Cultivation is like climbing to the sky, treading a winding, unseen path upward; the higher one’s cultivation, the more disastrous the fall should one slip, and the farther one plummets.

Thus, the greater the cultivator, the more cautious and meticulous they must be during their practice, constantly fearing a single misstep that could send them plunging into an abyss from which there is no recovery.

Mortals who have yet to "hear the Dharma" must first solidify their belief, desperately seeking the "True Dharma" between heaven and earth, and tirelessly searching for a "True Master" who can guide them through the initial stages.

As for those novice cultivators who have "heard the Dharma," their next great hurdle is the overwhelming issue of "wealth." Even after resolving the financial challenge, they must then tackle the two massive problems of "companion" and "dwelling."

And even if all these prerequisites are met, they still face the multitude of "Dharma artifacts" present in this world.

Each artifact possesses its own unique properties and characteristics, requiring distinct methods of subjugation. Li Yundong’s previous triumphs in subduing the Seven Treasures Spirit-Wielding Fan and the Six Harmonies Sword had been so smooth, so effortless, that he had allowed his vigilance to lapse regarding the mastery of artifacts.

After all, his cultivation time was short, and without the experienced guidance of Ziyuan beside him during the subjugation process, he was completely unprepared for the situation he would encounter when trying to tame the Ranjibō (Finger-Burning Alms Bowl), a renowned Buddhist artifact.

The Ranjibō was once the close-attendant artifact of the great Buddhist monk Fahai. Though the artifact was passed down after Fahai’s zuòhuà (ascension/demise), it did not remain unused. Countless eminent monks throughout history used the Ranjibō to subdue demons and vanquish evil; perhaps the most famous user among them was Master Haideng, born in the twenty-eighth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, whose secular name was Fan Wubing!

It was only after Master Haideng’s zuòhuà in 1989 that this Buddhist artifact entered the world, eventually falling into the hands of Du Fei of the Quanzhen Sect. Since 1989, a mere twenty-odd years have passed, meaning the profound primordial energy within the artifact has not diminished significantly. Furthermore, the Ranjibō possessed one crucial difference from the Seven Treasures Spirit-Wielding Fan.

That difference was that the Seven Treasures Spirit-Wielding Fan had not been used by anyone since the zuòhuà of the fox elder Panshi during the reign of Emperor Xianzong of Tang; consequently, the artifact’s inherent primordial spiritual power had been in a state of gradual decline.

The Ranjibō, however, was different. Having been used intimately by Fahai for over three decades, the monk's mighty and profound Buddhist power had protected and reinforced it for thirty years. Coupled with the close guardianship and use by eminent monks across succeeding generations, the Buddhist power inherent in this artifact had not weakened; on the contrary, it grew stronger with each era. Every generation of renowned monks left their own spiritual imprint upon the Ranjibō as a test for the next user, ensuring the bowl would not fall into wicked hands.

Secondly, the Ranjibō was crafted from liúlí (glaze/crystal), and liúlí is inherently a pure artifact of Buddhism, transparent inside and out, immaculate and without blemish. Therefore, to subdue such a supremely pure and clean artifact, the cultivator themselves must first be "transparent inside and out, immaculate and without blemish." Otherwise, they would provoke a violent backlash from the primordial energy imprints left by the successive high monks, triggering a fierce counterattack.

When Li Yundong had conversed with Masters Puren and Xincheng at Xiyuan Temple, an unsettling doubt had settled in his heart. Upon leaving, encountering the audacious little devils had further fueled the anger and hostility simmering within him.

Although Li Yundong held his breath and calmed his spirit before entering meditation, those negative emotions deep in his mind had not been expelled. Entering the subjugation of the Ranjibō in such a state, his internal malevolence and rage were immediately detected by the bowl, which thus judged Li Yundong to be a "great villain filled with hatred and violence." The primordial imprints of the past masters began a fierce counter-assault, yanking Li Yundong’s spiritual consciousness into the small chiliocosm contained within the Ranjibō.

