Chapter 35: Deep Affection for an Old Sword

Deep Affection for an Old Sword

What is Spirit?

Spirit is the subtle consciousness that permeates the universe, existing between the void and the real, the non-existent and the existent. It is governed by the Three Thousand Great Daos and ignited by the Creation Dao Ancestor. Within the boundless universe, there is no place and no thing that lacks spirit. Spirit is where the Dao rhyme of the Creation Dao Ancestor resides. When the Dao fruit matured and fell away from the old universe, the Dao Ancestor held the East Florescence Green Sovereign Sword to pierce through the clear and the turbid. Wherever the sword passed, the Dao rhyme was stirred, and thus, all things were born.

All things grew by looking up to the Green Sovereign. The East Florescence Green Sovereign Sword gave birth to a sword spirit through this opportunity. The sword spirit was conceived by sensing the creation, and it resonates with all life in this universe. The Green Sovereign was born to master the Dao, becoming the first Dao Ancestor of this universe.

After the Green Sovereign, the five innate 'Tai' matured one by one. Among the great heavens of the universe, living beings felt inspired and opened up paths of the Dao. The Yin-Yang and Five Elements Dao Ancestors lectured on the Dao for a million years, leaving behind their orthodox lineages before drifting away. The Green Sovereign also established a sect in the Green Florescence Myriad Things Heaven and wrote the "Green Florescence Transcendence Record" to prepare for the path of transcendence in the future.

In chaos, there are no calendar days; in the primordial era, years are unknown. Since the Five Elements Dao Ancestor went into seclusion, this universe has undergone countless kalpas of fortune. Many Dao Ancestors have merged with the Dao, and many have fallen. Since the universe was first created, all changes happen in an instant. The True Persons plot the Great Dao, each surging forward, and many innate magic treasures have appeared, each leading a trend of their own. Only the Green Sovereign, being the first Dao Ancestor, holds a transcendent status, lecturing and preaching only in the Green Florescence Myriad Things Heaven, deducing the path of her own transcendence. One must know that the Green Sovereign is the first Dao Ancestor of this universe and is most closely connected to it; wanting to transcend is also the most difficult for her.

However, a Dao Ancestor is omnipotent; there is nothing in the universe she cannot reach. Even when she is wholeheartedly deducing transcendence, not a single thing in the universe can transcend beyond the consciousness of the Green Sovereign. This is a very wondrous feeling. The changes of all things in the universe are clear to the Green Sovereign, as if there were countless Green Sovereigns, yet they all return to one. In the universe, things are born at every moment, and to the Green Sovereign, this is like opening her eyes to gaze at all things in the world at every moment. The Green Sovereign is the Dao, and the Dao is the Green Sovereign; this is precisely one of the natural principles of this universe.

To the Green Sovereign, from the moment of her birth, she has grasped the Great Dao and merged with the universe. This is an instinct born with her, but to other living beings, it is an extremely profound and strange sensation. Yet, the Green Sovereign's troubles are also something other living beings could never imagine. She was born as the Great Dao, perched high at the end of all living beings' cultivation. Although she is omnipresent, watching the birth and death of thousands of great heavens, it is hard to imagine what it feels like to be a tiny living being, as small as dust, in the universe.

This day, the Green Florescence Myriad Things Heaven reopened its Dao arena. The lower sects and branch courtyards spread across countless great heavens all sent their disciples to listen to the Dao. The Green Sovereign manifested from the front of the platform. As soon as she took her seat, spiritual flowers rained down, and all the disciples were intoxicated as if drunk. This was the spiritual rhyme of the Dao Ancestor. The disciples cultivated the Great Dao of Life, and every time they were near the Green Sovereign, it was like drinking fine wine, making them even more close and submissive. It is as the saying goes: "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die without regret in the evening."

Before the Green Sovereign parted her lips, her clear and beautiful eyes swept across the room. Suddenly, she looked at the water mirror beside her, her lotus-like face smiling as she said, "Oh, there is another little friend from the future."

This glance seemed to see into Ruan Ci's heart, and it also seemed like a downward glance from the Taiyi Monarch, or like the great star formed by the infinite sword light above the Zhou Tian. The Green Sovereign is omnipresent; all these gazes were her incarnations. Through Ruan Ci, she transformed into all things in Ruan Ci's eyes. At this moment, she seemed to see the future, and she also saw the remnant East Florescence Sword in Ruan Ci's hair.

"Ah."

The Green Sovereign sighed with a smile, her laughter lingering in the ears, "So it is the old sword of East Florescence, the wind and the moon—"

It turned out that the soft red dust and the tight smoke of meditation were the long-cherished old paths of East Florescence, meeting again after countless kalpas.

Ruan Ci opened her eyes, feeling her heart beating like a drum. Everything she had just experienced was still before her eyes. The feeling of the Green Sovereign as a Dao Ancestor was still extremely clear, yet it did not feel as solid and long-lasting as when she entered the Ever-Spring Wind. Especially the realization of the Dao, which was both clear and void, as if it were between existence and non-existence, like a lingering dream. She could only say that the feeling had indeed existed, and the traces left behind were very clear, but as for what exactly she had dreamt, perhaps she could only find out when she returned to this old dream again.

