Zhang Yang and Long Feng did not continue their cultivation; practicing in the car was merely an expedient measure to pass the time.

At this moment, a faint smile still lingered on Long Feng's face. Although he hadn't directly saved anyone, he had extended a helping hand, and the feeling afterward left him profoundly content.

This pleasant state seemed to accelerate the circulation of his inner force; the High-Grade Heart Sutra was indeed different from others, capable of adapting its pace to one's mood.

They proceeded without further incident all the way to Lezhou City.

The weather was quite agreeable—no rain, snow, or fog. The prior accident had occurred at a turning point, and such roads usually didn't see major calamities.

They arrived in Lezhou precisely at noon, with ample time to spare. To see the Leshan Giant Buddha, they would either have to ascend the mountain or take a boat.

After parking the car and entrusting it to the hired driver, Zhang Yang and the other two opted for the boat journey.

Viewing the Great Buddha from the river offered a superior perspective compared to standing midway up the mountainside; it provided a more direct and comprehensive outlook on the entire statue.

Long Cheng immediately paid a substantial sum to charter a small cruise boat. Like Zhang Yang, Long Feng had also prepared a camera, intending to capture everything he saw.

Having chartered the boat themselves meant no waiting for others; they could observe exactly as they pleased.

The small cruiser sliced across the river, offering a different ambiance from a luxurious liner. The three sat at the bow, cameras ready, listening to the gentle lapping of the water, each experiencing a profound sense of ease and refreshment.

"No wonder the ancients said, reading ten thousand scrolls is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. If you never venture out, how can you truly appreciate this!"

Immersed in the joy nature bestowed, Long Feng couldn't help but sigh. In the past, his world had been confined to solitary retreats for cultivation; he had never known such an experience.

"Whether ordinary people or us inner force cultivators, none can defy the Way of Nature. The Supreme True Canon is the supreme Taoist method, embodying the Way of Nature itself. Venturing out more will benefit your cultivation's growth!" Zhang Yang remarked with a slight smile.

Long Feng nodded in complete agreement. He had been discussing his cultivation progress with Zhang Yang recently, having shared details of his practice. His Supreme True Canon indeed contained the Way of Nature—a genuine, fundamental doctrine—which explained why it was called a High-Grade Heart Sutra. Gaining possession of this technique was truly his greatest fortune.

Long Cheng couldn't grasp the depth of their conversation. At that moment, he was simply absorbing the beauty of the natural scenery, treating it purely as sightseeing. Such an unhurried journey for relaxation was rare for him; usually, he was occupied with work, and outings were spent with friends. The instances where he could truly settle down and tour were few and far between.

"Gentlemen, the Great Buddha is here!"

While they were talking, the boat owner cheerfully reminded them. For the owner, patrons who chartered the entire vessel were uncommon; it saved them time waiting for other passengers and allowed them to earn more revenue.

After the reminder, Zhang Yang and Long Feng fell silent, their gazes fixed forward.

The cruise boat rounded a gentle bend, and gradually, a massive Buddha head emerged into the trio’s view. The colossal head, looming amidst the mountains, radiated a unique sense of awe; it was easily several tens of meters high.

As the boat continued its advance, the entire statue slowly revealed itself. The Great Buddha, standing over seventy meters tall, appeared abruptly before them—a sight whose impact was beyond imagination.

The river was not wide, and there weren't many boats. Once the captain positioned the vessel at the optimal vantage point, he allowed Zhang Yang and his companions to appreciate the view undisturbed. This prime location placed them just a short distance across the water from the Buddha, offering a complete panorama of its imposing majesty.

It was genuinely difficult to comprehend the emotions evoked by standing before a colossal statue towering over twenty stories high. Even Zhang Yang and Long Feng, high-level inner force cultivators, were momentarily stunned into silence, staring fixedly at the statue.

Seeing the Great Buddha in person was a completely different experience from viewing it in pictures. Even Zhang Yang forgot about taking photographs for a moment.

"This... was this accomplished by humans?"

After a pause, Long Feng softly voiced the question. The sheer scale of the Buddha had deeply shaken them. Realizing that ordinary humans had constructed something so immense made Long Feng’s heart tremble slightly.

"Yes, the wisdom of the ancients is unimaginable!" Zhang Yang nodded gently. Standing there, he too felt an overwhelming sense of shock. While ordinary people could only perceive its grandeur, cultivators like them felt the impact more profoundly.

What they felt was the infinite potential of humanity. This seemingly impossible feat was achieved by countless common folk through their hard labor and exertion. They possessed no inner force, nor the superhuman abilities of cultivators to traverse heights and walls. Yet, these very people, using only their hands and minds, accomplished something even inner force cultivators could not replicate. A statue of this magnitude was beyond the capability of even forging the most exquisite Tang family masterpiece; it almost defied their comprehension.

