Chapter 97: On the Same Boat

At dawn, the sound of waves rolled on and on, rising and falling in endless surges.

Last night, Fang Yue had once again been tormented by a strange dream. In it, many people seemed to be speaking to him of something. The dream left his head splitting with pain and his nerves ragged, so that he slept fitfully the entire night.

When he woke from his troubled sleep and sat up on his bunk, he listened to the ceaseless roar of the sea outside the cabin and gradually steadied himself.

“The third time already. Why do I keep having this same bizarre dream? Have I picked up something, or is there some other reason?”

Fang Yue rubbed his head. He had a faint, uneasy premonition, but for the moment he could not see through it clearly.

He got up, dressed, and stepped out of the small room within the cabin.

It was still early. Most of the passengers were sleeping in the large common bunks inside, and only the crew who rose before dawn were busying themselves outside.

Yet Fang Yue noticed a woman in white standing at the bow, gazing toward the vast, surging sea.

At this hour, the wind and waves out at sea were especially fierce.

The moment Fang Yue came out of the cabin, the strong wind from the ocean whipped his hair into disarray and battered his clothes into a complete mess. His appearance was instantly ruined.

And yet, when he looked again at Lin Qingmiao standing at the bow, no matter how wild the wind and waves became, her sleeves still fluttered gracefully and her long hair brushed lightly behind her, utterly unruffled.

She stood facing the wind and the water, before the roaring waves, seeming as though she might ascend into the air at any moment.

The sight was exquisite and pleasing to the eye, impossible not to linger over.

A passage from Zhuangzi about the Goddess of the Grotto-heaven of Guye suddenly surfaced in Fang Yue’s mind:

“In the far-off mountains of Guye, a divine being dwells. Her skin is like ice and snow, supple and graceful like a maiden; she does not eat the five grains, but breathes the wind and drinks the dew. She rides the clouds, drives the flying dragons, and roams beyond the four seas. Her spirit is so pure that the world suffers no pestilence, and the harvests ripen in abundance.”

What struck Fang Yue most about Lin Qingmiao was her bearing: elusive and ethereal, transcendent and otherworldly, unlike anyone of the mortal world.

That was also why, after learning that the two sisters were unusual, Fang Yue had only ever thought of them as cultivators, and never once imagined something as eerie and grotesque as ghosts or spirits.

Braving the wind and waves, Fang Yue walked to the bow. Spray struck the hull and burst upward in fine droplets, scattering across him.

“Good morning, Miss Lin.”

Lin Qingmiao turned her head, saw that it was Fang Yue, and smiled faintly. “Good morning, Young Master Fang.”

The two stood facing each other alone. Lin Qingmiao’s attitude was courteous but distant, though not in the least awkward; it was natural and unforced.

Fang Yue looked at her flawless profile, at skin smooth and delicate, translucent and immaculate, showing not the slightest flaw even at such close range.

He then turned and followed her gaze toward the churning sea in the distance.

He had approached Lin Qingmiao not out of any romantic feelings. Though the saying went that a virtuous and lovely lady was one a gentleman should seek, a gap too great would only make a fool of oneself.

He had come to ask her some questions.

To this day, Fang Yue still understood the extraordinary powers of this world only in fragments.

Although his conversations with Yuan Zhixing had given him some idea of things here and there, Yuan Zhixing was also merely an acquired martial artist, and the things he could truly come into contact with were limited.

Now that it was rare to have a high-level cultivator aboard the same ship, and one who could at least be considered half an acquaintance, it would make no sense not to seek guidance.

“Miss Lin, I am heading to the northern part of Cloud Province to seek a master and study under him, in hopes of breaking through into the Innate realm.

“But although I have stumbled through some martial training, I have no master to guide me, and I know nothing at all about the martial world or the cultivation world.

“I have a few questions I would like to ask. If you would be willing to lend me your wisdom and answer them, I would be most grateful.”

Lin Qingmiao said with interest, “I wondered what you had been hesitating over for so long, only to find it was this. In matters of cultivation, I am merely one who has walked a little farther ahead. If you have questions, ask freely. How could that count as lowering myself to help?”

