Chapter 17: Palace of Light

The song ended.

Cheng Yunqi held the "Heavenly Wind Pine Snow" with both hands, signaling the green Chi to take it back.

Without seeing any movement from the green Chi, a force wrapped around the ancient zither, like an invisible hand grasping it, detaching it from Cheng Yunqi's hands, drawing an arc in the air, and falling into the green Chi's mouth.

Cheng Yunqi watched with some envy. He knew this was a type of capture technique, but to learn it, one must first have magic power in the body, and then release the magic power, just like his own limbs, which could be controlled at will.

Cheng Yunqi did not have magic power in his body yet.

Magic power is the transformation of heaven and earth spiritual energy for one's own use.

From spring to winter, Cheng Yunqi had been eating Qi for nine months, and the Five Elements spiritual power nourished his body and warmed his five internal organs, but all this spiritual power turned into nutrients for his body and did not transform into magic power.

To make the inhaled spiritual energy transform into magic power, a process was still needed:

Circulating the Zhou Tian.

Circulating the Zhou Tian is to make the spiritual energy inhaled into the body circulate, guiding the spiritual energy to wander along specific acupoints and meridians, and finally forming a closed loop. This is a Zhou Tian.

In the process of circulating the Zhou Tian, the heaven and earth spiritual energy clears the blockages of the body's acupoints and meridians, and at the same time, the heaven and earth spiritual energy is also washed by the human body's essence and blood, removing the dross and keeping the essence, turning into magic power.

Circulating the Zhou Tian, like breathing and eating Qi, is the foundation of a cultivator.

The essence of circulating the Zhou Tian lies in guiding the heaven and earth spiritual energy to wander according to specific acupoints and meridians. Cultivators also call this action Qi circulation. There are two main points: one is how to make the spiritual energy move, and the other is what route to wander.

The latter need not be said; the Zhou Tian route is the secret of every school and sect, and each is different.

The former, everyone has no disagreement, that is, using intent to control Qi, or it can be called using thought to control Qi. As long as the thought power arrives, the Qi is led to wander.

However, this ethereal thing called thought power is not born naturally. What is born naturally is just thoughts. Thought power is "condensed," "tempered," and "refined" from thoughts.

As for how to condense thought power, the methods of various schools and sects are different.

Regarding the three things of thought power, spiritual energy, and magic power, there is a name for it, passed down by word of mouth for tens of thousands of years, and it is inevitably written in the classics of various schools and sects, called the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, also called the combined refining of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Use spirit to control Qi, transform Qi into essence.

This process is to turn heaven and earth spiritual energy into one's own use, which is the intersection of the human body's small heaven and earth and the natural big heaven and earth.

Cheng Yunqi had been eating Qi for nine months and condensing intent for nine months. It could be said that everything was ready, only the east wind was missing.

Master Sukong once said that Cheng Yunqi must either practice the Five-Character Mantra Qi-eating method to the ninth level, or eat Qi until he "cannot eat anymore," before he can go find her again.

Now, it was finally time.

Just today, just now, he used the 【Chui】 character mantra to inhale water-element spiritual energy, but his kidneys had no reaction, so Cheng Yunqi knew that he had reached the time when he "cannot eat anymore."

It was time to go to Mount Meizhi again to learn the energy circulation technique.

Cheng Yunqi stood up and bowed to the green Chi, "I am truly grateful to you, fellow Daoist, for guarding me, saving me a lot of effort."

Cheng Yunqi spoke from the bottom of his heart. After meeting the green Chi in this lake on the Mid-Autumn Festival, he discovered that as long as this water-element spiritual beast was by his side, the water-element spiritual energy he inhaled would be three to five times faster than usual, and the quality of the water energy would be much higher.

After realizing this, Cheng Yunqi tried to communicate with the green Chi, playing music for her, only asking the green Chi to linger when he was eating Qi.

The green Chi was worthy of being a dragon-species alien, looking so small and not yet refining the horizontal bone, but there was no problem communicating with people. She not only agreed but also asked Cheng Yunqi to play with the zither she provided.

