Chapter 1

"You stumbled and fell, your head split open and bled. Due to our poor family circumstances, we couldn't afford medical treatment, which led to intracranial infection and your death. You lived for eight years and three months."

The cold words on the computer screen did not affect Li Wumian's mood at all; he enthusiastically selected 'Restart Immediately.'

The game he was playing had no exquisite graphics, no cute voice acting, and no splendid battles.

The simple text generated by the backend program, however, had an irresistible charm.

'If life could really be restarted, how would you spend it?'

Was this a hidden mechanism in the game's backend? His hand holding the mouse froze.

Reflecting on the past, he realized there were too many regrets—missed girls, lost opportunities. The list went on and on.

How to spend it? Of course, he wanted to live a life to the fullest, without any regrets.

But he laughed bitterly, thinking that life was already like this—working from nine to nine, living a monotonous life, day by day.

He didn't want to admit he was just getting by, but he couldn't find a better way to describe it.

Left-clicking, he drew ten consecutive talents, and his thoughts escaped from the mire of memories.

Talents could be chosen initially in three, with four levels: gray, blue, purple, and gold.

After several attempts, he didn't get a single blue one, and his head felt like it was about to explode. He muttered, "I am willing to sacrifice Li Canhui's ten years of life for a gold talent."

Jokingly sacrificing his childhood friend, the next moment—

Wow~ Golden Legend!

A whole page of golden talents, dazzling and bewildering, but he was also very puzzled, thinking he must have triggered a hidden Easter egg.

After searching, he found nothing but a 'Mysterious Small Box (Open at 100 years old)'—the other talents were unheard of, and there was no information online.

Especially the two at the top, 'Great Derivation of the Five Elements' and 'Holy Body Dao Fetus,' with their flowing, colorful light.

Without hesitation, he chose two colored and one gold talent. A slight electric current passed through the mouse into his body, and he fell face-down on the table.

...

Li Wumian had a dream. In the dream, his fully developed body was regressing, like a towering tree reverting to a sapling.

The dream was bizarre, seemingly lasting a long time, yet it felt like a moment.

In the wide clothing, a pink and tender baby lay, hands tightly clenched, eyes closed.

Was this his original form?

At the same time, on a cloudless night, the stars changed. The Big Dipper, Wenqu and Wuqu; the Southern Dipper, Tianfu and Tianliang.

The Four Celestial Creatures, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, flickered like fireflies, causing the Milky Way to tremble.

As the Purple Microcosm shook, it responded to the changes in the world.

The Purple Microcosm, also known as the North Star, is the imperial star, the master of all celestial bodies.

The Moon cast a silver light, falling on the Chu River, beneath the virtuous water, onto the land of a thousand lakes, E.

This celestial change was fleeting and elusive, and ordinary people were unaware of it. In the world of the extraordinary, few were able to sense it.

But those who did, all rushed to it, for even if it wasn't a treasure, there was certainly an opportunity.

Among the famous mountains and great rivers, the Taishan Mountain had a place.

Wudang Mountain is the site of the True Wu Dharma Master's temple.

The Dharma Lord, with a black snake as his weapon and a black turtle as his armor, eradicates the demons of the nine hells and the blue sky.

"Master, aren't you going? The other two have already gone." The disciple asked, as the moonlight fell on the peak of Taishan.

The Wudang Sect leader, with a deep and mysterious expression, said, "Because I do not compete, the world cannot compete with me."

"The Master speaks truly," the disciple said, looking enlightened, feeling proud that his master's cultivation was higher than the other two!

The Wudang Sect leader was bitter inside. With two distinguished guests visiting, the celestial phenomenon had just begun, and they had rushed out.

The other two had a head start, and there was no point in competing.

Taishan Mountain was not as dangerous as Huashan Mountain, but the peak was still cold and desolate, with a few clumps of grass and a few short trees.

Under the moonlight, one person walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, while the other left lotus blossoms with each step.

"Amitabha, it has been years since I last saw you, Daoist Zhang. Why are you in such a hurry today, not even waiting for me a moment?"

The monk had a kind and benevolent face, but his peripheral vision caught a bundle on the peak.

The aura of the Taishan Mountain dissipated, leaving only the baby's cry, filled with profound Zen meaning!

Kuxuan, hearing the Zen meaning, his face bloomed like a chrysanthemum.

"May the blessings of the Celestial Venerable be infinite. Master Kuxuan, you have taken the initiative. I was about to ask why you said you were going to the toilet and ended up on the top of Wudang Mountain?"

