Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Cultivating in Reverse!

The person before him was none other than the bookseller from the Dadao Bookhouse in Qingzhou City!

Ye Tianming was quite surprised， as he had never expected the other party to show up here.

The man in the Taoist robe looked Ye Tianming over and smiled，“To think you achieved a mortal body on your own— impressive， truly impressive.“

Those words came straight from the heart. He had to admit， Ye Tianming had shocked him as well. After discarding his original mortal body， mortal bones， and mortal blood， this guy had actually managed to re-enter mortality.

Break down， then rebuild!

And the mortal body he now possessed was entirely his own— no longer granted by another. That difference was enormous. Most importantly， it meant this guy was free from anyone else’s shackles， a truly self-made body， which also meant he had unlimited potential!

Suddenly， the man in the Taoist robe turned to look at An Han standing beside Ye Tianming， and upon seeing her， he froze for a brief moment.

An Han was clearly a little afraid of him and quickly ducked behind Ye Tianming.

The man in the Taoist robe took a long look at An Han， then turned his gaze to Ye Tianming. Ye Tianming had obviously caught the man’s expression， and he glanced back at An Han beside him before looking at the man again， smiling，“Old Yang， you really are something else.“

Back when he and An Yan had been reading at the Dadao Bookhouse， he had already sensed that this person was no ordinary figure— but he truly hadn’t expected the other party to be able to come to the real world. It seemed this was also a top-tier powerhouse， though just how powerful remained to be seen.

Old Yang smiled，“I came here specifically to find you.“

Ye Tianming was a little curious，“Find me for what?“

Old Yang said，“I want to follow you.“

Ye Tianming looked at him， smiling without a word.

Old Yang said earnestly，“I’m serious. Don’t worry， I won’t freeload— I know quite a few people in this world and have some connections.“

After a moment of silence， Ye Tianming said，“Old Yang， why don’t you just say what you’re really after?“

Old Yang gave a wry smile，“I really am here to follow you. I have no ulterior motives whatsoever— I swear it on the heavens.“

Ye Tianming said calmly，“For someone of your level， the heavens would be little more than ants， wouldn’t they?“

Old Yang burst out laughing， then said，“Just take me in! You’ve just taken over the Buddha-Demon Sect， haven’t you? The sect is in ruins and needs rebuilding— it’s exactly the time when you need people.“

Ye Tianming thought it over， then said，“Then please stay， Senior.“

Old Yang grinned，“Much appreciated.“

Ye Tianming turned to An Han beside him，“Xiao Han， make an extra portion of food later.“

An Han smiled broadly，“Sure thing.“

With that， she turned and ran off.

Old Yang watched An Han leave， then said，“How did you come across that girl?“

Ye Tianming said，“She was already here when I first arrived. Why?“

Old Yang said，“That girl… is not so simple.“

Ye Tianming didn’t press further and smiled，“Old Yang， what made you suddenly decide to come find me?“

Old Yang said in a low voice，“Your elder brother is my disciple.“

Ye Tianming froze，“You…“

Old Yang continued，“I have a grudge with the Yang family， and so do you. As the saying goes， the enemy of my enemy is my friend— isn’t that right?“

Ye Tianming was a little curious，“You have a grudge with the Yang family?“

Old Yang nodded，“Yes.“

Ye Tianming asked again，“Were you originally from the real world?“

Old Yang said，“Of course.“

Ye Tianming continued，“Then how did you end up going down there?“

Old Yang said calmly，“I wanted to experience the suffering of all living beings.“

He naturally wasn’t going to say he had been driven down there.

Ye Tianming glanced at Old Yang. He was naturally curious about this person， and he knew the other party must have additional motives for seeking him out— but he still chose to cooperate. His main reason was that he had his eye on Old Yang’s book collection. This guy had an extraordinary number of books， and every single one of them was deeply meaningful.

Old Yang smiled，“Did you know? Yang Jia has also come to the real world.“

Ye Tianming’s expression remained calm， and he said nothing.

