134 Letting Go of Obsessions to Find Purity of the Six Senses

After leaving the martial arts arena, Chen Jue did not return to the guest house to rest, but instead wandered toward the training facility he had visited earlier. At this hour, everyone was occupied watching the various experts compete, leaving the training grounds completely empty.

Chen Jue found a clean spot, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate his Qi and blood to settle his agitated mind. The invincible power contained in that song from earlier had struck him deeply; he had felt such a longing to take his system interface back to that era and fight alongside the ancestors that he had been distracted during his earlier bout with the Wudang Daoist.

Yet, every era carries its own specific poignancy and its own limitations. Even with the assistance provided by his system interface, he realized he likely could not bridge the gap of time and space to jump into the past and personally experience that invincible strength. Furthermore, the will of martial artists is far more intense than that of ordinary people. Chen Jue had only stayed in the arena for a short while before he felt a multitude of different spirits and wills intertwining. This had a profound impact on his cultivation, which was why he had left the venue early after his first round.

Much like the enlightened monks and Daoist masters of ancient times who preferred to seek out secluded places to meditate and contemplate the Dao, they were not merely avoiding the world out of negativity; rather, they feared falling into the mundane "Red Dust" and having their Daoist hearts disrupted by the emotions of worldly people. It is as the Buddhist teachings state: only with "purity of the six senses and emptiness of the four elements" can one truly recite scriptures and worship the Buddha.

...

After practicing the circulation of the macro and micro cosmic orbits for a while, Chen Jue let out a long breath. He knew he had come perilously close to "deviating from the path" earlier. Lin Yuanchao’s remark—"You have no sense of being moved"—had nearly shattered his Daoist heart. But no matter how "moved" one might be, could it withstand one of Chen Jue’s punches?

He had to remember that Chen Jue was not a martial artist in the traditional sense; he was also a practitioner of Internal Alchemy. At his core, he was still a neophyte who had only recently undergone a transformation and stepped onto the path of cultivation. To be so obsessed with that elusive "feeling of being moved" and "emotional intent" was like falling into a demonic obsession, which would leave an indelible knot in his heart and hinder his progress. It was just like his college roommate, Cheng Wei, who had been wounded by a past relationship and, years later, was still unable to escape the lingering pain of that heartbreak.

"My mental cultivation is simply not deep enough!"
"My will is not firm enough!"
"I have formed the Golden Elixir and transformed my body, but my spiritual cultivation still lacks the necessary refinement." Chen Jue decided that once the tournament ended, he would return to Chen Village to go into seclusion. He planned to seek out a specialized technique for mental cultivation and see if he could use the system’s point-allocation function to strengthen his willpower.

...

Suppressing the obsession within his heart, Chen Jue slowly stood up. Seeing that there were no other outsiders in the training facility, he walked over to the row of strength-testing machines he had tried the day before. Because there had been too many onlookers the previous day, he hadn't wanted to draw too much attention and had used only about ten percent of his pure strength.

With no one around now, Chen Jue checked left and right, noticing that there seemed to be no surveillance cameras in the facility. The infirmary in the distance was locked, as all the medical staff had gone to the competition arena to stand by.

"The limit on this machine seems very high, unlike those boxing games in arcades. It’s the perfect chance to test exactly how much my punching power is!"

With a flicker of thought, Chen Jue assumed the Hunyuan stance of Tai Chi. His bones shook violently, sounding like a rolling thunderclap that echoed through the hall. Then, with an incredibly fierce "Single Whip" technique, he unleashed both his internal and external force, smashing his fist into the soft, leather-covered pad of the machine with a thunderous boom.

A quadruple ringing sound echoed out. The machine, which had been secured to the concrete floor with four thick steel nails, was hit with such force that the nails were ripped right out of the ground! The leather padding of the machine caved in from the impact and did not immediately spring back, recovering only slowly. The entire machine was dragged back across the floor for two meters, leaving a deep trail in its wake.

