Under the Bodhi tree, all was silent. The only sounds were the faint rustling of wind through branches and leaves, and a breathing that was gradually becoming heavy and coarse.
"Ah—!!!"
A scream so shrill it broke into a falsetto pierced the dead silence, as if a switch had been flipped.
"No... it's not like this! This isn't me!"
"Don't look at me with those eyes!"
The [Tomie] straddling [Amamiya Rin]'s legs loosened the arms wrapped around him. Her hands clawed frantically at her own melting cheeks, her fingertips sinking deep into the soft, greasy, writhing flesh, squeezing out viscous rotten meat.
Behaving as if she were about to give birth, [Tomie] roared hysterically. She turned around, wanting to hide her splitting abdomen, but the muscles on her back suddenly cracked open. More proliferating granulation tissue squeezed out from the fissures along her spine, rustling down like bizarre insect eggs.
Panic and rage spread among them like a plague. The [Tomie]s, their faces frantic, let out screams of mental collapse.
Their previous posture of charming all living beings was completely gone; the delicate grace of before vanished without a trace. In those pupils now occupied by the whites of their eyes, the reflection was of their own crumbling forms, and of [Amamiya Rin]'s eyes—calm to the point of cruelty.
He continued to sit upright, like the heart of the Bodhi tree rooted in the earth. His limpid gaze was like a bright mirror, clearly reflecting their current wretchedness, deformity, and madness.
This calm scrutiny was more unbearable to [Tomie] than any ridicule or angry rebuke.
They could accept slaughter, they could accept dismemberment, they could enjoy the extremes of a man's love turning into hate. But the one thing they could not endure was being observed like this by a man they intended to conquer, while in such a hideously ugly state.
The immense disparity tore apart their vain and arrogant hearts. The game of seduction turned into a public execution; the carefully crafted atmosphere of charm was wiped out, leaving only the essential nature they were unwilling to face.
"Those who seek me by form, and those who seek me by sound, are walking on a deviant path, and cannot perceive the [Tathagata]."
Under the Bodhi tree, [Amamiya Rin]'s posture was upright, seeming to merge as one with the ancient giant tree. A gardenia bloomed between his fingers, emitting a hazy glimmer that shrouded his peaceful face in a holy atmosphere.
"Enough! Shut up!!"
"I won't listen! I won't listen!"
"You monster!!"
Faced with [Amamiya Rin]'s gaze and listening to his voice, the [Tomie]s acted like vampires scorched by sunlight. They struggled to crawl up from the ground where the Bodhi roots were entangled, their figures stumbling as they fled in panic toward the mountain gate.
[Amamiya Rin] remained seated under the Bodhi tree, the aura of clarity and tranquility around him settling even deeper. With a shift of his mind, in almost the blink of an eye, the [Tomie]s who had just fled in disarray reappeared under the Bodhi tree, not a single one missing!
Panic and hatred still lingered on their faces, and they seemed bewildered as to why they had returned.
"What is going on?!"
"Didn't we already..."
"Is this his doing?!"
Voices of shock and suspicion rang out. The [Tomie]s looked at [Amamiya Rin] and subconsciously turned to flee again.
However, a bizarre thing happened.
No matter how fast they ran or how far they went, in the next instant, their figures were pulled back as if by invisible threads. Instantly, they returned beneath that massive Bodhi tree, returning to [Amamiya Rin]'s gaze.
Space seemed to have formed a closed-loop maze here, and at the center, there was only [Amamiya Rin] and the Bodhi tree beneath him.
For eight years of cultivation, the [Tomie]s used the time to torture [Amamiya Rin], while [Amamiya Rin] used the time to accept the [Tomie]s' demonic trials, sitting in Dhyana to stabilize his mind and cultivate a higher state of mental existence.
Regarding interference in the [Dream World], [Amamiya Rin] was now superior to [Tomie].
"[Shariputra]! Form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. The same is true of feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness."
[Amamiya Rin] recited the mantra from the Heart Sutra, his gaze calmly sweeping over those twisted figures.
"You cling to appearances, thinking yourselves the fairest of all flowers, yet you do not know that this skinbag is merely a temporary existence brought about by a combination of causes and conditions. When beautiful, you arrogantly give rise to pride; when ugly, you give rise to terror and madness. The mind turns with the environment, sinking into the sea of suffering, unable to be at ease."
As the scriptures resonated, the branches and leaves of the Bodhi tree moved without wind, emitting a pleasant rustling sound as if in harmony.
On the ground beneath the tree, phantom images of golden lotuses actually emerged from the void, spinning into existence and then vanishing. An aura that was auspicious, tranquil, and magnificent shrouded the temple.
"[Shariputra]! All dharmas are marked with emptiness; they are not born or extinguished, not defiled or pure, not increasing or decreasing. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness. No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas..."
"Stop reading! Stop reading it!"
"Shut up! It's so annoying!"
"So noisy! Who wants to listen to this ghost stuff!"
"Are you trying to illegally imprison us? [Amamiya Rin]!"
