Maiden Galaxy

Chapter 115: Higher Mind of All Things Wang Yangming

If he was to actually encounter Wang Yangming, an expert who surpassed the accomplishments of Ancestral Master Lu Jiuyuan, she would let him see far more than just despair. She would teach a person minute by minute how to be a human, or how to be a lowly beast.

The School of Mind was practically nameless in the Tail Fire Star Field, but Wang Yangming's feats were still known.

Chen Mo was a bit regretful, but an arrow once nocked must be fired. Anyways, so long as he rushed for the last floor and opened the box, this would be fine.

That darkness rolled towards them, just like a wild beast. Wherever it passed, plant and bug alike were all devoured. This black hole-like consumption would bring any cultivator despair.

"Do you have a way to deal with it?" Chen Mo asked.

"Maintaining the true mind."

"You're not kidding, are you." Chen Mo was speechless.

"…" Wu Yi wrinkled her brow.

The darkness was instantly upon them. In a flash, the cavern disappeared, replaced by a dark wilderness of death. The ground split apart, and several wolf-like or tiger-like beasts leapt forth from the ground.

Black smoke shrouded the area, and the beasts pounced towards Chen Mo and Wu Yi.

"This is the ‘School Of Mind's' ‘Like Wolves And Tigers.'" Wu Yi warned. "Divine Intent like a wolf, straying thoughts like a tiger. If your mind is unable to withstand the assault, you may be devoured."

"En." Chen Mo nodded, a punch of boundless force smashing into one of the creatures.

The beast cried, turning into black smoke that dissolved into the darkness.

The other beasts moved one after the other, extending their large bodies as they lunged.

The Bagua boxing moved in all directions. Whether it was Gen Overturned Bowl or Xun Lower Broken, his fists smashed against Like Wolves And Tigers, letting out ear-splitting crashes.

Black smoke immediately scattered.

Wu Yi watched dumbstruck from the side.

This boy was clearly very young, but his martial arts were surprisingly so high-level. The girl did not say a word either, drawing a Three Star "Thin Sword." The sword was slim as a hair, descending as rapidly as raindrops, the sword-light sweeping through the surroundings. Her killing intent became a ring, and then the vicious beasts were torn to shreds by the sword-light.

The open earth spat out more and more of the "Like Wolves And Tigers."

In Wu Yi's words, what these beasts reacted to were the desires of the heart. You could not show weakness. If you did, you would be brought into nothingness, a result difficult to imagine.

"Wu Yi, did you get something wrong? These Like Wolves And Tigers are growing more and more numerous." Chen MO began to feel fatigued. Not even strong fighting spirit was able to be maintained for too long.

"You cannot show weakness." Wu Yi firmly answered.

Whoosh.

Several of the beasts broke through the Thin Sword's seal. They pounced in front, their sharp claws scratching at Wu Yi. The girl retreated, several holes ripped open in her black clothes, revealing snow-white skin. Another few of the beasts followed suit, surrounding her.

Just at this moment, a figure fell from the sky. 

Striking in the center of them, a fist-wind roared like a tiger, surging in all directions, destroying the incoming beasts one after another.

"Thanks." Wu Yi's breathing had also become labored.

Using a Xun Lower Broken, Chen Mo saw that this was not the way with the faraway earth spitting out an endless number of these beasts. If this continued, they would exhaust themselves before slaying the beasts.

The School Of Mind. The School Of Mind treated the mind as the master.

"The mind is principle, conveying conscience, knowledge and action are one."

Chen Mo's thoughts shifted, and an idea suddenly sprung forth in his mind.

"Let's move on for now. Don't preserve your strength." Chen Mo grabbed her hand and dashed forward.

"What are you saying?" Wu Yi, her hand grabbed by Chen Mo, flushed red.

"Conveying conscience, knowledge and action are one, you know that, right?" Chen Mo said.

"What do you mean?" Wu Yi furrowed her brow, shaking Chen Mo's hand off.

In the School Of Mind, Wang Yangming believed that every person had innate sense of right and wrong, self-sufficient for the individual, a kind of internal strength that did not lose out to outward power. "Convey conscience" was extending this sense of right and wrong to all things and affairs.