She adjusted her breathing for a long time before her Qi gradually calmed down. When she examined herself again, she saw a small jade pool above her dantian. Silently urging her heart's intent, as soon as she connected with the East Florescence Sword, she felt strands of pure spiritual power escaping into her meridians. Her meridians absorbed them as if famished, and unknowingly, she had already opened her meridians and established the pool, officially stepping onto the path of the Dao, possessing the cultivation base of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

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For a Qi Refining cultivator, in terms of combat power, it is roughly similar to a Wu Lingaoshou, but that does not mean the two cannot be distinguished. Take Ruan Ci, for example: before obtaining the Heavenly Fate Cloud Child, although she was agile and could do many things ordinary people could not, the people in the Altar City all regarded her as a Wu Lingaoshou rather than a cultivator. This was because she had never opened her meridians and established a pool; the spiritual power that entered her body would just overflow, which is completely different from the scene after a true cultivator opens their meridians.

True cultivator meridian opening is sometimes a very long process. Take Ruan Qian, for example; he could open his meridians by himself even in a place of severed spirit like Song Guo, which truly makes him a talent of his time. His meridian opening took a very long time because the spiritual energy in Song Guo is unbalanced, which is actually very dangerous for the human body. The people of Song Guo have eaten jade and rice for generations and held talismans when going out, which is how they have been able to survive within the great array. Perhaps because of this, for seven hundred years, they have been naturally able to endure and regulate spiritual energy, and they are also better at absorbing it. So, although Ruan Qian only held a talisman, he used the process of clearing his heart and sensing nature, which is inherent in holding a talisman, to feel the spiritual energy and Dao rhyme, slowly nourishing his meridians. He had already cleared many joints in his meridians. After the spiritual energy entered his body, it did not just dissipate but was significantly refined. That is why Liu True Person said that day that he had already opened his meridians by himself. He is a Jin Dan cultivator, and since no one in Song Guo cultivates, the slight changes in spiritual energy beside the Thick Earth Divine Light could not be hidden from him.

This kind of meridian opening is common among mortals who accidentally encounter an immortal opportunity, absorbing spiritual power by instinct, clearing meridians, and then casting an inner landscape world. In the Qi Refining stage, the inner landscape world is usually a pool of jade, and the magic power turns into jade liquid, so it is also called the dantian jade pool. Once the jade pool is full, one can attempt Foundation Establishment. If Ruan Qian were to never leave Song Guo in his life and not cultivate any techniques, relying only on that "Classic of Clarity and Stillness," he would probably never be able to fill the jade pool in his life. Even if he did fill it, he would be old and frail, having missed the best time for cultivation.

Nowadays, a more common way to open meridians in the cultivation world is for a protector to take action, preparing three spiritual items as guides to lead the spiritual power through the meridians, probing the congested and stagnant places one by one. Under the protection of the protector, the cultivator opens the jade pool. In this way, the jade pool is opened larger and is more convenient than the original method of relying entirely on oneself to slowly expand the jade pool. That is why Manager Feng asked Ruan Ci today if she had found a protector for meridian opening. The cultivation base of this protector is also extremely important to the cultivator. Not to mention anything else, the size of this jade pool mostly depends on the protector's advice to the cultivator.

If the Dao foundation built during the Foundation Establishment stage determines the future limits of a cultivator, then the pool of water in the jade pool during the Qi Refining stage is the resource for refining the Dao foundation in the future. When a cultivator refines the Dao foundation, they must do it in one go, combining the jade pool water with the three external medicines used during Foundation Establishment, like using water to mix mud. The cultivator's own divine intent is the mason, building the Dao foundation layer by layer. Regardless of whether it is the spiritual power pool water, the three external medicines, or the cultivator's own divine intent, whichever runs dry first will cause the Dao foundation to stop at that layer. Therefore, the size of this jade pool determines the thickness of the future Dao foundation, and the thickness of the Dao foundation determines the upper limit that can be reached in the future. Weighing the size of the jade pool is also a point of comparison among Qi Refining cultivators.

Although a wide and large jade pool means sufficient resources in the future, it is not the bigger the better. After all, the prerequisite for Foundation Establishment is a full jade pool. For those cultivators with low aptitude and slow spiritual power refinement, giving them a sea-like jade pool would mean they could never fill it until they die; this is harming them. For those cultivators with outstanding talent, if the jade pool is opened too shallowly, they will have to spend a lot of time expanding it themselves during the Qi Refining stage. Therefore, the depth of the jade pool must be determined according to talent, and it must be guided to stop at the appropriate time, or helped with a hand. Although it is a mortal opening meridians, it must be a Jin Dan cultivator to be competent.