Even though Li Yundong was in a state of meditation, his spiritual awareness was piercingly clear. He could feel himself suspended within an endless, dark world; it felt as if he were adrift in a vast, ethereal nothingness. The entire world seemed absent, and even his own existence felt absent—the world was emptiness, and he too was empty!

The physical body was empty, and the primordial energy was empty too!

He seemed to be left with nothing but a phantom, empty soul!

Yet, despite this state of utter emptiness, he could still sense the persistence of his spiritual awareness. No matter what he did, he could not escape this condition—a reality that caused a chilling dread to seize Li Yundong’s heart.

He instantly recalled what Su Chan had once told him: "Cultivation harbors three great terrors: the great terror between life and death, the great terror between heaven and earth, and the great terror between the virtual and the real!"

Li Yundong had experienced these three terrors to varying degrees. He had assumed that having encountered them, they would no longer plague him.

But he had not anticipated that these three terrors were the universal specters haunting every cultivator since antiquity. Countless practitioners had perished beneath them; the moment their focus slackened, these terrors would invade, causing them to suffer zǒuhuǒ rùmó (deviance/madness) and dragging those lofty cultivators down into the mundane dust, rendering them worse than ordinary failures.

When Li Yundong underwent his first Foundation Establishment, he had already confronted the great terror between the virtual and the real. Now, with his consciousness dragged into the small chiliocosm of the Ranjibō, his spirit felt imprisoned within another vast universe. Li Yundong could neither distinguish between virtual and real nor break free from this state of nothingness.

He was like a minuscule speck of dust, floating endlessly through this boundless cosmos, with no telling when he might reach the far shore or when he might escape.

While Li Yundong struggled within this empty world, Su Chan had returned to her room. The young girl lay restless in her bed, her exceptionally beautiful eyes wide open, her heart heavy with worries.

The incident at the teahouse constantly tormented her. She kept repeating to herself: When Yundong has successfully subdued the Ranjibō, I will tell him about it.

But—but what if Yundong gets angry? What if he despises me? I was entrusted with the teahouse, and I only managed to cause trouble like this for him?

Should I just not tell him? Surely the other party hasn't come looking for trouble!

The young girl wrestled internally, tossing and turning all night until just before dawn when she finally drifted into a deep sleep.

When morning broke, the commotion of the little foxes playing in the living room finally roused her. The girl awoke groggily from her slumber.

Su Chan got up, threw her head back, and let out a huge yawn. Dressed in a full-length nightgown and shuffling in slippers, she sleepily made her way toward Li Yundong’s room.

The problem that had consumed her thoughts the previous night—the unresolved issue before sleeping—could no longer be contained. She had to go find Li Yundong immediately.

As she walked, the little girl mumbled to herself, "No, I must tell Yundong about this quickly, or this burden will drive me to death..."

Reaching the door of Li Yundong’s room, Su Chan first paused to listen intently. She heard only silence from within, not a single stirring.

Su Chan paused slightly, thinking: Is Yundong sleeping, or is he in the process of mastering the artifact?

She glanced at the time. It’s already past eight in the morning; surely he hasn't been working on it all night?

The young girl considered this, then tentatively knocked lightly on the door, calling out weakly, "Yundong? Are you in there?"

But her call seemed to fall into a bottomless well, meeting no response. Su Chan wondered aloud, "Impossible; if he were sleeping, a sound like that should have woken him."

Cultivators typically sleep very lightly, needing only enough rest to maintain bodily functions; even a slight call should rouse them instantly.

Su Chan reconsidered. "Could he really be taming the Ranjibō? If he is, I absolutely cannot disturb him. What if he suffers a cultivation deviation?"