The "conveyance" itself was a process of knowing and doing. Thus, it was a process that consciously combined thought and action into one. "Conveying conscience" was thus knowledge and action are one.

"Conscience" was the "knowledge" of "right and wrong." To "convey" it was to practice it, to see all kinds of objective reality. "Conveying conscience" was achieve that in reality; knowledge and action are one. 

Wu Yi listened to Chen Mo's explanation and was dumbstruck.

Although she had devoted herself to the School Of Mind, explanations that handled everything like Chen Mo's did were very rare. All practitioners relied on comprehension, and Chen Mo's words gave the girl's thoughts some understanding.

"Try maintaining our reason in the face of the Like Wolves And Tigers' desire." Chen Mo retracted his domineering aura, his breathing returning to tranquility. He had practiced the Bagua, and he also had the TIme Immemorial Stake methods. Achieving a state of peace with oneself was not difficult at all.

Wu Yi's Divine Intent was already able to extend and contract freely. Accomplishing rationality was as easy as turning over her hand.

The two of them wielded fist and sword, their attacks still keen and sharp, but they had lost the overwhelming aggression compared to earlier.

As expected, they marched straight through several hundred meters unchallenged. The Like Wolves And Tigers beasts slowly diminished, and when the last one was slain by Wu YI's sword, the girl gazed at Chen Mo with eyes full of astonishment.

How did this boy have an understanding of the School Of Mind than an expert like herself.

They had used the rationality behind conveying conscience in order to disperse the beasts' desire, but the surrounding dark and endless space still showed no signs of vanishing. Meaning…the School Of Mind was yet incomplete?

Just as Chen Mo thought this over.

A change occurred.

A cloud of mist floated over, changing into thousands of divine steeds galloping towards them, lifting a curtain of dust. These black smoke divine steeds had no killing intent nor any wicked thoughts. They merely surrounded the pair and began to run. The black horses dashed about, their hoofbeats shattering the sound of mountains and rivers. Outside the herd of horses, there were also monkeys scuttling about, hooting, giving them chills.

"This is the School Of Mind's Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind."¹ Wu Yi sternly said.

The heart frisky as a monkey, the mind like a cantering horse.

A technique of the School Of Mind that broke down the enemy's psychological barriers. Regardless of how calm a person was, their inner mind would suffer blows. If there was an effect, their mental defenses afterwards would collapse decisively like a dam.

"Good." Chen Mo shouted.

Wu Yi had a foundation in the School Of Mind. Against the School Of Mind's Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind, she was very practiced. The solution she used was the thought and action as one that came after conveying conscience.

She maintained the tranquil state of mind from before, up until the monkeys and horses vanished.

Chen Mo retracted his breathing, taking one step at a time towards them.

Wu Yi saw him move towards the herd of horses, and expression slightly changed.

To run himself into Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind, that was suicide.

The woman wanted to stop him, but Chen Mo was unfazed.

The hoofbeats thundered, and the thousand black steeds galloped even more powerfully. The monkeys outside the horse herd hooted violently, waving their strong arms as if they wanted to tear Chen Mo to bits at any moment.

The dashing herd of horses carried a momentum that rolled the wind and destroyed the clouds. It was basically impossible for a warrior to approach them. The monkeys hopped onto the horses' backs, gathering in front of Chen Mo to snarl at him and bare their fangs. Their gestures were malicious; they wanted to repel Chen Mo.

All of a sudden.

Chen Mo took out his enormous iron staff. With a gaze like lightning, he suddenly bellowed, swinging the stick.

Northern Dipper's astral wind hummed, letting out a berserk whoosh.

Activating the Trampling Innate Skill, the entire army was smashed apart by Northern Dipper. The divine steeds whinnied, and the white monkeys hooted. Chen Mo was absolutely merciless, cutting the Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind to bits.

Very quickly, the Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind was cleanly swept away by Chen Mo.

Wu YI's mouth hung agape. The way events unfolded was completely outside of her expectations.

"What?" Chen Mo turned back to shoot her a glance.

This is wrong.

So very wrong.

Wu Yi tightly wrinkled her brow. The Like Wolves And Tigers from before was driven away by using potent desire while the Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind required maintaining one's true mind, their composure, until the technique vanished. But Chen Mo's conduct and deeds subverted her expectations. 

He first used conveying conscience to barely explain his way through.

