Five Frozen Centuries

Chapter 208: Obtained

The Golden Eagle seemed unwilling to give up, but all its unwillingness turned into a sigh. It said, “It’s a pity. If I had another century, I would have been able to master 33,000 swords. No one at the same level would be my match when I used this move!”

“I lost!” The Golden Eagle admitted defeat. It was standing in the air hundreds of meters above Wei Huo. It naturally had an advantage in this battle. If it could not win under such circumstances, it would definitely lose.

Upon hearing the Golden Eagle’s words, Wei Huo said, “A century is not a long time. When you really master 33,000 swords, you can come and find me. We’ll compete again!”

The Golden Eagle was very surprised. It looked at Wei Huo carefully and made way for him. It then said, “I’ve been guarding this place for over 800 years. You’re the only one who has passed through me. I’ll remember you. In 100 years, when I really master 33,000 swords, I’ll come and compete with you. Then, I won’t lose again!”

Wei Huo cupped his fists. “Brother Eagle, we’ll meet again in 100 years!”

The Golden Eagle cupped its fists. “May I know your name?”

Wei Huo replied, “My name is Wei Huo.”

The demon was confused. “Wang Huo?”

It could not hear his name clearly.

Wei Huo cupped his fists again. “My name is Wei Huo.”

The Golden Eagle was confused. “Wu Huo?”

Wei Huo: “...”

Did I get it right?

The Golden Eagle thought about it for a moment before cupping its fists. “I’ll call you Human. We’ll meet again in 100 years!”

Wei Huo flew into the sky and said politely, “We’ll meet again in 100 years.”

After Wei Huo broke through the small world barrier and left, the Golden Eagle cursed. “Goodbye my foot!”

It stretched out its hands. Its palms were already dripping with blood, and the feathers on its wings were beginning to fall. The earlier battle seemed like a draw, but in reality, it had already gotten severely injured.

Phrases like ‘Let’s meet again another day’ and ‘I’ll treat you to a meal next time’ were just polite answers. He had not even mentioned a time or location. Where would they meet in 100 years?

The Golden Eagle had had no choice but to make way. If it had continued fighting, it would have risked dying.

It was very angry. It had guarded this place for over 800 years, but it had not met a single challenger. This person was the first one to defeat it. It was a failure. It had lost face.

Meanwhile, Wei Huo had already broken through the third level and arrived at the fourth level. He then asked the golden armor, “How many levels are left until Kunlun Mountain?”

The golden armor replied, “Nine is the limit. You have to reach the ninth level to reach Kunlun Mountain. When that time comes, you will obtain the supreme sutra, which is the Dao Scripture.”

The fourth level was a huge river. At that moment, Wei Huo was standing on a small boat. He had broken through the barrier and arrived on the small boat.

As there was no wind, the surface of the river was very calm. There were barely any waves. The boat floated on the surface of the river as if it had entered a mirror. Clouds were reflected on the surface of the river, but those clouds were motionless.

Wei Huo frowned. “How are we going to break through the fourth level? Are we going to break through the sky? Who is guarding it?”

The golden armor shook its head. “It’s useless. You can’t pass through the fourth level with brute force. It’s useless even if you destroy this world.”

Wei Huo stroked the water’s surface and realized that it was as hard as iron. The ship was also motionless.

Suddenly, Wei Huo had an idea. He asked, “Are we in a painting?”

The golden armor replied, “You noticed indeed. The fourth level is a painting created by a nomological expert.”

Everything around him was still. The sky, the river, and the boat were all still like a painting.

Wei Huo observed his surroundings and sighed. “This is a very beautiful painting.”

The sky was vast, and the surface of the river was calm. There was only a small boat floating on the surface of the river. If one saw it from the outside, one would feel that the concept was boundless but the view was limited. The painting was only so big, and one could always see its end.

However, because he was in the painting, he could not see its end. The sky was boundless, and so was the river.

That was the difference between appearance and inner view. Appearance was limited, but inner view was limitless. That was a state of mind.

Wei Huo seemed to have understood something. In the end, he sat down cross-legged and tried to understand the logic behind this.

What was silence? What was movement?

What was limited? What was unlimited?

That realization was Wei Huo’s reward for clearing the third level. It was not a weapon or a cultivation technique. It was a form of enlightenment.

He who subdues his desires looks inside his own heart. His heart has no heart. He looks outside at his body, his body is without body.

A sutra passage suddenly flowed into Wei Huo’s heart. Wei Huo studied it carefully and realized that it was a cultivation technique that described Qi Cultivation!

For example, let’s look at a painting. No matter how big it is, it will always have boundaries. That is its form. However, not only do we have to look at a painting, but we also have to comprehend its concept. Although the painting is limited, the concept is unlimited.

Wei Huo sat down with his legs crossed and thought about it carefully. Soon, he entered a mysterious realm. Why had the golden armor not mentioned the reward and the way to clear the fourth level at the beginning? Its purpose had been to let Wei Huo realize this by himself.

In reality, it was also comprehending this carefully. Unfortunately, it could not comprehend anything, as it already knew what the reward for the fourth level was. It was precisely because it knew this that it did not comprehend anything. Because it had known ahead of time, when it saw this scene, it did not feel as if it had comprehended something at first sight.

It was just like reading a movie spoiler. If one understood it, one would feel amazed when watching the movie. However, if one were to reveal a spoiler, although one would still feel impressed when watching it, one would not feel as amazed.

Wei Huo sat in the boat and thought about it for a long time. In the end, he opened his eyes and looked into the distance. The aura on his body seemed purer. The turbid air dissipated, and he felt like he was floating.

The golden armor asked, “What did you figure out?”

Wei Huo shook his head. “I can’t say it. It can only be understood, not communicated.”

This was a state of mind. It was a way to cultivate one’s mind and spirit. Cultivators were required to review their inner mind. By taking in the vastness of the mind, they could realize the distance one’s mind could go.

However, this was not the main reason that it could not be communicated. The main reason was that he did not have enough knowledge. Given his current knowledge level, he could not explain what he had comprehended. At the very least, if he explained it, it would not be logical or verified. Therefore, instead of saying it out loud and embarrassing himself, he might as well lie and say ‘It can only be understood but not spoken’ to show how special he was.

At the end of the day, isn’t this caused by a lack of culture?

The golden armor nodded its non-existent head and shook its helmet. “It seems like you have understood. The Dao can’t be described, so it can’t be explained with words. You can only comprehend it slowly.”

This was how one could pretend to be enlightened despite not realizing anything. By saying that one was right and nodding one’s head, one could resolve the awkwardness of not understanding anything.

Of course, Wei Huo knew that the creature was trying to hide. He did not expose it. Instead, he asked, “How can I crack this to reach the fifth level?”