Fang Yue laughed. “Then I thank you in advance.”

After thinking for a moment, he said, “I have heard that the martial path is divided into realms. Beyond the acquired stage, one opens the Purple Mansion, and the acquired internal energy in the dantian is transformed into innate true qi, thereby entering the Innate realm.

“Above the Innate realm, there is said to be the Martial Saint. What sort of realm is the Martial Saint? And above the Martial Saint, what then?”

Lin Qingmiao shook her head. “The martial path has only two realms: acquired and innate. The Martial Saint is not a realm, but more a state of mastery.”

Fang Yue asked, “What is the difference between a state and a realm?”

Lin Qingmiao said, “A realm is something clearly divided and fixed. So long as you follow the internal arts manual step by step, and your aptitude and effort are sufficient, you can reach it.

“But the state of the Martial Saint can only be attained after one has cultivated to the very peak of the Innate realm, and only if enlightenment comes.

“It is not recorded in any manual, nor can it be passed on by word of mouth. If you understand, you understand; if you do not, you will never understand, no matter how long you try.

“It should more properly be called a martial conviction. The process of insight and the result each person reaches are not the same.”

Fang Yue frowned. He had the Merit System, so he was not afraid of advancing step by step. What he feared most were precisely these unreasonable things.

If you were enlightened, then you were enlightened; if you were not, then even if you were only a hair’s breadth away, you would never be enlightened at all.

But that was still not the key point. What Fang Yue cared about even more was something else.

“Then above the Martial Saint, is there truly no higher realm?”

Fang Yue asked stubbornly. He was not afraid of a long and difficult road; what he feared was a path with no further advance.

Seeing Fang Yue’s look of uncertainty and discontent, Lin Qingmiao smiled, like an older sister looking at her foolish younger brother.

“The Martial Saint is something countless martial artists dream of reaching. You should know that in a single province, with tens of millions of people, there may not even be two or three Martial Saints.

“If you truly became a Martial Saint, even the provincial governor would have to treat you with utmost respect. And even the true masters and honored adepts who guard a palace would have to address you politely as ‘fellow daoist.’

“And if you went to the divine capital of the imperial province, there would still be a seat for you.

“Even so, you are still not satisfied?”

Fang Yue came back to himself and realized that his reaction earlier had indeed been somewhat excessive.

He was only a minor acquired martial artist at present. To be dismissive of the pinnacle of martial cultivation, the Martial Saint, did seem rather improper.

He hurriedly gathered his thoughts and said, “When I was little, I loved stories of spirits and monsters. I often heard of heroes in those tales slaying demons and exorcising evil, moving mountains and filling seas, even plucking stars and seizing the moon, and so I thought...”

Lin Qingmiao shook her head with a smile. “How could that be? No matter how formidable a mortal martial artist becomes, he can never move mountains or fill seas, let alone pluck stars or seize the moon.”

Fang Yue suppressed the disappointment in his heart and asked again, “Then what about cultivation? What realms are there in Daoist and Buddhist cultivation, and is there also a limit?”

Lin Qingmiao said, “Cultivation is divided into three realms: Nurturing Qi, Building the Foundation, and Condensing the Core. After that comes the ‘Immortal on Land,’ which is also a kind of state. Only after cultivating to the peak of Core Condensation do one have the chance to break through into it.

“The Imperial Tutor of the Great Heavens Dynasty is one such Immortal on Land.”

Fang Yue frowned as he digested the information in Lin Qingmiao’s words.

In other words, in this world, whether one practiced martial arts or cultivated, there was a limit.

Cultivation was slightly better than martial arts, one level higher.

But neither was what Fang Yue had hoped for.

If he wanted eternal life and freedom across heaven and earth, neither martial training nor cultivation could clearly meet that requirement.

In truth, there was another system of power he had not yet asked about.

That was the bloodline powers of the great clans and noble houses, or something of the sort. Fang Yue had heard faint rumors of it.

But the secrets of aristocratic families were not something one could ask about carelessly. At the same time, he also harbored some doubt as to whether Lin Qingmiao herself might be one of those family members.