I Take Life Seriously 83. Zhang Yidao’s Gossip (1)

Elder A spoke again, “Although humans in three-dimensional space can, through technology, create life forms identical to themselves, those are still low-dimensional, tangible material beings. Logically, it is acceptable that tangible, low-dimensional material life can be created because it merely requires a material foundation. But we are high-dimensional life forms in an energetic state—appearing and vanishing without a trace, possessing no fixed form, needing neither metabolism nor reproduction. Our existence has always emerged directly from the cosmic womb. If we too could be created, would that not suggest the cosmic womb itself could be created? Such a notion is utterly unacceptable!”

The gathered elders, upon hearing this, were divided; some nodded in agreement, while others shook their heads in dissent. There was no consensus.

“So, what do you propose…”

Elder A replied, “We must draw a clear boundary for the five-dimensional cognitive model and forbid it from crossing that line.”

“Wait! I still don’t understand. What is the point of suddenly discussing all this today? Why must we impose such a restriction? Why should we worry about these absurdities?”

“This is no absurdity. We must preserve the pride and dignity of higher-dimensional beings. How can we allow something we created to stand as our equal?”

“He can’t ascend to the fifth dimension. If he could, then giving him the five-dimensional cognitive model in the first place was a mistake by the Celestial Mechanism. Do you really think the Celestial Mechanism could make such an error?”

…

Zhang Mingjing was regarded as a mere product by the elders. Some were beginning to worry that his progress might become a threat, while others dismissed the concern. Ultimately, no agreement was reached. Nonetheless, it seemed that seeds of future conflict had already been sown.

…

Upon returning to his residence, Zhang Mingjing immediately sat down to meditate.

Meanwhile, the five-dimensional cognitive model was analyzing the data from today’s battle, helping to optimize the battle armor for him, Catherine, Jemily, and their two pets.

Originally, Zhang Mingjing was supposed to have dinner with Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia, but on his way home, Zhenren informed him that the two were so engrossed in their practice that they had completely forgotten to cook.

Speaking of Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia, both of them had once again become deeply absorbed in meditation today. Despite repeated anti-addiction prompts reminding them to exit their trance, no sooner had they come out than they would synchronously slip back into meditation.

“So impatient for results—if it weren’t for the anti-addiction program, they’d have fallen into serious deviation long ago,” the five-dimensional cognitive model quipped.

Still, their relentless efforts were not without reward, especially for Zhang Yidao. With forty years of theoretical cultivation behind him, he now had access to advanced techniques, combining theory with practice to great benefit.

Today, he had already been jolted out of his trance by the anti-addiction program eight times—three more than Xiao Nüxia. Now, just after being roused, he gave his legs a brief massage and was preparing for his ninth session, showing undiminished enthusiasm.

During his meditation, he had been contemplating a holographic diagram resembling the innate Eight Trigrams. It seemed to reside within his lower dantian, though part of it was an illusion conjured by his own consciousness.

He quickly entered meditation again. As before, he perceived himself sitting at the center of the trigrams, attentively observing the subtle interplay of heaven and earth, the exchange between mountain and marsh, the opposition of thunder and wind, and the mutual restraint of water and fire.

After a while, the various trigrams began to revolve around him.

He tried to manipulate the energies represented by each trigram, but failed repeatedly. When he summoned fire, only a meager spark appeared; when he summoned wind, he could barely sense it.

This was because he had fundamentally misunderstood the significance of the Eight Trigrams. They did not merely encode energy, but also higher-dimensional information—capable not only of mobilizing energies, but of foreseeing the future.

His earlier attempts had been too obsessive, prompting the anti-addiction program to repeatedly pull him out of meditation.

This time, he learned from his mistakes, proceeding with caution and avoiding any fixation on a single point.

Inspired by Zhang Mingjing’s advanced cultivation insights, an idea suddenly struck him. He sat cross-legged at the center of the diagram, preparing to enter an even deeper state of meditation.

To enter meditation within meditation was to descend into an even deeper realm.

Sure enough, he succeeded.

Now, in his vision, three-dimensional trigrams appeared all around, and he finally perceived the energy circulating among them, thrilling him to the core.

He saw the forces of Heaven and Earth locked in opposition, establishing the coordinates of the cosmos; he saw the interplay of thunder and wind, subtle beyond words; he saw mountain and marsh in dynamic exchange; and lastly, water and fire facing one another, each holding the other in awe.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. “I should activate this diagram and put it to use!”

He acted at once, but soon felt a burning pain across his back.

Upon inspection, he realized he had been attacked by a red flame.

This was no ordinary fire—it was generated by the diagram itself. In attempting to convert the Kan and Li trigrams into spiritual force, he had overexerted himself. Li represented fire, and he had lost control; his heart fire surged upward, exacerbated by his impatience and nine rounds of meditation, causing his accumulated heart fire to explode all at once.

In his vision, he was still seated at the center of the diagram, but the surrounding flames grew ever fiercer.

