Dan Shu could already see the outcome of Noldrei's doctrinal debate within the Alchemy Commission.
He masterfully used the actions of the Xianzhou's own ancestors as ammunition, hammering his points into the believers' hearts one by one, all under the supposed authority of the Yaoshi.
The members of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were nearly driven to the point of becoming Mara-Struck.
Fortunately, they had the "Pill of Returning Dust."
The so-called "Pill of Returning Dust" was the counterpart to the "Dragon's Coil, Serpent's Leap" elixir.
"Dragon's Coil, Serpent's Leap" could artificially induce the Mara-Struck state; by breaking through that taboo, one could maintain their sanity while in that form. The "Pill of Returning Dust," on the other hand, allowed one to revert to their original human form, enabling a Mara-Struck individual to maintain a human appearance.
In truth, Dan Shu had already broken through this forbidden power.
The force of Noldrei's words struck the believers' hearts directly. They couldn't accept that the essence of the Yaoshi was the same as that of The Hunt, yet Noldrei's precise and wildly iconoclastic dialectical inversion of the Aeons left them with no counter-argument.
It was true that no Aeon had ever shown any inclination to betray the very nature of "Aeonhood" itself.
But what Noldrei didn't know was that an Aeon who had betrayed "Aeonhood" did, in fact, exist; they simply hadn't made any overt acts of rebellion known to the wider universe.
Dan Shu felt compelled to ask, "Then tell me, if our ancestors were wrong and the Yaoshi is right, why have we suffered such evil karma yet still failed to receive the Yaoshi's forgiveness? Why has the Emperor's Bow of The Hunt become the new guiding Path for the Xianzhou?"
Noldrei took a sip of his Celestial's Joy Tea, thought for a moment, and said, "It's not that the Yaoshi was wrong, nor that The Hunt was wrong. The Aeons are merely carrying out their Paths. Since a Path exists, it cannot, by definition, be wrong. Rather, it was the way you Xianzhou people sought boons that was wrong. And likewise, you sought the wrong things."
"First, the Xianzhou were wrong to seek boons for themselves. That is the primary error."
"Anyone who seeks self-salvation to overcome the eight sufferings—of birth, old age, sickness, death, parting from loved ones, encountering the hateful, unfulfilled desires, and the raging of the five skandhas—will ultimately fall into a painful cycle of karma they cannot bear."
Dan Shu keenly sensed that Noldrei was about to unleash his masterstroke. She played along, pressing him further.
"Pray, enlighten us!"
A smile graced Noldrei's lips, making him look like a great and virtuous monk enlightening his many followers.
"To pursue self-salvation is to be trapped in the cyclical torment of the eight sufferings. To pursue the salvation of others is to fall into a Mara-state of rejecting even righteous practitioners as hypocrites."
"There are two ways to seek boons. One is to pursue the Yaoshi's boons for oneself; the other is to seek them for the sake of others. The former is not in line with the Yaoshi's true essence and will ultimately lead you down the same path as your ancestors. The latter is easily exploited, using the Yaoshi's boons to ruin the cultivation of others."
"So, is there a different way for us to seek these boons?"
Noldrei had them all hanging on his every word.
Most of the alchemists in the Alchemy Commission were followers of the Yaoshi. Noldrei had pointed out the internal schisms in how they sought boons, and at the same time, he had explained the true nature of the conflict between Abundance and The Hunt.
This was, at the very least, far more credible than some salacious gossip about the Aeons.
"Therefore..."
Noldrei looked at the many eager believers, half-expecting to feel the so-called gaze of an Aeon.
Perhaps his own level was insufficient, or perhaps his current way of thinking was completely disconnected from the Aeons. Whatever the reason, not a single Aeon had yet cast their gaze upon him.
"We should beseech the Yaoshi for Prajñā and a Pure Land!"
"That is, the true scripture of wisdom that can solve the eight sufferings of the mortal world, and the Yaoshi's Pure Land, the final destination that embraces all life in the universe!"
Noldrei's words hit Dan Shu like a tidal wave.
This is bad! A disciple of Harmony has co-opted the Yaoshi's name and is launching a takeover!
