Beyond the visible sifting of the collective, another trial unfolded in the depths of Hoa Long’s consciousness. It came neither through the explicit warnings of fellow practitioners nor through the turbulence of worldly affairs, but through a profound vision whose full gravity materialized only after he returned to the physical realm.
The Cosmic Summons and the Celestial Mandate
Certain visions are not meant to be shared with ordinary ears. They arise solely to re-anchor the boundaries of the soul and deepen one’s comprehension of the eternal Dao.
In the dream, a boundless chamber stretched before him, bathed in pristine white radiance. Its ceiling soared into the upper heavens, resembling a cosmic colosseum where sovereign beings might assemble.
Hoa Long entered from one corridor. Simultaneously, another high entity approached from the opposite boundary. As they drew near, he recognized the newcomer as a King and Lord of a vast cosmic system—a magnificent and powerful existence.
Both turned their attention toward a single vantage point to Hoa Long’s right, where a supreme and revered Being sat upon a divine throne. Sacred light concealed His countenance, leaving only a solemn silhouette visible. The entire chamber fell into absolute stillness. No being dared to meet His gaze directly, for all understood that this was an existence transcending the comprehension of the universe.
The cosmic King halted first and bowed solemnly before the Throne.
A deep voice resounded through the expanse, heavy as though it had risen from the fundamental fabric of creation:
“You may return.”
Hoa Long remained motionless. He understood with quiet certainty that the mandate was not directed at him, but at the cosmic King—the spirit who had fulfilled his fated covenant within the Fa-Rectification and brought his mission to completion.
A moment of profound silence followed.
Gathering his resolve, Hoa Long directed his thoughts toward the Throne and asked:
“May I return?”
The answer emerged like a cosmic current flowing through every dimensional layer. It carried neither worldly praise nor human reproach, but an absolute comprehension of all existence:
“Not yet. Unreckoned fated ties remain.”
The instant the decree echoed, the surrounding space fractured and dissolved.
Confronting the Devious Delusion
Hoa Long materialized inside a vast, open arena. No darkness shrouded the space, and no immediate terror revealed itself. Instead, the expanse was bright and tranquil, filled with countless entities whose elegant forms resembled deities emerging from ancient scrolls.
No one attacked him. No harsh words were spoken. Certain beings even offered smiles of apparent warmth. To ordinary eyes, nothing seemed hostile.
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Yet the moment his gaze met theirs, his innate nature recognized the underlying truth: this space existed outside the Fa. Its energy field lacked ultimate purity. The gentle atmosphere and friendly smiles, devoid of genuine compassion, concealed sophisticated traps beneath their alluring facade.
Hoa Long locked his mind into focus:
“The Fa rectifies the cosmos.”
He attempted to summon the vanguard forces to assist him against the immense gathering. Yet when he turned around, no companion appeared. He stood utterly alone in the vast colosseum.
Hoa Long harbored no panic and executed no hasty movements. Instead, he steadied both body and mind, stepping firmly into the Vajra Mountain-Toppling Stance.
His frame stood firm as a mountain peak, and his resolve hardened into unbreakable steel. From his palms, a surging field of energy radiated outward, incinerating everything that existed outside the Fa.
As his Righteous Thoughts reached absolute purity, the fraudulent beings could no longer maintain their divine disguises. Their forms dissolved like mist beneath the sun, vanishing before the light. Even the faintest remnants of impure thoughts, like stray blades of withered grass, evaporated within the radiance. Nothing remained.
The illusion collapsed, and the scene shifted once more.
His young colleague hurried toward him through the fog, asking eagerly:
“Long, how did it go?”
Hoa Long lowered his hands, answering calmly: “It is completed, my brother.”
The Boundary of Righteous Thoughts
Upon awakening, Hoa Long reflected deeply on the divine vision.
Did the decree—“Unreckoned fated ties remain”—indicate that a monumental task still awaited his execution? Or did it point to the countless souls still awaiting salvation, the hidden human attachments within his own heart that remained to be purified, and the boundaries between righteousness and deception that he had to defend amid daily life?
In time, he comprehended that devious illusion does not always threaten a practitioner through brute force. Its true danger lies in the beauty of its disguise. It requires no frontal assault and no harsh words; it merely tempts a cultivator into placing human emotion, material interests, or secular logic above the Fa. The moment a practitioner yields, the deception achieves its purpose, dragging him into the current of ordinary existence.
Hoa Long also recognized that the Great Fa remains forever indestructible. The true test is whether a cultivator’s mind can remain firm at the crucial juncture.
Those who place the Fa above all else will stand unshakable. But when personal desire or selfish notions—even the slightest trace—enter the consciousness, it creates a subtle fissure through which impure forces attempt to break in.
Righteous Thoughts are therefore not meant to fuel arguments over right and wrong, nor to judge fellow practitioners. True resolve means refusing to let oneself become an element of chaos. It means safeguarding the effort to save sentient beings and refusing to place the Fa beneath any mortal concept.
As Hoa Long revisited the vision, he fully grasped the deeper meaning of standing alone. It did not imply that he possessed special status; it signaled that cultivation was a path no one else could walk on his behalf.
When the human mind is stirred, no companion can bear its burden. When Righteous Thoughts remain firm, no worldly proof is required.
The decree—“Unreckoned fated ties remain”—had not arrived to validate pride in past accomplishments. It stood as a solemn reminder that the road ahead held countless souls awaiting salvation, innumerable trials to overcome, and moments that could be faced only by a true practitioner guarding the sovereign boundary.
From that hour onward, Hoa Long moved with even greater caution. He refused to create unnecessary disturbances and declined to become an element of chaos. Nor would he allow any worldly title to lower the absolute standards of a cultivator.
He understood with finality that in this final era of the Fa-Rectification, the ultimate measure was not how many initiatives a soul had undertaken, but whether the human mind remained aligned with the righteous path.
That stood as the supreme boundary of Righteous Thoughts—the true measure of a cultivator.
Canto LXXXIV — The Sovereign Boundary
The white colosseum fades, the vows remain,
The lonely steel outlasts the mortal pain.
No earthly treasure bends the steadfast axis,
While silent light illuminates the lands.