Chapter 95

Refining essence into energy, refining energy into spirit, and refining spirit into emptiness—this is the doctrine of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, which has been passed down in Daoism for thousands of years.

It is said that when a Daoist cultivator penetrates the truth of the Heavenly Dao and ascends to immortality, the states of essence, energy, and spirit all reach their peak. After that, they enter the Earth Immortal realm of the Five Qi Converging at the Origin, where the heart houses the spirit, the liver houses the soul, the spleen houses the will, the lungs house the corporeal soul, and the kidneys house the essence.

Further on, there is the realm of breaking through the void and ascending to immortality, which leaves cultivators in the metaphysical world spellbound. At that stage, one becomes an immortal, shedding the mortal body and ascending as a spiritual body, enjoying eternal bliss, eternal youth, and immortality.

Therefore, the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is also known as the realm of great perfection, indicating that a cultivator's soul has reached the state of refining spirit into emptiness. After the Five Qi Converge at the Origin, the immortal soul, also known as the primordial spirit, is condensed, allowing one to transcend the heavens and ascend to immortality.

Throughout history, Daoist teachings have been profound and extensive, with numerous branches. Over thousands of years, a large number of talented cultivators have emerged, leaving behind many legendary tales of immortality that are still talked about today.

Zhuge Qianyun himself is a sixth-stage middle-rank true cultivator of Daoism, believing he has reached the second level of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, refining energy into spirit. However, he has always been unable to figure out how to refine spirit into emptiness.

At this moment, seeing the three golden rays suddenly burst from Yang Chen's head and feeling the aura they emitted, which seemed to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, Zhuge Qianyun's expression changed dramatically, and his exclamation was understandable.

With three golden rays piercing the sky above his head, Yang Chen seemed to be draped in a sacred cloak. Wherever his gaze fell, the cultivators who had come to demand an explanation instinctively avoided his eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.

Under the enhancement of the spirit array in the bamboo grove, Yang Chen resembled a legendary immortal god, overwhelming the souls of the cultivators.

A vast and boundless aura continuously emanated from Yang Chen. With each small step he took forward, Qingyi Shangren, who had lost the Mount Tai Order, instinctively took a step back until his back collided with Zhuge Qianyun's body, forcing him to stop retreating.

But even facing such a terrifyingly high realm, Qingyi Shangren, with a thick neck and clenched teeth, said, "I am not your match. If you want to kill or torture me, do as you please. Why must you humiliate me so?"

"Why would I kill you?" Yang Chen smiled calmly, waving his hand to dispel the three golden rays above his head. Ignoring Qingyi Shangren's flushed and pale face and the complex gazes of the other cultivators, he said loudly, "Humans have three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are the Heavenly Soul, Earthly Soul, and Human Soul, also known as the Primordial Spirit, Yang Spirit, and Yin Spirit. The Primordial Spirit governs essence, the Yang Spirit governs energy, and the Yin Spirit governs spirit."

"As cultivators absorb the free-floating energy particles in the universe, they continuously enhance the power of the three souls, merging them into one, which is the well-known mental power. The seven spirits govern human emotions, and as one's cultivation improves, they are gradually suppressed by the three souls. Therefore, those with deep cultivation are usually calm and resolute, not easily disturbed by mundane matters."

"Throughout history, cultivators have often said that the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is a proof of the peak state of essence, energy, and spirit. It is said that when a cultivator comprehends the truth of the Heavenly Dao, essence, energy, and spirit reach their peak, resulting in the phenomenon of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown."

"As you can see, this poor Daoist has already achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, a realm of great perfection recognized by the world. If my teachings are heretical and not the right path of cultivation, then I ask you—"

Yang Chen slightly curled his lips and suddenly raised his voice, "Are these three flowers on my head fake?"

"..." A well-reasoned and evidence-based argument left everyone present speechless.

Indeed, it is said that only those who have reached the realm of great perfection will exhibit the phenomenon of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. These three flowers, also known as the Three Glories, symbolize the light of glory.

It is said that these three glories are proof of a cultivator's spiritual connection with the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity after comprehending the truth of the Heavenly Dao.

If Yang Chen's teachings were false, how could the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown be explained? If they were true, why did his theory of energy particles clash so sharply with the Five Elements theory that has been passed down in the metaphysical world for thousands of years?

Seeing that everyone, including Zhuge Qianyun, was speechless, Yang Chen, who was already in a dominant position, smiled faintly and continued, "Are you all confused? Actually, there's no need to be so troubled. The reason is very simple."

All the cultivators looked up at Yang Chen, and Zhuge Qianyun hesitantly bowed, "Please enlighten us."

"Because the theories of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, the Five Qi Converging at the Origin, and the condensation of the immortal soul are fundamentally absurd," Yang Chen straightened his back and said in a sharp tone, "The so-called Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is merely a normal manifestation of the soul evolving into a more advanced form after cultivation. If we follow the traditional view, this poor Daoist would have already ascended to immortality and enjoyed eternal bliss. Why would I stay in this mundane world?"

"Evolution?" Zhuge Qianyun's eyes widened at Yang Chen's revolutionary statement.

"Yes, evolution—the evolution of a life form," Yang Chen nodded. "This poor Daoist once had the good fortune to meet a cultivator from above."

"From above?" Following Yang Chen's finger, the cultivators looked up at the blue sky.

