novelapdf Chapter 10 The Ancient Way of Qi Refining
Chapter 10 The Ancient Way of Qi Refining
In a small, secluded valley, a boy sat cross-legged.
"In the beginning of the Tao... it was empty and formless, like a chicken egg..."
"In the beginning of chaos... the pure rose and the turbid descended... separating the mortal from the true..."
The opening few lines outline a magnificent scene, pointing directly to the primordial chaos of the beginning of time.
"...body of heaven and earth...meaning..."
Then, the writing style shifts, using the human body as a metaphor for heaven and earth, depicting chaos as being divided into purity and turbidity, life and death, and wind, fire, water, and earth.
"...The myriad breaths of heaven and earth...first gather the azure clouds...then eat the black soil..."
The boy's eyes gradually brightened, his expression one of pure joy and naturalness.
The monkeys nearby watched closely, secretly envying and longing for their brother.
Suddenly, it heard the boy reciting, which made it even happier, and it listened and thought along with him.
"...invading the very foundation of heaven and earth...devouring the very essence of all things..."
The ancient path of Qi cultivation gradually revealed its terrifying power, resembling the maw of a colossal beast that devours the heavens and the earth, possessing boundless might.
Unbeknownst to him, a strange aura began to emanate from the boy's surroundings, and an unusual wind began to rise.
In a daze, in the darkness, the practice had already begun.
Zhong Xuan used the Qi he had cultivated in his previous life in the Dharma-ending Age, a place between existence and non-existence, to accumulate and hone his core visualization concept—the reflection of the heart lake.
Reflect everything in the outside world into your heart, making it a lake within, reflecting both the inside and the outside.
In this way, the inner and outer landscapes are unified, and one's own profound divine will hangs high in the heavens, watching over from the shadows, while the image of the bright moon is scattered across the lake of the heart as a symbol.
Now, as he begins his first cultivation journey in the Journey to the West world, the foundational elements of his previous life's Qi cultivation are quietly emerging.
Zhong Xuan sensed all things around him, silently reflecting everything through the strange phenomena in his heart lake.
In the eyes of ancient alchemists, all things have infinite forms and are food, requiring only cultivation.
At this moment, he could see clearly that all around him were countless vibrant and lively things.
No soil, no trees, no clouds, no valleys, no sky, no earth...
All things in the universe are composed of countless invisible fluids, endlessly flowing and ever-renewing.
Suddenly it dawned on me, and I named it: the mechanism of Qi.
Zhong Xuan then naturally followed the distinction of Qi and discovered its lively aspects.
Among the invisible, wispy strands, there is a vibrant, lively green vitality, exceptionally dynamic.
A spiritual response arose within my heart, and I instantly understood: this is what is meant by spiritual inspiration.
The spiritual mechanism within the Qi mechanism corresponds to the traces of the flow of spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, and is called the spiritual mechanism.
Since the machine marks are already visible, why not accept them?
The moment a thought arises, divine will spreads in all directions.
Like a gentle spring breeze and drizzle, his divine will also gently draws in the closest strands of inspiration around him.
What this inspiration was, Zhong Xuan did not know.
Driven by their desires, they become curious and eager to interact.
With each breath, wisps of natural energy from the outside world enter the nose and seep into the pores.
Let's set aside the meaning of being relaxed and at ease for now.
Zhong Xuan was focused and unconsciously drew his Qi into his body, stepping over the threshold.
Then, the divine will splits, with one part continuing to draw spiritual energy closer and capture it into the body;
Another part is immersed, drawing the spiritual energy of the body to circulate through all the meridians, thus becoming tainted by the karma of human beings.
Until gradually they become one with each other, the spiritual energy merges with the body's essence, becoming one and returning to the lower dantian.
Thus, the first strand of magical power was created.
It happened so naturally, without any obstacles whatsoever.
This process of refinement lasted for an unknown period of time.
……
……
About half a day later.
The mountain god temple was drafty from all sides.