Noldrei's voice boomed, "Within the Pure Land created by the Yaoshi lies all the wisdom needed to resolve the world's suffering! Within that Pure Land is a great and harmonious world built by the Yaoshi, free of all strife, where one can ascend to eternal cosmic bliss! It is free from the stain of the five turbidities, hence it is called the Pure Land."
"Before me, all was the Hinayana True Scripture. After me, all shall be the Mahayana True Scripture!"
"Thus, in the heavens and on earth, I alone am the honored one. From this moment forth, the cycle of my rebirth is ended."
"You all shall practice the true scripture of the Yaoshi. You must deliver all living beings from birth, old age, sickness, and death. This is the eternal law."
"Like a lion, he surveys the four directions,
Taking seven steps upon the earth; so too does the lion of men.
Like a great dragon, he gazes upon the four quarters,
Taking seven steps upon the earth; so too does the dragon of men.
When the Honored Among the Two-Legged was born, he strode seven paces,
Surveying the four directions, his voice raised to end the suffering of birth and death.
At the moment of his birth, there was no equal, none to compare,
As he perceived the root of samsara, and that this body was his last."
Dan Shu pressed on, "Then what of the Emperor's Bow?"
Noldrei proclaimed, "Formation, stasis, change, and extinction! Existence, subsistence, decay, and emptiness! The Hunt is the bow that restrains all the world's evil karma!"
Dan Shu asked again, "Then what is the meaning of Harmony?"
Noldrei proclaimed, "The Lord of the Heaven of Freely Enjoying the Transformations of Others. They attain freedom through the transformations of others. The beings of this heaven do not manifest their own pleasures, but rather make use of the creations of the heavens below, playing freely amidst the joys of others. Thus, they are called 'Those Who Freely Enjoy the Transformations of Others.'"
Dan Shu asked again, "Then what is the meaning of the Erudition of Nous?"
Noldrei proclaimed, "Knowledge is the prajñā of ultimate reality, the origin of the universe! To see your mind is to see your true nature!"
Dan Shu asked again, "Then what is the meaning of the Destruction of Nanook?"
Noldrei proclaimed, "The scripture on the end of the Dharma! The Pure Land is lost, prajñā is cut off, the Paths are severed, the Emanators fall, and all the Aeons vanish like smoke!"
Dan Shu asked again, "Then what is the meaning of Nihility?"
Noldrei proclaimed, "The profound meaning is great, known as emptiness. All conditioned things are impermanent; this is the law of arising and ceasing. When arising and ceasing are extinguished, cessation is bliss."
Dan Shu asked again, "Then what is the meaning of the Preservation of Qlipoth?"
Noldrei proclaimed, "Through meritorious deeds such as the practice of giving, one ascends to become the Lord of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven! The Emperor of the Devas, Śakra himself!"
'This guy really is a follower of Harmony! He's using the methods of Harmony to do this?!'
She had never heard of the methods of Harmony being applied to the interpretation of Aeons, but here Noldrei was, doing exactly that.
No matter which Aeon Dan Shu chose, Noldrei could elucidate their nature in perfect detail, even assigning them a proper place alongside the Yaoshi.
In his telling, even The Hunt's pursuit of Abundance was reframed as Lan acting as a helper, cleansing Abundance's followers who had fallen to evil karma.
In the eyes of others, The Hunt was the Emperor's Bow that hunted down the remnants of Abundance.
In Noldrei's eyes, The Hunt was a tool, an Aeon in the hands of Abundance used to purify its ranks of believers.
Dan Shu couldn't fathom how Noldrei could have possibly conceived of such ideas.
She couldn't defeat him in a fight, nor could she out-argue him.
In Noldrei's narrative, it seemed as if every Aeon revolved around the compassion of Abundance. All Aeons were helpers in its compassionate mission, all working within the great cycle for the sake of that Pure Land filled with prajñā.
Dan Shu lowered her head, not because she accepted the world of Aeon relations that Noldrei had constructed, but because his words had given the believers a new hope.
In the hearts of the disciples, the 'power dynamic' between the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Xianzhou Alliance had just been reversed.
A new Disciples of Sanctus Medicus was gradually taking shape, authored by Noldrei.
Noldrei announced in a loud voice, "From this day forward, we are the Pure Land Sect of the Yaoshi!"