking in a refined and ancient manner.

Bai Tingxuan followed his instructions.

Sun Ran leaned close to her ear and whispered the essence of the Fire Eye and Golden Pupil.

Bai Tingxuan listened intently, her eyes widening with amazement. She felt that Sun Ran's words were like a beam of light shining into her mind, igniting a fire of thought.

It turned out that Daoist power could be used in such a way, truly ingenious and almost in harmony with the Dao.

The Fire Eye and Golden Pupil were extremely profound. Sun Ran explained in detail, imparting the true essence. The Daoist teachings passed down by the Daoist Ancestor were extraordinary, and Bai Tingxuan immediately gained enlightenment.

When Sun Ran finished, Bai Tingxuan straightened up, her eyes blinking, and a golden light appeared in them. In just a short while, she had learned it.

Sun Ran nodded and smiled, habitually taking on the demeanor of a teacher: "You are a good student."

Although he could impart the Dao, if the recipient's aptitude was not sufficient, they might not gain enlightenment on the spot. Bai Tingxuan's ability to learn and use it immediately showed that her aptitude for Daoist cultivation was quite good. As a former husband, he had never noticed this before.

Bai Tingxuan looked at Sun Ran with admiration and bowed deeply, sincerely: "Teacher."

If Daoist techniques were the domain of high-intelligence individuals, then those who practiced Daoist arts were a group of great eccentrics.

How eccentric were they?

The Dao De Jing says: "The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name." This means that the true Dao is difficult to describe with ordinary language. The Dao that can be spoken is not the true Dao but the Dao of the speaker. The true Dao can only be understood through one's own mind. Without sufficient intelligence, it is impossible to achieve great success.

Sun Ran could impart the Dao through words, indicating that his understanding of Daoist techniques had reached an incredible level, making him a master of the highest rank.

Sun Ran felt a sense of satisfaction. He had a penchant for teaching, and seeing a student successfully gain enlightenment brought him great joy.

He laughed heartily, reaching out to stroke his beard, but then realized he had no beard, and his expression froze. He quickly changed his gesture and adjusted his beggar's clothes.

"Alright, we're partners, so let's skip the formalities. And don't call me teacher. Let's go." Sun Ran snapped out of his reverie. Times had changed, and he needed to be more cautious, not revealing too much, or the Central AI might not be able to cover for him.

Perhaps, he should start training a disciple. Although he didn't admit it verbally, he had already decided to take on a disciple.

For the rest of the journey, Bai Tingxuan refused to walk side by side with Sun Ran, always staying a step behind to show respect.

Sun Ran corrected her a few times, but seeing her stubbornness, he let it go.

Half an hour later, the city walls of Hebian County appeared ahead. Although the county walls were not very high, about five to six meters, they were not easy to climb.

This was no problem for Sun Ran, as he had the Wind Bridge technique. Using a gentle breeze, he created a bridge, and the two easily climbed onto the city wall.

Once on the city wall, Sun Ran said to Bai Tingxuan: "You just learned the Dharma Eye. Use it to observe the city and see where there is ghostly energy."

If there were ghosts and demons, there would be ghostly energy!

Bai Tingxuan nodded and activated the Fire Eye and Golden Pupil. Through the faint golden light in her eyes, she saw the world transform.

The buildings became transparent, and the entire Hebian County looked like a flawless crystal palace. In the buildings, red figures appeared, with varying intensities of red light, some as weak as a candle and others as strong as a torch.

Sun Ran stood beside her, eyes slightly narrowed, and a low voice came from his mouth: "Ghosts have ghostly energy, and humans have human energy. Human energy is yang, like a lamp in the night, and when a person dies, the lamp goes out."

Bai Tingxuan understood and turned her gaze to the west of the city.

There was a black circle several hundred meters in diameter, with no human energy or figures visible, only rolling black smoke.

"Ghostly energy is evil and appears as a pale white. Ghost energy is extremely yin and appears as pitch black," Sun Ran's voice came.

"Old... Sun Ran, is that the haunted house, full of ghosts?" Bai Tingxuan asked, understanding.

Sun Ran nodded in confirmation: "Ghost cultivators are not physically strong but are skilled in illusions and prefer to use mental attacks, either to charm or to terrify. With the Dharma Eye, you can ignore these. However, ghost energy is extremely yin and cold and can extinguish human energy, so be careful."

Almost as if in response to Sun Ran's words, Bai Tingxuan saw a figure staggering toward the haunted house.

It was likely a drunk, whose human energy was already weak, like a flickering candle. As he approached the edge of the ghostly energy, his human energy rapidly diminished.

The drunk seemed to be frightened and, before his human energy was completely extinguished, he ran out with all his strength.

Sun Ran sighed: "His life lamp is about to go out. He has no hope of survival and will be kicked out of the game within three days."

From the perspective of Daoist arts, Sun Ran's interpretation of the virtual world was like a sudden enlightenment for Bai Tingxuan. She felt that in the three years of her Maintainer career, she had not gained as much as she did in this one night.

Seeing that Bai Tingxuan had almost fully understood the function of the Fire Eye and Golden Pupil, Sun Ran waved his staff and spent about ten seconds casting a divine spell, creating a layer of holy light protection around both of them.

Guardian, a third-level holy spell, could defend against any attack and would last until the spell was broken or canceled.

"Are Western spells also effective against ghostly energy?" Bai Tingxuan asked, puzzled.

Sun Ran laughed and said: "The Dao has countless transformations, encompassing everything. It is said: 'One gives birth to two, two give birth to three, and three give birth to all things.' Since the Dao gives birth to all things, how can you be sure that divine spells are not Daoist spells?"

Seeing the thoughtful expression on Bai Tingxuan's face, Sun Ran laughed again: "Xuanxuan, don't get caught up in my words. Daoist and divine spells are just evolutions of virtual data. In other words, data is the Dao of the virtual world, the one that gives birth to all things."

To be able to say such profound words, one must have achieved a certain level.

Many Destroyers and Maintainers were captivated by the sensory experiences of the virtual world, ultimately getting entangled in superficial phenomena, playing around on the surface, and at most, reaching the middle level, which was like a child's play.

The reason was simple: the virtual world was too real, and human senses could not distinguish between reality and illusion. Even Destroyers and Maintainers, who knew everything was fake, could not avoid being influenced and deceived. Some even lost their rationality and began to doubt the existence of the real world.

Humans are beings who define the world through their senses. If their senses do not receive any external information, they can easily suffer mental breakdowns, as proven by the famous black room test. Similarly, if they continuously receive incorrect information, they will incorrectly define the world.

Bai Tingxuan looked at Sun Ran with admiration: "Have you already mastered the Dao?"

Sun Ran was taken aback and immediately realized he had become too self-satisfied. He warned himself and changed the topic: "How could I? It was just a moment of enlightenment. Let's go catch some ghosts."

Easier said than done. To truly be able to wield the power of the world at will, one must be a Daoist Lord of the Mixed Yuan.

Sun Ran leaped off the city wall, landing on the ground, and a golden mist rose from his feet, coming from the Guardian spell, which neutralized the impact of the fall.

Bai Tingxuan followed, her curiosity about Sun Ran's past growing.

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