BXBX NOVEL Chapter 316 - 315: Learning the Dream Path
“Does the Human Emperor have a foundation in Dream Path?” Jiang Li was eager to learn, and Dream Pure naturally wished to impart her knowledge. Before commencing the lessons, she wanted to understand Jiang Li’s background.
“Well, I can confidently say that as soon as my head hits the pillow, I can sleep till dawn… Okay, I admit I haven’t studied the Dream Path before.” Jiang Li couldn’t make things up anymore. Those who mastered the Dream Path were rare in the Nine Provinces, and he had not specifically studied it.
Before he became the Human Emperor, he had encountered enemies attacking him with dream landscapes a few times; however, by then he was already considered invincible among his peers. He was equally formidable in dreams, leaving his enemies with no choice but to surrender.
Jiang Li had never experienced a threat from the Dream Path and did not feel the necessity to learn these skills to counter his enemies.
“I have heard ancient tales about the Dream Path from the Immortal.”
“The Immortal says that a dream is the unconscious adaptation and reconfiguration of various real things in our minds. They are neither real nor fake. If one reaches the highest level of the Dream Path, they can dream a thousand dreams, turn dreams into reality, and reality into dreams.”
“It is said that the Buddha once slept for hundreds of thousands of years, dragging a corner of the Immortal Realm into his dream. The corner of the Immortal Realm, along with its inhabitants, gradually vanished, appearing instead in Buddha’s dream. Despite their efforts, the immortals couldn’t locate the missing corner.”
“Only when the Buddha woke up did that corner of the Immortal Realm return. By then, hundreds of thousands of years had passed. Numerous generations of monks living there had come and gone. Even Earth Immortals had lived and died multiple times, until in the end, there were none left who could attain immortality. They reproduced in the dream, slowly forgetting that they were citizens of the Immortal Realm. When they arrived in the Immortal Realm, they thought they had ascended.”
“This dream of Buddha, transforming dreams into reality and reality into dreams, is an example of the true mastery of the Dream Path. I’ve heard some of these things and am greatly enamored by them.” Dream Pure nodded, admitting that her understanding of the Dream Path paled in comparison to legendary figures like the Buddha.
“To cultivate the Dream Path, the first thing you need to do is sleep more.” Dream Pure sprawled lazily on the ground, showing her graceful figure.
“The Human Emperor should sleep as well; I will teach you the Dream Path in your dreams.”
Jiang Li took out his pink pillow, prepared to sleep as soon as his head touched it.
In the dream, Dream Pure transformed into a giant fish thousands of miles long, swimming freely in the Northern Sea. She dive deep into the depths, then shot straight back up to the surface. In the meantime, the sea parted, stirring up terrifying waves.
Here, Dream Pure seemed to be entirely free, as if she was better suited to living in dreams.
In the Mysterious Secret Realm, Dream Pure could only create a few people to play and act. However, in the dream, she could imagine limitless depths of the Northern Dark Sea and giant fish whose tails disappeared into the distance.
Jiang Li sat atop the giant fish that Dream Pure had transformed into, listening to her teaching the Dream Path.
“One of the difficulties of the Dream Path is that those who are dreaming can’t tell if they are in a dream. This requires a strong will and judgement.”
“People dreaming can either recall what happened before sleep and recognize that they are dreaming, or deduce that it’s a dream based on the unrealistic parts, for all dreams are ultimately false.”
“If dreams were identical to reality, then what need would we have to dream?”
Dream Pure skipped the conventional steps of learning and pieced together her own understanding of the Dream Path. Jiang Li could tell that some of her ideas were highly innovative.
“The Human Emperor, you can try this.” Dream Pure felt that her explanations were sufficient and released her control of the dream, allowing Jiang Li to express himself freely within the dream.
With a flicker of Jiang Li’s thought, the vast Northern Ocean started to freeze, centered around him. The speed was remarkable; in the blink of an eye, the ocean turned into a iceberg.
“Now the Northern Ocean can be called the Northern Ice Ocean.” Jiang Li felt delighted.
Dream Pure didn’t know what “Northern Ice Ocean” was, but she felt like Jiang Li just made a joke. A very cold joke. To avoid making Jiang Li embarrassed, she was forced to laugh along.
“The Human Emperor learns so quickly, mastering this much in just half a month.”
Dream Pure was amazed; it had taken her five days to achieve the same level, yet Jiang Li displayed a third of her natural talent in the Dream Path.
From the surface of the ice erupted warrior figures, each clad in transparent armor, towering as tall as the sky, able to grapple with giant fishes.
The whole of the Northern Ocean ice had become these ice-clad warriors. Split into two groups, they started to fight under Jiang Li’s command.
As the commander of both sides, Jiang Li was full of spirit. His decision guaranteed victory for whichever side he wished.
But to Dream Pure, it seemed more like a child with two toys, waving them in his hands, letting them wrestle each other.
“The Human Emperor has mostly mastered dream-transformation ability. It’s time to proceed to the next phase.” Dream Pure collapsed the dream. The Northern Ocean disappeared, the ice-clad warriors disappeared, the giant fish disappeared, and the two returned to the Mysterious Secret Realm.
“Human Emperor, you can try to enter other people’s dreams. I have taught you the methods before.”
Jiang Li shook his head, chuckling: “Dream Pure, don’t jest. I am currently still in your dream. How can I enter somebody else’s dream?”
“I don’t understand what the Human Emperor means. Could you explain it more clearly?” Dream Pure seemed confused and clueless.
Jiang Li held up his pillow for Dream Pure: “Look, there isn’t a peach blossom on my pillow.”
Jiang Li’s pillow was pure pink, but now there was an extra pink peach blossom on it.
Dream Pure’s confusion faded, and she smiled: “The Human Emperor is very sharp to notice that this is still a dream.”
The surroundings blurred, and the two returned to the Northern Ocean once more.
Dream Pure muttered an incantation: “In fact, it has been me within your dream. You truly can now enter other people’s dreams now.”
“Good.” Jiang Li made a small circle in the air with two of his fingers, and then entered someone else’s dream.
“Kong Hu, our meeting is destiny. This is the legacy of the gluttonous beast. The more you eat, the higher your cultivation level.”
An elderly man with an immortal aura, clear as an ascetic, dressed in a Taoist robe and holding a horsetail whisk, touched Zhang Konghu’s forehead according to the legacy of the gluttonous beast.
“Your bloodline of the Witch Clan and the ancient gluttonous beast both originated from the unfathomably distant Ancient Era. There may be some connection between you two. Your cultivation of the gluttonous beast’s legacy would be twice as effective with half the effort.”
The old immortal touched Zhang Konghu’s forehead again: “And this is the legacy of the Dream Path. You can cultivate in your dreams. Ponder over it carefully.”
After speaking, the old man ascended to immortality and vanished.
Zhang Konghu wept, kneeling on the ground, bowing in the direction the old man had gone: “I will surely not disappoint the old immortal’s expectations. From now on, I will only eat and sleep, cultivate diligently, and rush to the Immortal Realm as soon as possible!”
Jiang Li and Dream Pure stood by, dumbfounded.
“This person is…” Dream Pure was hesitant. Her true body had died eight hundred years ago, and she had never seen Zhang Konghu. She didn’t know why the first dream Jiang Li chose to enter was this one.
Jiang Li introduced him somewhat sheepishly: “This is the leader of our palace. His name is Zhang Konghu. His strength is combat, and his specialty is eating and sleeping.”
“I can see that.”