Ruyi

The minor disturbance within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World did not draw much of Wei Yuan's attention. He inspected the Inner Demon battlefield, watching a platform several zhang square rise into the air. Bearing dozens of cultivators, it soared up toward one of the purple blotches, returning a moment later carrying the wounded and those rotating off the line. *They've built a preliminary model so quickly...* Wei Yuan could not help marveling at the efficiency of the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. War was the finest catalyst. Behind the explosion of various war engines lay the rapid elevation of the mortals' spiritual awareness. By now, most mortals in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World were reincarnated souls; aside from lacking physical bodies, they were practically indistinguishable from ordinary mortals. Prompted by the prosperity of the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Wei Yuan took the opportunity to review Qingming's current figures. Presently, Qingming's borders spanned 3,300 li, with a total population of thirty-seven million. Over the past year, 3.1 million had been born, while two hundred thousand had died. Qingming's population consisted predominantly of displaced refugees, and those arriving were young and strong. Thus, once their lives stabilized and food was plentiful, the population rebounded swiftly. As for the deceased, most were reincarnated within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. A cycle was now faintly taking shape in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World: souls entered from the Yellow Springs, reincarnated in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, and would eventually return to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Yet Wei Yuan suddenly wondered: if the cycle always followed this sequence, wouldn't the people in the Pure Land grow endlessly, to infinity? Where, then, did new souls come from? Were they spontaneously generated between heaven and earth? Wei Yuan returned to the small temple in the Pure Land. Looking up at the vacant lotus dais, he fell into contemplation. Sitting cross-legged upon the lotus dais with thousands of devotees listening to sermons below—and then what? Was that all? How many great Daos of Buddhist dharma could be preached endlessly without ever repeating, or rather, always leave devotees in need of listening? Furthermore, was the so-called Grand Dao meant only to be preached and heard, without the need to be practiced through one's own actions? Countless questions surged through Wei Yuan's mind. He suddenly realized that if time were stretched across a century, ten thousand years, a million years, or even longer, many truths regarded as immutable ceased to appear so flawless. For instance, what meaning was there in sitting wither-still and preaching scriptures for a million years? Yet across a span so vast that it surpassed even the lifespan of immortals, did those truths themselves still hold any meaning? Little did Wei Yuan know that as he pondered, his body was faintly radiating a golden glow. The entire Pure Land trembled slightly, beginning to slowly expand. All at once, an inexplicable feeling arose within him. It was as though something in the unseen realm was pulling at him, and toward that place, he felt a genuine, heartfelt joy! Wei Yuan's thoughts stirred. Sweeping out with his divine sense, he discovered that what tugged at him was actually the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven. Why was that? At this moment, Wei Yuan was comprehending the Dao; no sudden impulse arose without cause. Just then, a flash of insight struck him. If remaining in the Pure Land to listen to scriptures forever was unrealistic, why not journey to the Yellow Springs to reincarnate once more and begin a new life? The moment this thought surfaced, a tremor ran through Wei Yuan's entire body, as if a whole new doorway had swung open. Countless thoughts came flooding in; he felt as though he had brushed against something profound! Yet that flash of inspiration vanished as quickly as it had come, and the Grand Dao retreated behind the veil of mist once more, eluding perception. Even so, Wei Yuan now possessed numerous theoretical and analytical methods; he did not have to rely entirely on sudden enlightenment. He immediately left the Pure Land and went to the grand hall in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World that belonged exclusively to him. Spreading out brush and paper, he intended to compose a scripture examining the path of evolution and reincarnation between this realm, the Yellow Springs, and the Pure Land. As he pondered a title, he suddenly remembered the set of scriptures resting upon the altar before the Buddha: the *Three Realms Ruyi Sutra*. Though he had not read its contents, the title alone cleared his mind like a burst of light! *Ruyi*, accordance with one's will—what was true fulfillment? To attain great joy and complete satisfaction in the Pure Land, fully provided for in every way; to reincarnate through the cycle of rebirth, re-experiencing the mortal world and reshaping the realm of humanity; then, having brought one's cultivation to completion, to return to the Pure Land to once again attain great joy and complete satisfaction—this was *ruyi*. Yet throughout this process, cultivating within the mortal world was also continuously altering and reshaping it. Having countless devotees reincarnate and remodel the mortal realm would cause it to grow ever more prosperous and elevate step by step, until it ascended above the Immortal Heaven and became part of the Pure Land. When that day came, the mortal world