Volume One: All Things Awaken, Spring Reigns in Every Season Chapter Thirty-Nine: Winds Rise on Wudang, the Jade Terrace Shuns the Buddha

Morning and evening, waking and sleeping, the lingering warmth beside him remained, yet the person who should have been there was gone. Habitually, he reached for his phone—there was a message from Lin Xi.

"Little brother, I've thought it over for a long time. It's time to return to Beidu. I don't want to become your burden. Wait for me!"

Mo Wen smiled calmly. If love is enduring, does it matter if one is apart day after day? Moreover, Zhao Tiansheng's words from last night had truly awakened Mo Wen.

How should he walk his path from here?

The path to breaking delusion, the path to ultimate freedom!

As Zhao Tiansheng said, no matter what schemes ensnare him, before absolute strength, all else is but illusion.

He dressed neatly and left the bedroom. Sword Dog was gnawing a bone; upon seeing Mo Wen, it lazily greeted him, "Kid, I've remembered something—maybe there's a way to wake up Coal Ball!"

Coal Ball had been dormant for too long, and Sword Dog never forgot her; Mo Wen felt guilty.

"What way?"

Sword Dog had never made empty promises about Coal Ball—Mo Wen trusted this.

"The heart of Kunlun! There's something there that might awaken her!"

Kunlun! Mo Wen was disheartened; his teacher had warned him not to enter Kunlun—it was indeed too perilous.

Noticing Mo Wen's concern, Sword Dog was uncharacteristically serious. "That's why I didn't ask you to go now. Going now is just courting death. Wait until you break delusion!"

Break delusion? How to do it?

Mo Wen smiled wryly. It was time to seek his own path.

A buzz from his phone—it was Lin Xi again: "Check the news!"

Mo Wen casually opened a webpage. A striking headline caught his eye:

"Wudang Spring Gathering: Daring to Challenge the Heights!"

He clicked the headline and skimmed through. It was an official competition for Evolvers; those who ranked highest would receive generous rewards.

First place in the Spring Gathering: the prize was Wuwang! And a personal lesson from a master of ultimate freedom!

Wuwang? Just as Mo Wen was puzzled, Zhao Tiansheng called.

"Wuwang—a talisman inherited from pre-Qin cultivators. It's invaluable when breaking delusion!"

Mo Wen hesitated; he urgently needed to break delusion, but not through the internal Buddhist method. He sensed that breaking delusion through the pure Buddhist path might bring unexpected consequences.

After hanging up, Mo Wen decided to compete—not for anything else, but for Zhao Tiansheng's words: "Strive and cross the river!"

More importantly, participation in the Wudang Spring Gathering was limited to those below the breaking delusion realm. That made things easier. Mo Wen wasn't invincible below breaking delusion, but he had confidence.

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Wudang Spring Gathering, April 1st—over ten days away, plenty of time.

Sword Dog had somehow come before Mo Wen, excited. "Kid, that Wuwang Talisman is a good thing. If you don't use it, give it to me!"

Mo Wen glanced sidelong at Sword Dog, increasingly aware this dog was no ordinary creature. Apart from cowardice and a foul mouth, there were truly no other faults; a dog who had followed a delusion-breaking demon king knew many secrets.

"Go back to your bone!"

Mo Wen retorted, and Sword Dog, indignant, bared its teeth as if about to bite him.

Ignoring Sword Dog, Mo Wen already had a plan.

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After several days of quiet cultivation in Purple Garden, the man and dog remained hidden. This time, Mo Wen did not practice the Buddhist internal method, but devoted himself to studying the martial technique "Stellar Splendor." Though he mastered the second move, "Heaven and Earth Within," ever more thoroughly, he still could not grasp the essence of the third.

It was time to set out. Having prepared everything, Mo Wen encountered an awkward problem.

He was out of money!

His savings had long since been spent; he had less than a hundred left.

Short on cash, he messaged Lin Xi. Soon, a text arrived—eight zeros in the transfer. Mo Wen, who had little concept of wealth, was genuinely stunned.

Lady Lin was indeed generous! If not for the upheaval of heaven and earth, living off her might not be so bad.