The three stood in silent contemplation.

Long Cheng, with the lowest cultivation level, felt only shock—a profound amazement at the ancient wisdom—and didn't delve deeper. Though he was also an inner force cultivator, he was an ordinary one, never considering himself inherently superior. Thus, his connection to the Great Buddha was less intense.

Long Feng, however, was different. He had always viewed himself as separate from common people, believing—like many inner force practitioners—that they occupied a higher stratum, the role of masters, entirely distinct from the masses. While they might not overtly display contempt, they rarely regarded ordinary people as equals, a fact visible in Long Feng's past conduct.

The teeming masses were nothing more than ants. This was the prevailing mindset among inner force cultivators. But today, that perspective had fundamentally shifted. The masses, whom they considered insignificant, could create things beyond their own capacities and achieve feats they couldn't even imagine. This Great Buddha, which made even them feel the urge to bow in reverence, was built piece by piece by the very people they deemed insignificant.

"All men are equal; so long as one is human, they are equal!" Long Feng murmured softly. He recalled a line from the opening of the Supreme True Canon: 'All things and all beings are inherently equal.' He hadn't understood this statement before, but now he grasped its profound meaning.

This was the concept of universal equality—not in social standing, for where there are people, hierarchies exist, making absolute equality impossible. This equality referred to identity and species. Under the immutable laws of nature, after a century, all humans become mere dust; in what essential way are they different? Even if inner force cultivators live slightly longer, their lifespan is still limited; top-tier experts at the fourth layer of inner force rarely exceed one hundred years, and many ordinary people reach that age too.

In that moment, Long Feng experienced and comprehended much more. His inner force circulated rapidly. His expression gradually became solemn, and to an observer, his outward appearance began to exude a sense of the sacred.

"Ah, the young fellow from the Long family has achieved enlightenment!"

On a distant mountainside, an old man observed the boat, his eyes showing a trace of astonishment. The distance to the cruise ship was at least several hundred meters, yet he could clearly discern Long Feng's every movement and expression—a level of vision that even Zhang Yang did not possess.

At this time, Zhang Yang was also deeply immersed in contemplation. His perception of the Great Buddha differed from Long Feng’s. Zhang Yang had never considered himself superior; his mindset had always been one of parity with everyone else. What he contemplated now was the Buddha's towering vitality and its eternal, unchanging radiance.

Life is transient; even flora and fauna succumb to the ravages of time. Ancient trees eventually decay, and the hardest stone weathers away; nothing escapes the modifications of nature. Most exposed Buddha statues, after millennia of wind and rain, would be unrecognizable. Yet, this Great Buddha remained virtually unchanged for over a thousand years, save perhaps for the patina of age etched into its expression. A thousand years, a thousand years of solitude—the statue sat alone. If it possessed consciousness, this feeling must be unbearable.

"What is the meaning of life?"

At this moment, this question suddenly arose in Zhang Yang’s mind—a query endlessly debated, perhaps even exhausted. Yet, at this instant, it refused to leave his consciousness, bringing with it a deep sense of doubt. He was not pondering the lofty discussions of service to society or humanity; Zhang Yang questioned the most primitive meaning: the continuation of existence, the essence of survival. Zhang Yang’s brow furrowed as he gazed at the Buddha, wrestling deeply with the problem.

"The Way of Nature?"

On the distant mountain, the old man’s face registered renewed shock. This time, his attention was fixed on Zhang Yang. Long Feng’s epiphany had already startled him, but he was astonished to see Zhang Yang experiencing his own insight, one even deeper than Long Feng’s; Zhang Yang was touching the very edge of the Way of Nature.

The old man glanced back at the emerging Buddha head, and a profound smile spread across his face. This Great Buddha, this statue beyond human imagination, had unexpectedly bestowed such great fortune upon the two youngsters. It seemed their trip was not in vain. Such opportunities were rare and invaluable, not just for them, but even for top-tier cultivators at the fourth layer of inner force.

Time slowly passed. It was only upon the boat owner’s gentle reminder that Zhang Yang and Long Feng finally surfaced from their reverie. Long Feng wore an expression of lightness and an indescribable sense of spiritual ease.

Enlightenment—an experience eagerly sought by many cultivators—was an elevation of the mental state, a treasure that no elixir or earthly object could confer. In the cultivation world, there is a saying: one who has experienced enlightenment is entirely safe from qi deviation. This alone illustrates how difficult enlightenment is; moreover, among ten cultivators, finding even one who has experienced it is remarkable. This one-in-ten ratio underscores the immense rarity of achieving true enlightenment. (To be continued)RQ