CHAPTER 134: CHAPTER 135: MY PATH IS LONELY (3000 WORDS)

Xiao Chen said, "This is the prototype of the Blood Qi Martial Path that you brought from what you call the Underworld, but this is already the limit."

Lu Ren couldn’t help but ask, "Why?"

Xiao Chen explained, "From the Martial Arts Secret Manual you provided, it was discovered that the Blood Qi Martial Path requires awakening the body’s Qi and blood, which is a substantial, controllable bio-energy.

According to our inference, it is an inherent organ that grows within the human body. Once the body is trained to a certain extent, it can self-activate. Our Southwest Guardian, Li Changming, this Bright Awakening master, has confirmed that we do not have this controllable organ."

"Organ?" Lu Ren was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected that the Blood Qi Martial Path was unique to the Underworld. He thought it was just a problem of blocked meridian paths, not expecting it to involve something like this.

Xiao Chen pondered for a moment, then finally whispered, "It is said that Extraordinary Martial Taoist Families in the Bright Awakening Realm can evolve such an organ. But that Guardian felt it was unnecessary, as the path after Bright Awakening should be walked by oneself."

Lu Ren was endlessly astonished: "Evolve an organ?"

"Quite unbelievable, right? When I first heard that Extraordinary Martial Taoist Families in the Bright Awakening Realm could simulate and evolve a new organ."

Lu Ren found it shocking. If this could really be done, then these Extraordinary Martial Taoist Families in the Bright Awakening Realm have truly transcended the human category and evolved into a new domain.

Xiao Chen continued, "However, you don’t need to overthink it. In theory, it’s possible, but in reality, very few can achieve it. It’s mostly those Martial Taoist Families who have delved deep into the Bright Awakening Realm, and evolving an organ requires a lot of knowledge, such as understanding cell composition, DNA spiral structure, bone structure, and nerve fiber extension. Up to now..."

Xiao Chen extended a pinky, with a wry smile on his face, "There have only been six fingers born."

Lu Ren couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

That’s what I said, if it were that easy, the world would be in chaos.

If that’s the case, those Bright Awakening Martial Taoists would truly be beyond mere mortals.

Like an Immortal among humans.

Following Xiao Chen, Lu Ren walked to the third floor of a six-story building inside the training field, where a room was opened by the guards.

Inside, it was a simple one-bedroom apartment, and what caught Lu Ren off guard was Ksitigarbha lying in front of the computer, watching anime with the volume up loud.

Hearing the door open, Ksitigarbha turned to glance at Lu Ren, then shifted his attention back to the computer.

"You’ve finally come."

Hearing Ksitigarbha speak with apparent calm, Lu Ren shrugged and said, "This world is not comparable to your era. I’m doing this after careful consideration. With your disposition, I imagine you wouldn’t be angry?"

Ksitigarbha finally moved away from the computer, turned the chair towards Lu Ren, and calmly said, "No, that’s not it. I brought you here just to find someone I regard as familiar with this era to be a witness."

"Witness? Witness what?"

Saying this, Ksitigarbha’s hollow black eyes looked at the few people behind Lu Ren, including scientists in lab coats and Martial Taoists like Xiao Chen, then solemnly watched the meeting.

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, yet in his heart, there was an intuition of what the other party wanted to do, but he couldn’t help but ask, "Do what?"

"I’m going to die."

Ksitigarbha’s words, although incredibly calm, were like a thunderclap in Lu Ren’s ears. He was moved, "Isn’t your current state of being already death?"

Ksitigarbha was somewhat helpless, "... In a physiological sense, this body of mine may still exist, but from a spiritual standpoint, my Spirit will thus be utterly extinguished. Originally, after coming out of the Treasure Light Secret Realm, I wanted to find a place with good Feng Shui to pass away quietly. Didn’t expect you’d actually report on me."

This guy even knew what it meant to report someone, which Lu Ren found somewhat amusing.

He was silent for a while, then inexplicably felt some indescribable emotions. Regardless of ancient times or present, the name of Ksitigarbha in myths and legends is resonant, a person with a profound influence on history. Even in modern society, if Ksitigarbha’s existence of surviving for two thousand years were known, it would be no less than a worldwide quake.

At this moment, hearing Ksitigarbha say he wants to pass away, Lu Ren felt surprised but also that it made sense.

In the Treasure Light Secret Realm, in order to suppress Subodhi, the remaining spiritual thoughts were already severely depleted, like a candle about to burn out, with only a tiny flame left.

If not for this, Lu Ren really wouldn’t have been able to so easily kill the mutated Subodhi.

Lu Ren pondered slightly, then sank his mind and released the five senses that had been obscuring Subodhi. Subodhi, who was in a meditative state, immediately sensed the outside world, observing silently.

Ksitigarbha sensed Lu Ren’s Spiritual Fluctuation but didn’t say much. Despite being a skull, Lu Ren felt the other was smiling. Perhaps Ksitigarbha’s true purpose in bringing him here was to let Subodhi see.