With this thought, Su Chan quietly retreated from Li Yundong’s doorway. She walked, her expression worried, to the bathroom. Looking at her slightly disheveled reflection in the mirror, she anxiously ran her hands through her hair. "Ah, this is awful! I feel so terrible holding this in!"

Meanwhile, Li Yundong, drifting aimlessly in the boundless void, vaguely seemed to hear a familiar, soft voice calling his name from the far shore of a distant world.

Li Yundong’s spirit immediately galvanized, as if a rudderless vessel had suddenly found its mast straight and firm. He suddenly exerted himself, swimming fiercely in the direction from which the sound originated.

But in this immense, boundless small chiliocosm, no matter how Li Yundong swam, he never seemed to reach the other side. After an indeterminate amount of time, Li Yundong nearly in despair, halted his movements. He stared in horror and dread at the dense, endless darkness before him, thinking: No, I might never reach the shore this way!

But then he quickly reasoned: But I clearly heard Chan'er’s voice from the other side! She must be there! How can I leave her behind?

In this world, nothing shall separate me from Chan'er—Buddhas shall be killed if they obstruct, and gods shall be slain if they hinder!

How could this mere small chiliocosm possibly stop me?

A fierce obsession ignited in Li Yundong’s heart, and his primordial energy seemed to suddenly reappear within his body. He felt his ethereal form instantly become substantial again. In that instant, he transformed into the three-headed, six-armed Achala (Fudō Myōō), summoning torrential thunder with his raised hands, lightning crashing down amidst his furious roars!

Li Yundong thrashed violently within the small chiliocosm. Initially, all the power he unleashed was immediately absorbed and swallowed by the vast, boundless chaos of darkness. But as time wore on, Li Yundong's rage intensified. He seemed to become a wrathful Ming Wang (Wrathful Deity), causing the very heavens and earth to tremble beneath his fury!

Slowly, discernible vibrations began to ripple through the small chiliocosm. The stagnant, dark chaos started to stir with flowing winds, as if the dark, confining shell of an egg was being shattered by Li Yundong’s might, cracks appearing gradually. Through these fissures, slivers of light from the outside world began to penetrate.

Li Yundong saw the light increasing, and he struggled and vented his fury with ever-greater madness, intent on shattering the cage that held him.

But just as he was on the verge of shattering the small chiliocosm, Li Yundong suddenly heard a distant, solemn, and majestic voice slowly draw near. This voice sounded like a Buddha from the Western Shore speaking with grave authority: "What is cultivation?"

Li Yundong paused upon hearing the voice. He stopped his assault on the small chiliocosm and stared around, attempting to locate the source of the sound. He replied, "Cultivation is the refinement of the heart!"

The voice returned, resonating from all directions: "Then what is the refinement of the heart?"

Li Yundong replied with some impatience, "Refining the heart means cultivating the fundamental, immovable heart that is neither moved, agitated, angry, joyful, greedy, nor hateful!"

The voice continued, "Since you know what heart refinement is, you should also know that your heart is currently filled with obsession, and obsession is delusion (wàngniàn). I cannot let someone harboring delusion pass."

Li Yundong could not restrain his anger. "Nonsense! What do you Buddhists practice for? Is it not to achieve Buddhahood one day? Is that desire not an obsession? Is the obsession to become a Buddha also a delusion?"

The voice fell silent for a moment, then replied, "Amitabha, practitioner, you speak correctly, yet incorrectly. Regardless, you may proceed. Let us see where your own obsession leads you."

With that, the voice ceased to sound. Li Yundong waited a long time, finally clenching his fists and unleashing the lightning and thunder he commanded toward the small chiliocosm.

With a tremendous boom, the dark small chiliocosm was instantly smashed apart. Light flooded Li Yundong’s vision, as if he had instantly traveled from a world of perpetual night into one of perpetual day.

Li Yundong squinted slightly, and once his eyes adjusted to the blinding light, he focused his gaze.

Upon seeing the scene, Li Yundong was utterly astonished.