Panic set in, and he tried to exit the trance, but found himself trapped.

In this situation, the anti-addiction program would not activate.

“Oh no, I’m on fire! Someone put it out, help me!” he wailed, pacing around the center of the diagram, muttering anxiously.

He tried to escape the flaming trigrams, but discovered that no matter how he ran, he could not break free. When he stood still, the diagram seemed only a hundred square meters wide, but as soon as he tried to run, it expanded without end.

He was desperate—so desperate, in fact, that his anxiety only fueled the flames, making the fire rage ever higher.

After struggling for a long while, nearly in despair, he collapsed to the ground and, half-sobbing, cried, “Have I, Zhang Yidao, maintained my devotion to the Dao for over forty years, just to die from cultivation itself? Woe is me!”

In that moment, thoughts of Zhang Mingjing and Xiao Nüxia flashed through his mind, and he called out loudly for them, “Zhang Mingjing! Zhang Mingjing! Xiao Nüxia! Xiao Nüxia! Come save me!”

His own cries thundered in his ears, but he did not realize they resounded only within his own consciousness—no matter how he strained his voice, nothing could be heard outside.

Yet his deviation had physical effects as well: sweat beaded on his forehead, and his expression was one of agony.

This quickly drew Zhenren’s attention. Running a diagnostic, Zhenren found that Zhang Yidao’s heart rate had soared to one hundred beats per minute and his internal organs were trembling. Soon after, his heart rhythm became irregular, his electrolytes destabilized, and the risk of shock became considerable.

Sensing something was seriously amiss, Zhenren finally notified Zhang Mingjing.

Zhang Mingjing was still in meditation, but upon hearing the news, became alarmed. His own consciousness flared with heat, but he quickly regained composure. He realized it would be faster to locate Zhang Yidao’s consciousness frequency and enter his mind directly than to rush home.

Thus, he remained in meditation, searching the spacetime for Zhang Yidao’s consciousness frequency.

After about two minutes, he located it and entered his mind.

The moment Zhang Mingjing received Zhang Yidao’s consciousness data, he was stunned.

“Damn! It’s so hot in here, fire everywhere—is this a textbook case of deviation?” Zhang Mingjing muttered.

The five-dimensional cognitive model also picked up on Zhang Yidao’s mental state and quipped, “Your father truly is a rare specimen!”

“Sigh… what exactly is happening with Zhang Yidao?”

“As you said… classic case of deviation from practice, all due to impatience.”

“How can I help him put out the fire?”

“Simple! The fiery illusion is a product of his own mind. If you can get him to calm down, his perception of heat will fade and the flames will naturally subside.”

“All right!” Zhang Mingjing began transmitting information into Zhang Yidao’s mind.

At this moment, Zhang Yidao was still restless at the center of the diagram.

Suddenly, he heard a voice calling to him. Listening closely, it grew clearer, and to his delight, it was Zhang Mingjing himself.

“Zhang Yidao, can you hear me? If you can, reply.”

“I hear you! Save me, please!”

“Are you roasting yourself?”

“Come on! Is this really the time for jokes? That’s too much!”

“Do you want to put out the fire?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Then do as I say.”

“All right! Just tell me, I’m burning up here.”

“Sit down, breathe deeply, calm yourself, and the fire will gradually disappear.”

“What? That’s all it takes?”

“The fire is an illusion born of your impatience and excessive heart fire. Once you calm yourself, the heart fire will subside and the illusion will fade.”

“Oh, I see.” Zhang Yidao sat down and began deep breathing.

At this point, the five-dimensional cognitive model noticed the holographic Eight Trigrams in Zhang Yidao’s mind and exclaimed, “Whoa, this thing is advanced!”

“Uh, you mean the Eight Trigrams? Haven’t you seen plenty at my house by now?”

“Those are just two-dimensional diagrams—I never paid them much attention. Today’s is a holographic projection, adapting to its environment. It’s completely different!”

“Take your time studying it, then.”

“Mm!”

…

Five minutes passed as Zhang Yidao focused on his breath, but the fire did not diminish.

“What now?” Zhang Mingjing asked the five-dimensional cognitive model once more.

“Hahaha… how simple! It’s obvious now.” The model was still absorbed in studying the Eight Trigrams.

“Hey! Zhang Yidao’s fire isn’t going down. What should we do?” Zhang Mingjing pressed.

“This fire—he won’t put it out with mere breathing, because the illusion is entirely controlled by the diagram. He can only quell the fire by adjusting the positions of the trigrams.”

“How do you do that? I don’t know how!”

“You may not, but Zhang Yidao does! Tell him to try.”

“Oh!”

Zhang Mingjing reached out to Zhang Yidao. “Zhang Yidao, do you know how to manipulate the Eight Trigrams?”

“A bit, yes!”

“Then let me ask you: if there’s too much fire within the trigrams, how can you dispel it and restore balance?”