Three curious Taoist priests from the mountains sat cross-legged in the dilapidated hall.
They discussed Taoism with Zhong Xuan's incarnation as a mountain god, which lasted only a short while.
Now, the three of them were stunned, as if they had gained some kind of insight.
"Fellow Daoist's words...are novel, truly novel."
The leading Taoist, dressed in a dark blue robe, stroked his beard and pondered: "I have been cultivating Taoism for 120 years, and this is the first time I have heard the saying 'Tao is found among ants, tiles, excrement, and urine.' It may be crude, but upon closer examination, it is undeniable."
Another female Taoist priest with slanted eyes scoffed, "Not only can't it be refuted, but I actually find it reasonable. Mountain God, your approach is quite different from the orthodox Heavenly Court."
Zhong Xuan smiled, his gaze gentle: "Mortals draw qi into their bodies, refine essence, qi, and spirit to build their innate foundation, then gather the three flowers at the top to become a True Person, then the five qi converge to become a Human Immortal, and finally overcome the three calamities to become a True Immortal... But I have now stepped into the ranks of immortals, how can I not be a true member of the Heavenly Court's orthodoxy?"
Just then, a figure suddenly floated down from outside the temple.
Dressed in white as snow, with a beautiful face and a figure that is both aloof and alluring, she is captivating at first glance.
The three Taoist priests stood up simultaneously, their expressions a mixture of surprise and delight:
"Fellow Daoist Rakshasa!"
"It was actually the master of Banana Cave who came in person!"
"Rare visitors, rare visitors!"
The Jurchen landed, carrying a bamboo basket filled with red and blue spiritual fruits, which looked quite lovely.
She handed the basket to the mountain god, her voice clear and melodious: "I reside in the nearby Banana Cave, using this place as my Daoist practice, hoping to cultivate the Daoist fruit of an Earth Immortal. If you, the Mountain God, do not disturb my cultivation, we can live in peace. This basket of fruit is a small gift for our first meeting."
Zhong Xuan accepted it, his gaze sweeping lightly across her face, and said gently, "Cave Master, you're too kind."
When the Rakshasa woman met his gaze, her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
That glance was as gentle and warm as the clear water of spring.
It is much cleaner and deeper than the previous mountain gods...
Seeing this, the slanted-eyed female Taoist priest said jokingly, "What if we accidentally disturbed you?"
The Rakshasa woman was not annoyed. She slightly opened her mouth, curled her tongue, and a small leaf transformed into a palm-sized fan.
With a gentle touch.
A divine gust of wind arose out of nowhere, precisely lifting the female Taoist priest and sending her dozens of feet away, where she landed steadily without sustaining any injury.
She then proudly declared, "That's exactly right."
Zhong Xuan clapped his hands in praise: "Excellent skill. Once I have settled here, I will certainly return the visit with gifts. The temple is simple today, so I will not keep the cave master."
The Rakshasa woman glanced at the dilapidated temple, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.
The Taoist priest in the dark blue robe suddenly spoke up: "Wait a moment."
He looked at the mountain god and smiled, "Although the temple is simple, your understanding of the Dao is far from simple. Your few words have already benefited us greatly. How about returning the favor with a word, to complete our connection today?"
Another Taoist priest chimed in, "Indeed, Rakshasa is already a True Person at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, only lacking the Five Qi Converging at the Origin to achieve Human Immortality. We are still unaware of the Mountain God's realm; perhaps we could offer some guidance?"
With just a few words, he managed to get the mountain god on board.
The female Taoist priest who had been swatted away returned on the wind. When she landed, her figure swayed, revealing her true form—a white-haired, slanted-eyed tiger demon.
This time, she obediently squatted down to the side, listening attentively.
The Rakshasa woman paused slightly, a smile playing on her lips: "I dare not presume to offer guidance, but I do have a question I intended to ask at the Water and Land Assembly. If the Mountain God is interested, perhaps he would like to hear it?"
