Hearing these four words, Ying Chen frowned.
"Longevity Seeks the Dao?"
Taken literally, it seems to imply that only by living long enough can one comprehend the true Dao.
To some extent, this saying is both right and wrong.
It's right because, indeed, only with a sufficiently long lifespan can one continuously cultivate until they glimpse the essence of the Great Dao.
It's wrong because, before glimpsing the Great Dao, how could ordinary humans have a long enough life? Moreover, history is not short of those who attained enlightenment at a young age.
Therefore, these four words must not be as simple as their surface meaning.
"Initially, I thought these four words were urging me to pursue longevity. It might have been possible for ancient people to do so, but in modern times, with such advanced science and technology, and even with the detection of the limit of human lifespan, how could I still seriously pursue longevity?" Steven continued.
Ying Chen scoffed inwardly.
Ying Chen didn't know the limit of human lifespan; however, that limit certainly did not include Ying Chen.
"So, I tried to understand it from another angle. I even used the I Ching and Xuanxue knowledge of Dragon Country that I mastered to continuously divine. Finally, I arrived at a conclusion: Longevity represents a phenomenon. When this phenomenon occurs, it signifies that I have an opportunity to glimpse the Great Dao!"
"After reaching this conclusion, I was incredibly excited, but also puzzled. What kind of phenomenon qualifies as longevity? Is it living to 120 without dying, or is it the cracking of human DNA?"
"It wasn't until I witnessed the emergence of the Mirage Realm that I suddenly understood! The Mirage Realm represents the phenomenon of longevity! The Mirage Realm signifies that an opportunity has arrived!"
"And today, after meeting Immortal Master, I am even more certain that my deduction is correct! You are my opportunity! By becoming your disciple, I can glimpse the Great Dao!"
Having said this, Steven, without further ado, bowed his head in supplication.
It was a posture of "forced purchase and sale."
Ying Chen, listening to Steven's somewhat far-fetched logic, was amused and speechless.
However, Steven had stumbled upon the truth by sheer luck!
If the Great Dao truly existed in this world, then Ying Chen was indeed the one who could lead Steven to glimpse it!
But why should Ying Chen lead Steven to glimpse the Great Dao?
Why should he accept Steven as a disciple?
Just because Steven accidentally entered a blessed land and saw a four-character maxim?
Ying Chen reached out and gently supported him. A force emanated from beneath Steven, lifting his kneeling body.
"Forget about becoming a disciple. With your aptitude, you are not qualified to be my student," Ying Chen said without any politeness, showing no mercy.
Putting aside the fact that Steven was already too old, his talent alone was significantly lacking.
Although through his years of obsession with Dragon Country culture and five years of seeking the Dao in Zhongnan Mountain, he had accumulated some Dao intent.
However, it could only be considered "the light of a firefly."
Ying Chen's standard for accepting disciples was like Nannan, requiring the brilliance of the "bright moon."
Otherwise, he would not even be interested.
"Immortal Master is truly... blunt!" Steven showed a trace of embarrassment on his face and said.
"Then what must I do to become your disciple?" Steven, however, was still not giving up and continued to press.
Ying Chen did not answer. Instead, he looked at Steven and said, "First, tell me about the blessed land you stumbled into in Zhongnan Mountain."
"Ah? So that was a blessed land?" Steven looked as if he had just realized it.
"I always thought that 'blessed land' actually referred to a cave dwelling used by cultivators to practice. So it's a small world with a complete ecosystem!"
Ying Chen listened, hesitated to speak, but ultimately decided it was too much trouble to explain.
A blessed land was certainly not just a simple cave or hut, but it was also not the otherworld Steven imagined.
A blessed land was more like a dojo hidden by a feng shui formation.
Cultivators with high cultivation, fearing disturbance and invasion by enemies, would use formations to conceal their practice grounds.
One might enter by chance.
But on another day, when they wanted to find it again, they might never be able to.
Like the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming, Ying Chen suspected that the world within it was likely a blessed land left behind by a Fangshi from the Qin Dynasty.
The residents of the Peach Blossom Spring claimed to have entered this place to escape war during the Qin Dynasty, which would align with this possibility.
"Immortal Master, please allow me to recall carefully. After all, it has been many years, and my memory is already a bit hazy. I tried to find it afterward, but it was all like a dream, and I could never find the entrance to that blessed land," Steven explained.
A moment later, Steven's eyes gazed into the distance, as if reliving the past, and he slowly began to narrate: "It was a world where the surrounding scenery was completely different from the outside."
"It was the depth of winter, and snow was falling heavily on Zhongnan Mountain. I rolled down a snowy slope and broke my leg. I lay there for a day and a night, starving and cold, but no rescue ever came."
"So, I decided to save myself and crawled forward on the ground, trying to find a place to shelter from the wind and snow. However, my arms were scraped raw, and I couldn't see any place that could ward off the wind, snow, and cold. I could only move forward with sheer willpower."
"I don't know if my vision was blurry or what, but suddenly I saw a patch of lush green forest ahead. Without hesitation, I crawled towards the forest, completely forgetting to wonder why, in the depths of winter, the leaves on the trees there had not fallen."
"And so, I crawled into that forest. There, not only were there verdant trees, but also colorful flowers, and even a kind of magical berry. The berries were not attractively colored, being blackish-red, like rot. But the aroma they emitted was extremely enticing, and being already hungry, I couldn't resist."
"So, I casually picked a handful and stuffed them into my mouth, devouring them."
"I thought this handful would only be enough to stave off my hunger and wouldn't fill me up. Who knew that I would actually be so full that I would burp on the spot! A few small berries surprisingly made me feel like I had eaten ten bowls of rice! Most importantly, my near-exhausted strength miraculously began to recover, and my injuries started to heal."
"I even suspected I was dreaming! A final burst of energy before death, a hallucination!"
"Later, I must have slept for a while. But I don't know how long I slept."
"In any case, the sky in the forest darkened, and I was awakened by a loud thunderclap."
"I looked up in the direction of the thunder, and then I saw a miraculous sight. The sky was illuminated by lightning, and eight thick bolts of lightning struck a cliff from eight different directions simultaneously!"
"The intense electrical light illuminated the entire world as if it were daytime."
"Faintly, I seemed to see a human figure at the point where the eight lightning bolts converged, ascending from the ground, defying the heavens!"