Naturally, if one can be protected by a Cave Heaven cultivator during meridian opening, the Old Ancestor will know all the talents at a glance, and with a single finger, the meridians will be opened immediately; that is another experience. There are many subtleties in this, as it is the first step in cultivating the Dao, and everyone knows it. "Heavenly Boat Crossing" also has many descriptions and pointers on this. Ruan Ci had curiously read many of them in the Junping Mansion and remembered clearly the various hallucinations one would encounter during meridian opening. She did not expect that when it was her turn, it would be achieved quietly in a dream. The jade pool above her dantian was deep, and it had already accumulated a pool of clear water. Not only was the meridian opening successful, but she also truly possessed a shallow cultivation base—if according to the saying of the Beihuzhou loose sect, she was already at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Although her cultivation base was based on the Ever-Spring Wind, the jade pool in her body was several times larger than that of the Ever-Spring Wind. The jade pool of the Ever-Spring Wind was like a small vat, while above Ruan Ci's dantian, a small lake of an acre appeared, covering a mile, filled with three or four parts of water. When her consciousness was immersed in it, it was like being in the vast ocean. She could also feel the spiritual power being transmitted from the East Florescence Sword from the void, continuous and extremely pure. Once it entered her meridians, it all flowed into the jade pool without any stagnation, and it would not leak out in the slightest. This is what low-level cultivators often call the "Leakless Golden Body."

Ruan Ci sat in meditation for a while, carefully exploring the changes in her body, and she was secretly clicking her tongue. According to the classics she had read, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage mainly make up for the deficiencies of the physical body, clearing all meridians so that spiritual power can enter the body without dissipating or blocking, and can all flow into the jade pool. But for her, the inside and outside were mixed into one, and her physical body was flawless. She did not know if it was the accumulation of seven hundred years of ancestors gathering essence and eating Qi, or the natural elimination of impurities by sword intent quenching the body. Ordinary disciples still need to identify and collect spiritual power from spiritual energy, while the East Florescence Sword collects spiritual energy like a whale swallowing or a rainbow sucking, and when it is sent to her, it is extremely pure. The speed at which this spiritual power turns into water depends only on how much time she has to cultivate, and whether her connection with the East Florescence Sword is more intimate. If that trace of connection in the void becomes stronger, the speed at which the East Florescence Sword transports spiritual energy to her will be faster, and her cultivation base seems to be able to grow infinitely until the jade pool is full and she is about to break through to Foundation Establishment, at which point she will have needs for external objects.

How to use the East Florescence Sword to supplement herself, Ruan Ci already had a plan in mind after reading "Green Florescence Secret Records." She urged her thoughts and ran the technique for several cycles without feeling tired. She had been trapped in the mortal realm for six years and did not dare to attempt intent cultivation within the Shangqing Sect. Now that the first battle was a success, she was naturally happy and fresh. She carried out twelve great cycles in succession and saw that the water in the jade pool had risen by an imperceptible trace. She estimated it in her heart and had a number—if she cultivated day and night without stopping for a moment, it would take about ten years to fill the jade pool. If she cultivated for three hours each time, it would be twenty years of work.

Twenty years to Foundation Establishment is not fast or slow among cultivators. However, Qi Refining stage cultivation is not the faster the better; the depth of the jade pool and the thickness of the Dao foundation are the keys. For Ruan Ci, her own cultivation is not the most urgent. The depth of magic power is nothing more than whether it is useful when using techniques or fighting. Since she has taken the path of intent cultivation, she still has to find a way to figure out how she possessed the Ever-Spring Wind in her dream, and how to reproduce this scene so that she can dream into the body of a cultivator with a higher cultivation base.

When Ruan Ci finished her cultivation and rose, she had expected that, just as described in "Crossing the Heavenly Boat," her first time circulating her energy would purge accumulated toxins from her body, leaving her filthy and foul. To her surprise, her skin and body showed no such abnormality. Checking the time, she realized it was only noon the next day; a mere six hours had passed since she began practicing the "Yin Lord Song Commentary."

Opening her meridians overnight without anyone to guard her—if this were known, anyone would find it strange. However, Ruan Ci was not panicked. Although the rules of the Profound Heaven Sect were strict, the internal supervision of disciples was quite lax. She lived alone in a residence, and her four servants were all mortals who could never tell whether she had opened her meridians or not. In ten days or half a month, when she went to see Deacon Feng, she could simply say that a senior from the Purple Void Illumination Heaven had secretly come to guard her during the process, and that would be the end of it.

Thinking that she had slept for seven or eight hours, she knew her servants must have been waiting in some anxiety. She couldn't help but laugh at her own impatience, having rashly begun her cultivation without making any arrangements. This reminded her of her time at Seven Stars Cottage, and she still couldn't help but look back toward the Sect Master. After reflecting for a long while, she realized that her actions were, after all, somewhat reckless.

On second thought, she felt relieved, secretly thinking, "I understand the principles, I'm just too lazy to change. I want to do what I want to do; if I don't change, then so be it."

She walked out of her bedroom, struck the bronze bell, summoned the four servants, and settled the matters of her daily life.

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Heavens, I finally logged into iCloud. It turns out my 4G couldn't connect, but it downloaded as soon as I switched to Wi-Fi.

I'm still out, so I won't say much since I'm typing on my phone!

I'm sending out red envelopes to everyone this chapter!