Since then, Cheng Yunqi had put more energy into inhaling the spiritual energy of the other four elements, and the water-element spiritual energy could get twice the result with half the effort by relying on the green Chi.

Finally, today, everything was ready.

However, the green Chi did not care about Cheng Yunqi's thoughts. After a roar, she plunged into the depths of the lake and soon disappeared without a trace.

And Cheng Yunqi also drove the cloud away, heading straight for Mount Meizhi.

————

Still landing at Liangjun Ferry, Cheng Yunqi came under the Hidden Bamboo Stele and looked at the pavilion, but did not see the figure of Master Yu. Cheng Yunqi was not surprised. When he came for the first time, Master Yu had made it clear that the ninth to the fifteenth of every month were the days she taught. Today was only the sixth, so presumably, the Master herself was in seclusion or traveling.

Cheng Yunqi turned around, about to leave, preparing to come again on the ninth. However, at this moment, the voice of Daoist Sukong came to his ears.

"Is that Yunqi? Come over."

Cheng Yunqi looked back and saw that the Master was sitting in the pavilion again, with her five hearts facing the sky, her eyes slightly closed, as if she had always been there.

Cheng Yunqi stepped forward and bowed, "Disciple sees the Master."

Wen Sukong slowly opened her eyes, glanced around, and then looked at Cheng Yunqi, saying:

"Open your eyes and try to see the Green Jade Lord, clusters of cold crisp falling on green lips. Yunqi, what year is this since you entered the mountain?"

Cheng Yunqi replied: "Disciple entered the mountain in spring, and now it is deep winter, still the first year."

Daoist Sukong smiled a little, "Then you come to find me, is it because you have practiced the Five-Character Mantra to perfection, or is your Qi-eating full?"

"It is that Qi-eating is full, the five internal organs are saturated and no longer accept spiritual energy."

"Good." Daoist Sukong nodded and said again, "I asked you to build a temple in your mind to condense intent, how is it going?"

"I have gained something, and I ask the Master for guidance."

Daoist Sukong nodded, "You find a futon and sit down, relax your body and thoughts, eliminate distracting thoughts, and then, I speak, you think."

Cheng Yunqi said yes, found a futon and sat down, which was the one he participated in the trial when he first entered the mountain.

Cheng Yunqi sat well, relaxed his shoulders twice, breathed and exhaled twice, closed his eyes, and after about four or five breaths, he nodded, indicating that he was ready.

"Now, in front of you is darkness."

Cheng Yunqi nodded, it was like this.

"Now, there is a flat land, a piece of yellow soil, floating in the boundless darkness, like an island, and the place where it is located is the very center of the dark world."

Thus, a floating island appeared in Cheng Yunqi's mind.

"Now, a person appears on the floating island."

Master Yu said.

Cheng Yunqi did not react, what kind of person? Who?

Suddenly, Cheng Yunqi's eyelids twitched violently, and he almost opened his eyes.

A person really appeared on that floating island, but Cheng Yunqi hadn't started conceiving this person yet!

Cheng Yunqi couldn't see, just now, Daoist Sukong also closed her eyes, and then a purple light burst from the female crown's forehead, dyeing the surrounding green bamboo and white snow purple.

The speed of the purple light particles was indescribable. As soon as they appeared, they drew a purple silk thread in the air, and the other end of the silk thread sank into Cheng Yunqi's forehead.

Cheng Yunqi didn't know that this was something only a great cultivator of the third realm could do.

"It's me." A voice suddenly rang in Cheng Yunqi's mind. This voice was so clear, so close, like his own inner monologue, and Cheng Yunqi instantly "saw clearly" that person, who was Master Yu Sukong.

In this dark world:

Master Yu Sukong looked at her feet and said: "This piece of land is too small, increase it ten times."

Even though he was prepared, Cheng Yunqi, who was shocked beyond measure, did not react.

"I said this piece of land is too small, increase it ten times."