Zhong Xuan raised his hand: "Please."
The Rakshasa woman said, "When the five elements converge, the flourishing of wood generates wind, and the wind intensifies the fire. The magnificent mansion was built in an instant, but it was burned to ashes in the blink of an eye."
"May I ask, how do you solve this?"
Upon hearing this, the three Taoists reacted with varying expressions.
The man in the dark blue Taoist robe was the first to react: "The cave master is... stuck at the crucial point of the wood-fire generating cycle?"
The Taoist at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm was bewildered: "I don't understand."
The tiger demon Taoist scratched his head: "How about we replenish the metal element first? Perhaps strengthening all five elements would work?"
The Rakshasa woman shook her head: "The metal element is suppressed, so it can't be strengthened."
Xuanqing Daoist pondered: "To solidify the soil, to use it to control the wind and suppress the fire?"
The Rakshasa woman shook her head again: "Earth, wood, wind, and fire are mutually generative in a cycle. When wood is strong, fire will flourish. No matter how thick the earth is, it cannot suppress the root."
The group discussed the matter amongst themselves, but none of them could find a solution.
Zhong Xuan listened quietly, his gaze remaining gentle.
Suddenly, he raised his right hand and did some calculations with his fingers.
His movements were casual, yet there was an indescribable ease about them.
"Cave Master," he said.
The Rakshasa woman raised her eyes.
The mountain god said, "Your question concerns both the Dao and humanity."
The Rakshasa's pupils contracted slightly.
"The imbalance of the five elements has become deeply entrenched and difficult to reverse," the mountain god said, emphasizing each word.
"You've already decided that you can't get through this on your own."
What you want to borrow is not a solution, but external force.
"To be precise, it is the dual cultivation of external power to complete the five elements."
The words fell.
The three Taoist priests were stunned, then gasped and turned to look at the Rakshasa woman.
The Rakshasa woman's cheeks flushed red, and her hand reached for the banana leaf fan at her waist.
Before she could react, the tiger demon Taoist exclaimed in amazement, "Amazing! Mountain God, your wisdom is divine! You can even foresee the thoughts of a young woman?!"
Rakshasa Woman: "..."
Her noodles were so hot they looked like they were about to burst into flames, and her eyes, a mixture of frost and fire, were fixed on the mountain god.
Xuanqing Daoist shook his head and chuckled: "Fellow Daoist, if you can't provide a solution, this feud will be formed. No matter how accurate your divination, you can't predict people's hearts—you've calculated her thoughts, but you haven't calculated a woman's temper."
The Rakshasa woman glared at him fiercely: "I'm not that petty!"
Zhong Xuan laughed.
His smile was gentle and warm, like an elder watching a younger person make a fuss, just like in a past life.
"The solution?" he asked softly. "I don't know."
Rakshasa's expression changed.
The mountain god continued, "But I have a word to offer you."
"If you are generous enough to teach others the method of generating wind and fire from wood, you can learn from others."
"It should be understood that a disciple is not necessarily inferior to his teacher, and a teacher is not necessarily more virtuous than his disciple."
The Rakshasa woman was stunned.
The three Taoist priests were also stunned.
But immediately, the Tiger Demon Taoist scoffed, "Nonsense! How can a teacher be a teacher if he is not virtuous? A disciple doesn't necessarily have to be inferior to his teacher, so what's the point of the master-disciple relationship? Fellow Daoist, your words are going to disrupt the natural order!"
The Three Flowers Daoist shook his head directly: "I have cultivated the Dao for decades, and this is the first time I have heard of the saying that a master is not as virtuous as a disciple. It is nothing but empty talk and grand pronouncements meant to be sensational. It is not as exciting as the Dao being in excrement before!"
The two of them sang in unison, their eyes filled with resentment and amusement.
I was almost convinced before, but now I've finally realized something's off about what he said.
Xuanqing Daoist also frowned slightly. Although he did not speak, he was clearly also suspicious.
