Chapter Thirty-Two: Formally Stepping onto the Path of Cultivation

Chu Xianlu was about to walk over, but Wang Shiming blocked her path. She looked up and saw that his tall figure stood like a city wall.

"Excuse me... could you step aside?"

There was no emotion in Wang Shiming's voice as he asked, "Do you think I should kill you?"

Chu Xianlu retorted, "Who knows?"

Wang Shiming found this young lady of the Chu family far from charming. Had it not been for the fact that she was brought by Xie Peiling, he surely would have struck her dead with a single blow.

"Fine, I'll go, is that enough?" Chu Xianlu gave him a cold look before turning to Xie Peiling with a smile. "You must come find me once you've recovered!"

Xie Peiling remained silent, or perhaps he wished to speak but could not find the words; the feeling of heaviness in his body was becoming increasingly intense.

Chu Xianlu chuckled, "Since you aren't saying anything, I'll take that as a yes..."

He wanted to shake his head, but she gave him no chance and turned to leave. He was now incapable of making any response. Not long after she departed, Xie Peiling’s vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.

***

Noon the following day.

Xie Peiling opened his eyes. He felt a profound weight in his body; his entire frame was stiff and sluggish, making even the slightest movement an ordeal.

Nevertheless, he forced himself to rise and walked out of the room. He found Xu Yuanming sitting in a chair, sipping tea with great contentment.

"Is it resolved?"

Xu Yuanming nodded. "It was quite a struggle, but I succeeded. Had this battle taken place a few years earlier, I might have been the one to die."

After speaking, he closed his eyes briefly, let out a long sigh, and finished the tea in his cup in one draught.

Xie Peiling asked, "Senior Brother, why does my cultivation feel more complete after Jiang Zhenguang destroyed it, yet my body feels so congested?"

Xu Yuanming replied, "Because the 'Heart Transmission of the Sage's Taiji Void-Chong Mysterious Path' you practiced before was bestowed upon you by others; it was not something you cultivated yourself."

Xie Peiling did not understand. "What do you mean?"

Xu Yuanming sighed. "Think about it carefully. Why were you able to master the practice from scratch? Why was the 'Qi' you cultivated stronger than that of practitioners who have spent years at the same level? Why were you able to achieve dimension-crushing dominance over your peers?"

Xie Peiling shook his head. Indeed, none of it made sense. He suddenly recalled why Han Jiang had appeared just as he finished his training, and why Han Jiang, who was usually so stingy with every cent, had suddenly bought meals requiring expensive spirit fragments. It was clear: his own cultivation had been damaged, and he had transferred some of his own foundational cultivation to Xie Peiling.

All his doubts were now resolved.

"And now, this is your own path of practice. Having entered the Outer Sect, you should begin your formal initiation into cultivation. The reason I did not teach you earlier is precisely because I saw that it was not your own cultivation. That is why I held back. The true purpose of coming down the mountain this time was to grind away that borrowed power. Jiang Zhenguang’s arrival was truly timely."

"..." Xie Peiling looked at him and said, "So when my cultivation was destroyed, you did it on purpose. And when he moved to escalate, you intervened. It was no coincidence; it was a carefully orchestrated plan."

Xu Yuanming let out a dry laugh. "What else could it be?"

"Very well. Since that is the case, it is time for me to impart the teachings to you."

"What?"

Before he could react, Xu Yuanming began to speak on his own. Time flowed like water, and an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Xu Yuanming asked, "Were you listening?"

Xie Peiling nodded. "I was."

Xu Yuanming continued, "Did you understand?"

Xie Peiling replied, "I did not."

Xu Yuanming said, "That is fine. I didn't understand it either when I was first taught; I even fell asleep. I only asked to see if you were paying attention. Cultivation is incredibly intricate, and no one masters it on their first attempt. It almost always requires guidance."

Xie Peiling felt this made sense.

Xu Yuanming looked at him earnestly. "Then let me ask you: what is the Dao?"

Xie Peiling pondered for a moment. He found the question too vast to pinpoint an answer, so he simply said, "To live is the Dao."

Xu Yuanming smiled. "You are quite right. That is the Dao. Whatever you say, it is the Dao, so you are correct. However, from the perspective of my sect, it is not."

Xie Peiling grew thoughtful.

"I am merely speaking; how could I expect you to understand yet? Look around you. What do you think?"

Xie Peiling looked around and heard the sound of a trickling stream. Ancient, lush trees reached toward the sky, obscuring the high sun. From time to time, the sounds of birds and beasts drifted by, and as the wind blew, his robes fluttered.

He stood up involuntarily, gazing at the scene, and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

"Vibrant with life."

"You have hit the nail on the head. That is exactly it. The core principle of my sect is just two words: 'Naturalness'."

Xie Peiling murmured, "Naturalness?"

Xu Yuanming smiled. "The Dao has no name and no image; it is merely essence and spirit. Life is invisible and untouchable, residing only in the light of heaven, and that light is also invisible and untouchable, residing only in the eyes. This is the content of the first volume of the scripture I gave you: 'Heavenly Light'."

Since ancient times, the Dao has been passed down by word of mouth, one generation succeeding the next. Yet, for some unknown reason, they began to accept disciples on a wider scale.

Xie Peiling said, "The Dao follows the natural course."

"That is the principle. Once you understand what is natural, the next steps are simple."

"Refining essence, refining Qi, and refining spirit—these are the primary methods of my sect before foundation building."

Xie Peiling did not understand, so he listened in silence.

Xu Yuanming said, "Sit cross-legged."

Xie Peiling sat down immediately.

"What is essence?"

He did not understand and could find no direction, so he remained silent.

Xu Yuanming continued, "The Mother of Water, the Source of Kan, the primordial essence is clear and void, while the acquired essence is turbid and solid."

After he spoke, Xie Peiling found himself reciting the words unconsciously. He felt intangible, formless gases drifting around him.

"I ask you, how does the 'acquired essence' in your body feel now?"

Xie Peiling felt his limbs being filled as if by a pure, crystalline liquid flowing through him. Each drop of that liquid seemed as heavy as a small mountain, appearing ready at any moment to crush him to pieces under its weight.

"The 'acquired essence' is turbid and solid; it feels like a thousand-pound weight pressing down upon me."

Xie Peiling did not know what 'acquired essence' was; he was simply answering based on his body's instinct.

It was not over yet. He felt his kidneys begin to swell, as if they were on the verge of exploding.