With funds, Mo Wen indulged himself, buying a first-class ticket from the metropolis to Xiangbei. Upon landing, he was surprised to find nearly all passengers were Evolvers.

It seemed this Wudang Spring Gathering, hosted by the official authorities of China, had stirred countless Evolvers into excitement.

Disembarking, he headed straight for Wudang Mountain. Though three days remained before the gathering began, the mountain was already crowded—Evolvers of every kind everywhere.

At the foot of Wudang Mountain, Mo Wen encountered a familiar face:

Lin Xi's close friend, Mi Lu.

"It really is you! I thought my eyes deceived me!"

Mi Lu was delighted to see Mo Wen, glancing about. Mo Wen smiled, "No need to look. Sister Lin isn't here; she's gone back to Beidu."

Mi Lu was somewhat disappointed but still wanted to accompany Mo Wen. The gathering would be held at the summit of Tianzhu Peak; to reach the Golden Hall, one must first arrive at Qiongtai.

Though the gathering had not begun, Mo Wen had always admired Wudang, this sacred site of Chinese Daoism. He didn't take the cable car or lifts, but climbed step by step. Mi Lu, chattering endlessly, followed like a shadow, and Mo Wen responded politely throughout.

An hour later, with Mo Wen deliberately slowing his pace, they reached Qiongtai.

From afar, Qiongtai was grand and majestic—a place to survey the heights and be filled with heroic spirit.

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On Qiongtai, a massive stone stele startled Mo Wen.

"No entry for Buddhist disciples!"

Mo Wen pondered—he had never heard of such a rule. Since Laozi, Daoism embraced all things; why this?

On Qiongtai, Evolvers queued in order. A square table, a stool, a young Daoist in yin-yang robe registering participants.

"I am Yu Qi, from Minnan, practicing my family's internal method, here to join the gathering!"

Each participant had to declare their origin. This Yu Qi's introduction stirred a commotion.

"The Yu family of Minnan—a family of delusion-breakers! This descendant is truly remarkable, reaching the Divine Pivot at such a young age—unfathomable!"

People murmured, mostly with envy. Suddenly, a cold voice rang out: "What Yu family? Never heard of them. I'm Wang from Kunlun. My father is the Golden Roc King, a master of ultimate freedom!"

The crowd erupted. For most ordinary Evolvers, ultimate freedom was something to look up to; some had never even seen a delusion-breaker.

Mo Wen looked over and was astonished—a towering golden roc stood upright, not yet transformed, but its aura was extraordinary.

"An ultimate freedom demon lord! And the Golden Roc King? Didn't the Golden Roc lineage get wiped out by the Heavenborn Sword more than a decade ago?"

The crowd whispered, careful not to offend this demon lord's son. Seeing their timidity, the young roc was very satisfied. The Daoist quickly registered him, and the young roc spread his wings and soared away.

Finally, it was Mo Wen's turn. Seeing he was human, the Daoist didn't even look up, "Name, birthplace, what method do you practice?"

Mo Wen smiled faintly, hiding nothing. "Mo Wen, from the metropolis, practicing Buddhist internal method."

The Daoist's brush trembled, his expression changed dramatically. "How dare you! Didn't you see the stele? Buddhist disciples are forbidden—leave now, or I'll show no mercy!"

Mo Wen remained calm and asked, "Why can demon clans participate, but Buddhist disciples cannot? What's the reason?"

As he spoke, Mo Wen's aura emerged. Although the Daoist was also at the Divine Pivot realm, facing Mo Wen was like facing his own master—he trembled, unable to speak.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable! Young friend, why trouble the registrar? A thousand years ago, Buddhism and Daoism made a pact to stay apart. Please, young friend, return."

With flowing robes, a thick-browed Daoist leapt over from the far side of Qiongtai, his expression kindly, yet he too issued an expulsion.

Mo Wen couldn't gauge the thick-browed Daoist's cultivation, but judging from his aura, he must be at the breaking delusion realm.

The sudden turn of events on Qiongtai quieted the bustling crowd. All eyes turned to Mo Wen, who met the thick-browed Daoist's gaze.

"Why not announce it beforehand? Is this China's official rule, or Daoism's? This gathering—I, Mo Wen, must try my hand!"

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