Chapter 277: The world is a chessboard, and all living beings are chess pieces

Chapter 277: The world is a chessboard, and all living beings are chess pieces

Chapter 277: The world is a chessboard, and all living beings are chess pieces (Part 2)
The conversation between Xu Qing and Master Tianling continued to deepen in the dream. The atmosphere around them became more and more solemn, and a bit of mystery was intertwined.

Master Tian Ling frowned, deeply attracted by Xu Qing's theory, but also wary of his motives. He pondered for a long time, then slowly asked: "Even if it is as you said, the way of the mechanism contains such a mystery, but among all the living beings in this world, how many people can truly understand the truth? And how can we explore the path to the 'Tao' and the 'Creator'?"

Xu Qing's eyes were deep, as if he could penetrate the illusion of dreams, looking into the endless distance, and he slowly said: "Most people in the world are bound by fame, wealth, love, hatred, and vengeance, and naturally find it difficult to transcend. However, as long as you have a heart for the Tao, dare to break the rules, and are not bound by worldly cognition, you can see the great way hidden in the art of machinery in the subtle places."

"Just like the utensils we use in daily life, which may seem ordinary, they are actually the result of the ingenious ideas and exquisite skills of the craftsmen, and they reflect the great principles. Or, if we observe the natural phenomena between heaven and earth, the changes of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, and the laws of the changing seasons, are there also some specific laws behind them, just like the operation of a mechanism?"

Master Tian Ling nodded slightly. Although he agreed in his heart, he still couldn't help but question: "That being said, these are just surface phenomena. How easy is it to touch the essence of the true great way?"

Xu Qing smiled slightly, his expression full of confidence: "It is precisely because it is not easy that it is particularly precious. But as long as we start from these appearances, continue to explore in depth, and peel away the silk, we will eventually find the truth hidden behind. This is like a cultivator, starting from the most basic method of breathing in and out of meditation, breaking through the realm step by step, and then peeking into the mysteries of heaven and earth."

At this moment, the scene in the dream quietly changed. In the originally dim space, some vague lights and shadows gradually emerged. They looked like ancient mechanical diagrams and mysterious runes.

Seeing this, Xu Qing gently stretched out his finger and waved it in the air. The lights and shadows instantly became clearer, slowly rotating, emitting a mysterious and powerful Yuan Qi fluctuation.

"Senior, look at these lights and shadows. They are the external manifestation of the way of mechanisms. Every rune and every line contains unique information and energy." Xu Qing pointed at the lights and shadows and explained seriously.

Master Tian Ling came closer and observed it carefully, his eyes full of surprise: "I have never seen these runes before, what do they represent?"

Xu Qing looked solemn and said, "These runes are the most primitive codes of the universe. They record the secrets of the beginning of the world and contain the laws of the growth and change of all things. Once you master them, you may be able to master the deepest mysteries of the way of mechanism."

In fact, these things were all fabricated by Xu Qing based on some of his experiences in his previous life and the profound cultivation theories of this life. However, there must be profound and mysterious great ways in them, but Xu Qing himself only half understood them.

This is just like the great professors in the past who needed a group of assistants or even scholars of similar level to collaborate to achieve results. And Master Tianling was exactly the "scholar" who was close to Xu Qing's level.

Xu Qing was not fooling around, at least it was much better than Huang Rong using a fake Nine Yin Manual to fool Ouyang Feng. He really wanted to use this to research something.

Moreover, with these things tying up Master Tianling's energy, the old man would not be so focused on getting out of trouble. Anyway, practitioners like Master Tianling all like to retreat. For them, retreating anywhere is not the same as retreating. As long as Master Tianling needs any resources, Xu Qing is also happy to help prepare them.

If Master Tianling was sensible, when Xu Qing returned to the court, he could argue with the old emperor and get better treatment for Master Tianling, such as making him an honorary guest of the Taoist temple.

Besides, Master Gu's current status is extremely high. If Xu Qing and Master Gu work together, the old emperor will weigh the pros and cons and may not be too entangled in the matter of Master Tianling.