Old Yang continued，“Not only has he come to the real world， but your little pagoda and the Xingdao Sword are both in his hands. On top of that， he is now the current sect master of the Guzhe Sect， and the Heavenly Court has even gone to welcome him， wanting him to take over…“

Ye Tianming gave a slight nod and said nothing.

Old Yang stared at Ye Tianming，“Don’t you have anything to say about that?“

Ye Tianming said calmly，“Whether it’s the little pagoda or the Xingdao Sword， they always belonged to the Yang family. It’s perfectly natural for them to follow him.“

Old Yang kept his eyes fixed on Ye Tianming，“Kid， is there really not even a trace of resentment or discomfort in your heart?“

Ye Tianming smiled back，“Is Senior hoping to see me feel resentful?“

Old Yang thought for a moment， then said，“I’m just giving you a reminder— don’t suppress the truest thoughts buried deep in your heart.“

As he spoke， he looked at Ye Tianming，“Countless top-tier powerhouses in this world seek truth， but seeking truth must be grounded in reality. Pretending leads only to emptiness. Between the real and the empty lies not only one’s attitude toward people and things， but also one’s understanding of oneself. It’s easy to fool others— it’s very hard to fool yourself.“

After a moment of silence， Ye Tianming said，“I’ve learned something today.“

He paused， then added，“Senior， is seeking truth the same as ‘knowing oneself’?“

Old Yang smiled，“You could put it that way. However， thinking you know yourself and truly knowing yourself are two very different things. Believing you understand yourself is a mistake most people easily make— those who truly know themselves are few and far between. Life is like a scale: underestimate yourself and you fall into self-doubt， overestimate yourself and you become arrogant. Only by striking the right balance can you perceive and refine yourself accurately and honestly.“

Knowing oneself!

Ye Tianming said softly，“True self-awareness— how many people can actually achieve that?“

Old Yang smiled，“Being able to achieve genuine self-awareness is indeed rare and admirable， but it amounts to nothing more than wisdom— barely touching on ‘truth，’ and still not what you’d call real wisdom. Do you know what true wisdom is?“

Ye Tianming looked at Old Yang， who smiled without saying a word.

Ye Tianming gave a slight bow，“Please enlighten me， Senior.“

Old Yang laughed heartily. Since he had come to find Ye Tianming， he naturally had to show off a little— otherwise， he wouldn’t earn any respect.

At any time， you have to prove your worth in order to be respected.

Old Yang said，“True wisdom is the knowledge of one’s own ignorance.“

Ye Tianming was puzzled，“The knowledge of one’s own ignorance?“

Old Yang nodded，“Even if a person can truly know themselves， can they truly know this heaven and earth， this world of all living beings? The universe is vast and boundless， the Dao is infinite— what does an individual’s limited knowledge and experience amount to in the face of this infinite universe and Dao?“

He smiled，“Therefore， one must always maintain the ‘knowledge of one’s own ignorance’— keep a clear awareness of one’s own insignificance， and never become arrogant or complacent.“

Ye Tianming’s eyes flickered，“To see all living beings， to see heaven and earth， to see the universe… one must first see oneself. Only by being able to ‘truly’ see oneself clearly can one then see all living beings， see heaven and earth， see the universe!“

A flash of admiration crossed Old Yang’s eyes. He had to admit， this guy’s comprehension was remarkably high— second only to his two most prized disciples. And this guy was undoubtedly the most fitting person for the Guzhe Sect. When he thought about how those people in the Guzhe Sect had actually abandoned this guy and chosen Yang Jia instead， he felt like bursting out laughing. The Guzhe Sect’s dream of bringing ‘truth’ back to the world and reaching the pinnacle of the Dao was basically hopeless now.

At that moment， Ye Tianming suddenly said，“As I am now， I can only barely ‘see’ myself within the limits of my understanding. As for seeing all living beings， seeing heaven and earth， seeing the universe— I’m nowhere near capable of that.“

As he said this， he seemed to realize something and suddenly looked at Old Yang，“Senior， does truly seeing oneself mean ‘seeing one’s true self’?“

Seeing one’s true self!

