The Martial Unity

A small smile cracked at the edge of her mouth. “They didn’t lie when they said you were truly gifted in intellect. Amitabha, once again, you are correct. We have worked hard to replace impure drives with purer drives, such as the desire to protect loved ones. The desire to evangelize the path to salvation that Genism offers to those who suffer. The desire to manifest all of one’s potential to serve the world better.”

Rui nodded, having concluded as much. “I’m guessing that you haven’t been able to entire succeed. Else, you would have dozens of Martial Sages by now.”

“You are correct again,” she heaved a soft sigh. “It is a problem that we, the followers of Gen, have yet to entirely solve. It is also why we have been unable to persuade the world to pursue the path of Genism in addition to the other elements that impure around the world find to be unpleasant.”

Rui raised an eyebrow. “Such as…?”

“Abandoning worldly pleasure, of course,” she answered him with an amused smile. “Purifying impure desires isn’t merely for show. It needs to be reflected in the way you live the rest of your life. Your food must be pure and entirely vegetarian, you mustn’t consume alcohol ever, your clothes must leave no room for any appeal to lust, you mustn’t live devoid of luxury, and you must remain celibate at all times.”

Rui’s expression stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. “You’re telling me that every single person in here must follow this for the rest of their lives?”

It was no wonder that no nation in the world wanted to touch Genism with a ten-foot pole. Even the Kandrian Empire would never accept such an absurdly strict set of rules.

“Correct, else they will become impure again,” she smiled. “That is the path of genism.”

“Wait, if all your people are celibate, then…” He swept his gaze across the Gen Temple. “How do you guys reproduce to maintain the population?”

“Reproduction is permitted as long as the men undergo the purification process all over again after copulation,” she remarked with a firm tone. “We do not permit the presence of impure thoughts in the Gen Temple. At least, not in adults. So…”

She directed a pointed gaze at him. “What do you say, Dawnbringer? Are you interested in purifying yourself?”

Rui scratched his head with a complicated expression. “I don’t consider myself to be the most worldly of people. But man, this sounds rough. I do… indulge myself every once in a while, you know.”

“Are those indulgences more important than the personal ambition you mentioned?”

This time, his answer was steely and pure.

“Absolutely not.”

“Are they more important to you than reaching the Realm of Bodhisattvas?”

“Most certainly not.”

She smiled at him. “Then, are you willing to sacrifice them in order to increase the likelihood of reaching a higher Realm?”

Rui fell into a deep thought.

Even though the answer was clear.

The progression of his Martial Art and Project Water were far more important to him than eating good food or his rare indulgences in luxury or sex. If he could sacrifice them to achieve a greater likelihood of gaining the Enlightenment of Self, then…

“…I absolutely am willing to.”

It was not a light decision.

His indulgences were a vice that made life more pleasurable, although he truly kept them to a bare minimum, limiting them to the frequency of once every few years. He never considered himself to be particularly earthly or worldly in his desires, of course.

However, now that he had taken a good look at the people of the Gen Temple, he realized that he was quite earthly and worldly. He realized that he could achieve his ultimate ambitions a lot quicker if he chose to erase these vices within him.

“Good,” she smiled. “It will take you five years at a bare minimum, of course. I hope you’re prepared.”

“Wait, what?”

“Is anything the matter?” she tilted her head.

“Er, I don’t know if you’ve been following world news or not, but human civilization is in an apocalypse,” he muttered to her with a confused expression. “I can’t afford to spend years here. Not if we want to ensure that we all aren’t destroyed by the immense destructive power of quasi-Transcendent beasts and monsters.”

“Ah, I had almost forgotten why you had come here in the first place, hm,” she fell into thought. “It is true that your Hellbringer Model and breakthroughs are vital to the future of human civilization. The Gen Temple is sorely in need of your breakthroughs in particular.”

“It’s because your lacking Martial Master numbers could prove too much to be for your Masters when you Sages are gone, I suppose,” Rui remarked.

“That is indeed the case, Dawnbringer,” she nodded with appreciation. “We have long awaited your arrival and your blessings.”

Rui’s expression darkened. “Don’t call them that. I’m not blessing anyone. It’s just a gift.”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi’s serene expression grew tinted with a hint of mirth. “Afraid of being deified, Dawnbringer? But what if your deeds unto the world are indeed those of a god?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t see the Esoterist being worshipped,” Rui grumbled.

“That’s because he is not personally delivering his blessings to the world. People are unable to connect their well-being to him,” she shook her head. “You, on the other hand, are personally delivering them to your flocks.”

“I don’t have flocks.” Rui insisted. “They’re just victims of propaganda from the Beggar’s Sect.”

She glanced at him with a knowing expression. “Deceit can only spread in the medium of truth, Dawnbringer. The Beggar Sage knows this. You are not being deified by the masses because his propaganda is working, his propaganda is working because you are being deified the masses.”

Rui blinked as her words enlightened him upon the chain of causality.

“Still,” he insisted. “It is annoying and frankly dehumanizing. I’d rather people just treat me like a person.”

“Such is the plight of those who deliver salvation upon the world,” she remarked with a wistful tone. “Such people cease to be people and are instead distilled into archetypes.”