Demon Buddha
'Tchh,' Despite executing the godly technique of counting sheep, Lu Feng couldn't catch some shut-eye.
He was far too excited and was left tossing and turning all night. Just as the faint glow of the morning sun became visible through the windows, Lu Feng kicked away the blanket and got up from the bed.
After a quick refreshment and bath, Lu Feng sat on the bed in a lotus position and opened the Immortal Vajra Scripture.
Flipping past the initial chapters which described the method of energy circulation, Lu Feng settled on the page that described and categorized the Vajra body.
The Awakening Vajra:
"Fear dissolves like mist before the dawn. With the vajra's embrace, pain becomes a fleeting illusion – seek solace, and endure."
Resilient Vajra:
"In the tempest of life, let the vajra be your steadfast anchor. Adversity is the forge; resilience, the tempered steel of the awakened soul."
Indomitable Vajra
"Time's current may erode mountains, but the indomitable vajra remains unyielding. Amidst life's storms, emerge untouched – a testament to unbroken spirit."
Eternal Vajra:
"In the crucible of chaos, the vajra remains unblemished. Forge through the fires, for the essence within is eternal – a flame undying in the chaos."
Immortal Vajra:
"Transcendence echoes in the mortal realm. Amidst the whispers of impermanence, the immortal vajra resounds: 'Beyond death's illusion, I stand.'"
Lu Feng had goosebumps all over his body. The five stages of the vajra body and their chants were like a deep chasm that hid the secret of indestructibility within its poetic chants.
Committing these chants to memory, Lu Feng read through the accompanying text and continued to turn the pages until something caught his eye.
Across plains, mountains, marshes, and deserts, through the elements of snow, wind, fire, and rain, the Buddha strides, his footsteps numbering ten thousand. With humility as his guide, he bows before the demon, dispelling its malevolence. Yet, when evil persists, the Buddha, in his mercy, offers salvation. Having purified the world, he retraces his steps, returning to his sacred abode.
Ten Thousand Steps of the Buddha.
Buddha Bows, Demon Dies.
Salvation.
One was a supreme movement technique, the other used karmic power to subdue "Evil."
And the last one, well, Lu Feng had no words to describe the last one. Reading through the text, this technique with a peaceful name was anything but.
Free from the Heavens, Free from the Earth, Free from the Seven Emotions and Six Desires. Death is the ultimate Salvation, and the Buddha, in his boundless compassion, shall grant it to all who stray from the path.
Reading through the text, Lu Feng's body shuddered.
'No wonder he was denounced by the Buddhists and the Daoists alike, he definitely does justice to his nickname of Demon Buddha...'
If he had to summarise this violent Buddha's motto in a few words, it would be the phrase Chinese netizens are fond of back on Earth, "No Zuo, No Die."
It meant something to the effect of, 'You won't die if you don't seek death through reckless actions.'
These three techniques utilized the Vajra body and the cultivated Karma. This eccentric Buddha designed these techniques in such a way that one didn't need to be a Buddhist to cultivate these techniques, though practicing the principles of Buddhism would certainly help.
It was clear to Lu Feng that the Sixth True Buddha wasn't the proselytizing kind. This made sense as this Buddha himself veered far away from tradition.
Meditating upon the techniques, a slow stream of experiences and comprehension trickled into Lu Feng's soul. This was no doubt the result of the Karmic Spirit fruit.
With this new stream of information settling in his mind, Lu Feng was assured of being able to cultivate these techniques without too much difficulty.
Turning the pages, Lu Feng arrived at the last section.
Comprehension of the Law of Chaos:
In the relentless march of time, the world and its inhabitants drift inexorably towards chaos and disorder.
With each passing moment, every action, every event, contributes to the unraveling fabric of existence, propelling us towards the inevitable dissolution of all things.
From dust we emerge, and unto dust, we shall return.
'This... Sounds like the concept of entropy...'
Wasting no time, Lu Feng read through the subsequent text.
One hour later, Lu Feng sat there on his bed, with arms folded in front, and staring blankly into the void.
'This guy is a genius...'
In a time and age far from Earth, where superstition and the pursuit of power abound, having the cognition and the interest to understand and consolidate a counter-intuitive but fundamental law of nature, is difficult to overstate.
Not only did the Sixth True Buddha put into words and describe in great detail what is known on Earth as thermodynamics and entropy, but he also theorized a means of subverting this otherwise immutable and inescapable law.
Musing on the text he just read, Lu Feng's imagination ran wild, 'Is it... possible...'
Even this mighty Sixth True Buddha was reduced to calling it a theory. How could he, Lu Feng, be able to subvert this universal law.
'Maybe I could... Haha, someday maybe!'
The Immortal Vajra Scripture wasn't a long text by any means, but it was dense with information. If he hadn't acquired the Karmic Spirit fruit, Lu Feng was sure that he wouldn't have been able to cultivate these in a single lifetime. It was profound beyond description.
Closing the manual, Lu Feng placed it back in his ring. Last night's revelations about the world at large and the profound truths in the scripture he read just now, slowly sublimated Lu Feng's heart and mind.
With a renewed outlook on things, life, and his journey, Lu Feng felt refreshed.
The deeply hidden traces of inhibition, guilt, sadness, and other emotions that followed Lu Feng from Earth, began to dissipate.
A faint, transient aura began to surround Lu Feng.
With a smile, he dispersed the vagrant thoughts in his mind.
***
After a moment of self-reflection, Lu Feng decided to proceed with his stuff.
'System. Creation'
Production Finished. 82 Percent Overall Yield.
Ninefold Nirvana Pill - 28 Pills
Core Perfection Pill - 26 Pills
Essence Nourishing Pill - 28 Pills
High-grade Berserker Pill - 36 Pills
All of the items conform to the Perfect Sovereign class.
Grade and class of items could be further improved with better instructions/recipes and methods.
As the user's cultivation improves, the complexity, yield, and other parameters of the items could be improved.
Automatically send finished items to the storage ring and resume production?
'Fantastic... Yes!'
ETA 6.5 Hours. Estimated Success rate - 100 Percent. Current Production Per Unit Time - 10 Sets Per Slot.
The drastic jump from three to ten sets made Lu Feng very happy.
Normally, a "set" of materials referred to the amount of materials required to refine 12 pills, assuming a 100 Percent Yield.
Even the most accomplished alchemists rarely achieved 100 Percent Yield and it was even rarer to achieve it every single time.
Perfect Sovereign class pills were no joke. With the amount Lu Feng had at hand, it would've warranted a premier auction on its own.
Being able to refine all perfect-grade pills, no matter the class and in such huge quantities, if made known to the outside world would've made waves like no other. With every faction willing to go to war over the secrets behind such a miracle.
Retrieving a porcelain bottle of each pill, Lu Feng placed it on the table. As soon as he did that, a heavenly fragrance spread in the room. For a mortal, a single sniff of this powerful fragrance would be enough to cure his ailments.
Observing the large, lustrous pills, Lu Feng grinned with joy.
The System had even conveniently placed the pills in porcelain bottles retrieved from the System Space, though Lu Feng felt these pills warranted a much better packaging as that's the least he could do for the sale price he had in mind.
'I'll have to do some marketing...'
With this thought in mind, Lu Feng grabbed the room token and disappeared.
***