Skyfire Avenue

Obviously the giant Buddha was the image of Lan Qing’s dharma. Suddenly, Lan Jue’s eyes filled with shock. He had also suffered Jue Di’s edification, and it’d prepared him with a working knowledge of the ancient Buddhist faith.

“This is… Vairocana dharmakaya 1! How is this possible?” Jun Yongye’s voice was in Lan Jue’s ear, absent his usual calm. His audible shock confirmed Lan Jue’s suspicions.

Vairocana was one of the primary buddhas of the ancient faith. He bore a status higher than any other. He was the dharmakaya, the true body of the Buddha. As a primordial Buddha he was a founding pillar upon which the faith rested, and sat at the center of the five wisdoms.

The Pauper remained cross-legged on the floor, and a golden aura flickered around his body. Everything about him seemed to change as the image of the Taming Dragon Arhat revealed itself. He pressed his hands together in respect toward the image of Vairocana.

Lan Jue looked up at his brother with a tight smile. Brother, is it wise to play at such great power? How am I supposed to catch up?!

Lan Qing had been paused at the peak of ninth level for a long while, three years so far as Lan Jue could remember. In that time he had purified himself, perfected himself to reveal the scene they witnessed now. His brother leapt passed the first degree of Paragon to immediately become a Reflection of Heaven and Earth. And most amazing of all, his dharma followed Vairocana Buddha!

“How… how is this possible?” Jun Yongye’s startled voice continued to demand.

Lan Jue replied. “Why shouldn’t it be possible? What’s the problem?”

A bitter mirth crept into Jun Yongye’s voice. “Problem? There’s a big problem. Do you know what it meant in the old days to coalesce the image of the dharmkaya?”

“What does it mean?” He asked.

“It’s the reincarnation of the Budda.”

“Wha…” Lan Jue’s eyes went wide. “That… isn’t real, is it? You’re saying my brother is the reincarnation of the Buddha? What about me?”

“Its impossibility is precisely why I find it strange!” Jun Yongye blithely commented. “The ancient faith has its roots in the oldest days. They hold that a Buddha has three kayas – bodies. All together they are nirmanakaya, or the physical body; sambhogakaya, their limitless spirit; and dharmakaya, the fundamental truth and our connection to it. Vairocana represents the last, and the most powerful. However, to my knowledge the Pure Lands of the buddhas disappeared when the realm of immortals did. How can we have a reincarnation if they no longer exist? It must have been latent in his blood, awakened once his cultivation was strong enough. It makes sense, but never would I have imagined that bloodline would be Vairocana dharmakaya. He has summoned the might of the greatest of buddhas. If he can step into the Womb Realm, then he will be as indomitable as the immortals who came before.”

Lan Jue’s own smirk spread wider. “So what sort of dharma do I need if I want to surpass my brother?”

Jun Yongye flatly began to list his options. “Celestial Master Yuan Shi, Celestial Master Lingbao, or Celestial Master Daode. No less than one of the three Pure Ones, or perhaps one of the Great Emperors. Enough of that nonsense. I return to sleep. I require silence.”

The sword-spirit’s reaction spoke volumes as to what Lan Qing was accomplishing. The other Paragons also looked on in stunned silence.

Suspended in air, Lan Qing slowly opened his eyes. They shimmered with a warm golden light. Through a small smile, the super soldier continued to deliver chants and charms. Gradually he slipped backward into the image of the Buddha behind him.

Vairocana’s eye’s opened, and his hands opened in a sign of acceptance. The whole base shook with a deep, throaty hum. Everyone below was awakened from their insights just as the great Buddha became a column of golden light. Its ubiquitous glow hung over all of them for a long time before fading away.

When it did, Lan Qing appeared seated on the field among them. Only an hour had passed, but he seemed like an entirely different person. The chilly exterior was gone, replaced with an ineffable kindness.

“Ah-hahaha! Ahh Gautama, Gautama… I bet you didn’t guess my son would create your dharmakaya! It’s too much, oh it’s hilarious!” Jue Di’s booming laughter would be heard by the Pure Ones themselves if they still existed. He looked like he was on the verge of dancing.

Lan Qing simply smiled. He arose, only to turn toward Jue Di and bow. “I thank you father, for my success.”

Jue Di waved away the appreciation. “This had nothing to do with me, only your own hard work. You still need to stabilize your dharma, continue to gain insight into the nature of protogenia.”

“Yes,” Lan Qing replied respectfully.

The other Paragons gathered round. The Wine Master full of praise and admiration. “Congratulations, Fleet Admiral Lan.”

The Photographer made no effort to hide the beaming pride in her face. She lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug. “Good boy, you have a lot of promise. Right to the dharma, heh. That’s really something.”

The Clockmaker and Pauper in turn offered their congratulations to the new Paragon. Lan Jue met him with a helpless expression. “You’re not leaving me with a lot of opportunity here,” he complained.

His brother smiled softly. “You speak of opportunities. Everyone had their own path to follow. Do you know why I always work so hard?”

“Why?”

“Because when we were young, father always said my Talent was inferior to yours,” Lan Qing revealed. “If I didn’t always work hard, you would quickly get better than me.”

Lan Jue turned shocked eyes to Jue Di. “Is that true?”