...
The [Tomie]s looked ferocious, their twisted expressions filled with disgust and impatience.
Shrill shrieks and chaotic noises erupted, as if they wanted to use a louder volume to drown out this scripture that upset their minds.
Some [Tomie]s angrily tore off their bras and threw them at [Amamiya Rin], but the moment the objects came close, they vanished quietly like ripples in still water, not raising even a single wave.
As the scriptures flowed, the branches and leaves of the Bodhi tree became even more verdant. The phantom golden lotuses that spun into and out of existence gradually solidified, blooming quietly one after another, emitting the pure fragrance of sandalwood.
Tiny motes of light coalesced like fireflies, yet also like heavenly flowers falling in profusion, touching nothing.
"The Mark of Self, the Mark of Person, the Mark of Sentient Beings, the Mark of a Lifespan."
[Amamiya Rin] turned a deaf ear to the [Tomie]s' resistance. His voice was like a murmuring brook, lingering and echoing around the Bodhi tree.
"You fight, you envy, you claim to be the only one, insisting that 'I am [Tomie] and others are fakes'; this is the Mark of Self. Distinguishing between you and me; this is the Mark of Person. Seeing many of your own kind and giving rise to hatred or love; this is the Mark of Sentient Beings. Desiring beauty to remain forever; this is the Mark of a Lifespan. If the Four Marks are not broken, one falls forever into the cycle of affliction."
"I'll do whatever I love to do! What business is it of yours?"
"Annoying! Annoying! What Mark of Self, Mark of Others! I am me! There is only one [Kawakami Tomie]! That is me!"
The [Tomie]s screamed at the top of their lungs, making a huge racket, not taking a single word to heart.
However, their protests and struggles appeared pale and powerless before [Amamiya Rin].
[Amamiya Rin] simply recited the scriptures calmly. This recitation was not only for the [Tomie]s; he was merely leaving an impression of Dhyana and 'breaking attachment' on the [Tomie]s' brains. The most important thing was his own cultivation.
Counting, Following, Stopping, Contemplating, Returning, Purifying—he had already cultivated three of the Six Wondrous Gates, achieving Dhyana. The latter three were the Gates of Wisdom. He intended to use the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and the White Skeleton Visualization to cultivate the wisdom of analyzing the body and mind, experiencing the realm of Emptiness.
The sun rose and the moon set; the stars shifted and the Dipper turned.
In this Bodhi arena manifested by [Amamiya Rin]'s mind, time lost its external meaning.
[Amamiya Rin]'s mind was steadfast. He recited and comprehended the essence of the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and the White Skeleton Visualization again and again. In the blink of an eye, two years of time flowed by in a rush.
The Bodhi tree remained verdant. [Amamiya Rin] sat beneath the tree, the aura around him perfect and translucent.
As for the dozens of once-arrogant [Tomie]s who originally surrounded him, they were long past their prime.
"Stop reading... Master, stop reading..."
"My brain is going to break..."
"Forgive us..."
They looked dispirited one by one, their gazes unfocused. The eyes that once glanced about with brilliance had lost their luster, leaving only deep exhaustion and dazed confusion.
Although those mutated limbs had long since returned to ordinary human forms, the aggressive demonic charm upon them was already dim and dull, like ashes thoroughly extinguished by rain.
[Tomie] just sat there sluggishly. Occasionally, in the intervals of [Amamiya Rin]'s chanting, she would let out a few dream-like sounds, but she no longer even had the strength to cover her ears.
On this day, [Amamiya Rin] suddenly felt a sensation in his heart.
He stopped chanting, his limpid gaze sweeping over these [Tomie]s before him who had been forcibly converted by the Buddhist Dharma for three years.
"The dream, it is time to wake."
He spoke softly, like a sigh.
In the next moment, the surrounding Bodhi tree and the mountain forest scenery began to ripple like water, finally shattering completely.
When [Amamiya Rin]'s vision cleared again, what met his eyes was the simple wooden ceiling of the guest room at [Kikoku Temple].
Outside the window, the sky was dimly lit; it was exactly the break of dawn.
[Amamiya Rin] slowly straightened his upper body. His body was still weak, and the soreness from being bedridden for so long had not disappeared.
However, the look in his eyes was completely different from before he fell asleep.
There was no longer anxiety or unease within them, replaced instead by a tranquility as deep as a pool.
The ten years of cultivation in the dream seemed to have tempered his soul all over again.
He gently moved his fingers, feeling the solid tactile sensation of the real world.
In his mind, there were no longer noisy flirtations, curses, or pleadings. That psychic network once filled with the distracted thoughts of the [Tomie]s was now dead silent.
Not disconnected, but the owners of those voices seemed to have fallen into some kind of dormant state.
Eight years of tug-of-war, two years of cleansing—it had caused extremely severe trauma to the [Tomie]s.
[Amamiya Rin] propped up his body to sit, held onto the bedboard, and stood up by the bedside.