Ksitigarbha cheerfully said, "Brother Lu, you understand me deeply."

As expected.

Lu Ren secretly curled his lips.

Ksitigarbha ultimately couldn’t let go of past emotions and wanted Subodhi to witness.

Ksitigarbha stood up, standing in the center of the living room, then sat cross-legged. The surrounding air vibrated with the continuous fluctuation of his Spirit, emitting a profound and plain sound.

"Thus have I heard, practicing together with one-mindedness, longing to be born in the Western Paradise."

Ksitigarbha fixedly looked at Lu Ren, slowly speaking this sentence.

After a moment of silence, Subodhi’s voice echoed in Lu Ren’s mind.

"In this world, upon whom can life rely, if not oneself? Western Paradise?"

Lu Ren fell silent, finally recounting Subodhi’s words.

Ksitigarbha said, "If it exists, where does it go?"

Subodhi replied, "Follow your heart, follow your desires."

Subodhi continued, "If so, it can be immortal."

Ksitigarbha sneered, "What is immortality?"

Subodhi said, "Eternal, always in the Great Realm, existing in the void."

Ksitigarbha said, "What a pity, what a pity."

Subodhi stated, "Paths differ, everyone can become a Buddha. With Buddha in my heart, I am the Buddha. The Way of the Buddha, all paths returning to the same destination, I choose a path easier to follow."

Ksitigarbha fell silent for a long time, finally shook his head slightly and sighed, "What a pity, the heart has changed. I, a humble monk, don’t know what is right, what is good, what is evil. Everyone’s judgment of good and evil differs, so why set up so many barriers?

...This world, truly wondrous, common people can have such abundant material wealth. If such flourishing times existed then, perhaps the Martial Path..."

He understood that for someone like Subodhi, his resolve was already firm, having reached a profound level. If easily persuaded, Subodhi wouldn’t have reached his current level.

Deep in Lu Ren’s soul, Subodhi saw Ksitigarbha’s gradually bowing skull and let out a deep sigh.

"My path is solitary..."

Lu Ren could clearly see the spiritual flame within Ksitigarbha’s eye sockets slowly extinguishing, finally disappearing into nothingness. Soon, Ksitigarbha made no further movement.

Everyone present fell silent, and finally Xiao Chen cautiously asked, "This Bodhisattva... has entered nirvana?"

Lu Ren nodded slightly: "It seems he truly passed away."

He could not articulate his feelings, only that Ksitigarbha was so detached from the concept of life and death. Lu Ren turned to look at a middle-aged man standing silently on the side, face solemn, clearly struggling to accept Ksitigarbha’s sudden passing.

Just as Xiao Chen was about to speak, Ksitigarbha’s diamond-hard bones suddenly crumbled, dissolving into white dust, forming a small pile of powder.

No trace remained between heaven and earth.

"Hmph!"

The middle-aged man left without a word, casting a dissatisfied glance at Lu Ren as he departed, seemingly believing Ksitigarbha’s death was entirely due to Lu Ren’s presence.

Lu Ren returned a cold look, even narrowing his eyes to signal danger.

The middle-aged man quickly left, perhaps not wanting to provoke the hot-tempered Martial Arts Family.

Lu Ren casually asked, "Who was that?"

Xiao Chen shrugged: "You know how it is, some people are quite tempted hearing that Ksitigarbha lived for nearly two thousand years... you know. Some people don’t want it, but others do; just ignore them, they don’t dare to leap too high."

Lu Ren understood that the method of immortality would drive anyone to madness, otherwise they wouldn’t have gone all out to bring Ksitigarbha back.

Who knew Ksitigarbha would calmly enter nirvana after just a few days? If word got out, it would surely leave many people’s fervor empty-handed.

Xiao Chen couldn’t help but mutter quietly: "Dead is good, dead is good, or else..."

He looked up at Lu Ren: "Did he keep himself alive just to see you one last time?"

"Perhaps."

Lu Ren neither confirmed nor denied, preparing to block Subodhi’s external senses when Subodhi suddenly spoke: "Young friend, I wish to speak with you."

"Let’s talk when I’m free."

Lu Ren responded in his heart and then ignored Subodhi, sealing off his sensations.

For someone as shrewd as Subodhi, one shouldn’t converse too much, or a few words might ensnare him.

The matter was concluded.

An idle Lu Ren spent two hours practicing gun skills on the training ground, and under the stunned gaze of the shooting instructor, returned home satisfied.

His slightly accomplished level of gun skill allowed him to hit stationary targets within fifty meters with infallible accuracy, with over eighty-five percent accuracy on moving targets.

This is quite an impressive achievement.

The shooting instructor watched Lu Ren leave and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

"If only those Martial Arts Family members would learn more about guns, but alas..."

A nearby lieutenant said, "Indeed, it’s a pity. Whether it’s physical fitness, reaction speed, or dynamic eyesight, Martial Arts Family far surpasses the usual elite units’ training, but few spend time learning gun skills like him."

(Author’s Note: I truly feel exhausted, don’t think I’m writing too short!)