The Daoist, with a sage-like appearance, now had a fierce look, with the sound of dragons and tigers, but it couldn't drown out the baby's cry.

In the cry, there was an extremely profound Dao essence!

Zhang Jingqing, hearing the Dao essence, his face bloomed like a chrysanthemum.

Master Kuxuan, with his hands clasped, was entranced by the cry: "The Buddha has revealed that this child has a connection with our faith."

As he spoke, he stepped forward, leaving lotus blossoms with each step, quickly approaching the baby.

"Master, you are being unreasonable. We don't know the child's background, how can you say he has a connection with your faith? Is everything your faith sees a connection?"

Zhang Jingqing, with a dragon-like gait and tiger-like steps, covered several feet in one step, not caring about the strain.

But one small step and one large step, their speeds were almost the same.

One was the newly appointed Celestial Master of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, and the other was the new abbot of Shaolin Temple.

"Everything is impermanent, like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. Meeting is a connection, and so is encountering. If the connection is there, even a stone, I am willing to save."

"I see this child has a deep connection with our Daoist faith."

Zhang Jingqing wouldn't be fooled. In a few blinks, they were beside the baby.

Kuxuan looked at the baby, his heart filled with peace.

The closed eyes, the wrinkled nose, the open mouth, and the sparse hair, all were Zen, all were connections!

Zhang Jingqing, with wide eyes, saw the Dao essence, feeling it was an opportunity not to be missed.

"Longhushan is a large and prosperous place, the Heavenly Master's Mansion has a long tradition, and the number of enlightened people is like fish crossing a river. Why are you trying to cut off my connection?"

Master Kuxuan's face was sad, but his hands were not clasped.

"Master is too modest. Shaolin Temple is a thousand-year-old temple, and Longhushan cannot compare. This child has a deep Dao essence, not suitable for practicing Buddhism."

Ding~

While they were talking, their hands were not idle, trying to grab the bundle, but their hands met, making a metallic sound.

One hand was plump, with a dark golden glow; the other was thin, with a black, stone-like surface.

The baby's cry paused.

"Master, our struggle is hurting the child."

They were like two unscalable mountains in the world of the extraordinary. When mountains collide, nothing can survive in the gap.

"Indeed."

"Why don't we each take a hundred steps back and see which connection, Buddhist or Daoist, is deeper?"

"Amen."

"I will count to three."

"Daoist Zhang, you are a man of your word. Amen."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

A gentle breeze blew, and the baby opened its eyes, looking around.

Zhang Jingqing narrowed his eyes:

"Why didn't you step back, Master?"

Kuxuan's face was expressionless:

"Why didn't you step back, Daoist Zhang?"

The baby pouted, seeing the world's cruelty in its first glance!

They were originally calm, but under the clear gaze, their faces twitched. Zhang Jingqing coughed: "Let's do it together."

So, hand in hand, they took a hundred steps back, each trying to be polite.

A hundred steps away, they separated instantly.

Their eyes met, one calm and eager, the other indifferent and unyielding.

Zhang Jingqing said, "I have practiced Daoism for a long time and have also studied Buddhism. Today, I would like to learn from you."

Kuxuan said, "I do not know Daoism. I cannot speculate on its depth or shallowness."

Zhang Jingqing's eyebrows twitched. Buddhism and Daoism were not separate.

At their level, Daoists read Buddhist scriptures, and monks understood Daoist texts.

He was questioning, but Kuxuan ignored it, showing a different level.

"Talking is futile. This child has a deep connection with our Daoist faith. Falling on Wudang Mountain proves this. Master, please teach me."

Zhang Jingqing shook his Daoist robe, his body glowing with a dark golden light, and an illusory golden bell appeared, resembling a golden bell shield.

But this was a phenomenon of the Golden Light Spell at a high level, not a golden bell shield.

"Human hearts do not block connections, nor does the terrain. Wudang Mountain is just a place, not related to Daoism. If you insist on teaching me, I cannot comply."

Kuxuan clasped his hands and bowed deeply: "But you have cut off my Buddhist connection. I cannot ignore it. The Buddha is compassionate and saves all beings. Although I practice combat techniques, it is not for fighting. Unfortunately, the world is full of fools and demons. The Buddha's wisdom and enlightenment have fierce protectors to subdue demons."

Zhang Jingqing's eyebrows twitched. This monk's skill in insulting was higher than his!

"Hey! Vajra Subdues Demons!" Kuxuan shouted, his robe billowing, and with a rip, his emaciated upper body was exposed.

In an instant, the black color spread.

The next moment, the thin old monk disappeared, and a muscular man with a fierce expression appeared.