His movements were somewhat smoother than before he slept. It wasn't a recovery of physical strength, but a sensation of reduced stagnation, like a rusty joint being injected with a little lubricant.
[Amamiya Rin] habitually breathed in the manner he had cultivated in the dream for ten years; this had already become natural.
Inhale—deep, long, and steady. The breath sank into the abdomen, driving the diaphragm to descend naturally.
Exhale—slow and thorough, expelling all the turbid air from the chest and abdomen.
After a dozen cycles, he keenly perceived some changes inside his body.
The chest tightness and shortness of breath he usually felt due to long-term bed rest were relieved a lot at this moment.
Every inhalation was exceptionally sufficient, as if the lungs were thoroughly opened.
When exhaling, the turbid air in the body seemed to be emptied along with it.
Moreover, the symptom where he would usually wake up muddled and unable to recall the previous day's events was also greatly alleviated. Not only was he not dizzy, but he also remembered that he had dreamed for 10 years, and that before falling asleep, he was practicing with the [Abbot] of [Kikoku Temple].
Furthermore, his muscles were still sore and weak, but the palpitations brought about by weakness and overexertion did not strike immediately as they usually did.
Even his hands and feet were no longer ice-cold as usual; with the gentle breathing, he felt a faint warmth seeming to permeate his fingertips.
[Amamiya Rin] tried moving his fingers. The movements were relatively slow, but the feeling of disjointedness between consciousness and body was gone. Where the mind directed, the body would move immediately, only moving not so fast because his physical constitution was too poor.
"Is this... the effect of the breathing method?"
[Amamiya Rin] muttered to himself, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Although not as exaggerated as Ripple Breathing or Demon Slayer Breathing, there was indeed a visible effect.
[Amamiya Rin] closed his eyes—counting breath, following breath, stopping breath. In the blink of an eye, within the effort of a few breaths, he entered the state of Dhyana.
In this tranquility, he began to attempt the Gate of Contemplation.
His mind was like an invisible scanner, moving slowly upward from his feet.
Long-term bed rest and weakness had caused muscle atrophy and powerlessness, as well as stagnant blood circulation.
He could vaguely sense a distinct feeling of blockage and soreness in his left arm—that was an area where meridians were blocked and nerve signals were not transmitting smoothly. At the knee joint, there was a raw friction sensation, like parts lacking lubrication...
These perceptions were not visual, nor were they simple tactile sensations. They were a kind of internal vision based on extreme sensitivity to oneself, a subtle connection of the mind to the body after the power of concentration was enhanced.
In scientific terms, the somatosensory cortex of the cerebral cortex had been strengthened through entering Samadhi.
Ten years of Dhyana in the dream meant his brain had been active along with it, actually achieving ten years of evolution overnight!
Looking at it this way, the protagonist of [Long Dream] lived a thousand years in a night and his body turned to dust... The physical constitution of humans in this world was indeed different from his previous life.
[Amamiya Rin] tried to exert a little force. Under the induction of the Gate of Contemplation, a soreness fed back from his forearm, as if the muscle fibers were twisting against each other, resisting the command.
At the same time, that patch of skin also exuded a lingering chill, incompatible with the warmth of the surrounding tissue.
(The main obstruction is here.)
He had a clear judgment in his heart. His concentration was highly focused, activating similar neural circuits in the motor cortex of the brain. Vaguely, [Amamiya Rin] perceived a command issuing from the brain, passing down along some invisible path, passing the neck, crossing the shoulder, and arriving at the forearm.
He repeated this process, his mind continuously focused, strengthening the neural activity of this pathway.
A moment later, when he tried again, the forearm's response seemed a bit faster, and the coordination of his five fingers also saw a slight improvement. The increase in strength was negligible, but that sense of delay had indeed lessened.
[Amamiya Rin] looked pleased, and he couldn't help but feel gratitude towards [Indou Ranko] and the [Abbot] of [Kikoku Temple].
The Six Wondrous Gates and the [White Skeleton Visualization]—these two visualization methods of Dhyana, which were not some supernatural cultivation techniques, had helped him beyond his expectations.
Relying on the Six Wondrous Gates cultivated for 10 years, plus the hospital's rehabilitation training and functional electrical stimulation system, he would be able to throw away the crutch and recover normal mobility in a few days.
"Next time I enter a dream, I'll try optimizing the breathing method. I don't ask to reach the level of Ripple Breathing, but at least I'll strive towards the [Demon Slayer] breathing method."
[Amamiya Rin] muttered to himself optimistically. He leaned on his crutch and walked slowly toward the door.
Pushing open the wooden door of the guest room, the slightly cool morning air poured into his lungs, carrying the freshness of the mountain vegetation. Although [Amamiya Rin] was no longer in the state of Dhyana, he felt refreshed and happy, feeling as if he had opened the door to a new world.
The road ahead was still difficult. The curse of the [Long Dream] was unresolved, and various apocalyptic crises and strange urban legends still lurked in the dark.
But at least, he had found a path to survival that he could touch.
____
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