On the display at the top, a striking figure scrolled by: "3233 KG."

Presumably due to internal reinforcement, the machine was quite sturdy. Although it had not been blown to pieces by Chen Jue's punch, the four legs of the base were twisted and deformed.

"Six thousand catties in one Single Whip?"
"Ten Mike Tysons wouldn't be able to block this!" Chen Jue looked at the number on the display and couldn't help but smile with amusement. He felt that his decision to practice Internal Alchemy was the right path; his body was becoming stronger and stronger beyond its original limits.

He reached out and toggled the power switch at the base of the machine to reset the record. Then, he dragged the machine back to its original position and, using only his bare hands, bent the twisted legs back into shape and pressed them back into the concrete floor.

Chen Jue inspected the machine next to it. At a glance, there was no real difference, save for the friction marks on the floor behind it; unless one went behind the machine to look closely, it would be difficult to notice.

"It’s sturdy enough! No one should notice I’ve tampered with it, right?" Feeling that there was no major issue, Chen Jue muttered to himself and left the training facility as if nothing had happened. His actions were much like those of a child who had secretly watched the old television set behind their parents' backs and had to use a hairdryer to cool down the back of the TV before they returned, just to ensure the temperature didn't give him away.

...

After leaving the training facility, he returned to his room at the guest house to continue his meditation and circulation. When noon arrived, Chen Jue went to the cafeteria for lunch. The morning’s bouts had been intense, and Chen Jue saw several people who had been injured. Everyone was discussing the morning's matches, and when Chen Jue—the expert who had won with a single move—appeared, many cast curious glances his way.

In particular, the Wudang Daoists who were sitting together carried their trays over and sat next to Chen Jue.

"Master Chen! We finally found you!"
"I was shaken by that sound-based strike of yours this morning. My ears are still buzzing a little."
"Could we exchange contact information? We should share insights more often in the future," Liu Shiqing said with extreme humility. He had likely realized his own shortcomings after being defeated by Chen Jue and wanted to strike up a friendship. Moreover, the aura of the Golden Elixir on Chen Jue was profound and mysterious, naturally drawing ordinary people to him, let alone these Daoist practitioners.

"Of course, Daoist Liu, you are too kind. We are here to make friends through martial arts. You can add my WeChat..." Chen Jue smiled slightly. He didn't refuse, so he left his contact information. Ever since awakening the [Patriarch Lu’s Enlightenment] state, Chen Jue had felt a unique sense of affinity for these fellow Daoist practitioners and intended to visit the Wudang ancestral temple when he had the time.

...

After eating and resting until 1:00 PM, Chen Jue returned to his seat at the arena. He had been distracted in the morning and hadn't paid close attention to the other matches. Now that he had temporarily suppressed his obsession, he intended to carefully observe the fighting styles of these experts from various schools—a way to broaden his own horizons and draw parallels to his own practice.

After watching a few matches with great interest, he heard his number called. He stood up and stepped into the roped ring.

His opponent this time was a middle-aged man wearing black sportswear. The man was broad-shouldered and sturdy, his arms hanging down like bars of iron with a dark, bruised hue. His face was square and his skin dark, clearly from years of exposure to the sun. His eyes were sharp and piercing, and his entrance caused a stir in the stands.

He was likely a very famous expert, as those invited to participate in the tournament all recognized him and began to whisper as he stepped into the ring. Chen Jue, being new to the scene, did not know the man, but he observed him and felt a fierce, intimidating aura and a spirit of indomitable courage.

"What strong bones and spirit this man has!"
"He is an expert! No worse than Lin Yuanchao!"

With his keen hearing, Chen Jue caught the man’s powerful heartbeat and the steady flow of his Qi and blood. Aside from Yun Xiaomei, this was the strongest physique he had seen among all the folk experts since beginning his cultivation.

"Li Xiang of the Meng Village Baji Quan! Please, Master Chen, enlighten me!"