Cheng Yunqi heard it this time and made the floating island in his mind ten times larger.

"Now, you stand by my side."

Master Yu Sukong's words stunned Cheng Yunqi again, how, how to stand over?

"In thoughts, people always take what they think as what they see."

Master Yu Sukong reminded.

Cheng Yunqi understood instantly. His perspective zoomed in rapidly, and he fell onto the floating island, onto Master Yu Sukong's upper body, retreating from an omniscient perspective to a human eye perspective.

"Good, the eyes are set, the body should also be set."

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Cheng Yunqi understood quickly and imagined his own appearance. Just like that, a living Cheng Yunqi also stood on the floating island, standing right beside Master Yu Sukong.

Master Yu Sukong looked at the suddenly appeared Cheng Yunqi and nodded.

"Now, take me and you as a scale, and take out your palace in front of us."

Cheng Yunqi became more and more proficient and began to build his own palace on this floating island.

And in Wen Sukong's eyes, the empty land "in front of her" began to undergo earth-shaking changes.

First, the earth was piled up into a platform. This land abruptly arched into a square earth platform, six feet high.

In the platform, there were thirty-six large pits, and in each pit, there were column foundation stones, shaped like the dragon-headed tortoise, the son of the dragon, dark blue.

On each column foundation, a large column stood, three feet in diameter and five feet high, painted with vermilion lacquer and painted with fire birds.

On the columns stood bracket sets, with green bracket sets and blue bracket arms, painted with crouching tigers and crouching mythical beasts.

On the bracket sets, beams and squares were placed, and rafters were placed. It turned out to be a double-eaved mountain-shaped roof, with cloud-dragon patterns on the beams and squares, and rain-swallow patterns on the rafters.

Tiles were laid on the rafters, which were glazed bright yellow tiles, and each tile was painted with pearl flames.

Erecting walls, fences, opening doors;

Building platforms, laying floor tiles;

Painting interior decorations, hanging plaques;

It sounds complicated, but it only took a moment to build a bright palace.

Daoist Sukong nodded continuously, watching him build a high building, and asked with a smile, "Why is there no word on the plaque? Haven't you thought of a name for this Daoist palace?"

Cheng Yunqi nodded, "The disciple really can't make up his mind, I ask the Master to give a name."

Wen Sukong smiled, "Go, let's go in and see."

The two walked onto the platform and opened the vermilion palace gate.

"Hmm, you found this one."

Daoist Sukong looked at the statue in the palace and was quite surprised.

This statue was not tall, thin, with a white face and no beard, a pair of fiery eyes and golden pupils, and a strange hooked nose. The statue had a gold-bead peach-leaf cap on its head, wearing a vermilion red robe, on which were painted patterns of colorful clouds arching over stars, auspicious clouds swirling, and stars forming the Mao constellation.

It was exactly Mao Sun Star Lord.

"You actually chose this one, what were you thinking?"

Cheng Yunqi saw the smile in Master Sukong's eyes and knew there should be no big problem, so he explained that he found the "White Tiger Seven Constellations Chapter" as a visualization illustration, and explained why he chose Mao Sun Rooster instead of Zi Fire Monkey.

Master Sukong was very happy after hearing it. She smiled and said:

"Yunqi, you must know, whether it is now that I am only your registered Master, or in the future when I truly become your formal Master, as your guide, I will tell you what is against the right path, what is the priority, what should be gradual, and what should be prepared for a rainy day. But I will never demand how you should practice step by step. Otherwise, the Daoist path of masters and disciples in the world would all be the same, and this legal system would be destined to perish. You must know that change leads to communication, and rigidity leads to death.

"Just like choosing an inner-landscape deity, I asked you to open the heart-mansion first because my Mount Meizhi lineage practices the Way of the living dead. Between the living and the dead, the difference lies in the spirit, and the other lies in the heart. If the heart moves, the body lives; if the heart flourishes, it wards off all evil. Opening the heart-mansion first is beneficial to your future cultivation.