But secondly against the Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind, he contrarily was not that composed. He vigorously swept the technique away. From Wu Yi's perspective, this method would only allow one's true mind to be ruined even further.

Chen Mo spotted her skepticism: "Conveying conscience, knowledge and action are one. So long as your mind is calm, then everything you do next will naturally be calm as well. As a result, I'm able to shatter the Frisky Heart, Cantering Mind without disturbing my true mind. On the contrary, quietly waiting like you did, Heaven knows how long that would take."

Wu Yi's mouth flapped, overwhelmed with surprise.

She had never thought of this logic.

Knowledge and action as one.

Knowledge and action as one.²

Knowing one's own mind, their conduct would become whole with it. This did not stray from the mold of the School Of Mind.

Wu Yi sensed a new understanding towards the School of Mind. She took a deep breath, calming her mind, and asked: "Just what kind of person are you?!"

"A man!"

"…"

"What should we do for the following in order to be able to break free of the control of the true mind?" Chen Mo asked. "You can tell me this time, right."

Wu Yi muttered. This man's understanding of the School Of Mind was more formidable than she thought. There was no point in hiding herself. "Although the arts of the School Of Mind are able to right and support the true mind mind or contain an opponent, it is not completely without gaps. So long as you walk forward, you can break through the obstruction of the Mind Art."

Chen Mo nodded. This was actually simply crude.

Without another thought, the two of them exercised Soul Techniques, raising their True Qi as they plunged into the darkness.

Along the way.

Every kind of School Of Mind trap appeared one after another.

Whether it was blades filling the air, sprouting from the ground, or "Cut Out Heart" falling from the sky.

Or nightmarish confines and swamps impeding their progress.

But after passing through the initial two trials, Chen Mo already could control his mind very well, handling these traps as easily as he would with an arm tied behind his back. To the side, there were all sorts of explanations from Wu Yi. Very quickly, the layers of darkness were peeled away inch by inch.

A speck of light slowly emerged from the darkness.

Entering the radiance of this light, the world suddenly became clear. Chen Mo spun around to find he had already broken free of the prison of darkness. A narrow cave down was in front of him, and this was the last layer in the Underworld Cave.

Outside the cave, Corpse Hand Centipedes completely covered the cave wall. They undulated like flags. These centipedes did not attack, merely staring at the pair.

"These ‘Corpse Hands' have all been controlled by ‘True Mind.' There is a very formidable expert of the School Of Mind." Wu Yi said.

"Why would you want to come here to seek out an Ancestral Master of the School Of Mind." Chen Mo asked her.

"The School Of Mind, the True Mind has its reasons." Wu Yi answered.

"Since you came here, there's no reason to shrink back." Chen Mo looked at the cavern and made his decision. He hefted Northern Dipper, blossoming his complete Two Flowers Overhead as he entered the final cavern.

Within the darkness was more darkness.

All light and thought were devoured by this darkness. This kind of despairing darkness made Wu Yi's breathing stop.

Chen Mo distinctly sensed the body temperature of the woman at his side plummet. He grasped her little hand and said: "Don't let any holes appear in your mind."

Wu Yi grunted. This time, though, she did not shake loose of Chen Mo's hand. In this darkness that was completely without light, to be held gave her a bit of warmth, enormously soothing her mind.

"To be able to reach this place and still be able to maintain your composure, you are indeed a talent the School Of Mind can mold."

A sweet-sounding voice suddenly called out.

A graceful figure released light in the gloom.

A beautiful woman emerged like a water painting being drawn. Each brushstroke was filled with an abyssal mystery, On the woman's forehead was a star mark that was especially eye-catching.

"Disciple greets Ancestral Master!!"

Wu Yi suddenly knelt on the ground.

Who was she.

The Yangming School Of Mind's founder and the genius who surpassed the School Of Mind's Ancestral Master Lu Jiuyuan.

The "Virtuous Confucian School" was able to be mentioned together with the Sage Confucius and Mencius. She was the last among the famous "Confucius, Mengzi, Zhu, and Wang."

She was.

"Higher Mind of All Things" Wang Yangming!³

1. 心猿意馬 ↩
2. Yes, the line repeats. ↩
3. ‘萬象更心’王陽明 ↩

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