Someone asked excitedly, "Are they the immortals from the Heavenly Realm?"

"By Earth's standards, they are indeed like immortals, but they are fundamentally human, just with a more advanced life form," Yang Chen said seriously. "When that cultivator descended, he was severely injured and on the brink of death, yet the aura he emitted in that state could visibly distort the surrounding space."

"Distort space? Isn't that the power of immortals?" Zhuge Qianyun gasped.

"More accurately, they are planetary-level spirit warriors," Yang Chen said solemnly. "In the current metaphysical world, cultivators are divided into nine stages. It is believed that reaching the ninth stage is just one step away from ascending to immortality and eternal bliss. However, after the ninth stage, there are more stages. The path of life evolution on Earth is still at the lowest level."

Spreading his arms and facing the sky, Yang Chen said loudly, "In this vast universe, there are countless human civilizations. All those who practice cultivation in the universe are called spirit warriors. Earth's nine-stage classification is equivalent to the lowest level of the planetoid stage in the universe. Above the planetoid stage, there are the satellite stage and the planetary stage, and even more terrifying, the stellar stage."

Suddenly lowering his voice, Yang Chen turned and said, "This poor Daoist was fortunate to receive guidance from a terrifyingly strong sixth-stage planetary cultivator from the Tiancheng civilization. It was under the guidance of that strong cultivator that this poor Daoist, at a young age, achieved the current accomplishments. The teachings of the Chinese metaphysical world, which have been passed down for thousands of years, are merely the beginning. Without breaking through this barrier, one cannot access a broader world."

"So you founded the Spirit Warrior Journal to guide the Chinese metaphysical world to align with the universe, and you named it the Spirit Warrior Journal based on the term used for cultivators in the universe," Zhuge Qianyun said softly, "The story is perfect and unassailable, but words alone are not enough. You claim to have met a cultivator from the universe. Do you have any proof?"

"This matter, I can attest to," at this moment, a loud voice came from the mountain below.

Then, everyone saw a sturdy, white-haired old Daoist walking up the mountain with a leisurely pace.

Seeing this Daoist, all the cultivators present bowed and said in unison, "Greetings, Supreme Master."

The newcomer was none other than Supreme Master Xuanhong, the head of Chongyang Palace, who had rushed from Zhongnan Mountain upon receiving the news. Chongyang Palace, as the ancestral temple of the Complete Perfection Sect, made Supreme Master Xuanhong the supreme leader of the sect.

Under the reverent gazes of the cultivators, Supreme Master Xuanhong smiled and walked to Zhuge Qianyun, saying, "I have already sent a thousand-year-old spirit ginseng to Qingyun Shangren. I believe he is now out of danger."

Hearing this, Zhuge Qianyun was both shocked and delighted, quickly bowing and saying, "Thank you, Supreme Master."

"Also," Supreme Master Xuanhong nodded and then turned to Yang Chen, who was several dozen meters away, "I have heard everything you said. The content is largely similar to what is recorded in a scroll left by our sect's founder, Chongyang Zhenren, and even more detailed in some aspects."

Turning to the cultivators on the mountain path, Supreme Master Xuanhong said, "Yang Chen is right. Nearly a thousand years ago, our sect's founder, Chongyang Zhenren, met a spirit warrior from the universe and left a scroll detailing the encounter. However, because the spirit warrior left in a hurry, he did not leave much useful information, making it a thousand-year-old mystery."

"In the scroll left by our founder, he also mentioned the planetoid and satellite stages. According to the spirit warrior from outer space, our founder, as the top expert in the metaphysical world at that time, was only at the first satellite stage."

"Yang Chen's detailed description of this system is sufficient proof that he has indeed received guidance from a spirit warrior from outer space. This might also explain why, as a late fourth-stage cultivator, he has repeatedly defeated mid-fifth-stage and even late-fifth-stage cultivators."

"Our founder once left a legacy, stating that the direction of the Chinese metaphysical world's development is wrong. Compared to the spirit warrior system that has existed in the universe for tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of years, we are like kindergarten children, if not even lower."

"Yang Chen, having had this extraordinary encounter, did not choose to keep it to himself but openly shared it, attempting to guide the future correct development of the metaphysical world. For this alone, he deserves our deepest respect."

With that, Supreme Master Xuanhong bowed deeply to Yang Chen.

The cultivators on the mountain path hurriedly bowed in unison, saying, "Our Daoist friend has high moral integrity, and we are far inferior."

Before Yang Chen could speak, Supreme Master Xuanhong said, "However, this matter is of great importance. Yang Chen was forced to reveal it today. If it attracts the attention of foreign cultivation circles or the gaze of those with ill intentions, with Yang Chen's current strength, he may not be able to handle it. If anything happens to him, it will be a great loss to the metaphysical world."

Pausing, Supreme Master Xuanhong said firmly, "Therefore, those present today, please accompany this old Daoist to Chongyang Palace for a temporary stay. We can return to our sects after Yang Chen makes progress."

This statement caused a stir among the cultivators present.

What temporary stay? This is clearly a soft confinement.

But just as someone was about to protest, Supreme Master Xuanhong emitted a overwhelming aura and asked, "Who has objections?"

Everyone's faces turned pale under the pressure, and they dared not resist.

Reluctantly, they all responded, "We will follow the Supreme Master's orders."

Supreme Master Xuanhong retracted his aura and smiled, "Very well." To be continued.

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