Chapter 208 - Obtained (2/2)

Wei Huo stroked the water’s surface and realized that it was as hard as iron. The ship was also motionless.

Suddenly, Wei Huo had an idea. He asked, “Are we in a painting?”

The golden armor replied, “You noticed indeed. The fourth level is a painting created by a nomological expert.”

Everything around him was still. The sky, the river, and the boat were all still like a painting.

Wei Huo observed his surroundings and sighed. “This is a very beautiful painting.”

The sky was vast, and the surface of the river was calm. There was only a small boat floating on the surface of the river. If one saw it from the outside, one would feel that the concept was boundless but the view was limited. The painting was only so big, and one could always see its end.

However, because he was in the painting, he could not see its end. The sky was boundless, and so was the river.

That was the difference between appearance and inner view. Appearance was limited, but inner view was limitless. That was a state of mind.

Wei Huo seemed to have understood something. In the end, he sat down cross-legged and tried to understand the logic behind this.

What was silence? What was movement?

What was limited? What was unlimited?

That realization was Wei Huo’s reward for clearing the third level. It was not a weapon or a cultivation technique. It was a form of enlightenment.

He who subdues his desires looks inside his own heart. His heart has no heart. He looks outside at his body, his body is without body.

A sutra passage suddenly flowed into Wei Huo’s heart. Wei Huo studied it carefully and realized that it was a cultivation technique that described Qi Cultivation!

For example, let’s look at a painting. No matter how big it is, it will always have boundaries. That is its form. However, not only do we have to look at a painting, but we also have to comprehend its concept. Although the painting is limited, the concept is unlimited.

Wei Huo sat down with his legs crossed and thought about it carefully. Soon, he entered a mysterious realm. Why had the golden armor not mentioned the reward and the way to clear the fourth level at the beginning? Its purpose had been to let Wei Huo realize this by himself.

In reality, it was also comprehending this carefully. Unfortunately, it could not comprehend anything, as it already knew what the reward for the fourth level was. It was precisely because it knew this that it did not comprehend anything. Because it had known ahead of time, when it saw this scene, it did not feel as if it had comprehended something at first sight.

It was just like reading a movie spoiler. If one understood it, one would feel amazed when watching the movie. However, if one were to reveal a spoiler, although one would still feel impressed when watching it, one would not feel as amazed.

Wei Huo sat in the boat and thought about it for a long time. In the end, he opened his eyes and looked into the distance. The aura on his body seemed purer. The turbid air dissipated, and he felt like he was floating.

The golden armor asked, “What did you figure out?”

Wei Huo shook his head. “I can’t say it. It can only be understood, not communicated.”

This was a state of mind. It was a way to cultivate one’s mind and spirit. Cultivators were required to review their inner mind. By taking in the vastness of the mind, they could realize the distance one’s mind could go.

However, this was not the main reason that it could not be communicated. The main reason was that he did not have enough knowledge. Given his current knowledge level, he could not explain what he had comprehended. At the very least, if he explained it, it would not be logical or verified. Therefore, instead of saying it out loud and embarrassing himself, he might as well lie and say ‘It can only be understood but not spoken’ to show how special he was.

At the end of the day, isn’t this caused by a lack of culture?

The golden armor nodded its non-existent head and shook its helmet. “It seems like you have understood. The Dao can’t be described, so it can’t be explained with words. You can only comprehend it slowly.”

This was how one could pretend to be enlightened despite not realizing anything. By saying that one was right and nodding one’s head, one could resolve the awkwardness of not understanding anything.

Of course, Wei Huo knew that the creature was trying to hide. He did not expose it. Instead, he asked, “How can I crack this to reach the fifth level?”