Jue Di shrugged. “Of course. If you put forth half the effort your brother did we wouldn’t still be waiting for you to make your own breakthrough.”

The Clockmaker, Wine Master and Pauper felt uncomfortable being privy to the conversation. Was this man incapable of simply having a nice chat? How old was he…

Of course, none of them dared open their mouth in protest. The results of his parenting were right in front of them – Lan Qing was the youngest Paragon ever known, much less the youngest to become a Reflection of Heaven and Earth.

The Pauper looked around. “I’m afraid they’re really going to need to reorder the Paragon list. Admiral Lan, how shall we address you?”

Lan Qing shook his head and looked at his father. “I haven’t been able to pick one. I was hoping father could help me decide.”

“How about Siddhartha 2,” Jue Di offered.

Everyone looked at him in abashed powerlessness…

Lan Qing forced a smile.

Lan Jue chuckled and interjected. “Dad, let’s settle on something a little more standard, you know…”

Jue Di grunted. “How is this not up to standard? We’ve got the Pope, Satan even. Why shouldn’t he be called Siddhartha?”

Lan Jue was quickly losing ground. “Do you ever want grandchildren? What woman will sleep with him if he’s got a name like Siddhartha?”

Jue Di clearly had less than savory reasons for choosing the name, but he stuck to them. “There’s a reason. But remember kid, you’ve created the image of the Buddha, you aren’t really his reincarnation. Don’t let it influence our next generation!”

A tinge of embarrassment crept into Lan Qing’s face. “Father, I’ve barely had time to deal with my own things. It’s been so busy, I can’t even –“

“Sooner or later.” Jue Di didn’t frame it as an option. “Now that you’re a Paragon you’ll notice difference. Thirty years will pass and you’ll hardly seem different at all, but that doesn’t give you license to keep me waiting! If you come across a good opportunity you grab it kid, you hear me? A-Jue, you’ve got all those pretty girls around you, find one suitable for your brother.”

Lan Jue shrunk under the instruction. “I am a pure man, alright! Anyway it’s easy to find the right match for him. Any girl that can run three circuits around the planet has what it takes.”

Lan Qing chuckled. “Stop your nonsense.”

Jue Di interrupted. “Alright, A-Qing go rest. Stabilize your dharma as quickly as you can. You skipped a grade so you’re bound to have weaknesses in your foundation. You’ll need to discover what you’re lacking quickly.”

“Yes,” he answered.

Lan Jue slithered up to Jue Di’s side. “Now that you’ve taught my brother the dharma of Vairocana what am I supposed to do? Don’t let him go yet, he still hasn’t decided on a name.”

Jue Di slapped a hand against his forehead. “It’s age, I’m getting amnesia.” Both Lan Jue and Lan Qing looked at their father with sharp eyes.

Luo Xianni tittered. “Alright, you two don’t worry over nothing. He’s as strong as a dragon and as nasty-tempered as a tiger. He’s never dying.”

Jue Di’s face went slightly red. “Woman, have you never learned the word restraint?”

Sne sniffed derisively. “This old lady was plenty restrained when she was younger. It was a waste of time. Now pick a name for your son, alright? If you don’t then I will.”

Jue Di pondered for a moment. “Vairocana separates the darkness from the light. He gives rise to the beasts of the earth. His light neither gives life nor takes it away, and his brilliance blazes brighter than the sun. Thus he is also named the Light of Wisdom or the Radiant Light. This light covers and embraces all things through time and space, through morality it binds them. It is as inseparable as day is to night, and its bounty is delivered to all the myriad sentient and non-sentient things of the universe. As the foundation of Buddhist faith, it is beautiful. The ‘Commentaries of the Mahavairocana Tantra’ states, ‘When the Light of Wisdom shines on the realms, the roots of virtue will grow and all endeavors shall succeed.’”

He paused for a moment, then continued. “If you insist that A-Qing’s name cannot surpass the Buddha’s, then we shall call him the Peerless Light.”

The Peerless Light? The thought it strange at first, but the name instantly called to mind the luminescence that had poured from Lan Qing during his breakthrough, and the bounty he delivered unto An Lun.

“No, that doesn’t sound any good.” Luo Xianni complained. “Peerless Light, might as well be ‘I am Awesome.’ That’s not suitable at all, can’t you think of something that sounds better?”

Jue Di narrowed his eyes. “Sounds better? You think of one, then.”

“It at least has to do with his dharma,” she snapped. “I don’t know, how about the Warrior Buddha? Or maybe ‘Great Sage, the Equal of Heaven.’ How do those sound, Jue Di.” 3

Jue Di grunted. “Not my ideas.”

Warrior Monk? Great Sage, Equal to Heaven? When they heard the names the other Paragons froze. For the first time they were beginning to get a glimpse into Jue Di’s dharma. 4

1. The Buddha who represents the true form, present in all things. The ‘dharma body’.

2. The human name of the founder of Buddhiasm, later to become Gautama Buddha.

3. This is a snide joke – or maybe not. The warrior Buddha was one of the trials faced by the Monkey King in the Journey to the West. The second title, ‘Great Sage, Equal to Heaven’ was the title the Monkey King gave himself to piss off all the immortals.

4. As a bonus, here’s a trailer for a movie called Winning Monk (same characters as warrior monk) that looks flippin awesome.