Chapter 31: The Realm of Heaven and Man

"Heaven and earth, I alone am honored."

This statement is not a boastful proclamation, but a Buddhist verse. The key lies not in being "alone honored," but in the "I."

In Buddhism, the concept of the "four elements being empty" implies that spiritual practice is the cultivation of the "self"—the true self, the original self, the ego. To let go of everything except this "self" is the essence of Buddhist teaching.

However, scriptures are, by nature, often just empty rhetoric—easy to preach when one is not the one bearing the burden. After all, the Buddha is a figure who drifts in the heavens; he does not need to eat or drink, he undergoes reincarnation, and naturally, he can let go of everything. If a living, breathing person were to cultivate such indifference to the world, Li Miao would certainly not look upon them with any favor.

The *Yi Jin Jing* (Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic), the *Xi Sui Jing* (Marrow-Washing Classic), and the Great Return Pill are arguably the most precious treasures in the Shaolin heritage. For Xingchi to treat these three things so dismissively, stating, "As long as one is alive, what does a temple matter?" was a display of remarkable character.

Yongjie remained silent, lowering his head in acknowledgment.

Only then did Xingchi turn to Li Miao. "Lord Li, is there anything else you wish to ask?"

"There is, though I am unsure if it is appropriate."

"Hahaha, ask away!" Xingchi laughed heartily. "I am a man at death's door; whatever you find inconvenient to ask others, feel free to ask me. I shall take these secrets to the grave!"

Li Miao pondered for a moment before speaking. "In that case, I shall ask. In the martial arts world, the 'Pinnacle' level is considered the ceiling. Yet, in my study of ancient records, it appears that entities beyond the Pinnacle were common in previous dynasties. In our current dynasty, spanning nearly a hundred years, there has been only one, Ji Tianrui, and even he was killed."

"What is the reason for this?"

As soon as these words left Li Miao's lips, the atmosphere in the courtyard stagnated.

After a long pause, Xingchi smiled bitterly. "So that is it. I wondered why Commander Zhu came to see me during the day, yet you, Lord Li, chose not to accompany your superior, but instead came sneaking in at midnight."

"This astonishing level of martial skill you possess—did you truly attain it entirely on your own?"

Li Miao rubbed his fingers together and raised an eyebrow. "Master, you indeed know the reason. And this reason is connected to the Imperial Court."

Both men were sharp; they did not need to spell things out to understand each other. Li Miao had integrated three paths into one—a feat that was shocking in a martial world where not even a single Pinnacle-level master remained. Yet, as a thousand-household official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the fact that he had to come to Xingchi with this question revealed that his progress in martial arts had little to do with the Court.

Xingchi's words confirmed Li Miao's suspicion: the decline of martial arts in the Great Shuo dynasty compared to previous eras stemmed directly from the Imperial Court.

Xingchi waved his hand and sighed deeply. "Forgive this monk for not being able to speak plainly. As long as you remain with the Court, Lord Li, you will know the truth sooner or later."

"However, this is not something that should be told to you by a man who has renounced the world. I cannot say it, I truly cannot."

Li Miao smiled. "It was my own impetuosity that put you in a difficult position, Master."

"No matter, no matter," Xingchi replied.

"In that case, I have one final question," Li Miao said. "Shaolin has been passed down for a thousand years. After the Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, did he leave any clues on how to take the next step after integrating three paths into one?"

This question had plagued Li Miao for years. Regarding the progress of the "Vajra," "Mount Sumeru," and "Atom" paths, he was certain he had reached his limit. Since his battle with Yun Zelin on Mount Tai, he could reach perfection in one path at any time while leaving the other two incomplete. Through slow and steady cultivation, he could eventually perfect all three.

But then what? Once all three were perfected, there would be nowhere left to go. He felt a lingering sense that he was missing a final piece to truly reach the realms of Zhang Sanfeng and Bodhidharma. Yet, he had no leads.

In the world, the only ones who might know where to look were the Imperial Court, Wudang, and Shaolin. The Court was clearly a murky pond, and Li Miao did not want to step into it before understanding the depths. Thus, he could only turn to Wudang and Shaolin.

Now, he had finally asked the person most likely to know the answer.

Xingchi nodded. "I knew you would ask this, Lord Li. However, our Shaolin heritage has suffered several near-extinctions, and many ancient records have been lost."

"Furthermore, while Patriarch Bodhidharma’s martial arts were profound, he founded his sect based on Buddhist philosophy and left no definitive teaching on this matter. Thus, I cannot give you a certain answer."

Li Miao sighed. "Is that so?" Although he had suspected he might not get the answer he wanted, hearing it from Xingchi still left him disappointed.

Xingchi waved his hand. "Though I cannot give you a definitive answer, I once searched through the temple's records when I was at the peak of my own training. I formed some conjectures."

"Later, during the great disaster in Henan, I damaged my foundation while saving lives and abandoned the thought of further martial progress. I let the matter go. Since you have asked, I will share these thoughts with you; consider it casting a brick to attract jade."

With that, Xingchi turned to Yongjie. "You should listen as well."

Once Yongjie sat down, Xingchi spoke slowly to Li Miao. "Lord Li, since you are not deeply entangled with the Court and have already integrated three paths, have you tried—after crossing that threshold—to use a certain method to intentionally leave your cultivation incomplete, thereby avoiding the 'Five Decays of Heaven and Man'?"

Shaolin's foundation was indeed deep; although Xingchi's martial level was not necessarily the highest, he had deduced Li Miao's situation from just a few words.

Li Miao nodded. "Master is correct. Years ago, I cultivated the 'Mount Sumeru' path, then the 'Vajra' path. When I brought both together, I immediately fell into the 'Five Decays of Heaven and Man' and nearly lost my life."

Xingchi nodded. "You are truly an extraordinary man to have survived that. But have you ever wondered what the term 'Five Decays of Heaven and Man' actually signifies? Did the predecessors who coined this term simply borrow a convenient phrase from Buddhist scripture? Was it merely because the outward symptoms were similar?"

Li Miao’s eyes brightened. "Please, enlighten me."

Xingchi nodded. "The term refers to five signs that appear when a celestial being’s lifespan is nearing its end. These 'heavenly beings' are神 beings living in the celestial realm. They are transcendent from birth, possessing various supernatural powers, and their nature is naturally perfect without the need for cultivation."

"When these celestial beings are about to die, five signs appear: their robes become soiled, the flowers on their crowns wither, they sweat from their armpits, their bodies emit an odor, and they become restless in their seats."

Xingchi paused. "And here, a question naturally arises for me: Why would a perfect celestial being die? If their cultivation is already complete, how can they fall from the lotus throne?"

Li Miao had little interest in theology and could not debate it with Xingchi. Xingchi sensed this and smiled, continuing, "In the Shaolin tradition, this realm beyond the Pinnacle—whether one, two, or three paths are integrated—is called the 'Celestial Being Realm.' Because no matter how many paths are integrated, once achieved, the cultivation is considered sufficient and 'perfect.'"