Chapter 62: What a Terrible Teacher

Wugen Sheng stepped forward to keep pace with Zhao Zhen, casting an amused and curious glance at the patterns etched into the valley walls on either side.

Suddenly, a strange sensation welled up from Wugen Sheng's lower back.

"Huh? This is... the Yaoshu acupoint?"

"It's fine, pay no mind to that, just keep walking inward," Zhao Zhen's calm voice rang out from ahead once again.

Hearing this, a flicker of doubt immediately arose in Wugen Sheng's heart.

Judging by the casual confidence in Zhao Zhen's tone, he was so familiar with this place that he must have visited it long ago.

Yet, if he had been here before, why did he insist on having Wugen Sheng use the Divine Origin Art to find the correct path instead of simply transporting them here with his Golden Flashlight movement technique? Wasn't that completely redundant?

Just as Wugen Sheng was harboring these silent suspicions, Zhao Zhen abruptly halted and turned his head to look back at him.

"Are you wondering why I'm so familiar with this place?"

"Yes."

Wugen Sheng nodded, making no effort to conceal his thoughts.

Zhao Zhen smiled faintly and tapped his own brow with his finger.

"You don't need to overthink it. I've never actually set foot here before, nor did I have the leisure time to test your character. The reason I know this place so well is simply because I saw someone else visit it in a dream."

"In a dream?"

A trace of bewilderment flashed through Wugen Sheng's eyes.

"Indeed. Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed of Zhuang Zhou. To this day, I can hardly tell which of them is truly me. But regardless, you only need to know that everything I know is just like what you possess—it all stems from this square inch of the spiritual terrace, right here in the cave of the three stars on the slanting moon."

Upon hearing these words, tumultuous waves crashed within Wugen Sheng's heart.

Just like when Zhao Zhen had instantly seen through his possession of the Divine Origin Art, why was this man so deeply acquainted with his origins?

Could it truly be as Zhao Zhen had just claimed—that, like him, everything Zhao Zhen knew came from this boundless realm within the mind?

Seeing Wugen Sheng stand frozen in place, plunged into a profound silence, a peculiar smile crept onto the corners of Zhao Zhen's mouth.

As the saying goes, sometimes leaving a little room for others to let their imaginations wander is not necessarily a bad thing, because you never truly know what kind of elaborate delusions people might conjure up on their own.

While Wugen Sheng was lost in a daze, Zhao Zhen did not press forward. Instead, he occupied himself by studying the intricate patterns carved into the cliff faces of the valley.

Although these patterns appeared entirely natural, forged by the hands of nature itself, Zhao Zhen knew very well that the entire Twenty-Four Solar Terms Heavenly Valley was actually a synthetic creation sculpted by human hands!

The patterns etched upon these valley walls recorded a method of circulating vital energy through the microcosmic orbit, known as the Three-Cart Power.

The Three-Cart Power symbolized the three distinct forces required to clear the three critical barriers of the governing vessel during internal elixir cultivation, each corresponding to an animal.

Sheep Power: From the tailbone barrier (Weilü) to the spinal ridge barrier (Jiaji) in the human body. The circulation of Qi resembles a sheep pulling a cart, requiring slow and cautious progress, emphasizing the initial accumulation stage of "going from zero to one."

Deer Power: From the spinal ridge barrier (Jiaji) to the pillow barrier (Yuzhen). The circulation of Qi resembles a deer running in full stride, requiring accelerated breakthroughs, corresponding to the explosive phase following the accumulation of energy.

Tiger Power (or Ox Power, depending on different cultivation traditions): From the pillow barrier (Yuzhen) to the mud-pill palace (Niwang). The circulation of Qi resembles a tiger or an ox exerting its utmost strength, requiring a desperate charge to breach the final barrier and complete the full orbital cycle.

Although the method of the Three-Cart Power had a long and storied history, the various sects of martial artists and esoteric practitioners had long since ceased to limit themselves to this single circulation technique.

For instance, the practitioners of the Heavenly Master Mansion's Golden Light Spell cared little for the Three-Cart Power; instead, they focused entirely on fulfilling and saturating their innate primordial Qi.

In their view, as long as one's innate essence was complete and the heart-monkey of desire remained resolute, no barrier could possibly obstruct them, rendering any convoluted methods entirely unnecessary.

Simple, crude, and utterly ruthless—it fit the style of the Heavenly Master Mansion's disciples to perfection.

However, Zhao Zhen's objective on this trip was to secure the legacy left behind by Master Ziyang, so he felt it necessary to carefully perceive and comprehend the principles of the Three-Cart Power.

For a time, the valley returned to absolute tranquility.

Wugen Sheng pondered Zhao Zhen's mysterious origins, while Zhao Zhen dedicated himself to studying the ancient method of energy circulation known as the Three-Cart Power.

It was not until a long while later that a series of sharp, chittering sounds broke them both from their respective trances.

"What are these? Golden snub-nosed monkeys?"

Wugen Sheng raised an eyebrow, looking with mild surprise at the troop of golden monkeys gathering around him.

Attracted by the commotion, Zhao Zhen turned his gaze over as well.

"I never expected you to be so popular with small animals."

"Why are there monkeys in a place like this?"

"Why wouldn't there be? Don't forget, we're in the Qinling Mountains."

Wugen Sheng rolled his eyes. Of course, that wasn't what he meant.

The environment here was entirely unique, sealed off from the outside world by a barrier of energy formations that ordinary people could never penetrate; yet somehow, monkeys managed to survive and thrive right here.

To claim these monkeys possessed no extraordinary qualities whatsoever would be an insult to the harsh environment they inhabited.

"Let's go. We should keep moving forward."

Wugen Sheng nodded and resumed his pace, following close behind Zhao Zhen.

"The Three-Cart Power... Heh, merely walking through here is enough to help someone attain Qi. The master of this valley is truly..."

"Truly what?"

"Truly a reckless and irresponsible teacher," Wugen Sheng remarked leisurely.

"Oh? How so?"

"The master of this valley undoubtedly possesses abilities that rival the gods, but using esoteric techniques to manipulate people and imparting teachings indiscriminately without regard for worthiness is, in my view, entirely wrong. Cultivation should be rooted fundamentally in one's character and mindset. To overcome the so-called Three-Cart Power, one need only possess a steadfast mind; and those whose minds are truly steadfast would never require the assistance of this valley in the first place. Creating this place does nothing more than forcefully bestow Qi upon ordinary people who possess no natural talent whatsoever. Once these weak-willed commoners acquire Qi, it will only fuel their greed and chaos, driving them to transform from the first kind of people into the third kind. How can this possibly yield a hundred benefits and not a single harm?!"

Having listened to Wugen Sheng's critique, Zhao Zhen nodded in profound agreement.

Much like the population red-line theory proposed by later generations of the company, if the number of supernatural practitioners grew too large, it would spell absolute disaster for the stability of society as a whole.

Just as Wugen Sheng had stated, once these weak-willed ordinary people gained power, they would almost certainly be consumed by the desires that grew exponentially alongside that power, ultimately devolving into what Wugen Sheng classified as the third category of people—the members of the All-Encompassing Sect.

Those with resolute minds had no use for it, while those with fragile minds suffered its harmful consequences. Such a setup was indeed entirely superfluous.

"Brother Zhao, can you honestly tell me who built this place? And what is your true objective in coming here?"

Instead of immediately answering Wugen Sheng's question, Zhao Zhen stepped out of the valley and pointed toward a cavern ahead.

"Once we step inside that cave, you will naturally know the answers to both questions."

"Hmph, still playing the mystery. Very well then, I'll accompany you inside to see what secrets you're hiding!"