In Xu Qing's opinion, the old emperor's request for Master Tianling was more likely a test. After all, Xu Qing was too powerful now, which would inevitably make the old man feel uneasy. After all, as an emperor, suspicion was an instinct.

In the dream, Xu Qing and Master Tian Ling were completely immersed in the discussion of the Way of Mechanism. They talked about the meaning of runes, the relationship between mechanisms and cultivation, and how to use the Way of Mechanism to improve their own strength.

The doubts in Tianling's heart were gradually solved one by one, and his understanding of mechanism science also reached a new height. He couldn't help but look at Xu Qing with new eyes. He really didn't expect that this young sage of the famous religion had such a profound understanding of the way of mechanism.

"Xu Qing, discussing with you has given me a new understanding of the way of mechanisms. If I could have discussed with you earlier, perhaps my path of cultivation would have been smoother." Master Tianling said with deep emotion.

When one reaches his level of cultivation, fame, wealth and honor are just like passing clouds and smoke, not worth mentioning at all. For a person like him, what he cares more about is whether he can make further progress in cultivation.

To be honest, if Xu Qing had directly stated that he could help Master Tianling comprehend the secret of advancing to the Creator level when he attacked Jiugang, Master Tianling would probably have abandoned the many disciples of Fang Xiandao's overseas sect without hesitation.

As Emperor Wu of Han said, "If I could be like Huangdi, I would regard leaving my wife and children as easy as throwing off a chariot!"

Since ancient times, the more successful a person is, the more cruel he tends to be, and he even only loves himself!
This is also what some practitioners often say: If you want to achieve great success, you must first overcome the emotional barrier.

Xu Qing seldom explored these things. As long as he liked or cared about something, he would try his best to preserve it. This was a kind of desire, and it was also what kept him going.

For Xu Qing, exploring the meaning of things is not important at all; the key lies in action.

On the other hand, he was delighted with the change in Master Tianling's attitude. It seemed that the second "tool man" after Fu Xuan was gradually being trained and formed.

He has always advocated a win-win situation, where one should reduce the number of enemies and increase the number of one's own people, believing that this is the right way to deal with the world.

In fact, although Xu Qing said that the Black Mountain Old Demon cooperated with the Living Buddha of Snow Region and Grand Master Murong because the old demon himself had no confidence, he knew in his heart that the more the old demon was like this, the more he should not be underestimated in actual combat.

After all, the fact that the old demon, who has always been a loner, can have such a change in thinking is enough to prove that he is a person who can achieve his goals without being bound by formalities.

Once people's thinking is not constrained by past experience, they will burst out with extremely terrifying creativity and achieve unimaginable achievements.

For example, in the previous life, even without Taoism, one could still reach for the moon in the sky and catch turtles in the five oceans.

Xu Qing also heard from Fu Xuan that Grand Master Murong once mentioned that the Black Mountain Old Demon's soul traveled through the starry sky more than a hundred years ago, went to Mars, and entered the inner world of Sakyamuni - the Great Leiyin Temple, and obtained two of the magic weapons - the morning bell and the evening drum.

He was actually quite shocked by this, so he didn't underestimate the old demon's strength after he regained his peak strength. So he had to make as much preparation as possible.

……

At the same time, in the ports of Southeast Asia, the joint actions between Western pirates and indigenous tribes became increasingly urgent.

They were secretly gathering troops and preparing to launch a surprise attack on the ports that the Dayu Dynasty had not yet taken over.

Xu Qing's local agents also took action, relying on their familiarity with the local situation to collect intelligence everywhere. However, there were also some people with ill intentions who tried to tip off the enemy for personal gain.

Meng Yuxuan closely monitors the actions of these agents, and immediately sends people to monitor them if he finds anything suspicious. He knows that the success or failure of this intelligence gathering mission will directly affect the direction of the entire war.

Meng Yuxuan paced back and forth in the military camp in Jiugang, frowning and worried. Although he had arranged for people to monitor those suspicious agents, he still felt that it was not safe enough. This upcoming battle was related to the future of the Great Yu Dynasty in Southeast Asia, and there was no room for any mistakes.

