102: Buddhist practice

Before settling into Wuzhuang Temple, Tang Ku also brought the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan along. Princess Iron Fan had not fully regained consciousness and seemed to have suffered some injuries. When Great Immortal Zhenyuan learned of this, not only did he not discriminate against the Bull Demon King, but he also promised to heal Princess Iron Fan.

Everyone wanted to tell him about the events of the past few days and the origin of the shuttle in the sky, but Great Immortal Zhenyuan was busy with Alchemy, so there was no opportunity to discuss these matters with him.

Therefore, everyone settled down here first.

Fortunately, Wuzhuang Temple was fully equipped with daily necessities. Even if something was missing, as long as it was needed, Great Immortal Zhenyuan would appear in the room with a wave of his sleeve, so their stay was quite comfortable.

Three days passed in a flash. Great Immortal Zhenyuan finally came to Tang Ku to collect blood. This 'heart blood' did not literally mean blood from the heart, but rather from the middle finger. The middle finger is associated with fire, corresponding to the heart and small intestine. So, 'heart blood' was taken from the middle finger.

With a flick of his horsetail whisk, his finger was cut, and ten drops of blood were collected by Great Immortal Zhenyuan's robe sleeve. The old Daoist only said, “Await good news,” before busying himself with Alchemy.

As for Tang Ku, in his boredom, he recalled his previous thoughts. Unable to sleep at night, he flew to the back of the mountain and stared blankly at the moonlight.

Being almost killed by a single finger left a psychological shadow that was not easily dispelled. He urgently needed to improve his combat strength.

However, where this combat strength should be obtained was a matter worth debating.

“Since I underwent Transmigration as Tang Sanzang, I’ve been too reliant on the power bestowed by the System!” Tang Ku looked at the half-round moon, frowning slightly. “Waiting for pie to fall from the sky… that’s not my Tang Ku’s style! It seems it’s time to pick up my past Cultivation again!”

That’s right, Cultivation!

He intended to pick up the habit he had abandoned for a long time!

Although he was born in modern times in his previous life, he was a martial monk from Sanzu Temple. Besides attending school in the secular world as per his Master’s instructions, his daily required lessons were Buddha Dharma and martial arts.

Vajra Zen Skill was the Internal Skill he had to Cultivate every day, and in addition to that, the martial arts Moves of the Thirty-Two Aspects of Buddhism were also a daily requirement.

However, in Tang Ku's view at the time, although he entered the Dao through this, these Moves were basically useless when Immortals fought. So he simply gave up studying these basics and cherished the various Divine Abilities he learned later. His Master, Zen Master Huiyuan, once taught him that his Zen heart was not settled, and even with exceptional talent, he would always struggle to ascend to the Great Dao, but he had always dismissed it.

As expected, in the last stage of his Undergoing Tribulation, he died a miserable death, leaving no remains.

Now, having suffered a setback at the hands of someone named Darwin, he decided to learn from his pain and pick up these two unique skills again, resuming his Cultivation to see if he could increase his strength.

“Besides that, there are also a few spells and martial arts given by the System…” Tang Ku sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, his heart incomparably calm as he said, “Although these spells and martial arts all come from the System, it hasn’t been said that they can’t be Cultivated… Hmm, among them, Great Wilderness Divine Fist, as my strongest offensive Move, can definitely have its Move Concept comprehended. Turtle Shell Divine Skill is a BUG; to upgrade it, I need to increase its usage. As for escape skills that increase speed, that’s just a matter of proficiency. And my biggest problem is how to integrate all these Moves I have…”

After much thought, many solutions were proposed in his mind, but he rejected them one by one. His brain operated at high speed, replaying his experiences from his previous life and the present in his mind like a movie, all the battles vivid as if before his eyes.

Some might say, wouldn’t putting it directly into practice be more effective?

Actually, no!

Buddhist monks emphasize meditative Cultivation, and an Epiphany can lead to seeing the true nature. It is clear that Buddha Dharma has never been about action, but rather a conservative approach centered on thought.

Of course, such conservatism was not meaningless; on the contrary, this very thinking led Tang Ku to an Epiphany.

As his thoughts became clearer, he suddenly stood up, his moon-white monk robe fluttering in the breeze, looking unrestrained and elegant.

Then, he began to practice the martial arts Moves of the Thirty-Two Aspects, one by one.

The so-called Thirty-Two Aspects, according to the original Buddhist meaning, refer to the solemn and virtuous characteristics possessed by the Buddha, obtained through long-term cultivation of good deeds. Other cultivators may possess certain solemn features, but only the Buddha and true Chakravartin Holy Kings can possess all Thirty-Two Aspects.

In other words, the Thirty-Two Aspects implicitly contain the meaning of compassion, which is the essence of Buddha Dharma!

“The first Aspect… Self-Mind Aspect, entering vexation to see true goodness. So it is, so it is; the mind is defiled, or undefiled. By this means, the mind is in a state of sinking, etc…”

He clasped his hands together, then threw a punch. A whirlwind appeared in the gentle breeze, and light appeared within the whirlwind. As the strong wind swept past, fallen leaves also rose. The Fist Intent of “Shaking the Earth,” the first Move of Great Wilderness Divine Fist, gradually integrated into the Move. The moon-white monk robe did not flutter even a corner in the wind, seeming to cling to his body as if it had grown there. It seemed as if everything around him had merged into Tang Ku’s self.

“External Aspect, what is the External Aspect? It is to know that one’s own mind is defiled when it is defiled; then one takes on an external appearance…”

Bang!

The Qi vortex exploded, and a straight punch was thrown. It seemed to hit nothing, yet everything around it was disturbed. Whether fallen leaves, petals, or various plants, bamboos, and stones, they all flew into the air, seemingly pulled by a strange force. They vibrated as if they could be torn to shreds at any moment, yet they remained completely undamaged. Even after Tang Ku retracted his Move, not an inch was harmed, and this punch still contained the Fist Intent of “Shaking the Earth”!

“Dependent Aspect, what is the Dependent Aspect? It refers to the distinguishing characteristics of the body. That is, all the five aggregates encompassed by one’s own body, and the seeds…”

The fist transformed into a palm, and the palm overturned the sky. All the surrounding plants, bamboos, and stones instantly gathered in Tang Ku's palm, gradually condensing into a single entity, like a whole piece of colorful, variegated round stone. Its exterior looked smooth as a mirror, as if it had been compressed into a ball by some force. And then, this sphere suddenly exploded, turning into a pile of dust, leaving nothing behind. It was only then that Tang Ku snapped out of a state similar to an Epiphany, looking around at the messy surroundings with a blank expression…

“My Foundation… it seems it’s still Buddha Dharma!” Tang Ku couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “No matter how strong the external manifestation of power, it must be based on Buddha Dharma…”

“So, the stronger the Holy Monk’s Buddha Dharma, the stronger his magic power, and the stronger his combat strength, right?”

A voice sounded from behind him. Without turning around, Tang Ku knew it was Erlang Shen, Yang Jian, who had arrived.