Comprehension Ability: I Forge a Villainous Longevity Family

Chapter 770: Chapter 547: Ci Hong_2

From start to finish, what Monk Ci Hong wanted to express was merely a hope to exchange martial skills with the Demon Venerable before his rise, become friends with him, and then prevent him from causing calamity in the Central Domain, thereby earning merits and achieving the Longevity Tao Fruit in this life, rather than the rumors that he wanted to duel with Chen Zhixing and suppress the Demon Venerable.

Becoming friends first and then preventing him is fundamentally different from simply using force to stop him.

The former is an understanding from the heart.

The latter is wishful thinking.

Anyone who knows about the rise of the Demon Venerable wouldn’t harbor such thoughts, because they know, even at his weakest, he had Chen Tianyuan, a top Peak practically invincible in the Longevity Realm, supporting him, making it impossible to snuff out his potential.

To obliterate a genius requires that the genius doesn’t have a guardian, or that you are stronger than their guardian. Failing either point, any attempt to obliterate is merely giving the genius experience.

Monk Ci Hong and Chen Zhixing had no grievances. He said such things because he regretted seeing such great merit slipping away before his eyes.

Now, he most needed merit to help him advance further on the Great Tao, helping him complete the Nirvana of the Arhat Golden Body, and proceed to the Peak.

Previously, in seeking out the Celestial Profound Realm without success, Ci Hong had thought about going to the Cosmic World to seek merit through educating otherworldly beings, but now that the Demon Venerable returned from beyond, Ci Hong no longer planned to go to the Cosmic World.

Ci Hong believes that since the Demon Venerable has returned, a storm of bloodshed will surely arise on the East Profound Continent in the near future. If Ci Hong could do something during this time, then the merit required for the Nirvana Golden Body, or the merit needed to break through to the Peak, would not be an issue.

...

Monks in the Celestial Profound Realm require merit for cultivation, where their merit equates to Tao Practice for ordinary cultivators.

However, because the system for monks is unified, and they all follow the same World-Honored One, with a realm high enough and who independently created a promotion system for them. Thus, their Tao Practice becomes merit, a term specifically popular within the Buddhist Sect.

It’s generally similar to worldly merit, both maintaining order and preventing disasters bring merit upon oneself.

Well, the merit of monks is calculated on behalf of the World-Honored One, and actions supporting the system created by the World-Honored One will result in merit descending, aiding monks in enhancing their cultivation.

Of course, monks can also cultivate independently.

But this is very difficult, because the Buddhist Sect’s Great Tao is encompassed within the World-Honored One’s system, and if one does not follow this system’s path of merit, trying to advance through normal cultivation is even harder for monks than for ordinary cultivators.

Ci Hong is an example.

With his talent, if he were an ordinary cultivator, having practiced diligently for thirty years, he would likely have had the qualification to step into the Peak. But because of his chosen path, reaching the Nirvana Realm led to being stuck in the Nirvana stage of forming the Arhat Golden Body, making it difficult to proceed without the aid of merit.

This isn’t to say the Buddhist path is hard, in fact, for ordinary people it is faster than normal cultivation, requiring lower demands in terms of talent. As long as one is a great virtuous monk, regardless of one’s cultivation, one can reach the Peak Realm.

In other words, a person of mediocre talent, as long as they are willing to practice merit, can also advance to the Peak within the Buddhist Sect.

But this takes a long time, requiring enormous effort in practicing merit compared to regular practices.

The World-Honored One has truly opened the door of convenience for this.

But for some exceptionally gifted individuals, this merit-based cultivation method is not as friendly.

Many monks who should have been able to cultivate with mirror-breaking divine speed have not due to a lack of good deeds establishing good outcomes, and lack of merit upon themselves, leading to no progress despite decades or even centuries of cultivation, resulting in less willingness among the exceptionally talented to enter the Buddhist Sect.

Yet this does not seem to matter to the Buddhist Sect.

In the same cultivation practice, a genius reaches the Peak at age thirty, while an ordinary person barely reaches it at age three hundred, then meanders into old age, where a genius cultivator is at Peak Ninth Layer, and so is an ordinary cultivator, ultimately there is not much difference between the two.

Because the path of cultivating merit does indeed hold, and due to low talent requirements, as Buddhist cultivators age, more and more strong individuals accumulate, and many are benefactors known for goodness, giving them better reputations compared to ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, geniuses are rare while ordinary people always make up the majority.

Well, it’s just a relative perspective.

As the merit that Buddhists cultivate also requires accumulation and coincidental opportunities, and where in the world is so much merit to gather.....

Competition is also intense.

Some monks even lose their lives seeking merit in events.

The entire Celestial Profound Realm barely supports one Buddhist Sect’s merit needs.

For this reason, the Buddhist Sect has always been a minority in the Celestial Profound Realm, with no one vying for their path.

Partly because they couldn’t compete, partly because there’s no need.

Of course.

To many monks, if more were like Chen Zhixing under the heavens, then the Buddhist Sect might see a great prosperity.

Yet this idea is often reprimanded by many great virtuous monks.

After all, merit is a reward from good deeds; hoping for more evil to foster in order to perform good is not unlike the Demon Sect.

But few monks heed these words from the great virtuous leaders.

Ultimately, without merit, monks cannot advance their cultivation, and those whose cultivation cannot advance more eagerly anticipate a chaotic world filled with demonic chaos.

This is an unavoidable and unchangeable reality.

Also remains one of the trickiest karmic dilemmas within the Buddhist Sect.

...

Chen Zhixing naturally did not know that his return was seen by Monk Ci Hong as a great merit descending from heaven.

If he knew, he would probably just laugh it off.

Why?

Because he is a Taoist Lord in the Celestial Profound Realm, and one who is still active in this world, with the capability to distribute merit!

He is naturally aware of the Buddhist Sect’s merit system.

But if any uninformed monk really thought to gain merit from him, Chen Zhixing wouldn’t mind demonstrating what administrator privileges mean, disrupting the merit system created by the World-Honored One, and instantly stripping the monk of any earned merit!

And this, perhaps, is another flaw within the Buddhist Sect.

Buddhist cultivators shouldn’t provoke worldly Taoist Lords, because those Lords, who equally command principles, can affect the merit system of the World-Honored One in a short timeframe. Although due to cultivation differences, the effect duration and range are limited, it is definitely sufficient to target an individual.

And the reason world Taoist Lords do not trouble them this way is truly because those monks worthy of their notice are such good natured people.... so good that these Lords cannot bring themselves to bully them!

Chen Zhixing is no exception.

When all’s said and done, who doesn’t wish for a world to become better and for there to be more good people out in the world?

Not only to not bully these good old monks, but occasionally when seeing anyone bullying these good old monks, the Lords are even willing to assist, protecting the lives of these monks, let alone harm these lifetime virtuous people.

Well, Ci Hong is an exception.

To be precise, when Chen Zhixing met Ci Hong, he merely regarded him as an ordinary cultivator in the Celestial Profound Realm, not as a monk practicing the merit system.

Uh, can’t be helped.

Ci Hong has too much blood sin aura attached, and in the Celestial Profound Realm, it’s not only monks who shave their heads.

Without merit, covered in blood sin aura.

Such a monk.... is not a monk!