"Report!" A scout rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and said breathlessly, "General Meng, according to reliable information, the Western pirates brought a new type of firearm this time. It is extremely powerful and is said to be able to penetrate the armor of our warships from a distance of 100 meters!"

Meng Yuxuan's face suddenly changed, and a strong sense of foreboding surged in his heart. The emergence of new firearms undoubtedly made the situation of this battle more severe. He immediately ordered: "Continue to closely monitor and make sure to find out every move of the enemy, especially the specific situation of this new firearm, including the quantity, firing frequency, operation method, etc., not a single detail can be missed."

The scout took the order and left, while Meng Yuxuan turned around and looked at the map, racking his brains to think of a countermeasure. He knew that he had to come up with a way to deal with the enemy's new firearms as soon as possible, otherwise the navy of the Great Yu Dynasty would suffer a heavy blow.

...

...

Xu Qing soon got the relevant information, and he took the opportunity to exchange views with Master Tianling in his dream. After all, Nanyang was once Master Tianling's territory, and he had rich experience in fighting against Western pirates.

"Xu Qing, although you defeated us, Western pirates are definitely not that easy to deal with. And if it weren't for the fact that most of our core members gathered at the Old Port Headquarters when I was going through the thunder tribulation, even if you sent out an extremely powerful navy and had the help of two immortals, we wouldn't have been defeated so quickly, allowing you to take over the Old Port at almost no cost."

Master Tianling felt both gloating and indignant.

Xu Qing's timing was really good. Because before he passed the thunder tribulation, he happened to recall most of the core members of the overseas faction of Fang Xian Dao, which gave Xu Qing the opportunity to carry out the decapitation operation and wipe out all of them.

Otherwise, even if the old port was breached, Fang Xiandao would be able to rely on his years of solid experience to launch guerrilla warfare in the South Pacific Islands and drag the Dayu Navy into the quagmire of war.

Now, the leaders of the Fangxiandao overseas faction have been almost wiped out, and the forces in other ports are leaderless and unable to form a strong counterattack. Among them, Gu Daoren and Princess Dongming must have played a role.

Otherwise, how could Xu Qing seize the opportunity so accurately and raid Jiugang?
After all, it was because Master Tianling was careless and did not pay enough attention to Xu Qing and Dayu Dynasty.

This was also because Master Tianling had received news that the Dayu Dynasty was currently suffering from constant natural disasters, with a large number of refugees, and was also facing invasions from the grasslands and Liaodong, posing extremely great military pressure.

He naturally could not have imagined that Xu Qing would resolutely send troops to Southeast Asia under such circumstances.

But in retrospect, this move did successfully solve the dilemma that the Dayu Dynasty was now facing.

It must be said that Xu Qing's vision and courage were both top-notch in the world. In fact, Xu Qing sent out the troops against all odds. If it weren't for his insistence, this expedition would never have been so smooth.

If we miss this opportunity and wait for Master Tianling to overcome the weakness caused by the thunder tribulation, it will be almost impossible to seize such an opportunity in the future given the military pressure that the Dayu Dynasty is facing now.

After that, we might even have to pay ten or a hundred times the price and still not be able to reap even one tenth of the results we have today.

Facing Master Tianling's emotions, Xu Qing appeared calm and composed. He smiled and said, "Senior, the strength of Western pirates is not a good thing."

"How did it become a good thing?" Master Tianling suddenly became alert again. This kid suddenly called him senior. Such courtesy to others must be nothing good.

But then I thought, how bad could my current situation get?
Xu Qing smiled and said slowly: "This battle, on the surface, is a confrontation of military strength, but in fact it is also a contest of wisdom. Although the Western pirates have new firearms, we also have our own advantages."

"For example?" Master Tianling asked.

"We have local agents who are familiar with the terrain, well-trained naval forces, and..." Xu Qing's tone revealed a hint of cunning, "and you, senior!"

Master Tian Ling was slightly startled, then suddenly realized: "You mean, you want to use my attainments in the art of machinery to fight against their firearms?"

In his dream, Xu Qing bowed respectfully and said, "Senior, I beg you to help me."

Master Tianling was shocked by Xu Qing's shameless behavior!

(End of this chapter)