"Hey, kiddo, are you looking to test your skills against this old monk?"

The young Monk’s eyes lit up with joy. He had never been one for rigid formalities, and he was thrilled by the prospect of a good fight. He went along with Zhao Rui, and the two began to spar, their auras and Divine Soul Power clashing.

Both of them possessed extraordinary skills. Though their engagement appeared as serene as a placid well on the surface, the profound power hidden within was far more formidable than any flashy display of rampaging Powerful Qi that could shatter boulders and split mountains.

Zhao Rui had already advanced to the Divine Void Realm. His Divine Soul and True Qi were fused, the illusory containing the real and the real containing the illusory. He could manipulate the Circulation of True Qi as if it were an extension of his own limbs.

Back in the True Essence Realm, one could also manipulate True Qi, but it was more a case of using qi to direct qi.

It was like playing with yo-yos. To change the trajectory of one yo-yo, you had to consider all sorts of physical laws and then use another yo-yo to strike it.

But upon reaching the Divine Void Realm, where the Divine Soul and True Qi merged into one, it was like installing a remote control on the yo-yo.

One could control their True Qi at will, executing many unbelievable techniques and maneuvers.

The feat Elder Ge had demonstrated in the grove at the Martial Arts Institute, soaring dozens of feet into the air without any loss of momentum, was a display of the power generated when Divine Soul Power envelops True Qi.

One could only imagine how vast the difference was between the Divine Void Realm and the True Essence Realm in terms of fine control over True Qi.

Zhao Rui’s rapid advancement to the Divine Void Realm was largely thanks to the Six Yi Charm Immortal Technique.

It was a Top-level Technique that began training the Divine Soul from the Martial Artist Realm. Without this Cultivation Technique, Zhao Rui’s breakthrough would not have been so easy.

Of course, the boons from later Demon Sect Techniques like the Illusionary Sound Technique also helped. With the Support of both, it was only natural that he achieved twice the results with half the effort.

The road ahead was long. The two of them levitated on their qi, their feet hovering more than a foot off the ground. They traveled through the wilderness, crossing mountains and ridges as if they were Immortals on a leisurely tour.

If someone who didn’t know Martial Arts were to see them, they would surely think the two were some kind of Immortals.

But if a Martial Artist saw them, they would definitely exclaim in shock at the depth of their Power and the precision of their True Qi control.

Those desperate to learn Martial Arts might even prostrate themselves on the spot, begging to be taken as disciples.

They traveled like this for an unknown amount of time, eventually reaching the bank of a great river. The roar of the rushing water echoed along the shore. Occasionally, a fisherman would be seen boating on the river, a loud folk song playing from his vessel.

"We come in a rush, we leave in a rush, a meeting of fates we just missed. We come in a rush, we leave in a rush, and all fades away on the wind!..."

As the song began, the system in Zhao Rui’s mind finally sounded a notification.

"Mahayana Infinite successfully copied. Reward: one Advancement Point!"

With a shift of his divine sense, Zhao Rui’s figure flickered and floated up, instantly disengaging from the Monk’s True Qi.

"Amitabha Buddha! Fellow Daoist, what excellent skill! This old monk hasn’t had such a satisfying exchange in a long time!"

...

Zhao Rui’s face darkened. ’Why does that sound like he just paid for a good time? Tsk, another rogue monk.’

"I must also thank you for your help just now, Master!"

Zhao Rui said, thanking the young Monk.

"It was nothing. Even if this ol— ahem, this humble monk hadn’t intervened, it would have only cost you an extra day or two of effort, Fellow Daoist! It’s not worth your concern, Benefactor."

"On which immortal mountain do you cultivate, Master? To be so powerful at such a young age is truly astonishing."

"Compared to you, Fellow Daoist, this humble monk feels ashamed to show his face. It is you who has extraordinary talent and profound attainments in Martial Arts! It seems this humble monk was blind before."

"Let’s drop the formalities and stop flattering each other. Monk, where are you from?"

"That suits me just fine. This ol— uh, this humble monk is from the Emei Sect!"

"Emei?"

Zhao Rui’s expression turned slightly awkward. ’It seems I’m not exactly popular with the Emei Sect.’

"Um, have you ever heard of someone named Zhao Rui?"

Zhao Rui asked tentatively.

"Never heard of him. Is he famous?"

The Monk, slightly taken aback, shook his head.

"Not that famous. I’m Zhao Rui!"

...

The Monk stared at him with a strange expression, speechless for a long moment. Finally, he could only recite, "Amitabha Buddha."

Then he said, "Well, there’s a monk named Zhi Sheng. I wonder if you’ve heard of him, Fellow Daoist?"

"Never heard of him! Is he famous?"

"Not that famous! That would be this humble monk."

After the Monk spoke, the two looked at each other and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Come on, let’s find a place to eat. I don’t even know how many days it’s been since I last had a proper meal."

Zhao Rui found the Monk interesting and naturally didn’t care if he was from Emei. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"This meal is on you, Fellow Daoist. A monk can only beg for alms."

"You sure don’t stand on ceremony."

With that, they both set off, walking downstream along the riverbank.

"I’ve heard that Ancestor Dharma crossed the river on a single reed. Does that mean his power didn’t even reach our level?"

Zhao Rui asked curiously, gazing at the turbulent surface of the river.

"Amitabha Buddha. Riding the wind and treading on air is certainly impressive, but crossing a river on a single reed is also something no ordinary person can do."

After speaking, Zen Master Zhisheng found a reed stalk in the grass by the river, tossed it into the water, and leaped onto it.

The Monk’s figure bobbed up and down with the reed on the river’s surface. But after a moment, the reed was overturned by the waves and swept away.

The Monk, however, simply stepped off onto the water’s surface and walked out, the soles of his shoes now visibly wet.

"You see, even with my current Power, this old monk cannot yet accomplish it."

The Monk said with a smile.

"Do not rely on external objects! So that’s how it is!"

Zhao Rui’s eyes lit up as he instantly understood the Monk’s meaning.

Upon reaching the Divine Void Realm, although one could command True Qi at will, the fusion of True Qi and Divine Soul still contained the element of ’void’ or ’illusion’.

Only when the false becomes real, and illusion becomes truth, has one truly entered the Dao.

"And besides, how could the world know if Ancestor Dharma’s reed was truly just a reed stalk?"

"Thank you for clearing my doubts, Master!"