He had heard that phrase from the young woman named Zhan Taizhan back in the Blood Moon Secret Realm， and the previous sect master of the Buddha-Demon Sect had achieved ‘seeing one’s true self’ just before death.

Old Yang gave a nod，“Comprehending true meaning， seeing one’s true self— these are the current cultivation realms of the real world， and also realms that come after reaching the pinnacle of circle-breaking.“

Ye Tianming said，“Senior， could you tell me more about these realms?“

Old Yang smiled，“In the lower world， the circle-breaking realm is divided into the first through ninth levels. Here in the real world， after the ninth level of circle-breaking comes the ‘Comprehending Truth’ realm， followed by the ‘Seeing One’s True Self’ realm. Above that are ‘Establishing the Dao’ and ‘Becoming an Ancestor，’ and above those is the highest realm currently known in this universe—’Drawing the Circle.’“

After pondering for a moment， Ye Tianming said，“This ‘Comprehending Truth’— does it mean comprehending the ‘true meaning’ of this world?“

Old Yang nodded，“Because of the True Lord of that era， this real world is permeated with an eternal sense of ‘truth.’ You could understand it as him having opened a path for all living beings in the real world. Back then， the circle-breaking realm was already the limit— it was he who broke through the barrier between realms and forged an entirely new great path， and he willingly left behind the intent of his Dao so that those who came after in the real world could comprehend and cultivate it.“

As he spoke， a flash of admiration crossed his eyes，“That was truly a supreme act of merit. Those who came after， even if they reached his level of power， would still hold him in deep respect.“

Ye Tianming said softly，“He opened a path for all living beings…“

Old Yang looked at Ye Tianming，“What are your thoughts on the matter of cultivation realms?“

Ye Tianming smiled，“I heard from Xiao Hun that both the Guanxuan Sword Master and the Renjian Sword Master once walked the path of not cultivating realms…“

Old Yang said earnestly，“Kid， I know— right now you can rely on the Law of All Beings and certain special methods to reach the circle-breaking realm directly. But as for the path of not cultivating realms， don’t follow those two. They were both held back by that approach for a very long time.“

He paused， then added，“As things stand， only three people can truly be said to have ‘not cultivated realms.’“

Ye Tianming countered，“If three people have managed it， why can’t there be a fourth?“

Old Yang froze.

Ye Tianming smiled，“I learned in detail from Xiao Hun about the past of the Guanxuan Sword Master and the Renjian Sword Master… Senior， I have a small thought I’d like to share. I’ll say it， and you can listen and correct me— would that be alright?“

Old Yang looked at him，“Go ahead.“

Ye Tianming nodded，“I believe that what is called ‘not cultivating realms’ is not， in essence， about not cultivating realms at all— it’s about cultivating the Dao. The three people you mentioned were not cultivating realms but the Dao. They stepped outside all the paths in the world and began cultivating within their own path. That is why they cannot be defined， and why no one in the world can define them…“

He paused， then added，“But personally， I think that being undefinable is itself a kind of definition…“

Old Yang’s expression changed dramatically in an instant. Losing his composure， he said in a trembling voice，“Keep going.“

But Ye Tianming shook his head，“My understanding is too limited right now— I can’t come close to grasping a realm like theirs… If only I could have a conversation with them， that would be something.“

Old Yang’s face twitched.

Damn it!

There really are some freaks in this world that you just can’t look at with normal eyes!

Old Yang said in a low voice，“Just tell me— are you going to cultivate realms or not?“

Ye Tianming said，“Of course I am. But I won’t cultivate them in order.“

Old Yang asked in confusion，“What do you mean?“

Ye Tianming said seriously，“I want to first see my true self， and then cultivate in reverse.“

What the hell?

Old Yang’s expression froze completely. At that moment， his mind couldn’t quite keep up.

Just then， a series of terrifying auras suddenly appeared outside. Countless powerhouses swarmed in， surrounding the entire Buddha-Demon Sect.

Old Yang’s brow furrowed as he turned to look outside the hall. The powerhouses from the Guanxuan Domain had arrived.

Leading them was none other than Young Master Xin.