"But I will not demand which inner-landscape deity you visualize and which kind of fire energy you inhale; it all depends on your own thoughts and encounters.

"This is the meaning of one tree blooming a hundred flowers, all flowers are different, competing for brilliance.

"Among the twenty-eight constellations, there are four Yang constellations: Fang Sun, Xu Sun, Mao Sun, and Xing Sun, and four fire constellations: Wei Fire, Shi Fire, Zi Fire, and Yi Fire, which can serve as the main official of the heart-mansion. Among them, Fang is inner, Xu is Yin, and Xing is dark. Only Mao is positive Yang. Wei Fire, Shi Fire, Zi Fire, and Yi Fire are nothing more than the light of fireflies and cannot be compared with the sun. So Mao Sun is indeed the first choice, this is your opportunity."

Cheng Yunqi was naturally happy when he heard this. He didn't know there were so many sayings.

Master Sukong continued, "Since you have chosen Mao Sun Star Official, I will tell you more about this Star Official.

"First of all, I will make it clear to you that Mao Sun Star Lord is a Star Official of our Daoist sect, inheriting the Taiqing lineage. You enshrining him is a matter of course in terms of legal principles.

"The Star Official attained the Way during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, responded to the decree of the Haotian Jade Emperor, became an official in heaven, and was the master of the Mao constellation. Before going to heaven, the Star Official was practicing in the Taiqing sect and had listened to lectures on Mount Zhongnan."

Cheng Yunqi was surprised to hear that there was such a relationship.

"Secondly, the Mao constellation has a very high background. His father was a white-feathered heavenly chicken on the ancient Taodu Mountain in the East China Sea. He was the first chicken after the primordial era was opened and heaven and earth were formed. He was in charge of announcing the dawn and had a deep friendship with the Jin Wu clan of the ancient demon royal family. His mother was the Pilanpo Bodhisattva of the Western Buddhism, one of the guardian deities of Buddhism.

"Perhaps because the legal system is correct and the background is high, the achievements of this Star Official later far exceeded other Star Lords, becoming the second type of creature to roam the Sun Star after the Jin Wu clan.

"After Emperor Shang destroyed Zhou, this Star Official lived in seclusion on the Sun Star, and later actually refined the Sun Bing Fire. It is said that the power is only second to the Sun True Fire. If you really use the Mao constellation to form the inner-landscape deity of the heart-mansion, then it is not impossible to inhale the Sun Bing Fire by visualization."

Even though Cheng Yunqi was steady, he was a bit dazed by the news one after another, but fortunately, they were all good things.

However, just as Cheng Yunqi was happy, Daoist Sukong said again:

"However, there are difficulties in using the Mao constellation as the master of the heart-mansion, you need to pay attention."

Cheng Yunqi raised his spirits to the twelfth degree, fearing to miss a word.

"First, as I just said, the mother of the Mao constellation is the Pilanpo Bodhisattva of Buddhism, and those people are the most concerned with cause and effect. If you meet them in the future, keep an eye on it.

"Second, misfortune is where blessing lies. The position of the Mao constellation is too high. Using visualization to turn it into an inner-landscape deity, I am afraid it is difficult to get its divine essence with only the illustrations in your hands. You still need to search for other objects related to the Mao constellation, the closer the better. It's just that the Mao constellation attained the Dao a long time ago, so this is not an easy task.

"Third, it is also because the position of the Mao constellation is too high. Even if you succeed, the Mao constellation is in charge of the heart fire, but how should the master of the kidney water match it later?"

Cheng Yunqi was silent.

Seeing this, Daoist Sukong comforted him: "Seeking immortality through Daoist practice is originally a matter of knowing that it cannot be done and doing it. There is no such thing as getting all the benefits in the world. You just need to walk steadily step by step. In the end, everything is just six words: do your best, listen to heaven's will."

Cheng Yunqi bowed, "Disciple accepts the teaching."

"Isn't the plaque of your Daoist palace still empty? After the Mao constellation responded to the call to heaven, he moved into the Palace of Light in the East. You can use this as a name."

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====