Only the Rakshasa woman did not laugh; instead, her brows furrowed even more, and she looked directly at the mountain god.
She said coldly, each word piercingly, "Anyone can talk big. You and I already have a power struggle, so it sounds more like you've tricked me into giving you some kind of fundamental law so you can find an opportunity to deal with me?"
Her question hit the nail on the head, and the three Taoists immediately stopped laughing and looked at the mountain god.
Several Taoist priests waited to see how the mountain god would defend himself, since the conflict of interests in Cuiyun Mountain was most intense between the path of the Earth Immortals and the path of the Mountain God, and everyone knew this perfectly well.
Zhong Xuan listened quietly, then his gentle gaze swept over the four of them.
Tiger Demon Taoist and Three Flowers Taoist seemed to have their inner secrets exposed, and they immediately felt a little guilty.
Xuanqing Daoist remained silent, his brows furrowing even more tightly, indicating that something was amiss.
The Rakshasa woman's expression had turned completely cold, as if this trip had put her in a very bad mood.
"This humble Taoist does not wish to be your teacher; I merely engage in casual conversation about the Tao, therefore..."
The mountain god said calmly, "As for your various questions, ask yourselves: whether you have one master and one disciple, ten disciples, or hundreds and thousands of disciples, will your answers still be the same?"
With just one more word, the expressions of the four people changed to varying degrees.
The mountain god said no more and waved his sleeve.
A gentle breeze swept up and carried the four of them out of the temple gate.
Each word left in the wind resonates powerfully:
"The way is to grow together, not to take away from each other!"
"Today's sermon is finished. You should go and accumulate more good deeds, and there will be room for further discussion later."
They were actually trying to drive the guests away!
The immense and powerful magical energy surged forth like a raging river, even sweeping up the tiger demon Taoist who had revealed his true form. They were all pulled a hundred meters away from the mountain god temple and instantly disappeared into the dense forest.
None of the four were angry; they were simply stunned.
In my mind, it was as if a bronze bell was ringing out with a long, resounding tone.
"The way lies in mutual growth, not in mutual destruction!"
"The way of things lies in mutual growth, not in mutual destruction!"
This sentence seems to carry an infinitely resonant and powerful Daoist energy.
With just a single word, its power was enough to shake four people whose cultivation levels were not low.
Even the Rakshasa woman, who was the highest-ranking of the four and possessed the True Person realm, had a strange glint in her eyes.
That last statement of reasoning echoed repeatedly in their hearts, as if striking a nerve in some long-standing obscuration within each of them, giving them a subtle sense of relief.
Suddenly, a creaking sound came from the other side, interrupting the four people's thoughts. It turned out that the temple door was closing by itself.
The four of them came to their senses and couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.
The Tiger Demon Taoist was the first to recover, scratching his head and exclaiming, "Brilliant! That's brilliant! This mountain god is truly something else! I'll come again tomorrow! No, I'll go back now to get my gift!"
Having said that, it transformed into a whirlwind and hurriedly departed.
Xuanqing Daoist pondered for a moment, then bowed respectfully to the temple gate: "This humble Daoist came on behalf of my master to test your depth, fellow Daoist. Today I have learned what it means to be unfathomable. Farewell."
As he rose into the air on a cloud, those last two sentences still echoed in his mind.
The bottleneck that had been holding me back for so long seemed to be illuminated by this sentence, giving me a clear direction.
He must immediately return to seclusion and seize this glimmer of inspiration!
The Taoist priest with the Three Flowers Gathered at the Top shook his head and sighed, "What a pity. In just over twenty days, the Heavenly Court will conduct its once-in-a-century examination. This mountain god is trapped here and cannot accumulate incense offerings or merits. When his divine position is stripped... he will become food for all the demons on the mountain."
He looked at the Rakshasa woman: "On that day, will the cave master also come to see you off?"
The Rakshasa woman said calmly, "Everyone has their own destiny."
Having said that, he turned and drifted away.