would be the Pure Land, and the Pure Land would be the mortal world. Free of suffering and adversity, free of scarcity, where every being was born into wholeness and joy—this was *ruyi*. And by that time, as King Buddha, one ought to seek an even higher tier of Immortal Heaven and a wider scope of complete fulfillment, carrying this Yellow Springs and Pure Land to ascend unto new Immortal Heavens—repeating the cycle, ascending layer after layer. Only this was true *ruyi*. Cycle by cycle, the King Buddha should carry the devotees and the Pure Land upward in continual elevation. As for where it would ascend in the end, Wei Yuan could not see it now, nor might he ever see it in this lifetime. He only needed to take the first step. When the time came, later generations would naturally take up the mantle, standing on Wei Yuan's shoulders to press ever forward. This was merely the broad framework; countless details remained to be filled in, and many questions awaited exploration. For example, were there further Immortal Heavens beyond the Immortal Heaven? Was it boundless and unending? The thought alone gave Wei Yuan a pounding headache. Fortunately, he still had a masterwork at hand. He retrieved *Preliminary Exploration of the Desolate Realm*, authored by Ronglong in his lifetime, braced himself to turn to Chapter Eight, and began grinding through the material. Though *Preliminary Exploration of the Desolate Realm* was written specifically for the Desolate Realm, many of its mathematical tools could also be applied to diverse grotto-heavens and worlds. Toiling through it would be of immense benefit to Wei Yuan's comprehension of how souls reincarnated across different realms. Currently, Wei Yuan could observe the various data points of souls reincarnating from the Yellow Springs into the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, yet he lacked the mathematical apparatus to put them to full use. When toiling over mathematics, time always flew. In the blink of an eye, several days slipped by. The troop of five hundred Dao Foundation cultivators had arrived at Guantun County, and the grain had reached its destination. The common folk were overjoyed; every able-bodied person climbed the city walls to help build fortifications. And those twelve thousand citizens contributed a full ten thousand wisps of azure qi to Wei Yuan. The clothes and letter sent by Liu Muzhi had reached Liu Heihu, and a reply had also been received: the heads of every envoy who had been sent. Liu Muzhi was not one to be trifled with either. He immediately ordered his men to seize Liu Heihu's emissaries, severed the limbs of all several dozen rebel soldiers, and hung them from the city gate. Two of the rebels had been quick-witted enough to flee fast, and Liu Muzhi had not pursued, merely watching them make their way back. By this time, having studied *Preliminary Exploration of the Desolate Realm*, Wei Yuan had gained some modest insights. Taking up his brush, he soon filled less than half a sheet of jade paper, penning an opening for the fulfillment of reincarnation across the three realms. Having reached this point, however, he hit a wall. Wei Yuan had a sudden stroke of inspiration. He laid out another sheet of jade paper and inscribed atop it: *Some Advanced Reflections on the Essence of the Desolate Realm: Part One*. He proceeded to analyze the fourth sentence of the second paragraph of Chapter Seven in *Preliminary Exploration of the Desolate Realm* in exhaustive depth. Though ninety percent of what he wrote was pure padding, he cobbled together the length of an entire volume. Delighted with his work, Wei Yuan bound his treatise and placed it into the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, shelving it beside *Preliminary Exploration of the Desolate Realm*. Typically, any sensible person would first pick up *Preliminary Exploration of the Desolate Realm*, and upon finding it impossible to digest, would naturally look upon the adjacent *Advanced Reflections on the Essence* with veneration and awe. Perhaps that might even bring in some karmic luck! Having authored his treatise, Wei Yuan felt thoroughly satisfied, and his divine consciousness shifted back to Guantun County. Guantun County was too far away; relying on Dao Foundation warriors to maintain communication was no longer feasible, nor could a dharma idol bear the strain across that distance. Only by having the vanguard warriors construct an anchoring formation on-site could Wei Yuan project his divine sense across the void to survey the battlefield. Based on the time interval between the rebel messengers' travel back and forth, Wei Yuan made a rough estimate that Liu Heihu's main army was still three days' march away. He departed the fortress and flew alone toward Guantun County. Midway, he spotted several freight wagons below, crawling laboriously through the mountainous terrain as they transported supplies to Guantun County. Meanwhile, in the small temple of the Pure Land, Liandeng was sweeping when he noticed that the little monk Honglian uncharacteristically was not working. Instead, he was holding a book and reading. Where could a book in this small temple have come from? Liandeng glanced over and saw that of the three volumes of scripture on the altar, one was missing. Liandeng walked over with a smile. "Junior Brother, it's a wordless scripture—how can you read it with such relish..." Suddenly, a jolt went through Liandeng's body, his expression shifting in shock. The scripture held in the little monk's hands was now filled with characters, and Honglian was chanting with rapt, solemn concentration. "Wh-Where did this scripture come from...?" "The King Buddha's first work of profound teachings."